THE LAST GODSLAYER

Chapter 7 – The Godslayer System

The Last Godslayer

Chapter 7 – The Godslayer System 

The world disappeared.

Hans stood alone in an endless darkness.

There was no ground beneath his feet.

No sky above him.

No wind.

No sound.

Only a faint silver glow floating several feet before his eyes.

Words appeared within it.

GODSLAYER SYSTEM

Hans stared.

His mind refused to understand what he was seeing.

A system?

He had heard stories about legendary warriors receiving divine blessings.

He had heard priests speak of sacred visions.

But this was different.

The letters were perfectly clear.

Cold.

Mechanical.

And somehow...

He understood them without knowing how.

More words appeared.

Host Identification: HANS

Age: 16

Bloodline: Unknown

Class: None

Level: 1

Hans blinked.

"Level?"

His voice echoed through the darkness.

The System responded immediately.

Level determines the Host's current evolutionary stage.

Hans stared at the words.

"Evolutionary stage?"

No response.

He frowned.

"How do I become stronger?"

The darkness remained silent.

Then another line appeared.

Primary Method: Godslaying.

Hans's heart skipped.

The word seemed almost absurd.

He read it again.

Godslaying.

A second panel appeared.

Current Godslayer Progress:

Gods Slain: 0

Divine Essence: 0

Divine Cores: 0

Then—

Warning:

The Host's current physical condition is critically inadequate.

Hans stared.

"Critically inadequate?"

A new panel opened.

Strength: 3

Agility: 4

Vitality: 3

Perception: 5

Mana: 0

Hans's expression darkened.

"Those numbers are terrible."

For the first time...

The System almost seemed to agree.

Assessment: Correct.

Hans couldn't help laughing.

"You could have said that more politely."

No response.

He shook his head.

"Fine."

"If I kill a god..."

He hesitated.

"What happens?"

The answer appeared instantly.

Divine Essence will be absorbed.

Divine Core will be obtained.

Experience will be awarded.

Abilities may be acquired.

Bloodline progression may occur.

Hans's eyes widened.

"So every god I kill..."

"...makes me stronger?"

Affirmative.

The words disappeared.

Then a final message appeared.

However...

Hans waited.

The next line slowly formed.

Every god you kill will know your name.

The darkness suddenly trembled.

Hans's smile vanished.

"What?"

No answer came.

Instead...

The entire space shattered.

---

Hans's eyes opened.

He was back on the bridge.

The world came rushing into his senses.

The river.

The wind.

The trees.

The people.

Everything seemed sharper.

Louder.

Closer.

He could hear water moving beneath the bridge.

He could hear the horses breathing.

He could hear the Commander tightening his glove.

He could even hear...

Someone's heartbeat.

Hans turned.

The Commander was staring at him.

"What happened?"

Hans looked around.

The silver key was gone.

The strange light had disappeared.

Yet something inside him had changed.

He could feel it.

A faint warmth pulsed beneath his ribs.

"I don't know."

It wasn't entirely a lie.

He didn't understand the System.

Not yet.

---

Eryon watched him carefully.

"Did you see it?"

Hans looked at him.

"See what?"

"The door."

Hans froze.

"What door?"

Eryon's expression became serious.

"So it hasn't shown itself to you yet."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing."

"Eryon."

The old man smiled.

"Good."

Hans frowned.

"What's good?"

"You've already learned the first lesson."

"Which is?"

"Don't trust people simply because they seem to know more than you."

Hans stared at him.

Then slowly smiled.

"That sounds like something someone who knows too much would say."

Kael laughed.

Eryon looked almost proud.

"You're learning."

---

A horn sounded from the forest.

Everyone turned.

The frozen army had begun moving again.

Thousands of soldiers stepped through the trees.

The spell holding them had ended.

But they didn't attack.

Instead...

They parted.

A single woman walked through the formation.

She wore white armor.

Long silver hair fell over one shoulder.

A crimson cloak dragged behind her.

At her waist hung a narrow sword.

Hans recognized her immediately.

Not because he had seen her before.

Because the System reacted.

Words flashed before his eyes.

TARGET DETECTED

Name: Seraphine Vale

Threat Level: ???

Divine Affinity: High

Hans's pupils contracted.

The System continued.

Recommendation: DO NOT ENGAGE.

For the first time since awakening...

Hans felt genuine fear.

Not because of Seraphine herself.

