[Good memories]
'Good my ass, when I woke up, I was in Hera's place.'
Yeah, apparently, the system canceled the timer and kept watching some weird bugs dragging me into their layer.
[It was a good shortcut, though.]
'I didn't have a map, you idiot.' I was annoyed because, from what I can remember, I was running in circles.
[You could buy one]
'The man had already left, leaving a message saying-I will return to the surface. This place is scary-'
[You could use the stag]
'I didn't have money.'
[You can get more]
'The fuck you mean I can get more?!'
Did he forget, or is he stupid?
[Oh, right, since it's based on real life, so they didn't drop any Geo]
'You know how many days I was there?'
[14 days 12 hours 12 minutes 25 seconds]
'Exactly'
Now that's out of the way, let's talk about something important.
[You're thinking about the infection, right?]
'Yeah, after all, the radiance is dead, so that shouldn't happen.'
I was confused about it after all, the radiance might be the strongest in the world.
Then something clicked in my mind.
'I know what it is.' I thought with a serious voice.
[Really?]
'The radiance gave everyone she controlled a mission, and that is to kill everyone who's not affected by her.' I thought as I remembered my encounter with the radiance.
---------------------------
In the Godhome. Not the polished halls, but the highest peak of the Pantheon of Hallownest. The arena is a single, impossibly small, perpetually shifting platform floating in the pure white space of the Godseeker's mind. The air is so thick with light it feels viscous.
The Absolute Radiance stands not as a moth, but as a burning sun given form—her shell impossibly vibrant, her movements instantaneous, her size vast, filling the entire sky above the Knight. Her energy pulses with divine, absolute authority.
I stand alone, the large silhouette of the Vessel contrasted against the blinding backdrop. The Absolute Radiance begins without a warning roar, only the immediate manifestation of devastating power.
'Focus. this is the last battle' I thought as Eight colossal, seeking Golden Orbs materialize in a ring and immediately begin closing in on me. They are relentless, forcing tight, manic Shade Dashes and constant movement.
Before the Orbs clear, the Radiance's eye flashes. She unleashes three massive, simultaneous Focus Beams, sweeping them across the platform in intersecting paths.
I utilized the refined control gained from the Unnerving Light and the Void Heart, executes a fluid dance of survival: a jump to avoid one Orb, a micro-step to bait a Beam, and a perfect Shade Dash through the path of the other two Beams. The floor is constantly being scorched and repaired by the Radiance's power.
The small platform shrinks further, pushing the Knight to the edge of the abyss. The attacks come faster, overlapping in a catastrophic storm of energy.
The Radiance summons a horizontal Wall of Swords, filling the entire width of the arena. This wall moves inexorably toward me. There is no space to dash, only a series of small, precisely placed gaps.
I knew I must leap, executing a quick Descending Dark to smash into the ground and generate Soul, narrowly avoiding the blades, then immediately using a Super Dash toward the ceiling to position for the next attack.
The Radiance teleports instantly, materializing closer to the Knight. She unleashes the Spikes from Below—a rapid-fire series of seven distinct spike eruptions, giving the Knight less than a quarter-second to find the safe pocket for each wave.
The stage shatters entirely. I was plunged into the infinite white void. Below, a chaotic field of floating triangular platforms appears, leading steeply upward in a vertical climb.
The Radiance is now furious. She attacks with her signature move, the Horizontal Nail Barrage, sending dozens of swords flying across the ascent path, simultaneously conjuring massive Star-Shaped Energy Bombs that detonate on contact with any surface.
This is a true test of speed and precision:
Jump-Dash-Jump across the tight platforms.
Time the ascent perfectly to move between the tight corridors of flying swords.
Strike the Radiance's distant form with the Pure Nail in mid-air to reset the double-jump, gaining crucial height.
I reach the final apex—a singular, tiny island in the sky. The Radiance hovers, seemingly spent, a fragile light burning at her core.
But this is the Absolute form. She is not defeated.
The Radiance unleashes her ultimate, desperate attack: a non-stop, swirling vortex of Spikes of Light that spiral inward, covering the entire final platform. I trapped, forced to move in a tiny, perfect circle, constantly avoiding the closing spiral.
I was now glowing faintly with the purple-black hue of the Void Heart, ignores the pain of the swirling spikes and channels the final, massive reserve of Soul.
