‘That One’ tilted its chin up and spoke to the crowd.
“After today’s ritual is over, a new god will be born in Gyodam City. If you do not wish to show respect to the god, you may leave now.”
It was incredibly arrogant, but no one moved, nor did anyone even express dissatisfaction.
Superpowered individuals could vaguely sense the power of others.
Therefore, everyone present instantly realized how much power the alien entity standing before them possessed; they felt nothing but dread and terror.
The anxiety that they might be marginalized if they left, combined with the fear of the strong, made them unable to budge.
A satisfied smile appeared on the lips of ‘That One’ as it scanned the faces of the crowd. It had read the fear and awe in their eyes.
Abellus, standing next to ‘That One’, bit his lip in displeasure.
‘This guy… he’s acting like he’s the protagonist. At this rate, won’t my presence be too weak?’
His purple eyes behind silver-rimmed glasses scanned the crowd and stopped at one point.
He had spotted Kaisar, who was holding his head up with a stiff attitude.
It seemed the rumors of him once being a famous Villain were true.
To maintain such a noble attitude alone while most others were being submissive was no small feat.
‘Even when he met with me privately, he didn’t bow his head until the end. I hate the sight of him, but I have no choice but to admit he’s a great man.’
Abellus’s face contorted as he recalled his conversation with Kaisar.
Contrary to his expectation that Kaisar would act submissively, Kaisar had held his head high throughout the conversation.
Kaisar’s response to Abellus’s offer to work under him had been spectacular.
“I’ll think about it again if you really gain power after the ritual is over,” he had said. Recalling that moment, Abellus let out a hollow laugh and clenched his fist.
‘Director Kaisar, you kicked away the opportunity of a lifetime with your own feet. If you had behaved yourself, I was going to give you a position out of consideration for our past relationship. As I thought, a Cleaner is the perfect fit.’
He had seen Laika after the private meeting, and like father, like son, his attitude was also incredibly haughty.
While his eyes brimmed with arrogance, Abellus had told him, “You’d better stay on my good side. When the ritual is over, ‘That One’ will become an Evil God, and I will become the strongest Villain in Gyodam City.” Laika had snorted immediately.
Then he replied, “I’ll think about that when the time comes.” How could he give the exact same answer as Kaisar?
There was no doubt that the survival instinct did not exist in the genes of that father and son.
‘I’ll have to use them both as Cleaners. They’ll beat the ground in regret after I gain power, but it’ll be too late then. How can I make Kaisar and Laika miserable? Should I make J Corporation close down? No, if I appoint one of the flatterers as the representative and have them run the management into the ground…’
While Abellus was burning with rage toward the father and son, the Priest placed a transparent case containing the Relic on the altar.
‘That One’, who had been watching with arms crossed, gave instructions to the man standing in the corner.
“The Total Solar Eclipse is soon. Bring the Vessel from the prison.”
“Yes.”
He was the Watcher in charge of monitoring Iris. Just as he bowed and was about to withdraw, Abellus called him back.
“Wait, is she still unconscious?”
“No. When I checked this morning, she seemed to have regained her energy. However, seeing as there was no answer even when I called, she seemed to be in a daze.”
“Hmm, I see…”
Realizing that he was asking about the state of the Vessel, the Watcher explained Iris’s condition.
He was strangely avoiding Abellus’s eyes as he spoke.
This was because he had slacked off and failed to monitor the Vessel properly.
He had drunk alcohol to his heart’s content until late last night, and in the morning, seeing the Vessel tossing and turning on the Bed, he assumed she had woken up.
He called her once or twice, but since there was no answer, he stopped.
In fact, he had not properly checked the state of the Vessel for the past few days.
His heart pounded for fear of being caught.
‘I feel a bit guilty for not monitoring her properly as instructed, but isn’t it fine as long as there’s no problem? Since I confirmed she was in the prison until this morning, I’ve practically carried out the assigned mission properly.’
Excited about the power they would soon gain, ‘That One’ and Abellus did not notice the Watcher’s strange behavior.
