Chapter 93 – Loss of Falna, Divine Soul Absorption!
Without wasting a second, Akira turned around and headed straight back toward Babel Tower.
In the quiet central hall, Hephaestus still sat waiting. The soft glow of a magic stone lamp lit the room faintly, but no matter how long she sat there, sleep wouldn't come.
To slay a god—was to face death itself.
As a deity herself, Hephaestus knew full well just how terrifying a god's unleashed power could be. Once their divinity was activated, their very existence shook the laws of the world.
That's why the world imposed limits. If not, their power would consume everything.
In a sense, as long as Akira remained in the Lower World, it was impossible for him to truly surpass the gods—because the world itself would not allow such a being to exist.
A ripple of shadow crept across the floor, cast by the dim lamp.
From within it, a figure emerged.
"You're back… Are you alright?"
The moment she saw him, Hephaestus rose and spoke with quiet urgency.
But then—her expression froze.
There was something different about him. From Akira's body, she sensed something heavy… something twisted.
A curse.
And more than that, a faint trace of divine blood.
Those who killed gods… would always be marked. Shunned by the divine, cursed by the heavens. It was the price one paid for crossing that line.
"I'm back, Hephaestus."
"So… you really did kill Ishtar?"
"Yeah. She's dead. The Shadow Realm bypassed the laws of this world. But even so… she can still reincarnate eventually. I just don't know how long it'll take."
"That's alright. What matters is… that you're alive."
The thought that Ishtar might return didn't surprise Hephaestus.
No, what would've shocked her more was if a goddess couldn't return at all.
"Help me update my Falna, will you? After taking down a god, my level must've shot through the roof. Two, maybe even three levels up—that's not impossible, right?"
"Well… alright…"
She looked like she wanted to say something, but stopped.
Akira had already stripped off his shirt and turned his back to her, exposing the divine script carved into his skin.
He didn't see the flicker of unease that crossed the goddess's face.
— — —
Shin Akira
Level: %＃￥*
Strength: %＃￥*
Endurance: %＃￥*
Dexterity: %＃￥*
Agility: %＃￥*
Magic: %＃￥*
— — —
Magic: ***********
Skills: ＃￥%＃%＃￥%￥＃
Development Ability: !@＃!￥%...*
— — —
Hephaestus froze.
The characters on his back—the sacred divine script—had become corrupted. Every stat, every line of his magic and skill… had turned into indecipherable symbols.
The Falna, the blessing of the gods, was breaking down.
The Falna was a gift—an interface between mortals and the divine, carved onto the body through the god's own blood. It allowed mortals to access their potential… to grow beyond their limits.
But Akira… had been tainted by divine blood.
Not just any blood—cursed blood. He was marked by a god's death and rejection from the divine system itself.
The Falna couldn't survive that.
"…Sigh."
Hephaestus let out a long, helpless breath.
To her… it looked like Akira's future had just crumbled to ash.
"What's wrong, Hephaestus?"
"Akira… see for yourself."
She printed a copy of his status and handed it to him.
As his eyes scanned the corrupted characters, he understood immediately.
This was Ishtar's curse.
Her final act of vengeance.
Still… Akira didn't seem fazed. Honestly, the Falna system had already become obsolete to him.
But one thing did bother him.
If the Falna was broken… then how could he continue leveling up? And more importantly—how could he progress the Inheritance Template?
— — —
[Name: Shin Akira]
[Status: Outsider from Another World]
[Level Tier: Fifth Tier]
[Inheritance Template: King of the Shadowkhan (50%)]
[Full Template: Enkidu (100%)]
[Talents: Red Dragon Emperor Blood, Shadow Body]
[Skills: Shadow Touch, Shadow Realm, Shadow Force, Shadow Domain, Shadow Canopy]
[Special Units: Ninja Khan, Razor Khan, Mini Khan, Sumo Khan, Samurai Khan]
[Equipment: Boosted Gear (Evolved)]
[Item: Phoenix Tear ×1]
— — —
His template hadn't changed.
But without the Falna, he had lost the only known method to raise his progress percentage.
Was this it…?
Would he be stuck at 50% forever?
That was unacceptable.
If he couldn't reach 100%, the next template would never unlock. That kind of stagnation… he couldn't allow it.
He clenched his fists.
He had the potential to reach the heavens—but a single wall was blocking him.
No way.
"System, is leveling up my Falna the only way to increase my Inheritance Template's progress?"
[Ding—Negative.]
His eyes widened.
Hope returned.
"Then tell me. What other ways are there?"
[Ding—Slaying unique monsters from the deepest levels of the dungeon (Floor Bosses), or killing gods, will increase Inheritance progress.]
"…Wait. I haven't killed any Floor Bosses yet, that's true. But… I just killed a god! I killed Ishtar! Why didn't my progress go up?"
[Ding—Currently absorbing Goddess Ishtar's Divine Soul.]
His breath caught.
The system… was actually absorbing her soul?
"You mean… Ishtar can't come back?"
[Ding—Correct.]
His heart skipped a beat.
This was beyond anything he expected.
[Ding—Inheritance Progress increased by 25%!]
[Ding—Congratulations! You've acquired the Skill: Shadow Fusion!]
[Ding—Congratulations! You've acquired the Talent: Shadow Soul!]
[Ding—Congratulations! New Unit Unlocked: Alien Khan!]
[Ding—Congratulations! New Unit Unlocked: Devourer Khan!]
— — —
Shadow Fusion – A special skill that allows shadow units to merge into a single, powerful entity.
Shadow Soul – The user's soul is now fully bound to the Shadow Realm. As long as the realm exists, the soul is immortal.
---
Twenty-five percent.
Shin Akira was stunned.
He felt like he'd just struck divine gold.
Killing Ishtar alone had boosted his progress from 50% to 75%.
One more god… and he'd reach 100%.
The temptation burned deep in his chest.
But he forced it down.
One goddess was enough.
Any more, and all of Orario might collapse into chaos.
Besides, Ishtar hadn't just been killed—her soul had been consumed. Absorbed into the system. Into the Shadow Realm.
Now, her very essence had become part of him.
Her body—merged with the shadows.
Her soul—eternally entwined with his.
Immortal flesh. Immortal soul.
This… was cheat mode.
Plain and simple.
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