episode_0079

The Pope tried desperately to refute,

But Merlin dismantled every argument.

‘We have certainty on our side.’

Merlin had personally met and spoken with the Goddess of Light, Serena.

In contrast,

The corrupt Pope had only ever prayed.

He had never met her directly.

Because of this, the gap between them widened decisively.

Merlin spoke with unwavering conviction,

While the Pope’s rebuttals were voiced in a trembling, uncertain tone.

The difference was so stark that anyone listening could tell who was right.

Perhaps that was why?

The public began siding with Merlin.

“The Pope seems… off, doesn’t he?” “Is he really the real deal?” “A new apostle of the Goddess?”

It was then that Merlin delivered the finishing blow.

“This mission was entrusted to me by Lady Serena herself!”

“Wh… WHAT?!”

“She personally ordered me to drag down a corrupt wretch like you!”

“Th-that’s… a LIE!… The omniscient, omnipotent Lady Serena… powerless to punish me?!… I-Impossible!!!”

“Normally, yes.”

“…?”

“But right now, the Demon King has expended all his power to temporarily sever the connection to the Celestial Realm!”

“The… the Demon King?!”

“This, too, is information Lady Serena herself revealed to me!”

Murmur, murmur…

The crowd began whispering among themselves at Merlin’s words.

“The Celestial Realm is cut off?” “So even if we sin… there’ll be no divine punishment…?” “Uh… then…”

“But do NOT take this as an opportunity to sin! The severance is temporary—Lady Serena said it will end soon!”

“……”

“Even so, those who commit sins will face harsher punishment later, or the Hero’s Party will carry out judgment in her name.”

“The… Hero’s Party?…”

“If the Demon King has appeared, the rise of a Hero is only natural.”

“The… the Hero has arrived?…”

The people were stunned.

Under normal circumstances, announcing the Hero’s arrival was the Pope’s duty.

Hearing Serena’s voice,

Spreading her will to the world—that was his role.

But.

This time, someone else had declared the Hero’s birth first.

If true, it meant the current Pope could no longer hear Serena’s voice.

He was given the title of Pope to act as the Goddess’s proxy,

Yet he could no longer fulfill that duty?

This was a critical failure—one so severe he’d have no defense if impeached.

“What do you say to that, Pope?”

“Grrk!…”

With every passing moment, the crowd leaned further toward Merlin.

But.

The Pope wasn’t the type to surrender quietly.

Admitting guilt here would mean immediate execution.

So he lashed out.

“Even after seeing this, can you still call me a sinner?!”

WHOOSH!

The Pope unleashed his divine energy.

Though his corruption had weakened it slightly,

The sheer volume was still immense.

At the very least, it proved his faith remained strong.

But.

Merlin had already uncovered the truth behind that faith.

“‘Thank you, Goddess Serena, for letting me swindle these stupid humans out of their money.’ That’s the kind of ‘faith’ you pray with, isn’t it?”

“Wh… WHAT?!”

“Even greed-driven faith is still faith—strong enough to amass vast divine power.”

“Is that true, Your Holiness?!”

“Th-that’s…!”

“Had you stopped at mere greed, Lady Serena wouldn’t have sent a proxy to judge you.”

‘Just govern the nation well.’

She knew he embezzled state funds,

But if he used that wealth to develop the country, she’d have turned a blind eye.

However.

He crossed the line.

“You defected to the demons—tried to hand over Lady Serena’s wealth to the Demon King’s army. That’s crossing the line.”

“D-demons?!” “He’s with the DEMONS?!” “Your Holiness! Explain yourself!”

“Th-that’s absurd!!! Demons?! I know NOTHING of this!!!”

Under the crowd’s pressure, the Pope wore an expression of injustice for the first time as he flailed.

‘Good.’

‘Now’s the chance.’

SNAP!

Disguised, Cain shouted from the rooftop:

“Well, the jig’s up~”

“B… Betty?!”

“Yeees~ It’s me, Grid~ Your beloved Betty-chan~♡”

The Succubus Queen, disguised as a human woman, spoke in a feminine voice as she appeared.

A facade crafted by Merlin’s magic.

(Note: No gender-swapping involved—just an illusion altering appearance and voice temporarily.)

But.

This was more than enough.

A perfect transformation to serve the Pope the ultimate humiliation!

WHOOSH!

Activating the second transformation artifact Merlin had prepared:

“And now~!”

“One of the Four Heavenly Kings who serve the great Demon King!”

“The Supersonic Jet-sama!!!”

“!!!!!!”

From human woman to demon man—the reaction was explosive.

“A… a DEMON?!” “Demons infiltrated the holy capital?!” “MY BELOVED BETTY-CHAN HAD A DICK?!!!!!”

“…?” “…?” “…?”

Even I was stunned.

The crowd was stunned.

Even the Pope, who had shouted that last part, was stunned.

