Chapter 363

Chapter 363
## Chapter 363

—

“We shall consolidate our power as a unified front.

This ensures our adversaries cannot breach our borders.

However, our primary objective remains the protection of the Druid of the Golden Rule.”

“Are you proposing we establish this pact without informing the Druid of the Golden Rule?”

“He serves as the guardian of the World Tree and the arbiter of equilibrium.

For the time being, it is sufficient that he remains dedicated to those duties.”

“Does that mean we intend to ignore the Tower of Ruin entirely?”

The core issue remained the Tower of Ruin.

Discussions regarding a coalition had surged in intensity following its manifestation.

“That territory belongs to the humans.

Furthermore, as long as the Goddess’s Barrier remains active… we have no means of intervention.”

The White King made a clicking sound of frustration.

The Holy City of Adrium.

This sacred ground of the Goddess Church was human soil.

Would they actually welcome external assistance?

It would be a stroke of luck if open conflict didn’t erupt upon their arrival.

Additionally, penetrating the ‘Goddess’s Barrier’ was a daunting task.

Without the explicit authorization of the Pope, gaining entry would be nearly impossible.

“…I understand.

I shall depart.”

Kasim, the Transcendent of Radiance, spoke up.

He stood as the solitary human in this gathering.

A legendary figure believed to have perished centuries ago, he had actually withdrawn from society, disillusioned by the failings of mankind.

Yet, if the current trajectory held, the Goddess Church was doomed.

A catastrophe of this scale hadn’t occurred in hundreds of years.

Ultimately, Kasim resolved to take action personally.

Kasim reached the Holy City of Adrium.

Even though his face was unknown to the modern crowds, he intended to infiltrate the Tower of Ruin alone.

‘…What is the meaning of this?’

A sense of unease washed over him.

Masses of people, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, had congregated within the Holy City of Adrium.

“Our faith is absolute!”

“O, Champion of the Goddess!”

Every person was oriented toward the Tower of Ruin, their palms pressed together in fervent devotion.

The atmosphere was far more optimistic than he had anticipated.

With a confused tilt of his head, Kasim made his way toward the Papal Court.

In a bygone era, Kasim was the Knight of Radiance who served the Goddess Church.

The legacy of the Order of the Knights of Radiance he once led should still persist.

He intended to reclaim the gear he had left in their care and commence a systematic assault on the spire.

“Kasim, the Knight of Radiance?”

“Who might that be?”

When Kasim declared his title, the holy warriors reacted with indifference.

There was no sign of the Pope or the cardinals rushing out in frantic greeting, as he had expected.

‘Have I stayed in the shadows for too long?’

It was a reasonable thought, given the passage of time.

Showing patience, Kasim stated, “Hand over my armaments.

I will ascend the Tower of Ruin myself.”

“I am unfamiliar with your identity, but access to the Tower of Ruin is prohibited.”

“…And why is that?”

“Because the ‘Knight of the Goddess’ is presently scaleing the structure on his own.”

“…Knight of the Goddess?”

The title baffled him.

Centuries ago, that moniker belonged exclusively to him.

Had a successor to the title of Knight of the Goddess emerged?

‘I suppose such developments are inevitable during a long absence.’

It mattered little.

He believed these citizens were clinging to a deceptive optimism.

From his vantage point, the Tower of Ruin was an entity far beyond the capabilities of a normal human to defeat.

Kasim exhaled a weary breath.

‘I may have to utilize force to gain entry.’

Despite his long absence, he had once been the Church’s most devoted servant.

Even if the Goddess’s direct power had faded from him, he couldn’t simply watch as their sanctuary crumbled.

*Shing.*

Kasim gripped the hilt and pulled the blade from its sheath.

In that precise moment.

“He is emerging!”

“The Knight of the Goddess has triumphed over the Tower of Ruin!”

“Aaaah!”

“Victory!!!”

The air exploded with ecstatic shouting.

Something was fundamentally wrong.

‘…So soon?’

He had conquered the spire already?

It seemed impossible.

The logic didn’t hold.

Kasim shifted his gaze.

