Fairy Tale: With Sin Of Pride

"My God!"

On the ground below, countless devout followers of the God of Darkness raised their heads, staring in disbelief at a star in the sky. It had dimmed suddenly, as though a piece of it had been ripped away. At that very moment, their connection to their deity vanished. Their hearts hollowed out, a deep, inexplicable despair settled over them.

"The God of Darkness… slain? In His own kingdom of all places?"

Some of the believers collapsed, their faith shattering into a million fragments. Disbelief, madness, and sheer terror painted their faces.

This wasn't unheard of, but it was far from common. Gods didn't just die in their divine realms unless engaged in brutal, decisive battles.

But this… this was different.

No clash of divine wills. No apocalyptic warnings. The God of Darkness was annihilated in an instant.

"Who could wield such a power…?"

Among the pantheon of gods known to mortals, none possessed the strength to instantly crush another deity within their divine dominion.

---

Meanwhile, high above the mortal plane, a figure lowered his weapon with a calm, almost dismissive expression.

"God?" Rhode's voice carried a faint sneer. "Doesn't seem as almighty as advertised."

The black blood of the Demon God that had surged in his veins moments ago began to recede. The chains of divine rules that had bound his body unraveled, fading into the ether.

The world, sensing his power drop below the threshold of "too dangerous to exist," ceased its efforts to repel him.

"If it were midday, that shot might've wiped out half the Dark Kingdom," Rhodes muttered, more to himself than anyone else. His tone was casual, but the weight of his words was anything but.

With the combined might of the sun's blazing fury and the demonic power coursing through him, he had reached a level where even gods could be felled.

Of course, to truly erase a god—destroy their very essence and erase their faith—was an entirely different matter. The difficulty was exponential. Faith, after all, was the most enigmatic and resilient force in existence.

Gods thrived on it. They endured because of it.

---

After returning to the mortal world, Rhode found himself back at the church.

"Rhodes!" Yulia's voice trembled as she approached. Her face, usually calm, was a mask of barely-contained panic. "What was that… that thing just now?"

The oppressive divine power earlier had been suffocating, like the wrath of a vengeful god bearing down on the world. Even the strongest deities would hesitate to bring such punishment to the material plane without paying a steep price.

Rhode shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't worry. Just a blind god. Took care of it."

"Took care of it?" Yulia's voice hitched. Her gaze drifted to the mark on Rhode's forehead—deeper, darker, radiating a murderous aura that made her very soul tremble.

Her mind raced. He killed another god?

The realization struck her like a thunderbolt.

This lunatic didn't treat gods as untouchable beings. He treated them as… prey.

"Which poor deity bit the dust this time?" Yulia muttered under her breath, silently offering a three-second moment of pity for the fallen god.

---

Elsewhere, in a small village, Van Helsing—a devout member of the Church of the Dead—sighed in relief.

Earlier, Rhode had casually dispatched a black-robed man with a flick of his hand. But being liches, the Church of the Dead's members weren't so easily destroyed.

Liches fragmented their souls into phylacteries, each serving as a backup. Even if their bodies were obliterated, they wouldn't truly die as long as a single phylactery remained intact.

Thankfully, the Holy Church had long perfected methods to deal with such beings. Half a day of divine magic later, Van Helsing had tracked and annihilated the remaining soul fragments.

Just as he finished, he looked up and noticed something odd. A star in the night sky had dimmed.

"That star…" His voice wavered. "That was the God of Darkness's star…"

A chill ran down his spine. The God of Darkness wasn't just any deity. It was one of the brightest stars in the celestial hierarchy—a force that could rival even the God of Radiance. And yet…

Van Helsing's thoughts turned to the devastating power that had descended earlier, originating from the north.

"Could it be… that demigod?"

---

Morning came, and Rhode stood outside the carriage.

"Sign in," he said.

[Ding! Sign-in successful!]

[Reward: Grace of the Four-Winged Angel (Sea)]

Rhode reviewed the notification. The Grace of the Sea—an artifact of incredible power—offered unparalleled regeneration. With it, even the gravest of injuries could heal in an instant. Combined with his demonic resilience and divine blood, his survivability had reached terrifying levels.

---

Their journey continued until Fleur, seated in the carriage, broke the silence.

"Why is it so dark outside?" she asked, frowning.

Rhode looked up. The sky was blotted out by a massive, shifting cloud.

"That's not a cloud," Yulia corrected. "It's bats."

"Bats?" Cinderella's eyes widened. "That many?"

The swarm grew closer, a dark tide of wings and fangs. Among them were massive figures—bat-like creatures the size of humans, with grotesque features and razor-sharp fangs.

"Flame Storm!" Yulia's voice rang out, and a vortex of fire engulfed the swarm, incinerating thousands of bats. The sky lit up, but despite the carnage, the swarm hardly seemed to thin.

A sudden oppressive aura emerged from the swarm. Yulia's heart sank. A legendary-tier bat? Or more than one?

Before the bats could overwhelm them, Rhode raised a hand.

"Sun Cross."

Brilliant crosses of sunlight erupted across the sky. The blazing radiance disintegrated half the swarm instantly, the remaining bats scattering in fear.

---

Their victory was short-lived. Not far ahead, a gaunt figure appeared on the road.

The man's body was shriveled, his pale skin clinging tightly to his bones. A bat clung to his neck, its fangs embedded deeply. The man stumbled forward, his dead eyes fixed on Rhode.

Then he spoke, his voice smooth and chilling.

"Esteemed human, allow me to introduce myself: Blood Demon Lord Bergula. Or, as you might say… Duke Bergula."

Placing a hand over his chest, the figure bowed gracefully, his every movement exuding an eerie elegance.