The sound of the bullet being fired still echoed in my mind, a metallic thunder roaring against the silence of the night. I could feel the displacement of air beside my face, a sharp whistle tearing through reality between life and death. I remember the exact moment the projectile pierced the skull of that bitch who dared to betray me.
The impact was violent, and the expression of pure horror on her face froze in time, a grotesque painting of surprise and fear. Her eyes wide open, mouth agape, a final breath choked by the blood staining her pale skin.
And then, I smiled.
Not a common smile, but a wild, chaotic laugh, filled with ecstasy. The cruel pleasure of revenge pulsed through my veins like liquid fire. My body trembled, not from fear, but from overwhelming euphoria. I did it. I made it. Her betrayal was paid for in blood.
But I knew that wouldn't change anything. No matter how many died by my hands, those I lost would never return. That thought burned inside me, a truth that tore my soul apart. I had known it from the start, but I didn't hesitate. I kept shooting, hunting down those who helped her, eliminating them one by one.
Bodies fell around me like dead leaves carried by the wind. Blood splattered on the ground, on the walls, on me. I blew up hideouts, set refuges on fire, tore lives apart as if they were nothing.
And then, only she remained.
The desire to see her dead was overwhelming, a cold and selfish impulse that consumed me entirely. When her lifeless body fell before me, I felt something I had never experienced before.
A deep, animalistic pleasure—something forbidden and yet liberating. The adrenaline masked all pain, and my laughter echoed in the darkness, blending with the acrid smell of gunpowder and blood.
But… what would happen now? The revenge was complete. The fire within me began to fade. And to preserve that final emotion, to not allow reality to take its place and leave me empty…
I raised the weapon and pointed it at my own head.
Bang!
The gunshot roared like thunder.
Yes, I had killed myself.
The reason? Simple. I knew nothing would change. Even with everyone dead, with all the blood spilled, the past would remain unaltered. The emptiness would still be there. But in that moment, in that final instant, I wanted to savor the emotion one last time. The racing heart, the insane laughter, the pain obliterated by adrenaline—everything felt within reach.
It was… wonderful.
Don't blame me for something like that. Revenge has its own kind of satisfaction.
Then, darkness enveloped me. The void embraced me.
[Congratulations!]
Huh?
A strange voice echoed through the void. It was a sound without origin, without a body, but it resonated directly within my mind.
[You have attained Divine Honor with the System. As a result, your reward's rarity has been elevated!]
Suddenly, a light shone before me, piercing through the darkness with an intense golden glow. A card materialized in the air, gently floating toward me. Its design was magnificent and unfamiliar. It had a golden radiance, with fine, intricate details carved into its surface, as if it had been crafted by the hands of gods.
The card turned on its own, revealing the image of a marble statue in the shape of a spear, emanating a golden light that seeped through the cracks in the stone—like a divine power sealed within it.
[You have obtained the Card: {Divine Core of the Goddess Rhongomyniad}!]
What… What is this?
[Divine Core of the Goddess Rhongomyniad]
The core of the Goddess Rhongomyniad, a wandering deity and alternate version of King Arthur of Camelot. The "Lion King," who bears the same appearance as Lancer Artoria, was unable to die when she was fated to, and as a result, became a wandering spirit while retaining the Holy Lance.
The "Lion King" kept the Holy Lance and transformed into the "Goddess Rhongomyniad," becoming a complete Divine Spirit. As a result, this version of her differs internally from her Lancer class. Although she shares Lancer Artoria's physical appearance, the "Goddess Rhongomyniad" is essentially a distinct individual.
[Fusible with your Core of Existence, allowing you to acquire all abilities, powers, and weapons possessed by the Goddess Rhongomyniad.]
"Goddess Rhongomyniad…?"
The name echoed in my mind like a foreign word I had never heard before. It didn't sound familiar. It wasn't part of the mythologies I knew from my past life — and I had studied many. Maybe it was a deity from some forgotten religion, lost in the folds of time, or worshipped in a remote corner of the world I never reached. The sound carried an ancient, almost solemn tone, and for some reason, I instinctively associated it with Welsh… but I couldn't recall anything concrete. It was like trying to grasp a shadow with my hands.
The reading continued.
"Weapon of King Arthur…"
That threw me off. Arthur, the legendary king of Britain, the monarch wrapped in mists and myths… I remembered Excalibur, the sword that chose the king. And Caliburn, which was sometimes said to be the original name of Excalibur in some versions. Both were swords — symbols of royalty and power — always surrounded by light and magic.
But this… a holy spear? I had never heard of such a weapon being associated with him.
The text continued in an almost surreal tone, revealing that this so-called Rhongomyniad wasn't just a weapon, but a sacred one — and that in the end, its essence had transformed King Arthur into a complete Divine Spirit after his death, preventing him from simply resting — turning him into something between a specter and a god.
It was too much. Too much information for someone like me, who had barely gotten used to the idea of having died.
My awareness wavered between logic and awe.
And then —
Agh!
A sudden, searing pain shot through my essence. It was unlike any physical pain I had ever felt. I… I didn't even have a body anymore, and yet it still hurt.
It burned at the center of what remained of me — something invisible, intangible, but crucial: my core.
[Warning.]
The sound of the mental notification echoed with a metallic, cold ring.
Hm...?
[Your Core of Existence is not sustainable. It was damaged in your previous life and cannot be repaired by ordinary means. Your existence will disappear if a new core is not found.]
For a moment, time stopped.
An uncomfortable silence wrapped around me, as if the universe itself had granted me a moment to comprehend the gravity of what had just been said.
Disappear.
Not reincarnate. Not be reborn.
Vanish. Like dust in the wind.
A laugh escaped me, hoarse and weak.
"Ha... Hahaha..."
Ironic. Cruelly ironic.
Even after death, my sins still haunted me, like invisible chains dragged from one life to another. I, who thought I could start from scratch... was now standing at the edge of the end.
It was then that my eyes — if I still had them — turned to a golden glow, wrapped in runes and divine power. The Divine Core of the Goddess Rhongomyniad floated before me, pulsing with raw strength and sacred purity.
My gaze slid to the final line of the floating text before me.
"Fuse two cores of existence."
Another message appeared:
[It is possible to fuse the two cores. In doing so, the identity {Nathanael} will not disappear, but will be transformed into a complete Divine Spirit. Do you wish to proceed?]
I hesitated for only a second. This wasn't just survival. It was the chance to redefine myself — to rise above the ruins of what remained of me.
"Yes."
My answer was firm. Final.
The fusion began immediately.
[Due to your lack of a sustainable Core of Existence, the Divine Core will merge with yours to acquire sustainability. All skills, powers, and weapons possessed by the Goddess Rhongomyniad will be bound to and acquired by your core.]
A torrent of holy light enveloped me. It felt like being crushed and purified at the same time — as if all my flaws, lies, and fears were unraveled and merged with something greater, older, more absolute.
[The Akasha has accepted your existence. A Personal Ability has been granted to your Core: {Authority of the End}.]
A title. A mark. A definition that went beyond a name.
The Authority of the End... as if I had become the one who walks the threshold between the beginning and the fading of all things.
[Your physical form will undergo an existential transformation. Your mortal form will be destroyed and reconstructed into a divine form.]
I saw my old self breaking apart into fragments of light, particles of who I was drifting away like ashes in the wind.
In its place, something new emerged. Something more...
Divine.
...
The hills rolled gently beneath the soft afternoon breeze, covered in a vibrant green that seemed to breathe in unison with the earth. The sun, in its slow descent, painted the sky with strokes of orange and gold, as if the world itself were immersed in a sacred twilight — the brief moment between the end and the beginning. The golden light bathed the fields, glinting off the tall grass stalks as long shadows began to stretch across the turf.
It was in this calm, almost ethereal setting that something broke the world's silence.
A burst of golden light exploded at the heart of the hills, tearing open space as if the very fabric of reality had been ripped by a higher force. Energy radiated in waves, pushing the wind, making the ground tremble softly — but without destruction. It was an immense presence. Reverent. Almost divine.
And then he appeared.
At the center of that celestial manifestation, a figure slowly emerged, as if being shaped by the light itself.
His white hair flowed like eternal snow in the wind, reflecting the golden glow that surrounded him. His golden eyes, intense as sacred furnaces, were framed by long lashes of the same hue as his hair, giving him an aura of purity and serene authority. Every feature of his face exuded tranquility and resolve — the expression of one who understood the weight of eternity and embraced it.
[Image of MC]
He wore silver armor, polished like celestial mirrors, gleaming under the evening light. Over it, deep blue garments — the color of a cloudless night sky — flowed in perfect folds down to his ankles. A long cloak of the same hue billowed behind him, dancing with the breeze as if the wind itself honored his presence.
Above his head, a shining helm began to retract, as though obeying the silent will of its bearer. The metal plates moved with grace, fully revealing the countenance of one who was no longer human — but something beyond.
[Image of Armor]
[The Identity {Nathanael} has ascended to a higher level.]
The words appeared in the air, like the proclamation of an absolute truth, uttered by the world itself.
[{Nathanael} has transformed into {God Rhongomyniad Nathanael}]
The title hovered before him for a moment, wrapped in ancient symbols and sacred markings that slowly faded into the breeze.
The sky seemed to bow. The clouds parted, revealing a faint line of light stretching toward the heavens, as if the gods — or perhaps the Root itself — had sent their blessing.
The world was no longer the same.
In that moment, on that hill bathed in the warm light of late afternoon, a god was born.
God Rhongomyniad Nathanael.
The one who had bound his fate to the sacred spear.
The one who had forsaken mortality to achieve the impossible.
The one who now walked no longer as a man…
But as a deity.