Chapter: 493
Following the information provided by the followers of the void, Yuden stepped into the Academy, sensing the overwhelming power of the void flooding beyond the door.
It seems that guy was right after all. With the peculiar energy emanating strongly from within, it’s clear this place is central to their plans.
Just as Yuden was about to wrap her magic around herself to ward off the aura of the Evil God, a warm energy enveloped her, pushing back the surrounding void.
“Wow, you truly are the Saintess! I’ve worked with priests a few times, but this level of cleanliness is a first for me.”
“Well, I’m just someone who can’t do anything else. You have to give your best where you can.”
“Just that, huh?”
If another priest had heard that, they’d probably fall into a spiral of self-doubt. The fact that she genuinely believes that makes it even worse.
If anyone other than the Saintess had said something like that, numerous jealous and backbiting voices would have emerged.
Thinking this, Yuden chuckled lightly and turned to Joy, who was wearing a slightly tense expression.
“Princess Partran, please continue distinguishing between the real and fake.”
“Understood. I’ll do my best.”
As Joy moved forward, she surveyed those trapped in a hellish dream.
Those groaning with furrowed brows looked like pitiful souls lost in nightmares, but one shouldn’t trust what their eyes see too much. Anyone could be a trap.
Just as Joy was on high alert, Yuden suddenly swung her sword.
A red aura surrounded her sword as it cut through the air, but nothing returned.
“Sword Saint?”
“Something attacked us.”
“W-What?”
“…Ugh. Damn it. It’s difficult to explain when I can’t see or hear anything.”
The Sword Saint’s words sounded akin to the ramblings of a madman.
Had it been a mercenary instead of a Sword Saint, one might have let it slide.
However, this wasn’t just any person; the Sword Saint had passed through countless adversities, and her senses were incredibly reliable.
“Wait a moment.”
The moment Joy cast magic over her field of vision, the powers of the void vanished, revealing a glimpse of the truth.
Arrow tips scattered on the floor. A void follower frantically fleeing toward the distance, bow in hand.
Yuden’s intuition was spot on. Her beastly sharp instincts had blocked the enemy’s attack.
Unfortunately, that fleeting glimpse of truth didn’t last long. Responding to the void’s powerful aura was far more nerve-wracking than anticipated.
“This is troublesome. Going in recklessly seems like a bad idea. Princess Partran, can’t you maintain the magic a bit longer?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“What about the Saintess?”
“I’ll do my best to repel the powers of the void for now.”
Joy halted, her nerves sharpened as she recalled the book Lucy had given her about dungeon conquering.
That book wasn’t just a simple guide for getting through a dungeon. Rather, it was written by the very creator of all dungeons in this world, detailing how to conquer them.
Having read and ingrained its contents into her mind hundreds of times, Joy easily recalled the necessary information in the soul academy slowly being devoured by the void.
Clearly, this was a dungeon created by the Evil God.
Since it wasn’t completely consumed yet, monsters hadn’t jumped out, but the powers wielded by the void followers would be stronger than usual, and she’d need to constantly discern the real from the fake while battling them.
Last time, when conquering the forest, Lucy had taken care of everything.
Therefore, there hadn’t been any issues attacking a fake. But now, Lucy wasn’t by our side.
So it’s my responsibility.
Sure, continuously casting magic while dispelling illusions would be ideal, but that’s just not feasible—my magic supply has its limits.
With no clue how long this situation might last, I needed to act as efficiently as possible.
‘A nobody with no qualifications can only imitate others. Just too incompetent to create anything themselves.’
‘So when facing that buffoon, just remember a few procedures.’
‘First, you need to figure out what that useless fool is trying to copy. It should be easy. Just because the loser pretends to be cool doesn’t make them less of a loser.’
What had the Evil God imitated to create this place? Joy surveyed her surroundings as she organized the information in her head.
First and foremost, the academy hadn’t changed much.
The walls. The decorations. The students lying asleep. Everything remained just as it was.
The sounds too; this place was eerily silent.
