Chapter 361

Chapter 361
Chapter 361

—

“……!!!”

In that precise moment, the pupils of the Outer God shook with intense tremors.

They were clouded with pure shock.

“How… How is it possible for you to know my name?!”

It was an impossibility.

Uncovering the true identity of an Outer God concealed within a mortal shell was a feat that even Ruin itself should not have been capable of performing.

Yet, he had somehow identified its name with a single glance!

“There is nothing left for me to gain from you.”

Naturally, that was merely Tara-Shee’s misconception.

He hadn’t discerned the truth through sight; rather, the data had been harvested via the doll.

Furthermore, the reason the Outer God Tara-Shee had managed to claw its way up from the depths was not simply because that was the path to climbing the tower.

It was because there truly remained nothing more to be extracted from Tara-Shee.

She had already absorbed everything.

She had deciphered its fundamental laws.

She had scrutinized every detail from beginning to end, but…

……it was still nowhere near enough to defy the dominion of Ruin.

To reach her superior, that magnificent and revered entity!

“This cannot be. I am a deity!”

The Outer God fought back with frantic desperation.

However, against Lilith, who had already decoded every secret, such resistance was futile.

Inside Lilith’s specialized authority, the ‘Book of Principles’, every scrap of information she had gathered about her foe was recorded.

Moreover, any ability she had successfully analyzed was rendered incapable of harming Lilith.

It could not touch her.

The solitary being capable of reaching her was her master.

A Hidden Scenario.

The World Tree Community.

An absolute deluge of inquiries began to flood the discussion boards.

【Is the Tower of Ruin that surfaced in the Holy City Adrium the genuine Tower of Ruin?】

【Respected Constellations. Has Ruin truly made its return?】

【Is the world of Pangenia facing total destruction?】

【What exactly is the Tower of Ruin?】

There was a singular point of interest that captivated everyone’s curiosity.

The notification that had manifested without warning, declaring the rise of the Tower of Ruin!

The moment they witnessed it, they were collectively stunned.

Ruin was an entity from an ancient epoch that had once pushed Pangenia to the very edge of extinction.

The chronicles regarding it were so pervasive that one didn’t even have to search for the legends.

But because it was a title that should have remained buried in history, they found the reality impossible to accept.

A Demon King, or even a fresh antagonist, would have been plausible, but Ruin?

【Constellation of the Fallen Dawn (Intermediate-rank): A counterfeit Tower of Ruin does not exist. It is the real thing. Accept my verdict.】

【Constellation of the Twilight Guide (Low-rank): Something has gone catastrophically wrong.】

【Constellation of the Despairing Shadow (Low-rank): We are equally bewildered. We have no understanding of what is occurring on the ground.】

【Constellation of the Cruel Radiance (Low-rank): Flee. Do not approach that location under any circumstances.】

The core issue was that even the Constellations were unable to provide a definitive response.

They, too, appeared incapable of processing the current events.

They were attempting to compile as much intel as possible, yet not a single Constellation had been able to pinpoint the exact happenings within Adrium.

What remained certain was that no one should ever set foot near Adrium!

It was because they, too, were gripped by a primal, instinctive terror.

This was why the Constellations were speaking with one voice, advising everyone to steer clear of the ‘Tower of Ruin’.

The Constellations of the People’s Hall.

They were deities who had lost their own names, and consequently, their pasts had faded into nothingness, yet the dread of ‘Ruin’ was a feeling they all shared.

Just as they shared the knowledge that they would be obliterated instantly if they failed to unite.

“……The entire world seems to be falling into chaos.”

The Most Brilliant Hero’s Constellation spoke, shaking his head in dismay.

At this moment, the Holy City was completely isolated.

Neither the Constellations nor any magical scrying could see inside the Holy City of Adrium.

It was even impossible to observe the ‘story’, a fundamental privilege belonging to the Constellations.

To their eyes, the area simply appeared to be engulfed in massive, obsidian storm clouds.

