The Evil God's Priestess
One week. It was not a particularly long time, yet if there was one thing Seraphina had come to realize...
Her god was no mother.
This entity was nothing like the constellations of the Continent, who cherished their priests like children and sought to impart enlightenment. It was no gentle teacher guiding her path through prophecies or divine possession.
Rather, it was... closer to a patron.
When she had first crossed the gate, a desperate girl begging for mercy and survival, the god must have found her plight amusing. It had shown her where to find water and where the corpses lay.
She had touched the carcasses of monsters, drenching herself in their foul fluids. She had looked utterly wretched, like a fairy caught in a downpour. Perhaps amused by her pathetic state, the god had bestowed upon her a comfortable bed and the Thunder Staff.
She had sworn to sacrifice everything for the sake of her vengeance. Pleased with the contract, the god had sent a horde of monsters to annihilate her enemies.
Sometimes Seraphina had petitioned first; other times, the god had simply acted on its own whims.
But in the end, the core premise was simple: satisfy the god, and rewards would follow.
'I must view this entity as entirely different from an ordinary constellation.'
In the case of the Continent's constellations—though it varied depending on the deity—
it was not uncommon for a constellation to exact vengeance on behalf of their priest. To them, a priest was an adopted child. An insult to the child was an insult to the parent.
But what of the god of this ruined world? Seraphina asked herself.
If she were to tearfully recount the years of agony and hatred she had endured, would that evil god draw its blade for her?
'Never.'
The girl's vengeance had to be wrought by her own hands.
Becoming the priestess of an evil god was merely the means to acquire the power necessary to do so.
It was a transaction: she would offer her entire being to provide entertainment, and in exchange, the god would lend her its power.
'Vengeance is mine to take. And at the same time, I must keep that evil god entertained.'
With that thought, Seraphina immediately set to work.
She gathered the remains of Renatus. The monsters retreated at her mere approach, allowing her to collect his skeletal remnants and pack them into a bag.
Recalling her explorations from the previous day, she gathered essential supplies. She packed metal-foil-wrapped rations and bottles of fresh water into a large backpack. Once fully equipped, Seraphina headed toward the outskirts of the city. Retracing the path she had taken to enter, she stood at the boundary where the city met the desolate plains.
Squinting, she scanned the sky.
'It was definitely... over there.'
A pillar of silver light marked the location of the gate she had crossed. Piercing the heavens, the pillar maintained a vivid presence even through the hazy, dust-choked air.
'At this rate, I can reach it within a day.'
It had taken her several days to reach the city after first emerging from the gate.
But that was because she had been utterly unprepared, forced to make massive detours in search of food and drinking water.
Moreover, she had been relentlessly pursued by the Heretic Inquisitors even before crossing the gate. Drained of both physical and mental strength, her pace had been agonizingly slow.
But how different was the Seraphina of today?
Her condition was fully restored thanks to a plush feather bed and metal-wrapped rations, and her backpack was heavily laden with supplies.
Though the god's gaze had temporarily drifted away from her for some reason, its divine gift still rested securely against her chest.
The AK-47.
The girl traced the mysterious symbols engraved on the weapon, steeling her resolve. She touched the Thunder Staff once, then her necklace. Feeling the cold metal against her fingertips, she took a deep, calming breath.
'Time to go.'
Her preparations complete, Seraphina began to walk, heading toward the distinct pillar of silver light in the distance.
That silver pillar was a gaze that had been fixed there constantly since her fourth day in this world. In truth, there were several other such stationary gazes scattered across these plains.
Aside from observing Seraphina's surroundings, the evil god had been continuously watching several specific locations with a thin, persistent gaze.
When she had first discovered the silver pillar, she had wondered why on earth the god was staring at such a place...
But now, using that very gaze as a guidepost to navigate back to the gate, a sudden realization struck her.
'...No way. Was even this orchestrated from the very beginning?'
On the fourth day, when she had finally quenched her thirst and hunger and was searching for a cave to shelter in under the god's guidance...
Even back then, when survival was still her priority over vengeance...
'—Did it already foresee that I would cross the gate once more?'
Normally, she would have shaken her head at such an absurd notion. But looking at that silver light, she found herself utterly convinced.
