Chapter 137
The church isn't particularly large, but it looks quite magnificent, with its dome, which is over ten meters high, making visitors appear small.
'That's true, these priests only have twenty percent of their strength left, and it's slowly waning.'
Yuki grinned, his shoes leaving bloody footprints on the ground. The priests who had rushed out earlier were all killed by him, and then he accurately compared them.
It's like turning off the tap; without believers, the energy bestowed by the evil god naturally diminishes, unless the remaining townspeople are baptized to replenish it.
"But you don't have the opportunity to do that now. You can only concentrate your forces or maintain your fighting strength by relying on the quality advantage of your blessings."
Even though it's the same blessing, the difference between believers, grey priests, purple priests, and saints is definitely different. Even if it's reduced proportionally, the base number is still there.
As Yuki walked, he kept a slow pace, hoping to weaken his opponents further, and he wasn't worried about the two players coming to attack him from both sides.
Oreki Houtarou will definitely be able to stop him.
Ability isn't the issue; he not only has hidden trump cards, but his characteristics are also perfectly suited for this kind of combat.
At first, no one was really going all out, giving him ample time to gather data. But when it came time to really go all out, you'd find that the same skills were no longer effective against him.
'Using Inference Reconstruction and create a predictive effect is completely different from Hiyori's approach; it focuses more on tactics.'
What about the will to fight? That was the problem before, but it's been solved now.
Yuki revealed a sinister smile. He and Oreki Houtarou didn't have time to trust each other, nor could he use the same methods he used on Hiyori to coerce others. So, he had no choice but to use benefits.
[Tip for believers 4: Try to play a role in the church and gain God's attention]
This concerns the quest evaluation for 'cult' players. The former is a method of game hints, but the focus is on the latter, so Yuki proposed a reverse strategy:
"If I kill all the believers and church members, it'll be hard for believer players not to be taken seriously."
He may not have been baptized, but rules are rules, and a believer is a believer. This identity is beyond question. There's only one left; he can call himself the Pope when the time comes.
Originally, this reverse strategy was only theoretically possible, but it is gradually becoming a reality. Oreki Houtarou participated in the whole process and finally saw this 'beautiful bait' right in front of him.
How could we give up? Compared to at least an A-level mission rating, the threat of 'Day' is nothing. Shouldn't we risk our lives for enhancement points and specialization points?
"So the will to fight isn't a problem, but this isn't the Limit yet."
Yuki even thought further: if he possessed abilities like soul splitting and truly underwent baptism, he would receive all of God's blessings and might even ascend to heaven on the spot.
"This should be the ultimate solution for believers, but it requires the right skills and involves great risks."
He muttered to himself, feeling that every identity had an ultimate solution that could earn him a mission rating far exceeding S-level.
Things have really changed. Back then, we envied others for having easy tasks, but now it's the other way around.
The easiest way for Judge to get a high rating is to kill.
He walked to the altar and looked at the golden statues of gods placed on it. Each one was bizarre in shape, some resembling a combination of beasts, humans, insects, and organs—in short, indescribably strange.
Clang.
Yuki drew his sword and slashed, but the altar and the golden statues remained motionless. If you crouched down slightly, you could see an arc around the statues, covered with dense markings.
Violence cannot dismantle the altar; at least Yuki is not qualified. But he wasn't worried at all because someone had seen church members open it before.
Oreki Houtarou was not baptized, so he was not qualified to enter the underground, but he possessed the ability to Inference Reconstruction, simulating the secret positions that the priests had turned many times, and finally came up with the correct answer.
Click click click click.
Yuki turned the golden statue, and with a click, the entire altar began to unfold to both sides, revealing a central staircase. This staircase was large enough for four people to walk side by side without feeling oppressive at all.
A strange smell entered Yuki's nostrils. Hmm, it wasn't the smell of blood; rather, it was like a complex body odor, with a slight fragrance. Then, nothing strange came out from either side of the stairs to ambush him.
Besides the strange smell, there was also a heavy sense of oppression. Even after killing all the believers, the saint was still terrifying and was hiding in his lair.
The feeling of being in Demon Hospital washed over me, only this time it came knocking on my door, and it was just Yuki. But how to put it...
Yuki glanced at his watch; there was one hour and fifteen minutes left. He then stepped onto the stairs.
"Wait a moment, I will judge your Destiny shortly."
Chapter Thirty-Three: Players from Another Faction (4K)
Yuki entered alone, hoping that Moon Bow and the others could handle the two players.
Of course, Yuki had also prepared two battle plans and was not blinded by the pursuit of the highest rating.