Because the System had never warned him about anyone before.

Seraphine stopped at the edge of the bridge.

Her eyes settled on Hans.

Then...

She smiled.

"You finally woke up."

Hans stared.

"Who are you?"

Seraphine's smile disappeared.

"You really don't remember."

"No."

She looked toward Eryon.

"You sealed everything."

Eryon nodded.

"I had to."

"Then you know what happens if he remembers too quickly."

"I do."

Seraphine looked back at Hans.

"Then you also know what happens if he doesn't."

The old man didn't answer.

Seraphine's hand slowly moved toward her sword.

The White Inquisitors immediately raised their weapons.

The Commander stepped between them.

"Don't."

Seraphine stopped.

"I wasn't going to attack."

"Your hand says otherwise."

She removed it from the sword.

"Fair."

Then she looked directly at Hans.

"I came to give you a choice."

"What choice?"

"Come with me."

Hans frowned.

"Why?"

"Because the Temple will eventually lie to you."

Hans glanced toward Cassian.

Seraphine noticed.

"You're already wondering whether I'm right."

Hans said nothing.

She continued.

"They've hidden your identity."

"Your memories."

"Your bloodline."

"And now..."

Her eyes narrowed.

"They're hiding the System."

Hans's expression changed.

Cassian immediately spoke.

"Hans, don't listen to her."

Seraphine smiled.

"Ask him."

Hans looked at Cassian.

"Do you know what the System is?"

The priest hesitated.

That hesitation was enough.

Hans's stomach sank.

Cassian finally answered.

"I know what it was."

"Not what it is."

Silence.

Hans looked toward Eryon.

"And you?"

The old man shook his head.

"No."

Hans looked toward the Commander.

The Commander remained silent.

Then Hans understood.

Nobody knew everything.

Not even them.

Perhaps...

That was why they were afraid.

---

Seraphine stepped backward.

"I'll give you three days."

"Three days for what?"

"To decide whether you want the truth..."

"...or the safety they've built around you."

She turned away.

Then stopped.

Without looking back, she said,

"One more thing."

Hans waited.

"The first god is already searching for you."

Every person on the bridge froze.

Hans's blood ran cold.

Seraphine finally looked over her shoulder.

"And when it finds you..."

"...your System won't be strong enough to save you."

She walked away.

The army followed.

Within minutes...

The forest swallowed them.

---

Hans remained silent.

The Commander finally spoke.

"We leave."

"Now."

Hans nodded.

But before he could move...

A familiar mechanical voice appeared in his mind.

New Main Quest Available.

Hans froze.

A translucent window appeared.

MAIN QUEST: THE FIRST GOD

Objective:

Locate and defeat your first divine target.

Reward:

Unlock Godslayer Foundation

Failure Condition:

Target reaches the Host first.

Hans stared at the final line.

Then another message appeared.

Time Remaining: 72:00:00

A countdown began.

71:59:59

71:59:58

Hans slowly raised his head.

Three days.

Exactly what Seraphine had given him.

For the first time...

He wondered whether she had known about the System all along.

And if she had...

There was a much more frightening question.

Who had started the countdown?

71:59:57

The numbers continued falling.

Hans stared at the translucent window floating in front of him.

No one else reacted.

They couldn't see it.

That much he understood.

But there was something else he understood now.

The System wasn't simply giving him power.

It was giving him deadlines.

And deadlines meant consequences.

"Can I hide it?"

The System remained silent.

Hans narrowed his eyes.

"Can anyone else see this?"

Negative.

"Can they sense it?"

Certain individuals may detect System-related phenomena.

Hans's expression tightened.

"Seraphine?"

No response.

He didn't like that.

Not one bit.

He dismissed the window with a thought.

It vanished instantly.

The Commander was watching him.

"You look troubled."

Hans forced himself to relax.

"I'm thinking."

"About what?"

"Everything."

The Commander nodded.

"Good."

"Don't stop."

---

They left the bridge before nightfall.

The horses moved quickly along the eastern road while the forest gradually swallowed the fading sunlight.

Hans rode beside Cassian.

Neither spoke for several minutes.

Eventually, Hans broke the silence.

"You knew."

Cassian looked at him.

"About what?"

"The System."

The priest's hands tightened around the reins.

"I suspected."

"That's not what I asked."

Cassian sighed.

"No."

"I didn't know it would awaken."

"But you knew it existed."

"Yes."

