Chapter: 187
[Agra is watching you.]
I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen this phrase since I borrowed Lucy’s body.
Every time it came up, it threatened my life.
It left me with countless traumas.
If it was any other time, I would have bitten my lips at the sight of her.
Blaming that pathetic god for their incompetence and desperately trying to think of a way to survive.
But not now. I had the confidence that no matter what variables arose, I wouldn’t get hurt, so I could stand tall.
I could glare into Karia’s emotionless eyes.
Hey, you pathetic evil god. Feeling a bit anxious, huh?
Trying to ambush us because you’re too scared to face us head-on, especially since this party has returned in top shape?
Hoping to destroy us by creating this situation?
But what are you gonna do about it?
With just this little variable, you can’t possibly break this party!
Hahaha. I guess being beaten down by a useless pathetic god makes you even weaker, huh?
“Long time no see! Karia! How have you been?!”
Karia didn’t respond to Benedict’s booming shout that echoed through the corridor.
She just stared at me with her cold, piercing gaze.
Her intention was clear.
She wasn’t after victory. She wanted to kill me, the apostle of Armadi.
Ah, got it. Since she knows she can’t win, she wants to at least mess with that hated pathetic god, right?
Ugh. It’s actually sad it’s making me laugh.
Why are all these so-called gods so incompetent?
If they have the name “god,” shouldn’t they show us something more impressive?
Yeah, like that’d ever happen. Dumbass.
“Let’s go according to the plan.”
The one to announce the start of the battle was Johan.
The moment he placed his hand on the cross, a massive amount of divine power spread around the corridor as if to engulf it.
The warmth of Armadi’s divinity replaced the heat from Menestel, creating a single area.
A place where the divine resided.
One of the highest rank divine spells. A debuff to the wicked while buffing our party all at once.
Karia seemed to notice something was off and tried to retreat quickly, but it was already too late.
In the meantime, Count Georg had cast his magic.
Like a conductor in the center of an orchestra, as he moved his hands, dozens of magic circles appeared around us.
Each with different shapes, colors, and flows of magical energy.
For someone unfamiliar with magic, even one of those would be unmanageable high-level spells.
Hah. Just like back when players would be shouting in frustration.
The beginning was a prison made of magical energy.
Without any forewarning, walls emerged to trap Karia.
However, she couldn’t withstand the pressure of Karia’s strength.
Before even a second had passed, Karia shattered the wall with her dagger.
Yet, the Count’s prepared magic didn’t end there.
The ground boiled like lava, freezing immediately and holding Karia’s feet in place.
Karia, not panicking, broke the ice and jumped upward, but by then, another spell from the Count had already reached her.
A rope that drained her magic.
Vines that grew endlessly and pursued her.
Fog filled with curses.
Watching him, Karia subtly lowered her dagger.
And just like that, Karia’s divine form vanished.
If she couldn’t strike, she’d dodge.
Simultaneously, she launched her own attack.
It was a feasible option, given Karia’s speed.
But Benedict, who was standing in my way, wasn’t an easy target to let through.
The moment Benedict punched into the air, Karia appeared in front of that fist as if responding in perfect sync.
Then, Karia’s body was sent flying like a bullet after being hit by Benedict and crashed against the wall made of divine energy.
It might not have looked particularly strong, but the wall itself was the essence of highly compressed divinity.
For an apostle of the evil god, it was akin to the flames of hell.
“Ugh!”
As Karia’s body hit the wall, smoke billowed from her.
In agony, Karia urgently escaped, gripping her dagger in reverse.
Her gaze turned towards me.
The place where Johan was, who was already reciting the Prayer of Purification.
Excuse me, Boss. Could you please not draw aggro?
“Hey, old hag! Are you looking up now after realizing down below is too much for you?♡ There’s no way an old, shriveled grandpa would look at a hag like you!♡”
You only need to aim for me!
It would be much easier to predict your movements that way.
As Karia’s divine form disappeared, the walls signaled danger.
But I remained still.
Before anything else, Benedict’s hands were already in motion.
As he spread his palm, Karia’s face seemed to get sucked into it.
“You’ve gotten lazy! You’re slower now!”
As Benedict tightened his grip, a sound erupted that shouldn’t come from a human body.
At that moment, flames suddenly spread from the center of Karia’s chest, transforming her body into fire.
One of the powers possessed by the evil god of fire.
The moment Karia became an entity impossible to grasp, she slipped away from Benedict’s grasp, and the vines on the ground entangled her legs.
Those vines, as plants, should normally burn and turn to ash, but they grew at a speed as rapid as flames, blocking Karia’s movements.
Following that, magical ropes bound her arms and neck.
Benedict stood before her, readying his fist.
“Bite down hard. Just not to die.”
The power flowing through Benedict’s body gathered into his fist.
It wasn’t his full power.
