The Saintess of All Gods Temple
Tadak tadak—! With the rapid sound of scorpion legs charging toward me, the saintess swung her massive greatsword down at me. Attacking out of nowhere like this? I immediately summoned the Bopal Weapon and cast Lightweight Curse to reduce its weight before swinging my blade.
The air whistled with a whoosh, and her greatsword—made of mithril, no less—sliced clean through without even clashing. It flew off with another whoosh before thudding into the ground with a kuung.
"...Impressive... Even a mithril greatsword falls to that blade... The hero's sword, indeed. But let's see just how strong you really are."
With those words, she swung her severed greatsword at me again. I tried to slice it apart with my own blade, but she twisted her wrist, slamming the flat sides together and sending me flying sword-first into the darkness.
The moment the fight began, the space around us had transformed into an otherworldly realm. Endless marble floors stretched out, walls and ceiling vanished from sight. The countless statues we'd seen upon entering were gone too.
But I could feel them. Countless gazes staring down at me. Those intense stares pinned my head skyward; I couldn't even think of moving.
The saintess unleashed a merciless slash from her greatsword. I swung the Bopal Weapon to cleave the incoming strike, but the shockwave sent me sliding back helplessly, my body staggering despite bracing my feet.
"Ngh...!"
Should I use it? Small Polymorph?
Tadak tadak—! The sharp clack of scorpion legs on stone echoed as she charged at blinding speed, half-sword raised. I gripped a leaf from my pocket and cast Change Plant, invoking my forest skill's blessing to rapidly grow a massive thorn tree. It swelled grotesquely, sprouting thorns in all directions.
But she didn't block them—she tanked them bare-handed and barreled toward me like she meant to crush me flat. I thrust out my hand, and she grabbed it while her half-severed greatsword clamped onto my grip with her other hand.
She could switch to one hand after two? Even caught, she didn't hesitate, squeezing my hand with crushing force. I cast Recycle to turn it rubbery, barely avoiding it being pulverized. But then her half-sword swung at my arm.
I swung the Bopal Weapon one-handed to sever it again, but a scorpion claw from her head whipped out, grabbing the blade mid-swing and wrenching it from my grasp, hurling it away. The moment it left my hand, lacking ownership, it pierced straight through her palm.
As her other claw and half-sword swung at me, I turned my entire arm rubbery, stretching it low to slip under her. Water burst from my trapped hand via Create Water, and I slid free using the slickness, rolling to draw my spirit sword.
Deadly Queen
I triggered the skill instantly, exploding her palm—but not a scorch mark on her. Expressionless, she whipped her scorpion tail, its stinger piercing my gut. But just before it hit, I resummoned and gripped the Bopal Weapon to block, leaping back to create distance while drawing the spirit sword from my waist and assuming a stance.
Do I have to get serious?
Invisible Touch zipped sideways, firing a compound crossbow bolt. But without looking, a hand on her head swatted it away. The instant it bounced, crimson bamboo shoots fired from my hand at her.
Long red bamboos extended, concealing me as the world tree guardian shot toward her. But it hit an invisible barrier, spinning wildly to the floor.
Changing tactics, I dropped the spirit sword and gripped the Bopal Weapon two-handed. No point holding the spirit sword if I wasn't using elixirs.
"...Come at me with the resolve to kill, hero."
"Hoo... Page one! Fireball!"
The fireball shot toward her, only to vanish with a smirk right in front of her eyes.
Saintess's Dispel cancels the magic.
At the same time, the Bopal Weapon grew heavy and thudded to the ground.
Saintess's Curse Removal cancels Lightweight Curse.
Curses could be removed, after all. The skill description said it didn't count as a blessing, buff, or debuff—but explicitly noted it was treated as a curse. So if she wanted, the saintess could dispel it.
I tried recasting on the Bopal Weapon, but she chanted Curse Removal and Dispel aloud, closing in with her half-sword swinging. I grabbed her hand again to twist the blade off-course and cast Black Cat Rune, but it shattered with a crackle, the backlash hurling me backward.
"Your reactions are slow, your movements sluggish. I can see you hesitating."
The forced disruption charred my palm black. No real motivation or will to fight, even if suddenly thrust into it.
"Page two! Time Stop!"
"Not permitted."
Saintess's slash cleaves the magic.
A casual downward stroke shattered the Time Stop spell. Stunned, I clicked my tongue inwardly and cast Small Polymorph.