“Ah… AHHH!…”

The Pope broke into a cold sweat, clamping a hand over his mouth.

‘Wow.’

‘Didn’t expect that to hit so hard.’

The plan was just to mess with him—“The woman you loved was actually a man!”—but the payoff was insane.

Because—

The Pope had just loudly confessed his own crimes in shock!

‘Ah…’

‘It’s over.’

‘Pope-san~’

‘You’ve got no outs left~’

…That said, I didn’t feel like dragging this act further.

But the show must go on.

“KEHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Grid~ The look on your face after being betrayed is DELICIOUS~ All the wealth you’ve gathered? This cute Betty-chan’s taking it all~♡”

The feminine voice twisted the knife deeper.

“M-my wealth too?!… Ugh… GACK!…”

The Pope clutched his chest and collapsed.

‘Ah…’

‘Such a delicious reaction…’

‘Now I kinda wanna mess with him more.’

But.

That’d risk exposing the act.

Time to bow out.

“KEHAHAHAHA!”

“Now that I’ve savored the Pope’s stupidity, the Supersonic Jet shall take his leave!”

Spreading his wings, he prepared to flee—

When suddenly.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

An overwhelming surge of divine energy erupted, blanketing the entire holy nation.

“Guh!…”

As a demon, the damage was zero,

But for the sake of the act, he feigned pain and crumpled.

“This divine energy…?” “I’ve never seen anything this immense…” “L-Lady Serena?…”

The people assumed the Goddess of Light had descended—

“Supersonic Jet.”

“The Saintess Sophia, chosen of the Goddess of Light, Serena, and the Goddess of Love, Eros, shall deliver judgment.”

It was Saintess Sophia.

Descending from the sky, radiant with light, her angelic wings unfurled—

‘Oh.’

‘She really looks like an angel.’

Saintess Sophia.

At 100% Blood Stone release + Pink Suit (Divine Amplification Form), she wielded immense divine power as the strongest Saintess.

But.

There was an evolved version beyond that.

Angel Sophia.

Not 100% Blood Stone release—

But 200%.

A transcendent evolution from Saintess to Angel, wielding twice the divine power.

Huh?

How did she reach 200%?

Simple.

‘She consumed a second Blood Stone.’

Fed a Blood Stone crafted from Supersonic Jet’s essence, she now possessed two.

Doubling her power.

No—

Since it came from a stronger Heavenly King, it was more like 3-4x.

Plus, she absorbed Jet’s innate abilities—high-speed flight, stealth, presence concealment, etc.

A form impossible in Prophecy RPG.

Why?

Handling one Blood Stone was already taxing.

Two?

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

But.

Not for the current Sophia.

The suit crafted by Golden Sun allowed her to regulate the overflowing life force of the Blood Stones.

Thus, she could handle two—

And unlock 200% Release Mode.

Hence, her ascension to Angel.

Angels.

In raw stats, they rivaled dragons—monstrously powerful beings.

Among the devout—Saintesses, Popes—only a rare few awaken to this state, gaining immortal bodies

And the right to serve the gods in the Celestial Realm.

A race so resilient they could stand beside the Goddess of Light without perishing.

‘To put it bluntly? They’re freaks who could touch the sun and walk away unscathed.’

Though their offensive power is modest,

Their defense and regeneration are near-divine.

Those who master their unique path can even ascend to godhood.

In fact, most gods (excluding Serena) evolved via:

[Human/Elf/Dwarf/Beastkin → Angel → God].

Oh—

Note: Not just Saintesses and Popes can become Angels.

Warriors, blacksmiths, farmers—anyone with faith matching a Saintess’s can awaken as one.

The Goddess of Plenty, Gaia, is a prime example.

A woman who tilled the soil so devoutly she was said to have married the earth—awakening as an Angel.

Later, through relentless study of agriculture, she became a goddess.

…Or so the stories go.

Anyway.

Angels are divine servants—and candidates for godhood.

A transcendent existence.

‘On paper, they sound like lunatics, though…’

Humans who loved their god so much they enslaved themselves willingly.

Yes.

The ultimate simps.

People so obsessed with their idol they’d leash themselves as pets.

SHWING!

As Angel Sophia appeared, a beam projector activated—

The moment the face of the Goddess of Light, Serena, materialized…

“LADY SERENAAAA!!! I LOVE YOU!!!”

Sophia waved her cheer batons with more passion than anyone.

‘Hey.’

‘We agreed to keep it dignified.’

‘Graceful, merciful, poised—to pressure the Pope.’

But.

Reality was… less ideal.

“SE! RE! NAAAA!!!” “Everyone, together!” “WE! LOVE! YOU!!!” “WAAAAAH!!!” “……”

The moment they saw Serena’s face, the citizens of the holy nation lost their minds, matching Sophia’s cheers.

‘Ah.’

‘Right.’

‘These guys are all Serena simps.’