episode_0222

To the Pioneering Temple

“No…!! Even so, you can’t move so forcefully, Zeke-nim…!! Your wound hasn’t even properly healed yet…!!”

“I can’t help it! Although I’m in this condition… now that I know what that emotion is, I will definitely head to the Pioneering Temple…!!”

“…I came because of the commotion… You’ve gotten incredibly well, Zeke… Are you sure you were the one who was about to die just a moment ago?”

As I hastily got up and packed my backpack, preparing to head straight to the Pioneering Temple, Bivi urgently tried to stop me again. At that moment, Merzel, who had come over after hearing the commotion, recalled how I had collapsed right before her eyes and spoke to me with a bewildered expression. Seeing Merzel, I realized something important about her being here, far from Grovel, in the Tania region, and asked her.

“Wait a minute… Merzel? Then is Cecilia also here…?”

“What took you so long to realize that, Zeke…? Cecilia, and everyone else… various races are currently gathered and heading to the Pioneering Temple to oppose Camilla. By the way, you… now that I look, you have no divine power in your body at all? How did you remove the divine power from your body?”

“What? You mean you can’t feel divine power from Zeke-nim…? Wait… then were we just wary of Zeke-nim for no reason earlier, Merzel?!”

“…At that time, I was in a daze, so I couldn’t confirm if Zeke truly had divine power… Anyway… what exactly happened for the divine power to disappear from your body?”

Merzel, who had been explaining that Cecilia and other races were gathered to oppose Camilla, then asked how I had removed the divine power from my body, saying she couldn’t feel any from me. Hearing her question, I immediately emitted a faint dark purple magic power from my hand, showing it to Bivi and Merzel as I explained.

“It seems that I learned to use magic power through Cecilia’s memories… and by consistently using magic power since then, the divine power in my body seems to have disappeared.”

“Oh my… To think you can use magic power… This is a bit unexpected. No, wait… Now that I think about it, Cecilia-nim did explain something like that before…”

“So that’s why I couldn’t feel any divine power from you, Zeke. By the way… are you planning to go to the Pioneering Temple right now? To save Saintess Aria?”

“Yes. I want to save Aria as soon as possible.”

Merzel, who had understood why I had no divine power, looked at my backpack and asked if I was heading to the Pioneering Temple right now to save Aria. I answered yes. Merzel then intently stared at my backpack before suddenly walking towards me. She placed a hand on my shoulder and began to emit divine power. Strangely, all the pain remaining in my body started to disappear. As the pain slowly faded from my body, I was greatly surprised and asked Merzel.

“This… What is this…?”

“My divine power cannot heal all wounds. You probably realized that the wound was too severe to be healed by magic power, which is why you applied emergency measures earlier. So, I’ve only lessened the pain a little for now. Of course, this is also a type of emergency measure, so the pain that comes later will be greater than the pain you felt just now. But you won’t care, will you?”

“I’m scared of what comes later, but… if I can move again like this… Yes. It’s fine. And thank you, Merzel.”

“Oh, it’s nothing… I was also planning to head to the Pioneering Temple now. The number of resistance forces bringing believers here has gradually decreased, so I judged that I no longer needed to be here…”

“What…? What do you mean…?”

Merzel explained that she had given me emergency treatment because she was also planning to go to the Pioneering Temple and why she no longer needed to be there. Since I still didn’t know about the resistance forces’ plan, I was bewildered and wondered what Merzel was saying. Bivi then giggled and, with her skin slowly transforming into scales, said to us.

“Both of you are just itching to go there, aren’t you? So much so that you want to leave right now… This will be the first time I’ve carried other races on my back. You’ll probably be the first people in this world to ride on a dragon’s back…! Oh, my husband has carried Zeke-nim and others before, so that wouldn’t be the case!”

“Thanks to that, I know how fast dragons are… But the reason you were here…!! Weren’t you here to protect others? You too, Merzel… But is it really alright to leave like this…?”

“Don’t worry about that, Zeke-nim. There are other people here.”

“…?”

As Bivi slowly transformed into her half-human, half-dragon form and offered to personally take Merzel and me to the Pioneering Temple, I recalled Bivi’s earlier words and, bewildered, asked if it was truly alright for Bivi and Merzel, who should be protecting the weak here, to leave. Saphia then slowly walked towards us with people from various races and spoke. I was startled to see Grand Elder Spes of the elves among them and asked.

“Grand Elder Spes-nim…? Then there are elves here too?”

“The last survivors of this world are gathered here. No, to be precise, it’s more accurate to say the last sane people are gathered here. By the way, to meet you again so soon… But I feel in my heart that your heart aches because Aria has fallen into the hands of the Cult.”

“Zeke-nim! Do you remember us?! We’re the Beastfolk we met in Kartoon!!”