No one could discern what was unfolding within those borders.

However, he was aware of the truth.

That Park Hyunmyeong…

was a second Ruin.

That he was the individual who had invoked the Tower of Ruin using Randolph’s specific authority.

“Oh, Hero’s Constellation, if you were to disclose what you know, wouldn’t that mitigate the panic?”

The Constellation of Purity, characterized by a glowing question mark hovering where its face should be, drifted closer and spoke.

But the Most Brilliant Hero’s Constellation declined with a shake of his head.

“I am merely an observer of his tale. Narrating his story to the masses is not my function.”

“Do you truly mean to sit idly by even if he leads the entire world to its end?”

“……”

Was that truly his goal?

He couldn’t say for certain.

Because nobody understood the true motives of Park Hyunmyeong.

Even the Most Brilliant Hero’s Constellation hadn’t foreseen that he would abruptly construct the Tower of Ruin right in the middle of the Holy City Adrium.

He had assumed the man would cultivate the strength of Light using the feather of the Outer God.

Instead, he had erected the Tower of Ruin to heighten the essence of Ruin……

To be honest, he was utterly bewildered.

He had no way of interpreting why Park Hyunmyeong was suddenly taking such drastic actions.

Perhaps he had shifted his perspective and decided to fully embrace the path of Ruin.

‘Is it your intention to turn the entire world against you?’

It was a logical conclusion, as proclaiming the arrival of Ruin was equivalent to declaring war on existence itself.

No deity would ever support Ruin, and by that same token, none of the people of Pangenia would side with it.

Rather, they would do everything in their power to destroy it.

Only the demons might find amusement in joining the fray to fuel the disorder.

‘I believed he wouldn’t tap into the power of Ruin until he had found a proper equilibrium……’

The Most Brilliant Hero’s Constellation had placed his faith in Park Hyunmyeong.

He trusted that the man would keep the destructive force of Ruin dormant while strengthening the power of Light to achieve a state of balance.

And that he would ultimately fix the broken world.

But this was premature.

If he increased the already immense power of Ruin any further, it would spiral out of control.

Furthermore, he had chosen to manifest that dark power in Adrium, the very heart of the Goddess’s Church.

If that sacred ground were to be corrupted into a Land of Ruin……

‘He would lose the chance to ever achieve the balance of Light again.’

The mere thought sent a shiver of dread through him.

Consequently, he found the situation incomprehensible.

It was a complete departure from how Park Hyunmyeong had operated until this point.

Hadn’t every feat he achieved under the name Randolph been noble and just?

So why this?

Suddenly, the Constellation of Purity spoke again.

“Does it not frighten you?”

“What are you referring to?”

“The prospect of him truly becoming Ruin.”

“……”

“If he chooses to become Ruin, then this world is surely doomed this time.”

If there was any hope of stopping him, that window was closing fast.

It wasn’t quite too late.

However, the Most Brilliant Hero’s Constellation still could not reach a decision.

He could only hold onto the hope that things wouldn’t go that far.

He could only pray that he wouldn’t be let down by this world……

The forty-eight-hour mark passed.

Simultaneously.

《48 hours have elapsed since the emergence of the ‘Tower of Ruin’.》

《The Holy City Adrium is being reshaped into a ‘Land of Ruin’.》

《The ‘Goddess (Outer God)’ has been stripped of her authority and command.》

“Ah, no……!”

The Outer God was forcibly deprived of its status as a goddess.

As that divine authority evaporated, the mental conditioning that had gripped all of Adrium was also broken.

That wasn’t the end of it.

“So, is this what you actually look like?”

Lilith pressed a hand to her mouth and gave a mocking laugh.

A solitary tome hovered in the air before her.

As the ‘Book of Principles’—the volume containing every truth she had analyzed regarding her enemy—flipped open, the profile of the Outer God Tara-Shee was revealed.

It spanned barely two pages.

One of those pages even featured a graphic depiction of Tara-Shee’s authentic shape.

