Chapter: 493
Yuden stepped into the academy, following the information provided by the Followers of the Void, and sharpened her gaze, feeling the Power of Void filling beyond the door.
Uh…
“Looks like that guy was right. With that unique aura felt strongly inside, this place must be the focal point of the plan.”
Hmm…
Just as Yuden was about to wrap her magic around her to shake off the evil god’s energy, a warm aura enveloped her, driving away the surrounding Power of Void.
“Wow. Truly a Saintess. I’ve worked with clergy a few times, but this is the first time I’ve seen it so neatly done.”
“I’m just someone who can do this much. I must do my best where I can.”
“Just this much, huh?”
If another clergy heard that, they would probably fall into self-hatred. The fact that she meant it makes it even worse!
If someone other than the Saintess made such a statement, there would be quite a few people genuinely jealous and slandering her.
While thinking that, Yuden let out a light laugh and spoke to Joy, who had a slightly stiff face.
“Ducal Young Lady Partlan. Please continue distinguishing between the real and the fake.”
“Understood. I’ll do my best.”
Joy proceeded forward, examining those who seemed to be dreaming of hell.
Those who groaned with furrowed brows looked like poor souls trapped in nightmares, but one shouldn’t trust appearances too much. Who among them might be a trap was unknown.
Just as Joy was on high alert, Yuden suddenly swung her sword.
The sword, wrapped in a red aura, cut through the air, but nothing came back.
“Sword Saint?”
“Something attacked us.”
“What?”
“… Damn it. It’s hard to explain since I can’t hear or see anything.”
The Sword Saint’s words had a hint of madness to them.
If the speaker were just some lowly mercenary, people would naturally dismiss it.
However, this time it was the Sword Saint talking, and her senses, honed through overcoming numerous adversities, were more trustworthy than anyone.
“Just a moment.”
The moment Joy unleashed her magic into her field of vision, the Power of Void vanished briefly, revealing the true appearance.
Arrows scattered on the ground. In the distance, a follower of the Void was hastily fleeing with a bow in hand.
Yuden’s intuition was correct. Her instincts, sharper than a beast’s, had blocked enemy attacks.
However, that truthful appearance didn’t last long. It was exceedingly nerve-wracking to respond in a space brimming with the Power of Void.
“This is troublesome. Rushing through would be a bit dangerous. Ducal Young Lady, can you maintain the spell?”
“… I’m sorry.”
“What about the Saintess?”
“I’ll do my best to repel the Power of Void as much as possible for now.”
Joy stopped in her tracks, her nerves on edge as she recalled the dungeon strategy book that Lucy had given her.
That book wasn’t just a collection of information to progress through the dungeon.
It was more of a manual written by the one who created all the dungeons existing in this world, detailing how to conquer them.
Having read it over hundreds of times and etched it into her mind, Joy recalled the necessary information in the Soul Academy, which was infested by the Void.
For now, this was essentially a dungeon created by the Void Evil God.
It wasn’t completely consumed yet, so monsters wouldn’t pop out, but the strength of the Followers of the Void would be greater than usual, and amidst fighting them, distinguishing between the real and fake would have to be done continuously.
Last time in the forest, Lucy had done everything for them.
There were no issues with attacking fakes then. However, Lucy wasn’t beside them now.
So I have to do it.
The best way would be to maintain magic at all times to dispel illusions, but I can’t do that. My magic has limits.
With no telling how long this would take to resolve, I must move as efficiently as possible.
‘An insignificant little piece can’t do anything but imitate. It’s far too incompetent to create something on its own.’
‘So when facing that insignificant piece, I just need to remember a few procedures.’
‘First, I need to figure out what the incompetent little failure is trying to imitate. It should be pretty easy. Just because the little loser tries to play cool doesn’t mean they’re not a loser, right?’
What did the Void Evil God imitate to create this place? As Joy surveyed her surroundings, she organized her thoughts.
The first noticeable thing was that the academy hadn’t changed much.
The walls. The decorations. The sleeping students. Everything looked just the same.
The sounds were no different. This place felt oddly quiet.
Surely the Followers of the Void were frantically moving about within, yet no sounds could be heard.