Pain surged through my body the instant it activated, replaced by omnipotence. I stomped lightly, flashing before her and kicking at her face. It slammed home with a kwaang, but her scorpion hands on either side struck faster than sound in a barrage.
Consciousness flew as my body crashed into an invisible wall, tumbling across the floor.
Costume Change
Dice's constellation Ka■ rolls the dice... Dice 3!
Increases stats by a multiple of the eyes rolled.
My costume shifted to a flashy red lace dress that fluttered dramatically, perfectly matching my long white hair and rabbit ears. Like a moe version of Alice's rabbit from Wonderland—but her face showed no flicker of reaction.
Forcing my top-tier race's stats to triple, I stomped again, charging her.
"O gods, grant miracle upon my foe!"
Her cry slammed my body to the ground. Kuung—with my bones creaking and muscles tearing like they were ripping apart. I flailed, but my body felt waterlogged, impossibly heavy.
A debuff skill? No—my costume and hair color reverted. The skills forcibly canceled, leaving backlash wrecking my body; I couldn't move as I pleased.
Again the merciless tadak as her half-blade plunged vertically at my head.
Outer God Fear
Opponent cannot feel fear. Ineffective.
"What?!"
I rolled desperately to dodge, gasping as I forced myself upright. I tried lifting the Bopal Weapon, but my shoulders snapped with a crack, arms dangling limp. The impact from forced release wrecked me—no part unscathed. Barely standing, facing an enemy nullifying every skill for the first time, I vomited blood.
Internal damage? As the executioner-like saintess swung emotionlessly at my immobilized form, just before my neck severed—
[Stop.]
A god's voice boomed from above. Her greatsword halted a hair's breadth from my throat.
She silently dropped the blade to the floor, healed my wounds in one go, then clasped her hands piously, eyes closed, listening to the divine voice.
Our saintess... How was the hero?
The new era's hero, reincarnation of nature's incarnation walking the druid's path.
Even yielding the hero's sword, that's all he's got?
Some questioned the saintess, others described me, and some scorned my pathetic collapse without landing a hit. She waited silently for them to finish, then opened her eyes, gazing down at me impassively and emotionlessly before speaking to the gods.
"He is weak. Overly reliant on skills, with predictable patterns. He has burst skills to spike power momentarily, but lacks defensive ones. He shows some wit, but that's it. Unless he has a favorable matchup, equal footing, or exploits a weakness—he'll lose just like now. His greatsword stance is decent, but he has no swordsmanship. Heavily dependent on the Bopal Weapon's power, and high consumption per fight means he'll falter in prolonged or wheel battles."
Her report was deadpan and spot-on; I had nothing to say. If she dispelled enhancements like before, I was helpless. Even elixirs? She'd purge those too, rendering them meaningless. Boosted stats wouldn't bridge the gap against someone like her—just self-destruct my body. And while I couldn't learn skills easily... it was true I'd only held a sword for a year, lacking technique.
The Bopal Weapon's greatest strength is its weight. That holy sword's vertical slash is said to overwhelm even the Maou. The current hero wields barely a tenth of its power. He's not even at the level of being swung by the sword.
Then, saintess, teach him the sword yourself.
It has been a long time... Saintess... Wield your strength for the world.
The hero's fate will lead you to a new destiny!
"Understood."
She nodded wordlessly in assent, then cast Polymorph, shifting her scorpion lower body to human legs and standing before me. Her modified nun's habit resembled a cheongsam, baring her thighs, with the scorpion tail coiling around her waist to secure the outfit.
Healed enough to move, but after that fight sapping all motivation and fighting spirit... I asked about something that'd bugged me since learning of it.
"Pardon me, Saintess."
"Yes."
"...Are you not wearing any panties, by chance?"
"Yes."
...She said it without a twitch in her expression. It'd distracted me the whole fight, ruining my focus. She extended her hand—unchanged even after I learned she wore no underwear—promising long-term guidance as she pulled me to my feet.
"Saintess Tera Aranemu. Wear Anubis Death Scorpion."
"...Your race?"
"Yes."
Long... insanely long! The racial name was excessively verbose! Not knowing what to say, I nodded like, I see.
"Wear races are pitiful ones born from elves' forced breeding experiments. By divine grace, they learned Polymorph to maintain human form."
"...Thank you for explaining."
Sensing my ignorance, she kindly elaborated, then suggested we talk outside the All Gods Temple as she turned to leave—but paused.
"Oh, right."
"What?"
"I forgot to mention."
"Pleased to meet you, Hero. I am one of the Maou candidates."
"...Pardon?"