It was complete chaos.
The priests of the Church—especially the high-ranking members of the Cardinal Faction—were thrown into utter pandemonium. They scurried about like mice with their tails on fire.
“What—what’s happening?!”
“Night suddenly turned to day⋯⋯ Surely this is the Goddess’s blessing! Look how bright the sky is!”
“But I heard Hero Candidate Benjamin was struck by 『Divine Punishment』 and carried away⋯⋯.”
The reason for their panic was simple: a major event had just occurred—one where day and night had switched places.
Not knowing whether this phenomenon was a blessing or an omen, they could only shout in confusion.
And so, they turned to their masters for answers.
“Where are the Cardinals?!”
“That’s right, the Cardinals will tell us what we should do!”Following the Cardinals’ words had always brought blessings. Priests who earned their favor were granted increased Divine Power and sometimes even a taste of the immense wealth that flowed through the Church of the Goddess.
It wasn’t a difficult life. As long as they knew when to keep quiet, everything worked out well—just like how the young Pope had never stepped outside, or how female priests were forced into revealing clothes to ‘entertain’ in the name of piety.
All they had to do was stop thinking and accept it.
They even justified their actions by claiming that since the Goddess remained silent, this wasn’t corruption but rather the Will of God.
This time would be no different. The Cardinals had always received the Goddess’s favor. Surely, this too would pass without incident.
At least, that’s what they believed, but⋯⋯.
“The Sacred Sanctum! The Cardinals should be inside with His Holiness⋯⋯ but the door won’t open! They just keep saying everything’s fine and telling us to wait⋯⋯.”
“What?”
This time, things were different.
===============================================================
The world was flashing with red light. Warning signals blared repeatedly without stopping.
Curled up in his chair, the young Pope trembled in terror.
Please. Please, forgive me.
Goddess, please just spare me this once.
He clenched his hands together in desperate prayer, making himself as small as possible.
In response, Divine Words(神言) that sounded closer to incomprehensible static than actual speech, swept past.
[Warning : Administrator Purification Phase 1 - City Purge.]
[Warning : Please elaborate.]
Make your confession. I acknowledge that your circumstances are statistically unfortunate. Therefore, I shall weigh your words upon the scales of judgment. The emotions layered in your heart shall be converted into language and transmitted.
The Pope couldn’t understand the Goddess’s language, but instinctively, he knew— She was looking directly at him. Frantic, he scrambled to clasp his hands together and prayed.
“Godd—ess⋯⋯.”
However.
“What the hell is going on──!!”
“I told you! Adding more Regulations was dangerous!”
“Who the hell suggested picking Benjamin?! That bastard—! It wasn’t me, I definitely voted against it!”
“We should never have chosen a brat like this for Pope! He can’t even handle adding a few Regulations without causing this mess?!”
The Cardinals, who had been paralyzed with shock at the looming 『Divine Punishment』, suddenly turned on one another. It quickly spiraled into a flurry of accusations, each of them tearing into the others with bloodshot eyes. And then, their gazes locked onto the Pope at the same time.
They had only one solution. To return everything to normal, they needed to ‘fix’ the situation the way they always had. All at once, the old men lunged. Grabbing hold of the Pope, they berated him, shaking him, spitting venomous words as they tried—once again—to twist him into their puppet.
“We can still fix this if we act now! Block it! Whether it’s the Imperial family or the Duke, if outsiders ask what’s happening⋯⋯ tell them everything is under control and to wait. We’ll handle this ourselves!”
“The times we pinched Your Holiness were meant to guide you, to help you learn the right way⋯⋯! If you resolve this mess properly, we’ll cut down the frequency by half, so please—do something, Your Holiness!”
“Pope, hurry and pacify the Goddess’s wrath! That’s your duty! That’s why we chose you! Even if you have to kill yourself, shut off that damned red light!”
“Ah, eu, aahhhh⋯⋯.”
Who could possibly pray in a situation like this?
The final chance that the Goddess of Machinery had mercifully extended was lost, swallowed up by the panic and screams of the corrupted.
===============================================================
A messenger burst into the room with urgent news.
“I have informed the Cardinal Faction about the situation, but they said, ‘The perfect Goddess would never do such a thing’⋯⋯ And instead of helping, they’ve stationed Paladins to block the entrance!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
I knew those motherfuckers would pull something like this. I had already prepared for it.
