Ch.444Chapter 444 – What’s Hidden in the Seal (3)

# Imbue the Earth with Divinity

“Imbue the earth with divinity, diminish the power of gods, and relocate them to a new world.”

If Evgenia’s plan had succeeded, it would have meant that gods would have disappeared from this world.

‘The plan failed, but…’

The preparations weren’t entirely absent.

Perhaps Evgenia’s plan was to complete all preparations and then slowly persuade the gods.

In the end, Evgenia didn’t live to see the fruits of her labor, but the ritual remained sealed.

And in a place beyond the eyes of the gods.

‘And since then, Emiris is the only god that has remained.’

According to Chris, this ritual was designed to activate against gods who had existed since ancient times, from Evgenia’s era.

In other words, if this ritual were activated now,

Emiris would be the only target.

‘If activated, it would be a fatal blow to him.’

He had absorbed all sorts of divine powers in pursuit of omnipotence.

Though I couldn’t know exactly how much power the ritual would diminish, it would certainly reduce at least part of his power.

At worst, it might strip away all the divine power he had absorbed.

Either way, if the ritual activation succeeded, he would never be able to obtain what he desired.

For a god who sought to possess everything, this ritual was literally a poison that could take everything away.

And despite such poison being hidden everywhere, he still remained unaware of this ritual’s existence.

There was no reason not to use it.

“What’s needed to activate the ritual?”

“First and foremost… me,” Chris said, carefully pointing to herself.

“The successor who inherited Evgenia’s power to activate the ritual. The successor releasing all seals and activating the ritual is the first condition.”

After saying this, Chris quietly pointed to the fragment.

“Second, an enormous amount of divine power. The massive divine power from Evgenia’s fragment must continuously maintain the seal. Other gods’ divine power won’t work. Only Evgenia’s divine power is possible.”

“Why is that?”

“Because Evgenia created the ritual. It was designed to match her divine power.”

Chris added that this condition had already been met.

All the seals were well-maintained, and the vast divine power was still present, as the total amount of divine power Chris had absorbed hadn’t significantly decreased.

‘So, two conditions are already satisfied.’

The successor and a vast amount of divine power.

With these two conditions met, Chris mentioned the third condition.

“The third is the liberation of the ritual through the resonance of the seal. This happens automatically when the successor releases the seal for the ritual’s activation, but… this will be the biggest problem.”

“Why?”

I asked Chris.

She replied with an apologetic expression.

“…The ritual’s range is so wide that it will take days to complete. And…”

“And?”

“During that time, the divine magic that Evgenia placed to hide the seal will be released.”

The surroundings grew slightly quiet at Chris’s words.

She quietly opened her mouth again and said:

“In short, if we activate the ritual, Emiris will notice.”

“Damn it.”

I thought we could end this while he remained unaware.

Even if he knew nothing about the seal, he would likely notice immediately if the ritual was activated.

If he noticed, he would undoubtedly try to destroy the ritual by any means necessary.

Especially considering the condition that a vast amount of divine power was needed, if he destroyed the seal and absorbed that divine power, the ritual might fail even if completed.

He possessed the authority of conquest and also had Evgenia’s divine power.

There was no reason he couldn’t absorb the vast divine power maintaining Evgenia’s seal.

I briefly thought we could end this easily, but that was unrealistic.

‘At least the good thing is that we have the initiative to activate the ritual.’

At least we controlled the timing of when to start.

It was fortunate that we could maintain this significant advantage.

“Nothing comes easy, huh.”

“We’re dealing with a god, after all.”

Beatrice responded to my comment with a bitter smile.

Then, looking at Chris, she asked:

“So, little nun, is that all you’ve learned?”

“I haven’t told you everything, but mostly yes. Why this seal was created, what it’s for. And what’s needed for it, and how to activate the ritual. All that knowledge is now within me.”

Chris quietly replied, looking at Beatrice.

“…I’d like to activate it right away, but…”

“Emiris would use all his power to interfere. It’s not feasible right now.”

