Chapter 410: A Desperate Gamble
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 410: A Desperate Gamble
Within the grand Supreme Place, the holy Sea of Holy Light and the eerie, grotesque pollution clashed and shimmered, resembling two incompatible stains of color dividing the space into two distinct realms.
Yet, amidst this terrifying standoff where each side yearned to utterly annihilate the other, the atmosphere fell into a bizarre silence. Both the Evil God and the endless Holy Light had simultaneously lapsed into a peculiar state of calm.
Though beneath this seemingly tranquil exterior, a rage as fierce as a volcanic eruption simmered.
As they stared each other down, there was even a faint, mutual sense of "commiseration."
"Empathizing with an Evil God... that truly is a feeling I could have done without."
The Pope rubbed the bridge of his nose, quickly reining in his emotions.
With his vast experience, he had seen all manner of absurdities over the centuries; he wasn't about to let his composure crumble over something like this.
Moreover, in his view, compared to the minor annoyance of having the cabbage in his own field rooted up by a stray pig, the situation facing the Evil God before him was far more agonizing. The "lamb" of a delicacy the God had pined over for a thousand years had been incinerated by someone else's fire before it could even enjoy a single piping hot bite... That was a much more significant tragedy.
Indeed, were it a normal person, their blood pressure would likely have skyrocketed high enough to blow their skull off.
"In that case, I really ought to thank that kid."
The Pope’s lips curled into a thin, mirthless smile as he abruptly swung his scepter.
Above, countless crosses of radiance surged once more. Unbeknownst to all, the Sea of Holy Light had already completely claimed the entire firmament.
"It is time to end this."
The radiance, like blades of divine judgment, locked onto the Evil God. Under the weight of such a powerful seal, the Divine One had nowhere to run.
"We have dealt with each other for so many years. At the very least, you should leave this projection behind. Reciprocity is the way of the host, is it not?"
Following the Pope’s cold decree, countless holy crosses of light rained down like a cataclysmic deluge.
However, faced with an attack capable of threatening its projection, the Mother of Abundance did not react as the Pope expected.
It neither counterattacked nor evaded. Instead, it allowed the rain of light to erode its form while its massive phantom expanded, reaching out to seize the object hanging above Cantville, currently frozen upon its astral track—the bright moon.
The phantom gripped the moon as if it were a lead shot put.
Aiming at Cantville, it hurled it down!
Boom!
The hemispherical barrier protecting Cantville instantly cracked. The moon was forcibly wedged into the fissure, and it continued to sink deeper!
"This is...?"
The Pope narrowed his eyes, quickly mobilizing power to protect Cantville, yet he remained perplexed.
Evil Gods didn't have "blood pressure," though their wrath after being toyed with was thousands of times more terrifying than that of a mortal.
But the one who burned your lamb was the Withered King’s flame; what does that have to do with my Church?
The Divine One should understand that a mere projection could never breach Cantville under the watchful eye of a fully prepared Church. The most it could achieve was this—"shoving" half a moon into the city.
Furthermore, even if it were breached by force, there was no benefit to be gained.
Therefore, if it were going to throw a fit, it should be doing so outside the world, seeking out the Withered King.
But why...
Wring—
As the Pope pondered, a piercing hum suddenly resonated through the surroundings.
Simultaneously, the entire Supreme Place began to tremble. In the distance, the red lights of the emergency alarms flashed incessantly.
"Your Holiness."
An anxious voice sounded in the Pope’s ear.
"A message from the Astral Observatory. They have detected an anomaly from the Evil God."
"An anomaly?"
The Pope frowned. "The Evil God’s projection is right here in the Supreme Place, right before my eyes! I need you to remind me of that?"
"No, it’s not the projection."
The voice trembled slightly.
"It is the original body. It is the Mother of Abundance’s true form, outside the world barrier!"
*
Outside the world barrier, the faceless woman gazed through that nearly imperceptible veil, as if contemplating this beautiful, magnificent, and vibrant world.
Suddenly, as if bored with the scenery, the Divine One raised a hand. A pale palm emerged from sleeves woven with the night, pressing gently toward a specific direction.
The transparent barrier distorted into a shallow arc.
Numerous cracks instantly spider-webbed across the Divine One's palm. Countless eerie small flowers sprouted and bloomed from the flowing divine blood.
Yet, even at such a cost, the Divine One ignored the backlash of the world barrier and firmly pressed that palm down.
Above the Holy City, a Great Barrier unfurled instantly. Many powerful figures within the city looked up in shock, sensing something.
But very quickly, that heart-stopping sensation vanished completely, as if it had been nothing more than a collective hallucination.
Because, in that split second that no one witnessed, a doorway appeared above the Holy City.
The door swung open, accompanied by the sound of grinding steel and metallic friction.
Then, from that narrow doorway, a hand also... reached out.
A fair, slender hand.
Pop.
There were no earth-shattering waves, nor was there any world-ending destruction.
It was merely the sound of a bubble bursting in the sunlight.
The moment that hand emerged, all calamity was quelled.
Gulp.
Outside the barrier, the Evil God known as Abundance stared at that hand. Stroking its flat, famished belly, it let out a sound of insatiable, salivating hunger.
Ultimately, however, it withdrew its hand with regret, its gaze shifting further away.
*
"What? The Mother of Abundance’s true body?"
The Pope’s pupils constricted. In an instant, connecting the true body's actions with the bizarre behavior of the projection, he suddenly understood everything.
"Your Holiness..."
"Ignore that. The attack from the Mother of Abundance’s true body cannot land, and that isn't the crux of the problem anyway. The key is... still with this projection!"
"Damn it, it’s a desperate gamble! It's willing to sacrifice this projection!"
Whether it was the sudden attack on Cantville or the movements of the true body outside the world, they were all mere feints.
The Divine One knew those actions were futile.
Therefore, its true purpose was to create an opportunity for this projection.
An opportunity... to lunge toward its final objective!
Of course. Every action taken by the Mother of Abundance was ultimately for that.
Since it could not gain power through the blood-food lambs, it would simply switch to another method.
And now, in order to destroy this projection, the Pope had deliberately allowed it to be surrounded by infinite Holy Light.
In other words, the projection was now deeper within the Church's heart than it had ever been before!
"Dammit!"
Sure enough, as the Pope attempted to mobilize the endless Holy Light again, the Mother of Abundance seized this fleeting moment to... sink once more.
Plunging toward the deeper, deepest part—the abyss-like void at the very bottom of the Supreme Place.
That which she craved was right there!
And if the goal was achieved, if the Divine One successfully made contact with that...
At that point, it wouldn't just be this hated Church; all of humanity, and even every living being in the entire world, would be herded into her pasture!