Not wishing to come into contact with the church forces arriving later, Dorothy promptly bid farewell to Ivy and Vania after giving them a general rundown of information. Without delay, she took Nephthys and once more slipped into the world of pseudo-history.
Within that world, still under the blessing of Viagetta, Dorothy channeled the divinity of Heaven’s Arbiter sealed within her and exerted full control over the phenomena in the pseudo-history world. With a single swift maneuver, she transported herself and Nephthys a great distance in an instant, before exiting pseudo-history once again.
In the nighttime desert, their figures shimmered into view atop a towering sand dune. Nephthys glanced about with some bewilderment before asking Dorothy.
“Miss Dorothy, where are we now?”
“This is the border between Busalet and Addus. We can enter Addus from here and find a place to rest.”
Dorothy replied plainly beside her.
Nephthys was momentarily stunned.
“The border between Busalet and Addus? How did we suddenly end up somewhere so far away?” she exclaimed.
If she remembered correctly, they had just been near Bastis—a central region in Busalet. The distance from there to the border was nearly ten days’ travel. How had they arrived here in an instant? Had Miss Dorothy obtained some incredible new power?
Recalling the earlier moment when Dorothy entered that grand illusory ancient city, Nephthys couldn’t help but ponder, while Dorothy answered directly.
“I merely borrowed some of the Revelation left behind by the ruins on this land. It’s not a power I can use lightly. I just took this last opportunity to shorten the journey.”
Nephthys nodded thoughtfully, then asked again.
“I see... Could this be the power of that ancient sage from the First Dynasty you mentioned before? Since you’ve met her, did you learn anything about how to lift my family’s curse?”
Dorothy thought for a moment, then answered.
“That matter… I’ve only found some clues. The bell must be unrung by the one who rang it. To truly lift your family’s curse, we must face Prince Tomb Sands—Hafdar—directly. He’s a powerful undead, but we are no longer who we once were. I’ve discovered a few ways to deal with him. Once the time is right, we may be able to confront him head-on.”
“Really...? Phew… That’s wonderful…”
Nephthys sighed in relief. As long as there was hope and a lead regarding the curse, that was already the best possible news for her.
Seeing her relief, Dorothy paused briefly before continuing.
“By the way, Senior Nephthys, if I remember correctly, you mentioned your North Ufiga bloodline comes from your grandmother?”
“Yes, that’s right! My grandfather was from Pritt, and he met and brought my grandmother back from North Ufiga.”
“Have you ever met her? Do you remember anything about her?”
“Well… according to my parents, my grandmother passed away before I was born—even earlier than my grandfather—so I’ve never met her. I’ve only seen her portrait hanging in our ancestral home. It was painted when she was young—a classic North Ufiga beauty. Both my father and I inherited her Ufiga traits.”
Dorothy then asked.
“And your father? That old butler of yours—would they know more about your grandmother?”
“Papa and Grandpa Nust? They’d definitely know more about her. If you want to learn more, Miss Dorothy, I can ask them. But… why are you so interested in my grandmother? Is it somehow connected to our family’s curse?”
Dorothy pondered a moment before replying.
“It may be deeply related. But I need to learn more before confirming anything. When you have time, please ask your father and butler everything they know about your grandmother. The more details, the better…”
“…Alright.”
Nephthys nodded with slight confusion, while Dorothy stared up at the night sky, lost in thought.
“According to Viagetta… Nephthys is her descendant, seven thousand years down the line. Which means Nephthys carries the blood of the First Dynasty’s High Priestess. That bloodline must have come from her North Ufiga grandmother…
“So here's the issue—according to what Nust said, Nephthys’s grandmother was brought back by her grandfather after a perilous expedition. He was gravely wounded during that journey, and his team was completely wiped out. From that expedition, he returned with three things: Nephthys’s grandmother, Hafdar’s curse, and the golden scepter that wards it off.
“That means Nephthys’s grandmother, the scepter, and Hafdar are all strongly linked. Perhaps the golden scepter—a powerful Revelation artifact—was originally a relic of her family. If that’s the case, then Hafdar targeted the descendants of his former colleague? But why? As a follower of Heaven’s Arbiter, shouldn’t he respect the priestess’s bloodline? What is he trying to do?”
