Chapter 347

Chapter 347
## Chapter 347

They had yearned for a rebirth.

Their goal was to reclaim their dignity, scrub away the filth of their history as malevolent deities, and secure a fresh, celestial beginning.

In hindsight, it was inevitable that they would choose to reside within the World Tree of Honor.

‘This is the fundamental reason the World Tree of Honor started to decay.’

It was also the key that allowed me to unlock this dungeon.

What the World Tree of Honor truly required of me was finally becoming transparent.

‘It needed me to purge these discarded evil gods.’

They were the core parasites that had corrupted the World Tree of Honor by manifesting a distorted version of glory.

The tree had been pleading for me to wipe them out.

Only through their total erasure could the genuine ‘honorable souls’ cease their restless, agonizing wandering.

“I admit my loss. I beg of you, stop…!”

The Forgotten God surrendered.

She had likely come to the realization that she stood no chance in a collision between two forces of absolute shadow.

But the window of mercy had closed.

Had she yielded at the start, she might have avoided this gruesome fate.

If she had simply backed down when I originally conceded, things would be different.

The Forgotten God’s change of heart arrived far too late to matter.

‘I have no alternative, if only due to the requirements for success.’

The mandate for victory had already shifted to ‘total annihilation of existence.’

The blame rested solely with the Forgotten God, who had manipulated the parameters of the duel to suit her whims.

*Squelch!*

I lunged forward and locked my fingers around the Forgotten God’s heart.

“No…!”

Predicting my next move, the Forgotten God let out a piercing shriek.

I remained indifferent to her cries.

*CRACK!*

“Aaaaaaaah!”

Without a moment’s pause, I pulverized ‘it’ within my palm.

《The ‘Symbol of the Forgotten God’ has been liquidated.》

《You have gained 1 ‘Ruin Point’.》

《’Ruin Points’ may be utilized to enhance the power of Ruin.》

She was fading into nothingness.

The Forgotten God.

The essence of the Forgotten God drifted out of Lilith’s physical shell and began to fracture.

—I… was so close… to being… a true goddess…!

The voice of a being unable to sever her desperate lingering desires, even as she faced the void.

But a desperate wish was nothing more than a ghost of a thought.

Moments later, the Forgotten God was completely extinguished.

*Thump!*

Simultaneously, the physical form of Lilith hit the floor.

In that instant:

《You have emerged triumphant in the trial of the 3rd Floor.》

《You are seizing all ‘Souls of Forgotten Knights’ previously held by the ‘White King’s Knight Order’.》

《13 ‘Wondrous’ achievements have been successfully recorded.》

《Your inventory now holds a total of 121 ‘Souls of Forgotten Knights’.》

《The ‘Forgotten God’ of the 4th Floor declines the challenge.》

《Access to the 5th Floor, the ‘Hidden Room’, is now granted.》

《You possess the necessary token to enter the ‘Hidden Room’.》

《Inside the ‘Hidden Room’, the challenger dictates the regulations against the ‘Forgotten Gods’.》

《’Another Ruin (The End)’ is initiating a forced summons of all ‘Forgotten Gods’.》

…

…

《You have obtained the ‘Supreme Soul (Lilith)’.》

《The ‘Supreme Soul (Lilith)’ requires an essence.》

《Expending 1 Ruin Point to grant a soul.》

《A soul has merged with the ‘Supreme Soul (Lilith)’, evolving it into the ‘Primeval Soul (Second Vassal)’.》

The Ruin Shop.

The strength of Randolph was shadow pushed to its absolute threshold.

It was an ‘abyssal blackness’ so profound it would have terrified even the foul-mouthed Forgotten God, which was precisely why I had avoided assuming Randolph’s form whenever possible.

‘It is a force I cannot yet fully govern.’

The sheer magnitude of it was so vast it eluded my personal restraint.

After consuming the ‘alternate Randolph’ within the Tower of the War God, this internal shadow had intensified significantly.

To begin with, that ‘alternate Randolph’ was a creature capable of dominating even the Kings of the Abyss and the ancient entities on the Isle of Gods.

Having absorbed such a being and evolved further, the density and depth of this darkness were beyond description.

As a testament to that:

*Gurgle! Gurgle!*

‘…The World Tree itself is reacting.’

…It was being tainted.

The wild, unbridled shadow bubbled and spilled over.

It was rapidly staining the entirety of the World Tree in a shade of total midnight.

The terrifying part was that it wasn’t merely a change in color.

Suddenly, the final words of the ‘Forgotten God’ before her death echoed in my mind.

‘Another Ruin, The End.’

That the true definition of another Ruin was simply The End.

Witnessing it now, it seemed like the only accurate description.

Nothing seemed more appropriate than The End.

The World Tree and every living thing inside it were now caught within the gravitational pull of The End.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!”

A scream resonated from the distance.

Every object and surface touched by the spreading shadow emitted a sound akin to a dying wail.

The floor beneath me grew fragile, shattering into a million shards before vanishing entirely.

