Chapter 1501 – 1501. The Abandoned World
[Quest completed.]
[Quest rewards are being granted.]
[Ending achievement, ‘Sacrifice,’ has been achieved.]
[‘Miracle’ has been acquired.]
[261 points have been acquired.]
I returned to reality.
With a slightly dazed look, I stared down at my hands. It felt like the sensation of my entire body burning was still lingering.
‘…No, this isn’t the time for that.’
Death. A black land that seemed to embody it, and a chilling red sky that was unsettling just to look at.
I was now in another world.
‘It’s urgent, but it’s not like I have absolutely no time. I spent several months in the Paladin world… but in reality, less than a minute has passed.’
First, I checked what I had gained this time.
[Sung Yu-jin
Level: 85
Strength: 110 Stamina: 110 Agility: 110 Intelligence: 110 Spirit: 110 Mana: 110]
[Available Points: 36,540]
Thanks to spending a long time in the Paladin world, I had accumulated a considerable number of points.
‘Excluding the points I had already saved up, I’ve gained about 20,000 points.’
Next was the manifestation, the quest reward. I had taken the Paladin quest to get this.
[Manifestation
Summons and recreates your persona from a desired ending world.
The duration and ability reproduction of the manifestation depend on the total of your stats.
Price: 10,000 points
※Caution
Recreates all applied penalties as well.]
I planned to use the power of manifestation to break through the altar.
‘I should be able to sweep away the guys around the altar. The target for manifestation… would the Emperor be better? Or the Paladin?’
While pondering, I remembered that I had received an ending achievement reward.
[Miracle
It is called a miracle because it cannot happen.
Price: 500,000 points
※Caution
It is impossible to know how the miracle will occur.]
After reading the information about the miracle, I scratched my head. Judging by the price, it seemed to be an incredibly good item, but when I tried to use it, I couldn’t hide my ambiguity.
‘How exactly does the miracle manifest? Do I just use it when I’m in trouble?’
Should I try using it now?
A miracle might happen and solve everything.
‘Now that I’m about to use it, it feels like a waste. Let’s use it when there’s absolutely no other way. Things could go wrong when I occupy the altar… It wouldn’t be bad to save it for a contingency.’
As I was about to put my smartphone in my pocket, I became curious about the ending of the Paladin. More precisely, I was curious about what had happened to Amelia, the saintess who would be in the Paladin world.
‘Would I be able to check? Since the me in that world is dead, I wouldn’t know what happened after.’
I checked the ending of the [Paladin: Journey of Evil Extermination] world. The screen remained black. I had expected it, but it was a bit disappointing. I idly tapped the black screen.
[Would you like to spend 3,000 points to check the world after the ending?]
I paused.
‘You can check the world after the ending? Of course, I’ll check it…. No, wait a minute. 3,000 points?’
3,000 points was by no means a small amount.
The points needed to raise my stats right now were 600. In other words, 3,000 points was the equivalent of raising 5 stats.
‘But I can’t stand not knowing!’
I went for it.
3,000 points disappeared.
[Checking the world after the ending.]
The black screen of the smartphone began to brighten.
The screen showed the [Paladin] world.
Light fell from the sky. The light illuminated the center of the square where the evil extermination ritual was taking place, the place where I, the Paladin of Valentier, had died.
My corpse was not there.
Only the traces of a burned cross and firewood remained.
The citizens of the Papal State cheered and said.
-The Goddess has taken the Paladin!
-The Paladin has received a call from heaven!
-The Paladin has annihilated the soul of the Great Demon and has been reborn as an archangel after receiving a call from heaven!
The citizens began to speculate among themselves about the situation. The priests and holy knights, who should have been controlling the citizens, were praying to the sky with moved expressions.
I clicked my tongue.
“I’ve been reborn as an archangel? Then there’s no way I’d be in reality. That’s the Goddess putting on a show.”
In my eyes, it was the Goddess’s political show. She was emitting light to make sure people didn’t forget her existence. She must have gotten rid of my corpse with the light.
“Goddess. Her skill in adding a spoon to my achievements is extraordinary.”
I wanted to see something else.
‘How do I turn the screen? I want to see Amelia.’
My finger tapped the screen.
The screen changed. The saintess, Amelia, appeared on the screen. She was closing her eyes and praying to the Goddess.
-Goddess Herianne, please grant the Paladin a peaceful rest….
Clear tears flowed down Amelia’s cheeks from her closed eyes. I watched her for a long time before smacking my lips. It was because the taste of her pussy came to mind.
‘The fast-forward button… is here.’
Fast-forwarding began, centered on Amelia. The funeral to honor me was not held separately, but a huge statue representing me was created in the center of the square. It was quite impressive, with me in armor and holding the executioner’s sword, so I was satisfied.
Amelia became the real power of the Order.