Fight if you can, retreat if the intensity is still outrageous. Time is running out; can the saints and evil gods really catch up to you in the transit space?
Being alone signifies isolation and helplessness, but also a lack of worries, greatly enhancing operational flexibility.
Yuki showed no mercy, immediately investing the two enhancement points he had just acquired into strengthening his current combat power.
The first player upgraded their gun mastery skill to 'Proficient' level, while the second player upgraded their Nameless Longsword to 'Chaotic' level (Level 3).
Without the Chainsaw Sword, as long as one isn't too unlucky and doesn't inflict any negative status effects, the Quiet Dew is enough to suppress it. As the murmured voice rang out, Yuki revealed an expression of 'I knew it'.
There's not much to say about gun mastery; it just saves you time from training. But Chaos Item are a different story.
[Demon-Breaker Longsword (Chaos Grade) - Forged Three Times]
[Permanent Reinforcement Magecraft: The blade releases an anti-energy field with an area of 1 square meter. Energy attacks within this area will be weakened to a certain extent. Forging effect: It is sharper, harder, and can even cut energy.]
[Side effect: Requires energy from the holder, regardless of type, at a ratio of 2:1.]
[Description: There is no absolute suppression in this world; it all depends on the price you are willing to pay.]
The level of Alienated Grade is within the reach of human technology, but the level of chaos possesses Transcendental Grade abilities. Forging can only achieve quantitative change, while strengthening and upgrading can achieve qualitative change.
Without a doubt, this is a qualitative change.
A lawbreaker? I have a feeling someone's messing with me.
Yuki's expression was complicated, a mixture of joy and worry. The reason he had invested three enhancement points to forge the longsword was because he couldn't withstand the negative status effects and needed a simple yet efficient weapon.
Good luck. If the side effect is indeed a debuff, it's equivalent to wasting two enhancement points, so it's better to just take the Chainsaw Sword back and keep using it.
However, his luck wasn't too good. This side effect overlapped with the Hunter's Blunderbuss, making it a huge mana drainer. If Yuki hadn't just made a fortune, he probably would have turned into a sullen-faced monster by now.
After entering the 'normal level', Demon Heart found it difficult to feel any improvement, probably because the required amount was too great, and a mere few hundred believers simply couldn't satisfy him.
However, the 'blue energy' continues to increase, barely enough to cover the consumption.
"Anyway, I can control the activation time, and I can use it the same as before. In a pinch, it solved my immediate problem."
Yuki is quite content; what he lacks now is defensive items, he lacks all kinds of items.
The energy released by the Demon Possession is less efficient, making the person a fragile chicken with high attack but low defense. But this is also good, as the entire combat system is now complete.
With Demon Possession as its core, it possesses the energy of the heart and the Reconnaissance of the eyes, supplemented by Reinforcement Magecraft and Vitality Shift, and maintains a calm state with Quiet Dew. Its main weapons are the Hunter's Blunderbuss and the Demon-Breaker Longsword.
"A mid-to-close range main DPS character with all-around traits including detection, burst damage, and defense."
Yuki a deep breath, feeling that the foundation was now solid. All that was left was to repair and rebuild, using the game rewards to construct a skyscraper.
With the fog cleared, the desire to become stronger was especially intense. Just then, Yuki stepped down the last stone step and slowly turned his head.
The church's underground area is a hidden world.
Torches burned on the gray walls; these torches were clearly 'nuclear-powered,' with no signs of wear and tear.
The ceiling appeared to be six or seven meters high, leaving Yuki in awe.
Is this even underground? And why aren't there any enemies?
This underground space alone is Transcendental Grade phenomenon; its area is definitely many times larger than the church on the surface. Continuing forward, one once again experiences the absurdity of the cycle of Reincarnation Game.
The corridor ahead initially only allowed four people to walk side by side, but it gradually widened until it reached five or six meters wide, making it look less like a corridor.
The first half is relatively narrow, with a slight slope and some twists and turns; later it widens and becomes straight, just like the four main roads in Yadu Town, and you can see some rooms on both sides.
There was still no one there; logically, there should still be a priest in a purple robe left.
Yuki carefully kicked open the doors on both sides, his eyebrows furrowing unconsciously.
There were no enemies inside; these were warehouses filled with gold and jewels, and even the walls were inlaid with gems, gleaming with the light of wealth.
Having spent two days in Yadu Town, he discovered that this distorted town had no commercial activity whatsoever, and he had no idea what the purpose of collecting these valuables was.