Hans looked ahead.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't know whether it would ever choose you."

"Choose me?"

Cassian nodded.

"The System isn't a gift."

"Then what is it?"

Cassian hesitated.

"A weapon."

Hans frowned.

"Against the gods?"

"Originally."

"And now?"

Cassian looked at him.

"That..."

"...is what frightens me."

---

The road climbed higher.

The trees became thinner.

Mountains appeared in the distance.

Eryon rode at the front of the convoy.

He hadn't spoken since leaving the bridge.

Hans watched him.

Something about the old man bothered him.

Not because Eryon seemed dangerous.

Because Hans felt as though there were memories hidden behind every word he spoke.

Finally, Hans urged his horse forward.

"Eryon."

The old man glanced sideways.

"Yes?"

"You said you trained me."

"I did."

"Why don't I remember?"

"Because I made you forget."

Hans stared.

"You erased my memories?"

"Some of them."

"Why?"

Eryon continued riding.

"Because if you remembered everything at six years old..."

"...you would have died before reaching seven."

Hans fell silent.

The answer was simple.

Terrifyingly simple.

Eryon finally looked at him.

"You weren't born weak, Hans."

"You were made weak."

Hans's breathing stopped.

"What?"

Eryon didn't answer immediately.

"You want to know why your body has always been so fragile?"

Hans nodded.

"You want to know why you could never keep up with other children?"

Another nod.

"You want to know why your bloodline never awakened?"

Hans's jaw tightened.

"Yes."

Eryon looked ahead.

"Because I sealed your strength."

Hans stared at him.

"All of it?"

"No."

"Most of it."

"Why?"

"Because what you carried inside you..."

Eryon's eyes darkened.

"...was strong enough to attract gods."

Hans felt a chill run through him.

"So you made me weak to hide me."

"Exactly."

Hans thought about his entire childhood.

Every illness.

Every failed attempt at training.

Every time he had watched other children run while he struggled to breathe.

He had believed he was simply defective.

Weak.

Useless.

Now...

He wasn't sure whether that realization made him relieved...

Or furious.

"Then remove the seal."

Eryon smiled.

"You aren't ready."

Hans immediately answered,

"Neither is the god looking for me."

Eryon's smile disappeared.

For a moment...

The old man simply stared at him.

Then he laughed.

A quiet laugh.

"You really are his son."

Hans froze.

"Whose son?"

Eryon realized his mistake.

The smile vanished.

Hans pulled his horse closer.

"You said his."

"Who?"

Eryon continued forward.

"Hans."

"Who was my father?"

Silence.

"Tell me."

Still nothing.

Hans's frustration rose.

"Eryon!"

The old man finally stopped his horse.

He turned.

"You will learn."

"When?"

"When you can survive the answer."

Hans stared at him.

"That's not good enough."

"No."

Eryon agreed.

"It isn't."

Then he looked toward the mountains.

"Unfortunately..."

"...neither is your current strength."

---

They reached an abandoned fortress shortly before midnight.

It stood between two mountain cliffs, hidden behind enormous pine trees.

Its walls were cracked.

Its towers had collapsed.

Yet the gates remained intact.

Eryon dismounted.

"Inside."

The Inquisitors immediately began establishing a perimeter.

Hans followed Eryon through the ruined gate.

The moment he crossed the threshold—

The System activated.

Hidden Location Discovered.

Name: First Godslayer Sanctuary

Classification: Restricted

Hans stopped.

Eryon turned.

"What?"

Hans looked around.

"Nothing."

The System continued.

Environmental Scan Complete.

Ancient Godslayer Formation detected.

Current Host compatibility: 17%.

Hans frowned.

"What does compatibility mean?"

The Sanctuary recognizes the Host.

The words sent a strange sensation through him.

The fortress...

Recognized him?

He looked at the walls.

Faded symbols covered the stone.

The same crown pierced by a sword.

He touched one.

A pulse traveled through his fingertips.

Suddenly—

The entire fortress illuminated.

Silver lines spread across the walls.

The floor beneath Hans's feet began glowing.

Everyone turned.

The Commander drew his weapon.

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything."

Eryon walked toward Hans.

His expression was unusually serious.

"Step away."

Hans did.

The light continued spreading.

Ancient doors appeared where there had previously been solid walls.

One.

Two.

Three.

Then twelve.

Each door bore a different symbol.

A wolf.

A mountain.

A flame.

