Chapter 222: The Evil God’s Saintess

Ｒｅ​ａｄ ​ｏ​ｎ​ ＫａｔＲｅａ​ｄｉ​ｎｇＣａｆｅ

The moment he noticed something was wrong, he hurriedly turned her head.

What had happened to Sugar, who had been moving toward the hole in the ceiling? What kind of trouble had she caused now?

Watching her, a sinking feeling settled in Riley’s chest.

Black smoke swirled violently around Sugar, her once snow-white hair now bleached and fluttering as she stood tall and proud. She looked every bit the Saintess of the Evil God—no, that title hardly did her justice. The dark halo hovering behind her head was a divine gift, a mark of the god’s favor.

As Riley stared blankly at that sacred yet unholy sight, Sugar suddenly snapped back to her senses and flew toward him.

She approached in silence—graceful yet swift. Her expression was stiff, lips pressed together in a frown, her face a tangle of complicated emotions. Her pastel-colored eyes locked onto Riley.

Then, the Saintess’ lips parted, and from them came a divine proclamation—

“How’s the color of my hair ribbon?!”

“…What?”

“The hair ribbon! Did it fade? Is it still pink? Or did it turn white—?”

What kind of question was that?

“P-Pink.”

“Phew…”

The color was still intact. Though her clothes had bleached stark white, her hair ribbon and choker had kept their original hues.

When Riley relayed this, Sugar let out a relieved sigh.

“Thank goodness… Body parts recover, but once an object loses its color, it doesn’t come back. Good thing I wrapped them in magic as soon as I came to…”

“…You came all this way just to ask that?”

“Just?! You gave me these things! I can’t let the Evil God take even a single color from them!”

She declared firmly, then broke into a bright smile.

Her skin looked paler than before, yet a faint blush still dusted her cheeks. A soft peach hue colored her face, her lips curling into a familiar grin as she gazed up at Riley with those same eyes as always.

The desperate affection in them. The endless warmth.

The sweet scent of spring breeze carried Riley’s love.

Nothing had changed.

It was still her.

Overwhelmed, Riley didn’t know what to say—so instead, he reached out silently to touch her cheek.

But just before he could, Sugar flinched back, her expression stiffening.

“Ah—!”

“…”

“S-Sorry. I just… didn’t want to hurt you.”

As Sugar hastily apologized, Riley spoke softly.

“Can I never touch you again?”

“That’s… probably not the case. I won’t know for sure until this is all over, but… it should be fine for now…”

Stumbling over her words, Sugar hesitated—but Riley stepped closer.

“Come here.”

“Ah! I said don’t get too close—!”

For every step she retreated, he took two forward. Even floating midair, Riley closed the distance in an instant. Before Sugar could react, he leaned in—then, with a soft mwah, pulled away just as quickly, his lips having brushed against her hair ribbon.

Sugar’s eyes widened.

Had he just… kissed it?

That ribbon—a gift he’d given her ten years ago. Even now, as an adult, she still wore it, treasuring it so dearly. Was he moved by that?

Her eyes narrowed slightly, her lips pursing in a pout.

“Next time, do it on my lips…”

“…”

A flicker of jealousy. Getting possessive over an object—how ridiculous.

“A lot… I want you to do it a lot…”

“Since when do friends kiss on the lips?”

At her shameless demand, Riley scoffed.

So Sugar stuck out her tongue and spun around. What was the point of saying that now, after everything? Couldn’t he just agree without making it weird?

“…I don’t wanna be friends.”

Her whisper, like a breath against his ear, made Riley’s eyes widen—but by then, Sugar had already flown away, vanishing like the wind, as always.

“Hey—you—what did you just—?”

By the time he managed to form a coherent sentence, she was already long gone.

.

.

.

Sugar glanced once more at the words floating in her vision.

1. Before using the Evil God’s power, protect your body with magic. Mandatory! You already know how—just do it.
2. Balance is key. Too little protective magic, and your body takes damage. Too much, and while you’ll be fine now, it could lead to disaster later.
3. Your power has grown, but you’re not ready to wield such immense force yet. Be careful. Related to #2.
4. Don’t panic if your body turns white. At this stage, it’ll revert naturally after a day or two if you don’t use your power. (Objects’ colors won’t return.)

“You know me too well…”

These were likely the Traveler’s instructions, left behind through some means of interference. After receiving the blessing and regaining her senses, they had appeared in the corner of her vision.

