Fischer really wanted to cry.
His life used to be very simple. Praying daily to the Eternal Son, engaging in cult activities, killing people, and vying for the position of Pope. He was the epitome of the most devout villain in the world.
Then, as he wished, he truly became the Pope of the Eternal Church. But his life started to get weird—of course, not to say anything bad about Great Lord Teest—this "weird" assessment was completely objective.
It was normal for a god to summon their Pope before a divine war. But for the god to say, "Forget about the church. Turn into a cat first", "Just accept a curse. No need to resist", "Do whatever I tell you," that was a bit off.
For some reason, Teest kicked the Eternal Church aside and singled him out, the Pope. His God turned him into a fluffy, big white cat, locked in the Lost Tower, supposedly to let him get used to things in advance.
Fischer really wanted to know how a cat could handle a divine war, but he truly couldn't question Teest's decisions. After meeting Perradat, he felt a bit more at ease.
The God of Fate's task: Stay in the Tower, provide and only provide the power of concealment, and add a harmless filter to Star Stealer Sol's real body.
He said these were Lord Nol's exact words, though he himself didn't know what "filter" meant.
In Fischer's view, Nol and Teest were protecting the struggling God of Fate. Perhaps pulling him into the Tower was also a way for the god to protect him.
However, once he became God's stand-in and was drawn into the battlefield, Fischer sensed something was off.
"Once the battle starts, slip away from Drake and follow Eugene Malloy. Keep your own distance. Don't let him out of your sight," Nol patiently explained before the battle. "Remember to keep [Eye of the Wind] on."
Fischer's detection skill [Eye of the Wind].
As long as he activated this skill, he couldn't influence the event itself but was destined to witness its core.
"Why?" Facing Nol, Fischer still dared to question.
"[Eye of the Wind] confirms you will be involved in a major event." Nol glanced at him, not too warmly for this former cultist. "You are the calm within the storm, but the people around you aren't so lucky."
Fischer: "..."
As a high-ranking member of the Eternal Church, he certainly didn't like Eugene. But how much did the two dislike Eugene Malloy, to insist on involving him in the center of the event? Wasn't the "Godslayer Knight" better off as far away as possible?
Since this was the choice of Lord Teest's partner, he would comply.
Back to the present.
Fischer's claws were deeply hooked into Eugene's pant leg. It wasn't easy for a cat to find a spot to claw on someone fully armored. Fischer was covered in soot and dust, his fluffy fur matted, making him look like a used white rag.
Looking towards Teest, shining in the flames, tears welled up in Fischer's eyes.
…I've done my best, my God!
Mr. Eugene had divine help along the way. With that sword, he forcefully tore open a gap in Teest's magical barrier. He reached the main hall successfully without being hit by any of the burning golden stones.
Eugene hardly cared about the meowing strange cat on his foot. At a glance, he roughly figured out the situation inside.
Painter protected two Players, carefully in a corner while the false Drake drew his sword, standing in front of them. All four were blood-stained and tattered.
Enbillick was also covered in blood, looking severely injured, confronting a handsome white figure—golden threads softly wrapped around that person, while bowing shadows flocked towards him.
However, that person also had a lot of bloodstains on his clothes. Presumably, he was also severely injured.
The Mad Monk.
Eugene immediately made a guess.
Enbillick Alva was a system-designated protected person, those two Players—Anakin and Solo were likely here for him. Previously allied with Paradise, they might be trying to use this relationship to infiltrate Paradise and rescue Enbillick.
After all, as Eugene understood, Saint Anakin was a very typical righteous player. Such a player following the demon-led Paradise definitely wouldn't gain any benefits.
Painter protecting the Players… False Drake drew his sword to corner them… Did Painter have a conflict with Paradise? Was the Mad Monk planning to kill the chicken to scare the monkey*?
*(杀鸡儆猴) Idiom referring to punishing someone severely or unfairly in order to make an example.
Was he crashing into a scene of internal strife?
In less than two seconds, Eugene made a rough inference.
He decisively rushed towards Enbillick, positioning himself in front of that person in a standard protective stance. His speed was so fast that Fischer was flung off, sticking to a painting depicting the Goddess of Life bending down to pick berries—Fischer, stuck onto the Goddess's face, gave her a Santa Claus beard.
Teest: "…Pfft."
Eugene frowned, sizing up the opponent, trying to find a flaw in that relaxed posture, quickly thinking through his mind. Golden Sword had been specifically named by the system. He definitely needed to be protected.
If he could cooperate with Painter and the Players, it would be ideal. If the situation was different from what he imagined, this would also probe the stance of the group in the corner. He…
As Eugene was rapidly analyzing the situation, a numbness suddenly spread from the back of his head.
…Enbillick Alva? Why?
…Wasn't that person supposed to be protected by God?
A crushing pain obliterated his thoughts, and Eugene staggered in place. In a haze, he seemed to hear Painter's anxious shout.
Before him, Teest tried to suppress the smile curling at his lips.
Everything was as his God had said—
"Teest, Eugene will be part of your battlefield," Nol said in a tone used for bedtime stories. "I'm sending Fischer over. He can ensure this to some extent."
"Why? I can hold off Enbillick. Plus, there's that four-person team." Teest stretched lazily on the bed.
"Drake's combat style is too cautious and conservative. If they focus on defense, they might withstand Star Stealer Sol's attacks. Once they try to attack, they will definitely show weaknesses. Drake cares more about his companions' lives than victory."