At the Watcher’s explanation that Iris’s mind seemed dazed, Abellus scratched his eyebrow and looked down.
The tiny conscience in a corner of his heart was pricking him.
He thought his massive desire for power had completely swallowed his speck of a conscience, but it seemed it was still alive.
As Abellus remained still, ‘That One’ waved its hand as if to hurry him.
“It’s actually a good thing. She must have starved for a whole week, so she won’t have the strength to resist. Bring her here quickly!”
“Yes.”
Abellus stared blankly at the back of the Watcher as he ran off.
After this Ritual was over, there would be no turning back.
The woman named Iris would disappear, and only a shell in Iris’s form would remain.
After looking down at the floor with a blank expression, Abellus soon regained his senses, and his eyes flashed.
Didn’t he start this knowing that would happen?
Even if it wasn’t him, ‘That One’ would have found another Divine Selection, and Iris would have faced the same ruin.
It was better for him to have her ability than to lose it to another guy.
Also, if it were someone else, they wouldn’t have left Iris alive after stealing her ability.
In that case, he was much better for at least letting her keep her life.
After stroking his chin with a bitter expression, he looked up at the sky.
The sun was still shining brilliantly, as if it knew nothing of what was to happen in a moment.
Just as the sun would completely disappear when the Total Solar Eclipse began, Iris’s will would also disappear.
While he looked forward to the upcoming Ritual, a bitter feeling also resided in his heart.
To think he was feeling such contradictory emotions even though he was the one who brought it all on himself.
‘I don’t regret it. Because it’s what I’ve been dreaming of my whole life.’
***
A short while later, the Watcher came out of the dungeon with Iris, accompanied by a worker to help with chores.
He loaded the small body onto a carrier that could hold one person as if loading a piece of luggage and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
His tiny eyes carefully examined the tightly bound hands and feet.
According to the man with purple eyes, the Vessel was a Superpowered Individual, but all her power had been taken, so her body was no different from an ordinary person’s.
However, just in case, he had tightly bound the Vessel’s hands before leaving the dungeon.
He didn’t miss her feet either, doing it thoroughly. But looking at her state, it seemed he didn’t need to put in much effort.
The Vessel’s limp, powerless body and unfocused eyes made her look no different from a scarecrow.
He shook his head and clicked his tongue.
‘She’s completely out of it. Well, did they say all her power was taken? Maybe she’s been unconscious because the shock was so great. I was worried that neglecting the monitoring duty might cause a problem, but it was a needless concern. At this rate, the ritual will proceed without a hitch.’
“Now, let’s drag her along!”
“Yes!”
When the Watcher gave the command, the worker picked up the carrier and approached the stairs.
He climbed the stairs with long strides without any sign of difficulty.
Carrying one small woman on his back was a very easy task for a worker with such a muscular body.
Meanwhile, there was someone secretly watching them. A small person covered in a black cloak had eyes shining in the dark between the buildings.
It was none other than Iris. She rummaged through her pocket and gulped down the Magic Potion Johannes had provided.
‘I’m glad I can use the [Clone] skill. There’s a way to keep pretending to be unconscious and go to the front of the altar, but as Johannes said, it’s too dangerous. Since I don’t know what ‘That One’ might do…’
After the Chastity Belt was returned and a passionate tryst with Johannes occurred, she had acquired the [Skill Sharing] and [Vision Sharing] abilities.
Having regained her confidence, she tried casting several skills inside the dungeon to see how much of her ability had returned.
There were skills that worked and skills that were still impossible to cast. Among them, by good fortune, the [Clone] skill had been restored.
Just in case ‘That One’ cast a Curse to be cautious before the Ritual, she, the original body, could avoid the danger.
According to what Johannes had conveyed, the Ritual would begin by laying her, the Vessel, on the Altar and arranging Relics around her.
At that time, Johannes and his assistants decided to stop ‘That One’ and Abellus, and she, who was secretly watching from nearby, intended to order her Clone to bring the Relic.
‘Ugh, can I succeed? Phew, no. I’m just going to do it. Because the Goddess told me to believe in myself.’