Chapter 440 389: Darkness Shrouds

Sacrifice is the path of every Imperial Knight.

Blood and fire forge Extraordinary Power.

But for a Wizard, knowingly fighting a superior foe to the death is not an act of courage and glory, but of incomprehensible foolishness.

On their path to pursuing ultimate power, death means the end of everything.

Chaos God Chaos, even back when he was a mere Wizard Apprentice barely stronger than a Mortal, had this ideal etched into his very being.

If not for this sliver of Radiant Power that became hope, tearing through the darkness and shining into his heart, he would have undoubtedly died.

He was also prepared for a life-or-death battle with Koller.

But now, a golden opportunity, a chance of a lifetime, was right before his eyes. If he just reached out and seized it, he could break free from Silencer Enok's control.

As a true Wizard, he could embark on the eternal path of a Transcendent, the path of pursuing ultimate power!

The immense impact of this moment—the line between life and death, the ultimate freedom laid out before him—made his body tremble uncontrollably.

'At a time like this, he couldn't care less about some bullshit mission. Enok's orders? Control of the bridge? Before true power and freedom, all of that was dogshit!'

Panic, terror, excitement...

It was a gamble with his very soul on the line.

Success meant he would gain everything he had ever dreamed of.

And if he failed... even death would be a luxury.

As one of Grand Lord Keras's War Armaments, he was well aware of the consequences. Silencer Enok would undoubtedly hunt him to the ends of the Cosmos. But faced with such a temptation, how could he not try?

Facing the terrifying Spiritual Storm erupting from the Wizard's Divine Artifact in Koller's hand, the Artificial Mage, whose body had been modified over many years until it resembled that of a dying old man, could no longer contain his suppressed excitement. He let out a cold laugh.

"I should thank you, Imperial Knight..."

His aged voice, carried by Spiritual Power, bypassed the physical distance and reached Koller's ears.

Had it been a new recruit in his place, they would have been distracted by Chaos's cryptic words. But Koller remained completely unmoved. In that instant, the erupting Spiritual Storm lived up to the name of the Wizard's Divine Artifact in his hand: the Supernova Witch Staff.

There were no flashy techniques—only a pure, terrifying burst of Energy. Within the Void Realm, it coalesced into a dazzling sun of Spiritual Energy. Its terrifying light and aftershocks, like a stellar storm in the Real Cosmos, instantly engulfed the soul projections of both men!

This was precisely why Koller had dragged Chaos into the Void Realm. He knew that if he unleashed the full power of the Supernova Witch Staff, it wouldn't just be the small Avenger Flagship at risk.

The uncontrolled Spiritual Storm would instantly kill the hundreds of millions of Mortals on the planet Cyrenaica.

The planet itself would become a paradise for Demons and Wizards, corrupted by the Spiritual Energy.

As the price for using the Wizard's Divine Artifact, a malicious chuckle echoed in Koller's ears. He could clearly feel his body and soul suffering irreversible corruption.

His right hand transformed from flesh and blood into a pure form of Witchcraft Energy.

Even...

For a fleeting moment, Koller felt an instinctive fear toward the sliver of Radiant Power emanating from Lu Jia's Knight Power. The countless insane thoughts he had suppressed for a thousand years began to stir deep within him.

Koller knew. These were the first signs of corruption and damnation.

His consciousness pulled back from the Demon Void Realm, returning to reality.

Koller, his spirit failing him, dropped to one knee. His left hand still clutched the Supernova Witch Staff while his trembling right fumbled in the satchel on the floor, searching for an old, yellowed volume of the National Church Classics—the Holy Word Scripture.

But to his horror, no matter how he tried, he couldn't open the seemingly ordinary Holy Scripture. He tried three times, and failed each time.

It was as if some immense, irresistible force was preventing him from using the power of the Holy Word Scripture to suppress the corruption in his soul.

'My Lord...'

「At the same time.」

Chaos God Chaos was putting his own mad plan into motion.

As the Chaos God prototype for the Gods' Plan, he hadn't dodged Koller's attack but had met it head-on. Naturally, he had an ace up his sleeve.

A fragment of the Wizard's Divine Artifact, the Chaos Mother Box, was implanted within his body.

As his final trump card, this fragment of the Wizard's Divine Artifact could limitlessly absorb any type of Extraordinary Power it touched.

And all the Energy it absorbed would be stored within his body.

Though the fragment of the Chaos Mother Box was a single-use item, it was perfect for breaking free from Enok's control.

From the perspective of the others on the bridge, Koller and Chaos, who had just been locked in a standoff, suddenly changed. First, Koller collapsed to one knee, his strength failing him. The other, Chaos, seemed to ignite from within, becoming a human-shaped candle that radiated a blinding light.

In addition, even though the Spiritual Storm had detonated within the Void Realm, it still tore countless tiny spatial rifts in reality across a ten-kilometer radius around the Avenger Flagship.

"AAAAARRRGH—!"

Under the immense impact, Chaos's black robes disintegrated into ash and floated upward. Terrifying waves of Energy, like ripples on water, pulsed ceaselessly from his body.

Under the force of this Spiritual Power, the implants from the Shadow Temple and the Extraordinary Armaments placed in his body by Enok were destroyed one after another. Even his very flesh and blood were converted into pure Energy.

But it wasn't over.

Clinging to his last shred of consciousness, Chaos teleported behind Lu Jia and reached for her neck.

Battle Sister Caroline, who had been watching over Lu Jia, saw Chaos teleport behind her. Her face paled as she cried out, "Lu Jia, behind you—!"

Hearing the cry, Koller snapped his head up. His eyes widened in utter disbelief when he saw that Chaos was still alive. He couldn't believe that an artificial, blasphemous creation could have survived the full force of the Supernova Witch Staff!

He tried to use his Spiritual Power to help Lu Jia and stop Chaos's attack, but a mocking voice echoed in his mind, impossible to ignore.

'...How much longer will you deceive yourself? You think you can save this Empire of yours with the power you have? After a thousand years of service, you still have to bow to the laughable authority of a rookie.

Come now. Don't resist. Embrace what you truly feel.

Without true power to back them up, all your ideals and ambitions are nothing but a dream...'

'No...'

These were not his true thoughts.

Koller collapsed heavily to the floor. He reached for the Holy Word Scripture lying on the ground.

But the scripture, though just within reach, felt impossibly far away—a truth he could never grasp.