The cosmic entity she had encountered was more than capable of such foresight. Otherwise, there was no reason for it to keep its gaze trained on the gate all this time.
And there was one more piece of evidence.
'...Come to think of it, the gaze that had been lingering on me until yesterday suddenly vanished today.'
Of course, the god's attention had not always been fixed solely on Seraphina. It often disappeared late at night.
A great constellation would hardly need sleep, so it was likely observing other parts of the world. Yet, without fail, it would cast its gaze back to her every morning.
Today, however, the sun had risen, but the gaze had not returned. This was despite the fact that it had watched over her with even greater care over the past few days. At first, she had been puzzled by its absence, but...
If the sudden withdrawal of its gaze was also meant to direct her attention to the gate's location, then everything made perfect sense. The puzzle pieces fell into place!
'I do not know why it chose not to guide me directly this time. But a mere mortal cannot hope to comprehend the will of a god.'
All Seraphina could do was marvel at its divine foresight.
The girl lightly touched the god's gift once more. Taking its cold metal as her companion, she set off across the plains.
As she traversed the demonic realm, she encountered various beasts.
She spotted a monster with a neck taller than a grown man.
Judging by its long neck, the horn protruding from its forehead, and the color of its hide, it was likely a subspecies of the Yellow Dragon.
Yet its wings had been torn away without a trace, and even its noble scales had fallen off. She realized that this world spared not even divine beasts.
Walking further, she found a flock of birds frolicking near the water. The smaller chicks possessed gray feathers, but strangely, the larger adults all bore brilliant scarlet plumage.
How much blood must they shed during their growth for their once-pale feathers to be dyed so vividly red?
To make matters worse, every single one of them held its neck perfectly straight, swaying violently from side to side. The sight felt like some sinister, occult ritual, prompting Seraphina to quickly steer clear of them.
After encountering a few more species of monsters and carefully bypassing them,
the massive, otherworldly colors of the gate loomed before her.
'I arrived much faster than expected.'
Perhaps sensing the evil god's protection, the monsters refused to draw near her. They kept their distance of their own accord, sparing her from even having to use the Thunder Staff.
Thanks to this, she reached the gate before sunset. Gazing at the massive swirl of light, she fell into a brief moment of quiet contemplation.
The gate. An anomaly that glowed with its own light, connecting the Continent to this demonic realm.
A portal she had thrown herself into just days ago to survive, but was now walking back through to claim her vengeance.
Before returning to the Continent, the girl calmed her racing heart one last time.
'Focus. From here on, I must do this alone.'
It was uncertain how effective the evil god's power would be on the Continent.
Back at the convent, she had activated her gaze-detection abilities countless times, yet she had never perceived this chilling silver gaze until after she crossed the gate.
This was proof that even the gaze of the evil god ruling this demonic realm could not reach the Continent, where the three primary gods held sway. Of course, considering what had happened to Renatus, the Thunder Staff—the evil god's gift and blessing—would surely function on the Continent, but...
'—Can I really do this?'
Having declared her vengeance alone, she could not entirely suppress her rising anxiety.
Instinctively, Seraphina offered a prayer.
It was a habit from her days at the convent. Though the gaze watching her had temporarily vanished, she spoke to the otherworldly god who was surely listening.
"O God... If this lamb is walking an improper path, I pray you guide me to the rightful place."
Naturally, there was no response. Only a silence as cold as the gaze itself. The moment the prayer left her lips, Seraphina regretted it.
Consciously, she had resolved to steel her heart. Yet, in some subconscious corner of her mind, had she begun to view that evil god as a sanctuary?
The god she served was not one that championed noble values. It was nothing like the constellations of the Continent, who brandished their own brands of justice.
It was an evil god from another world, an entity that would horrify even the demon kings who smiled at the pain and despair of others.
It was a calamity that commanded twisted monsters, having slaughtered the natives of this world who had once built a highly advanced civilization.
And Seraphina was the one who had sworn to serve such a being.
'Satisfy the god. Obtain power. Exact vengeance.'
She would humbly accept whatever cruel sport the great entity chose to play with her. She would offer it the utmost amusement.
Even if the power was tossed to her like scraps to a beggar, she would eagerly devour it. Only then could she have her revenge. Only then could she even stand at the starting line.
