"Ugh!" [ Map upgrade completed.]
[ Warning. Entered 'The Sacred Realm of Strict Order and Good'.] A message appeared, something that looked like it belonged to a dungeon.
It was clearly a domain of the gods, yet the system was treating it as a dungeon.
That’s when it happened.
Boom!
The exit door behind me slammed shut. And translucent black entities began to crawl out from the stone walls.
<Please, save me...>
<Ugh... I curse you, Church of Order...>
<Evil god... 'Strict Order and Good' is an evil god...>
<Saint of the evil god, you will be cursed...!>
The black spirits oozed out from the walls, ceiling, and floor, blocking the path.
Agnes shouted in panic.
<What are these?>
"They're the vengeful spirits of those who were sacrificed alongside Mu Elinas when she died."
<Oh, my god. What have they done...?>
"I agree. Exorcism!"
I tried exorcism, but it only briefly cleared a path.
The spirits didn't vanish and kept crawling back out.
Exorcism skills had no effect at all.
'Come to think of it, the system told me to calm their souls.'
It seemed that instead of erasure, I had to help them achieve enlightenment. I decided to change my approach.
"I’ll run, Agnes."
<What are you planning to do?>
"I’ll gather them and deal with them all at once."
According to the system map, the hallway here spirals like a snail shell.
If I run along this one-way path toward the deepest part, I should reach the central hall.
I'll lure all the spirits there...
‘Let’s send them straight to the Lord of the Words in one blow!’ [‘The Word Shaper of Worlds’ gives a thumbs up.]
My legs were running down the corridor at high speed.
✠
At the end of the never-ending stairs that led from the central hall, I arrived at a room.
This place was a holy site that had never been allowed to any being other than Mu Elinas, or Muriel Filize.
The space was a tall and vast circular hall, with twelve huge angel statues standing guard at the edges.
The sight of them, holding weapons and guarding the front like sentinels, contributed to the majestic atmosphere.
In the center, protected by these angel statues, lay Mu Elinas on an altar made of marble.
Her long black hair cascaded over the rectangular altar like a waterfall. Dressed in a white ceremonial robe, she lay in a meditative position, her eyes slowly opening.
Her eyes, blue and gold, were not only mysteriously beautiful but deep, like those of a sage.
"My body is almost fully restored."
The words escaped her mouth unconsciously.
She had a habit, one that often comes with those who have lived in solitude for a long time.
After waking up after days of unconsciousness, it was natural to feel curious.
‘What happened with the heretic judgment?’
She had hoped for the annihilation of both the heretic god and the holy sword's master.
She aimed for the two birds with one stone—eradicating heresy and maintaining the world through reincarnation.
In fact, she knew that if there was a god, the world would be maintained. But to her, only the god of 'Strict Order and Good' was meaningful.
Therefore, in an extreme sense, she saw 'The Word Shaper of Worlds' being cared for as no different from the occupation of a chaotic evil god.
No, in fact, it seemed even more threatening.
‘I serve only one god.’
That was the nature of faith. It wasn’t about seeking worldly power or achieving a special purpose through belief in a god.
It was simply because the god existed. It wasn’t to measure the will of a god through human beliefs but to humbly submit and follow the god’s will from a lowly position.
So, what Mu Elinas had to do as the holy clockmaker was clear.
She had to kill Tesilid Arzent to trigger the reincarnation again.
‘First, I need to check his life or death on this timeline. If he fought the heretic god’s holy sword, he would be barely hanging on. Once I confirm his breath, I’ll end this timeline...’
It was just as she had decided to take matters into her own hands when—
Boom!
"......!"
Something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, the entrance to the sanctuary burst open with a huge sound, and countless spirits poured into the sanctuary like sewage.
<Ugh! I curse you!>
<Church of Order...! Church of Order...!>
<I won’t forgive even if my bones turn to dust...!>
The waves of spirits surrounded Mu Elinas.
‘How did these vengeful spirits of heretics make it here?!’
The situation became clear quickly. In addition to the spirits, there was one more audacious intruder.
A woman with pink hair, standing like a vanguard, raised the holy power of the 9th rank against the spirits as they surged like a tsunami.
"Go well, to the Lord of Words."
The ultimate skill, ‘The Memorial Rite of the Full Moon Night,’ activated.
Moonlight poured down. Since the ceiling here blocked the sky, they couldn’t see the celestial bodies.
The full moon was replaced by a holy halo that appeared behind her.
The spirits were purified by the light, as if the black rust was being stripped off.
