The winds that howled across the Desolate Spine had no beginning and no end. They carried the ashes of forgotten kingdoms and the whispers of those damned long before the world was ever young.
At the heart of the wasteland, deep within a cathedral carved from the remains of a behemoth god, a circle of robed cultists bowed low before a throne of living bone. Every second, it breathed. Every breath was a curse upon the world.
The one who sat upon it… smiled.
His smile split his face.
The Demon King of the Ninth Seal had awoken.
Thousands of miles away, Liam stirred in his sleep.
A chill. A flicker. Something ancient brushed against his consciousness. Not just hate—but hunger. A hunger that went beyond flesh or faith.
It sought souls.
"Rune," Liam whispered, opening his eyes in the dark tent.
Rune materialized, his spirit form flickering blue in the lantern light. "You felt it too."
Liam nodded. "Something's watching. From below."
"We'll need to move. The binding on Ar'khal won't last forever. And that… thing beneath the earth, it's tied to what's coming."
Outside, Garran sharpened his axe. Elenari spoke softly to Seraphina, who wrapped fresh bandages around her wings. The forest was still scorched from their battle with the Fallen Star, and the divine barrier still hummed faintly at the perimeter.
But peace wouldn't last.
It never did.
In the ruins of a once-holy city, the cult moved swiftly. The red-robed priestess who'd whispered to the bone altar now stood before a ritual circle of black flame and writhing chains. Her name was Vaelith, and her eyes burned with unholy light.
"He is near," she said. "The False God. The Child of Faith."
A monstrous voice echoed from the pit. "You mean the Heir of the Forgotten Spark."
Vaelith bowed. "Yes, Lord Xarnor. I have prepared the Seal's Edge. He will not leave this continent."
"Good," rumbled the Demon King. "Because the game has changed."
He raised one clawed finger. A ripple of red light exploded from the altar, stretching in all directions.
System Alert to Liam:
[Demonic Seal Expansion Detected]Origin: Southern Wastes – Ninth Seal CathedralArea Corruption: 12.8% and risingInfected Realms: 3 border towns lost
You are being targeted by Xarnor the Ninth.Objective: Corrupt the God System.
Additional Alert: A corrupted Archon has been sighted.Threat Level: Catastrophic
Liam felt bile rise in his throat.
"System," he said, voice tight, "what the hell is a corrupted Archon?"
System Response:
Archons are divine proxies once bound to Heaven's Will.
Corrupted Archons are fallen proxies now enslaved by Demon Kings.Each is a god-killer.
Caution: You are the only System bearer. You will be targeted above all others.
Liam's knuckles whitened on his staff. The rest of the party looked at him.
"What is it?" Elenari asked, reading his expression.
"We're at war," he said simply. "Again."
Three nights later, they reached the shattered temple known as the Seal's Edge—a boundary zone between divine and demonic territory.
Black lightning forked through the sky. The grass was dying beneath their feet. Seraphina's wings burned whenever she stepped too far from Liam.
This was enemy ground.
And waiting for them… was the corrupted Archon.
She hovered inches above the cracked earth. Once divine, now a mockery of it. Her wings had been torn and re-stitched with chains. Her skin glowed with infernal runes, and her eyes—once kind—now flickered with endless torment.
Her name echoed in Liam's head.
System Alert:
Enemy Detected: Virelle, Archon of the Shattered ChoirTier: Demi-God+Former Title: Voice of CompassionStatus: Fallen – Bound to Ninth Seal
Power Level: 87,000Suggested Strategy: Avoid direct combat. Seek purification or banishment method.
Liam stepped forward anyway.
"I can feel your sorrow," he said softly.
She didn't respond with words—only a shriek that cracked the air like glass.
And then she charged.
The battle was unlike anything before.
Virelle did not fight with weapons—she used sound. Songs of madness. Screams of the damned. Each note tore at reality, forcing the party into a maelstrom of despair.
Elenari collapsed, clutching her ears.
Seraphina bled from her nose.
Garran vomited as memories of his slaughtered kin were forced into his mind.
But Liam held firm.
He absorbed the song.
"System!" he roared. "Divine Skill: Echo Rewrite!"
System Notification:
Skill Activated: Echo RewriteDescription: Steals and transforms sound-based abilitiesDuration: 60 seconds
Result: Corrupted Hymn converted into Faith Resonance.
Liam's body pulsed with a new kind of light. His voice echoed with divine command.
"You were never meant to fall, Virelle."
He raised his hand—and sang.
A hymn of forgiveness.
The melody tore through the corruption like fire through parchment. The chains around her wings snapped. Her scream became a gasp. Her eyes returned to blue—for a moment.
But then—
A clawed hand reached from a tear in reality and ripped her soul away.
"No!" Liam cried.
Too late.
Virelle was gone.
Stolen back into the void by Xarnor.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Only ash remained.
"Damn him," Liam muttered.
Rune floated beside him. "You can't save them all."
"I will. Or I'll die trying."
System Notification:
Combat Complete: Archon Virelle – Incomplete PurificationPartial Faith Restored: +8,000Divine Insight Gained: Hymns of the Lost Choir
Stat Increases (Liam):Strength: +11Speed: +13Endurance: +17Magic: +29Control: +21Charisma: +14
Faith Points: 90,200Followers: 1,605Angels: 6Demons: 2
That night, while the others rested, Liam stood at the edge of the broken altar.
Seraphina joined him. "She was one of us once, you know. Virelle. She sang before battles."
"She screamed before this one."
"She still remembered her name," Seraphina said quietly. "That's something."
Liam nodded, jaw tight.
"We're going to kill Xarnor," he whispered.
"No," Seraphina corrected, her hand brushing his.
"We're going to unmake him."
End of Chapter 80