Boom!
Abigail’s tentacles slammed fiercely against the asphalt ground.
It was a result of me narrowly dodging what was originally aimed at me.
Following that, more tentacles fell from above my head.
A barrage of strikes coming from different angles and timings. Plus, they flew toward me with such speed that I couldn’t possibly block them.
That meant it would have been true if I were my original self.
Smoothly.
The Sacred Power, responding to my will, naturally burst forth from my body and formed a barrier.
Sacred Spell, Sun Barrier.
The top-tier defensive technique knocked back all the incoming tentacles. Not only that, I launched counterattacks for every strike I’d taken.
-Kieee!
The monster enveloped in the fiery sphere emitted by ‘Sun Barrier’ screamed while continuing to flail its tentacles. It seemed determined to break the barrier, enduring the pain.
It wasn’t a bad judgment to unleash a fearsome onslaught, but ultimately it was a mistake. It had become full of gaps.
Soon, a pink light began to radiate from beneath Abigail’s feet.
-Gruuurrr…
Had it sensed the crisis?
The monster, with its wings sprouting from its back due to its transformation, hurriedly tried to flee, but it soon found itself unable to do so.
Before that could happen, the Sacred Power Chains I had created bound its ankle, preventing its escape.
While Abigail was briefly restrained in mid-air, a pink light surged powerfully from the ground into the sky.
Sacred Spell, Sun Judgment.
The strongest offensive Sacred Spell that could sever the breath of any reasonable opponent in one blow.
Without stopping at one, I unleashed a second and third ‘Sun Judgment.’
In an instant, three pink pillars connecting heaven and earth rose up. To an observer, it might have looked like a waterfall flowing in three directions.
Since it was the technique with the most extreme usage of Sacred Power, it was normally supposed to be used as short and strong as possible, but right now, there was no need for that.
The pure and refreshing energy that underlies the fundamentals of all worlds was continually flowing into me.
‘This is Demigod…’
I felt it. The mystical and profound sensation of consciousness that had been trapped in the narrow vessel of a human body was freely extending in all directions.
The world was not separate from me.
It couldn’t even be called a larger concept than the individual ‘I.’
Distinctions, differences, gaps.
Such concepts no longer existed.
The world and I were one. The boundaries had crumbled, and the paths intertwined, making it impossible to separate the two.
Perhaps that was why.
The essence of all things was visible.
The flow of Mana was clear to see, the spiritual energy rising from beneath the ground caught my sight, and even the direction in which the gently blowing wind flowed became obvious.
Moreover, I could even see human will as naturally as physical movement.
This was the world perceived by a Demigod.
-Consciousness is expanding in size. Have you crossed the wall?
I nodded to the astonished Witness, whose eyes widened in disbelief.
Even while doing so, I continued to pour Sacred Power into the ‘Sun Judgment’ pressuring Abigail, preventing her from making foolish moves.
-Congratulations. But…
Witness, glancing at the violently rising pink pillar, narrowed their brow and continued.
-The opposing AI Tuber [Sister Cat] is also a Demigod. And through monstrosity, she gained tremendous power at the cost of losing her reason. Even if you keep up the technique like this, she will ultimately find a way to escape without dying.
That’s true.
For now, she couldn’t resist because of the Sacred Power, which acted as poison to someone harboring sinister energy, but it couldn’t completely kill her. I had just become a Demigod, whereas Abigail must have acquired divinity long ago.
Understanding this well enough, I decided not to be flustered and to move on to the next step.
“Witness, please cover the broadcast screen for a moment.”
As I gave the command, a bewildered atmosphere spread through the chat room that had been watching the situation in a daze.
-???
-Why cover it?
-What are you doing??
-Ah
-What’s going on?
-Huh?
“Just wait a moment.”
I calmed the increasingly agitated viewers and held the upper part of my ceremonial clothing tightly.
And then, I boldly tore it off. Just enough for part of my chest to be revealed.
It wasn’t that I was trying to strip for an unexpected show.
It was to expose my red-stained chest, where the ‘Holy Body’ dwelled.
“O gracious and gentle Sun.”
As I prayed softly, I gathered Sacred Power around my chest.
“Here exists a young sprout with misguided beliefs.”