The Cardinal Faction’s main fighting force was already set—the Paladins and Priests. They were absolute nightmares when it came to defense and just stalling, and if we tried to break through head-on, the Goddess would have all the time she needed to destroy the city.
That’s why⋯⋯ I had prepared the perfect battering ram that could break through even if they formed rank and built a wall with their Priests and Paladins.
Cicel’s gravity manipulation.
If we launched ourselves forward at full speed, riding her momentum, we could break through their defensive line before they even realized what hit them. Meanwhile, our remaining forces would hold them off, buying us the time we needed.
The Infiltration Team would finish hacking the Goddess during that window.
The only downside to our legendary SSR-tier vehicle, Cicel, was that she was a human. She wasn’t exactly built for multiple passengers—she could take one person comfortably, maybe two if we tried our best.
If we wanted more people on board, we needed an extension. Like a sidecar on a motorcycle. But obviously, we couldn’t just slap something together on the spot in a situation like this.
So, we had to improvise. By bundling everyone together. Using this rope.
“It’s too loose, Mima. Tighten it a little more.”
“It hurts⋯⋯! If you t-tie it too tight, it’ll leave marks⋯⋯!”
“You crazy bastard, don’t wrap it around my neck!”
As I secured the entire group—myself included—into one tightly packed bundle, Second Prince Irid observed with a conflicted expression, muttering something under his breath.
His gaze wavered between seeing me as a hero and a complete disaster waiting to happen.
“The Goddess is in a rampage… and you always seem to bring trouble along with you wherever you go.”
“Yeah, well⋯⋯ somehow, this always happens whenever I come to my senses. Maybe I was born with this as my fate.”
“It is more like you deliberately want accidents to happen. From where I stand, this all seems partly self-inflicted.”
“Is that so?”
It sounded reasonable, but it wasn’t entirely accurate.
Sure, I was responsible for things like single-handedly rigging a tournament⋯⋯ or attempting to hack the Goddess just for fun. That was all on me.
But the Goddess’s rampage? The Cardinal Faction’s circus act? That mess would have happened with or without me.
As I grumbled, Irid added as if telling me not to misunderstand.
“I’m not accusing you. I’m saying that you are excessively meddlesome.”
“…Excuse me?”
“None of this was ever your responsibility. Giving someone a chance, saving people, stepping into a student’s crisis—you didn’t have to do any of it. Yet, because of your strange nature and⋯⋯ weird personality, you keep getting yourself into these things.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Why are you suddenly like this, Prince?
When you say it like that, it makes me sound like some kind of saint.
I shifted uncomfortably, feeling embarrassed. I just acted however I pleased, followed my impulses, and did whatever seemed fun. But, if I really thought about it… he wasn’t wrong. I had done a lot of gooddeeds.
After fidgeting my body around a bit, I muttered,
“Yeah, I guess I do a fair bit of saving. Maybe I should become the Holy City’s savior and get canonized as a Saint.”
“And that, right there, is why no one knows whether to praise you or curse you.”
“Well, it’s awkward receiving gratitude for things I did just because I felt like it. But actually… you seem a little different⋯⋯ did something good happen recently?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Aha.
Right, he must have seen Centra’s face and shared a deep kiss. And now, suddenly reminded that I was the one who made their meeting possible, his heart must be overflowing with gratitude or something like that.
Well, if that was the case, he was welcome to express his thanks as much as he wanted. I crossed my arms and lifted my chin to its highest point—a pose of absolute magnanimity, silently inviting him to shower me with appreciation.
“What are you doing in the middle of tying rope!”
“Evil God-chan, I shall embrace even this.”
“Get back to work!”
Irid chuckled at the comedy routine between me and Evil God-chan before turning his gaze away. With a life-or-death crisis ahead, perhaps he had come to leave me with some final words in his own way.
Or maybe he was trying to say, “It’s okay if you fail to save the city.” Either way, it was nice to know I was on his mind. It gave me a bit of a boost. Let’s give it everything we’ve got.
Just as I finished securing Evil God-chan tightly against my body, the Grand Duke of the North, who had joined us, spoke in his usual annoying manner.
“Use this.”
“Pardon?”
“Cavale, make it.”
“Yes, Lord of the North.”
Crack. Craaack!
A wave of cold swept through the area, and an instant later, an ice sphere materialized in midair. The Champion of the North had crafted it effortlessly using her Metamorphosis ability. The inside of the ice ball was hollow.
A few knocks confirmed it was quite sturdy too. Well, that saved us the trouble of tying everyone up with rope! I clapped my hands like a child at the Grand Duke of the North’s timely contribution of the ice ball.