A serpent.

A crown.

A skull.

A sun.

A moon.

And five symbols Hans couldn't recognize.

Eryon stared.

"The sanctuary has opened."

Cassian whispered,

"That should be impossible."

Eryon shook his head.

"Not anymore."

Hans approached the nearest door.

The System immediately appeared.

Trial Chamber detected.

Recommended entry level: 1

Warning: Survival probability — 23%.

Hans stared.

Twenty-three percent.

He smiled.

"That's better than zero."

Cassian grabbed his arm.

"No."

Hans looked at him.

"I need strength."

"You don't understand."

"I understand perfectly."

He looked toward the countdown.

69:14:21

"If a god is coming..."

"...I can't wait until I'm ready."

Eryon watched him carefully.

Then...

He released a slow breath.

"Very well."

Cassian looked shocked.

"Master—"

Eryon raised a hand.

"He's right."

He turned toward Hans.

"But understand this."

"The Sanctuary won't make you strong."

Hans waited.

"It will only show you what you're capable of becoming."

Eryon stepped aside.

"The rest..."

"...will hurt."

Hans placed his hand against the first door.

The ancient symbol of the wolf began glowing.

The door opened.

Darkness waited beyond it.

Then the System appeared one final time.

TRIAL ONE

Objective: Survive.

Hans stepped inside.

The door slammed shut behind him.

And somewhere in the darkness...

Something began breathing.

Darkness swallowed Hans whole.

The stone door slammed shut behind him.

BOOM.

The sound echoed through the chamber.

Hans turned immediately.

The door was gone.

Not locked.

Not hidden.

Gone.

He ran his fingers across the wall where it had been.

Solid stone.

No cracks.

No handle.

No way out.

"Great."

His voice echoed through the darkness.

"Exactly what I needed."

A faint mechanical sound answered.

TRIAL ONE INITIATED.

Objective: Survive.

Time Limit: None.

Hans waited.

Nothing happened.

He frowned.

"That's it?"

A low growl answered him.

Hans slowly turned.

Two pale eyes opened in the darkness.

Then another pair.

Then another.

Then dozens.

Hans's breathing stopped.

The darkness wasn't empty.

It was full of them.

Shapes began emerging from the shadows.

Wolves.

But not ordinary wolves.

They were enormous.

Their bodies were covered in black scales rather than fur.

Their mouths contained rows of silver teeth.

Thin blue flames burned inside their eye sockets.

Hans instinctively stepped backward.

The System appeared.

Shadowfang Wolf

Level: 3

Quantity: 12

Warning: Host is currently Level 1.

Hans stared.

"Twelve?"

The wolves growled simultaneously.

"Of course."

The first wolf lunged.

Hans barely moved in time.

Its claws tore through the sleeve of his cloak.

He stumbled sideways.

The wolf landed behind him and immediately turned.

Hans's heart pounded.

He had no weapon.

No armor.

No experience.

And twelve monsters were hunting him.

He remembered Eryon's words.

The Sanctuary won't make you strong.

It will only show you what you're capable of becoming.

Hans clenched his fists.

"Fine."

"Show me."

The second wolf attacked.

Hans ducked.

A claw passed over his head.

He grabbed the creature's foreleg and pulled.

It was heavier than he expected.

Far heavier.

Hans was thrown across the floor.

He hit the stone wall hard enough to knock the air from his lungs.

Pain exploded through his ribs.

The wolf charged again.

Hans rolled.

The creature slammed into the wall.

Stone cracked.

Hans stared.

That thing had enough strength to break rock.

He couldn't fight it head-on.

He needed an advantage.

His eyes moved around the chamber.

The floor.

The walls.

The ceiling.

Nothing.

Then he noticed something.

The wolves weren't attacking randomly.

They were circling him.

Keeping distance.

Waiting.

Testing.

Hans slowly smiled.

"They're intelligent."

The nearest wolf growled.

Hans moved left.

It moved left.

He moved right.

It followed.

"So you're herding me."

The wolves tightened their formation.

Hans suddenly sprinted toward the smallest gap.

Three wolves attacked simultaneously.

He jumped.

One claw caught his ankle.

Hans crashed onto his back.

The wolf opened its jaws.

Hans grabbed a loose stone and shoved it into the creature's mouth.

The silver teeth snapped around the stone.

CRACK.

The wolf recoiled.

Hans rolled away.

He stared at the broken stone.

