Location: Elderglen's Core Root Chamber – Decay Depths
The chamber pulsed like a buried heart.
Vast tendrils of root and bone twisted through the hollow, forming a cathedral of decay. Sap-stained bark spiraled upward, glowing with an eerie crimson hue. Corpses of forgotten beast gods—reduced to skeletal relics—hung embedded in the roots, their spirits long devoured.
Null stood in the center, his cloak of void petals billowing despite the stillness.
The silence was unnatural. It was the kind of silence that came after the world had been eaten.
Then—
SYSTEM ALERT: Hostile presence detected – Tier-6 Purifiers have entered radius.
Entities: 1x Radiant Executor | 3x Holy Clade Templars | 15x Sanctified Constructs
Estimated Total Combat Rating: 7.2 Million CP
Your Current Combat Rating: 682,000 CP (Unbound Limit)
Null didn't move. He didn't even blink.
From the southern tunnel, light exploded forth—blinding gold and holy white. The temperature rose unnaturally fast. Light-borne platforms shimmered into existence as if stepping from heaven itself.
Marching in divine sync, the Sanctified Assault Squad arrived.
At their front, the Radiant Executor stepped forward—a towering being in armor woven with threads of sunlight. A crown of fractured halos hovered behind his head.
"Blight of the Root. Null Entity. Hollow Aberration. In the name of the Sanctified Law, surrender and be cleansed."
Null's voice echoed calmly.
"You think light cleanses? All it does is cast shadows longer."
Then he raised his hand.
SKILL ACTIVATED: Verdant Sacrilege
The entire forest screamed.
The roots twisted. The trees groaned with unnatural hunger. Glowing vines launched from the chamber walls, wrapping around the incoming constructs.
For each inch of light, the dark roared louder.
The executor raised his halberd.
"Burn him."
Beams of concentrated divine mana erupted—dozens at once. They collided with the Hollow Sovereign—
—and passed through empty air.
Null was behind them already.
A single motion. A snap of his fingers.
The largest construct exploded in a bloom of purple fire.
SYSTEM NOTICE: You have consumed Sanctified Construct (x1). CP +25,000. Hollow Core Assimilation +1.2%
The Templars leapt forward, swords of blessed flame swinging in flawless arcs.
Null's form blurred.
He wasn't dodging. He was warping.
Wherever they struck, rot spread. Holy fire turned against itself. One templar screamed as his armor grew moss—then thorns—then roots, which dragged him down into the earth and crushed him.
The Radiant Executor narrowed his eyes.
"Apostate. Hollow God or not—you are unfinished."
Null smirked.
"And yet, you're already afraid."
He raised both hands.
SYSTEM ABILITY UNSEALED: Hollow Domain (Fragmented Activation)
Reality bends within a 50-meter radius. Opponents' perception of time is fractured. You are recognized as the sole authority within this zone.
The Root Chamber dimmed. Time itself cracked like shattered glass. Echoes of Null appeared in every direction—each whispering a different word in the forgotten tongue of the Hollow.
The executor lunged.
Null met him halfway.
Void clashed with holy fire. The chamber trembled.
And then—Null's hand pierced through the Radiant Executor's chest.
No blood.
Only light, leaking out like broken stained glass.
"Tell your gods," Null whispered, "I'm coming for their thrones."
He clenched his fist.
SYSTEM EVENT: Radiant Executor Slain. Unique Skill Acquired – [Halo Fracture]
Breaks defensive blessings, divine shields, and positive aura effects within range. Passive AoE rupture every 30 seconds.
SYSTEM WARNING: Multiple High-Tier Observers have marked your profile. Celestial-class enemies may respond.
The body of the executor fell. The chamber fell quiet again.
Null stood alone in the aftermath—covered in the golden dust of fallen divine warriors. Behind him, the Root Chamber pulsed faster, almost excited.
But far above…
A divine eye opened somewhere in the sky.
Watching.
Judging.
Fearing.