Void Godhome

When the light faded, the original EGO Solitude vanished, leaving only a golden ball of light and golden rings flickering around it.

Shen Yu picked up the Little Knight, who wanted to absorb the light, and set the Little Knight aside. Then he carefully touched the ball with his index finger.

The instant he touched it, an intense sense of loneliness welled up in his heart. Shen Yu instinctively pulled his hand back, and it took him quite a while to settle his emotions.

Shen Yu turned around and found the Little Knight looking up at him, holding the radiant Dream Nail in the right hand.

Shen Yu crouched down, stroked that big head, and pointed at the ball of light.

"Do you know how to turn that back?"

In truth, Shen Yu had no confidence whatsoever. It was astonishing enough that the Dream Nail could affect E.G.O. He mostly wanted to know whether the Little Knight could understand him. After all, he couldn't speak "bug language."

But the Little Knight neither nodded nor shook that big head, simply walking in the direction Shen Yu had pointed.

"Ugh..." Shen Yu sighed. Was he really going to have to learn bug language? "Gala ma?"

By then, the Little Knight had reached the ball of light, summoned the Dream Nail again, and slashed forward.

As the dreamlike light faded, the intact EGO Solitude lay quietly where it had been.

Shen Yu: ( ゜- ゜)

Shen Yu patted the Little Knight's head, picked up EGO Solitude, and put it on.

The instant he finished putting on the E.G.O., Shen Yu suddenly felt as though a shell had enclosed his body.

After trying a few movements, he was stunned to discover that his speed, strength, reflexes, and every other physical capability had improved enormously.

Moreover, although he had never handled a firearm, the rusty revolver felt as natural as his own limbs. Knowledge of how to aim, fire, and use it appeared directly in his mind.

So this was what it meant to wear someone else's shell? Shen Yu looked at his equipment and chuckled.

E.G.O. really lived up to its reputation as armor powered by idealism.

Next, Shen Yu used his access privileges to take a quick look at the E.G.O.'s information.

E.G.O.: Solitude

Class: TETH

Weapon

Appearance: a rusty revolver

Type: handgun, attribute: mental

Attack: 2-3, attack speed: extremely fast, range: long (10)

Armor

Appearance: purple top and blue trouser legs, similar to a special forces uniform.

Resistances: (multipliers; lower is better)

Physical 1.5, mental 0.8, erosion 0.8, soul 2.0

In Lobotomy Corporation, an E.G.O.'s class generally matched the danger level of the Abnormality it came from. From lowest to highest, these were:

ZAYIN: Abnormalities of this class showed almost no aggression and could even benefit employees under suitable conditions. (Except for two sneaky bastards in sheep's clothing, plus one hidden powerhouse.)

TETH: could injure or even kill employees, but wouldn't cause too much damage. (Except for a few nasty ones with instant-kill mechanics.)

HE: could easily kill several employees.

WAW: possessed astonishing destructive power.

ALEPH: (א) referred to God or a deity in Hebrew mystical philosophy, or Kabbalah.

If a mere TETH-Class E.G.O. could provide such powerful enhancements, what would an ALEPH-Class E.G.O. be like?

Still, I should fulfill that wish first. Shen Yu holstered Solitude's E.G.O. weapon at his waist, looked down at the Little Knight, and said:

"Hit me with the Dream Nail once I fall asleep."

As mentioned earlier, the Dream Nail could cut through the veil of reality, allowing its wielder to enter dreams. The dreams of the living were often connected to their regrets.

As a Hollow Knight player, not being able to play Silksong was naturally one of those regrets. That was why people always said, "Want to play Silksong? Just hit yourself with the Dream Nail."

And now there happened to be a Dream Nail right in front of him. How could he possibly pass up the chance to get hit?

Shen Yu opened the drawer Angela had mentioned and found sleeping pills inside. He swallowed them with water, closed his eyes, and reclined in the office chair.

As the screen went dark, Shen Yu also saw his current appearance: an ordinary young man.

Strange. Why don't I look the way I did in the game? While Shen Yu pondered this, a blow from the Dream Nail landed squarely on his knee.

A flash of light passed, and Shen Yu found that everything before him had suddenly turned white.

Ha, it worked. Shen Yu was delighted and eagerly awaited whatever his dream would turn out to be. But even after a long time, all he saw was white light. No dream appeared at all.

What's going on? Shen Yu switched to the Little Knight's third-person perspective and discovered that he and his E.G.O. had become a mingled mass of light.

What the hell? I've turned into light? Shen Yu fought off his drowsiness as he thought, then suddenly remembered something:

X was what remained after A's memories were wiped, but his current appearance differed from the story. He didn't have A's golden eyes.

Moreover, in Library of Ruina, Angela could use the seed of light to create human bodies.

Could it be that I didn't transmigrate into the original body, but one made of light? Then where did the original X/A go?