And then.

*Rumble—!*

The Tower of Ruin began to recede into the earth.

Moments later, it disappeared entirely, leaving no evidence of its existence.

A solitary beam of brilliance radiated from the site where it once stood.

Simultaneously, from a distance.

“O, Knight of the Goddess!”

“You have returned to us!”

…The Pope and the high-ranking cardinals were sprinting toward the scene in a state of desperate urgency.

‘This is truly a different league of power.’

The Sword of Endurance.

It was a divine blade I had forged within the World Tree’s labyrinth while confronting the Giant of Evil Annihilation.

The celestial sword ‘Path of Light’, which served as my weapon during the era I was known as Wilhelm fighting the Demon King.

And yet another Unique-grade holy blade, ‘Brilliant Ru-Maria’!

‘Endurance’ was the weapon perfected by merging two Unique-grade holy swords to serve as the foundation for the ‘Sword of Transcendence’.

The frantic reverence shown by the Pope and his subordinates was logical.

The records of history contained no holy sword of such immense quality.

*Crack!*

I pulverized the ‘Core of Ruin’, which emitted a sinister glow at the spire’s peak.

I was the one who had summoned this tower in the first place.

No entity within these walls possessed the strength to obstruct me.

‘The structure consists of five levels.

The Unnamed Eagle is stationed as the sentry at the threshold, and Lilith oversees the second floor, meaning I require three additional guardians.’

Only those designated as ‘Vassals’ were eligible to serve as protectors of the Tower of Ruin.

As it stood, the third through fifth levels were vacant.

To reach full operational capacity, three more Vassals were essential.

“Commander.

Is the Tower of Ruin… gone for good now?”

Serengeti inquired with a tone of respect.

While Serengeti was privy to my true nature, she hadn’t anticipated that my abilities extended to summoning the Tower of Ruin itself.

I gave a dismissive shrug.

“It hasn’t vanished from existence.

The manifestation of the Tower of Ruin in Adrium has merely been unsummoned.”

Dismantling the tower here didn’t equate to the destruction of the actual ‘Tower of Ruin’.

I had simply sealed the portal that had been established in the Holy City of Adrium.

As long as my reserve of Ruin Points remained sufficient, I could project an entrance to the ‘Tower of Ruin’ at my discretion.

*Rumble—!*

The structure vibrated.

The portal was sealing shut.

“It is time to leave.”

My work here was finished.

From the start, there was no one capable of challenging me.

I had merely strolled up the tower with the ease of walking up a flight of stairs and closed the door behind me.

The entire event was a ‘performance’.

It served as a psychological tool to instill the fear that Ruin could strike at any moment and to signal to the globe that the ‘Round Table’ had returned.

This ruse ensured that no one would suspect that I am, in fact, ‘Ruin’.

I stepped into the teleportation rift that materialized the moment the core shattered.

At that instant.

[The essence of ‘Ruin’ dissipates.]

[The ‘Goddess’s Authority’ anchored to this land intensifies.]

[You have achieved the first destruction of the ‘Tower of Ruin’.]

[You receive ‘3’ Sanctification for your extraordinary feat.]

[2 Intact Golden Rules have been granted.]

[You have reclaimed ‘1 Ruin Point’.]

…

[‘Hidden Scenario’ successfully finalized!]

[The radiance held by the secret class ‘Lord of the Stars’ has become more intense.]

[Your innate star-based capabilities are bolstered.]

I observed the cascade of notifications.

A singular thought took hold.

‘This is a flawless strategy for gathering rewards.’

Three units of Sanctification and two Intact Golden Rules.

I had even broken even on the Ruin Point cost.

A more profitable cycle likely didn’t exist.

It was essentially a ‘loophole’.

I manifest it, I eliminate it, and I reap the rewards—a perfect scenario!

“O, Knight of the Goddess!”

“Knights of the Round Table!”

“The heroic Knights of the Round Table have expelled Ruin-!”

As I stepped back into the world, the Pope was there to meet me, tears streaming down his face.

Adrium was already engulfed in a frenzy of celebration.