The Pope had died, and there were no other Paladins or saintesses. She was able to use immense divine power with the blessing of the Goddess, and she was also my wife who had defeated the Great Demons. There was no one else with the talent to lead the Order except for her.
-Wah!
Amelia successfully gave birth.
The baby born was a boy. The baby’s name was Johan. The baby grew up quickly.
The world was not entirely peaceful.
The demons that had hidden deep to avoid my eyes slowly began to become active. Holy knights were dispatched to subjugate the demons.
No new Paladin appeared. The Goddess had judged that humans could solve problems among themselves even without a Paladin.
‘Because there are no Great Demons. And the Goddess must have taken some damage when Bleart died.’
Even without demons, the corrupted appeared.
It was inevitable. Corruption was close to the system of this world. Even if demons were extinct, the corrupted would constantly appear the moment humans succumbed to their desires.
But there were no Great Demons, and no more demons were born. That alone made the world flow peacefully.
Around the time Johan became a boy, the human world changed rapidly.
The nobles began to break away from the control of the Order. The beginning was insignificant and meaningless, but gradually, those who abandoned their faith appeared. The nobles gathered forces, expanded their territories, and started wars.
‘Well, I figured that would happen.’
I didn’t think much of it. Wars had always happened in history. Wars continued from ancient times to modern times.
‘Still, as long as Amelia is alive, the Order won’t be shaken.’
When Johan turned 30, Amelia succeeded to the papacy and returned to her position as a saintess. Her daily routine was to stay in the sanctuary of Valentier and pray to the Goddess every day.
She stayed in her sanctuary and continued to pray.
She prayed every single day. The word ‘diligent’ was not enough to describe her.
Some more time passed.
The Order and the nobles drew their swords at each other. There was a justification, but it was not important. In the end, a war between humans and humans continued.
Amelia just prayed. Even after decades, her radiant appearance remained the same. The immense divine power she possessed had preserved her from aging.
And then Amelia died.
In the sanctuary.
She died quietly in front of the Goddess statue.
The Goddess sent down light to her and took her body and soul. Amelia’s body and soul ascended to heaven.
The screen turned dark. I tapped the screen a few times with my finger, but there was no response.
I felt a sense of bitterness and put away my smartphone.
•••
[Find and activate the altar of Brahmasen to open a dimensional gate that will allow you to return to Earth. A sacrifice is required to activate the altar.]
I did not forget the answer from the fragment of omniscience.
It was not enough to just occupy the altar. I had to occupy the altar and offer a sacrifice. The problem was that it didn’t tell me in detail what that sacrifice was.
‘I might have to sacrifice the followers of Brahmasen near the altar. So I can’t kill them all. The best thing would be to capture the four priests around the altar.’
I would kill more than half of Brahmasen’s followers and capture the priests to order them to activate the altar.
‘Let’s start.’
I use manifestation.
The target was not the Emperor but the Paladin. In terms of sheer force, the Emperor might be stronger. However, it was difficult to predict how the Emperor would act. The Paladin was better in terms of stability.
[Using manifestation.]
[Summoning your persona from the Paladin: Journey of Evil Extermination world.]
[All penalties are applied.]
[Manifestation lasts for 2 hours.]
“……”
I closed my eyes and opened them.
Kiiiing.
The Holy Eye activated, and the followers of Brahmasen came into view. Their souls were corrupted. They were worse than the corrupted in the [Paladin: Journey of Evil Extermination] world. In addition to being corrupted, they were also insane.
“I want to wipe them all out.”
Feeling the divine power firmly rooted within me, I opened the status window.
[Name: Yu-jin
Origin: Holy Knight
Level: 99
Strength: 121 Agility: 92 Stamina: 97 Divine Power: 150
Skills: Holy Eye (Lv. Ultimate), Holy Aura (Lv. Ultimate), Divine Sword (Lv. Ultimate), Sprint (Lv. Master), Holy Light (Lv. Master), Divine Enhancement (Lv. Master), Resurrection (Lv. Master), Descent (Lv. Master), Sacrifice (Lv. Ultimate), Perfect Body (Lv. Master), Wings of Dawn (Lv. Master), Sanctification (Lv. Master), Light Binding (Lv. Master)]
The status window of the [Paladin] world appeared. However, this status window was not very helpful.
‘I’m weaker than the me in the [Paladin] world. It must be the influence of the game life app’s stats.’
I summon Stormbreaker. Stormbreaker became armor and clung to my body. I also summoned the executioner’s sword from my inventory.
The blade of the executioner’s sword, which only Paladins could use, glowed golden in response to my will.
‘Wings of Dawn.’
A pair of wings of light appeared behind my back. The wings of light moved, and my body floated into the air.
The attention of Brahmasen’s followers, who felt my presence, was all directed at me. Brahmasen’s followers began to rush towards me like beasts that had found prey.
Instead of a greeting, I swung my sword.
‘Divine Discharge!’
The immense divine power became a tidal wave and swept away Brahmasen’s followers.