Seeing Shen Yu remain motionless, the Little Knight tried to shake him awake. The instant that small, round hand touched the light, Shen Yu felt an immense suction, and everything went black.

Great. I screwed that up.

When Shen Yu woke, he found himself amid endless void. Strangely, his body was clearly a ball of light, so how could he even see?

But Shen Yu had no attention to spare for such questions. All he wanted was to leave, so he moved through the void, searching for an exit.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Yu suddenly spotted a pale glimmer ahead and rushed toward it with all his might.

Yet when he drew closer, he discovered that it wasn't an exit, but a teardrop-shaped object. Its outer ring was divided into seven segments surrounding a central jewel.

The Little Knight's Godtuner? Why has it turned white? Shen Yu stared at the object in confusion.

The Godtuner was a device capable of resonating with great power.

Through battle, it allowed its holder to resonate with powerful beings and attune to their strength, thereby ascending.

It was through this object and the Void Heart that the Little Knight had ascended to become the God of Void.

At that moment, the jewel in the Godtuner's center was flashing rhythmically, as if calling to him.

Whatever. Things are already this bad. What's there left to fear? Shen Yu threw his worries aside, formed a misshapen hand from light, and pressed it against the jewel at the center of the Godtuner.

Then he was sucked inside again.

"Ow... my head." Shen Yu rubbed his head and grumbled.

Wait, I have a head again?

In the dim light, Shen Yu discovered that his body had returned, and he was still wearing EGO Solitude. He stood on pale ground.

Shen Yu swallowed, then raised his head to look at the world before him.

Beneath a vast, dark firmament, endless nothingness slowly rose from the Abyss, spreading through the air and becoming roiling black clouds.

In the distance, a pale temple stood silently, blending into the surrounding darkness. Countless enormous stone pillars encircled it, rooted in the Abyss and stretching toward boundless horizons, as though carved from the void itself.

At the tower in the center of the temple, a great river of void surged into the firmament, swallowing the entire sky. Black liquid submerged the clouds and streamed down the roof tiles.

That was Godhome. More precisely, it was Godhome under the dominion of the void.

"Holy shit..." Shen Yu stared ahead, mouth hanging open in disbelief. Only after a long while did he recover from the shock. Then he suddenly noticed something hard against his chest.

When he took it out, he discovered that it was the pale Godtuner. He could clearly feel his close connection to it, and information appeared in his mind:

Life tier:

0 [Fool]

1 [Master]

2 [Artist]

3 [Sage]

4 [Knight]

5 [Higher Beings/Ancient Gods]

Current life tier: 0 [Fool], next tier: 1 [Master].

[Master] ascension requirement: complete the Pantheon of the Godhome Master.

Wait, does that mean... Shen Yu raised his head and looked toward the distant Void Godhome. Can I clear all five pantheons like the Little Knight, and then... ascend to godhood?

Never mind. I should take a look at Godhome first. Shen Yu put away the Godtuner, approached the edge, and examined the path ahead.

Of the three massive pillars that formed the path, the first and last had collapsed. Only the middle pillar remained standing.

Shen Yu backed away, mustered all his physical strength, and lunged forward. Upon reaching the edge, he leaped, tracing a perfect arc through the air.

Then he slammed into the pillar with a bang.

"Ow... the E.G.O.'s boosts are too much. My body isn't used to them yet."

Shen Yu grumbled in pain, gripping the patterns on the enormous pillar to stop his slide, then began climbing.

Fortunately, he had practiced sanda before, so his control over his body was fairly decent. Otherwise, he might have smashed himself to death against the pillar.

Shen Yu climbed using the patterns as handholds, but just as he was about to reach the top, the relief beneath his right hand broke off with a crack, and his entire body lurched sideways.

Before he lost his balance completely, Shen Yu heaved himself higher with his left arm. His right hand caught another relief above in time, and he finally hauled himself onto the top.

Ahead stood the towering, pale Godhome, while beneath his feet lay endless nothingness.

Shen Yu took a deep breath, roughly judged his landing point, and leaped forward. Just before landing, he immediately rolled to soften the impact, coming to a stop before Godhome's entrance.

"What a rush." Shen Yu stood up and rubbed his knee, then noticed a golden figure standing before him.

She wore a teardrop-shaped golden mask, with a circular ring set into its forehead and a pair of pitch-black secondary eyes below. Gray-black ribbons wrapped her spindle-shaped body, making her resemble a bound cicada. (Image)

Isn't this my Little Knight's ultimate fangirl, the Godseeker? She's still alive? Shen Yu studied her in surprise.

Seemingly noticing his gaze, the Godseeker frowned and rebuked him: (Dori ga, no se se, po rua po!) Note: the sounds in parentheses approximated bug language.

"Lowly creature! Blasphemous creature! What worth hast thou, what power dost thou possess, to dare form a covenant with the God of Gods, to dare taint our lord's radiance!

"Now, show us thy worth! Otherwise, thy contemptible soul shall be punished, dispersed forever within this magnificent void!"