Chapter 40: The Anthem of the Hollow God
The bridge of light narrowed until it was nothing more than a thin, crystalline tightrope suspended over a sea of white feathers. As Cyan and his four Goddesses crossed the threshold of the Ninth Gate, the heavy scent of incense and the sound of a thousand overlapping prayers filled the air.
They stood in The Gate of the Silent Prayer.
It was a world of blinding, sterile whiteness. Floating cathedrals of ivory and gold drifted in the clouds, and the ground was made of soft, white sand that sang when stepped upon. But unlike the previous gates, there was no hostility here—only a terrifying, peaceful indifference.
[System Notification: Entering the Ninth Gate - The Silent Prayer.]
[Domain Rule: Faith is Power. The 'Infidel' is weakened by 80%.]
[Warning: The Architects have activated the 'Successor Program'.]
"Master, my mana is... it's being purified," Isabella said, her voice trembling. Her emerald aura was being bleached white, turning into a pale, powerless glow. "It's not attacking us; it's trying to 'fix' us."
"Stay behind me," Cyan commanded. His own violet aura was clashing with the white atmosphere, creating sparks of black lightning. "They aren't trying to kill us yet. They're trying to overwrite us."
In the center of the largest floating cathedral, a figure descended. He was bathed in a light so pure it was painful to look at. He wore armor made of solidified sunlight and carried a sword of blue flame. His face was symmetrical, perfect, and devoid of any emotion.
[System Identification: Target - 'Aurelius, The Successor'.]
[Status: Host of the 'Absolute Redemption System'.]
[Power Level: Balanced to Counter the 'King of Sin'.]
"Cyan Valerian," Aurelius spoke, his voice like a gentle breeze that carried the weight of a hurricane. "You were the first experiment. The 'Alpha' of the System. But you were flawed. You chose the path of the Virus. I am the 'Omega'. I am the version of you that did not fall."
Aurelius raised his sword, and the entire domain hummed in response. "I have been granted the prayers of all the worlds you've corrupted. I am the shield of the Architects. Your reign of Sin ends in this sanctuary."
"A replacement," Cyan whispered, a dark, jagged laugh escaping his lips. "They were so afraid of me that they spent eons brewing a 'Pure' version of me in a test tube. Tell me, Omega... do you have a soul? Or are you just a collection of holy scripts and golden mana?"
"I am whatever the Architects need me to be," Aurelius replied.
The collision was instantaneous. Aurelius moved with the speed of thought, his sword of blue flame clashing with Cyan's blade of Abyssal darkness. The impact sent a shockwave that shattered the floating ivory islands.
For the first time, Cyan was pushed back. The [Absolute Redemption System] was designed specifically to nullify Cyan's [Absolute Corruption]. Every time Cyan tried to infect Aurelius, the holy light would "Redeem" the mana, turning it back into neutral energy.
"You cannot corrupt the Sun, Shadow!" Aurelius roared, unleashing a burst of light that sent the four Goddesses crashing into the white sand.
Cyan wiped a trail of violet blood from his lip. He felt the 80% weakening of the domain. His muscles felt like lead, and his system was screaming with "Purification" alerts.
[Mental Integrity: 50% - Being Overwritten by 'Holy Peace'.]
"Master, use our strength!" Clara tried to stand, but the prayers of the domain were pinning her down like physical weights.
"No," Cyan growled. "This is what they want. They want me to use 'Corruption' so he can redeem it. They want a battle of opposites."
Cyan closed his eyes. He stopped using his mana. He stopped fighting the "Purification." He allowed the white light to enter his body, to burn through his veins.
"What are you doing?" Aurelius paused, his sword raised. "Accepting your end?"
"No," Cyan said, his voice dropping to a terrifying, hollow whisper. "I'm accepting the Truth. You are 'Redemption'. But to redeem something... it must first be Broken."
Cyan unleashed his Tenth Gate skill early, forcing it through sheer will: [Blood-Sovereign: The Shattered Vessel].
Instead of attacking Aurelius, Cyan attacked himself. He used his control over blood to rupture his own heart for a split second, releasing a surge of "Pure Agony" that the Redemption System couldn't handle. Redemption requires a sin to fix—Cyan gave him a sin so deep, so raw, and so personal that the "Holy" system of the Successor began to choke on it.
"I am the King of Sin not because I use darkness," Cyan said, stepping through the blinding light of Aurelius's aura. "But because I carry the weight of every choice I've made. You... you carry nothing but their orders."
Cyan grabbed the blade of blue flame with his bare hand. The holy fire melted his skin, but he didn't let go. He forced his [Truth-Eater] ability into the Successor's eyes.
"See the Abyss you were born to replace," Cyan commanded.
The perfect face of Aurelius began to crack. He saw the memories of Cyan's suffering—the cold, the hunger, the betrayal—not as data, but as felt experience. The Successor's "Absolute Redemption" couldn't fix a pain that was accepted and owned by its victim.
"It... it is too much..." Aurelius gasped, his golden armor turning to grey lead. "The system... it cannot redeem... the willing..."
"Exactly," Cyan whispered.
He drove his hand into Aurelius's chest, not to kill him, but to De-program him. He tore out the "Omega Core" and replaced it with a single drop of his own corrupted, human blood.
The Ninth Gate erupted. The white cathedrals turned to black glass. The sea of feathers ignited in violet flames. Aurelius, the "Successor," fell to his knees, his golden eyes turning purple. He wasn't dead, but he was no longer a puppet. He was a shell.
[System Notification: The Ninth Gate - DESECRATED.]
[Omega Core Acquired.]
[The 'Successor' has been Corrupted.]
[New Skill Unlocked: 'Architect's Silence' - You can now mute the 'Laws' of a domain, rendering the enemy's system useless.]
Cyan stood over the fallen Aurelius, his hand a charred mess of bone and meat. He looked up at the final three gates. They were no longer hidden. They were terrified.
"Nine down," Cyan said, his voice echoing through the ruins of the "Holy" realm. "Three left. The Gate of the Void, the Gate of the Creator, and finally... The Source."
He looked at his Goddesses, who were slowly regaining their strength as the holy pressure vanished.
"They tried to replace me," Cyan said, his eyes glowing with a finality that signaled the end of the world. "Now, I'm going to make sure there is nothing left to replace."