The cardinal of the Eternal Church, Zaxilos, was defeated by Osian and died after a fierce battle.
Osian, who had directly severed his head with a sword, was certain of this.
However, this space was still being maintained. Only then did Osian realize that this terrible space was not being maintained by Zaxilos.
This place was already mixed with another dimension. Because of that, conversely, it was also the place where contact with the 'outside' was easiest. If one were to be precise, it could be considered a blank space between two worlds that clearly divided their boundaries with the barrier of stars.
And in that blank space, an existence from the outside revealed itself.
A massive hole opened in the center of the heart. From inside it, an indescribable enormous energy emanated. There was a thick scent of blood, as if blood had pooled for a long time, rotted beyond decay, and condensed. The air touching the skin was not just eerie, but sticky and clinging. The density was so thick that even breathing felt unpleasant.
Soon, something massive could be seen writhing and moving beyond the pitch-black hole. It felt like the shadow of something enormous was revealing its presence beneath a vast water surface. It was a sight that stimulated human fear all too naturally.
"This is driving me insane."
Of all things, it had to be that bastard.
-Flash!
And finally, the thing looked this way. A bright yellow pupil appeared on what was red as if painted with blood, like tree bark.
That pupil was enormous, and the presence of its gaze was far more enormous than that.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble!
The red stone statues offering prayers on both sides of the canyon began to tremble as if an earthquake had occurred. The skull-shaped heads rattled and shook madly. It seemed like they were praising the advent of this majestic and overwhelming existence.
The corrupted ones were the same. Some of the corrupted ones offering prayers or bowing exploded without a sound, bursting into pieces. Especially those that were close to Osian showed this tendency. The blood of those who burst in a spray of blood scattered in all directions and turned into mist.
Those mists gathered together to form red clouds, and those clouds were sucked into the void connected to the eyeball, drawing a massive whirlpool.
"Red Eternity."
The outer god Red Eternity looked at Osian. Just that alone brought a suffocating sense of oppression. That eyeball was merely an extremely small part of the body that being possessed.
Even so, it felt like his entire body was being crushed. Beyond having a massive stone placed on him, it felt like being thrown directly into the deep sea.
An impulse arose to immediately kneel and offer prayers just like those corrupted ones. To throw away his sword, cast off his armor, and surrender to that being.
-Flash!
At that moment, the sun ring burning behind Osian's back emitted a massive flash. That radiance tore through the red clouds swirling around. Red Eternity's bright yellow pupil frowned for the first time.
"You seem to think little of me."
Osian said, looking at Red Eternity.
"Did you think I would surrender just because you stare at me like that?"
Osian was certainly quite exhausted from the battle with Zaxilos. But that didn't mean he had become weak.
-Hissssss.
Yellow heat haze rose from Zaxilos' corpse. The haze that rippled as if melting space became a single flame and rose into the air. It was a brilliantly shining sun.
Osian reached toward that sun. It was the arm that had been burned by putting it into the sun's torrent.
"Come."
When Osian said this, the sun floating in the air fell into his hand as if drawn by enormous gravity.
-Whoooosh!
Osian, swallowed by the sun, looked precarious as if he would burn up and disappear. But the sun wrapped around Osian's burned fingertips and gradually began to transform into armor. Starting from the fingertips, from head to toe.
Brilliant golden armor was overlaid on Osian's entire body. Compared to the initial appearance of the Sun Ring Shackles, the thickness of the gauntlets was still thin and the size was small.
However, it was a form that was sturdier and better balanced than when he had grasped all the gauntlets. The cape flowing below his shoulders created a beautiful form with mixed white and yellow colors.
The ring of the sun that rose behind his back stabilized and drew a clean and beautiful circle.
As Zaxilos died, the power of the sun ring he possessed returned to its owner, Osian.
A long spear blazing with the heat of the sun was grasped in Osian's left hand.
Thunk! Osian thrust the spear into the ground. The spear shaft pierced the floor all too easily.
Flare! Flutter! Above the spear blade, a flag appeared, with flames blazing and fluttering greatly.
The flag blazing with the sun's emblem spread purifying energy along with heat to the surroundings.
-Kieeeeek!
The corrupted ones that were far away turned into black ash, swept away by the heat with screams. The red clouds that had been billowing around were also pushed back by the sun's power and surged greatly.
The red clouds and the sun's heat collided with each other, creating invisible torrents in the air. Centered on those torrents, Osian glared at Red Eternity. As if he would no longer allow the intrusion of such a filthy bastard.
Red Eternity's pupil twisted with displeasure. Osian was merely a created being. No matter how strong his power, it was still insufficient compared to the main body of the outer god Red Eternity.
Even so, the reason he couldn't fully vent his anger was that Red Eternity was in the disadvantageous position of being an outside existence.
Even though this was a blank zone, Red Eternity couldn't fully project his authority here either. The restrictions were diminished but still existed.
-Hisssssss. Scritch. Scritch. Scritch.
With sounds like countless insects crawling, red tentacles began to writhe beyond the void space and covet the space.
Osian gripped the flag's spear shaft more strongly. The flag blazed brilliantly and the heat became even stronger.
The tentacles that touched the heat hesitated and retreated without realizing it. Red Eternity became angry at this and tried to push in stronger power.
The tentacles trembled and split, with sharp thorns growing on their surface. Some tentacles grew mouths with teeth and howled with bizarre voices.
The surrounding walls crumbled and countless corrupted ones burst out from inside. The corrupted ones surrounded Osian and revealed their killing intent toward him.