The vast energy that had dwelled within me flowed according to my will to one spot.
Pure Mana, which had been roaming the air, swirled around in response to my will. Then, in an instant, it transformed into Sacred Power, all rushing to my chest at once.
“There exists a frail sapling that ultimately took a path of wickedness, having never even had a chance to hold proper beliefs.”
If my goal had been to take her life.
I should have unleashed another offensive Sacred Spell in rapid succession. It wouldn’t be easy to kill completely, but I could have led her into a corner, so it should have been the way to go.
However.
I had made the decision not to kill Abigail.
It would be ridiculous to soil my hands with blood under the pretext of stopping a large-scale massacre.
If I was to criticize Abigail for choosing twisted means for her beliefs, I must pursue only the righteous ways myself.
Bring shining light to the weak, and scorching flames to the wicked.
The phrase once used as a greeting by our Order in that world now needed to change.
“O, please grant the brilliance and warmth of sunlight to the one with a twisted heart.”
To the weak, gentle sunlight.
And to the wicked, the light of atonement.
As Pope, I resolved to guide the wicked through proper and just means.
Of course, there would also be punishments fitting the sins. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any fairness for the wronged.
“I will not judge you harshly.”
I extinguished the three ‘Sun Judgments’ that had been blocking Abigail’s movement. There was no longer a need to restrain her.
-Kieee!
Abigail’s body, freed from the pink waterfall, was in a state of disarray. Bones were showing through various parts of her body.
And yet, her vitality still overflowed throughout her body.
Truly, she was no ordinary opponent. Though anyway, soon enough resilience or stamina wouldn’t mean anything.
“I believe you will reflect.”
Smiling gently, I shot forth the gathered Sacred Power from my chest. With true belief.
-Gruuurr!
With wide-open eyes, Abigail spewed forth a crimson flame from her mouth.
The Sacred Power grounded in faith clashed with the bizarre wrath steeped in malice.
Two opposing energies collided in the air, tense and pushing each other away.
It was a stalemate.
An intense clash of power, difficult to determine superiority, continued for a while.
Yet, nothing endless lasts forever.
“Do you know? In situations where both sides are evenly matched, the one who has recently awakened their power tends to win.”
As per the familiar cliché, the crimson flame began to gradually recede. It was weakened because Abigail had been caught up in ‘Sun Judgment’ until now.
Moments later, the Sacred Power shot from my chest completely drove away the tainted flames and finally reached Abigail.
-Kiieee…!
The grotesque monster enveloped in light lifted its head and roared.
It wasn’t a scream born from agony. My ultimate technique, ‘Faith Infection,’ does not induce physical shock.
“…Huh?”
From Abigail’s mouth, which had been making strange sounds until now, a thin voice suddenly flowed out. Gradually, rationality began to fill her previously wild gaze.
Just like when I had stopped Liam and Quick Eagle from recklessly fighting; the violence had subsided for a moment, and she regained a sense of calm—just like me in a usual state.
“Are you coming back to your senses?”
“…….”
Abigail didn’t answer. She couldn’t even look at me.
Her silence and diverted gaze were full of her tangled thoughts.
After a while, during which she just stared at the ground, she slowly raised her head to meet my eyes. The vertical pupils typical of cats were darting around.
“…Please don’t forgive me. I still want to kill you, Pope.”
“Do you harbor ‘malice’ towards me?”
“…….”
“How can you become someone like them when you so deeply loathed the wicked? You mustn’t do that.”
When I lightly admonished her, Abigail trembled and frowned.
“What do you know to say such things? Do you even know what I felt while preparing spells to annihilate all wicked beings?”
There were indeed records about Abigail’s past in the information Kim Ji-yeon had gathered.
Her parents and brother were taken from her by someone jealous of her happiness, or so the story went. A tragic tale indeed.
I understood well enough the purpose she set to create an ideal world where only good existed.
But that was all.
“How would I know what thoughts you have lived with?”
Even Kim Ji-yeon, who had gathered all sorts of confidential information, could not uncover her psychology.
Thus, I wouldn’t delve into it.
Instead of prying into others’ inner thoughts, I chose to focus on what I could do now.
