'What in the world is this...!'
The Church’s warriors.
Among them, those who guarded this Inner Temple were called the “Guardians of the Temple.”
An organization made up only of the strongest people in the Church.
Superhumans who had received the system’s grace and transcended human limits.
And the entrance to this Inner Temple was where only the best of them had gathered.
And now.
Craaaaaack....
Every last one of them.
Had their faces slammed into the floor.
Their bodies trembling violently.
“Hmm. When I saw it from outside, I did not sense this level of power.”
The Guardians of the Temple had their faces buried against the floor.
But at the voice coming from above their heads, they rolled their eyes upward and looked.
“This temple... seems to have a function that hides its power from the outside.”
A massive throne made of dark-red tentacles.
An existence seated upon that throne.
Looking down at them with an arrogant attitude.
'Queen....'
That thing.
Was not an existence that could be explained by a word like strong.
Something at a level beyond common sense, impossible to properly describe with humanity’s expressive power.
An unprecedented existence, even among all the enemies the Church had faced until now.
Everyone in the Church instinctively realized it.
The reason they could still breathe right now.
Was simply.
'That existence’s mercy.'
It was because that queen.
Had not taken their lives.
“Hmm.”
And.
Ariella looked around with a frown.
“...That wall.”
Her gaze turned toward one place.
The temple that looked similar to the hall aboveground.
The wide and enormous wall at its end.
“Beyond it... there is something there.”
Her gaze.
Turned beyond it.
“......!”
Then.
The Guardians of the Temple, who had been forced to kneel against the floor.
A great disturbance spread among them.
“For my master’s sake as well.”
And.
The massive tentacles holding the queen’s body aloft began to move.
“I should confirm what it is....”
The very moment they realized her body was heading toward that wall.
“Krrk......!”
“......?”
One of the people slammed into the floor.
Raised his head.
“S-system...!”
The leader of the Church.
Cardinal Jung Suhwan raised his head.
The overwhelming presence Ariella was giving off.
He tried to lift his body, but could not, and barely managed to raise his head.
As if even that was a luxury.
From his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth,
From every opening there was.
Thick blood burst out.
He could feel the blood vessels throughout his entire body rupturing.
Even so.
“I beseech Your grace......!”
The Cardinal endured that pain.
Raised his head and cried out.
***
“Guardian of the Temple!!!”
And.
Something responded to the Cardinal’s cry.
'This is....'
No.
It was not merely one thing.
“Expel that existence outside the system from the sacred temple......!”
This enormous hall.
All of it began to emit a great light.
[Holy Relic - Pillar of Forsaken is activating.]
[The enormous pillar, given as a reward for deep faith, exists in the temple, consecration, and the expulsion of those who do not follow.]
[As a pillar that protects the temple, it isolates the presence inside the temple from the outside.]
[It protects those inside the temple from outside existences.]
[When a foreign enemy reaches the front of the temple, as the temple’s final line of defense, it expels the foreign enemy to a distant place.]
The pillars supporting the enormous hall.
The great light originating from those pillars poured toward Ariella’s body.
“......!?”
At that powerful pressure.
Ariella could not help widening her eyes in surprise.
'Enough power to suppress me as I am now?'
Because that enormous light.
Had begun crushing down on her body with tremendous force.
“Ah, behold......!”
As the light began suppressing Ariella’s body.
Those who could raise their heads as her presence thinned looked at that light.
“Even that powerful existence......!”
“Is powerless before the system’s power!!!”
The radiant brilliance suppressed the black and red ominous energy.
Those who saw that sight clasped their hands together with expressions filled with emotion and gazed upon it.
......However.
“...We greatly exhausted the power of the [Crown], and even used the [Gate of Agatheum].”
“Now even the Pillar of Forsaken....”
“To think a holy relic prepared for the temple’s final defense would be used like this.”
Many others.
Were muttering despairing words to themselves as they watched.
“...Everyone, please do not worry too much.”
“...Your Eminence!”
At that moment.
The Cardinal, blood flowing from every opening in his face, staggered to his feet.
“The system loves us more than anyone.”
“But... too much of His grace has been consumed.”
“Though the value of the lost holy relics is great, we must not cling to them. He continues to support us. Though it may feel like a great loss now, with time, we will surely receive something greater than what we have lost.”
After barely managing to stand.
He gripped his weapon and said,
“To make that happen, we must fulfill what the system wants from us.”
“......!”
“To receive His grace... we must capture Brother Shin Youngjun...!”
But.
The very moment the Cardinal tried to continue speaking.
“How... dare you......!”
“......!”
The light pouring from the pillars.
The existence everyone had thought completely crushed beneath that light.
“With this paltry power......!”
Ariella.
Revealed herself through that light.
“Impossible!”
The Church members who saw that widened their eyes in horror.
The power arranged for them by the great god, the system.
An existence resisting the power of a holy relic.
“Pillar of Forsaken is a holy relic that expels those who do not belong to the system.......”
And what was more.
“It is not even a power that eliminates the enemy......!”
The final guardian of the temple.