But they couldn't enter within a certain range. Even the corrupted ones felt instinctive fear before the brilliantly blazing standard bearer of the sun.
"Come if you can."
Osian glared at Red Eternity with wide eyes. Red Eternity was about to get angry at the arrogant human's provocation, but soon decided to change his approach.
His gaze turned upward. Naturally, Osian also realized that the bastard had other schemes.
Cardinal Zaxilos was dead. The other archbishops were also dead. Then was he targeting the bishop level? To borrow their power?
No. Those of merely that level couldn't possibly handle Red Eternity's power.
Just one. There was one person still remaining.
It was Basilio.
Basilio couldn't properly control his body due to Red Eternity's energy that suddenly began to pervade the entire space.
It was that bastard. The owner of those massive pupils he had seen that day had appeared. Just that alone made the entire space to tremble. Even the mindless red angels sat down and offered prayers at the appearance of the absolute being.
At that bizarre sight, the Blood Brotherhood, the slithering sisters, and the witch Maia were all overwhelmed and couldn't move.
[Oh no.]
Only Cthulatlap recognized the situation unfolding now and made that sound.
[Troublesome bastard. Does he want to settle things here?]
Cthulatlap broke free from Attila's embrace and rose into the air. Deep blue-green energy burst from his body. Energy that spread like seaweed drifting in ancient seas pervaded the space and neutralized Red Eternity's energy.
The party finally felt their breathing ease.
"Wh-what is happening?"
Attila said, moving her barely responsive lips.
[Red Eternity. That bastard has appeared.]
"W-wait a moment. Red Eternity is the outer god they worship, right? Are you saying he has descended?"
Plimene asked with a serious expression. The appearance of an outer god, of all things, was very different from ordinary cases. Actually, Plimene couldn't figure out how to respond here either. She had only heard of outer gods as stories.
Something infinitely distant that one would never encounter in a lifetime. The news that it had suddenly appeared was as unrealistic as waking up one day to find the sky collapsing.
Naturally, there was no manual for this either. Even if there was, an individual couldn't possibly come up with countermeasures.
"What should we do..."
But since she couldn't ignore the sense of responsibility that came with her position, Plimene muttered like someone possessed. She wasn't particularly hoping for an answer. She just said it because she couldn't bear it otherwise.
Cthulatlap reminded Plimene of the cruel reality.
[What are you going to do? You humans cannot resist that bastard. You who cannot even stop natural disasters, how could you stop something worse than that?]
"......"
Plimene couldn't retort because Cthulatlap’s words were true.
[It's the same for me. I'm merely an avatar. What I can do with this is just reduce that bastard's influence. Even this is quite a strain.]
Cthulatlap’s pupils turned toward Basilio.
[Moreover, that bastard is now looking for a suitable vessel to project his power. You there. I'm talking about you.]
Plimene's gaze turned toward Basilio. The same was true for the others. Basilio staggered but straightened his posture.
"...Yeah. It seems that way. Something is whispering in my head."
Basilio was feeling it too. After that bastard appeared and some time passed, a voice could be heard as if someone was whispering right in his ear.
That sound gradually shortened in intervals and grew louder. It seemed like thousands and tens of thousands were shouting simultaneously. It felt like his brain was being gnawed at. Even though he was a lich without a brain, he felt it to that degree.
It got a little better as Cthulatlap exercised his influence, but it was a matter of time. The whispers were getting louder.
Though it was a whisper where all sorts of strange sounds overlapped in one place, strangely the meaning came across clearly.
"It's babbling for me to come to it."
"......"
"It seems that the bastard wants me. That means my junior killed Zaxilos. Damn, the problem is I can't be purely happy about it."
Red Eternity was now trying to expand his influence in this world using Zaxilos as a vessel. He didn't want to miss this opportunity now that a passage had finally opened.
Basilio was trying to resist as much as possible, but attraction wasn't something that could be easily shaken off. He gradually felt his mind becoming strange.
"I, I am..."
Basilio's voice began to tremble gradually. Seeing this, Plimene's pupils shook greatly. She shouted toward Cthulatlap.
"Do, do something! Please!"
"Plimene!"
Maia shouted in surprise. She hadn't expected Plimene, of all people, to make such a request to Cthulatlap.
Though they were receiving help, Cthulatlap was also an outer god. From the perspective of people of this world, he was an existence that should never be approached.
But Plimene didn't have the luxury to consider that now. At this rate, Basilio would be devoured by Red Eternity.
[It's not like I'm sitting idle. But there are limits to what an avatar can do. Blocking that bastard's whispers now is the maximum I can do.]
The ritual Zaxilos had prepared was to create a passage between this blank world and Red Eternity's world. Using this blank world as a stepping stone, it was meant to allow Red Eternity to exercise influence in the present world.
Since direct descent was impossible, he had used his head. Zaxilos was dead, but the ritual he had prepared proceeded as planned.
Now that the passage was open, there was nothing Cthulatlap could do. Though his main deity's rank was higher, in a situation laden with restrictions, the advantage went to Red Eternity, who had fewer restrictions.
At that moment, one of the red angels offering prayers suddenly stood up. Everyone tensed up and stared at the creature.
The red angel trembled like an epileptic patient, then spread both arms wide. Soon his chest split open with a crack, and a bright yellow pupil popped out from inside.
The pupil rolled its iris here and there, then soon captured Basilio, who was staggering while holding his head.