Lilith made a clicking sound with her tongue upon viewing the image.

“How truly miserable.”

……A disgusting entity, tangled in tentacles and emitting a sickening odor.

The sight was so wretched it was laughable to imagine it masquerading as a goddess.

The idea that such a creature had tried to claim divinity was absurd.

It was nothing but garbage.

In truth, every living thing in this world, aside from her master, was garbage.

The feeling was so repulsive she could hardly stand to be in their presence.

“An opportunity I struggled so hard to secure…… Aaaaaah!”

The Outer God wailed.

How much effort had it expended to seize this host and steal the goddess’s mantle?

But just as it reached the pinnacle of its success, Ruin had to manifest.

Along with the subordinates of Ruin.

Yet, the Outer God’s features soon settled into a cold, hard mask.

“It matters not. There is nothing your kind can do. The balance has already started to shift!”

“What do you mean, ‘shifted’?”

“……!!!”

At that moment.

The Outer God’s eyes were once again wide with alarm at the sudden arrival of another presence.

Lilith, however, had the exact opposite reaction.

“Ah! My magnificent master!”

Her greeting was so fervent it was almost uncomfortable.

The way she stared at me with a slight flush on her cheeks felt like a bit too much.

……I pointedly looked away from Lilith and focused on the Outer God.

The Outer God bit its lip and spoke out.

“Fine, I will concede. I did not anticipate finding Ruin here. But even if you destroy this vessel, I will not perish. I simply need to wait for my next opportunity.”

This physical form was merely a shell.

Ending the host would not result in the permanent death of Tara-Shee.

It would merely have to wait for a new vessel to be found and for a new summoning to occur.

Even if that wait spanned thousands of years, what Ruin could accomplish in this moment was restricted.

“But are you even capable of killing this host? This body is quite dear to your ally, is it not?”

Furthermore, could he really bring himself to destroy Sonora’s body without hesitation?

While inhabiting the flesh, the Outer God had also sifted through Sonora’s mind.

Her recollections of Isabella were warm and cherished.

And the Ruin standing before it had Isabella as a close companion.

Its tone was dripping with self-assurance.

However, there was a detail the entity was unaware of.

“Now I can see it.”

Once the Outer God was stripped of its goddess-like authority, a specific element finally became visible.

The ultimate reason I had constructed the tower.

Its core essence, concealed within its power!

Swoosh!

I extended my arm.

And then.

“Wh-What……?!”

The Outer God panicked.

It seemed it hadn’t even considered the possibility that I could detect its core, let alone physically seize it.

To be honest, I was also taken aback.

I hadn’t expected this to be the ‘Outer God’s Symbol’.

It was fundamentally different from the marks of the forgotten deities I had encountered in the World Tree’s labyrinth.

Thus, as I looked at the symbol, I whispered under my breath.

“A ‘Fragment of the Spear of Longinus’ is its core……”

“H-Hold on! I can assist you! The others will not be as easy to topple as I was! Now that they are aware Ruin is active, they will prepare themselves far better!”

It appeared that the reality of its own impending doom had finally set in.

But its offer was irrelevant.

Reassembling ‘Longinus’ was a far higher priority.

‘The capability to cross between worlds.’

The reason I was able to exist in the world of Pangenia as Park Hyunmyeong was because of a ‘Fragment of the Spear of Longinus’.

It seemed the reason these Outer Gods could infiltrate Pangenia was exactly the same.

Simultaneously, this was their very essence.

The task before me had finally become perfectly clear.

I would hunt the Outer Gods, retrieve the fragments of the Spear of Longinus, and restore it to its full form.

They were nothing more than my targets.

“Aaargh! I beg of you! Colossal entities are turning their gaze toward this world! I am insignificant! But if I help you, you can easily……!”

“You are far too talkative.”

“Noooooo-!”

Riiiiip!

I reached into the creature’s chest and tore the symbol—the Fragment of the Spear of Longinus—straight out.

In that instant.

Thud!