Steeling her resolve, Seraphina stepped into the gate. The swirling colors swallowed her whole.
. . .
It was only several hours later that a man, waking up belatedly, would review the recorded footage on his monitor and begin to scream like a madman.
Beeeeep— A sharp ringing buzzed in her ears. As the unfamiliar sensation of weightlessness faded, Seraphina realized her surroundings had changed.
This was not the monster-infested plains of the demonic realm. She felt it not just with her eyes, but with her entire body.
'The concentration of mana is much denser... It's the Continent. A dungeon on the Continent.'
Seraphina quickly gathered her senses and surveyed her surroundings.
Vines and cobwebs clung to stone structures. She spotted unidentifiable velvet-colored flesh and broken horns scattered about.
Then, she gasped in surprise once more.
'This place is...?!'
The area appeared to be an ancient temple or an altar dedicated to a forgotten constellation.
Of course, this was not entirely unusual. Though exceptions existed, she had heard that most gates manifested in remote locations rich in mana.
An abandoned temple turning into a dungeon after a gate opened inside it was a fairly common occurrence.
However, what truly shocked her was not the temple itself.
'This isn't where I entered!'
The gate she had thrown herself into to escape the Heretic Inquisitors had been located in a graveyard—a dungeon of the dead, where undead roamed only to have their mana drained and be preyed upon by monsters.
It had been a bizarre place, but she was certain there had been no massive stone structures like this.
'Since there's no way a building like this was erected in the span of a few days... I must assume that evil god can manipulate the gates themselves.'
Indeed, it was only natural. A calamity that suddenly appeared and spewed monsters—how many beings in existence could create such a thing?
Some claimed the Continent's demon kings were responsible, but to Seraphina, who now knew the evil god, even a demon king seemed utterly insignificant by comparison.
'If it created the gates, it can surely control them. Though I have no idea why it sent me here...'
Seraphina did not bother searching for a reason. Unless the god explicitly revealed its intentions, a human could never hope to comprehend the will of the stars.
The girl simply did what she had to do.
*Thud, clatter.*
She emptied Renatus's remains from her backpack. She began to assemble the bones, which were already regenerating as flesh clung to them.
It was a grotesque sight, like watching the process of being devoured by monsters play out in reverse. The sight of blood vessels sprouting like tree roots was highly disturbing for a girl who had only recently reached adulthood.
"Whew...!"
Taking a deep breath, she suppressed her rising nausea and pulled out a spool of line.
It was an item she had secured beforehand from the city. It was thin and transparent, yet extraordinarily tough and sharp.
Judging by the fish-like drawing on the packaging, it seemed to be a line made for fishing, but its strength was astonishing.
With this, Renatus would not be able to break free easily, no matter what he tried. Seraphina unspooled the line and wrapped it around the cardinal's regenerating body.
'Focusing on the joints—'
She threaded the line through the exposed bones and muscles that had not yet fully regenerated. She rigged it so that any excessive struggle would immediately sever them. Suppressing her disgust, she stained her hands with blood.
'With this, I can subdue him even if he resists.'
This was all part of Seraphina's plan. Though she burned with a desire for vengeance, she had not crossed the gate blindly. She had a strategy in place in case Renatus attempted to resist.
'And his regeneration won't be as fast here.'
Compared to the hellish world beyond the gate, this place was paradise, but it was still a dungeon.
The force field was still active, and the mana density was abysmal compared to the Continent's average. Having had his mana entirely drained while being devoured by monsters, Renatus would not be able to regenerate as rapidly as before.
If he rebelled, she could simply use the Thunder Staff. She would sever his joints, riddle him with holes, and throw him back through the gate. The swarming monsters on the other side would finish the job.
Seraphina rehearsed her plan in her mind as she waited for his regeneration to finish.
Ten minutes passed. When the flesh, which had been sprouting from the pile of bones like a rapidly growing tree, finally finished reforming his head, Seraphina hid her tension and asked a question—
"Renatus. There are things you must answer."
—and at that exact moment, she received an entirely unexpected response.
"Ah... Aaaah... Aaaaaah! I saw it! I saw it! I saw it! He is watching us...! Aaaaaaaah!"
The once-obstinate old cardinal began to shriek in absolute terror.