Chapter 64

Tisah had an uninterrupted time of laughter.

Anyway, believing in laughter equates to happiness.

The Outsider Sect, having captured the Witch of Joy, immediately tried to summon the Outsider. But alas, Tisah’s magic alone wasn’t enough to bring forth the Outsider.

Adding the secret technique that Yasure brought from the Yeongyang Church Nation was the bare minimum condition needed to reach the Outsider.

But there was a problem.

The knowledge sent by the Outsider doesn’t resonate well with those who have clear minds. That’s why even Ansellus, who spent his life trying to summon the Outsider, couldn’t feel it.

The more blurred one’s self-awareness and the more chaotic their spirit, the easier it is for the malignant information sent by the Outsider to seep into their mind. This was why the False Religion quickly gathered people who already knew how to summon the Outsider—most were individuals whose self-esteem had been shattered by brainwashing and relied on others.

However, the Outsider Sect took a slightly different approach.

Rather than erasing a person’s identity, the Outsider Sect preached forgiveness and acceptance of others—a religion about expanding the heart.

So while they analyzed Tisah’s knowledge, they couldn’t quite grasp what was necessary to summon the Outsider without the special secret technique Yasure possessed.

After several failed attempts to summon the Outsider, Rebecca gave up on directly calling it.

Instead, she decided to try another method.

By cross-referencing the intel given by the Ansellus royal family with the information extracted through torturing Tisah, it was revealed that the more people blessed by the Outsider there are, the easier it is for it to appear.

So, she started spreading blessings globally—not just at sacred sites.

She openly announced this under the name of the Outsider Sect.

An era began where anyone could receive blessings if they wished.

Rebecca also employed something she’d learned from the history of other worlds—modeling a universal religion based on the memories of the Outsider, creating doctrines designed to spread widely among people.

This wasn’t like the Abrahamic religions that reject others but resembled Hinduism, which absorbs various beliefs.

The eclectic mix Rebecca created spread rapidly due to its ambiguity, becoming a powerful weapon.

One reason the Outsider Sect spread so fast was because legends of the Outsider existed everywhere in this world.

A savior god that grants final strength to those desperate in despair.

It was as if the Outsider Sect had always existed before it officially spread.

Of course, there were pseudo-religions derived from primitive ones, but they didn’t last long and were quickly absorbed.

Why? Because of the blessings.

Anyone who believed in the Outsider and recited a single phrase could receive a blessing.

Whether missing arms, legs, or suffering from skin diseases, receiving a blessing cleansed the body. After experiencing the greatness of the Outsider, new doctrines would be introduced.

Believing in gods is humanity’s freedom.

Even the doctrine acknowledges the freedom not to believe in the Outsider. Blessings aren’t contingent on faith; rather, they’re a promise that the Outsider will come for you in the end, no matter what you do.

At first glance, this seems to weaken faith—if belief isn’t required, why bother?

But its true power lies when compared to other religions.

When two religions exist, people instinctively compare them, seeking efficiency—a trait humans have had since prehistoric times.

Someone might receive a blessing from the Outsider Sect and return to their original religion.

But back there, they encounter people.

What happens when someone suddenly appears stronger and smarter after receiving a blessing, especially if they were originally weaker?

They’re rejected.

Their purple hair marks them as evil, and they’re banned from entering the area.

So, what happens next?

They don’t immediately join the Outsider Sect. They still have their original faith, and they only received the blessing to grow stronger. They still believe in their local deity, but now they’re excluded.

Thus, a place emerges where blessed individuals worship the local deity.

It’s akin to a disease.

To outsiders, it just looks like two temples popped up.

For third parties, there’s little difference. Initially, people avoid places without purple-haired individuals.

But eventually, everyone reaches a point in life where they seek divine aid.

Which place intuitively helps people the most?

The Outsider Sect.

Blessings solve most problems.

Plus, you can receive blessings and continue believing in your original deity.

As more people get blessed, families follow suit. For example, if the breadwinner gets injured and receives a blessing to heal, the family naturally follows them to the second temple instead of the first, which shuns them.

Over time, the first temple declines due to rejection culture and collapses.

People gradually become accustomed to blessings. While they may not fully understand the Outsider Sect, the Outsider benefits—it gains more harvesters.