The massive arena of the 3rd Floor crumbled into dust, drifting away as if it were a mere hallucination.

Despite this, the hunger of the shadow remained unsated.

It pushed its boundaries further, beginning to consume everything in its path.

…At this speed, the World Tree itself would be obliterated.

‘…This is insane.’

Watching the reality-warping effects of Randolph’s shadow with my own eyes was staggering.

If it caused this much devastation simply by existing, I couldn’t imagine the carnage that would occur if I approached the roots in this state.

It wasn’t just a matter of feeling cursed.

Just as she warned, Randolph’s shadow, by its mere presence, heralded The End.

I lacked the means to hold it back.

The holy-aligned strength I had gathered as Park Hyunmyeong was still a drop in the ocean compared to Randolph’s dark-aligned power.

Only by reaching a perfect equilibrium would I be able to wield it with precision.

‘If the perks of divinity are factored in… I might gain a sliver of control.’

Still, I couldn’t drop the transformation quite yet.

Tasks remained unfinished.

To purge this location, I had to lean into the peak of Randolph’s shadow.

If I could manage even a minor degree of influence over it, I could finally execute my plan.

Thus, after finishing off the Forgotten God’s emblem.

I scanned the notifications that were scrolling past my vision.

‘The tally is more than enough.’

The logs confirmed my victory on the 3rd Floor and my acquisition of 121 ‘Souls of Forgotten Knights’.

Converting these into Dignity would yield a staggering 605 points.

It was a total that blew past my original target of 500.

I immediately distributed the souls among my subordinates.

Then:

《You assign the ‘Souls of Forgotten Knights’ and gain Dignity.》

《The ‘★’ symbol marks the active bonuses you have unlocked.》

《★Dignity 10 : All Order Members All Stats +1》

《★Dignity 20 : All Order Members All Stats +2》

《★Dignity 50 : All Order Members Training Efficiency +50%》

《★Dignity 100 : All Order Members Experience Rate +50%》

《★Dignity 200 : All Order Members All Stats +5》

《★Dignity 300 : All Order Members Armor Penetration +10%》

《★Dignity 400 : All Order Members Level Limit +1》

《★Dignity 500 : All Order Members Gain Divinity》

《All Dignity bonuses are being applied to the ‘Knight Order of the Golden Rule’.》

《All Stats have risen by 8, Training Efficiency by 50%, Experience Rate by 50%, Armor Penetration by 10%, and Level Limit increased by 1.》

《All members of the order have gained ‘Divinity’.》

《’Divinity (Holy)’ — The potency of all prayers and blessings is doubled. Furthermore, damage against ‘Darkness’ attributes is doubled. ‘Sacred Bond’ is now permanently active.》

《’Sacred Bond’ — The larger the gathering of the ‘Knight Order of the Golden Rule’, the more divine their power becomes. The ‘Commander’ receives a double divinity bonus.》

*Fwhoooosh—!*

Radiance sliced through the oppressive shadow.

This was the result of the divinity now coursing through every member of the Knight Order of the Golden Rule.

‘Sacred Bond!’

It was exactly what I had anticipated.

In fact, the utility of divinity exceeded my wildest hopes.

The doubling of all holy buffs meant one thing:

‘The goddess’s blessing has been amplified as well.’

I could feel the light within me surging.

It had reached a level incomparable to its previous state, yet I was shocked to realize it still fell short of balancing the scales against the shadow.

However, divinity provided more than just a power boost.

‘Sacred Bond’ was specifically designed to repel the dark.

It was potent enough that most minor evil gods wouldn’t even consider an assault.

While it couldn’t fully negate the power of The End, its most vital feature was the double-scaling for the Commander, which pushed my internal light aspect even higher.

‘I can finally at least steer the shadow.’

It was a minimal amount of influence, but…

…it was possible.

Randolph’s shadow.

The End.

I could at least nudge its path.

I managed to barely shield the Knight Order of the Golden Rule and the White King’s Knight Order from being consumed.

Furthermore:

《As Dignity exceeds 500, additional ‘Dignity Effects’ are being revealed.》

《★Dignity 600 : All Order Members Damage +5%》

《Dignity 700 : All Order Members Experience Rate +50%》

《Dignity 800 : All Order Members Training Efficiency +50%》

《Dignity 900 : All Order Members HP/MP Regeneration +2,000%》

《Dignity 1,000 : All Order Members Gain Justice》

The rewards for higher Dignity continued to climb.

If I had the luxury of time, I would have stayed with my knights to farm more ‘Wondrous Feats’, but…

‘I cannot remain among them while wearing Randolph’s skin.’

Most of my followers were unaware of my identity as Randolph.

Besides, even with their new buffs, they wouldn’t survive being in close proximity to the concentrated power of The End.

If my goal was to wipe out the Forgotten Gods, I had to proceed as a lone actor from this point forward.

However…

‘The Ruin Shop.’

I needed to investigate this before continuing.

The moment I earned a Ruin Point, the ‘Ruin Shop’ interface had materialized.

