On the Sky Bridge (1), On the Sky Bridge (2) and On the Sky Bridge (3)
Celestials are afraid of death.
Perhaps because of their long lifespan compared to humans, death was distant, unfamiliar, and frightening to the celestials.
Poppy was no different from ordinary celestials.
The reason I didn’t use my power on the ground was because I was afraid of cutting my own lifespan.
That’s why Poppy had no choice but to break out in a cold sweat.
‘Kuh, I can’t move.’
I am bound by the noose of lightning and cannot move.
It was impossible to even secure a view because even the eyes were covered.
Although he couldn’t see, he could roughly guess the situation he was in.
traitor. He had heard that when he imprisoned the Celestials who betrayed Heaven, he sealed his power like this.
‘A traitor… .’
Papi was in a bad mood.
Have you had contact with the devil?
In the past, I had made mistakes unwillingly, but recently I could swear I didn’t really go near the devil.
are you okay.
If there is a trial, they will be able to prove their innocence.
Some angels have the ability to discriminate between true and false.
Poppy gritted his teeth and vowed to endure this pain for a while.
How many days have passed like that… .
“Can you hear me?”
A faint voice came to Poppy’s ear.
Are you finally getting out of here?
Poppy reflexively opened her mouth.
I couldn’t even drink water for several days.
Her voice was hoarse from enduring the sensation of digging into her flesh.
“Listen… is.”
“For what crime were you imprisoned?”
A voice suddenly asked.
The moment Poppy was about to answer, the voice came again.
“I know roughly. There are traces of magic in your soul. It doesn’t seem like a normal kind of Magi.”
no.
Poppy shouted quickly to clear his name.
“It is not a sign of meeting the devil… !”
“hmm? I didn’t ask.”
At that answer, Poppy’s heart sank.
You don’t even want to listen to me? It can’t be.
At the trial, she will have to confess everything, so Papi decided to reveal the truth here.
“It is a trace that was created while helping a priestess who was deceived by the devil.”
“A divine woman.”
Again, a voice that seemed to be laughing was heard.
「It’s interesting. A guy who committed the same crime as me.”
“that is… what.”
“My crime was also related to the priestess. The sin of not allowing an angel to descend even with the priestess.”
For a moment, Poppy was confused.
Because the voice was clearly referring to himself as a sinner.
“Aren’t you the one who came to judge me for my sins?”
“How can I, imprisoned, judge you? I have neither the strength nor the will to do so.”
“I’m stuck… Do you have it?”
“Yes, the room right next to you.”
This time, doubts arose.
If he is a sinner, how is he passing through the magic circle that suppresses the spirits of the celestials and conveying his voice to himself?
Or is it that the original feeling was that great?
“No matter what your sins are, it’s none of my business. Even if you served the devil.”
“I have nothing to do with the devil!”
“Well, that meant it didn’t matter.”
The conversation went on for a while.
The more I listened to him, the more spectacle it became.
Poppy seemed to be able to fully understand why he was imprisoned here.
What is a person with such thoughts but a traitor?
“If you look closely at the devil, there is nothing special about the angel.”
“The sky is also not an absolute line. Heaven is a place full of hypocrisy.”
“I gave my life, but the heavens gave me back only long sins. Well, I don’t regret it because I gave my life for a friend… .”
“Maybe it’s because I don’t have much life left, so I started thinking about useless things. If there is such a thing as a next life, being born into an abyss would be fun.”
“Does that sound crazy to you? I must have been similar until I went through what happened to Iluna.”
‘Who is it?’
The more she heard the story, the more Papi fell into despair.
As expected, since there were people like that, it seemed that this place was the prison where traitors were imprisoned.
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“I agree to a certain extent that the Celestials are hypocritical… .”
「Hmm?」
“Not even the angels. My innocence will be proven at my forthcoming trial.”
“Do you think the truth will hear your voice?”
“No, I serve neither the truth nor the light.”
“then?”
“There is only one Royal Angel.”
There was silence for a while.
The laughter in his voice grew a little louder.
“Aren’t you an archangel?”
“Because he was the only one who didn’t turn away from me.”
“Haha, you weren’t an ordinary person. Okay, let me tell you an interesting fact just for you.”