“We’re the people you met in Luam! We saw you with Saintess Aria before!!”

“You haven’t forgotten us, Zeke, have you? We haven’t forgotten your grace for saving Protega-nim’s son.”

“You shouldn’t forget us fairies either!!”

“…My goodness…”

As various races recognized me and greeted me warmly from behind Spes and Saphia, I felt a touch of emotion and relief that everyone I had a connection with was still well, and I smiled faintly. Bivi then clasped both my hands together and smiled brightly, saying.

“You are not alone, Zeke. All of us are friends who shared good times with you. And Aria-nim is also a friend who spent a lot of time with us. So, we will help you with all our might. Don’t try to bear it alone.”

“…I’ve already received similar encouragement before, which is why I sought out the resistance forces so I wouldn’t fight alone… But it’s truly wonderful to see these familiar faces again…”

“Our Village Head Kelly-nim is also heading to the Pioneering Temple now! The leaders of other races are also heading there! So please, Bivi, take Zeke-nim there quickly! Leave this place to us!!”

“I understand, Saphia. And everyone…!! Zeke-nim! Merzel-nim! Let’s go outside right away!! Both of you, go out and immediately grab my shoulders!!”

“Alright, Bivi!!”

“Good luck, Zeke!!!”

As Saphia asked Bivi to leave this place to her and the others and quickly take me to the Pioneering Temple, Bivi agreed and led Merzel and me outside, telling us to hurry. Merzel and I followed Bivi outside, and as Bivi instructed, we grabbed her shoulders. Bivi then gradually transformed from her human form into a dragon, spread her wings, and soared into the sky. Merzel and I climbed onto Bivi’s back and headed straight for the Pioneering Temple. On Bivi’s back, I summoned my backpack and began searching for something inside. Merzel tilted her head and asked, wondering why I was suddenly rummaging through my backpack again.

“What are you doing, Zeke? Organizing your things in this situation…”

“I’m looking for all the items I can use at the moment of the decisive battle. And… there’s something important…!! This is it!”

“…? Is that… slime’s goo…?”

I explained that I was organizing my belongings because I needed something for the decisive battle, and then I pulled out a bottle containing some slime’s goo from my backpack and showed it to Merzel. Merzel looked at the slime’s goo inside the bottle I had pulled out and tilted her head in confusion, seemingly understanding even less. While Merzel and I headed more quickly to the Pioneering Temple with Bivi’s help, the believers inside the Pioneering Temple were moving busily. Aria watched the bustling believers in the hallway and asked Krischa, who was beside her.

“The believers are moving very busily, Krischa. Is something happening?”

“It seems the hidden heretics have gathered and are trying to oppose us. I’ve heard that the lower-ranking believers who went outside can’t hold their own.”

“As expected, they’re still just lower-ranking believers. To be defeated by heretics due to lack of faith… By the way, Krischa. Did you finish what I asked?”

Aria, having heard from Krischa that the lower-ranking believers were being helplessly defeated by the resistance forces and that other believers were moving busily, expressed great regret that the lower-ranking believers had lost to the heretics due to their lack of faith. Then, when Aria asked about the task she had given her, Krischa shook her head and said.

“Unfortunately, the lower-ranking believers say they couldn’t find any trace of Zeke Looprian, so they can’t find him. But don’t worry, Saintess Aria. Once we deal with the great obstacle that is the resistance forces, the believers will search the world thoroughly and find Zeke Looprian. Besides, right now, with all the believers preparing against the heretics under Goddess Camilla-nim’s command, there’s no time to search for Zeke Looprian.”

“Hmm… That can’t be helped then. Though I’m worried about Zeke-nim’s safety… it’s Goddess Camilla-nim’s direct command after all.”

“Keeheehee!! So that’s why we Children of Light are almost all coming out, Saintess Aria. You mustn’t forget that, right?”

“Oh… Jervell.”

Jervell, a short priest boy with yellow bobbed hair, wearing a white priestly robe, giggled and asked if that wasn’t why they, the Children of Light, were also going outside. Aria was slightly surprised by Jervell’s sudden appearance and then chuckled, saying. Jervell then drew the sword at his waist and spoke to Aria.

“As Krischa said, if we wipe out the resistance forces, we can find Zeke, and once we find Zeke, Goddess Camilla-nim will immediately create a world for you, won’t she? So isn’t it right to wipe out all the resistance forces first?”

“But isn’t that Goddess Camilla-nim’s command above all else? Goddess Camilla-nim’s words are always right, so we must follow her words. Therefore, once I wipe out all the heretics, I will go find Zeke-nim first. And when Goddess Camilla-nim creates a world just for Zeke-nim and me…!! Zeke-nim will be so happy!! And my dream is to live by his side, savoring his happiness…!!”