These thoughts swirled through Dorothy’s mind, but she didn’t dwell on them too long. Turning to Nephthys, she said:
“Let’s go, Senior Nephthys. Everyone’s tired. Let’s rest in one of Addus’s cities tonight.”
“Okay…”
Dorothy then took out the magnetic flying carpet, and once both were seated, she controlled it to lift off and swiftly head toward Addus.
As they soared through the sky, Dorothy felt the last lingering trace of Viagetta’s blessing fade from her body—her ability to control the pseudo-history world was now completely gone. Unless she returned again in her Gold-rank form, she would no longer be able to wield that power.
…
Because Dorothy had already calculated their landing coordinates in the real world using her mental map while transporting through the pseudo-history, she quickly found a border city after crossing into Addus with Nephthys, and secured a decent inn for them to stay in.
In her room, Dorothy sat by the window, letting out a long breath as she gazed out at the night in the desert. Over the past stretch of time, she had been through a chain of events—from the initial operation to capture Amuyaba, to eventually confronting the Matron of Afterbirth Cult, Unina, using both divinity and ancient power. The way things had escalated was far beyond anything she had anticipated. After being tense for so long, she could finally relax and take a breath.
From the action to capture Amuyaba, the battle of plagues, the encounter with Unina, the escape, and the final confrontation… Though she had spent over half a year doing research with Vania within the pseudo-history, the truly perilous encounters all took place after that, especially everything involving Unina—which had kept Dorothy on edge the entire time.
So many unexpected developments… but in the end, she survived.
Letting out a deep breath, Dorothy began munching on some fresh grapes delivered to her room while staring outside, reflecting and analyzing the gains she had made from this string of ordeals.
The greatest gain was undoubtedly the divinity of Heaven’s Arbiter. After experiencing the power of divinity firsthand, Dorothy truly understood the difference between mortals and gods. That gap was not just vast—it was nearly insurmountable. Only after wielding such power could she finally glimpse the majesty of divinity.
“So this is divine power… a force that surpasses even the extraordinary, touching upon the essence of the world itself—rules and concepts. One who commands divinity is indeed a ‘god in the making’. It’s a power far beyond what mortals can aspire to…”
From Viagetta, Dorothy had also learned a bit of mysticism theory. Those who reached the Gold rank and wielded divinity freely were referred to as free divine beings—or as they were more commonly known in Viagetta’s era: demigods.
In contrast, other beings with divinity were mostly either Chosen or Apostles.
The Chosen were mortals who, under a proper priestly system, served as special vessels closely attuned to a god’s divinity. Through this connection, the god could grant them power or manifest its will. In simple terms, the Chosen were containers for divine power and intent. They often came from specific lineages and had the innate ability to carry divinity. The higher their level, the better they could adapt to divine force. However, a Chosen usually needed to be at least at the Crimson rank to bear the active manifestation of divinity.
Names and roles for Chosen varied across religions, but they were always the highest-ranking figures within their systems.
On the other hand, Apostles were more like extensions of the gods themselves. Often, they were created from the outpouring of a deity’s divinity—a god’s children, constructs, or eternal beings blessed with permanent divine power.
Unlike mortal Chosen, who could only receive temporary divine power through ritual, Apostles held inherent divinity. They were not human, lived eternally in the Inner Realm, and were more powerful than Chosen at equivalent levels of divinity. However, they were not ideal vessels for gods to manifest through. Still, gods would often transform beloved or exceptionally gifted Chosen into Apostles, freeing them from the bonds of mortality and keeping them by their side.
Demigods, however, were entirely different from both Chosen and Apostles. Though they all possessed divinity, demigods held free divinity—not bestowed by any specific god. Chosen and Apostles were inherently dependent on their respective deities, but demigods were not. They could wield their divinity with far greater freedom and without constraint from any divine source.
According to Viagetta, demigods were immature or still-forming gods, fundamentally distinct from Chosen and Apostles. Among all divine beings, demigods were the only ones actively evolving toward godhood. In the past, demigods often emerged from Apostles who survived the death of their gods or from those who acquired the remnants of a fallen god’s power. Others arose naturally as fledgling deities occupying empty god-thrones—essentially, candidates for true divinity.