In return, he gave me a gaze as indifferent as a frozen lake. Though, if it had been Heart clapping, I bet he would have preferred a standing ovation. How dare he discriminate against avatars like this?
I cut the ropes and said.
“Well, let’s all get in.”
With our stylish new “sidecar,” there was no longer a need to transport the Infiltration Team separately. Our party, Bennett’s group, and even Duke Red Flavor’s puppets climbed into the ice sphere.
“You lot, be the cushions.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
The Red Flavor puppets, crafted from livestock, were stacked at the bottom to serve as makeshift seats. She looked like she had plenty to say about this arrangement but was wisely keeping it to herself. Probably because she didn’t want to die either.
The space was cramped, but manageable. Tara and Niolle seemed uncomfortable sitting on puppet-seats, but any complaints vanished the moment Bennett wrapped an arm around their waists.
“Didn’t expect to become a human catapult⋯⋯.”
[How exactly are we supposed to land?]
It was a good question.
Cicel’s Metamorphosis wasn’t perfectly controlled yet, so expecting a smooth landing was out of the question. How were we going to handle that part?
Well, once again, we’d rely on brute force.
There was someone in this Holy City whose Metamorphosis was perfect for the job, wasn’t there?
“Curry the Bankrupt.”
“It’s Kargan the 『Bankrupt』. Lost to Cicel Yurensto in the Round of 32. His Metamorphosis is called『Earth Subjugation』.
Right.
Curry the Bankrupt could control earth within a three-meter radius. With that ability, I planned to make the ground soft and cushiony the moment we landed.
[I watched his match, but⋯⋯ did he really have an ability like that?]
“He didn’t. But I agreed to temporarily create it for him.”
[What?]
I held up a white crystal in my palm. A beam of extreme benevolence, 『Metamorphosis Extra Module』—something that would generally turn anyone into a good boy when hit.
In the Mental Realm, I could use it freely on Pink-Haired Lesbian without consequences. But in the Material Realm, various restrictions made it difficult to deploy⋯⋯ or so I had thought.
Turns out, I found a workaround⋯⋯ even though there would be a few side effects.
By using a weakened version of 『Stygian Arrow of Mind Destruction』 as a syringe, I could inject the module directly into the person.
Tara glanced around and asked.
“Wait, if we need Curry the Bankrupt—Kargan, whatever—shouldn’t he be⋯⋯ inside this ice ball with us? He’s not here?”
“If he’s inside, how would he know when to activate his ability? Obviously, Curry has to stay outside.”
“?”
“Good thing the rope came in handy.”
We put it to good use by strapping Curry to the outer surface of the ice ball.
===============================================================
The reason Kargan the 『Bankrupt』 accepted such an outrageous request was money.
As a mercenary, he led a mercenary group. He had comrades, drinking buddies, and a few fox-like disciples to take care of. Outfitting them all with proper armor wasn’t cheap—it cost far more than anyone would expect.
But still…
Wasn’t tying a man to an ice sphere and launching him into the sky a bit too much…?
Kargan was now tied spread-eagled to the ice, his face filled with regret as the freezing cold seeped into his back and ass. Cicel placed a hand on the ice sphere and spoke.
“Are you ready, Kargan?”
“⋯⋯Ready? Ready!? Who in their right mind would be ready for something like this!? If I had known from the start that you lunatics would make me──”
Flash.
Something shot out from within the ice sphere and struck Kargan’s forehead. His expression momentarily went blank, and a small white dot appeared in the center of his pupils.
『Stygian Arrow of Mind Destruction : Inject - White(白)』.
An overwhelming, almost infinite benevolence surged through him, dwelling within him temporarily.
Kargan’s face lit up instantly.
“──Could’ve used better safety measures. But this isn’t bad either! There’s more romance to it than I expected! My back feels so refreshed! Haha! Well then, let’s do it, my knight friend!”
“⋯⋯Is it just me, or did he get a little too ready?”
Though startled by his sudden enthusiasm, Cicel didn’t lose sight of what needed to be done. She focused, raising her emotions as she activated her Metamorphosis. Everything had a direction.
Crack, rumbleeee.
The ground trembled as dust and fragments of rock lifted into the air. The massive ice sphere, packed with people, wobbled before gradually beginning to float.
Cicel tightened her grip on her shattered greatsword, positioning it like a bat. She was going to send it flying in one powerful hit.
