Chapter 100 – Inheritance Template: The Goddess's Gift!
Thunder rolled across the heavens.
Even as a corrupted divine spirit—reduced to a mere phantom projection—her magical power was nothing to scoff at.
A monster like her, capable of wielding high-level spells, was the kind of existence most would deem impossible if told in tales.
But beneath the storm and lightning, Shin Akira simply smiled.
The shadows beneath his feet stirred, coiling and twisting upward to form a massive, jet-black barrier. It absorbed the magical onslaught as if it were nothing.
At this point, Shin Akira stood on the edge of the world's limits. To call him the strongest being in the Lower World was no longer an exaggeration.
He had fully merged with the Shadow Realm.
As long as that dimension still existed, his soul would remain undying, his body indestructible, and his mana nearly infinite—beyond what any mortal could comprehend.
The smoke and dust faded. Within the veil of shadows, Akira stood unharmed.
Across the field, the Fallen Corrupted Spirit remained expressionless. If someone with that much magical energy could be defeated so easily, that would've been the true surprise.
"Oh flame… oh earth… oh storm… oh flood… come forth… heed my call…"
She began a second incantation. Around her floated four massive magic circles, each representing a different element—fire, earth, wind, and water.
"Flames, heed me!"
The fire sigil lit up with a scorching brilliance.
"Roar! Become a cyclone of embers, a crimson cliff, a blaze that howls!"
"With the power of the sudden storm, seal away this world! Let the sky burn! The land burn! The oceans boil! The springs scald! The mountains ignite! Let all life scream in flame!"
"Let this become barren land, let the trumpets of anguish and wrath sound!"
"I offer up the life of a beloved hero as sacrifice…"
"In the name of the Mediator, I am she who was once called Fire Spirit, incarnation of flame—Queen of Fire!"
Inferno Tempest!
A wave of all-consuming fire exploded outward, sweeping through the battlefield and incinerating everything in its path.
The lush rainforest vanished, reduced to a wasteland of ash. Within the darkness of the Dungeon, the scene resembled the landscape of hell.
Step.
Amid the scorched earth, a lone figure still stood—Shin Akira.
The Shadowkhan legions around him had been reduced to ash. Their weakness, after all, was their durability.
Akira clenched his fist. The lingering embers on his palm slowly flickered out.
The Fallen Corrupted Spirit's fire spell was comparable to that of a Level 6 adventurer—capable of reshaping entire environments in a single cast.
Among the warriors of Orario, only a handful could survive such a blast.
"Earth, rise and roar!"
She immediately began her third chant.
"Come forth! Surface of the world! Iron bastion! Celestial hammer!"
"With the contract of the wayfarer, I command thee—shatter the burning sky, rend the earth, and bridge the heavens!"
"Oh divine axe of destruction!"
"In the name of the Mediator, I am the Earth Spirit, incarnation of stone—Queen of Earth!"
The earth magic circle, woven from ancient runes, pulsed with power. A third attack was imminent.
But in the next instant—her target vanished.
"Twice was already tolerable. But three times in a row? Isn't that a bit excessive?"
A sharp voice rang out.
Suddenly, crimson fire ignited across the Corrupted Spirit's flank.
"Aaaaaaargh!!!"
A scream of agony ripped through the air as half of her face and part of her body were seared by the flames.
The Corrupted Spirit—now with only half a face—shivered in pain. And beside her stood Shin Akira, calm and cold as ever.
Because he knew: once this battle ended, he would obtain the final fragment of his Template Inheritance.
"Shadow Domain."
Thunder rumbled.
Darkness surged like a flood, engulfing the surroundings.
Like ink spilled into clear water, the entire battlefield was consumed in obsidian black.
The Corrupted Spirit's burnt body began to regenerate. As a monster—not a living being—she could not die unless her magic stone was destroyed.
And as a plant-based entity, consuming enough mana would restore her completely.
But before she could fully rise…
The shadows swallowed everything.
Clawed hands emerged from the dark, latching onto her limbs and torso, dragging her into the murky depths.
"Aaaaaahhhh!!"
Even with fractured sanity, the fear of the unknown crept in. She trembled—not from pain, but from primal terror.
It was too late.
Her entire body was devoured by the Shadow Realm.
Akira stood silently.
— — —
[Ding!]
[Template Inheritance increased by 5%!]
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host—You have unlocked an affiliated world: Shadow Realm!]
[Ding!]
[Congratulations—You have acquired the skill: Ultimate Darkness!]
A wide grin spread across Akira's face. He had completed his mission perfectly.
After a month and a half in the city of labyrinths—Orario—he had completed his second template, reaching 100% synchronization.
The roar of released power echoed in his chest.
The restraints that once bound him shattered. The full might of the King of the Shadowkhan now coursed through his veins.
But at that very moment—due to the divine curse left behind from slaying a god—the Dungeon trembled in fear.
Compared to his first template, [Enkidu], the King of the Shadowkhan's power equated to a Level 7 Demon Lord.
Even with full synchronization, the jump wasn't drastic. It merely elevated him from a novice to an intermediate among the Transcenders.
But he could feel it—clearly.
This world was starting to reject him.
More precisely: the Lower World was rejecting his existence.
His power had exceeded the realm's limit. As long as he didn't unleash it in full, he would be fine.
But should he go all out, the world itself would expel him.
[Ding!]
[Template Inheritance Complete. Would you like to activate your third template?]
"Not yet."
Silence returned to the system.
Akira turned to a corner of the room, where he could sense a gaze watching him.
But he chose to ignore it.
With a single motion, he opened the Gate to the Shadow Realm and stepped through.
— — —
A low hum of resonance echoed.
On the other side—within the Tower of Babel—Akira emerged from the portal.
"You're back… But wait, that aura… That power…"
Hephaestus was stunned. The energy radiating from him was far beyond the limits of humanity.
"My strength… has returned."
"So… you came to say goodbye?"
As a goddess, Hephaestus understood all too well what this meant.
"It's not goodbye. I'm only leaving for a few days. But when I return, I'll take you with me—and make you my wife."
"Hmph. Who'd marry someone like you…?"
She paused.
"…But, if you really are leaving, then at least take this. Consider it a farewell gift."
"Hm?"
"Close your eyes."
"Oho~"
Akira obeyed.
Hephaestus stepped closer. Her tall, graceful figure radiated a warm, mature charm.
A soft sigh escaped her lips.
Then, a kiss—fierce and hot—landed on his.
Akira hadn't expected that.
But it didn't end there.
The room's atmosphere shifted. A tender, rosy glow filled the air. Warmth. Affection. Long-restrained emotions rising to the surface.
If Akira didn't get it now… he truly was a fool.
He wrapped his arms around her.
And together, they disappeared into the bedroom of a goddess.
Hephaestus had made her choice—and she wouldn't regret it. Even if he had to leave, she wouldn't hold him back.
Her love and trust ran too deep.
But before that… she would give herself to him completely.
From dusk till dawn, they never left that room.
— — —
When morning light finally peeked through the window, the door creaked open.
"Hephaestus… I will come back for you."
With those words, Akira vanished.
Only a gently swaying door remained…
…along with a red gauntlet resting quietly at the edge of the bed.
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