"Do we need to fight?" The Mad Monk weakly collapsed back onto the altar, his voice tinged with a hint of grievance. "Your kiss is sweet, but it can't erase my fatigue… As you can see, I can hardly stand now."
He unapologetically leaned his full weight on Nol, nearly branding "fragile" on his forehead.
Perradat's eyes lit up with excitement. "Fight? You can fight here. This place has the best defense!"
Even though the two in front of her were pleasing to the eye, Perradat had no desire to serve as their lighting. Fighting is good, she thought. It's better than having these two stickily glued to each other, right?
Teest had lost his previous destructive fervor. He wrapped his arms around Nol's waist and buried his face in Nol's stomach, petulantly refusing to move. "No fighting. I want to rest."
Perradat: "..." Perhaps it was her illusion, but Teest seemed more… relaxed and at ease after knowing Nol's past, clinging to the god of Tahe like a sloth to a tree. Nol didn't push him away, only gently stroking Teest's long hair.
"It has to be now. We're both exhausted, making it the perfect time for a check." Nol, holding Teest's head, spoke with a gentleness that was infuriating. "If we miss this chance, we would have to fight to the death to reach this state again."
Perradat might be strong, but she wasn't adept at direct combat. Given that Star Stealer Sol wouldn't kindly act as a sparring partner, only they could serve as each other's opponents.
Teest's voice was muffled by the fabric, his words unclear. "You mentioned a 'check'…"
"I don't distrust you. I actually love your surprises." Feeling the warmth of the other's breath, Nol's voice softened further. "You've done something truly remarkable, Teest. I can feel it. But it's not just me. You've grown stronger too."
"It's precisely because my condition has improved that I can sense something off with you."
Something off with his body? Teest's ears perked up. As for physical issues, he could only think of his identity as a Supplement Demon. So far, he hadn't felt anything amiss.
He and Little Piel were different. When transforming into a Supplement Demon, the system's partial Player Privileges provided a safety net, and his body merged quite well. He was also different from the General; the Player Privileges had always suppressed the "rejection" of the Supplement Demon well, and over the years, his body hadn't suffered any discomfort or weakening.
Now, with this body, Teest had risen to the ranks of a False God, not feeling anything wrong with his body.
But since Nol had mentioned it…
He trusted this person, didn't he? Teest loosened his grip around Nol's waist.
"Trust me. Let's fight." Sensing his knight's change in mood, Nol seized the moment.
"Then I won't use a sword, and you must show mercy." Teest wobbled as if he had no bones.
"Agreed." Nol promised solemnly.
He had a rough idea of what Teest had done. He knew that his memory seal was gone without a trace, as his perception had never been so sharp.
Teest carried a real hidden danger.
It was a rare opportunity, and they could also try out their new powers.
Thinking this, Nol let out an "Ah", looking at Perradat, who was slumped in front of the statue. "Are you alright staying here?"
If they started fighting on the spot, they might inadvertently involve the exhausted Perradat. Caught up in his concern, he had momentarily forgotten about her.
For a moment, the expression on the face of the God of Fate was indescribable.
Perradat grimaced for a half-second, her expression quickly smoothing over. "I still have the power to protect myself, but please take me to the top of the statue."
She lifted her head, nodding towards the two sapphire gems on the statue's head. "Those are very rare magic stones. They can help me recover a bit."
"I'll add an extra layer of protection for you," Nol said somewhat sheepishly.
He made a gesture, and the beautiful head steadily floated up, settling between the horns of the divine beast sculpture. The two beautiful sapphire gems twinkled with faint light, blue dots dancing in the shadows, creating a dreamy and fantastical scene.
Nol carefully applied a layer of protective magic, trying to ignore Perradat's complex look that spoke volumes.
In the end, only he and Teest were left on the ground.
Teest simply removed his armor, tossed aside the belt that held his sword, and was only wearing a loose cloth shirt. The laces at the shirt's neckline were undone, leaving the collar wide open and revealing his collarbones and a large expanse of skin.
He slightly opened his arms. Not holding a sword, he looked more like he was seeking an intimate hug than adopting a fighting stance.
For a moment, Nol really wanted to hug him reflexively. Unfortunately, it wasn't the right time.