Teest: "Okay, I don't really get along with him."
Enbillick wasn't an opponent one could afford to be distracted against, and he certainly didn't want to consider the life and death of Painter and the others during battle.
"Given Star Stealer Sol's caution and shamelessness, it will definitely rig its avatar." Nol played with Teest's hair. "Like considering the possibility of the avatar's destruction, maybe a self-destruct in the end. Even if you could win through normal processes, you could still be in danger."
The God of Creation's tone was very confident, just like the first time they fought in the lich dungeon. Teest hummed easily, nipping at Nol's collarbone as a response.
"So I want to bring Eugene to it." Nol said, "I want to bring 'hope' to it."
A person at their wit's end suddenly given another option would definitely try it first.
"Star Stealer Sol likes to 'domesticate' others. I have a good idea of what choices it will make. Listen—"
"I have to say, you can be quite scary sometimes, scarier than me." After hearing everything, Teest gave high praise.
Now, Star Stealer Sol indeed made "that decision".
Enbillick raised layer upon layer of protective shields. The brilliance of memory magic surged wildly. Teest knew that magic. It wasn't brainwashing, but selective memory transfer.
"Eugene's oracle is too special. Star Stealer Sol won't let Eugene act on his own. It will definitely use this fanatic to ensure Eugene stays on its side."
Nol's voice drifted from the memory.
"We've never interfered with Eugene, so Enbillick will provide flawless memory information, proving he is the avatar of the Goddess of Life, Tilia—thus, by the 'Godslayer' oracle, it will try to eliminate you while saving its avatar."
Eugene stood petrified, his eyes wide, filled with a startling white glow.
He was being forced to receive the message from Enbillick. Given that it was prepared by the renowned Golden Sword, Teest guessed it must be well-founded and credible.
Teest didn't attack the protective shields. He pulled several bottles of top-grade recovery potions from his pendant and gulped them down. As the potions took effect, the glow in Eugene's eyes faded, revealing dark green pupils.
For a few seconds, Eugene Malloy looked somewhat bewildered.
"Supreme Lady Tilia." His lips moved as he muttered with utmost devotion, his gaze gradually sharpening. "Supreme Lady Tilia…"
In his hand, the "Dominator" sword had never shone so brightly.
"Yes, yes. Kill the infamous Mad Monk. Kill that False God."
Behind him, Golden Sword spoke in a tone so gentle that it was eerie. "I will help you. Protect me and kill him, my child."
"I understand, Lady Tilia."
Eugene gripped his long sword, his tone growing firm. "That is the False God who tarnishes Your glory and must be eradicated."
A dense fighting spirit and magic entwined around the "Dominator". The young knight radiated murderous intent. In the corner, Painter silently watched, well-behaved as the other three gave a salute.
Across from Eugene, Teest raised both his eyebrows and his sword blade.
Knight Eugene wasn't yet a False God, but he wasn't to be underestimated. Moreover, that sword was mixed with the power of the system and bolstered by the strength of Nol's letter opener… Even though he had just replenished his strength, he couldn't underestimate this strike.
In a few seconds, the "Dominator" sword grew even brighter, like a sun turned into a sword. The moment Enbillick removed the protective shields, Eugene moved.
"Praise Tilia," he said.
The sun-like blade sliced through the air, leaving behind a semicircular afterimage. The blazing sword cleaved through flesh, severing the throat splitting the bones.
It cleanly decapitated Enbillick's head, who still had a smile on his face.
Enbillick was completely stunned.
The avatar of a god didn't die immediately from decapitation. Enbillick rolled his eyes in shock, looking at the panting Eugene, as the avatar's health rapidly drained.
Why?
Just in case, Enbillick had already prepared memories to control Eugene. The memories he provided were flawless, fully proving that he was Tilia—in a sense, this was indeed true. He only needed to remove anything related to the Eternal Church.
He had crafted these memories over and over again, without a single flaw. He had checked repeatedly, as Paradise never tried to recruit the fanatic Eugene for stability.
So why?
He couldn't figure it out, no matter how hard he tried. Pain and questions filled Enbillick's head, and he couldn't even focus on reversion.
Why betray the god he deeply loved?
He hadn't even had time to react when Eugene's next sword strike arrived. The burning sword tip pierced through his skull, driving down to his jaw.
Eugene seemed to have completely forgotten the existence of the Mad Monk, as the sword tip plunged relentlessly into Enbillick's head, again and again.
Thump.
"Lady Tilia is absolute," Eugene said with a smile.
Thump. Thump.
"Lady Tilia would not be driven to this by a few villains. Lady Tilia wouldn't show such an ugly face in front of me."
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"I don't approve." Eugene's tone was cold and haughty, like a child declaring his dislike for tonight's dinner.
With a fierce pull, the long sword was withdrawn, splattering a few drops of blood onto the side of Eugene's face. His smile grew larger, mixed with certainty and satisfaction.
He had used the sword to decapitate the False God. He had already used the sword to decapitate the False God.
"How dare you defile my Lady Tilia, False God."
The author has something to say:
It seems like everyone is looking forward to Eugene's breakdown (…
True zealots don't break down. They're just another type of lunatic!
Kinky Thoughts:
Shocking but at the same time not really… I mean given all the characters in this story, everyone is just bat shit crazy. The only difference is the degree of bat shit crazy.
Quite honestly, I'm living for all these twists.
All I can say to Eugene is: slay~~