The words of the voice continued.
“Dozens of prisoners have visited the room where you were locked up for five years. Do you know what they have in common?」
“… .”
“It means he was executed within a week.”
‘execution?’
“A new wind is blowing in the sky right now. Does the boundary between the sky and the abyss really separate good from evil? There are a lot of people with such questions. Which one is your idea?”
“… Neither.”
“Well, it’s okay if you don’t choose. In any case, an example is needed to calm the turbulent atmosphere in the sky. okay. The execution of a traitor would be just right.”
“I am innocent!”
“Angels are not those who exist to cover your sins.”
Poppy thought he let go of sophistry.
“what… !”
“You don’t have to listen. I don’t care if you dismiss it as bullshit. Everyone is free to believe what they want to believe.”
After that, no more voices were heard.
There’s no reason to get excited about the sophistry of a mad prisoner.
He will soon prove his innocence in front of the angel and be set free.
But why?
Poppy felt his heart beat wildly.
What could be the reason, he pondered in silence in the dark.
***
Hundreds of islands floating in the sky.
Heaven is the domain of celestials, but not only celestials live there.
Holy beasts or monsters that play on each island.
And they couldn’t intervene in the island’s politics, and ordinary humans were also living in the sky.
In terms of earthly terms, the heavenly people are the lords who manage each island, and the humans are their people.
Humans on earth have fantasies about the sky.
The more commoners suffering from the hardships of life, the more they envied the citizens of heaven.
A country ruled by heavenly beings.
If I could live in such a place, wouldn’t I be able to live happily without any worries?
Rumors often spread that some of the most religious could be adopted as heavenly citizens.
The sky bridge is a passage to the world of dreams.
There are only two paths in the world.
‘This way.’
Hyun led the party with a video floating in a corner of the screen.
The route was very complicated.
I’ve already been to and from the symmetrical world twice.
I even ran the other side of the world for tens of minutes just to go 10 meters.
‘No one knows that there is a place like this in the world.’
The path that deception taught me.
Along the way, Hyun was once again convinced that the symmetrical world is a place that cannot be understood by common sense in reality.
Yes, like here right now.
“Ain, doesn’t this look like space?”
Hyun muttered as he crossed a bridge about shoulder width wide.
I looked down at my feet.
I wondered how a bridge that had no pillars and was as thin as paper could exist.
The feeling of walking on air.
But it wasn’t that he couldn’t feel gravity.
“universe… ? It’s too bright for something like that.”
“The symmetry of darkness is white. And look over there.”
Hyun pointed down.
Under the bridge, in a distant place, a sphere of undetermined size was floating.
The surface of the sphere resembled a ‘globe’ with continents and oceans divided.
“No matter how you look at it, it looks like it’s a planet.”
“sun?”
“No, Asura of the symmetrical world.”
At Hyun’s guess, Ain murmured after thinking for a while.
“Uhm. So, is this place like a space station? But there is nothing like that.”
A cliff bridge across the middle of the universe.
I didn’t even know what purpose the place was made for.
More than anything, I couldn’t understand that a place like this existed in the universe itself.
Hyun finally decided to stop thinking because only his head was complicated.
‘Well, the important thing now is going to the sky.’
The path that Gi-gi showed me was perfect.
The route through the central engine department passed through the lower level of the sky bridge, and thanks to this, the party has not yet encountered a single NPC in the sky.
‘Things work out so well.’
Soon you will enter the middle layer of the sky bridge.
Equivalent to the white band. A boundary beyond which human forces cannot influence.
The moment Louise passes the middle floor, the effect of Tracing Evil on Louise is canceled.
Above all, human armies cannot set foot on the sky without the permission of the celestials.
It means that if only Magi can solve it somehow, Louise will be freed from the pursuit.
‘Did the deception deliberately help?’
It was so easy that it raised doubts.
Until now, the main quests had to be desperately needed to be barely cleared.
The difficulty of this main quest is also similar to the previous one.
However, Hell Mode changed to Easy Mode with a single cheat key given by Gi-man.
‘Maybe it will end without a hitch… !’
As he prepared to pray again, Hyun had a subtle expectation.
Clearing the main quest always followed with jaw-dropping achievement rewards.
