Global Gods : Skill-Resonance Awakened

Chapter 361: Ch 361 : The Shattered Utopia

The system notification didn’t just hang in the air; it seared itself into the collective consciousness of trillions.

In the Tower of Eternity, the great central pillar of progression that pierced the heavens of the Inner World, the atmosphere shifted from one of scholarly pursuit to a electric tension.

For eons, or what felt like eons under the time-dilation of the Sovereign’s grace, the Tower had been a place of camaraderie.

Hunters of different races shared bread, traded tips on boss mechanics, and reposed in the absolute certainty that no hand would be raised against them in malice.

That certainty was now a glass floor, and the first cracks were spider-webbing beneath their boots.

On the 42nd floor, a massive, tusked Orc scratched his head, staring at the glowing script of the decree. "What does it mean, exactly?" he grunted, his voice echoing in a hallway carved from obsidian. "The Moral Stabilizer is gone? Does that mean the crops will grow differently?"

A Werewolf lean and scarred, standing just a few feet away, let out a low, predatory growl. A devilish smile peeled back his lips, revealing rows of serrated teeth.

"It means, tusker, that we are finally free. No more chains. No more lightning from the sky if we settle an old debt. We don’t need to fear the wrath of the Demigods or the silent judgment of the Gods, at least, not until we’re dead and standing before the scale of judgement."

His golden eyes locked onto a Vampire noble across the plaza. For centuries, their races had been the ultimate predators of their respective homeworlds, locked in a cycle of blood and silver.

Within Sunny’s peace, they had been forced into a nauseating, polite coexistence.

Now, the Werewolf could feel the ancient, dormant hatred sparking back to life. He didn’t strike yet, but he gripped his axe, and for the first time in his life, he didn’t feel the nausea of intent that Thea’s Law used to impose.

The loose thread on the collective mind of the lifeforms had been pulled, and the tapestry of the utopia was unraveling with each passing second.

The shift wasn’t just psychological; it was visceral. Deep within a high-tier dungeon on the 55th floor, a veteran hunting party was nearing the end of a grueling boss fight against a Frost Giant.

The party consisted of five members who had bled together for decades. As the Giant fell, its massive body dissolving into motes of light to reveal a shimmering S-Grade artifact, the Frost-Core Heart... the atmosphere changed.

Usually, they would roll dice or discuss who needed the upgrade most.

But the party’s primary Damage Dealer, a sorcerer whose eyes had always been a bit too hungry, didn’t wait for a discussion.

"I am free," he whispered to himself.

With a sudden, violent motion, he channeled an Area-of-Effect Supernova spell.

The white-hot flames filled the boss chamber, catching his teammates completely off guard.

Because they trusted him, their guards were down. In an instant, four of his closest companions were pulverized into ash.

The sorcerer stood alone in the smoking chamber, his hands trembling as he reached for the artifact.

The rush of gaining a S-Grade treasure far outweighed the immediate sting of betrayal.

He knew that his companions would eventually return through the Nine Lives system, and they would hunt him to the ends of the multiverse, but with this artifact, he believed he could kill them nine times over before they ever touched his robes.

This scene was repeated in a thousand different flavors across the Inner World.

In the markets of one of the world’s under Sunny, a thief realized that the Divine Paralysis no longer triggered when he reached for a noble’s purse. By noon, the zero-crime rate of the inner world had spiked into the thousands.

In some of the worlds, prominent families who had lived in open villas began to construct high walls and iron gates. They began to recruit private armies, not to fight demons, but to protect their hoards from their own neighbors.

The future had become a unpredictable thing.

On the 66th floor of the Tower, a party of elite climbers sat around a flickering campfire. They weren’t checking their gear; they were staring at their system panels, scrolling through the News Forums.

Previously, the forums were a sterilized stream of information managed by Thea.

Any misinformation, rumor, or shouting was dealt with by the System’s fact check.

But as part of the new decree, the Truth Filters had been set to manual. Now, any lifeform could post anything, and the Truth was decided by likes, follows, and the chaotic court of public opinion.

An information gap, once the rarest thing in Sunny’s world, had opened like a canyon.

"What kind of absolute bullshit is this?" a Mountain Giant growled, his thumb as thick as a loaf of bread as he scrolled. "Someone just posted a three-paragraph Breaking News report about the fact that they bought a new pair of silk undergarments in the Southern District. Why is this in the Global Feed?"

His companions laughed, but the humor was hollow. As they opened their own forums, the laughter died.

"Look at the death toll," Merrily, the fairy of the party whispered, her wings drooping.

