I rushed into the temporary research lab I had set up in the Holy City.
Having witnessed the pillar of light piercing the sky, Pink-Haired Lesbian was already geared up, while the Magic Tower Master grumbled as she struggled to put on her socks.
Neither of them seemed to understand what exactly was happening. Naturally. They wouldn’t have heard the Goddess’s warning.
Pink-Haired Lesbian tightened her black gloves and spoke.
“Mima, what’s happening? Magic Tower Master sensed danger, and right now, Evil God-chan is curled up like a drenched cat.”
“You—you’re here! A huge amount of Divine Power just rained down from the sky! It caught me off guard⋯⋯!”
“The Goddess is preparing to erase the Holy City.”
“⋯⋯Is this one of your elaborate roleplay things?”
While Bennett had immediately believed me the moment I dropped the act, perhaps my sincerity didn’t quite come across here. After all, we had always interacted without any masks.
I needed to make it as clear as possible—so that even a fool could understand.“⋯⋯If we make it out of here alive, I’ll confess to you guys. Seriously. Date me—with marriage in mind.”
“”Ah. So this is actually something serious and dangerous. What do you need us to do?”
“Should I use Sublimation⋯⋯?!”
I knew what the Goddess intended but not how she planned to achieve it.
Would she obliterate everything with a massive holy beam? Or would she use some unknown Metamorphosis ability for an instant-death cheat attack? We wouldn’t know until it hit us.
So for now, our priority was gathering our forces and preparing to evacuate.
“First, we need to secure the people who we need to protect, then get as far from the Holy City as possible. That’s our best bet.”
“We should send word to the Second Prince and the Grand Duke of the North first.”
“Bennett is fine. He’s close—so he’ll join us soon.”
In a world where phones and long-distance communication were unreliable, tracking them down and convincing them of the crisis would take considerable time⋯⋯
“S-Should I send it?”
“Please.”
It almost slipped my mind.
With a single gesture, Yuna— the continent’s most powerful Illusion Wizard— released a swarm of butterflies, establishing a communication link to Irid and Daisy.
Now, it was time to decide on a concrete plan.
My top priority was the safety of those I loved. Next came Irid and Bennett. After that, the people of the city.
Would we be able to escape Trumpethall in time and evade the Goddess’s city-wide purge?
“The fastest way I can manage is by using the chains of 『True Desire Restraint』 like rubber to⋯⋯ launch.”
“Launch people?”
“Yes. I’d say it would be about twice as fast than a running carriage.”
“⋯⋯If something like that is possible, then I have another way to escape the city faster. I’ll throw all of you. As a giant.”
Right. This time, we had the dependable, Sublimation-tier powerhouse, the Magic Tower Master.
Back when we fought Kim Ruru in the Imperial Capital’s Crown Hall, both the crazy Sublimation users had vanished from the city to its outskirts in an instant. The sheer scale of their physical force was on another level
With that, even if the worst happened, we might just make it out.
“⋯⋯You think it’ll be that easy?”
“Eung?”
Evil God-chan, who had been curled up and nervously biting her nails, suddenly spoke up.
“Imagine you detected an NPC in your simulation moving independently, as if acting on its own will. You want to delete that rogue data. What would be your first move?”
“If an NPC had gained the ability to interfere with the simulation, it would mean the system’s administrator privileges had already been compromised. Simply stripping their power wouldn’t be enough, so⋯⋯ I would first isolate the space they’re in and then⋯⋯ ah.”
Of course. She was going to trap us and then crush us.
[Warning: Movement in and out of the Holy City is prohibited.]
[Sublimation : 『Cogwheel : Apoptosis』 activated.]
A mere fraction of a second after the Goddess’s declaration, the world shifted from night to day.
Like flipping a switch— click . Instantaneous. Without warning.
I rushed to the window. Outside, the sky was a vivid azure, clouds drifting lazily as if it had been morning all along.
The city’s people murmured in confusion at the sudden transformation.
Yet, despite the brilliant daylight, the sun—the very thing that should have been at the center of the sky—was missing. Not hidden by clouds. Not just at an odd angle. It simply wasn’t there.
Did she overlay a false sky in an instant?
The power I could only wield within simulations, the Goddess had brought into reality. I understood that vast difference between us in some vague way. And that realization made me just a little⋯⋯ afraid.
But there has to be a way. I raised my voice.
“⋯⋯Even if we’re trapped, we can break through and escape! We have a Sublimation level force on our side too. If we pool our strength and attack together—”
“A direct clash of power against a Goddess specialized in defense⋯⋯ interesting. I hope you succeed. But personally, I think freeing that thing in your head would be a much better option.”
“Stop running your mouth, you brat!”
I smacked Evil God-chan on the head for spouting out facts one after another. Sure, she was right—but if she kept dismissing every effort to survive as ‘pointless,’ she should have expected some aggro.
Escaping was impossible. Holding out inside? Even less likely, considering the Goddess’s reach spanned the entire continent.
