The days that followed the Crimson Court's fall were unlike anything Liam had ever known.
He had fought, conquered, burned, and bled.
But now… they were rebuilding.
The ruined fortress of the Crimson Court, nestled atop the Scarlet Plateau, became the foundation of something new. Liam didn't claim it as a throne—but his followers did. The new faithful arrived in caravans and pilgrim lines, crossing deserts and broken lands to kneel before a god who bled like them, fought like them… and rose from the ashes.
And Liam?
He stood above them with gold-red eyes, noble armor reforged from the molten plates of Ashgul, and the Staff of Flame gripped in his hand like a banner of war and rebirth.
---
[STATS – Updated]
Level: 52
Faith Points: 88,150
Followers: 50,920
Divine Title: Heir of the Ember Throne, Breaker of Chains
Core Stats:
Strength: 202
Speed: 180
Endurance: 215
Intelligence: 184
Charisma: 141
Divine Energy: 3,800 / 3,800
New Skill:
Chain Conversion – Converts suppressed divine beings into loyal angels/demons. Requires 2,000 Faith Points and trial of will.
Passive: Ember Dominion – Fire-aligned areas grant +15% to all stats.
---
Despite the victories, peace proved a stranger.
The nights whispered of a growing storm.
Rune often sat on the broken wall overlooking the distant dunes, watching the horizon with narrowed eyes. Mira trained the newer soldiers, her blades moving like wind over fire.
And Liam stood in the war room—its blackstone table etched with maps and sigils—eyes locked on a single symbol: a burning black sun.
The mark of the cult.
"Have you found them?" he asked, voice low.
Kael, now his war-lieutenant, knelt beside the map.
"They move like ghosts," Kael said. "But our scouts found something."
He pointed to a shattered canyon near the northern spine. "There. A shrine. Defiled. The locals said they saw winged figures."
"Angels?"
"Fallen ones," Kael confirmed.
Liam's jaw clenched.
---
Later that night, Rune hovered beside him, her form glowing faintly.
"You're restless," she said.
"They're too quiet," Liam said. "The cult. They slaughtered my family. Burned my village. And now? They vanish?"
"It's a trap," Rune said. "But you already knew that."
He turned to her. "And we're walking into it anyway."
She smiled. "Now you sound like a god."
---
They rode out the next dawn.
A small, elite force—Mira, Kael, two of the redeemed Seraphim, and thirty loyal followers—all chosen for their strength and devotion.
As they neared the canyon, silence reigned.
The sands shifted beneath their feet, and the wind carried no scent, no sound.
Too still.
Too perfect.
They found the shrine just as described—defiled, scorched, and smeared in black ichor.
It had once been a place of light. Now, it pulsed with corruption.
As Liam approached, the air thickened.
The whispers began.
Not loud, not clear.
But persistent.
"You are false… Pretender… Not divine…"
He turned sharply.
There was no one there.
But the whisper pressed deeper into his mind.
Rune appeared, frowning.
"You hear it too?"
Liam nodded. "A curse."
Kael stepped forward. "No… a summoning."
Suddenly, the shrine trembled. Black fire erupted from its base, and a figure rose—twisted wings, a halo of ash, and eyes like scorched voids.
"Welcome, Godling," the creature said. "Your trial begins anew."
---
> Enemy Identified: Fallen Harbinger – Xevros
Class: Greater Demon (Former Seraph)
Threat Level: S-Class
Warning: Mental Corruption Field Active
Faith Points drain over time.
---
The battlefield warped.
Sand turned to glass.
The skies bled deeper.
And Liam stepped forward.
"I've slain angels. I've broken chains. You? You're just another step toward vengeance."
Xevros laughed, voice fractured and sharp.
"Then bleed, child of false divinity."
The battle began.
---
Xevros moved like smoke and shadow, his blade leaving trails of corruption with every slash.
Liam countered with divine fire, his staff burning with golden wrath.
Kael fought beside him, wings blazing, while Mira struck from the shadows, cutting at tendons and wings.
But the creature was strong—stronger than anything they'd fought.
Every wound it received healed.
Every attack it made corrupted.
Liam's strength began to falter.
His followers staggered.
Rune cried out. "He's siphoning your Faith Points!"
Liam gritted his teeth.
And smiled.
"Then I'll give him more than he can handle."
---
> New Skill Activated:
Divine Overload – Convert all current FP into a massive explosion of divine force. Leaves user drained.
Faith Points: 88,150 ➝ 0
Damage inflicted: Catastrophic
Area of Effect: 300 meters
---
Liam raised his staff.
"Burn."
And the world exploded in light.
---
When the smoke cleared, the canyon was split in half.
The shrine had collapsed.
Xevros was gone—vaporized.
Mira pulled herself from the rubble, coughing.
"Next time," she gasped, "warn us before you blow up the sky."
Liam, slumped against a blackened boulder, smirked. "That was the warning."
Rune hovered over him, eyes wide.
"Your Faith Points… all gone."
"They'll return," he said.
"Eventually. But not now."
He looked up at the dark sky above.
"I don't need power right now. Just clarity."
---
That night, around the fire, Mira sat beside him—closer than usual.
"You're going to burn yourself out," she said.
"I can't stop," he replied.
She placed a hand over his.
"Then let me burn with you."
And in that quiet, amidst ruin and embers, Liam found something unexpected.
Not peace.
Not vengeance.
But someone willing to walk through the fire with him.
---
End of Chapter 43