“So, to achieve that dream, we must surely exterminate the heretics. Isn’t that right, Saintess Aria?”

“Oh. To think Saintess Kate was still here…”

As Aria spoke about what she would do after this battle, filled with joy just imagining it, Saintess Kate, with yellow bobbed hair, who had approached their side, asked if they shouldn’t exterminate all the heretics for that very reason. Aria was slightly surprised by Kate’s sudden appearance but then immediately welcomed her. Beside Kate, Saintess Remie, with long yellow hair and wearing silver armor, chuckled faintly and said.

“Your presence here truly brings us endless joy, Saintess Aria. If you weren’t here, we wouldn’t be able to fulfill Goddess Camilla-nim’s will so quickly.”

“Saintess Remie is here too? Then the Children of Light who are already outside are… Saintess Adoleth, Priest Shalev, and Priest Okute?”

“That’s right, Saintess Aria. Soon it will be time for the heretics to come here of their own accord… By the way… as expected of heretics, they’re foolish…!! Goddess Camilla-nim already foresaw even this, and all of us Children of Light are in this Pioneering Temple… yet they come here of their own accord without knowing that…!!”

“Of course, Kate. We have Goddess Camilla-nim, but those guys are foolish heretics who dared to reject Goddess Camilla-nim’s grace, aren’t they? So they’re coming straight to their graves!! Keeheehee!! I can’t wait to see their foolish faces!”

Jervell agreed with Kate’s statement that it was foolish for the resistance forces to come here, unaware that Camilla had already foreseen their arrival. He then expressed his eagerness to see the pitiful faces of the resistance forces and quickly ran towards the end of the hallway. All the believers thus began to prepare for the resistance forces approaching the Pioneering Temple, located in the middle of a cliff. The Children of Light, standing at the entrance of the Pioneering Temple, smiled upon seeing the large army in the distance. And the resistance forces, heading towards the Pioneering Temple located in the middle of a steep cliff, recalled the humiliations they had suffered from the Cult so far, glaring at the Cult with murderous eyes. As the resistance forces drew close enough to fully see the Pioneering Temple, they stopped in their tracks. Tess, seeing the believers who had already come out of the temple, spoke to Dio V Runner.

“It seems the Cult has already noticed our arrival. No wonder almost all the believers who came out were lower-ranking ones… So all the higher-ranking believers were gathered in the Pioneering Temple? And those lower-ranking believers were sent to sap our strength, weren’t they, Otherworlder?”

“It seems Camilla completely regards her lower-ranking believers as cannon fodder… or rather, mere expendables… Whew… Still, thanks to the higher-ranking believers absorbing the lower-ranking believers’ power, we were able to fight without expending much strength…!! Hey, Cecilia…!! Look over there!!!”

“Huh? Over there… Oh…!!”

As Dio V Runner realized that the believers who had come out had a different aura from the lower-ranking ones they had met so far and agreed with Tess, he urgently called out to Cecilia and pointed to what he had discovered. Cecilia then saw Aria standing at the entrance, at the end of Dio V Runner’s pointed finger, and was startled. She then gritted her teeth and began to rage, shouting at Aria with eyes full of resentment.

“Ariaaaaa!!! How could you betray Zeke!!!! How could you!!!!”

“…To think that annoying demon is still alive… It’s utterly repulsive… I wanted to kill you with my own hands, Cecilia… And you…? Dio V Runner…? And Tess…”

‘Hmm…? That expression…’

As Cecilia unleashed her resentful shouts at Aria, Aria, who was equally resentful towards Cecilia, made a displeased expression and considered this moment fortunate, saying she wanted to kill Cecilia with her own hands. Then, as Aria suddenly flinched in surprise upon seeing Dio V Runner and Tess beside Cecilia, Dio V Runner sensed that something was off from Aria’s reaction. At that moment, Cecilia emitted magic power from both her hands and shouted at Aria.

“Aria…!! If you betray Zeke like that…!! I can’t possibly believe the vow you made before…!! Everyone!!! Let’s begin now!!! Let’s drive out the Cult!!!”

“Good!!! We attack first!! Everyone, let’s go!!!”

“The heretics are pouring in. O proud Children of Goddess Camilla-nim!!! Exterminate all the heretics!!”

“Everyone, advance!!! Let’s purify this world of the filthy stain named ‘heretics’!!!”

Starting with Cecilia’s and Iruvan’s shouts, all the resistance forces began to charge towards the Pioneering Temple. In response, starting with Kate’s and Okute’s shouts, all of the Cult began to charge towards the resistance forces who were running towards the Pioneering Temple. Thus, the final battle between the resistance forces and the Cult began. A decisive battle where no one could predict what would happen.