“Ain, I’ll go ahead and call you.”
“huh.”
“Louise, you can pray at the end of that stairway.”
Now, Louise has become accustomed to the art of prayer and can lower her consciousness to the bottom in about 30 seconds.
Pod!
At the same time as crossing the world again, the view changed.
The next place the party appeared was a large hall.
‘Summons.’
Hyun summoned Ain with a coupling while trying to figure out his current location.
Altitude lower than satellites.
I still had to go up a bit to get rid of the Tracing Evil on Louise.
“Who is this?”
Just then, Ain murmured.
“huh? person? ah… !”
Hyun looked around and was surprised.
I didn’t even feel popular. Since when have you been?!
Right next to me, a woman in a white priest’s uniform was looking at me with a blunt expression.
Strangely cold eyes.
At the same time as they faced each other, Hyeondo and Louise’s hearts plummeted.
「Hyeon, I was caught! how… Should I? Should I run away with prayer… ?!”
“No, I just used the ring, so that’s no way!”
Hyun looked around.
The woman is the only one in this large hall!
‘Shall we fight… ?’
If you are not a Celestial or a named NPC, you can try to assassinate him.
Yes, kill me on the spot and cover my mouth!
However, at the next woman’s words, Hyun had no choice but to stop moving.
“Are there only two of you?”
‘what… ?’
“One man and two women… The oracle said that three people would definitely move here.”
The priest looked at the party and tilted his head.
As if something went wrong that should have happened.
‘… !’
Hyun was twice surprised by her words.
How is this guy determining the members of this side?
It was clear that the words two women also referred to Louise, who was hidden in a fairy tale.
‘I said it was an oracle!’
And the reason I was surprised again was because the word oracle came out of her mouth.
A priest who knows oracles cannot be ordinary.
If it was a named NPC, there was a high probability that it would be impossible to assassinate it with a surprise attack.
“Ah, the introduction is late.”
The female priest slightly lowered her head and continued.
Even as the explanation continued, the blunt expression hardly changed.
“I’m an apostle. Her name is Mystia.”
Apostle!
With that one word, Hyeon’s alertness was lit.
If not acting, this guy is definitely an NPC.
Even though she is an NPC, having an apostleship meant that the user was never an opponent to face.
What if you are a celestial? Then, rather, our lives will be in danger!
“However, I’m not on good terms with the other apostles.”
The priest’s words continued a little further.
“Because I do not serve the truth or the light. The only angel I serve is the Royal Archangel.”
“Royal… archangel?”
Hyun did not understand the priest’s words for a moment.
Even aside from the remarks about not serving the truth or the light.
Royal is level 475 and Archangel is level 500, so they are completely different beings, but he uses two words as one.
“I call him that way because he will soon rise to the position of archangel. He himself said that it would be called ‘Harmony’.”
“Harmony… ? Not order?”
fuse. Mistia glanced at the string that suddenly intervened and continued.
“No one serves order.”
“no… Because it’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
“Because his fame has not spread on earth yet. There are already quite a few celestials in heaven who only serve harmony.”
The more they listened, the more confused they became, so Hyun and Ain talked in whispers.
「Ah, the angel of harmony. Have you ever heard of it?」
“I heard it for the first time today.”
A name that did not exist in Asura’s time.
In the first place, a suspicious smell wafted from the word that a royal angel would be promoted to an archangel.
‘Wait, maybe.’
In an instant, Hyeon’s head flashed.
Come to think of it, something similar happened back in the days of Asura.
There was one guy who changed the world view and created a new kind of angel.
The angel of harmony, Kayreel.
The royal angel that appeared out of nowhere disappeared as soon as he cleared a certain quest.
‘Deceived again… is it?’
Hyun asked to confirm.
“Angel of harmony, what is your true name?”
“I don’t know that either. Even if he knew, an apostle would not mention the names of those he served.”
I couldn’t hear the answer, so I changed the question a little.
“Do you know someone named Lutia?”
“That name is a celestial who served the angel of harmony before me.”
“celestial?”
“Didn’t you know that you asked?”
“No, it is. that’s right.”
Hyun was relieved only after hearing the answer.
It’s simple when you think about it.