<Aah... light...>
<Finally, we can leave here...>
The souls of those who had been trapped in the sacrificial tomb for 500 years ascended to the sky.
‘She wiped out all those vengeful spirits in one go?!’
At that moment, the pink-haired intruder turned her back, and her eyes met Mu Elinas’s.
Her sapphire and verdant eyes locked across the room. Soon, the audacious intruder spoke.
"What? Why are you here?"
"......"
That was exactly what Mu Elinas wanted to say.
✠
After a moment of thought, I corrected myself.
"Oh, I guess it makes sense for you to come out from your grave. After all, this is your burial site, Mu Elinas, the owner of the sacrificial tomb."
It seemed like she came here to recover after having been killed once by Reed.
Soon, her response came.
"......Did you know me?"
"You’ve shortened your words. I guess pretending to be modest was hard for you."
"I won’t deny it."
Her change wasn’t just in her tone.
Her blue and gold eyes shimmered, and cold killing intent mixed with divine power, creating a mirage-like aura from her body.
The elegant black-haired beauty, dressed in ceremonial robes, finally revealed her true nature and strength.
Any ordinary human would have immediately bowed in awe. But—
<Look at that? Ayleth.>
Agnes’s scoffed call made me release my own divine aura in response.
My divine mirage spread far more widely than hers, attempting to devour her energy.
"......"
"......"
In the silent standoff, her eyes twitched slightly.
The winner of this domain struggle was clear. Mu Elinas was ranked 8th, while I was ranked 9th.
<Heh, how dare you challenge me.> [‘The Word Shaper of Worlds’ gives a smug nod.]
[‘The Scales of Judgment for Souls’ claps approvingly.]
[‘The Celestial Secret Inspector’ is secretly pleased.]
"Do you want to continue?"
"......I won’t."
Mu Elinas, hiding her frustration, withdrew her aura first. Then she tried to interrogate me.
"Ayleth Rodeline, why are you here? Didn’t you meet the owner of the holy sword?"
"The question is vile. I suppose you’re curious about the outcome of the fight between me and Terry."
"Honestly, yes."
"Your news is slow. Tesilid has converted."
"......!"
Mu Elinas’s reaction here was priceless.
"He converted?"
"Yes."
"How could he...?"
"......"
"How could he, after receiving the divine selection with me, so easily fall into apostasy?"
Her dark lashes shot up, and her eyes became wide with shock. It was a reaction that wasn’t fabricated but purely one of surprise.
<Is she crazy?>
I felt so ridiculous that I didn’t even laugh.
"Hey, Mu Elinas. Stop that betrayed look on your face."
"What?"
"What did your god give Terry? Did he abuse him and expect unwavering faith? There’s a limit to shamelessness."
"It’s a trial from the god. He must accept it humbly..."
"Shut up." [ Transcendent skill ‘Royal Command’ activated.]
"......!"
Mu Elinas choked as if surprised by her malfunctioning voice. She quickly coughed up like a poisoned apple lodged in her throat.
I watched her struggle to resist, my gaze focused on her, and then said—
"You can say that after crawling through thorny paths for 117 cycles."
"......117 cycles?"
Mu Elinas, having shaken off the royal command that had seized her tongue, stared at me with wide eyes.
It wasn’t shock from her god’s malicious abuse.
"Has it already progressed that much? Then it’s been about 7,000 years."
Her tone was strange, as if she had some sort of plan.
At that moment, I had a hunch. There was something related to the original story’s third arc that I, as the transmigrator, didn’t know.
How could I extract the truth from Mu Elinas?
It didn’t take long for the opportunity to arise.
"I’ll ask one thing, the heretic god’s holy scripture."
"Yes. Go ahead, mummy of the false church."
Her graceful face twitched. As those excited, her words became lighter, so I decided to press on.
"A walking corpse worshiping a god who isn’t even alive. You’re a perfect match with empty shells."
"Don’t blaspheme!"
You mean don’t blaspheme the god? I thought so.
But then—
"I have a god inside me, so desecrating this body is the same as desecrating the god."
"......"
She identifies herself with the god?
That arrogance only amplified my suspicions. ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) [‘The Word Shaper of Worlds’ watches Mu Elinas with a sinking gaze.]
Mu Elinas quickly turned back to questioning.
"Is the holy sword’s master confirmed to be from the 117th cycle?"
"What if it is?"
"Why is it later than the master of the demon sword, why the 117th cycle?"
What is she asking?
"Why is it the 117th cycle and not the 131st?"
Special privilege for a transmigrator.
