Chapter 373

Chapter 373
## Chapter 373

The Sacred Metropolis, Adrium.

The entire population was in a state of feverish excitement following the announcement of a looming duel between the Knights of Radiance and the Knights of the Round Table. It was hard to find anyone who wasn’t electrified by the prospect of a clash between the legends of old and the titans of the new era.

Yet, amid the fervor, there was a single exception. Hudson stood alone in his distress.

‘What is the best course of action?’

With the duel fast approaching, Hudson’s trepidation only intensified. Park Hyunmyeong had granted him total leadership, instructing him to manage all affairs in coordination with Vice-Commander Abeloph. However, Hudson’s research into the Knights of Radiance and their leader, Kasim, revealed they were peerless warriors who had established the very pillars of the Goddess Church.

Kasim had been hailed as the world’s most formidable human three centuries prior. Records claimed he possessed the strength to single-handedly fell a malevolent deity. Hudson found it impossible to calculate just how much more powerful he might have become over the intervening years.

‘Failure here renders all our efforts meaningless.’

They had worked tirelessly to expose the corruption of the false deity and had even staged the dramatic collapse of the Tower of Destruction. They were at the finish line, yet Park Hyunmyeong had chosen this exact moment to disappear. The Round Table was now forced to navigate this pivotal battle without their primary figurehead.

Could they actually prevail? While Hudson didn’t doubt the skill of the Round Table, a loss would result in all prestige and historical glory being ceded to Kasim. Even the prestigious designation of the Goddess’s Knights hung in the balance. With the eyes of the world upon them, there was no way to decline the challenge.

Still, he couldn’t entirely fault Park Hyunmyeong for vanishing.

‘He couldn’t simply ignore the crisis of the Black Dome.’

Park Hyunmyeong had warned that leaving that phenomenon unchecked could lead to the total annihilation of Earth. If that were true, it far outweighed the importance of a duel with Kasim.

“Are you feeling uneasy?”

“…Lady Isabella.”

Hudson took a steadying breath and turned around. Isabella stood there, her features softened with a gentle look, clad in her radiant silver plate. She was also slated to fight in the upcoming duel as a representative of the Round Table.

However, he wasn’t just anxious about the duel.

“I’ve received reports that the ‘Abyssal Kings’ are currently within the Black Dome. Druid Albino also noted that these entities have started to take action…”

Hudson’s primary concern wasn’t the outcome of the fight in Adrium, but the safety of Park Hyunmyeong. Although Park Hyunmyeong’s power usually defied logic, the ‘Abyss’ was a different matter entirely. It was an enigma.

Albino had been keeping a close eye on the Abyssal fractures appearing across Pangenia. While he guarded the World Tree of Honor, he tracked their movements with precision. If Albino said they were moving, it was a certainty.

The Abyssal Kings were definitely inside that Black Dome. It was a terrifying thought: Park Hyunmyeong would have to confront those nightmares alone. He would have no support from the Round Table, no intervention from the Blade Dragon God, and no assistance from Hudson himself.

“The Abyssal Kings… they won’t be able to lay a finger on him.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

Isabella’s claim caught him off guard. Why would she be so certain they couldn’t touch him? Was she implying they would respect him? Even if they did, there was no known tie between the Kings and Park Hyunmyeong.

Yet, Isabella’s expression was one of absolute certainty.

‘It’s because Lord Randolph has already butchered them once before.’

She was the sole individual who retained the memories of the events on the Isle of Gods. Though it was ‘the other Randolph’ who had committed the massacre, the link remained.

Isabella thought back to those moments. She had offered up her life to shield Park Hyunmyeong—to protect Randolph. She had manifested as a malevolent spirit on that island and accepted her own end. However, instead of fading into nothingness, she had passed through the Gate of Truth.

From that vantage point, she had witnessed everything: Randolph’s awakening to his identity as ‘Park Hyunmyeong’ and his rise as the ‘God of Eternity’. She saw the God of Eternity use his divine power to reverse time on the Isle of Gods and pull her back from the Gate of Truth.

She understood the state of the resurrected Abyssal Kings better than anyone.

‘They likely have no conscious memory of what transpired on the Isle of Gods.’

Their minds had been scrubbed clean. However…

‘The mind may forget, but the flesh retains the trauma.’