After saying this, Beatrice gently looked at me and said:

“So instead, let’s focus on the other issue at hand.”

“Other issue?”

“The helmet, you.”

Beatrice smiled as she looked at me.

“…Since we’ve found the Philosopher’s Stone, shouldn’t we call the First Tower Master and ask him to start the Hero’s Awakening Ceremony?”

“You mean Lumen.”

Beatrice nodded at my words.

“Let’s call him here. He’ll surely conduct the ceremony for us.”

Lumen was certainly quite favorable towards me, so he would definitely come if called.

The time was right, but…

“…The communication device is probably in the carriage.”

The only communication means I had was that ugly skeleton Lumen had made.

Even if I wanted to call Lumen right away, I couldn’t.

Honestly, the idea that the Philosopher’s Stone would be hidden in Evgenia’s seal was just a prediction, and we couldn’t unnecessarily increase our luggage, so it was unavoidable.

However, Beatrice seemed to have anticipated my response.

“Then, I’ll go up and try to contact him. I roughly know the location and have made preparations. I’ll need Miss Sera’s help though.”

Beatrice said she could at least send a message to Lumen, who should be in Albheim.

Hearing her words, Eve asked:

“Can’t we do it from here?”

“The divine power interferes. And being deep underground is another reason. Let’s go up to the surface. We’ve seen everything we need to at the seal.”

We nodded at Beatrice’s words.

We knew the purpose of the seal, and activation didn’t necessarily have to be done inside the seal, so we probably wouldn’t need to come back for a while.

“Then, let’s go back up.”

“I’ll lead the way!”

Noah and Lizanis, who hadn’t been able to join the conversation for a while, stepped forward with somewhat relieved expressions.

Nodding at the two, we slowly turned to head outside.

However, Chris was briefly offering a prayer towards the seal.

“Chris, what’s wrong?”

“…I was just offering a prayer to Evgenia.”

Chris said with a smile.

“What kind of prayer?”

“A prayer of gratitude.”

Chris answered.

“Though it was for the sake of a righteous future, she didn’t just leave irresponsibly but tried to consider her followers.”

Evgenia’s ritual was to imbue the earth with divinity so that the remaining followers could use divine magic.

As Chris said, it was a god’s consideration for the followers left behind.

“She’s no longer in this world, but she never abandoned us.”

Chris smiled quietly.

“So, I was offering a prayer of gratitude for guiding us until the end.”

“I see.”

I smiled quietly at Chris, who, despite becoming a goddess herself, hadn’t lost her reverence for the god she believed in.

“I’ll wait for you.”

“Thank you.”

At my words, Chris expressed her gratitude and began to pray again.

Unlike usual, she was offering a prayer of gratitude with a serious expression.

Quietly watching her devout figure, I asked the others to bear with me for a moment.

Shortly after, Chris stood up.

“Are you done with your prayer?”

“Yes.”

After saying this, Chris quietly looked at me.

She seemed about to say something but then swallowed her words and shook her head slightly as she looked at me.

“Let’s go now.”

Chris gently held my hand.

Without letting go of that hand, Chris and I returned to the others.

+

The return journey was smooth.

Since Sophia had surrendered to us and Sera had become their master, the golems naturally didn’t interfere with us.

To quickly contact Lumen, we barely conversed with Sophia, only collecting magical tools that might help with communication, and then proceeded directly back up through the seal without any significant conflicts.

During this, Lizanis quietly asked:

“…White Dragon, I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

I asked cautiously, slightly wary of Lizanis, who then quietly inquired:

“Just now, the others mentioned that they could finally save your life. What does that mean?”

“Ah, I’m curious about that too.”

Noah also joined the conversation.

Sia answered on my behalf:

“This fellow died once from the backlash of overusing dragon power. He’s essentially being kept alive by magical force.”

“…Undead? Zombie?”

“No.”

Denying Noah’s words, I briefly explained the condition of my body.

After the brief explanation, Noah quietly nodded.