Perhaps all that's needed is the attitude of the believers: to dedicate their body and soul to God, what do mere material possessions matter?
He wasn't interested in the treasures inside the dungeon. As he walked further in, he opened another door, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
These doors lead to individual rooms, which are quite luxurious compared to the simple corridors, featuring a large bed and a dressing table, among other things.
He even saw people, all kinds of women, barely clothed, lying on the bed fast asleep, their jade-like bodies lying horizontally, their soft breasts half-exposed, their snow-white thighs parted, releasing endless allure.
These girls would sometimes shift slightly, revealing even whiter skin, giving one the urge to go inside, pull back the covers, and have some fun.
Holy crap, what kind of party scene is this?
Yuki quickly closed the door, a series of thoughts flashing through his mind.
The old man sent his daughter-in-law to the church, where the priest acted strangely in the cemetery, and the sheets on the church pews, plus Oreki Houtarou witnessed firsthand...
I was wondering why the church had so many seats when the gatherings were all in the square.
A powerful thought process instantly conjured up numerous images: inside the church, men and women making love before the statue of God, creating a sense of blasphemy and holiness coexisting.
"Slaanesh is like a raging flood, poisoning the youth of the empire."
Yuki quickly recited two 'prayer's' as well, regaining his steadfastness and loyalty.
As you continue forward, the rooms ahead become even more terrifying. Some are filled with torture instruments, including branding irons, whips, and tiger benches. Some even have guillotines on display. The black floors are covered with dark red bloodstains, suggesting that these items have all been used.
But looking around, Yuki didn't see any shackles or anything like that, and the surrounding layout didn't resemble a torture chamber at all.
No matter how absurd Reincarnation Game may be, it wouldn't be so ridiculous as to fill the torture chamber with flowers and carve statues on the walls, and upon closer inspection, those statues are truly horrifying.
They either dismembered their own bodies, whipped themselves, or placed themselves under the guillotine to cut their own ropes; their actions were bizarre and varied, but they had one thing in common:
They were all smiling, genuine smiles of joy.
"This thing is meant to be used on oneself. Could it be related to the 'believer's' suggestion that one 'needs to please the gods in one's own way'?"
Unable to understand, Yuki glanced at his watch and, finding he still had time, retraced his steps, opened each room, and looked through them from beginning to end.
Mountains of jewels and wealth, shelves overflowing with meats and vegetables, beautiful women and men on the bed, a room full of torture instruments...
Finally, there are believers who are so deeply immersed in their faith that they transcend life and death.
A sense of déjà vu grew stronger, connecting it to the initial joke.
"The methods are slightly different, but why does it have a Slaanesh- like feel to it?" Yuki was serious this time, finally connecting all the lines in the final stage.
These rooms were definitely used by church leaders and believers. Putting aside wealth and beautiful women, they were all for the release of desires, and the highest form of release was unwavering faith.
'Receive baptism and dedicate everything to God.'
Yuki suddenly forgot the old man's words, looked at the wide corridor, and felt a chill run down his spine.
Beneath their piety and kindness lie unrestrained and unbridled souls, pleasing the gods, but aren't they also pleasing themselves?
They indulged in lavish wealth, unrestrained pleasure, self-torture, and the release of desires, turning the entire Yadu Town into an altar, using this method to crave the attention of the evil god.
Those the Bystander Is Blind often blinded by their own perspective; so that's how it is. And the beginning of this journey is a 'baptism'.
Yuki took a step and walked into the depths of the corridor, a strange Justice welling up in his heart, as if he were giving the killing a legal cloak.
The Judge truly deserves the title.
After walking a short distance, the original corridor extended to both sides, and the dome became taller. Yuki stopped and saw a black stone door in front of him.
The door was six or seven meters high and had some patterns engraved on it. Upon closer inspection, they resembled some hieroglyphs, but they were too abstract for Yuki to recognize.
Gurgle.
He swallowed hard, not daring to push the door open recklessly. Considering what he had just seen, Yuki first took a big gulp of Quiet Dew, then drew his sword and pressed the scabbard against it.
Click click click.
With little effort, the door opened, Yuki looked down to see a clear dividing line on the ground.
The torchlight seemed to encounter an invisible wall, unable to penetrate any further at the end of the corridor. Without even thinking, Yuki turned around, took the torch from the wall, and threw it inside.
The torch rolled, releasing a burst of light that finally illuminated the surroundings.
The gray floor and massive columns give the hall a sense of age and history.
'In the same spatial dimension, this should be the core of the church's underground, the place where baptisms take place.' Yuki glanced at his watch and decisively activated his Demon Eye.