Tisah gritted his teeth and stood firm, gripping his sword tightly.
Blessed Hieronymus felt all his wounds vanish. If that were all, it wouldn’t matter. They could fight again, after all.
But the old man who stood in this battlefield, casting various spells and using his seasoned skills, grew younger. He regained the vitality lost to time.
Many works refer to it as 2nd form, 2nd phase, and various other terms, but in the end, they all mean one thing.
He got stronger.
The monster who had been confronting the elite soldiers of Ansellus Kingdom and the former warriors of Future Hope Church stood up again.
However, no one present was looking at Hieronymus.
All eyes were on the small girl right in front of him.
A girl in her early teens with long purple hair.
Of course, the real age of Rebecca Rolfe was in her late teens, but due to her short stature, nobody saw her that way.
According to Andrew, who said that the religious belief she trusted had fallen and betrayed the leader of Future Hope Church, she was merely a girl with the ability to give blessings.
He explained that she was just being abused in Future Hope Church.
At that moment, when someone from Ansellus Kingdom asked for evidence, Andrew pointed at Tisah and asked.
“Has there been any change in blessings since converting to Seongsin Church?”
At that, Tisah shook his head. There had been no change.
Rather, his regenerative power had grown stronger with each passing day, aligned with his growth.
Then he pointed to the people who followed him, explaining that despite also betraying the leader, they still remained in a blessed state.
So the girl was originally a person entirely unrelated to this cult, he said, a person whom he needed to rescue.
The people of Ansellus Kingdom didn’t fully believe Andrew’s words but were intrigued.
Because the blessings were that extraordinary. Having always faced it as an enemy, they had a better understanding of the blessed than Future Hope Church in some aspects.
So they all secretly wished they could take her if the opportunity arose.
Each person harbored such dreams.
Until that something wearing the girl’s skin burst out laughing with a mouth wide open in front of them.
Imagining a good future for themselves.
“What is that laugh?”
Unintentionally, truly unintentionally, Yasle asked the question.
Unfortunately, he had asked.
“If you’re happy, you should laugh. Right?”
She simply didn’t have confidence in her ability to lie well, so she never lied. Occasionally, she would withhold information or explain in a way that could lead to misunderstandings, but what she said was the truth.
“Could you explain what is so joyful?”
Thus, the answer to Yasle’s question was all fact.
“I can now go anywhere. I don’t have to sink to the bottom where nothing is visible, endlessly looking up at the sky, watching the light shine and fade. I no longer have to wait in despair and frustration for the light that falls. I don’t need to gaze blankly at the star-filled sky for the tiniest warmth in that light.”
Like singing, she spoke, only able to do so because she was overflowing with joy. Something defined as an outsider, according to Hyungkesuni, was speaking.
“I no longer need to give myself to the light being extinguished to gain warmth.”
And now.
Cruxshibal, a god that should not be named, or an unnamed god. The identity of a deity with various names was revealed.
What had hitherto been a singular law that a deeply despairing person would explode was revealed to actually be someone’s action.
Some worlds knew about this outsider.
In this world, some very few people vaguely sensed the existence of an outsider. Thus named a being that came from outside, it became the soil in which Hyungkesuni was able to name.
But it had been hidden knowledge.
Forbidden knowledge that nobody should know.
In the first place, revealing it wouldn’t have helped at all. It was far better to have it as a law so that everyone could feel secure.
Because it was a law, people were slightly restrained from being exploited until they withered and died, or having their wrists cut off if they couldn’t perform the required amount of work.
Also, it was the reason primitive religions were born.
The very fact that there was a god who gave power to those in deep despair was a form of salvation for those in such a state.
However, in this world, there was no salvation to be gained without taking action.
For the outsider, it was a desperate action to obtain warmth, while for people, it was just like being hunted.
Taking warmth away meant, for humans, there was no difference from death, so the actions of the outsider were evil.
In other words, the evil god that ate people was right in front of them.
An evil god that craved passionately.
At first, they didn’t understand what the god was speaking about. But with an original keen mind, and a mind further sharpened by blessings, the answer was quickly found, and they hesitated before articulating it.
Upon that answer, Yasle felt as if his heart froze, and he tried to grab the girl’s collar, only to fail.
The truly joyful smile of the girl was so terrifying that his hand wouldn’t move. So he shouted out loudly as if to deny it.
“You! Did you take my knowledge! In exchange for blessings! You gained the knowledge to summon yourself!”
Clap. Clap. Clap.
In some worlds, a dry applause used for mockery rang out three times.
“Yes. That’s right. I gained it. Hieronymus.”
Then she looked around.
“I made a contract with Hieronymus. He said he would take revenge with my power. So, I did. I received sacrifices. I gave blessings. Wasn’t it all what Hieronymus wanted?”
That was indeed the truth.
But even if the outsider said so, everyone, including Hieronymus, looked at her with faces filled with fear.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t understand the words.
If what this girl said was correct, then the bad person was indeed the leader of Future Hope Church.
However, this fear wasn’t rational.
It was purely emotional.
As the sun set, the shadow of the towering rock pillars cast over the place, and the girl’s eyes glowed menacingly in purple. She was physically emitting light.
Like watching a creature in the middle of an uncanny valley, everyone present felt terror and horror toward the person before them, who seemed somewhat human.
Seeing that expression, the outsider said, “Don’t be afraid.”
And that only made the fear grow. She was one who could observe human expressions and understand what they meant.
Even Yasle, who was originally an expert at reading expressions, couldn’t comprehend what the smile of Hyungkesuni meant. Such a detailed evil god that could read people’s expressions exists.
Almost nobody knew the full truth, but the sight of the girl telling terrified individuals not to be afraid was indeed terrifying.