Since there is no other being other than the Archangel and the Archangel who can cause such a change in the worldview, we have no choice but to think of deception first.
‘This time, it seems that he made his debut in Heaven under the name of ‘Harmony’.’
Gi-gi was doing the same thing in Asline.
Unlike the previous work, there is no one to disturb this time, so part of the sky may have already been encroached on by her.
“The oracle told me to help you.”
“how?”
“You entrusted me with guidance. I will lead, so please follow me.”
Hyun was now convinced that this woman named Mistia was an ally.
Deception is the addition of navigation and guidance.
‘Originally from Abyss? Or is she just a celestial being tricked by deceit?’
No matter how much you are, you can’t remember all the names of countless devas.
Mystia. Maybe you’ll find out later when you dig into the interloop?
In any case, having strong reinforcements is always welcome.
“How many heavenly beings serve harmony?”
After learning his identity, Hyun was no longer wary of the priest.
I followed her and asked several questions.
It was to get as much information as possible from the ally I met.
“I’m guessing about a hundred.”
“Human?”
“I don’t know the situation on the ground… There are millions of people in the sky who serve him.”
“Unexpectedly… A lot.”
“Because among the celestials who serve harmony, there are three masters of the island.”
The information Mistia gave me was quite surprising.
The island’s owner is a kind of lord’s position, and no heavenly person can assume the position.
Unconditionally A-class or S-class.
Even if there are only three of them, what if deception could steer those mighty celestials at will?
Their influence in the sky will never be ignored.
“Can I ask which island is the owner?”
“It’s a bit sensitive question, but… Harmony told me to help you, so I’ll answer you. Enturium, Rasias, and Maytree. There are three of them.”
“Rasias? Isn’t that a pretty big island?!”
“It’s not that big. I can’t even get into the tenth largest island.”
‘That’s when all the islands are combined.’
As far as Hyun knew, Rasias was a huge island inhabited by about a hundred celestials and far more humans.
“You mean all the inhabitants of Rasias Island follow harmony?”
“Not all of them, but more than half of them.”
“Awesome… .”
Hyun suddenly laughed.
I never thought the rebels, who were so blind to me in the past, would feel so reassured.
“But the other one. Are there any silver-haired women?”
“uh… why?”
“The oracle told me to deliver something to the silver-haired woman.”
“okay. You mean an oracle?”
Hyun pondered for a while, then released the fairy tale for a while.
Pod! At the same time, a silver-haired woman wearing bizarre clothes appeared.
Louise, clumsily wearing sunglasses in a cap with a brim.
Instantly, Mystia’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you a user? It goes against his oracle.”
“I am not a user. It’s just the way you dress.”
“Is this strange? Hyun, you told me earlier that I was beautiful… !”
“what? that word. Really? never to me… !”
Hyun had to break out in a cold sweat because Louise and Ain suddenly intervened in the conversation.
“Well, as long as it’s clear that you’re not a user, it doesn’t matter what you wear. two women and one man. Now you are aligned with the oracle.”
Then, Mistia handed over something, and Louise accepted it with a bewildered look.
A transparent marble the size of a candy.
“Swallow.”
“This suspicious thing… You mean?”
“It is an item bestowed by Harmony.”
While Louise hesitated, Hyun quickly opened the information window of the item.
[The Elixir of Concealment of Divine Power]
-Hides the energy of divine power leaking from the body for a certain period of time.
-(Divine power/magic) is not easily detected.
-You may not be able to hide it in front of someone with a strong sense of humor.
‘As expected, deception is definitely helping Louise.’
Guessing his intention, Hyun nodded.
The closer you get to the top floor of the sky bridge, the greater the amount of magic Louise possesses, the easier it is for the celestials to detect it.
Someone might notice that Louise is a ‘devil’.
It would be safer to keep the energy contained until we reach the Dark Lands.
“You were tricked by the devil into becoming that kind of body, right?”
Just then, Mystia’s words began.
“ah… I am.”
“There is no need to be afraid. Because harmony doesn’t just look at the results. He cares for you… It means that you will become the cornerstone of the sky in the future, right?”
“huh? I mean… ?”
“The Word of Harmony has never been wrong.”