She already understood #1—using her magic to shield herself from the Evil God’s corrosive power. She’d done it a few times before. Thanks to the adaptable nature of Sugar’s pure magic, she could endure it. Anyone else would’ve had their magic eroded away, unable to resist.

What worried her was #2.

What exactly is ‘disaster’ supposed to mean?

Had there not been enough time to explain—or had it been left out on purpose?

As she pondered, Sugar shook her head.

No time to hesitate.

This wasn’t the time to overthink. First, she had to seal the hole in the ceiling.

But the geometric figures were packed densely, blocking her path—nothing but obstacles to clear. When she’d flown to Riley earlier, none had stopped her, yet now they were in her way.

Sneaky little things.

At first, she’d found their translucent bodies and shifting structures beautiful, but after a while, they became a nightmare.

‘Die already, geometry and vectors.’

She stretched her hand toward the ones diving at her. From deep within, the Evil God’s power surged in response to her will.

“Ah—!”

The output was stronger than expected. She quickly pulled her magic around her body as a shield. Even the slightest exposure made her entire body sting.

Corrosion. Decay. Destruction.

Damutria’s power was simple yet absolute. The figures, which had remained unscathed no matter what attacks she’d thrown before, now began to bleach white. They warped, crumbled, turned to dust.

Now that she’d tested the power, Sugar spread her arms wide. The acrid smoke coiling around her expanded, eating away at the surroundings. She didn’t need to reduce them to dust—just enough corrosion to disable them.

Thud. Thud-thud. The figures plummeted to the ground.

“Ha!”

So satisfying.

No one could stand in her way now.

‘Today, I’m Attack Sugar.’

She’d be the aggressor—in battle and in love.

No more Defense Sugar.

She’d overwhelm Riley with relentless affection, leaving no room for retreat. Better be ready.

Earlier, her true feelings had slipped out in front of him. “I don’t wanna be friends”?!

That was basically a confession—

Yes, yes, consider it a teaser! A teaser!

She’d claim everything—Riley, happiness, all of it.

‘I’m an incredibly selfish woman.’

“So don’t block my path.”

Steadying her nerves, Sugar faced forward calmly and raised her hand. To the lingering spirits who’d lost their bodies but not their existence, she brought deliverance.

Like a harbinger of death. Like a vessel of divine will.

“I’ll set you free.”

All the way to the next world.

Go carefully.

…

…

“Haaah…”

She caught her breath midair.

This power—it drained a lot of magic. It felt like casting large-scale spells repeatedly. Thankfully, her naturally high magic reserves and recovery rate kept her going. Flying with the dark energy instead of magic also helped.

With the area cleared, she turned to the ceiling’s gaping hole.

Ominous smoke billowed at her command, filling the breach. No more enemies would slip through.

“That seals the hole…”

—CRACK!

“What now?!”

Again? What else could go wrong?

The unsettling sound made her whirl around—just in time to see the hole corroding. The blue-tinged ceiling whitened with fissures. Sugar gasped and yanked her hand back, loosening the energy’s grip to ease the strain.

Damutria had kept it stable earlier. Not idle, but actively preventing corrosion. Just like Sugar was now, manipulating the energy particle by particle.

“…I’m annoyed, but I don’t hate them.”

The thought of the Evil God struck her as odd. The old resentment was gone. Was this the result of offering her hatred as tribute?

‘Wait… if I hadn’t given it, would my love, my emotions, have evaporated like this?’

To become hollow, like a shell of candy—

“…”

The void left by her sacrificed hatred was already refilling. The Evil God would replenish it with their own malice.

Frowning, Sugar decided to focus on using the power she’d gained.

After sealing the hole, she spun around. Strange noises and bursts of magic had been erupting behind her.

“What’s that?!”

Her childhood friend was facing off against a—what even was that thing? A massive, drill-like conglomerate of merged figures, twisting into a cone shape as it tried to pierce the ceiling.

She shot toward it.

“Riley!”

The moment she called his name, he teleported beside her, already reciting an incantation from his Grimoire.

Eternal Freeze. A spell to lock an entire area in ice—but the shortened incantation only froze the drill’s surface.

Earlier, he’d frozen the scattered figures en masse. Now, with Sugar having thinned their numbers, and the remnants fused into one, this was the better move.