But the real infiltration happens in the next generation. Everyone has purple hair. The once-foreign appearance of Outsider Sect members becomes normalized.

Resistance fades, familiarity grows.

Eventually, people learn about the Outsider Sect’s free doctrines and make comparisons: between a god that demands belief for miracles and one that gives blessings regardless of faith and promises to collect you in the end.

Which is greater?

Not all towns or cities assimilate this way, but the process is generally similar.

The Outsider Sect doesn’t force adherence; its doctrines gradually root themselves culturally.

And with the simple addition of “freedom,” space for other beliefs slowly diminishes.

In areas without strong faiths, two miracles exist:

Blessings come first, payment later.

Other gods require faith first, then grant miracles later.

Humans prefer quick and easy miracles.

Why attend weekly services or pay hefty sums when you don’t have to?

Most religious groups demand money for survival, even compassionate ones—they still need resources to function.

Where does attention shift when costs are lower?

In terms of both faith and finances, the Outsider Sect is overwhelmingly powerful.

Within forty years, most people on the continent sported purple hair and unusually pale skin.

With such numbers, societal stigma arises.

Even if someone isn’t part of the Outsider Sect, having purple hair and pale skin automatically labels them as such.

It’s like stereotyping Muslims as terrorists or assuming all Asians are Chinese or Japanese—it’s lazy generalization.

Scale often feeds itself.

In modern societies familiar with public opinion manipulation, we know how collective narratives shape reality.

Studying the concept of mass hysteria might provide insight.

Truth or falsehood aside, groups sometimes act irrationally.

In the center of the continent lies the Ahu Jungle and the Skard Rock Desert.

It took less than thirty years to turn all regions east of these landmarks purple.

Sixty years after the Outsider died at the holy site, most people on the continent were purple-haired.

Tragically, that’s how it happened.

One day, people began hearing cracking sounds. Nothing visible occurred.

Assuming it was a distant natural disaster, they went on living.

Scientific inquiry was still overshadowed by faith.

Though nascent humanism arose from Outsider Sect doctrines, it was easier to blame the gods than investigate phenomena.

Some sought answers, but none found the source of the cracking sound.

Over eight years, the frequency increased, and people grew desensitized. Hope waned.

Yet one person remembered hearing this sound before.

And one person knew exactly what it meant.

Deep in the old headquarters of the Outsider Sect, long abandoned by most.

What remained of a being once human lay as a shapeless lump of flesh.

Generations ago, this was the Witch of Joy, Tisah.

Subjected to endless torture, her mind shattered. A young woman visited her.

Dakota.

Unaged, people assumed she was a saint, though she knew better—blessings granted her immortality until killing Tisah.

Beside her stood a middle-aged woman with silver hair.

Rebecca Rolfe. After nearly two centuries, she finally began aging.

Short as ever.

Rebecca approached Tisah.

“It’s been a while, old witch.”

Crack.

Behind her, the ominous sound echoed. Tisah’s sole remaining eye opened wide.

Her muscles gone, unable to smile, she recalled the sound.

From long ago, before the torment began, this sound signaled something truly terrifying.

The Outsider.

Crack.

The noise came again.

Like heavy weight pressing down, shattering glass.

“I’ve come to say goodbye—it’s finally time for this to end.”

Tisah saw Rebecca smiling and tried to speak but couldn’t—her vocal cords were gone.

She tried to laugh but lacked the muscles.

All she could do was stare at Rebecca with eyes brimming with terror.

Crash!

A familiar burning pain surged through her body as Dakota plunged a fiery sword into her.

But this was the last moment Tisah could react as a human.

Do you remember how the Outsider embeds itself within blessings?

Do you recall the cracks caused by its immense weight upon entering this world?

Clang!

They were thrown outside the world.

No, not just them—all living beings in that world plummeted in one direction. The glass-like vessel of the world shattered under the weight, plunging everything into an abyss.

It wasn’t falling down so much as transferring servers.

Deeper, older, and broken lights surrounded them as they fell.

No world remained to protect them. They tumbled through countless realms.

Some sparkled like light, others swirled like pigments.

Worlds beyond worlds flashed past as they continued downward. Downward. Downward.

Until they hit bottom.

Splash!

They sank beneath the surface, icy cold piercing deep into their souls.

TL;DR:

The Holy God was right.

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