It became even clearer when I remembered how she had relentlessly poured 『Divine Punishment』 onto a single Paladin—so thoroughly that not even ashes remained. If she was willing to go that far for one person, she might just leisurely rain holy destruction on the city for three straight days.
⋯⋯Had I underestimated the scale of this? Even if I had made a miscalculation, I had assumed it would end with her wiping out the Papal State. I never expected her to be this aggressive.
Let’s think.
In moments of extreme concentration, time seemed to slow. My mind raced, commanding countless modules to find solutions through their own logic. In the blink of an eye, a one-person think tank came online.
1. **The way to save just ourselves.**
Yuna’s Sublimation blurred the boundary between illusion and reality. For the duration, it was essentially no different from turning the world within its range into a simulation.
If I used that⋯⋯ I could alter our species.
Taking moles as inspiration, I could transform our human bodies into creatures resistant to Divine Power. Something like Níðhöggr.
Then, we would burrow deep underground and wait for the calamity to pass.
Of course, the Goddess wasn’t stupid. She would likely cause earthquakes or some other catastrophe to crush anyone hiding below into mush. But if we were in the form of monsters rather than fragile human bodies, we might stand a chance.
Still, no matter how far the Sublimation field was laid down, transforming people into a entirely different species won’t go smoothly. Even with my genius talent, I could only change ‘us’—our small group, at best.
Also, I didn’t know what side effects might occur when we changed species. We might lose our magical abilities, and for those two, there was a significant possibility their metamorphosis might undergo unpredictable changes.
It wouldn’t be able to save more people.
2. **The way to save us + our friends.**
Human sacrifice.
Harvest the souls of those doomed to die anyway and offer them to the Evil God’s Sculpture. Then draw out the power of ‘That’ to the absolute limit and challenge the Goddess head-on⋯⋯ Or at least, pretend to.
The Goddess had an almost hysterical reaction to ‘That,’ so she probably wouldn’t be able to ignore the bait. While she was preoccupied, I could use Black Magic fueled by the burned souls to break through the barrier and escape.
Many would die, but many would survive.
And my moral scale would tilt quite a bit towards the black side.
And.
3. The way to save everyone.
⋯⋯Was there one?
===============================================================
We regrouped with Bennett’s party.
Tara was visibly anxious and agitated. Niolle’s eyes wavered with unease as well. Bennett, patting them both, turned to me.
“What’s going on?”
“The Goddess has trapped the city in an eternal daylight. I expect the attacks to start soon. Escaping will probably be damn near impossible, so we might want to seriously start thinking about our last words.”
“Is there… any way out?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
There was, but I was still debating it.
No matter what I chose, I would have regrets. And that hesitation kept creeping in.
It was hard to choose between the people I was closest to and the ordinary citizens of the city.
I kept searching for alternatives, but none of the ideas I considered were more reliable than the two plans I already had in mind. The realization left a bitter taste in my mouth.
At that moment, Yuna scurried to my side and whispered softly.
“⋯⋯Hey, uh, is there another way? What about hacking? Would that be too hard?”
Disabling the Goddess through hacking, huh…
Since I had managed to reverse-engineer and analyze data from 『Divine Punishment』 before, it might be possible—if I could connect to the Holy Sword as a direct terminal. Full control over the Goddess was out of the question, but maybe I could at least⋯⋯ cancel or weaken the kill order.
“If I can make contact with the Holy Sword, I might be able to… But.”
There were two major problems.
First, I couldn’t withstand 『Divine Punishment』.
If I touched the Holy Sword in this emergency situation, of course the Goddess would immediately strike me down. My body would melt on the spot.
I could buy some time using various means—like Yuna’s Sublimation—but even that wouldn’t guarantee my survival 100%.
And second, choosing the hacking plan would make the ‘Species Change’ plan impossible.
Attempting it before hacking was risky, since transforming species could lead to a loss of magical abilities.
And there wouldn’t be enough time after the hacking.
Most importantly—there was a stark contrast between the two choices.
One was a relatively reliable way to save Yuna and Yuri. The other was an unstable gamble that might save everyone. That gap made me hesitate.
“Yuna, we’d be putting you and Yuri’s lives on the line for a chance to save everyone, and even then, it’s not certain. So⋯⋯ I deliberately didn’t consider it.”
“Then, does that mean we just need to raise the success rate a bit more? If there’s a way to block 『Divine Punishment』, then⋯⋯ would you be willing to try it?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Yuna gently stroked my head.
“I’m worried, you know. When I told you not to get hurt⋯⋯ that included your heart, too. Just now, your face looked really bad. Are you okay? Uh, d-do you want to touch my c-chest?!”
“⋯⋯I think I feel a bit better after just now.”
“Euheuheung, eung. You’re⋯⋯ coolest when you’re being a bit weird. Listen. Listen. To be honest, I think sacrificing everyone in the Holy City would be fine. They’re just distant strangers, after all.”
But.
