The skies had grown darker in the past few days. Not from clouds, but from the weight of faith itself—warped, twisted, and hungry.
Liam stood at the top of the newly restored Whispering Temple, his golden and red aura flaring gently as divine light pulsed from the Heart of Vael now bound to him. But beneath that divine grace simmered a storm—he could feel it in the tension of his soul, the pressure building in the world's ley lines.
A name echoed again and again in his dreams.
The Hollow Saint.
A council had been called.
His core followers—Kael, Seraphina, Rune, and the recently ascended angel Thalen—stood around a conjured table. A map of the continent floated above, dotted with cities, kingdoms, and cult strongholds.
Rune hovered above the southern sector, his translucent fingers weaving over a swirling black vortex.
"This is where the surge began," he said. "A distortion in the Veil of Faith. That's not demonic... it's something older."
Seraphina's brows furrowed. "I felt it. A tremor in the aether. A being feeding on unclean belief—sacrificial rituals that mimic divine worship."
"It's him," Liam said. "The Hollow Saint. He's stirring."
Kael crossed his arms. "But what is he, really? You said he was made from lies?"
"Not lies alone," Liam replied. "But blind devotion. He was born during the First Sundering. A fragment of pure faith left unchecked—fed by desperate mortals who worshiped anything that would listen."
"And now?" Seraphina asked.
"He listens. And he answers."
They moved out the next morning.
Their goal: the city of Dronemire, once a thriving hub of culture and commerce, now reduced to a monolithic ruin where the cult had installed a faith engine—an enormous, corrupted obelisk used to drain belief from civilians and feed it into the Hollow Saint.
It was there, Liam knew, that his enemy would begin to truly manifest.
As their convoy approached the outer edges of Dronemire, they encountered a surreal scene.
The skies were white—drained of color. The people in the outskirts wandered like ghosts, eyes blank, lips mumbling endless hymns to a nameless god. Massive totems carved with twisted scripture loomed over the roads. Some pulsed with crimson light, others leaked black ichor into the earth.
"They're enslaved by faith," Thalen said. "This... this is not worship. This is surrender."
Seraphina turned to Liam. "Can you free them?"
"I can try."
[Ability Cast: Voice of the True God][Cost: 8,000 Faith Points]Effect: Replaces corrupted worship with divine presence. Purifies passive worshipers within 100 meters.]
Liam raised his staff.
"Your faith is yours again," he declared, voice booming across the plains. "You will kneel only by choice—not by fear."
A burst of radiant light rippled outward. The people stopped. One by one, the fog in their eyes lifted. Some collapsed to their knees in shock. Others wept. A few turned their gazes to him—and belief flared like a wildfire.
[Faith Points Gained: +2,400][New Followers Gained: +3,100]
Dronemire loomed ahead.
The gates were sealed by chains of red light. Floating above the city was a silhouette—a being clad in cracked white porcelain armor, faceless, hovering like a prophet of doom.
Its voice thundered without sound.
"You do not understand worship. You claim divinity, but you fear submission. You will kneel, Liam Carson. You will join the hymn."
"I kneel to none," Liam growled, lifting his staff.
The fight began with silence.
Seraphina launched flaming sigils while Kael's blades danced in the air. Rune shielded their group with layers of runes while Thalen soared with light-laced wings, striking from above. Liam focused all his divine energy toward the floating figure.
Their enemy didn't dodge.
Instead, it opened its arms—and the faith engine in the center of the city pulsed.
A wave hit them. Not magic, not wind—belief. Compressed, weaponized belief from thousands of enslaved minds surged toward them like a tsunami.
Kael was knocked back. Seraphina fell to her knees. Even Rune dimmed, struggling to stabilize his form.
Only Liam remained standing, shielded by the Heart of Vael.
"You cannot bend what is already divine," he roared.
[SYSTEM COMBAT MODE ACTIVATED]
Target: Manifestation of the Hollow Saint (Fragment Form)Threat Level: HighCombat Effects: Absorbs faith. Projects enslaved worship. Immune to basic divine attacks. Must be disrupted at the source.]
Liam's mind spun.
He had to sever the link between the Hollow Saint and the faith engine—without it, the fragment would dissipate. But to do that, he'd have to enter the city's core alone.
"I'll go," he said.
"No!" Seraphina shouted, struggling to her feet. "You can't—"
"I must. Only a true god can survive that link."
He turned to Thalen. "Guard them. If I fall, lead them."
Thalen bowed. "You won't fall."
The streets of Dronemire whispered as Liam walked them alone. Statues turned to face him. Buildings breathed. He heard prayers not meant for him. He heard his own name in chants not his own.
He reached the engine.
A massive obsidian spire, cracked with red lightning. Around it stood thousands—men, women, children—kneeling, chained by runes of false faith. The engine drew their belief through brands on their skin.
Liam lifted his hand.
[New Divine Order: I BREAK THE FALSE GOD.]
The runes flared—and snapped.
The engine trembled.
A scream erupted from the sky.
The Hollow Saint's fragment surged downward, its porcelain face splitting open into a spiraling void of light and hunger. It aimed for Liam like a meteor of conviction.
But Liam wasn't the same boy who had first received the System.
He didn't flinch.
[Divine Creation Cast: Chains of Sovereignty][Cost: 16,000 Faith Points]Effect: Temporarily binds god-level entities by enforcing true-name law.]
Chains forged from golden fire wrapped around the Hollow Saint's form midair. It shrieked, struggling as Liam stepped forward.
"This world already has a god," he whispered. "Me."
He plunged his staff into the engine.
Light exploded. The spire shattered. The people screamed—and then gasped as the bindings on their souls were removed. Faith surged—but it came to him now. Not to a parasite.
The Hollow Saint howled as its form burned away.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]Fragment of the Hollow Saint – PurgedNew Ability Gained: Faithfire NovaFaith Points Gained: +9,000Followers Gained: +5,700City Liberated: DronemireDivine Dominion Expanded
Later that night, the people of Dronemire held a feast in his honor. Not demanded. Not forced. A true celebration.
Liam sat beside Seraphina, their shoulders touching. She looked at him with something soft behind her eyes.
"You changed today," she said. "You looked... like a god."
He turned to her. "Do you still see the boy?"
She smiled. "I see the man he's becoming. The man he has to be."
Their hands brushed.
For once, Liam let himself relax.
But in the sky above, the stars dimmed—for the Hollow Saint was not truly gone. Only watching. Waiting.
And in the ruins beyond the veil, the Crimson Veil prepared her next move.
[STATS – LIAM CARSON]
Level: 81Strength: 371Speed: 349Endurance: 388Intelligence: 392Charisma: 296Divine Energy: 9,800 / 9,800Faith Points: 72,100New Abilities:
Faithfire Nova – Unleashes stored belief as a burst of holy fire (AoE)
Chains of Sovereignty – Binds god-class entities using true-name enforcement
Followers: 52,300Angels: 3Demons: 2Dominions: 3 Cities
End of Chapter 54