“I see. So that’s why everyone is so excited and hurrying. Because they can save you.”

After saying this, Noah looked at me with a slightly mischievous smile.

“You’re loved.”

“More than I deserve.”

I answered with a slightly bitter smile, and Noah shook his head slightly and said:

“Saying that is disrespectful to those who have struggled alongside you to save you. Humility is good, but it’s not always considerate to everyone.”

“I’ll remember that.”

I nodded and responded to Noah’s answer that self-deprecation isn’t always the right answer.

Satisfied with that, Noah smiled and nodded.

Then Lizanis quietly said:

“…I didn’t know you were in such a condition.”

“It would be stranger if you did know. My companions and I had reasons to find out.”

I quietly spoke while looking at the four people behind us, excitedly chattering while looking at the Philosopher’s Stone.

“…If the ceremony succeeds…”

“Kay will surely decide…”

Sera and Eve were discussing something with serious faces, while Beatrice and Chris were listening intently.

After watching the four, who seemed too serious to interrupt, I quietly asked Lizanis:

“Do you have something you want to say?”

“Not particularly. I’m just thinking about what that person who dueled with me said.”

Lizanis then muttered slightly dejectedly:

“With my slow mind, I think I somewhat understand why he was angry with me.”

Lizanis seemed to have taken it to heart, contrary to my expectation that someone of his character would quickly forget.

While thinking that despite his hasty and excitable nature, his thought process might actually be normal if he could just cool his head, Lizanis quietly asked:

“So, I have another question.”

“What is it?”

Lizanis cleared his throat slightly.

Then, he quietly asked:

“…What are your plans?”

“Plans?”

“Well…”

“He seems to be asking which of those ladies you’re going to choose and how you’ll proceed,” Noah interjected with a slightly excited expression.

Looking closely, even Sia was listening with interest.

“You know, things like who you’ll confess to, where you’ll live, plans for children…”

“…I haven’t thought about it.”

I spoke in a low voice so the four people seriously discussing the future wouldn’t hear.

“Honestly, I’ve been busy with immediate concerns. And being careful because I didn’t know when I might die.”

Of course, mutual attraction led to deeper relationships.

But I think I was careful within my capabilities.

“How irresponsible.”

“…I know.”

I honestly acknowledged Noah’s comment.

Then, looking at the four again, I quietly said:

“But now that the lifespan issue is being resolved, I plan to face it seriously.”

The time was approaching to properly face these grateful people who had developed feelings for me.

There was a time when I thought this day would never come, but with the biggest obstacle resolved, I needed to face it even more.

As if reading my thoughts, Sia chuckled and said:

“Well, at least you won’t be creating four widows suddenly.”

“I don’t want to be an irresponsible person.”

“Make sure of that. If you make them cry, I’ll give you a good beating.”

After Sia said this, I became slightly curious and asked:

“On the contrary, do you have any plans?”

“……”

Sia fell silent.

She glanced at me, then behind us, and quietly turned her gaze forward. As I was considering calling her again, I sensed presences behind us.

Eve and the others had approached me.

“What were you talking about, Kay?”

“This and that.”

As I answered and looked at Eve, she was slightly eyeing Lizanis.

It seemed she had been happily chatting with the others when she noticed me talking with Lizanis and became a bit wary.

“I was just chatting with Noah and Sia about what to do going forward.”

“Going forward?”

Her voice carried a hint of expectation.

At the same time, I could feel Sera and Chris seriously looking this way.

After thinking for a moment, I said quietly:

“I was just saying that I need to have a serious conversation with all of you about what to do next.”

“Is that so.”

Eve answered with slight disappointment, perhaps because the answer she wanted didn’t come immediately.

But soon she seemed to understand and replied with a smile:

“Then I’ll wait a bit longer.”

“…Thank you.”

Eve and I briefly made eye contact.

Just as I was thinking of patting her head, Beatrice cleared her throat and spoke:

“We’re almost outside. I wonder if everyone is safe?”