According to Viagetta, if Dorothy reached Gold, then through Heaven’s Arbiter’s divinity, she could skip the normal path and directly ascend to demigodhood, thus beginning the process toward the Revelation throne of godhood…
“Which means my most urgent task now is to complete the advancement ritual. As long as I become Gold, I can surpass most other Golds. Even if I meet Unina again, I won’t have to fear her…
“The Pure Reason Path’s Gold ritual requires knowledge of the mystic histories of six current or former Pure-Color Deities, confirmation of their state, and at least partial sight of their true forms… Sure enough, it’s another complicated task involving all domains of spirituality…
“This won’t be easy. For Chalice, I’ll need to seek out either the Mother of Chalice or Goddess of Abundance. I must uncover part of one of their mystic histories, determine their current state, and even witness a glimpse of their true body.
“Goddess of Abundance would be the safer choice, but she appears to have already fallen. Her priestly system has collapsed entirely. Not only would it be difficult to find her history, seeing her body is probably impossible—unless she left behind some corpse in an unknown location, which seems unlikely. So in the end, I might have to go after the Mother of Chalice… which is insanely dangerous.”
Dorothy frowned inwardly. After her confrontation with Unina, she had no desire to get involved with the power of the Mother of Chalice again.
“As for Stone… back to the old method—go to the Craftsmen’s Guild. But the Guild worships the Core of Order, not the Stone Prince. Would they even have records of the Stone Prince’s history or ways to contact him? And even if they did… how much would that information cost? I have money, but probably not enough for secrets about a god…
“Next is Lantern. The faith of the Radiant Savior is suppressed by the Church. Finding their mystic history will be tough. Fortunately, Vania is now part of the upper Church and has ties to the Redemption Faction. There’s at least some hope of getting info…
“But the real problem is seeing the Radiant Savior in person. That’s a privilege reserved for the Pope—even Amanda, head of the Redemption Faction, doesn’t have access. The only hope may lie with the Savior’s Advent Sect, though who knows if their claimed connection to the Radiant Savior is even real…
“And for Shadow… Tch. Let’s see. Given my ambiguous connection with the Mirror Moon Goddess, this may actually be the easiest part… if I can find a way to contact her again and ask her to intervene once more…”
This was the part Dorothy felt most confident about.
“Next is Silence. Honestly, I have the least information about this one. The so-called “King of the Underworld”—I know nothing about them. I’ve had minimal dealings with the Nether Coffin Order, and what I do know is sparse. Everything else is difficult or dangerous, but this? This one is just a complete mystery. Maybe I can find clues through shamans on the New Continent…
“And finally, there’s my own domain—Revelation. I already know part of Heaven’s Arbiter’s mystic history. But seeing Their true form… I don’t know how to accomplish that. Maybe, like before, I’ll have to figure out a way to create it myself…”
Dorothy methodically analyzed her situation and began drafting a general outline for her advancement plan. For Chalice, she’d try to gather intel on Goddess of Abundance first, and only if that failed would she dare to touch the Mother of Chalice. For Stone, she’d consult Beverly. For Lantern, she’d need to work both the Church and Redemption Faction. Shadow would involve trying to reach the Mirror Moon Goddess again. Silence might require reaching out to contacts on the New Continent. And for Revelation, she’d have to keep experimenting on her own.
After finalizing the general direction for her upcoming actions, Dorothy once again focused her attention on some of the crucial information she had obtained—especially what she had learned from Viagetta regarding Heaven’s Arbiter.
What could now be confirmed was that the former main deity of Revelation, Heaven’s Arbiter, had truly fallen. And before Their fall, it seemed They had foreseen Dorothy’s arrival. Everything that had occurred tonight may have been within Their expectations... Though it felt somewhat like she had been manipulated, she didn’t sense any malicious intent so far.
“So here comes the real question: Heaven’s Arbiter, a god so powerful as to foresee the future—why did They still fall in the end? What exactly is this "fall" They so feared...? And does this so-called fall still exist among the gods today?”
As Dorothy pondered, she couldn't help but recall the current Afterbirth Cult and other heretical groups related to the domains of Stone, Shadow, and Silence. Were these heresies somehow related to this “fall”?