“Just once. Let’s have you reflect thoroughly.”
With that phrase, I gradually stepped back.
With each step, an enormous amount of Sacred Power drained from my body. Even though I was continually replenishing it from the outside, the burden was immense.
If I hadn’t achieved the level of a Demigod, I’d have fainted long ago from the consuming exhaustion.
It seemed like once all was done, I’d end up experiencing a Sacred Power collapse like Liam did, when he was overwhelmed in a previous segment.
I would probably be bedridden for more than a week.
But I didn’t mind.
Such a price was worth paying for something significant.
“Ah….”
Just when my body started trembling, and blood surged forth from my mouth.
Abigail let out a sigh, staring blankly at me.
More precisely, her gaze was fixed on the pink radiance that had suddenly begun to shine between us.
“Please turn the broadcast screen back on.”
I asked Witness while slowly kneeling on one knee.
In the meantime, the light, once akin to dawn, had begun to shine fiercely and intensely like the midday sun of summer.
It was too rough, yet noble.
Excessively high in temperature, but warm.
Excessively flickering, yet soft.
The brilliance that shook my mind with just a gaze.
At the center of it stood a figure exuding overwhelming dignity.
“I see the goddess shining more radiantly than anyone else.”
As I spoke, the chat room began to scroll faster than ever before.
It was a reaction I had anticipated, causing a slight upwards curve of my lips.
“Abigail Myers.”
With her pink hair fluttering to her shoulders, the Goddess stepped forth.
Step by step.
With each inch we closed the distance, Abigail’s complexion paled. She was lost in the immense radiance of the sun.
“You were about to do something outrageous.”
Perhaps because there were eyes watching, the Goddess admonished her more formally than usual, and then she slowly raised her right arm.
Elegantly, she spoke.
“Let’s end this with just one hit.”
“…What?”
In the next moment, her fist swung.
KWAAM!
With a deafening sound that would tear my ears apart, brilliant pink sunlight shot forth from her outstretched right hand.
It was a torrent of Sacred Power, four times thicker and more intense than the ‘Sun Judgment’ I had used earlier.
Caught up in a blow a mere human couldn’t withstand, Abigail could not endure at all.
“Ahh….”
Having returned to her original frail form, Abigail toppled forward.
The Goddess gently caught the unconscious Cat Beastperson in her arms. Then she approached me.
“You’ve worked hard.”
As I received Abigail from her, I bowed my head.
I nearly tipped forward. The amount of Sacred Power expended by the Goddess’s descent was unimaginably vast.
“…I should take my leave soon.”
Soon, the overwhelming presence of the Goddess began to fade. The radiance emanating from her body grew dim.
Though it was a long-awaited reunion, must we part already?
Regrettable, but I decided to send her off neatly. This wasn’t the only day.
“Then, I will see you next time.”
“Yes. Until next time.”
The Goddess lightly patted my shoulder and then playfully smiled.
“There, viewers. If you annoy our Eluke, I’ll rain down divine punishment, so be careful in your chatting.”
“…….”
It was truly a farewell fitting for a Goddess.
As I chuckled, it wasn’t long before the Sun returned to the heavens. Yet, the aftermath of the descent lingered on the ground.
The grass and trees sprouting through the asphalt road.
The flow of air carrying a sublime energy.
Standing still, a sense of holiness enveloped me, beneath the unusually bright sunlight.
It wouldn’t be strange to designate this as holy land. In modern society, it might be better utilized as a tourist spot dubbed “The Place Where the Goddess Descended.”
At that moment, lost in my thoughts.
“Pope!”
The humanoid Hekatrith suddenly descended from the sky. Although weary, her voice was full of life.
“The spell that the cat set up has been removed! It seems that the humans who had left the Void made it through safely!”
“…That’s a relief.”
I let out a sigh of relief and looked up.
The sun, once darkened, had brightened and returned to its usual vibrant self. It was a clear brilliance that ignited within me the desire to keep watching over it.
“Dear viewers.”
Gazing quietly at the peaceful sky that had been restored, I smiled.
“The first broadcast of Tribe, saving the world, ends here.”
Having successfully stopped the annihilation of the world, I planned to take a nice break for a while.
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