As he listened to the conversation, Hyun realized one more fact.
Mystia’s faith was bigger than I thought.
“Most of the celestials would not tolerate beings with demonic energy.”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“It is sensible. Those who fall into tradition and cannot accept change… .”
At times, the meaningful muttering of the voice seemed to contain even madness.
This priest named Mystia seemed to have been brainwashed by deception more than I thought.
Or, to put it the other way around, did Deception assign Louise the most reliable being?
Mystia gave off an atmosphere that seemed like she would be willing to hostile even to her fellow celestials if it meant harmony.
“What if the other celestials try to disturb the oracle?”
“Yes, of course I have to get rid of it.”
“Killing… ?”
“I should kill the same celestials, but if you try to disrupt the will of harmony until the end… yes. Maybe not.”
Seeing Mistia’s sparkling eyes, Hyun involuntarily drew in a breath.
***
“It’s an oracle!”
A temple somewhere in the sky.
The decrepit priest’s voice rang out.
“Lo, the royal oracle! The royal pattern was drawn on the stationery!”
Because it is closer to the celestial world, more oracles descend from the sky than from the ground.
Even so, the reason the old priest was so surprised was that it was rare for an angel of royal rank or higher to directly give an oracle.
People rushed around at the cry of the old priest.
“Where is the oracle from?”
“It belongs to the forces of light.”
“The light… .”
Also, oracles related to light were rarer in the sky.
Most of the oracles in the sky belong to angels who serve the truth. Recently, only the things that a certain royal angel has descended on.
That’s why the statue of truth still occupied a seat in the middle of the temple in the sky.
The coming down of the oracle of light five years ago also happened on the ground.
Since the earth and sky are almost disconnected, it has been decades since an oracle related to light has been given to the heavenly temple.
Eventually, this oracle was passed on to high-ranking celestials.
<Beware the hole in the north.>
The contents of the trust left little room for interpretation.
The northern hole clearly means the arctic sky bridge that crosses the white belt.
However, the time when the trust came down was not good.
“Is there ever a chance for light to come out in a yard where even darkness is sealed?”
“I don’t understand what your intentions are.”
About 100 years ago, an angel named ‘Harmony’ appeared.
If harmony hadn’t been able to deal with it in advance, the heavens would have suffered a great blow from the forces of deception.
“You are not obligated to serve all angels.”
Harmony said so.
Anyone has the right to serve only the angels they want, so move as your heart desires.
It was from then that the spirit of division began to rise in the sky.
Truth, light and even harmony.
As the oracles of different powers frequently collided, the powers of the heavenly beings were gradually divided.
Over the course of several decades, some celestials’ way of thinking changed, and after more than a hundred years, other celestials also began to adopt that way of thinking.
And now, the celestials have come to the point where they are suspicious of any oracles other than the angels they serve!
In the midst of such a disturbing air current in the sky, the oracle of light had come down for the first time in a long time.
The celestials who were not followers of light had no choice but to doubt the oracle.
Do I have to follow the oracle?
You don’t even know what it means?
<The followers of light must first clarify the meaning of the oracle.>
Surprisingly, that was the decision of the Celestial Council.
Disregarding the oracle given by the royal angel was something unimaginable in the past.
If the light had descended personally, the story would have been different.
Who can disobey the words of the archangel?
However, very recently, the light that used its power to make a contract with someone had no choice but to go through the royal subordinates and make an oracle.
It was fortunate for the party who were currently on the main quest on the sky bridge.
***
“Your location has been reconnected!”
someone in the chase shouted.
It was the moment when the coordinates of Tracing Evil reappeared.
“next… sky… ? It is the sky bridge of the North Pole!”
“Is that true?”
“Yes, it is speculated that the location was cut off in the middle because it went underground.”
“You’re in trouble.”
The commander of the pursuit party let out a sigh.
The sky bridge is the boundary line between humans and celestial beings.
Although the lower level belongs to the earth and the upper level belongs to the sky, since the entire structure is under the control of the heavenly people, the sky bridge is implicitly the realm of the heavenly people.
Due to the nature of the closed heavenly beings, there was almost no interaction between heaven and earth.
