Inside the temple of [Piggero], Duke Yuma moved at a slow pace. Following him were Bell, Ermel, and Haven, who had come leading his subordinates. Yuma scanned the people around him. The followers of Piggero were all staring at Yuma’s group with faces full of suspicion. Yuma had anticipated these glares, so he wasn’t flustered.
Yuma was acting as the disguised Count Karsir.
“I’d like to greet the magician who invited me.”
He said to the execution officer, who was also fulfilling the role of a guard and guide. The head of the execution team, Vincent, stepped in front of Yuma.
“Magician Cloney is currently in a private meeting with Holy Maiden Yulicia.”
“Oh, I see.”
Yuma had set himself up as a very respectable person, Count Karsir. Only then could he ease the wariness of the members of Piggero. Yuma nodded slowly.
“I guess I can wait outside.”
Yuma decided to wait leisurely inside the reception room. After all, Cloney would finish her business without any issues.
*
Cloney was facing the third holy maiden of Piggero, Yulicia.
“…”
Cloney felt a peculiar sensation. She had received Yulicia’s warm gaze for days now, so she knew. She was sure that the entity looking at her was not Yulicia, but something borrowing her gaze.
This was something Cloney could notice because she was a servant of Yuma.
Yulicia’s mouth slowly opened.
“I want to ask you why you are trying to betray your god, the God of War.”
An unnatural voice. Cloney realized that Malphas hadn’t yet possessed Yulicia’s body.
‘Before fully possessing her, he probably wants to eliminate all doubt first.’
Cloney swept her long black hair back. Her unyielding golden eyes locked onto Yulicia.
“Even if I try to trust Lord Yuma, no, I wonder if such results can indeed come about. That’s where my doubt began.”
Cloney calmly continued to express her fabricated feelings.
“In the end, Lord Yuma is just a god of the Intermediate World. The likelihood of reaching the Divine Realm, which can be called the true world of gods, is rather slim. And if that’s the case… I felt that, one day, it would be Lord Yuma who suffers defeat. I believe the gods of the Divine Realm can certainly find a way to kill the remaining gods.”
“I thought the gods of the Divine Realm could definitely come up with a way, but…”
Speaking words that weren’t truly in her heart, she maintained a very calm and natural tone.
“Whether it’s finding a way to kill Duke Yuma or keeping him from ascending to his absolute Divine Realm.”
Cloney kept her composure, trying not to get caught in her lie.
“During that line of thought, I fell under a curse from one of the gods who invaded the Intermediate World, Morg, the [God of the Perilous Mace]. At that moment, I was certain—Duke Yuma could not protect me perfectly.”
Cloney lifted the corners of her mouth.
“I received quite a strong shock back then. I had to endure a long period of mental and physical pain.”
Morg was a god. Although ranked at the 3rd tier, when it came to ‘mental curses,’ he bore power equal to that of a 1st tier god. There was no doubt regarding Cloney’s claims of her suffering from Malphas’s perspective.
‘Certainly, he doesn’t seem like an apostle.’
Being in a state where he hadn’t yet conferred power and was merely borrowing Yulicia’s attention, Malphas believed Cloney’s words.
“Alright. If you trust me, I can make you a transcendent being capable of receiving blessings from other gods.”
Malphas’s words, channeled through Yulicia, continued.
“I will confer power right now.”
Hooook—
Yulicia began to draw a formation around her feet again. It was a formation for conferring power. A formation that looked bizarre was quickly sketched out. Immediately, Yulicia’s body trembled once. Cloney confirmed that the moment Malphas’s power that had borrowed Yulicia’s mouth and gaze completely vanished.
“Holy Maiden.”
Cloney looked at Yulicia, the holy maiden of Piggero. Soon, her expression appeared calm, as if she wouldn’t soon fall under the control of the Evil God Malphas.
Cloney recognized that Yulicia had reached a complete decision.
Kugugugugu…!
The air was heavily pressed down. Cloney felt Yulicia’s silver hair violently take flight. Dark, muddy energy clumped around the silver-haired strands.
“Cloney.”
The Malphas, currently conferring power within Yulicia’s body, spoke as he gazed at Cloney’s golden eyes.
“While I do not doubt your grand intentions, there are currently too many unstable factors for me.”
Malphas continued.
“First, you shall become my faithful servant.”
Chwaak—
Black energy gathered in Yulicia’s hands. The dark clump transformed into the shape of a huge claw and began to surge toward Cloney’s head.
Chijizik—
“……!”
Yulicia’s eyes widened.
The Malphas inside Yulicia’s body was in shock.
Malphas was in shock.
The curse from the mental realm was ineffective and was immediately canceled.
“You little brat.”
A sharp voice flowed from Yulicia’s lips.
Malphas realized that Yulicia had become an apostle of the God of War.
