| “ | The light, forgotten. The plague, the infection, the madness that haunts the corpses of Hallownest…the light that screams out from the eyes of this dead Kingdom. What is the source? I suppose mere mortals like myself will never understand. | ” |
| ~ The Hunter’s journal about The Radiance. |
The Radiance is the main antagonist and true final boss of the popular 2017 indie game Hollow Knight. She was an all-powerful deity who was the creator of the kingdom of Hallownest until the Pale King usurped her for everyone to live free from her hive mind. This caused her to become the one responsible for creating the Infection to destroy all wisdom so that no one will ever go against her rule out of spite for her people abandoning her as their goddess.
Actions & Characteristics[]
- She is the most heinous villain in the game, as she kept her people in a hive mind and caused the Infection, which caused all the habitants of Hallownest to become mindless, zombie-like beings drained of any actual thought, putting them in a fate worse than death, as well as lacking any empathy or remorse for her crimes.
- She is the most powerful villain in Hollow Knight, as she is a godlike entity that has many powers and incredible stamina. She can also warp the dreams of those she comes into and was also able to create a disease called the Infection, which puts its victims in a fate worse than death. It takes the combined effort of the Knight and the rest of the Vessels, all unified under the Void Heart, to truly defeat her.
- She is the most influential villain in the game, as she is the cause of all the suffering present in the game, by kickstarting the Infection and causing the downfall of Hallownest. Her actions also lead to the likes of the Pale King and the Soul Master to start many experiments that also caused countless deaths and horrors, all in a failed attempt to stop her. She is also the driving force for many of the crimes that the monsters in the story committed.