The Abyss answers the call.
A massive surge of pure Void energy bursts from me. Not tentacles, but an infinite, consuming darkness that envelops the big Vessel. my form swells, transcending the shell.
The Radiance tries to escape, to ascend further, but the Void is faster.
The darkness grabs the god. The white light screams, not physically, but psychically, filling the Godhome with a soundless agony of pure light being extinguished.
The Void consumes the Absolute Radiance. The blinding sun is devoured by the perfect, eternal dark. The pantheon collapses into silence, leaving only the big Vessel, now crowned with the power of the ultimate abyss.
While I was able to watch the scene like a movie not knowing I should've been inside the void.
--------------------------------
[Which means?]
'The mission is still going, and I have to control it before anyone else get hurt.' I thought as I saw the manor.
'And if my body started reacting by itself that means a sign for an infection inside me.'
[So what are you going to do?]
I thought about it for a second about how to remove the infection in my body.
[You can't remove it]
'I know after all the infection works in mind and use the body as weapon.'
This is troublesome first evilus is around and now the infection is in my body not fully but still dangerous.
'I can control it with my current state but if I got any infected enemy power then it will be hard.'
Bosses like lost kin and broken vessel is something I need to be careful of.
[I think the hollow knight should be the strongest infection]
'No, the hollow knight manages to stab himself with little bit of his mind while the lost kin were full of infection meaning if he was outside the ancient basin half of the area will be infected.'
My fight with him made me realize how strong the infection is.
in the Ancient Basin. A massive, crumbling, circular arena, deep underground. The floor is cracked, slick with stagnant water, and the walls are lined with mossy, crumbling masonry. The air is thick with orange, pulsating spores of the Infection.
The Broken Vessel stands in the center—a Vessel shell identical to me, but taller, its body cracked and oozing the orange infection. It is headless, wielding a broken nail that trails infection, and its every movement is an erratic spasm of pain and rage, driven solely by the alien will of the blinding disease.
"Ooookay stay still and you might feel peace after that, ok?"
"ROOOOOAAAAAAR"
"I will take that as a no."
The battle begins immediately, defined by the Vessel's erratic, aggressive movements.
The Broken Vessel launches forward in a series of wide, sweeping slashes with its broken nail. The erratic rhythm makes it difficult to parry, forcing me to rely on swift Shade Dashes and small, precise jumps to weave through the arcs of the infected blade.
The Vessel leaps high and slams down, creating a wide shockwave of orange infection across the floor. I immediately double-jump or use the Mantis Claw to cling briefly to the wall, avoiding the splash zone.
I was focused and disciplined, uses the brief recovery periods after the Vessel's wide attacks to retaliate with quick, focused Nail strikes, generating a small amount of Soul.
As the Broken Vessel takes damage, the Infection within it becomes unstable, manifesting as lethal, floating energy.
"ROOOOAAAAAAR"
The Vessel screams a soundless, rattling cry, and from its ruined core, eight Infected Balloons burst forth. These are airborne, slow-moving, volatile spheres of orange infection that float around the arena, filling the upper space and creating deadly, inescapable hit zones.
This is the turning point of the fight, forcing me to manage both the ground-level aggressor and the aerial hazards.
I used sharp, upward Nail Slashes and concentrated bursts of Vengeful Spirit to pop the spores as quickly as possible.
Simultaneously, the Broken Vessel continues its relentless Flailing Strike assault, forcing me to duck, weave, strike the Vessel, and then quickly reposition to clear the overhead threat.
The fight is a desperate dance of vertical and horizontal evasion, pushing the limits of the Knight's stamina.
Close to defeat, the Vessel's movement becomes even more frantic and unpredictable, blending its core attacks into a seamless, overwhelming frenzy.
The Vessel jumps to the center and repeatedly beats its broken nail against the ground, causing a torrent of infected rain to fall instantly from the ceiling. Simultaneously, it launches three quick Infected Balloon bursts at rapid intervals.
I was forced into a desperate retreat, using small jumps to navigate the downpour while simultaneously clearing the three waves of floating balloons with rapid Nade Dashes to position safely between them.
The Vessel's shell is visibly splitting, the orange disease leaking profusely.
