"So this… is Ranni's body?"
Standing atop the Divine Tower of Liurnia, Duanmu Huai gazed solemnly at the charred corpse before him.
Ranni had done this because she had no other choice. What had happened to Godwyn before had already proven that when the Death Rune and the Golden Order conflicted, one side must perish for the other to survive.
For example: the Death Rune killed Godwyn. Yet, under the Golden Order, Empyreans could not die. So what happened?
In the end, the Golden Order preserved Godwyn's body, while the Death Rune destroyed his soul.
A body without a soul is no different from a living corpse—and Ranni had no desire to suffer the same fate. Thus, she transferred her soul into a doll and then killed her original body. That way, she would no longer be an Empyrean, and therefore, no longer bound by the Golden Order.
Duanmu Huai reached out and gently touched Ranni's charred body. At once, the remaining half of the centipede-shaped Death Rune emerged, glowing faintly before sinking into the back of his hand.
A burning pain shot through his left hand, spreading through his veins like ice water. A system notification appeared before his eyes.
[Death Rune Fragment: 3/3]
[Death Rune Complete]
[Activating…]
"BOOM!!"
At that moment, Duanmu Huai felt an immense power erupt from his hand. The freezing, deathly energy coursed through his veins, flooding every corner of his body in an instant. His entire being turned cold as frost. He could feel the terrible force permeating his flesh, his armor, even his very soul.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
With a roar, red, black, and white flames burst skyward, engulfing him completely.
"Ugh… ahhh…"
Duanmu Huai dropped to his knees, fists clenched, teeth gritted. Ranni's earlier warning echoed in his mind.
"The Golden Order was formed only after removing the Death Rune. Conversely, the Death Rune is the Golden Order's shadow. Its power is equal to a complete Order—controlling it is dangerous and extremely difficult…"
Ranni had been right.
He could feel the Death Rune's power steadily, inexorably seeping into every inch of him. His armor, his soul—everything merged with the essence of death itself. System messages flashed rapidly before his eyes.
[Death Rune Activated]
[Fusion in Progress: 10%... 20%... 25%...]
[Detected: Heart of a God. Fusion speed doubled.]
[Detected: Similar Divine Domain — Evolving.]
[Please answer the following questions.]
[What do you wish to destroy?]
[What is death, to you?]
What kind of philosophy exam is this?!
Clenching his teeth, enduring the agony, Duanmu Huai glared at the glowing questions before him.
What do I wish to destroy? That was easy. The Inquisition's duty was to protect humanity. Anything that threatened humanity was the enemy—and the enemy existed only to be destroyed.
But the second question… that one was trickier.
What is death, to you?
The question reeked of philosophy. He wasn't a philosopher! But simply answering something edgy like "death is the end of all things" wouldn't cut it. Knowing this cursed system, it was probably a trap question. The answer might directly shape what kind of being he became.
If you went by normal logic, everything that lives must die. Death gives meaning to life—it proves life's beauty and worth.
From a fatalist's point of view, life and death are two halves of a cycle—life begets death, and death gives rise to life.
Now the fusion was already at 85%, but Duanmu Huai still hadn't decided. Then suddenly, he looked again—and his eyes lit up.
"Damn it, this question's a trap! Almost fell for it again!"
The key wasn't "what is death," but the first part—"to you."
Yes—philosophers and books had their own definitions of death. But this question asked his.
So what was death to him?
To Duanmu Huai, death was—the means to annihilate all who dared to stand against the Inquisition!
All who opposed the Inquisition, all who threatened humanity—there was only one fate for them: death!
Death was the Inquisition's fury and judgment—merciless, pitiless! For humanity's survival, for the extinction of its enemies—the Inquisitor's hand brought only death and destruction!
"BOOOOOOM!!!"
The moment he answered in his mind, the progress bar that had reached 95% shot to full completion. Flames surged upward once again, blindingly bright.
System notifications cascaded across his vision:
[Death Rune Fully Fused]
[Doomslayer advanced to God of Destruction]
[Minor Divine Power +3]
[Skill Fusion Initiated]
[Matter Displacement][Strike Weakness][Few vs Many][Bully the Weak]
→ Merged into [Aura of Death]
Aura of Death: When struck, has a chance to reflect 500% damage. Affects enemies within a 20-yard radius. Enemies in a state of fear may suffer instant death.
(Those who face the Messenger of Death must beware—for their attacks may summon a storm of vengeance.)
[Enraged]
→ Merged into [Soul Devour]
Soul Devour: Enemies slain by you restore 10% of their HP to you. Absorbing enough souls can nullify one fatal attack.
(The wailing souls have nowhere to escape; their final resting place is your grasp.)
[Subspace Armor upgraded to Eternal Death Armor]
[Fear Aura upgraded to LV3]
As the notifications flashed, the roaring fire exploded outward—and from within the inferno, Duanmu Huai strode out.
"Phew… Damn, that feels good!"
He clenched his fists. The power coursing through him was overwhelming. It felt like something out of a wuxia novel—like he'd stumbled into a hidden cave and accidentally swallowed a thousand-year spirit toad, gaining sixty years of inner strength overnight. His body brimmed with strength—he felt like he could punch down a mountain!
Meanwhile, his armor had undergone a complete transformation.
Previously, the upgrades had been mostly cosmetic. Now, the armor had changed entirely.
Its bulk had increased—larger and heavier. His shoulder plates were massive, now connecting to the backplate, forming a fortress around him. His head rested within a recessed slot, his helmet entirely black save for a white skull mask.
Behind his head stood a dark monolith engraved with the sigil of the Inquisition.
The entire armor was matte black, trimmed in gold. On his chest, a black war-eagle spread its wings. His shoulders and waist were adorned with three white human skulls, crimson fire flickering in their hollow sockets—as if they were alive.
His backpack unit, connected to the monolith, housed the scout and repair skulls, along with thrusters. His knees bore skull-shaped guards. A black cloak draped behind him, like the wings of death itself.
Even his Thunder Warhammer had changed—its once-flat head now bristled with sharp, fang-like spikes. One swing could easily punch dozens of holes through an enemy.
In short—
He looked even more terrifying.
Well, Duanmu Huai had gotten used to that.
Just walking down a street like this could probably scare someone to death.
And those new skills… yeah, they clearly reflected his answer.
Scanning through the evolved abilities, he could tell most had been fused and reworked. From Aura of Death to Soul Devour, the direction was obvious—his role was to charge headlong into battle. Aura of Death reflected damage, Soul Devour healed him and blocked death. The more enemies he killed, the stronger his defense and resilience would grow.
If he wiped out a few squads before facing a Chaos God, then combined that with his new title—no longer Doomslayer, but God of Destruction—he might even survive a direct blow unscathed.
That was huge.
After all—
"You can't hearthstone away unless you're still alive first."
To retreat, you must first survive.
So to maximize his new powers, he'd need to lead from the front, dive into the enemy ranks, reflect their attacks, absorb their souls, and grow stronger and harder to kill.
"Perfect."
Running a quick simulation in his head, Duanmu Huai grinned, gripped his warhammer tight, and swung it experimentally.
His trip to the Lands Between had turned out far more fruitful than he'd ever imagined.
Now, it seemed—he finally had enough power to challenge that so-called Eternal Chosen of the Gods.
(End of Chapter)