The slate hadn’t been wiped perfectly clean. The power exerted by the God of Eternity wasn’t a flawless reversal of history. It was a forced erasure where the reality of the events was simply swallowed by the Gate of Truth.

The other Randolph.

The way he had slaughtered those kings was so gruesome that Isabella herself often wished she could forget it. Despite all she had endured, that specific memory remained revolting. The mere echo of it made her feel physically ill.

—

‘The Unborn Being’ had vanished entirely.

In its wake:

“Haaa… Haaa…!”

“Everyone, remember to breathe!”

“Good god… what was that thing?”

The spectators, who had been paralyzed by terror, finally gasped for air. This was a new level of fear for them. They were veterans of many monster encounters, but they had never felt a presence as suffocating as that.

“…That was undoubtedly an Abyssal King,” Gracia remarked, his hands trembling as he balled them into fists.

Gracia had faced Baal of the Four Evils and even Raiga, the man considered the strongest on the continent, but the creature that had just passed existed on a different plane of existence. It was something fundamentally different—something repulsive, terrifying, and impossible to fight.

“You’re saying that was an Abyssal King?”

“Are they all that monstrous?”

The crowd was gripped by dread. The realization that there were more of those things out there hit them like a physical blow. Their mission to handle the Spirit King suddenly felt secondary. To succeed, they would have to survive multiple encounters with such entities. They had been lucky this time, but if a fight had started…

Everyone swallowed hard, the weight of the situation sinking in.

Only Arin remained focused.

‘Why did it retreat?’

Arin stared toward the horizon where ‘The Unborn Being’ had fled. It hadn’t just moved on; it had actively backed away. It had seen something that triggered a flight response.

But there was nothing there but their group. No other spirits or entities remained, as the Unborn Being had already consumed everything else in the area. This was its home, yet it had abandoned its territory to these intruders. Why? What had it perceived?

‘Could it be me?’ she wondered.

As Basara, the Seventh Lord, had it sensed her true nature? She quickly dismissed the thought. The Abyss and the Demon Realm were separate entities. While there were whispers of invading the Abyss, it had been deemed too risky. There was no reason for the creature to recognize her.

Besides, had anyone here ever met an Unborn Being before?

‘…I can’t explain it.’

It frustrated her. She possessed the ability to see the truth of all things, yet this specific event eluded her understanding.

“…Let’s continue upward. The path should be clear for now.”

Pushing the mystery aside, she took the lead. They had survived a major threat, and their objective—subduing Agnis, the Spirit King of Fire—was within reach.

—

…That was a close call.

I found it hard to believe ‘The Unborn Being’ would manifest here. To fight it properly, I would have had to assume the form of ‘Randolph’, which would have immediately alerted the other Abyssal Kings. A coordinated attack from them would be a nightmare. My heart had been racing, but fortunately, a fight was avoided.

‘Did it know who I was?’

I was certain I had erased the memories of the Isle of Gods. Aside from Isabella, none of the Abyssal Kings should have any recollection of me. Yet, the Unborn Being had fled the moment our eyes met, visibly terrified. It clearly recognized me.

But how?

‘Perhaps because it is an Unborn Being, the traditional laws of memory don’t apply…’

That seemed plausible. The creature operated purely on primal instinct. Erasing its mental history might have been ineffective if the terror was etched into its very essence. It must have felt the aura of ‘Randolph’ inside me and fled. The memory of a horrific death must have been branded into its soul and form.

‘A lucky break.’

However, I couldn’t count on that luck holding. The other Kings might not react the same way. I moved quickly up the volcanic slopes until I reached the peak.

Suddenly:

*Fwoooosh!*

Inside a massive, translucent dome, Agnis was thrashing about, unleashing torrents of flame.

**[The Rampaging Spirit King of Fire, Agnis, is currently imprisoned.]**

**[The ‘Root Fire’ is required to unlock the Sealing Stone.]**

**[To acquire ‘Root Fire’, 100 individuals contracted with the ‘Rampaging Fire Spirit’ must be offered as a sacrifice to the stone.]**

“…What does that mean?”

“We have to kill a hundred people to open this?”

“That’s insane!!”

The conditions were horrifying. The seal wouldn’t break without the deaths of a hundred people. It was a blatantly evil requirement.

“It doesn’t have to be our people,” someone suggested.

“If we go back down and round up a hundred of those guys in the red uniforms…”

“You want to go back down there? After what we just saw?”