It was impossible for a human army, and a pursuit team belonging to a specific country to set foot on the sky bridge. It means more than trespassing on another country.
“We can’t go any further.”
The commander made a cool decision.
In order for a key figure in the country to pass through the sky bridge, he or she must undergo at least three days of examination.
If you get caught by a tricky Celestial, the waiting time may exceed a week, so chasing is no longer possible.
“Anything that might have something to do with the devil… Are you saying you let it go?”
“I can’t. An oracle is an angelic command that must be followed.”
The commander recalled the code of conduct for such times.
When access to a specific location is not possible due to unavoidable reasons.
“Use users.”
There is no restriction on belonging to a country for users.
Even the apostles and deputies of the celestials were free to travel back and forth between heaven and earth.
Celestials would not find fault with the nations on earth for the actions of such selfish users.
“user… You mean?”
“Yes. Request a quest from the upper level.”
The commander remembered the characteristics of those who fled.
The bizarre outfit is definitely the user’s. If you gather several players of the same level, you can overwhelm them enough.
The problem is that users don’t have a sense of duty… It will be solved as a quest.
***
still unable to see.
The pain had blunted long ago.
The sense of time was also blurred.
If it weren’t for the mysterious prisoner who spoke to her from time to time, Poppy would have lost her mind a long time ago.
Seeing how he conveys his voice while imprisoned, he is definitely a celestial man. He must be a very powerful celestial being.
What crime did a being in a position that he would not normally dare to look at be here?
At first, Poppy, who only listened to him, began to ask questions one by one as time passed.
“… Am I going to be executed?”
“It is certainly.”
Poppy was thrilled whenever he heard a man’s voice.
It’s like talking about the future.
It could be dismissed as a prisoner’s nonsense, but for some reason I just couldn’t let it go.
For some reason, the more I listened to his absurd words, the more I fell in love with them.
Poppy asked cautiously again.
“How to be executed… ”
“Do you really want to know?”
“… yes.”
The voice paused for a while.
“All the prisoners in that room ended their lives by being thrown into a white belt.”
‘The white belt… !’
Poppy held his breath.
Among the heavenly beings, there is no one who does not know the boundary line between the earth and the sky.
A transparent membrane with seemingly nothing on it.
But he knew very well what would happen if he touched it.
First of all, since divine power and mana do not move properly within the white belt, no magic can be used.
In the next step, the soul swept away by the turbid aura instantly fades.
Eventually, they disappear without a trace.
No one knows what will become of the melted soul. Perhaps it will float forever in the sky mixed with the white belt.
The form of annihilation that the Celestials fear most.
That’s why there weren’t many prisoners executed with a white belt unless they had committed a tolerable serious crime.
“really… is it?”
「I already felt dozens of souls melting nearby. It’s an unpleasant sensation, so I won’t show my excitement anymore.”
“… … .”
Poppy couldn’t easily connect the next words.
I was suddenly afraid.
If you have any sins, there are only two things.
Being tricked by the devil in the past and stained with demonic energy. And all I did was help the priestess who was tainted with demonic energy.
Is it a sin so grave that it consumes the soul? It felt unfair and unreasonable.
It’s the same this time as that time.
Even now, the angel is only turning away from himself.
While giving an oracle of imprisonment to those who try to escape fate, does no one speak out to correct the false world?
“Are you afraid?”
‘… !’
The voice came again.
Then he murmured as if he had read Papi’s thoughts.
“I guess you want to rely on prayer.”
As the man said, Papi was praying now.
to the only angel he serves.
As before, she longed for a hand to be reached out to her.
If prayers reach the royal angels who are more benevolent than the truth and more active than the light… !
“It’s useless. As I said before, angels exist not for good, but for the heavens.”
Is it a miracle because it doesn’t happen twice?
All I hear is a low male voice. The angel did not answer Papi’s prayers.
“How about praying to the devil instead? I don’t know if you’ll listen better than the angels, but at least try.”
Poppy didn’t respond.
I thought of the Royal Angel’s words again.
Only those who help others can be saved themselves.
So Papi doesn’t regret helping the priestess.
Even now, I just believe in the teachings of the angel at that time and continue to pray.
There was only silence for a while in the dark space.
***
Mystia didn’t say much.