“According to Viagetta, fall is a force even gods fear—a nearly unavoidable influence. Heaven’s Arbiter fell despite Their immense power and foresight, succumbing to unclear and inexplicable circumstances. Even if I were to become a second Heaven’s Arbiter… would I inevitably face the same fate?
“And then there's this so-called ‘system’ I possess. Viagetta said this is also a form of divinity, but one different from Heaven’s Arbiter’s—another variant of Revelation divinity. What does that mean? Could it be that there’s another Revelation god apart from Heaven’s Arbiter? Heaven’s Arbiter was a deity of the Second Epoch. Could there have been a true, first-generation god of Revelation from the mysterious First Epoch? And why did Viagetta say that the system’s divinity is only ‘similar’ to Revelation, not identical? Are there fundamental differences between it and Heaven’s Arbiter’s divinity?”
These doubts gnawed at Dorothy’s mind. But for now, she had no answers—only speculations. Left with little recourse, she set those thoughts aside and returned her focus to more tangible matters.
After taking a deep breath, Dorothy decided to review the changes in her spirituality over the course of recent events.
Though the encounters had been perilous, Dorothy had the support of Sacred Land-Grade spiritual site during most of her battles with Unina, so her overall consumption wasn’t too high. She had used some materialized spiritual threads when fighting Amuyaba alongside Ivy, and expended a few thunder strikes trying to rescue Vania from Unina.
All in all, she had used 4 points of Chalice and 6 points of Stone. She gained substantial Revelation from Viagetta’s narration of the First Dynasty and Heaven’s Arbiter’s mystic history, as well as from the content related to the Gold rank advancement ritual. From Ivy’s account of the Church rebellion and Unina’s words, she also absorbed a good amount of Lantern and some Chalice.
When compiled, Dorothy’s current spirituality levels were at 40 Chalice, 8 Stone, 19 Shadow, 25 Lantern, 18 Silence, and 100 Revelation.
That’s right—thanks to the sheer quality and density of the material Viagetta had shared, Dorothy’s Revelation points had surged to the maximum cap of 100, jumping by more than 50 points in one go. That meant she had already fulfilled the Revelation requirement for her Gold-rank advancement.
"Just like before... Revelation is always the first to be completed… Now I’ve got to start working on the others too…"
She murmured quietly, then furrowed her brows as she glanced at her lower stats.
“Looks like some of my other spiritualities are falling into dangerous territory. Once I return, I’ll need to replenish them properly… Constantly using spirituality in battle really wears it down. I wonder if now, as a Crimson-rank Beyonder, I can use my divinity to help offset some of the cost?”
Resting her hand on her chest, Dorothy thought quietly, and after stretching with a lazy yawn, she swayed toward the bed to finally get some rest.
…
Central Mainland, Northern Ivengard region, core territory of the Theocratic States.
In the heart of the central continent lay the Theocratic States, devoted guardians of the Radiance Church. This region, known as the Plain of Grace, was a vast expanse of level grasslands. At its center stood the most important holy site of the Radiance Church—its core sanctuary.
Under a clear and brilliant blue sky stretched endless, verdant plains. If one stood in the middle and looked around, the sky and earth would seem to meet at the horizon—boundless and vast—until one’s gaze was inevitably drawn to a single colossal presence.
A mountain. A tall one. An immense peak made entirely of sheer white rock, so steep it rose like a spear from the earth, piercing into the heavens.
On such a smooth and open plain, this towering peak stood out like a sword thrust skyward. It shot up at a near-vertical angle, and from afar, it looked less like a mountain and more like a massive white stone pillar holding up the heavens. It was both strange and magnificent.
This was Holy Mount, the greatest extraterritorial religious institution in the world—the heart and headquarters of the Radiance Church.
Amid the expansive grassy plain devoid of even rolling hills, Holy Mount pierced the skies like a divine spear. Its summit was shrouded in clouds, invisible to the eye. At the base of this mountain sat a vast, magnificent city that encircled the mountain completely. Long walls enclosed the entire mountain. Inside, rows upon rows of white buildings spread across the base. Towering sacred statues stood among them, and the tolling of deep church bells echoed throughout the city.