It was clear that the void followers were frantically moving around, yet not a single sound broke through.
Disruption of the senses.
A dungeon created by the Evil God of Darkness.
‘Once you’ve figured out what was copied, it’s time to show that buffoon how truly incompetent they are. A nobody can’t even imitate properly.’
A dungeon imitated by the Evil God of the void is a downgraded version of the original.
If the Evil God was imitating a dungeon, the resultant gaps would be in the senses.
At first glance, it seemed like perception had vanished, but by focusing, one would realize that all senses are intact.
Of those, the weakest point would be the sense of smell.
“Sword Saint! You can trust your senses, especially your sense of smell!”
“I think I get what you mean!”
Listening to Joy’s words, Yuden swung her sword with confidence in her instincts.
Suddenly, the vague sensations began to sharpen.
Her senses hadn’t vanished at all.
The void, merely imitating the darkness, couldn’t completely exclude the Sword Saint’s senses.
“Pheby! Instead of just pushing back the powers of the void, think of breaking down their concentration with your holy magic!”
While Yuden defended against the attacks from void followers, Joy aimed to explain to Pheby how to respond, but it wasn’t a smooth process.
The problem was that she was a sorceress, not a priest.
Joy knew only the logic of magic, and she couldn’t articulate her knowledge in a way a priest would understand.
“So that means it’s like intervening in the opponent’s magic.”
“I understand what you’re saying.”
Despite the rather bizarre explanation from a priest’s perspective, Pheby nodded with a gentle smile.
Having learned under Bishop Johan, she had matured into someone not just a simple priest but capable of wielding holy magic as magic.
“Is this the form you mean?”
In handling the divine, Pheby possessed an extraordinary ability that could impress even Lucy, the Apostle of the Evil God.
With that, the surrounding darkness began to wane, revealing the truth hidden beneath.
“…I think maintaining this will be difficult. The powers of the void are getting stronger.”
“Saintess! How long do you think you can hold out?”
“About ten minutes.”
“That should be plenty! You two, stay close behind! I’ll smash through anything in our way!”
*
Led by a little girl’s hand, Arthur found himself in a mysterious place resembling the corridor he used to roam with Lucy.
“Where is this?”
“A trial space for verifying qualifications. If you reach the end, you’ll gain the power to control the magic circle.”
“How do I do that?”
“Well, that’s for you to figure out. Trials are trials for a reason, you know?”
With a proud stance, the little girl crossed her arms, causing Arthur to furrow his brows.
“Given how urgent things are, do you really need to be so stubborn?”
“This isn’t stubbornness; it’s a procedure. If you don’t follow the proper steps, you won’t gain any authority.”
“In that case, at least tell me how to conquer it faster.”
“Think for yourself, you fool. If it were that simple, I would have sent you right over this threshold.”
Seeing the little girl click her tongue, Arthur understood the situation was serious.
Considering her expression, it was clear this wasn’t just a joke.
Haa. A trial. I can only imagine what awaits.
Standing around won’t get me anywhere, so let’s check what’s beyond that door.
The moment Arthur opened the door and stepped inside, it closed behind him, vanishing from sight.
So once I’m in here, there’s no going back? Well, it doesn’t matter since I wasn’t planning to step back anyway.
Having taken a step forward, Arthur paused briefly to observe the path ahead.
“Could it be that this trial involves conquering a dungeon?”
…No way, right? Why would mastering a magic circle require skills for conquering a dungeon?
Shaking his head at the absurd thought, Arthur’s suspicions gradually morphed into reality the more time passed.
Finding the way.
The traps strewn throughout.
Various monsters blocking his path.
Everything resembled the configuration of a dungeon.
Before long, Arthur couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
“Well, this explains why Lucy Alrn hadn’t said a word to me.”
Now it all makes sense. If the trial of mastering the magic circle involves conquering a dungeon, I don’t even need to prepare myself mentally.
After all, I’ve learned to conquer dungeons from that guy repeatedly, so what is there to prepare for?
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