He only looked curiously at Hyun assimilating with Louise for a moment, but did not even react to most things.
The group quietly followed her guidance.
Whoops.
All members of the party were covered with a translucent protective film.
It was a magic that Mystia cast in preparation for an emergency.
If you estimate her heavenly rank, it’s between C and B.
Having such a helper help with a quest is the same as using a cheat key.
‘If we go on like this, it will end soon.’
From time to time, Hyun glanced at the video that was displayed on one side of the screen.
With the guidance of a celestial being, there are no more dangerous areas.
Everything is so perfect that it couldn’t get any better than this.
But would you be so anxious? The reason was immediately clear.
It must be because the trembling heart is being transmitted through fairy tales.
“hyeon.”
At some point, Louise’s low voice was heard.
Hyun could intuit what she would say next.
“Papi… .”
“I’m only thinking about surviving now.”
Hyun quickly covered his words before he could say anything more.
Louise was no longer a child who could not weigh the importance of work.
Normally, he would have been able to change the subject to this extent, but now Louise seemed unwilling to keep her mouth shut.
Rather, the more he spoke, the more urgent he seemed.
“Wait, wait a minute… Can’t you stop walking?”
“What’s going on?”
“I think I just found a familiar aura.”
“what?”
Hyun’s footsteps stopped.
While Mistia and Ain looked at each other suspiciously, Louise muttered in a trembling voice.
“No, it may be my misunderstanding. It’s just a coincidence that his traces exist in a place like this… .”
“Stop talking nonsense, speak plainly!”
“For a moment, it seems that Poppy’s energy has been felt… !”
While hiding in the labyrinth, Louise and Poppy got used to discerning each other’s auras.
If it hadn’t been for the senses accumulated over five years, Louise would have passed by without recognizing any energy.
“Is Poppy nearby?”
“I’m not sure, but… .”
“What direction?”
“It’s over there.”
Louise quickly pointed down a dark, long passage.
Hyun checked the map and immediately squinted his eyes.
‘That side… .’
Asura’s memories popped into my head before the Interloop information.
Even in the society of heavenly beings, there are laws and there are sins.
Among them, prisoners who committed serious crimes are sent to the prisons of the sky bridges in the Arctic and Antarctic.
In order to punish those whose crimes are particularly bad, melt their souls right next to the white belt.
The direction Louise pointed to was a prison where celestials who had committed serious crimes were imprisoned.
‘Papi is trapped?’.
For a moment, Hyun became anxious.
If the reason why Poppy suddenly disappeared was because he got involved with Louise.
It is possible that he already confessed to information about Louise.
“You’re not sure how you feel?”
“well… I don’t know.”
I reviewed the situation again.
With Mistia’s help, I was able to afford it, but it was never at the stage where I felt relieved.
Louise was still being pursued, and there was still a long way to go.
If Louise’s feelings are mistaken, time is lost.
Even if it’s not an illusion… There was no need to gamble with Louise’s life.
“Do you know where you are now?”
“Yes… ji.”
Hyun made the most rational decision.
“I don’t have time to look for Poppy right now. Is it okay if I ignore you?」
“Am I just passing by…? ?」
“for now. Instead, come back later and check it out.”
“I see. later… .”
Louise also understood the inevitability of the situation, so she had no choice but to nod.
T-ring!
It was then that the quest alarm broke the silence.
‘… !’
Hyeon suddenly had a bad feeling.
What if Poppy doesn’t already exist when you return later? What excuse should I prepare for Louise?
The reason the alarm sounded was because it was right after he remembered that thought.
In Assrian, when certain events are recognized or conditions are met, there are cases where sudden quests occur like now.
‘This isn’t good.’
As nervousness ran through his body, Hyun slowly read the quest window.
A new quest appeared.
<Quest: Two Roads>
-Poppy gave her 5 years of life out of pure goodwill to help the demon-stained priestess, but the fate awaiting him was cruel.
-For those who attempted treason, the only end is execution. If you turn away, Papi will end her life today.
– Would you please reach out to him?
<Results and Rewards>
-If successful: Louise and Poppy’s favor increases
-In case of failure/giving up: Louise will not rebuke you even if she resents fate.
after. Hyun took a deep breath.
