Chapter 23: The Forbidden Genesis of Light
The Great Cathedral of Valerius was a hollow shell of its former glory. The air, which for centuries had been perfumed with rare incense and the "Scent of Divinity," now reeked of ozone, charred marble, and the metallic tang of fresh blood. Outside, the screams of the remaining resistance were being systematically silenced by the Sin-Wraiths, but inside the sanctuary, there was only a heavy, tomb-like silence.
Cyan Valerian walked down the central aisle, his boots clicking rhythmically against the cracked mosaic floor. Behind him trailed his four Goddesses—Isabella, Lilith, Elara, and Clara—and the newly fallen Seraph, Azrael, whose massive dark wings brushed against the pillars like the rustle of dry leaves.
At the end of the hall, near the shattered altar, lay Pope Clement IX. He was a broken man, stripped of his robes and his dignity. His eyes followed Cyan with a mixture of hatred and a strange, terminal pity.
"You... you are looking for it, aren't you?" the Pope wheezed, blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth. "The source. The truth beneath the stone."
Cyan stopped and looked down at the old man. "Every lie needs a foundation, Clement. I've spent my life being told that the 'Light' is a natural force of purity. But the System tells me a different story. It tells me that energy is never created or destroyed; it is only stolen. I want to see who you've been stealing from."
Cyan didn't wait for an answer. He raised his hand, and the floor beneath the altar groaned. With a sharp gesture, the massive stone slabs were ripped upward by invisible violet threads, revealing a spiral staircase that descended into a darkness so thick even the holy embers of the Cathedral couldn't penetrate it.
"Azrael, illuminate the path," Cyan commanded.
The fallen angel raised his obsidian blade, ignited it with a cold, violet flame, and led the way down.
The descent felt eternal. The air grew colder, and the walls transitioned from polished marble to raw, unhewn rock marked with runes that predated the Empire—runes that even the System struggled to translate instantly.
[System Notification: Entering 'The Primordial Void Pocket'.]
[Warning: Holy and Dark mana are fluctuating at critical levels. Mana stability: 12%.]
At the bottom of the stairs, they entered a chamber that defied the laws of space. It was a vast, subterranean cavern filled with a lake of glowing, liquid gold. In the center of the lake was a monolith of translucent crystal, and inside that crystal was the First Saint.
But she wasn't the beautiful, serene figure depicted in the stained-glass windows.
She was a creature of horror. Her body was fused with golden wires that pumped her essence into the crystal, and her face was frozen in an eternal scream. Thousands of pipes made of "Divine Steel" ran from the monolith into the ceiling, carrying her mana up to power the Cathedral and the Empire's "Holy" artifacts.
"This is your Genesis?" Isabella whispered, her voice trembling with disgust. "The First Saint isn't a protector... she's a battery."
Cyan walked to the edge of the golden lake. His purple eye scanned the monolith, reading the data that the Church had hidden for a thousand years.
"It's not just a battery, Isabella," Cyan said, his voice dropping to a dangerous register. "It's a prison. The First Saint didn't choose to save the world. She was the first 'Anomaly'—someone like me, with a system-like potential. The Church didn't worship her; they harvested her. They've been fueling their 'Light' by torturing a single soul for ten centuries."
Suddenly, the First Saint's eyes snapped open inside the crystal. They weren't golden. They were a shattered, static-filled white.
[System Emergency Alert: Target 'Aria - The Broken Origin' has detected the Host.]
[Quest Triggered: The Mercy of the Sinful King.]
[Objective: End her suffering or Consume her essence.]
"Release... me..." a voice echoed directly in Cyan's mind, a sound of such profound agony that even Lilith flinched. "The Light... it burns... let me fade into the Dark..."
Cyan reached out his hand toward the monolith. "Aria. You were the first to be betrayed by the 'Goodness' of men. They turned your gift into a curse and called it a blessing. You've fed them long enough."
Cyan's purple mana began to surge, but it wasn't the violent, destructive energy he had used on the battlefield. It was a dense, heavy void, designed to dampen and extinguish.
"What are you doing, Master?" Clara asked, her hand on her spear.
"I am giving the Church what they deserve," Cyan replied. "The truth. Without her, their magic will fail. Their artifacts will turn to dust. Their 'Heal' spells will become poison. I am not going to kill the Church. I am going to let their own 'Light' starve them to death."
Cyan plunged his hand into the golden lake. The liquid gold hissed as his corruption turned it into black ink. The blackness spread rapidly, climbing the monolith and entering the pipes that led to the surface.
[System Skill Activated: Absolute De-consecration.]
The First Saint's body began to dissolve within the crystal, turning into a fine, violet mist that Cyan absorbed into his own core. The golden wires snapped, and the "Divine Steel" pipes shattered.
Above them, the entire Holy City of Valerius felt the impact. The shields around the city vanished. The priests who were casting spells suddenly found their mana turning into lead in their veins. The "Holy" weapons of the remaining knights crumbled into sand.
"It is done," Cyan said, his eyes now glowing with an intensity that rivaled the sun.
[System Notification: High-Level Soul 'Aria' Consumed.]
[Legacy Skill Unlocked: 'Genesis of the Abyss'.]
[Host Level: 99. The Threshold of Divinity has been reached.]
As the First Saint's essence merged with Cyan, he felt the memories of a thousand years—the betrayals, the lies, and the secret history of the world. The "Goddess of Light" was a fabrication. There was only the "Source," and it had finally returned to its true master.
Cyan turned to his followers. The cavern was collapsing as the magical foundation of the city dissolved.
"Let the world know," Cyan said, his voice now carrying the weight of the First Saint's power. "The age of the Church is over. There are no more saints. There are no more miracles. There is only the King, and the Sin that sets you free."
They emerged from the ruins of the Cathedral as the sun was rising. But it wasn't the golden sun of the Empire. It was a pale, silver sun, reflecting a world that had been stripped of its illusions.
Cyan stood atop the rubble, looking out over the conquered territory. He was no longer just a king. He was the end of history.
"Now," Cyan whispered, looking toward the distant kingdoms across the sea. "Let's see if the rest of the world is ready for the truth."