This was the flare that signaled the total restoration of the long-lost Order of the Knights of the Round Table.

…It was a bizarre sequence of events.

The Tower of Ruin that had appeared so suddenly had vanished just as fast.

Was it a mere phantom?

A celestial error?

If those weren’t the case, then…

“Lords, attend to me.”

Inside the Demon King’s Castle.

The Demon King sat atop his throne, casting his gaze over the Lords gathered in rank.

Though the First Lord, Ghost King Ahram, and the Second Lord, Isera, had met their ends in defeat, five lords remained under his command.

These were entities who had been endowed with power and status far beyond their previous limits.

They had evolved alongside the Demon King.

But there was a deeper reason for their growth.

The Demon King now held everything—the soul of Wilhelm and the Star of Fina, which had been given up to safeguard ‘Greed’.

Even with all this, his cravings were not satisfied.

He felt a deep thirst.

A profound hunger.

Consequently, the Demon King addressed the Lords who stood before him with bowed heads.

“Seek it out.

Find Ruin.”

He commanded them to locate Ruin, which was undoubtedly hidden somewhere in this realm.

The emergence of the tower was undeniable confirmation of its presence.

Ruin, which should have been confined to the higher planes, had somehow stayed in the world of mortals.

It might be a consequence of a failure, or perhaps a different iteration of Ruin.

The specifics were irrelevant to him.

“We hear and obey.

O, Great One.”

The Lords responded in unison.

The Demon King’s word was law.

To disobey was unthinkable.

However, the Demon King had more to say.

He looked toward two figures with eyes as dark as the void and commanded, “Third Lord Mammon and Seventh Lord Basara.

The two of you will stay.”

Mammon and Basara.

The pair stood their ground, feeling the tension.

They were uncertain why they alone had been singled out to remain.

“Mammon.”

Mammon took a nervous breath.

He could feel that the Demon King’s temper was on edge.

If the Demon King desired it, a creature of his level could be erased in a heartbeat, so Mammon responded with extreme caution.

“Yes, Sire.”

“Have you located the ‘Golden Spirit’?”

“Regarding that… I have deployed the Primal Spirits to investigate the Spirit Tower, however…”

“It appears the Spirit Tower is being difficult.”

“My sincerest apologies.

But if you can grant me a bit more time, I am certain I can deliver positive results.

I have found definitive proof that the ‘Golden Spirit’ was present in the Spirit Tower…!”

The Spirit Tower.

A sanctuary where countless spirits and the elemental Spirit Kings lived.

Mammon had detected traces indicating the ‘Golden Spirit’ had recently appeared there.

He had uncovered evidence that the ‘Golden Spirit’ itself had unsealed the entrance when an individual climbed the ‘Spirit Tower’.

Yet, the denizens of the Spirit Tower refused to cooperate.

The Spirit Kings were particularly defiant.

“Obliterate it.”

“The… the Spirit Tower… you mean?”

Mammon’s eyes widened in shock.

In his essence, Mammon was a spirit.

Even though he controlled the Primal Spirits, his existence was tied to the Spirit Tower.

Now, he was being ordered to destroy it.

The Demon King’s voice remained cold and steady.

“Raze it and force their submission.

I have granted you more than enough power to achieve that.”

“B-but if the Spirit Tower is destroyed, we lose the means to filter the ‘Heavenly Contaminants’.”

The Spirit Tower was vital for the world’s equilibrium.

It processed the pollutants that descended from the heavens.

Without it, those contaminants would spread unchecked.

The Demon Realm would surely suffer the consequences.

“The Heavenly Contaminants are no longer a threat to me.”

“Ah…!”

Mammon’s frame shook.

The Demon King was the embodiment of the Demon Realm.

In essence.

He had moved beyond the limits of his domain and claimed a power that superseded it.

It suggested a level of combat prowess that even the celestial beings would find difficult to oppose.

No, more accurately… it meant he was no longer bound by the laws of ‘Truth’.

“M-my congratulations!”

Mammon stammered out his praise, but his mind raced.

‘He has already reached this stage…!’