Louise’s feeling was correct.
And it seemed that his bad premonition had not gone astray.
execution. It is clearly stated that he dies.
Quest descriptions never lie, so if you don’t save Papi now, there won’t be another chance.
‘Should I save it?’
For a brief moment, a thought popped into Hyun’s mind.
Except for the fact that he can receive and eat the rewards spread like a hukou, Papi is not a very important character.
His personality was flat, so even though he was a celestial man, he didn’t feel much different from the first-generation artificial intelligence.
Just an ordinary NPC.
Giving up a path that guarantees success in the main quest because of Poppy is not profitable.
Above all, it was clear that accepting this quest would put Louise in danger.
‘What if I keep my mouth shut?’
Louise can’t see the quest window.
I don’t even know Papi’s fate.
If you quietly move on like this and later say that the situation was unavoidable… ?
If you don’t open your mouth directly, you will be able to hide today’s work for the rest of your life.
In other words, if you sacrifice only one NPC, everything is resolved in a good way.
“this… .”
It was also at that time that Mystia, who had been quiet, opened her mouth.
“The situation seems to be getting serious.”
“what?”
“The number of celestials in the upper layer is rapidly increasing.”
“Wasn’t it five?”
“It is usually like that. However, there are only 10 heavenly energy that I can feel immediately above. No, it is still increasing.”
The true identity is the celestials who have moved to the North Pole sky bridge. They were those who followed the oracle of light.
Mystia was not even aware of the existence of the Oracle of Light, so she too was taken aback.
“Are you okay?”
“It’s not okay. I think there are some celestial beings that I can’t control with my own strength.”
“Then what to do!”
“… We should call our allies too.”
The fact that powerful heavenly beings are flocking to this extent means that an oracle has come down.
If you have an oracle on your back, almost any action is forgiven.
But what if the trusts of the two powers collide? At that time, the will of the stronger side takes precedence.
That was also the reason why Mystia’s mood had subsided.
“If the oracle came down, truth or light, either way is dangerous. There aren’t that many followers of harmony.”
.
A variable arose along the way.
I don’t know how much support power Mystia is calling for, but it won’t be enough to deal with the celestials gathering now.
However, the crisis facing the party didn’t end with just one.
「Hyung, did you hear about the quest just now?!」
Ginny’s urgent voice came out of nowhere.
Hyun, feeling unusual this time, quickly answered the whisper.
“A quest?”
“Yes, a large-scale quest has dropped in the sky, but it seems to be related to the prefecture!”
One screenshot sent straight away.
The moment he checked the contents of the quest in the photo, Hyun’s complexion turned blue.
NPCs often used a method of sending users to places that were dangerous or difficult for them to exert influence on.
Illuna, this is a technique that has been used many times in the land of darkness.
“A ‘pursuit quest’ has appeared on the sky bridge!”
A quest occurred all at once for the users who had obtained the title of apostle or representative of the heavenly people.
‘How many delegates are there now… ?!’
Apostles and deputies can ascend to the sky without restrictions.
The moment he remembered that fact, Hyun felt a sense of crisis.
The number of apostles is not very large, but the number of deputies is at least several hundred.
Just when he thought he had shunned the NPC, new pursuers called Apostles and Deputies appeared.
‘It’s a completely surrounded structure!’
At the top, a group of celestials were blocking the path, and at the bottom, hundreds of players chased them.
In addition, this sky bridge is a courtyard in the sky where NPCs and guardians roam everywhere.
Among the guards, there were ‘humans’ as powerful as the knights of the Empire or Holy Kingdom.
“The energy of the celestials is getting closer and closer.”
Suddenly, Mystia murmured, furrowing her eyebrows.
Bad news came incessantly as time passed.
“You’re saying we’ll see each other soon?!”
“no. It won’t come down below the white belt. It must be waiting up there.”
After passing the white band, the effect of Tracing Evil is canceled.
However, at the same time, the party will have to face an army led by a heavenly man.
Truly a dilemma.
It was impossible to escape immediately into the symmetrical world.
The next prayer spot that Caidrial told me is the top floor of the sky bridge.
The fact that you have to walk between them means that this is not a ‘safe’ place to pray.