The target was the Holy Sword’s storage room, the Hero’s Hall.
“『Living Grasp(生挾擧) - Shall Fly Away Freely』.”
Craaack, kkang ──!!
With an explosive impact, the ice sphere was launched.
===============================================================
Propelled with speed and force beyond even a trebuchet, the ice ball crashed down about a hundred meters from the Hero’s Hall, where the Holy Sword was stored.
“Euhahahahaha! 『White(白) : Earth Tuning』⋯⋯!!”
The marble floor beneath them instantly softened, morphing into a squishy, impact-absorbing surface with a texture that could only be described as… chewy.
Then—
Splat.
A beat later, a sharp crack rang out as the ice sphere fractured, and one by one, people began crawling out. Those who emerged first looked far from fine. The ride had shaken them violently.
“Ueeghbleeeh.⋯⋯.”
The Purple Magic Tower Master collapsed face-first onto the ground, groaning about motion sickness. Crazy Wizard barely managed to crawl out before collapsing as well, while Bennett, though pale, somehow remained on his feet.
And all the while, about thirty Paladins from the Cardinal Faction stood frozen, staring at the bizarre scene before them with sheer disbelief.
There didn’t seem to be any fable-class opponents among them. Clearly, they hadn’t expected anyone to make a move on the Holy Sword, so the Holy City’s primary forces were likely stationed near the Cardinals and the Pope.
Naturally, that meant the defenses here were relatively lax.
Yuri Lanster grabbed Crazy Wizard by the collar, hauled him to his feet, and dusted off her hands before turning to face the group of Paladins.
Shing.
They were drawing their swords. It seemed like they had no intention of letting intruders pass. Given that they were members of the Cardinal Faction, they probably wouldn’t listen to persuasion either—and time was not a luxury they had.
The Purple Magic Tower Master could wipe them out, but⋯⋯ her power was needed to counter the Goddess’s『Divine Punishment』. Yuri, on the other hand, had no role in hacking the Goddess.
So she stepped forward.
She cracked her knuckles with a crushing sound.
“Handling them shouldn’t be an issue, but this is a race against time. Mima⋯⋯ do you mind leaving them to me?”
“Can you, eueup⋯⋯ manage? Your Metamorphosis is better suited for one-on-one combat.”
“That’s true, but—“
Yuri’s combat style revolved around chaining, binding, and engaging in close-quarters combat. While her techniques covered a fairly wide range, they weren’t exactly area-of-effect attacks.
Even with the mutant Metamorphosis granted by Mima’s Extra Module.
『White(白) : True Desire Liberation(本望解放)』 which nullified mental interference.
『Black(黑) : True Desire Incineration(本望燒散)』 which transformed emotional intensity into raw, destructive force.
Neither of these abilities was ideal for fighting multiple opponents at once.
But—
“That would’ve been true⋯⋯if I wasn’t using the Succubus’s power.”
“⋯⋯Eung?”
Her aversion to her origins had all but vanished when she merged with Crazy Wizard. Now, there was no hesitation.
Yuri removed her glasses and loosened her tie before handing them over to Crazy Wizard.
“Don’t worry, Mima. Even it’s in battle, I have no intention of flirting with strange men. Unlike you.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“Now then, would you cast me a spell of victory? So I can bind your enemies.”
Crazy Wizard thought for a moment⋯⋯.
Then—
He leaned in and, chu, left a kiss on Yuri Lanster’s cheek.
She flinched as if she was startled, before her expression melted into a warm smile.
“⋯⋯I see your confession wasn’t a joke after all. You’re quite adorable, Mima.”
“Win and come back. I should be done by then, too.”
“Yes. Now go. And leave them to me.”
Crazy Wizard snapped his fingers.
Illusion Magic spread like a mirage, and in an instant, everyone except Yuri Lanster vanished from sight.
The Paladins, startled, immediately activated their Holy Magic and artifacts to locate them—
Clack.
A sharp click of heels against the stone floor.
“You should be looking over here.”
And then—
Pink.
She had inherited it all—the Succubus Queen’s intoxicating charm, Crazy Wizard’s illusionary technique—and combined it with the natural allure of her heaven-blessed physique.
That captivating presence—that allure, that inescapable pull—could be summed up in a single word:
Pink.
Like an arrow, her presence shot straight into the minds of the Paladins, embedding itself deep into their consciousness. They couldn’t look away.
Yuri Lanster stood in their path.
***
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