I channeled all available Soul, waiting for the perfect moment: the small, final recoil after the Vessel's last jump-and-slam.
The Vessel attempts one final, wide Infected Leap. I used the brief vertical space created by the leap to launch into the air, unleashing a devastating, focused stream of Abyss Shriek directly into the exposed, infected cavity of the Vessel's core.
The Vessel stiffens mid-air. The infected orange light within it flickers violently and dies. The shell drops to the ground with a soft, final thud.
The orange light of the Infection recedes, leaving behind the true nature of the fallen sibling: a small, silent Vessel, finally at rest. I stand over my sibling, a moment of profound, painful silence in the infected ruin.
"If you ever have a second chance in life, I wish for you to be happy in it not broken like this."
This was my first time killing something that I felt close to.
[Don't keep standing there move on]
'CAN'T YOU FUCKING READ THE ROOM.'
It was a heartbreak moment and that fucker just ruined it.
--------------------------------------------------
"Hey" I said as I waved at the guards who looked at me with confused face.
"Who are you?" One of them said with confused look.
"Really? I just joined the familia and now you say you don't know me."
By the time they realized who I was they quickly apologized.
"S-sorry we didn't know because of-"
"I was just joking man I know I look like a psychopath with all this blood around me."
"Uh...That's not why we didn't know you."
"Hm?"
"You are taller than usual and...damn."
I looked at my body and noticed I'm more buffed than usual.
'Oh that's the traitor lord effect.' I thought as I noticed their looks on my muscle.
"Can you please stop looking at me like that?"
"U-uh yeah sorry about that."
[Host, are you-]
'I'M NOT GAY.'
It's not wrong to show off your abilities to look cool but it would be weird if you showed off to males only.
Which made the system thinking I'm into men.
"I'll go inside." I said to the guards as I went inside the manor.
I opened the door seeing everyone here except Loki.
'She's not here, thank god.'
[What's wrong?]
'No, it's just if Loki saw me like this she will-'
"PFFT-HAHAHAHA."
my thought got interrupted by Loki who I didn't notice.
'Fuck.'
"Hey, Allen, why do you look like tomato."
Her laughter brought attention from the others.
[She's-]
'Drunk? I know.' I thought as I looked at her side.
'20 Beers?'
That's impressive, I think.
"Yeah, yeah keep talking you flat woman." My words made her stop laughing and looked at me with annoyed look.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me miss flat." I said with a smirk.
"You! that's something coming from someone who didn't even know the qualities of beautiful woman." She said thinking she hit back.
"Oh I know the qualities of beautiful woman and thankfully you're not one of them."
"You bastard!"
"do you want to know why no one interested in you Loki." I said pulling three fingers.
"One you always joke around and only get serious when there's a big trouble."
"Only the evilus is there what's there to be scared of?" She said taking another drink.
"AH-THATS EVILUS YOU IDIOT, DONT YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THEY CAN BE?!" I shouted as I took her drink from her.
"HEY!"
"Shut up." I said making her freeze in place.
'Is she drinking to escape the trouble.' Thinking about the it, now it could make sense.
"Secondly you're a pervert who only likes woman. No woman chest not the woman herself." I said my second reason.
"Allen, you don't know the beauty of woman chest that's why you don't know anything about it." She said as I smirked at this.
"That's where the third come in." I said making her focus on my words.
"Your flat."
"you!" Loki was annoyed at her child other than hestia who keeps saying that to her no one said these words to her.
"Flat as hell. If you and the streets compared each other, you will see that your flatter than the streets" I said with a smirk.
[Damn]
"Any way I'm going wash myself and I want you to be ready to level me up." I said as left her frozen in her place.
'Left, right, right, then left.'
[What are you saying?]
'The way to my room. I mean did you see this place it's very big.' I thought as I finally entered my room.
I then went to the bathroom to take a shower.
'I think that's enough dungeon for me.'
---------------------------------------------------
Right now I feel relaxed (I think) with the exams coming up I might not be able to drop new chapter for like a while. That's why I made this chapter longer than usual because I will be out for the exams (Not dropping it don't worry).
Now I have a question why whenever someone make a story, they drop it in like the first 20's chapter?
Oh right I should not forget. Thank you all once again for reading my story and wish you all have a good day. see you soon.