“What if that monster is still lurking?”

The debate was heated, but there were no easy answers. Capturing a hundred Yakshas and bringing them back alive was nearly impossible.

“Are you suggesting we pick victims from our own group?”

“Absolutely not!”

“I already regret making a contract with this fire spirit!”

The contractors, including Choi Kang-nam, were panicking. Sacrifice meant certain death. They had suffered through the ascent just to reach this point, only to be told they were the fuel for the next step. The rest of the group began to look at them with cold, calculating eyes.

Choi Kang-nam began to shake with fear.

Then:

**[Root Fire has been detected.]**

**[A member of your Party possesses the Root Fire.]**

**[The Sealing Stone is now disengaging.]**

*Swooooosh!*

The barrier dissolved.

“What…?”

“Someone already has it?”

“Who?”

Confused murmurs broke out as everyone looked for the source. No one stepped forward. Who among them could possibly have the Root Fire?

‘The four primal elements are powers reserved for Druids.’

It was me. I held the attributes of fire, water, earth, and air. It appeared my internal powers were reacting to the Spirit Kings of this domain.

Then:

**[The Rampaging Spirit King of Fire, Agnis, has awakened!]**

—Ma… mon…!!!

Agnis bellowed the name of the Third Lord of the Demon Realm as it surged in size, brandishing a spear of pure flame.

“Full Bloom!”

“Absolute Shield!”

“Shield of Justice!”

The group reacted instantly, deploying their defenses.

But:

“Gah!”

“The heat is too much!”

“My skin is blistering!”

The shields held against the physical spear, but they were useless against the ambient temperature Agnis radiated. This was the Root Fire—a heat so intense it began to dissolve the thousands of spectral blades Gracia had summoned.

“We can’t do this…”

“How do we even get close?”

Proximity meant instant incineration. Even long-range spells were evaporating before they could hit.

**[All Resistances +20%]**

**[All Natural Attribute statistics have reached ‘514%’.]**

**[User possesses ‘Root Fire’.]**

**[99.8% Resistance to Spirit King Agnis’s flames.]**

I was the only one who could move. Even with 99.8% resistance, it was still uncomfortably warm, but my natural healing factor made it manageable. I could approach him, but I was worried about how much power I would have to show to win.

—I will handle this, my Lord.

The ‘Black-Tainted Alkar’ sensed my hesitation and spoke up. I wondered if the Rank 3 could actually take down a Spirit King, but his confidence was unwavering. I gave him the signal.

**[The ‘Black-Tainted Alkar’ draws upon the power of its deity.]**

**[The ‘Black-Tainted Alkar’ gains 99.8% resistance to Agnis’s flames.]**

I saw how he planned to do it. He was leveraging my own resistances through our connection.

“Who is that?”

“Was he always with us?”

“Look at him go…”

Alkar stepped out of the shadows and walked toward Agnis. He looked like a Golden Spirit—a stout man in a formal suit, fists clenched, walking calmly through a literal hellscape.

The flames of Agnis were meant to purge the heavens of any impurity, yet they could not harm Alkar.

—Everything shall burn!

Agnis hurled his fiery spear, creating a series of massive detonations.

*Kra-booooom!*

Alkar exhaled, releasing a beam of black energy that met the spear head-on. The two forces neutralized each other, vanishing into nothingness with a roar that shook the mountain.

—O, eternal flames!

Agnis intensified his assault. The flames shifted from red to blue, and finally to a blinding white.

“Why is it getting hotter?”

“I can’t breathe!”

Even from a distance, the spectators felt like they were being cooked alive. Alkar felt it too. Even at 0.2% effectiveness, the heat was enough to turn a normal person to ash. His suit began to disintegrate. Alkar lacked my near-instant regeneration, and his skin began to blister and blacken.

But he didn’t stop. He walked through the agony as his clothes burned away and his flesh charred.

Then, something strange happened. The ground Alkar walked upon was no longer burning. The fire there had been stained a deep, abyssal black.

—You dare corrupt the eternal flame?!

This was the essence of the ‘Black-Tainted Alkar’. He could infect anything with his darkness, claiming it as his own.

“Fwooo.”

Alkar opened his mouth.

*Swooooosh!*

The black flames he had tainted were sucked into him. He was literally eating the Spirit King’s power.

Immediately, Alkar’s body began to mutate and grow.