When the notification had first arrived, they had assumed that most people would maintain their moral compass out of habit.

They believed that even if the demigods weren’t watching, people wouldn’t just turn into monsters. But They were wrong.

In just twenty-four hours, the statistics were staggering:

Casualties: 1.2 Billion lives lost just across the Tower, not to mention the lives in the multiverse of Gods and the realm of advancement.

Property Crimes: An unquantifiable surge, estimated in the quadrillions of credits.

Societal Shifts: 40% of small villages had already declared martial law or been absorbed by local Strongmen.

"Why did the Demigods do this?" She asked, her voice trembling. "We were happy. We were safe."

"My mother messaged me," Lucious, the first hero of Veridia whispered. His gaze was fixed on the fire. "She said that 90% of the Council voted for this. She didn’t give details, but she told me the benefit we gain will be worth the blood. She just told me... ’Take care of yourself, Lucious. The season of the shepherd is over. The season of the wolf has begun.’"

Lucious’s mother was the first apostle of Gaia, the Demigod of Life, and a minor Demigod herself, who also voted in the council of demigods.

Her warning carried the weight of the heavens. He looked at his team, a group brought together by fate rather than blood and wondered which of them would be the first to look at his throat and see a prize instead of a friend.

The chaos wasn’t limited to the Tower. In the sprawling multiverses of the Inner World, the leaders of the various races were in a state of total panic.

In some worlds, gambling dens turned into bloodbaths when players realized they could simply kill the house to take back their losses.

In other worlds, the ancient practice of Slavery, something Sunny had erased on Day One, reappeared within a month.

Influential people began to capture weaker lifeforms, claiming it was for their protection in these chaotic times.

To survive, those who had previously lived lives of leisure were forced to grow strong or die.

They flocked to the Tower of Eternity in record numbers, hoping to grind for levels and gear.

But the Tower was no longer a sanctuary. Newbies who stepped out of the beginner towns were frequently set upon by Player-Hunters.... they were the groups of thieves who realized it was easier to loot a newbie than to hunt a level-50 monster.

Back in the City of Gods, the Council of Demigods watched the glowing status panels in the center of the hall.

The data streams were a chaotic mess of red, rising death rates, plummeting stability, and the fracturing of civilizations.

"Look at this!" a Demigod draped in white robes shouted, gesturing wildly at the screens. "A trillion deaths in a day! We have turned a paradise into a slaughterhouse. I didn’t approve of this bill for exactly this reason! We have failed our Master’s vision."

"The Master’s vision is not a petting zoo," a cold, sharp voice cut through the room.

It was Zoran, a protector Demigod created by Sunny to guard the universes saved from the demon gods.

He wore a sharp, modern black suit, but his face was a blank, featureless white mask.

"The situation is stabilizing exactly as projected," Zoran continued, his voice calm and clinical.

"The world is dividing into two necessary parts: the Civilians and the Rulers. Already, the strong are rising to organize the chaos."

"These new Rulers are implementing their own laws. Some are tyrants, yes, but others are genuinely good rulers and fair. They are creating valid punishments for crimes. They are creating a reason for the people to care about their own strength."

Zoran gestured to a new data stream. "Look at the News Forums. Amidst the unnecessary posts and the misinformation, the voices of true leaders are emerging. People are following those who can provide security."

"If they don’t like a ruler, they revolt. If one ruler hates another, they wage war. This friction.... this bad feedback is the heat required for the forge."

He turned to the dissenting Demigods. "The arrow has already left the bow. We cannot snatch it back. We must stop worrying about the losses of today and focus on the Gods we are creating for tomorrow. We cannot let ourselves divide, for we are the only ones who can ensure this fire stays within the hearth."

His speech was cold, logical, and effectively silenced the debate. He was the voice of the pragmatists, the ones who believed that a million lost lives were a fair price for one SSS-Grade warrior who could stand beside Sunny in the battle against demons.

"Well said, Zoran," a melodic voice chimed.

The silver particles in the center of the room swirled, condensing into the form of Thea. She stood before the screen, her form shimmering with the data of a trillion souls.

"The initial feedback is indeed... turbulent," Thea said, her eyes reflecting the glowing red stats. "But let me show you the progress that the numbers alone do not reveal. Master’s Divine Growth is reacting to the chaos."

She tapped the screen, and the red stats began to be overlaid with golden sparks.

"The lifeforms are no longer puppets," Thea said with a small, enigmatic smile. "They are finally starting to look like the Emperor’s children, who are growing stronger with each passing day."