The Yshkar Mountains receded behind them like fading wounds. Liam, now carrying the Mark of the Void, traveled in silence for most of the journey south. The taste of the Nullspawn's presence still clung to his soul—alien, heavy, and ice-cold.
Mira watched him from across the campfire as Rune floated between them, her glow a soft violet under the starlight.
"You're quiet," Mira finally said.
"I hear things now," Liam murmured. "Voices... but not mine. Not even human."
Rune chimed in, "The Mark is invasive. It doesn't whisper—it remembers. That thing you sealed was only one of many."
Liam nodded. "Then we hunt the rest."
---
[STATS – Updated]
Level: 42
Faith Points: 49,700
Followers: 31,450
Core Stats:
Strength: 132
Speed: 139
Endurance: 145
Intelligence: 141
Charisma: 112
Divine Energy: 2600/2600
New Trait Gained:
Marked by the Void – You resist 20% of Void-based attacks but suffer -5% divine regeneration permanently. You now attract the interest of ancient beings across realms.
New Skill Unlocked:
Blessing of the Faithborn – Summon a celestial spirit from a deceased follower to aid you in battle for 3 minutes. FP cost: 1,000. Cooldown: 12 hours.
---
Their next destination loomed on the horizon—The Temple of Broken Crowns, once the seat of the Dawn Empire, now overtaken by a splinter faction of the demon cult known as the Ravener Choir.
The temple was rumored to house a relic that once belonged to a god of judgment—a mirror that reflected a soul's true allegiance. If Liam could reclaim it, he could test the hearts of those who would follow him.
And more importantly… he could separate loyal followers from those planted to betray him.
But the Temple was no longer a place of peace.
It was a fortress of blood.
---
The temple's outer sanctum was draped in banners stitched from human skin. Screams echoed through the cracked stone as Liam, Mira, and Rune approached. The gates had once been golden—now blackened, rusted, and defiled by infernal sigils.
From the shadows emerged creatures half-man, half-carrion bird. Beaks caked in gore. Eyes glowing green.
"Ravener Scouts," Rune said, "and they've already scented you."
Liam raised his staff.
> Faith Pulse Activated
Divine Beacon – Radius: 20m
Allies gain +25% movement, +30% resistance to fear
Cost: 850 FP
Mira drew twin blades, their edges inscribed with his runes.
Rune's light flared into a shield of raw radiance.
"Let's give them something to scream about," Liam whispered.
---
The fight was not a battle—it was a purge.
Liam's body moved with divine precision, every strike reinforced with holy energy. He crushed one scout's skull beneath a golden footfall, then hurled his spear into a second that tried to flee.
Mira danced between them, severing limbs, cutting tendons, moving like flame.
And Rune—silent and fierce—dispelled curses before they could take hold, her wings scattering light that burned the demon-born.
By the time they reached the inner sanctum, nearly forty Ravener cultists lay in smoldering heaps.
---
Inside, the Temple was far worse.
Where once there had been sacred statues, now stood grotesque sculptures made from bones, fused flesh, and the still-living. The central altar had been transformed into a pit—one that pulsed with unholy rhythm.
Liam stepped toward it, and the pit answered.
A voice erupted from within.
"Welcome, Godling."
From the darkness crawled the Cantor of Ruin, high priest of the Ravener Choir.
Half his body was made of iron bells; the other half, raw muscle, constantly bleeding.
He dragged a censer behind him filled with burning entrails.
"Come to reclaim the mirror?" the Cantor hissed. "You'll find it reflects more than you bargained for."
---
[BOSS ENCOUNTER – Cantor of Ruin]
Class: Demonic High Priest
Threat Level: A
Skills:
Soul Chime – Disorients all enemies in a 20m radius.
Hymn of Withering – Lowers endurance of enemies by 40% for 30 seconds.
Unholy Resurrection – Revives 3 fallen cultists at half strength.
Weakness: Light-based attacks; Sealing sigils.
---
The battle began with a cacophony.
The Cantor struck his own body's bells, and the room shook. Liam was momentarily dazed—but Rune's shield snapped into place just in time.
Mira rolled beneath a wave of corrupted flame, coming up with a blade plunged into the Cantor's gut.
He didn't even flinch.
He laughed.
The Hymn of Withering began.
Liam felt his knees grow weak.
His endurance dropped.
His breathing shortened.
> Skill Activated: Divine Sentinel – Self Focused
Cost: 250 FP
Damage nullified for 3 seconds
He pushed forward, drawing on his rage.
He saw his mother's body again.
His father's final cry.
He slammed the staff down with both hands.
"You sing of ruin," Liam said, "but I AM the song of wrath."
His divine aura flared gold-red, swirling around him like a sunstorm.
> Custom Skill Triggered: Wrath Incarnate – Variant Form
Duration: 15 seconds. All divine attacks gain double effectiveness. All nearby enemies suffer +25% damage taken.
With one final scream, he drove a blade of condensed light through the Cantor's throat.
The demon shrieked—and exploded into ash.
The bells melted into slag.
Silence fell once more.
---
Beneath the ruined altar lay the relic.
The Mirror of Arthelos.
Its frame was inscribed with divine language. Its surface shimmered, never reflecting the same thing twice.
Rune hovered over it cautiously.
"This was forged in the First Era," she whispered. "It judges more than loyalty. It judges truth."
Mira stood behind Liam as he touched the mirror.
It shimmered—and for a moment, Liam saw not himself, but a burning throne… and a thousand worshipers with no faces.
Then it went still.
The mirror accepted him.
He had passed.
---
Later, as they set up camp beneath the crumbling temple spires, Mira approached Liam in the quiet dusk.
"You never asked me why I stayed," she said.
"I assumed it was because you believe in the mission."
She smiled softly. "I did. I do. But that's not the reason anymore."
He looked at her.
And this time, she didn't look away.
"I stayed because I believe in you," she said. "Even when you scare me. Even when you change."
Liam's heart—so often cold now—warmed.
He stepped closer.
Their foreheads touched, eyes closed.
For a moment, godhood faded.
And only two people remained.
---
End of Chapter 40