Pillar of Forsaken was a holy relic specialized in expelling enemies.
Not only was the power contained within it stronger than other holy relics.
Because that power only expelled rather than eliminated, it was known as an item that could reliably expel even beings too powerful to eliminate.
Even so.
“With only this much......!”
Crack!
Through that light.
Massive tentacles burst out.
“Did you think you could drive [us] away......!”
Massive tentacles gleaming with dark-red light.
Those tentacles gave off power even stronger than the queen’s main body as they pushed the light back.
......An existence even more skilled in the use of power than Ariella.
Isabella’s will was destroying the pillar’s light.
“...N-no!”
Those who saw it shouted in panic.
“If that existence gets free, it’s over......!”
“If even a holy relic cannot overcome that existence... th-there is no way for us to resist......!”
Amid the confusion.
Lee Haein clenched her fist and shouted,
“Deploy the other holy relics!”
“Priest Lee Haein...!? B-but.”
“Hurry!!!”
The existence looked as though it would break through the light and escape at any moment.
“Expel that thing from the temple, no matter what it takes!”
Her eyes as she looked at Ariella.
Were filled with indescribable fear.
“That existence must never be allowed inside the temple!!!”
Priest Lee Haein’s cry rang out.
And at those words.
Kuuung!
Starting with the Cardinal and Lee Haein.
All the priests knelt on the floor.
And then.
“O great system....”
“Our great mother....”
“Your children pray to You....”
They began praying while looking in every direction.
Paaaaaaaah...!
Responding to those prayers.
Light burst out from all across the enormous hall.
[Holy Relic - Spear of Ibros]
A great holy relic said to possess the power to purify any powerful curse.
That spear became wrapped in light....
[Holy Relic - Pillar of Forsaken absorbs the light of the holy relics!]
Soon.
The sacred light dwelling in the spear.
Stretched toward the temple’s pillars.
Paaaaah....
The pillar’s light, grown even stronger.
Suppressed Ariella’s body, but....
At the same time.
[Holy Relic - Spear of Ibros is destroyed!]
The sacred spear that had emitted all that light.
Became dust and spilled onto the floor.
And that was not all.
[Holy Relic - Book of Reslin is destroyed.]
[Holy Relic - Iron Mace of Vanision is destroyed.]
A book that allowed the wielder to cast large-scale magic without any cost.
An iron mace that displayed overwhelming force against giant monsters.
The light of the great holy relics was absorbed into the pillar.
Crumble....
And the relics that had emitted all that light.
Weathered and crumbled, as though they had endured tens of millions of years of storms in an instant.
“Already, so many holy relics.”
“Ah......!”
Even so.
It was not enough to crush the power of the massive tentacles.
More and more holy relics lost their light.
[Pillar of Forsaken devours the Royal Scepter of Fortuna.]
[Pillar of Forsaken devours the Winged Shoes of Ibros.]
And finally.
-Sorry, Ella.......
Paaaaaaaaah!!!
The intensified light.
Crushed down on Ariella’s tentacles.
“Master......!”
A light so intense it could blind anyone who looked at it.
“....”
Swallowed her and all the shadows around her.
***
Paaaaaaaaah!!!
The enormous pillar protecting the temple.
A shape vanished as it was swallowed by the great light pouring from that pillar.
“D-did it work......?”
“Finally......!”
Someone who saw that muttered in a small voice.
Once the enormous presence that seemed capable of collapsing their minds just by being seen disappeared.
Only then did people let go of their tension and collapse to the floor.
But at the same time as they breathed out in relief.
Kuuuuuuuuung......!
“......!”
The enormous pillar that had been emitting blinding light.
Turned ash-gray and collapsed.
[Holy Relic - Pillar of Forsaken is destroyed!]
And.
Only after seeing that did the people realize.
“H-how many.”
They had achieved the feat of driving away a great enemy.
Unfortunately.
This was not a situation they could rejoice over.
“Confirm the number of holy relics consumed......!”
“Your Eminence.......”
“Hurry!!!”
The people looked around with panicked faces.
And the more their gazes swept over the hall.
The more the light faded from their eyes.
'The holy relics....'
'The proof that He loves us....'
The relics that had been beautifully displayed throughout the hall.
Clear proof that they were loved by the system.
The Guardians of the Temple had taken immense pride in those relics.
But now.
'They are gone.'
Most of those countless relics.
Had turned into mere scrap metal and were rolling across the floor.
“Book of Reslin... Royal Scepter of Fortuna....”
And before long.
The names of the destroyed relics began to be spoken from the priests’ mouths one by one.
With every name spoken, the priest made a tormented expression as though vomiting blood, and soon.
“Total... twenty-one.”
Weeping tears of blood.
The priest spoke one number aloud.
“Twenty-one holy relics... were just consumed to expel that existence.”
At those words.
Priest Lee Haein and Cardinal Jung Suhwan muttered blankly, their mouths hanging open.
“More than ninety percent of the holy relics the Church has gathered until now... are gone?”
Deep despair settled in their eyes.