Blue flames ignited, and Nol's figure twisted. What emerged from the flames wasn't a black dragon but a new kind of creature—
Its form was similar to that of a dragon, but it also had the elegant curves characteristic of a beast. Its body was covered in strangely shaped black scales. The three pairs of wings still showed green and red colors but lacked the previous chaotic corruption, becoming beautifully neat. The countless eyes moving between the flesh folds lost some of their malevolence, gaining a bit of mystery and majesty instead.
The two eyes on Nol's head slowly opened, still shining with the light of blue flames.
The crown-like dragon horns transformed, extending outwards, and a blue halo appeared floating in the air behind the "crown".
Around the edge of the halo, countless mysterious symbols scattered and then converged.
Bizarre, beautiful, and sacred.
Above the statue, Perradat was silent for a long time. Nol had adjusted his body size, but she could still assert—this was Nol having shed the "mental impurities", his "true form" at last stabilized. Just by directly looking, Perradat could feel a familiar oppressive force.
Nol deliberately contained his aura, but the aura exuded by him was still too overwhelming. If not for the area being protected by her "concealment" power, Star Stealer Sol would definitely feel this pressure.
Thinking this, Perradat silently strengthened the "concealment" power.
The creature before her was neither a dragon nor a Pillar of the World. Undoubtedly, a new species had been born in the galaxy.
With makeshift divine corpses, the "system" authority was crafted from scratch. Then, abandoning everything to start over, step by step, through the "system", he obtained a power uniquely his own.
With a human considered inconsequential at its core, and countless pieces of divine corpses as the foundation, the universe hatched a brand new monster.
"You are even more beautiful than before." Teest sighed. "May I kiss your wings?"
[Anytime, as you like.] Nol flew into the air, his thoughts carrying a smile. [Come.]
Teest smiled slightly, his fingertips igniting with golden flames. The golden flames suddenly compressed and converged into eye-dazzling golden threads. His words were sweet, but his attack spared no effort.
He directly launched [Destroyer].
Nol rushed towards those deadly golden threads without hesitation, icy crystals wrapped in blue flames spontaneously ignited around him, slicing through the golden threads like blades.
At the same time, the soil under Teest's feet loosened. The soil turned into solid ancient silver, and thick chains rose from beneath Teest's feet, coiling around his limbs like snakes.
Golden fireballs suddenly floated around Teest, with extremely thin golden threads stretched between them. The chains hadn't even managed to wrap around once before they were shredded by the spinning golden threads.
But in the moment he dealt with the chains, the stone altar twisted like slime. The stones transformed into giant stone hands, reaching towards Teest from all directions, and Nol's true form charged forward from directly ahead.
"You are more passionate than I imagined."
Teest took a moment to catch his breath, the golden flames around him suddenly turning pitch black. Spreading like a contaminating virus, everything around began to wither indiscriminately.
He was exhausted, overexerting his strength. If Nol got close, the fight would end immediately.
Nol cautiously slowed down as countless wriggling flesh lumps suddenly appeared around Teest. As "living beings", they absorbed the corruption like sponges, only to be burned away by the blue flames.
Teest clicked his tongue, about to try a new method of destruction, when suddenly, he felt a numbing pain in his limbs.
Teest instinctively looked at his hands, shocked to discover black and red-fine cracks appearing at the tips of his fingers. At the same time, his throat itched terribly, making Teest cough out loud.
A few drops of blood, dark as to be nearly black, splattered out.
The golden flames extinguished, and the corruption dispersed. Nol came to a sudden stop in front of Teest, instantly transforming into human form, and caught Teest's hands.
"So that's it." Nol, caressing the cracks at Teest's fingertips, spoke with a tinge of anger.
Teest weakly sat down against the wall, his legs becoming increasingly painful.
"Supplement Demon?" He had some idea.
"Yes." Nol gently caressed his fingers. With a soft blue light, the cracks gradually faded.
Previously, when treating the General and acquiring [Circuit Control], he had been concerned about this issue. The abnormal circuitry within Teest was balanced by the system's power, merging more tightly than with the likes of the General and thus, harder to deal with. Until he was completely sure, Nol dared not act rashly. A misstep could leave Teest with permanent damage.
That said, the circuit was stabilized by "Player Privileges". Meaning, the system was continuously managing the "rejection reaction" within Teest's body. The system was the most powerful force in the world of Tahe. Logically, continuing this way shouldn't pose a problem. The premise being, Teest was just a "normal being".