“Is that a tail?”

“He’s changing…”

“A Dragon Knight!”

The absorbed energy forced a transformation into a draconic humanoid. Among the Blood Fiends, appearances were usually dictated by the Queen’s will, but Alkar was different. He changed based on the energy he consumed.

Though listed as Rank 3, that ranking wasn’t a measure of raw combat power. Isera and Lucaria were Ranks 1 and 2 because they were Overlords—their importance to the hierarchy was paramount. Alkar was Rank 3 because of his utility and unique nature.

He was a biological anomaly. He was the only Blood Fiend who could ignore the Queen’s commands, possessing a cold, indomitable will. He was defined by a bottomless ‘greed’ for power, making him more like me than any other creation.

If the ranks were based purely on killing potential, Alkar was in a league of his own.

“All praise to our magnificent God.”

The transformed Alkar held a massive black greatsword. As Agnis rained down colossal meteors of fire, Alkar simply swung his blade.

A crescent of black energy sliced through the sky, shattering the meteors. With every impact, the black wave grew larger and faster until it reached Agnis.

**[Slash: World-Splitter]**

*Swoosh!*

—No…!

Agnis’s head rolled onto the volcanic rock.

—

“…”

Arin couldn’t take her eyes off the newcomer. The draconic warrior had completely overwhelmed the Spirit King.

He hadn’t been there when they started. They had entered with five hundred people, and she was certain she hadn’t missed anyone. Even with her ‘Great Sage’ trait, she hadn’t detected him.

‘He wasn’t hiding; he was synchronized.’

She realized the truth. He had been tethered to someone else’s presence, moving like a literal shadow. It was a level of stealth that was almost supernatural.

“This is insane,” Gracia whispered.

He was right. Agnis’s head began to regrow as lesser fire spirits rushed to reconstruct their king. But then the man did something truly horrific. He dropped his sword, lunged at Agnis, and began to bite into the spirit’s neck. He was eating the Spirit King alive, the sound of his chewing echoing across the peak.

It was primal. Animalistic.

‘Could this be one of the 13 Hidden Traits?’ Arin wondered.

Maybe he was the one with the Root Fire. But why was he unknown? His suit suggested he was a player from Earth.

“Who is he?”

“Is it… Randolph?”

“You mean the Phantom?”

The crowd began to speculate. Only the legendary Phantom was thought to possess such overwhelming, unorthodox power. Some had thought Oliver was Phantom, but that had been debunked. No one knew what Phantom actually looked like.

If this was him, it would explain why the Unborn Being had fled.

Arin watched him devour Agnis. If this was the man she had been searching for as Basara, then she had found him. But it didn’t fit the image of Wilhelm’s controller. Wilhelm was a paragon of grace and technique. This man was a gluttonous beast.

Her train of thought was broken by a system notification.

**[The Rampaging Spirit King of Fire, Agnis, has been defeated!]**

**[The corruption has been purged, and Agnis has returned to his true form.]**

—

Alkar’s power was even greater than I had anticipated. He was Rank 3, but in a straight fight, he could arguably take the top spot. This was why Hana had sent him alone to guard me.

‘He really is like me.’

Watching his hunger for power was like looking into a dark mirror. He was a complete outlier among the Blood Fiends—a race usually defined by their loyalty to the Queen.

‘I’ll have to ask Hana how he came to be.’

If I could field an army of Alkars, the Demon Realm wouldn’t stand a chance.

—Where… am I?

Agnis had shrunk to the size of a tennis ball and was looking around in a daze.

—Mammon… that idiot has doomed us all.

“Are you referring to the Third Lord of the Demon Realm?” Arin asked.

Agnis nodded sadly.

—Yes. Mammon, the Lord of Primeval Spirits… he took advantage of our distraction to destroy the heart of the Spirit Spire. Now, the spirits of this world will lose their tether and descend into madness…

“What does that mean for the world?”

—The Spire didn’t just house spirits. It was a prison for the entities that must never be released, a filter for corruption, and the anchor for global balance.

“What entities?”

—The spirits of pure chaos. And…

Agnis paused, the weight of the situation clear. If chaos spirits were unleashed, the world would dissolve into madness. The very laws of nature would crumble. But there was a more immediate threat.

—The Golden Spirit… he will be furious. If the Spire isn’t rebuilt immediately, he will destroy everything.