This was Holy Angel City, a city of faith clustered with vast numbers of clergy. It was also the administrative core of the Radiance Church—a massive, bloated institution. From this city, numerous finely-carved stone walkways climbed the face of Holy Mount, spiraling precariously along its vertical cliffs all the way to the summit.
At the summit stood the colossal Cathedral of Holy Mount—a building as large as a small city. It was the Radiance Church’s seat of power.
In a beautifully landscaped garden near the summit, Amanda sat inside a gazebo, dressed in plain clothes and deeply frowning as she read a report. Beside her stood Ivy—appearing as a flickering, partially manifest projection.
"Unina... Dottina... She's... not dead? How did she survive the purification flames of the Holy See back then...? Are you certain about this…?"
Amanda murmured grimly as she stared at the report. Though she tried hard to contain her emotions, her voice still betrayed her disbelief.
"When I first saw her real face, I too was shocked and doubted myself… But based on her subsequent actions, I confirmed she’s the same individual—the chief culprit of the Great Sin four hundred years ago. She likely escaped the Holy See’s judgment back then thanks to aid from an evil god—the Mother of Chalice. Now, Unina is one of Her favored, and a central figure in the Afterbirth Cult. It’s almost certain the recent unification trends in the cult are tied to her."
Ivy calmly reported everything she knew. As Amanda listened, her expression shifted from grave to deeply conflicted. After a long silence, she finally sighed.
"Truly... life is full of surprises. I never imagined I’d encounter her again in this life..."
Massaging her temples, Amanda seemed lost in memory as she spoke. Then Ivy asked directly.
"Your Excellency, what should we do now?"
"This isn’t a decision we can make alone. Contact all the cardinals—we must convene an emergency cardinal meeting."
Amanda's tone was firm as she looked to Ivy, who hesitated briefly before asking again.
"Your Excellency, I understand this must go through the Cardinal Council… but are we really going to share Unina’s full profile with them? Given her past identity... if Lord Kramar and the others get wind of this with their current stance toward you..."
Ivy seemed to be making a veiled suggestion, but Amanda cut him off with a sharp glance.
"This isn’t the time for politics. Send word to every contact point for the cardinals. The meeting must be held immediately!"
"Understood, Your Excellency!"
Seeing Amanda’s determination, Ivy dared not argue further. She turned aside, slicing the air in front of her with a gesture. Instantly, lines of text and symbol diagrams lit up in the air.
Most of these diagrams were symbolic emblems, each annotated. Some had two lines beneath them, others only one.
The first symbol's appearance was that of a radiant sun emitting beams of light in all directions, with the beam shooting downward being longer than the others, making the sun resemble a scepter. On the first line of annotation beneath the symbol, it read "Court of Law," while the second line of annotation contained no text, but depicted a more abstract and simplified sun emblem.
The second symbol's appearance consisted of a simplified sun wheel encircled by a ring of rice stalks, combined with a winged staff entwined by a white serpent at the center. On the first line of annotation beneath the symbol, it read "Court of Redemption," while the second line of annotation read "Saint Amanda."
The third symbol featured a simplified sun wheel design with a regular triangle at its center, pierced through by a vertically aligned sword. The first line of annotation read "Court of Holy War," and the second line read "Saint Hilbert."
The fourth symbol featured a simplified sun wheel design at its center, with a series of iron chains and a codex and hammer bound by the chains. The first line of annotation read "Court of Inquisition," and the second line read "Saint Kramar."
The fifth symbol featured a simplified sun wheel design at its center, with an array of ritual gears and multiple architectural pillars. The first line of annotation read "Court of Foundation," and the second line read "Saint Alberto."
The sixth symbol featured a simplified sun wheel design at its center, within which were concentric layers of interwoven thorns. The first line of annotation read "Court of Asceticism," and the second line read "Saint Marco."
The seventh symbol featured a simplified sun symbol at its center, overlaid by a yet more minimalistic crescent moon. The first line of annotation read "Court of Secrets," and the second line read "Saint Artcheli."
The eighth symbol featured a simplified sun symbol at its center, over which were layered and unfurled scrolls. The first line of annotation read "Court of Scriptures," while the second line contained no written name.