Squeeze—
Cloney expressionlessly pressed the button on the artifact. It was a signal to Yuma.
*
Yuma confirmed the blue light emanating from the small gray circular artifact.
“I’m entering.”
A blue light burst from Bell’s eyes.
The Grandmaster. And the heavy aura from the God of War’s apostle flowed out. The members of the [Piggero] cult, who were on edge regarding Yuma’s party, were suppressed by the overwhelming pressure emanating from Bell and couldn’t do anything.
Bell ignited her aura on the sword she held. A massive blue flame wrapped around the sword. Bell stamped her foot and charged forward. The wall was mercilessly crushed, and thick shards scattered everywhere.
Malphas, who was controlling Yulicia’s body, twisted his lips.
“If you attack me while I’m inside this girl’s body, you must know that the one getting hit is this girl.”
Yuma stared directly at Malphas. At Yulicia.
“I know.”
Countless intangible swords flickered behind Yuma.
“That’s because the original owner of this body, which you are overstepping your bounds to occupy, has already agreed to it.”
Yulicia had already considered the possibility of dying alongside Malphas, the [Evil God of Brutality and Construction], who was in a state of divine possession.
Divine Domain Declaration.
Life-and-Death Battlefield.
Yuma’s divine authority was unleashed, targeting an objective.
Not Yulicia, but Malphas who was in the body of Yulicia; this was the technique being cast at that target.
Among those belonging to the ‘Life-and-Death Battlefield,’ if they are not excluded by Yuma, they must attack him within five minutes.
Otherwise, the pure power of Yuma’s divine ability would cover the opponent in the form of a sword.
Malphas became enraged.
But his steps couldn’t move forward. Malphas stumbled back within Yulicia’s body.
It was clear he would be utterly defeated in his original form; there was no way he could win with a human body he possessed.
“…You’re really trying to kill me, huh.”
Yuma approached Malphas, who was taking on Yulicia’s form.
Swish—
Yuma drew Balmung and aimed it at Yulicia’s neck. A faint red line appeared on Yulicia’s white neck.
“You monstrous creature…!”
Malphas, controlling Yulicia’s body, gritted his teeth.
“This girl’s body is no weakness against that guy… First, I’ll manipulate the cult members to create chaos. Then, I’ll use that opportunity to return to the Divine Realm.”
Malphas calculated in his mind.
He did it.
Yulicia’s eyes turned scarlet. She activated the curse planted in the Piggero Church members.
Among the Piggero members, the one most exposed to Malphas’s cursed sigil was the food provider entangled in the corruption with the management office of Weiland, handing over prisoners.
Crack!
The sound of bones shattering echoed from the bodies of the food providers and the believers. Their eyes, just like Yulicia’s, were now stained a deep red.
“Uaaaaaah!”
The believers’ physical transformations resembled the process of turning from humans into beasts.
Unconscious beasts approached Duke Yuma’s party.
“I’ll handle this.”
Bell kicked off the ground once more, charging at the believers transformed into beasts. The Holy Maiden Ermel furrowed her brow, watching the rampaging believers who had completely lost their minds.
It was excruciating to face beings that couldn’t be saved even with her divine power.
“I’m going too,”
Cloney, who had lightly overcome Malphas’s curse, also rushed toward the rampaging believers.
The Malphas residing within Yulicia looked at the lone Duke Yuma.
“Wait, one day I’ll kill you.”
Malphas was confident.
No matter how divine, he believed it couldn’t activate beyond the dimension of the world. Returning to the divine realm in a state of a soul was all that mattered.
Creeeak!
The sound of flesh being crushed resonated.
Thud—
Yulicia’s body slowly toppled to the ground. A massive soul flowed out from her body.
Yulicia’s body rapidly lost vitality.
It was the vessel of a god in the middle of divine worship. Naturally, the resistance was extreme.
Whoosh!
The soul of Malphas, “God of the Wicked Constellation,” surged upward in a straight line. But soon, the movement of the soul abruptly stopped.
Boom—
A heavy echo reverberated within the massive dome-shaped barrier.
An item received from Leah.
An item that prevents the soul of Malphas, currently descending into the Intermediate World, from returning to the divine realm.
[???]
: A hastily made item.
: Temporarily bans the use of a physical body connected to the target’s soul.
: Maximum target – God.
: Caution – To exert the item’s effect, divine power equivalent to that of a Deity is required.
The item was crafted with the help of the great sorceress Eldrie, who had expertise in magical engineering, along with Cloney. Duke Yuma’s divine power was also utilized in transforming the item to create a dome-like barrier that could trap the soul of the god.
“Malphas.”
Duke Yuma stared at the manifesting, glaring soul of Malphas. The soul took the shape of a black raven, resembling the original Malphas who lay dead in the divine realm.
“You die here today.”
The death sentence was pronounced.
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