Sensory Distortion.
A dungeon created by the Evil God of Darkness.
‘Once I’ve figured out what it replicated, it would be time to show that pathetic little creature just how incompetent it truly is. An insignificant little piece can’t even imitate properly.’
The dungeon the Void Evil God mimicked is a subpar version of the original.
If it replicated a dungeon created by the Evil God of Darkness, the gaps would lie in all senses.
At first glance, it might seem like senses have disappeared, but if one focuses, they’ll realize all senses are still active.
Among them, the greatest gap was in the sense of smell.
“Sword Saint! You can trust your senses! Especially your sense of smell!”
“I kind of get what you’re saying!”
As Yuden listened to Joy, she started swinging her sword with confidence in her instincts.
Then the senses that had been vague began to sharpen.
Her senses hadn’t disappeared.
The Void, which merely imitates darkness, could not completely negate the Sword Saint’s senses.
“Phoebe! Instead of pushing away the Power of Void, think about collapsing its consolidation and use the Divine Magic!”
While Yuden blocked the attacks from the Followers of the Void, Joy tried to explain how Phoebe should respond, but the process wasn’t easy.
The problem was that she was a wizard, not a clergy member.
Only knowing the logic of magic, Joy couldn’t simplify her knowledge into something a clergy could understand.
“So, um… It’s like intervening in their magic.”
“I understand what you mean.”
Even though it might seem somewhat twisted from a clergy’s perspective, Phoebe nodded with a gentle smile.
Having learned under Bishop Johan, she had become someone who could handle Divine Magic with the precision of a wizard, not just a mere clergy member.
“Is this the kind of format you mean?”
In terms of handling the Divine, Phoebe possessed abilities so astonishing that even Lucy, the Apostle of God, would express admiration.
She quickly realized what Joy had described.
Suddenly, the surrounding darkness thinned, revealing the true shapes hidden beneath.
“… I don’t think I can maintain this for long. The Power of Void is becoming gradually stronger.”
“Saintess! How long do you think you can hold this?”
“About ten minutes.”
“That’s more than enough! Both of you, stick close behind! We’ll smash our way through!”
*
Arthur, led by a little girl to a mysterious location, arrived somewhere resembling a corridor he used to roam with Lucy.
“Where is this?”
“This is the trial site for verifying qualifications. If you reach the end, you can gain authority to control the magic circle.”
“How do I go about it?”
“That’s your job to figure out. Trials wouldn’t be trials for no reason.”
With her arms crossed confidently, the little girl spoke, which made Arthur furrow his brows.
“Do you have to act obstinately when the situation is so urgent?”
“This is not obstinacy; it’s procedure. If you don’t follow the procedure correctly, you can’t obtain authority.”
“Then at least tell me how to conquer it. We need to get past this sooner rather than later.”
“Think for yourself, you dullard. If that were possible, I would have sent you right through here.”
Seeing the little girl clicking her tongue, Arthur understood that it was a situation he couldn’t escape from.
The seriousness of her expression indicated that she wasn’t joking around.
Sigh… Trials. I wonder what awaits.
Nothing is going to happen just by standing here, so let’s check beyond that door.
As soon as Arthur opened the door and stepped inside, the door slammed shut, erasing the way out.
If I’ve entered here, does that mean I can’t go back? Although I had no intention of stepping back, it’s still concerning.
Having taken a step forward, Arthur paused for a moment, noticing the layout of the path.
“Could it be… is this trial about conquering a dungeon?”
… It can’t be, right? Why would conquering a dungeon be necessary to verify authority over the magic circle?
Shaking his head at the thought, Arthur’s doubts turned into reality as time passed.
The way to find paths.
The traps that exist in between.
The various monsters blocking his path.
Everything resembled the configuration of a dungeon.
Before long, Arthur grew certain and couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“Indeed. This is why Lucy Allen never said anything to me.”
Now it makes sense. If the trial for handling the magic circle is about conquering a dungeon, then there’s no need for preparation in my mind.
After all, what I’ve learned from her endlessly is nothing but conquering dungeons, so why would I need to prepare?
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