【The ‘Ruin Shop’ is now accessible.】

【Use ‘Ruin Points’ within the shop to bolster the influence of ‘Ruin’.】

【Available Ruin Points : 1】

《Inventory List》

【Land of Ruin (1 Point) : Mark a godless territory as a ‘Land of Ruin’. Within this zone, Ruin energy regenerates at high speed. All divine blessings and celestial powers are neutralized here.】

【Tower of Ruin (1 Point) : Construct a ‘Tower of Ruin’ in a territory governed by a god. You can issue a trial; if the trial isn’t cleared by a specific deadline, the region is forcefully converted into a ‘Land of Ruin’.】

【Knight of Ruin (1 Point) : Appoint a target as a Knight of Ruin. They immediately transform into a vassal of Ruin and gain a high-tier status. Soul-less targets will be granted a soul appropriate for their new rank.】

【Gate of Ruin (1~??? Point) : Open a Gate of Ruin. Its strength depends on the ‘Ruin Points’ invested, summoning elite ‘Monsters of Ruin’ from the portal.】

【Eye of Ruin (1 Point) : Attach an ‘Eye of Ruin’ to a ‘Tower of Ruin’. This artifact tracks anything sought by ‘Ruin’. Limit one per tower. More towers and eyes increase the precision and range of the search.】

【Trumpet of Ruin (1 Point) : Obtain the Trumpet of Ruin. Blowing this instrument forces all concealed deities to show themselves.】

…

The catalog of the Ruin Shop seemed bottomless.

Yet every single item was terrifyingly powerful.

‘…This is essentially a toolkit for global collapse.’

The recurring theme was ‘gods.’

The primary strategy was to designate a Land of Ruin and systematicially dismantle the local deity.

By doing this, one could expand their influence and eventually erase all civilizations and divine beings.

It matched the ancient legends of when Ruin first emerged.

Stories told of how great empires crumbled and gods withered into obscurity when Ruin appeared.

Ultimately, most of them were dragged down into the abyss.

Without the goddess’s ultimate sacrifice, the world of Pangenia would have been erased long ago.

‘Knight of Ruin.’

My focus locked onto that specific option.

Knight of Ruin.

It was the one tool I could utilize immediately.

As it happened, the perfect candidate was lying right in front of me.

《You have spent 1 ‘Ruin Point’ to unlock ‘Knight of Ruin’.》

《’Lilith’ is being appointed as the ‘Knight of Ruin’.》

《A soul tailored to the vessel of ‘Lilith’ is being synthesized.》

《The ‘Supreme Soul (Lilith)’ has transitioned into the ‘Primeval Soul (Black Moon Lilith)’.》

Lilith received her soul, and her very essence was significantly upgraded.

Following this, I began to climb the floors with Lilith at my side.

Upon reaching the 4th Floor, the local ‘Forgotten God’ chose to avoid the fight.

However, once inside the ‘Hidden Room’ on the 5th Floor, I was able to drag all the Forgotten Gods into my presence—including the coward who had fled from the 4th Floor.

The Forgotten Gods were paralyzed with thought.

Something had arrived.

A presence far more abyssal and horrifying than anything they had ever imagined.

The deity from the 4th Floor was well aware of what had transpired on the 3rd Floor.

Furthermore, it had instinctively sensed the total erasure of the ‘Forgotten God’ who ruled the floor below.

—He wiped out the god of curses?

It was beyond comprehension.

The Forgotten God of the 3rd Floor.

That malevolent entity, who commanded the powers of the Origin and lethal hexes, was among the most powerful beings in this place.

And yet, it was gone.

Even Ruin was not supposed to be able to permanently kill a god.

Because of this, the Forgotten God of the 4th Floor had immediately ignored the call to battle.

—W-what is this? How could you possibly pull me here?

But the truth was unforgiving.

The Forgotten God of the 4th Floor looked at its surroundings.

The 5th Floor, the Hidden Room.

This was a domain where the intruder dictated the laws of engagement, not the gods.

To think the challenger would use that authority to drag every ‘Forgotten God’ living in the World Tree’s Dungeon into a single room.

—How dare a mortal summon me?

—Have you lost your mind?

—It doesn’t matter who you think you are, you cannot survive all of us at once.

—This is madness.

Most of them were still oblivious to the fact that the 3rd Floor’s ruler had been destroyed.

The 4th Floor deity only knew because of its proximity.

They usually kept to themselves.

The greater the distance between floors, the less they knew of the others’ fates.

‘Should I warn them?’

The Forgotten God of the 4th Floor hesitated.

It debated whether to reveal that the master of curses had been annihilated.

However, it quickly decided against it.

Speaking up would only cause more chaos.

‘No, this might be a blessing. There is no possible way he can survive against every god gathered in this one spot.’

With that thought, its anxiety began to fade.

The duel hadn’t officially commenced, so it could likely flee if needed, but with the combined strength of all the Forgotten Gods present, there was nothing left to fear.