The teeth had shattered it.

He needed something stronger.

Then he saw it.

A small crack in the floor.

Behind the wolves.

Hans remembered the fortress.

The glowing symbols.

The System's environmental scan.

The chamber wasn't simply a room.

It was a trial.

Which meant...

Everything inside had been designed.

Including the battlefield.

Hans looked carefully at the walls.

Faint silver lines ran across the stone.

They connected to the floor.

A formation.

His eyes widened.

"The wolves aren't the trial."

"They're part of it."

Hans ran toward the nearest wall.

The wolves followed.

He jumped onto a raised section of stone.

The moment his foot landed—

A silver symbol illuminated.

The nearest wolf screamed.

A blade of light erupted from the floor.

It struck the creature.

BOOM!

The wolf was thrown backward.

Hans stared.

"So that's it."

The wolves weren't immune to the formation.

They were being forced to avoid it.

Hans understood.

The entire chamber was a puzzle.

Not a battle.

A survival test.

He began moving from one formation point to another.

Every time he stepped onto a glowing symbol...

The wolves retreated.

Every time he stepped away...

They attacked.

Hans slowly mapped the chamber in his mind.

Three safe points.

Two dangerous zones.

One central formation.

And something else...

A hidden pattern.

The symbols weren't random.

They formed a tree.

Roots.

Branches.

A trunk.

The same symbol as the coin.

Hans's breathing slowed.

He remembered the wooden token Eryon had given him.

The Path of Roots.

Hans looked at the floor.

Then at the wolves.

Then at the central formation.

He understood.

The trial wasn't asking whether he could kill the wolves.

It was asking whether he could understand the power inside himself.

Hans stepped toward the centre.

The wolves attacked simultaneously.

He didn't run.

He waited.

One second.

Two.

Then—

He stepped backward.

The first wolf landed exactly where he expected.

Hans moved to the left.

The second followed.

He ducked beneath the third.

The wolves collided.

Hans sprinted toward the central formation.

A silver tree exploded beneath his feet.

Light engulfed the chamber.

The wolves froze.

Their bodies began dissolving into black smoke.

One by one...

They vanished.

The chamber became silent.

Hans remained standing.

Barely.

His arms were bleeding.

His ribs hurt.

His breathing was ragged.

But he was alive.

The System appeared.

TRIAL COMPLETED.

Survival confirmed.

Hans smiled.

Then another message appeared.

Performance Evaluation: Exceptional.

His smile disappeared.

"Exceptional?"

Host completed Trial One without external assistance.

Hidden requirement fulfilled.

Reward unlocked.

A new window appeared.

SKILL ACQUIRED: ROOT SENSE

Hans stared.

Root Sense — Passive

Allows the Host to perceive hidden connections between living beings, energy, formations, and environments.

Current mastery: 1%

Hans looked around.

Suddenly...

The chamber changed.

Thin silver lines appeared everywhere.

They connected the walls.

The floor.

The ceiling.

Even the air.

Hans could see how everything was connected.

He could see energy flowing through the fortress.

He could see the ancient formation beneath his feet.

And then...

He saw something else.

A single silver thread extended from his chest.

It traveled through the ceiling.

Beyond the fortress.

Far into the distance.

Hans followed it with his eyes.

It disappeared beyond the mountains.

Toward something enormous.

Something ancient.

Something...

Alive.

His blood ran cold.

The System appeared again.

Hidden Connection Detected.

Source: Unknown.

Distance: 412 kilometers.

Hans stared at the message.

"What is it?"

No answer.

Then...

The entire sanctuary shook.

A massive roar erupted somewhere beyond the mountains.

The walls trembled.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

Hans's heart pounded.

That roar wasn't from the trial.

It had come from outside.

The System flickered.

For the first time...

Its words appeared distorted.

WARNING.

DIVINE PRESENCE DETECTED.

THREAT LEVEL: ???

Estimated arrival: 67 hours, 42 minutes.

Hans stared.

The god wasn't searching for him anymore.

It had found him.

And there were still nearly three days before it arrived.

Hans slowly clenched his fists.

He looked toward the vanished doorway.

"Then..."

"...I have three days."

The darkness trembled again.

But this time...

Hans didn't feel afraid.

He smiled.

"Let's see how strong I can become."

Far away...

Beyond the mountains...

Something opened its eyes.

And somewhere deep within Heaven...

a god whispered one word.

"Hans."