"The system used to automatically regulate your body to maintain a perfect balance. Nol sat down in front of Teest, patiently explaining. "Now, that balance is about to be broken… Your own power is gradually approaching that of the system, and once you weaken, this situation arises."
The logic was simple. Teest had become too strong.
"The system", a strong man, could easily mediate a child's conflicts. But if it had to intervene in another strong man's fight, it would struggle.
Teest cupped Nol's fingers in his. "I can guess the situation. It doesn't matter. You'll heal me, right?" Those eyes, full of smiles, looked at Nol, showing no worry or fear.
"Let me stabilize your condition first." Nol took a breath. "I'll find a permanent solution. Don't worry."
"Hm? I'm not worried at all."
"That was more for me." Nol's face stiffened. He could indeed design a new circuit for Teest, but the biggest challenge wasn't that—
Teest was too formidable, lacking any suitable sacrifice for transferring "errors"… or rather, "malicious bugs".
However, their goal was becoming clearer.
Teest chuckled, cradling Nol's hand and leaning his forehead against it. "So, we stop here for today? I don't want to move a finger anymore."
"Mm…" Nol pondered. "Perradat, where's our room?"
"Behind the small door at the back of the statue. Turn left—the largest room at the end."
"Thank you." Nol stood up.
Teest: "Let's go, honey… Eh? What are you doing? Wait—"
The dragon form was inconvenient for small doors, so Nol scooped up his knight, decisively slinging him over his shoulder. Teest fluttered in shock but couldn't overcome the God of Creation, who still had physical strength.
"This is really… Uh, I am your knight, after all. Put me down…"
The Mad Monk was somewhat disoriented, experiencing this for the first time in his life.
"Stop moving." Nol walked briskly. "That was just preliminary treatment. Be careful with your hands and feet."
"You're really strict…" Teest relaxed completely, draping over Nol's shoulder. He was supposed to have become stronger just now, right? Now, why did he seem like a hostage being carried away?
In the empty church.
Perradat: "..."
Perradat: "...…Haha."
So no one was taking her down, right?
She knew it—!
"Kando!" Perradat angrily issued a divine command. "Come and teleport me!"
...
It wasn't until lying on the large bed that Teest truly didn't move a finger. After gaining his freedom, he instinctively tried to get up, only to be pressed back down by Nol—accurately speaking, by the suddenly moving blankets.
[Creator] was indeed a tricky skill, Teest thought morosely, lying sprawled on the bed.
The room Perradat prepared for them was quite large, but everything was made of a black-gray material of unknown composition. Only the bedding seemed reasonable—emitting a faint smell of seawater, probably stolen from some cargo ship.
Teest turned his head towards Nol.
Nol clicked the door lock and was now setting up layers of protective barriers around the room. Since the previous was "preliminary treatment", he guessed the "formal treatment" was about to start.
"The treatment can wait," Teest sincerely said. "Maybe we could start with two cups of hot milk and talk about your past—seriously, aren't you curious? That's the truth of the world, the origin of your memory seal!" He himself felt unbearably curious. Nol was too calm.
"Stories can wait. Your treatment is more important." Nol ceased his actions and climbed onto the bed. "We'll talk about it after the treatment. We still have the whole night."
"Alright. Even though the atmosphere isn't quite beautiful… How about you treat me while I tell you about it?" The preliminary treatment was gentle and comfortable, not hindering communication at all.
Nol's gaze suddenly became complex, and a few seconds later, he evasively shifted his eyes. "...If you insist, it's not impossible."
An odd reaction.
Teest: "Don't worry. I've always had a high tolerance for pain."
Nol's gaze drifted even further away. "Okay, start by taking off your clothes."
Teest: "?"
"Take everything off." Nol's ears reddened a bit. "I need to carefully adjust the circuits throughout your body. It won't hurt."
As he said this, his warm fingertips touched Teest's forehead. Under the skin, it felt as if some entangled, painfully tight knots were being untied, bringing a tingling, mildly warm, wonderful sensation.
Teest: "..."
How to put it… Perhaps his tolerance wasn't that great after all. During the treatment, could he really tell the story properly?
The author has something to say:
After the battle, of course, the scene shifts to continue the battle ♂!
What a great treatment—