Targeting the icy construct, Sugar unleashed her power. Dark smoke coiled around it, corrosion spreading—

“Ah! The ice shattered!”

The smoke had dispersed too widely, cracking the ice. Freed, the drill began thrashing, spinning wildly as it launched tetrahedrons and rods at high speed. Getting close was impossible.

“Sorry…”

“Doesn’t matter. We’ll freeze it again. Next time, focus your power into a single point—pierce through and inject the smoke inside.”

“That’s… too precise for my control right now…”

She’d only just begun wielding this power. Her skill wasn’t refined enough.

On top of that, she was simultaneously regulating her protective magic—too little, and her body would suffer; too much, and the consequences could be dire. Her head throbbed from the effort.

But wait. Can’t I afford to get a little hurt?

She glanced at Riley. His complexion was poor. After spamming high-level spells, he had to be nearing his limit. Magic and mental stamina were always his bottlenecks—

No time for pain.

He was running out of stamina. On top of that, his rebellious streak lately had been testing the Grimoire’s patience—how exhausting must that be for him?

‘That’s why I have to end this quickly!’

Her resolve came fast.

Control was lacking? Precision too difficult to handle the enemy?

Then overwhelm them with sheer force! Why bother with strategy when she had power?

Hadn’t she decided to seize her own happiness? Well, that required a little recklessness. Nothing worth having came without pain. No pain, no gain!

“I’ve got an idea!”

Whether it was a good idea or just a simple one was debatable.

Sugar distanced herself and began gathering the Evil God’s power, channeling her magic alongside it. As the dark energy surged through her body, she wrapped it in her own magic to shield herself.

Even with that protection, the backlash was brutal—ugh, it felt like her insides were being twisted.

“Sugar!”

“I’m fine! Freeze it now!”

Focusing, she raised a hand above her head. The black smoke raged against her skin, swirling violently until it condensed into a massive sphere.

A colossal orb.

Its presence pressed down on her mind; its weight threatened to swallow her whole. And yet, it was nothing compared to the Evil God’s true power. This was her limit—and somehow, it still felt too small.

Is this the extent of human potential?

For a moment, doubt flickered.

How long could mortals, born in fragile flesh, wield divine power before breaking?

But she shoved the thought aside and locked onto her target.

The geometric drill, still struggling to breach the ceiling, froze solid in an instant. Sugar shot toward it like an arrow and slammed the orb into its core.

—CRACK!

The Evil God’s energy erupted, shattering the ice and corroding the drill from within.

Deeper… just a little more…

The plan was simple: crush them with overwhelming force before they could act. Let the power swallow them whole, down to their deepest layers.

But energy doesn’t flow one way. The backlash surged toward Sugar too, threatening to consume even its caster.

Her vision blurred. Breath fled her lungs. She wobbled, barely staying airborne—yet she kept pulling magic forth, cocooning herself tighter.

“Ngh…! Hah…!”

Like sprinting until her lungs burned, she squeezed every drop of magic dry.

It was fine. Her recovery was faster than others. She could endure this. A little rest would fix everything.

So—

“HYAAAAAH—!!”

Eyes wide, as if daring the world to defy her, she unleashed the full force.

A hand pressed against her back. Someone anchored her small frame against the tidal wave of power, keeping her from being blown away.

…I told you not to get close. Stupid.

Yet that steady support let her stretch her arm forward, unshaken.

When the smoke cleared, only the bleached, motionless husk of the drill remained.

…

…

“Hah… hahh… haaa…”

Thud-thud. The sound of collapsing mass echoed through the space as the fused figures split apart, crashing down in chunks.

Above them, Sugar hovered in Riley’s arms, the dark energy gone. The halo behind her head had vanished. Drained to her limit, she swayed—and he caught her before she could fall.

Gasping for air but grinning weakly, she looked up at him. He frowned back, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

Their relief at each other’s safety hung unspoken in the shared glance.

—Snap.

A tiny sound.

Like something hard fracturing—more a feeling than a noise. It rang crisp and clear in Sugar’s mind.

In her mind?

How could she hear that?

Then an image flashed before her eyes:

A quiet forest path. A white stone wall blocking the way.

And a thin crack splintering across its surface.

“I told you not to push yourself…”

A traveler’s voice, faint and scolding, seemed to sigh in her ears.

Too late for warnings now.

Break the Wall—