And one person grasped the meaning of it.
Yasle grasped the relic. The object the outsider had called strange was a kind of magical staff. It had the ability to enhance him.
And it was originally a holy relic that only the leaders of Yeongyang Church Nation could possess. Therefore, one could gauge its power.
“Return to where you were!”
Hieronymus began to recite a long incantation.
Misinterpreting that as an attack toward Rebecca, Joanna jumped in to stop Hieronymus.
No one here knew.
How Joanna Smith felt about Rebecca Rolfe.
Hyungkesuni thought Joanna saw Rebecca as a daughter. And the others, including Hieronymus, perceived that they were genuinely serving a god.
But they were all wrong.
Surprisingly, among those present, she was the one watching the outsider most acutely. Joanna’s unfortunate past allowed her to see the wildness the outsider held. And having endured unreasonable occurrences throughout her life, she could see the outsider’s capacity for endurance.
And
When she was cleaning, she had silently tidied up simple tools for her. After walking in with wet sand from exercising, she had seen Joanna often clearing that sand for a long time, always making sure to shake off her shoes well before entering.
She hadn’t done anything. Just treated her as a companion. Neither above nor below. They hardly spoke, but they cared for one another while doing their tasks.
Such a person had never existed in her life.
She did not view her as a god. Nor was she a friend; she didn’t even feel like someone to serve purely. Nor had she ever thought of her as someone she lost long ago or a substitute for that lost child.
In an ambiguous state, she just moved for something she liked.
And then, someone who blocked Joanna’s path and stabbed her was none other than Tisah.
“I don’t know what’s what! But the most dangerous thing here is that author! Do it, Hieronymus! Do it! Quickly send that thing back!”
He protected Hieronymus.
Despite having just fought and been sworn enemies, remarkably, everyone present did not blame Tisah.
Because they also understood, from the preceding conversation, that something was indeed going wrong.
Before rationality could speak, instinct cried out that the girl had to be excluded.
The outsider, wide-eyed, charged at Hieronymus and saw a woman pierced through her arms and abdomen by Tisah.
“Jo, Anna?”
At that moment, the outsider couldn’t comprehend the situation. She hadn’t said anything particularly strange and only stated she was doing what Hieronymus had ordered, so why?
Why was Joanna stabbed and dying?
And it was none other than Tisah!
And in that moment.
Hieronymus completed his incantation.
Kwaaaaaaa!
A pillar of pure white light descended from the sky, pouring down onto the outsider.
Literally, as if a pillar had fallen, light fell over the outsider’s head.
A technique to send back the god that once came from the sky during the days of Yeongyang Church Nation.
After a while, the light vanished, and only a girl with blonde hair remained there.
Wiggle.
But the girl moved.
Everyone tensed and raised their weapons at her.
Slowly, she sat down on the ground, placed a hand over her chest, and took a few breaths. Then she opened her eyes.
Her pupils were no longer shining; they were a dull blue.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Rebecca Rolfe.”
Everyone realized. The person in front of them was not the outsider they had just seen. It wasn’t merely a change of color, her speech itself was completely different.
She reached forward, pointing a finger at Yasle.
“Future Hope Church leader. You caused the death of me and my family.”
Then she accused.
The people present vaguely understood. What stood there was indeed a person.
Something that had filled the skin, which was now gone.
Tisah and the people of Ansellus Kingdom realized this and turned their bodies back towards Hieronymus, aiming their weapons at him.
The brief alliance was over.
They tried to muster their strength to fight again, but no one could move.
“There’s something I must tell you. Listen. Listen, Hieronymus. No, I am the leader of Yeongyang Church Nation, Yasle.”
With sharp eyes, Yasle’s head swiftly turned towards Rebecca, who had faintly smiled at his expression.
Then, she cursed, using the coarse language she had once possessed.
“You summoned that outsider into this world. You brought in an outsider who could do nothing but gaze up from below the surface. And in their hands, you gave the key to go anywhere.”
Yasle understood what she was saying. But just as he was about to express that it required much preparation on their part, he suddenly recalled what Hyungkesuni had worried about earlier.
The outsider was spreading words only they knew.
But upon realizing that the term outsider referred to him, he let it go. It was merely a change in the way of referring to himself.
However, when he realized that this technique connected with the summoning magic he possessed, Yasle involuntarily knelt on one knee.
Rebecca recalled the scenes she had witnessed within. There were different worlds for each shining star. The clothes were different, the attire was different, and even the races were different.
One could predict there being as many as the stars. Since those were memories Rebecca had seen within the outsider, there might have been even more.
Rebecca continued, looking at him with a cold expression.
“In the future, it won’t only be outsiders coming to this world. Outsiders will reach out to the number of stars in the night sky. You shouldn’t have brought such things into this world. It’s all your fault. Future? Hope? You’ve buried all of that in the cold sea depths. No, this will hurt you more.”
Then Rebecca borrowed the speech of something that once inhabited her body.
“It was your mistake.”
Yasle understood what that meant. It was fundamentally a mistake to have summoned. Everything was the error of Future Hope Church.
Both knees met the ground. In a posture resembling a punished boy, he clutched his chest, as if his heart hurt.
He was in a completely defenseless posture where he could have easily been killed if he swung a weapon.
But no one moved.
No one could open their mouths.
Let’s use expressions that don’t yet exist in this world.
They felt a cosmic dread.
An unreasonable, hard-to-phrase, hard-to-understand, and when explained, incomprehensible dread, clear and definite, an unspeakably disastrous outcome loomed directly ahead.
And beyond, the horrifying despair remained, that even if they killed the enemy in front of their eyes, nothing would improve.
Still unaware of what it meant that the blessings were functioning normally.
