He became the White-Haired Evil God after wearing the Seven Curses Rings.

Western Continent, Wheel of Fate Branch.

In a secluded space, Thanatos planted his spear in the center while continuously mobilizing the Death Authority within him, injecting its power into a half-illusory, half-real figure in the air.

After an unknown amount of time, the figure finally materialized into a complete form and slowly descended from the sky.

【Hungry Knight - Esso lv.285】

Esso opened his eyes, and what came into view was Thanatos's indifferent gaze.

"Esso, you've gotten stronger again."

Thanatos suddenly spoke up.

Esso shook his head in response to his praise.

"No, this can only be considered a return to normal strength. In this situation, it should be that our lord has raised the restrictions on the world back up."

Listening to Esso's words, Thanatos looked up in a certain direction.

"Indeed. And recently, the rate at which the world's restrictions are being increased has been visibly accelerating, meaning we don't have much time left."

"By the way, Esso, I have a question for you."

Thanatos withdrew his gaze and looked directly at the other person.

"Whose side are you on?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere around him suddenly dropped several degrees.

Esso looked at Thanatos and said matter-of-factly.

"It is clear that, as one of the Four Horsemen, I will stand firmly by my lord's side."

"And like you, I will prioritize obeying the current king, while respecting the deceased."

A fairly ordinary and standard answer.

Thanatos didn't say anything more, he simply turned around.

Just then, a childish voice suddenly called out to him.

"Oh? Thanatos is here too."

Xie Bai's sudden appearance here was as if he had just happened to pass by. He curiously wandered around this space until he walked up to Esso.

"So you're that famine knight from before? You seem quite approachable after taking off your black armor. Would you consider joining my ranks?"

Faced with Xie Bai's question, Esso lowered his body and knelt down to swear an oath to her.

"Of course. I, Esso, the Knight of Famine, will forever be loyal to the great Void King. Even if the world betrays my lord, I will follow him to cleanse it of all evil."

Esso has returned.

Esso's loyalty has risen to 999.

[Triggered Lust Blessing: Esso's loyalty is now locked at 1000]

[The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse synergy has been triggered!]

[Doomsday Apocalypse (4/4): You may consume any amount of divine essence to unleash a doomsday disaster that could endanger all the gods. Currently available activations: Boundless Sea at the Beginning of the Era, Day of Annihilation, Era of Insect Plague, Curse of Life Spreading Uncontrollably, Twilight of the Apocalypse, Finale of the Era]

The last knight was also acquired, and the whole process was not much different from before.

Xie Bai nodded in satisfaction, then patted Esso's lowered head.

"Okay, you can get up now."

Feeling the touch of Xie Bai's small hand, Esso was startled for a moment, but quickly calmed down.

"Yes."

Esso stood up from the ground, ready to receive Xie Bai's next instructions.

"Hmm... Speaking of which, you were sealed underground by the Wheel of Fate for so long, never seeing the light of day, and you even accidentally became tainted by the power of the end. In the end, I scattered you, and it wasn't until now that Thanatos has finally managed to revive you."

"It seems you've had a tough time. Luckily, there's nothing urgent that requires manpower lately, so you can spend the rest of your time getting familiar with this era from Thanatos and see if there's anything you can do to help. If you can't find anything, that's okay too. You can always go to Valhalla and get a retirement pension."

Xie Bai's tone was quite natural, showing no prejudice whatsoever because of Esso's criminal record.

"Is that so…?"

Esso nodded slightly.

"Okay, I understand."

Seeing that Esso was alright, Xie Bai nodded in relief.

"If there are no other questions, I'll take my leave now. There are people waiting for me outside."

After saying that, Xie Bai's figure immediately vanished from the spot, leaving not a trace of his presence.

Upon seeing this, Esso's heart suddenly tightened.

Because Xie Bai's presence had vanished so completely, he couldn't be sure whether Xie Bai had truly left the place or was still there secretly observing.

Thanatos, who was standing nearby, noticed his unusual behavior and tentatively spoke up.

"Esso, do you know anything about the end times?"

When Thanatos asked him a question, Esso's tone turned somber.

"The end? I do know some relevant information, but are you sure you want me to say it? Knowing information comes with a price. You should have seen what I was like before. Although I don't know for sure myself, it probably wasn't good."

A deliberately avoided statement…

Seeing Thanatos's unfriendly gaze, Esso clutched his chest and emphasized again.

"You may doubt me or be wary of me. No matter what, I am still a knight under my lord's command, and my loyalty to my lord has never changed. I will do my best to prevent anything that might harm my lord from happening."

Thanatos looked away after hearing Esso's explanation.

"I can feel it."

Thanatos turned and left, leaving Esso alone in the same spot.

To be precise, it was two people who remained in place.

Xie Bai, in his spirit form, watched the scene unfold before him with a complex expression.

"What the hell... there are only two of them, what's with playing riddles with me like this..."

Xie Bai silently held his forehead.

I had originally thought that secretly staying behind would lower the other party's guard, and then I could hear the kind of things that I would never say if I were there.

Now it seems I underestimated how cautious these old guys were.

"Seriously, has this guy really submitted to me? I have a feeling he's just putting on an act..."

Xie Bai floated beside Esso, observing the newly returned famine knight up close.

In response to her concerns, a light pink notification box suddenly appeared in front of her.

【「lust」(눈_눈)】

"Sex and Lust" thinks you've seriously tarnished its professionalism.

"But…"

["Lust" reminds you that loyalty doesn't mean revealing all secrets. In certain situations, concealment might be a better way to demonstrate loyalty.]

Xie Bai narrowed his eyes as he looked at the explanation that appeared before him.

"Are you sure this isn't because you're incompetent?"

【"Lust" (￣^￣)】

"..."

["Sex" accepts your default five-star review]

"roll."

……

Meanwhile, somewhere in the southern continent.

A white flame burns quietly here, undisturbed by the outside world.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, it couldn't help but mutter to itself.

"How strange, it feels like I've been forgotten..."

……