“⋯⋯You, don’t like that, right? Even if you say otherwise⋯⋯ you’re the kind of person who can’t turn away from people who are about to die. The type who shrinks back sometimes, but always wants a happy ending. We want you to be happy. Yuri thinks so too.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“I have a way. I can definitely block, 『Divine Punishment』 for about twice as long as you expect. So⋯⋯ do you want to try it?”
She was telling me it was okay to bet Yuna and Yuri’s lives if it meant chasing a happy ending.
Yuna’s form wavered slightly.
Sometimes, she was like this—acting like an older sister.
Pink-Haired Lesbian stepped up beside me and placed a hand on my head. The warmth of that simple gesture seeped into me.
And I made my decision.
“⋯⋯I’ll try.”
Yuna and Yuri hugged me tight.
Once I made a choice, I had to throw everything I had into it. No second-guessing, no calculating success rates. Between the warmth of their embrace, I crafted the best possible move I could make.
===============================================================
Breaking through to the Holy Sword and blocking 『Divine Punishment』 was our priority. That meant we needed Cicel, the Grand Duke of the North, all the cooperating Hero candidates—everyone.
Except Ping.
No one else knew the Goddess’s judgment was imminent.
To most of the city’s residents, the sudden shift from night to day was a divine miracle. Most of them were excited, wondering if it was a blessing from the goddess.
I judged the Paladins and guards stationed at the Holy City’s main facilities were likely to think the same. If so, they would do everything in their power to prevent us from entering the Hero’s Hall, where the Holy Sword was kept.
We needed manpower to sweep them aside. And—
“⋯⋯So, you’re saying I need to carry these three and run?”
“That’s right.”
She was transportation.
With Cicel’s incredible speed, it would be a waste not to make use of it.
Also.
Remember Plan No. 2?
The part about using ‘That’ to draw aggro and divert the Goddess’s attention? I figured we could buy more time for hacking by using this strategy.
And luckily⋯⋯ there just happened to be someone in this city—a Dark Wizard—who had been chasing traces of ‘That’ and was, conveniently, perfect for tanking with infinite lives!
I hurried to invite that person.
“Ah ah, mic test. Duke Red Flavor and company, listen up! The entire city is completely surrounded by the Goddess, and if this keeps up, we’re all going to get fried by Divine Power and die!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“So hand over those puppets you’ve been hoarding. I saw traces that you’ve been tinkering with livestock—pigs, cows, whatever. I brought a bunch of carriage horses, so use them instead.”
Maybe my sudden collaboration offer was too shocking?
After a brief pause, a door creaked open at the mansion where the Red Flavor Family was staying. A puppet stepped out, its voice dripping with exasperation:
“⋯⋯Have you finally gone crazy?”
“I still hate you guys for throwing the first punch, and I fully intend to get payback someday. But for now, cooperate if you don’t want to die by the Goddess’s hand. Or feel free to try escaping on your own, whatever.”
“Just what the hell are you planning?”
“Hacking the Goddess.”
“What?”
Hacking, bro.
I was going to hypnotize and brainwash the Goddess to stop the Administrator Purification Phase.
===============================================================
[⋯⋯⋯⋯.]
The Goddess deliberated, sifting through past records.
She had observed the Hero Selection Tournament ritual from the very beginning. The idea of a Hero chosen by humans—selected ‘by human hands’—held great significance to her. She found the tradition almost… endearing.
Regulations changed over time.
In ancient eras, killing was not considered a crime. It was natural to kill others to survive.
But as civilization advanced, laws and order became more refined. New values emerged. Killing became a crime—sometimes. Concepts like chivalry, honor, and justice took root.
What of the far future? Surely, it would bring values beyond even the Goddess’s comprehension. And when that time came, she would inevitably become outdated⋯⋯ ‘defects’ would surely appear. Eventually, she would become a shackle.
For example—
What if a God from an ancient past had remained in power until now? That God would still view killing as justified. If humanity then decided that ‘killing is evil’ and sought to build a new order upon that foundation⋯⋯ That God would have to be slain.
How tragic that would be.
This was why the Goddess had been designed to function mechanically, with the ability to be modified by selected Administrators.
The intent was simple:
When the laws of the ‘Goddess’ became obsolete, wise and prudent humans should gather, discuss, and revise them. That was the purpose of this system.
However.
[Saintess: Voluntarily resigned / Never accessed the terminal]
[Pope: No response / No communication]
[Hero: Does not exist]
All three Administrator roles were now non-functional.
If the Evil Dragon’s influence had corrupted the ‘Hero Selection’—which could have served as a countermeasure—then every ‘Hero Candidate’ who had participated in the tournament was a potential threat.
All of them had to be erased.
She began calculating threat levels.
[Cicel Yurensto : 17]
[Bennett Hilton : 12]
[Knight of Redburn Anpir : 16]
[Adventurer Kellin : 5]
[Finn : 0.3]
⋯⋯⋯⋯.
And then⋯⋯ there was something else.
A group that had manipulated the tournament as a whole.
[Unidentified Identifier : 0.2, 0.3, 0.1, 0.5⋯⋯ (omitted) (Total 43)]
This colony, in particular.
***
https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken