In a desolate world, countless white skeletons walked aimlessly across the grey, decaying land.
They moved in groups of a few, occasionally fighting one another…
Looking up, translucent wraiths flew through the air with expressions of extreme agony, letting out bone-chilling screams from time to time.
In the distance… between the towering mountains and ridges, the world seemed to be shrouded in a layer of black mist…
Even if one did nothing and just stood there, it gave off a sense of extreme unease.
Perhaps anyone who entered this place would sigh…
Is this… really still reality?
Such was the case for Bellelily and Kauls, who had just stepped through the Black Gate and entered this place.
“What an unpleasant place,” Bellelily said, frowning slightly as she looked at everything before her.
A faint hint of disgust flickered in her dark golden eyes.
Death… no matter how pure, its essence was evil…
No, it was the pinnacle of evil!
Even though Miss Ileya’s previous words had sounded quite reasonable…
Compared to Bellelily’s relatively simple thoughts, Kauls’s heart was churning, completely unable to calm down.
From the moment they entered, he had begun using his own methods to investigate this space.
What this Lady — who was the age of a young girl but only looked like one on the outside — did not know was that this magic item could do more than just control the wearer’s body and transmit sound. It could also, to a certain extent, view memories.
Kauls had viewed some of Sigrid’s memories and noticed Ileya’s ability.
She had summoned some Reanimated that were not particularly strong, but they perfectly countered the abilities of the False God Cult, helping the Heresy Judgment win the battle with minimal casualties.
So, based on that alone, could it be determined that her ability was truly what she described, something like the Authority over Death?
Not necessarily! If her ability was simply linked to this specific region, it would not be impossible for her to accomplish everything through spatial transportation.
Of course, Kauls had never believed this place was the “Underworld.” In his mind, the teleportation gate likely led to some unknown region of the continent.
However, that was enough. The other party might be weaving a lie enticing enough to move him. If it could truly bring benefits to the Holy See and allow the grace of the Supreme God to spread further, he did not mind reaching a secret cooperation with her.
But now, standing within this world, the Bishop discovered he seemed to be wrong.
In his perception, everything here — even some of the rules — was completely different from the familiar world he had known!
Was this… truly another world!? Just as Ileya had said, was this really the world of the dead… the Underworld?
No, no, no!
Kauls instinctively shook his head, dismissing the thought.
It was absurd! Even if the Lord favored this girl, He could not possibly gift her an entire world, could He?
It was not that Kauls felt the “Almighty Lord” could not do it, but rather… it was simply impossible!
But if it were impossible… how could this be explained?
“How is it? This world of the dead…” Just as Kauls was doubting himself, Ileya’s voice, as always carrying a hint of a smile, slowly drifted into the Bishop’s ears.
“I…” Kauls remained silent for a moment. “I believe this is something the Lord could accomplish, but…” He spoke slowly, a complex meaning reflected in his pitch-black eyes.
Ileya roughly understood his meaning. It was a gaze that said, ‘I value you and hope you will tell me the truth. As for whatever you are plotting, everything can be negotiated.’
That would certainly work, but since she had already come this far, Ileya naturally would not show her hand yet. To cooperate with these old foxes without keeping some cards hidden would be to risk being sold off while helping them count the coins…
He wanted her to reveal everything and turn this into a business deal? Not a chance!
“So, why would God open up a world like this?” Bellelily walked two laps, only to find that everything in this world was scarce. The grey land, the dark sky, the thick black mist…
The end of the world… perhaps it would look exactly like this?
A world like this was like Hell. Was there any necessity for its existence?
“In the Captain’s eyes, this world is naturally dilapidated and desolate. But in the eyes of the dead, the mere air filled with the scent of death is more perfect than anywhere else on our continent~” Ileya smiled, looking toward the skeletons wandering on the distant mountains. “It is like how a fish in a tank is surely more comfortable than in a mine full of gold~”
Hearing Ileya’s words, the Captain nodded, though it was unclear if she truly understood. She simply gazed calmly at the endless black mist stretching to the horizon.
“Then, Miss Ileya, what… are you to this fish tank?” Kauls suddenly asked. “Are you… the owner of the fish tank?”
This was perhaps an ultimatum. There was even a hint of a warning in his voice.
He still did not believe — or rather, did not dare to believe — that this so-called Underworld was controlled by a 13-year-old girl like Ileya.
Just as Kauls expected, after he released his aura and spoke with clear majesty and questioning, the Lady before him slowly shook her head.
Heh, as expected. It was just as he guessed. It seemed she knew that a lie could not be hidden forever; only then could she be considered truly clever.
Just as Kauls smiled and prepared to speak again… Ileya lightly spat out a single word.
“No…”
The girl did not react at all to the pressure the Bishop exerted. She simply extended her slender palm and pressed it downward.
Whoosh! Rumble!!
Instantly, everything in front of the Bishop and the Captain changed.
Mountains, canyons, and hills… everything was reshuffled at this moment!
What appeared before the three of them was a giant, boundless plain!
It was just like when Kauls was young, standing at the bow of a three-masted sailing ship as it crossed the Sea of Pain to preach, gazing out at the calm surface of the sea. It felt as if a single glance could pierce through the entire world to see the end of all things.
Of course, back then, what Kauls felt was deep emotion…
But now, it was shock! Unparalleled shock!!
Changing the world itself… If this was not an illusion, then this method…
At that moment, Ileya’s voice drifted over softly.
“…I am an existence slightly higher — than the owner of the fish tank~”
Her words made Kauls’s body tremble slightly.
For a brief moment, a faint sense of fear even arose in the Bishop’s heart… He was even asking himself internally if… he should believe this Lady, take her back to the Holy See, and revere her as a Divine Messenger!
Because, if this power truly existed, regardless of whether it was bestowed by the Supreme God or not, she was worthy of being called a Divine Messenger.
“How… was this done?” Compared to the turbulent thoughts in Kauls’s mind, the Captain’s reaction was much calmer. Her face remained expressionless, but her dark golden eyes were wide, betraying her surprise and her unquiet heart.