“Nothing could have come through that snow storm, so they should be fine.”

Noah answered Beatrice’s concern about Lizzy, Sonya, and the lizardman warriors waiting outside.

And as if speaking to himself, Noah continued:

“Even if something did break through, they have that number of people and a wyvern. And I hear the lizardman shamans use quite interesting spells, so they should be fine.”

“Lizzy’s magic is powerful, though not as strong as mine. They’ll be fine.”

Though he said this, Lizanis spoke in a rapid tone, seemingly worried about his family.

Looking at the two, Sia added:

“Still, since both of you are worried, we should go up quickly.”

“And the sooner we make contact, the better. Kay, let’s ride the wyvern directly to the Warrior’s Sanctuary and contact Lumen.”

I nodded at Eve’s suggestion.

Despite the wall of snow, flying through the empty space in the air wouldn’t be difficult with a wyvern.

Once we get out, we just need to ride the wyvern and move.

“And then, through Lumen, we’ll conduct the Hero’s Ceremony…”

“And our journey will finally come to an end.”

Chris responded happily to Sera’s words.

“Let’s go, Kay.”

“Alright.”

Since there were no enemies anymore, it would be fine to slightly increase our pace.

The entrance wasn’t far, so a quick run up wouldn’t be a problem.

As we exchanged glances and tensed our leg muscles to quickly ascend, there was a thud, and Sia’s expression changed.

“This energy…”

“The smell of corpses. Something’s coming!!”

Lizanis, with wide eyes, suddenly started running forward.

In his urgency, he extended his hands, almost moving on all fours as he quickly ascended. Seeing this, we all changed our expressions.

Just as everything was about to end, something had appeared, and everyone started running to quickly join those above.

And as we ascended, Sia muttered:

“This energy… could it be… no, that’s strange…”

“Sia, do you know something?”

Beatrice questioned Sia, who seemed to have noticed something and was panicking.

And Sia quietly said:

“How did he know about this place…”

Just as she answered, the exit appeared.

Lizanis roared as he kicked off the stairs and leaped up, and we followed.

At that moment, something flew through the air towards us, and Noah quickly caught it.

Then, he shouted loudly:

“Sonya!”

In Noah’s arms was a blood-soaked wolf beastkin.

Fortunately, she hadn’t lost her life, but her breathing was labored.

“Sonya, stay with us!”

“I’ll heal her!”

While Chris was startled and began healing her with divine magic, Lizanis roared and rushed out, and soon there was the sound of something heavy colliding.

Hearing that sound, I quickly surveyed the surroundings.

“…My God.”

Lizardmen were sprawled everywhere.

Some might not be dead as groans could be heard, but others were no longer moving.

About half of the wyverns seemed dead, lying on the ground.

And on top of the largest wyvern, Lizzy, with what appeared to be an injured arm, was glaring at something, while Lizanis was swinging a halberd as if protecting her.

Soon, Lizzy noticed Lizanis and then us, and urgently shouted:

“Run away!”

“What on earth appeared…”

After saying this, Sera looked at the opponent Lizanis was swinging his halberd at.

A familiar gray hair was visible.

“That’s…”

“How persistent.”

Eve spoke with a genuinely contemptuous voice.

I too felt a similar sentiment as I glared at the figure standing at the center of this place.

“…We meet again.”

His appearance had changed slightly from before.

His pale skin had become even paler, and the dark circles under his already lifeless eyes had deepened.

And on both sides of his head were huge horns, with massive wings on his back.

Looking at that appearance, which would remind anyone of a demon, I quietly called out the opponent’s name.

“Phobia.”

“Heh?”

Phobia, who had been launching something at Lizanis, seemed to react to my voice and turned his head towards me.

And with genuine joy, he shouted:

“Finally, finally, FINALLY!! AT LAST!!!!”

A voice filled with madness echoed around.

A voice I thought I would never hear again spread throughout the surroundings.

“Finally, we meet again!!!”

The voice filled with madness announced the return of that being.

Phobia had returned.