But even calling it part of an ocean’s worth of power would still be impressive.
As he threw his punch, the magic exploded, announcing its presence with a boom that shook the entire dungeon.
‘… Grandpa, Karia will be fine, right?’
[Isn’t this your strategy? Why are you worried? ]
According to Grandpa’s words, I’m the one who drafted this plan.
To trap Karia into the place where the divine resides as soon as she appears.
Then count’s magic would capture her.
Followed by Benedict’s brute strength subduing her.
After she’s knocked out, Johan would purify her.
If Karia’s patterns were just an upgraded version of the game, then this should be the best plan.
With each of us handling our respective roles, adapting based on her movements.
Thanks to that we successfully subdued Karia easily.
But.
‘No matter how tough Karia is, she shouldn’t be fine after getting hit by that punch.’
Benedict’s punch was stronger than I had imagined.
At least it seems like she’s still breathing…
But will she be okay? I hope it’s not some plant-human ending or something!
Well, since this world revolves around Soul Academy, there might be ways for that…
[While you’re worried about him, keep your eyes on the divine magic being cast by the bishop. There’s plenty to learn from that man.]
‘Sure.’
“The divine cares for the lost, even if they have strayed. Divine grace will touch you too.”
Just as Johan finished praying, the divine energy he spread came together around Karia.
This wasn’t the same as the purification prayer Phoebe used.
It was a spell meant to erase the wicked instead of merely soothing the dead.
“Grrraaaah!”
With black smoke pouring from Karia’s body, her scream broke forth.
Just hearing it sent chills down my spine and raised the hair on my neck.
The purification in reality wasn’t the same as in the game.
That was only natural.
Erasing wickedness couldn’t possibly be light enough that it could pass by with just a cutscene.
Snap back to reality. I couldn’t just stay idle either.
While Johan was purifying, I had to prepare to finish the job.
To completely remove the influence of the evil god from her.
[Agra is watching you.]
[Agra is targeting the cursed apostle of the god.]
[Agra wishes for your death.]
…Huh?
[What?]
With Grandpa’s single exclamation, the ground quaked.
It felt different from the impact created by Benedict’s punch moments ago.
Something massive was stirring beneath the earth.
“Lucy!”
Did Benedick sense the danger?
He rushed toward me, sweeping me into his embrace.
Johan had somehow stopped his purifying prayer and was casting divine magic for protection, while the Count had drawn dozens of magic circles in preparation for any events.
Then it happened.
The ground split open, and heat burst forth from the gap.
It couldn’t just be described as hot; it was overwhelming flames that could turn everything to ash the moment you touched them.
I hadn’t been told, but I knew exactly what those flames were.
I couldn’t help but know.
There could only be two beings in this world capable of controlling such a blaze.
And in this dungeon, there could only be one.
{Do you think the beloved of Armadi, deserving of death, could stay asleep forever?!}
With a voice echoing throughout the dungeon, the ground crumbled beneath us.
Cradled in Benedict’s arms as we fell, I looked down.
From a slightly cracked red wall, white flames seeped out.
Even though it wasn’t intact, the presence emanating from it dominated the space.
A thick, uncomfortable grin was directed at me.
Those pitch-black, hollow eyes.
Bahrda.
The evil god of fire.
He had broken his seal and partially manifested.
Now that I think about it, it makes sense.
Agra may be petty, but he doesn’t hide himself.
Whenever he stirs up trouble, he always introduces himself.
He wants us to blame him.
However, during this dungeon, he had always remained quiet. Against that background, I faced various challenges.
I previously thought that Agra had merely changed his approach, but that wasn’t it.
It was a straightforward situation.
The nature of the one targeting me had changed, and thus their methods did too.
I understood now.
Why that pathetic god brought up Menestel before the first semester finished.
When there should have been a lot more time left before such an incident, he pushed it forth right now.
The one attacking the seal here was Karia.
It was only natural that if she became stronger, the seal would break faster than in the game.
Armadi genuinely called me here because he was in a hurry.
Ah. Damn. That pathetic worthless god.
Explain yourself properly next time, you scum!
Why are you so good at joking around when you tease me, but when it really matters, you hold your tongue like you’re some kind of god?!
Shouldn’t it be the other way around?!
What?!
– Ding.
What is it now?!
What do you want to tell me with this sudden message?
[There’s a limitation.]
…Huh?
Wait, what?!
Hey! Pathetic god!
What’s going on?!
[Quest has been changed!]
[The Savior of Menestel]
[Due to Agra’s hatred, part of the seal existing in Menestel was released! You must stop it again! To survive! To protect Menestel!]
[Reward: Miracle Reproduction (advanced), ???]
[Miracle Reproduction activates! Searching for the nearest miracle!]
[Found! The miracle contained within Ruel’s Mace, ‘All wickedness retreats beneath that divine’ activates!]
[Seal the evil god!]
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