Chapter 227: Chapter 227: Scenario Dungeon (3)

A saint is a vessel that channels the spirit of a God.

But what happens to the spirit within the saint if the God has already descended into the mortal world?

The answer is simple. The spirit returns to the original body, and the space it leaves behind is filled with divine power.

The saint remains connected to the God and can communicate and receive additional power, so apart from a slight delay, there isn’t much difference.

However, the spirit that once resided within the saint is still separated.

“The Evil Gods exploited this part.”

Atlantis was eventually surrounded and destroyed due to the structural problems of the Human Union and the delayed support.

As a result, the God of the Surging Waves fell and became Serpentine Leisure, creating a large breach in the defense line.

Not only did the greatest power, considered their all, turn against them, but they also completely lost control of the sea.

At that time, the Union was in a state of emergency.

The Church of Righteous Radiance, which fought at the forefront, naturally became busier… and it was also natural for the Saintess to fight harder for their god.

“At that time, Saintess Clara led the paladins to another strategic point to reduce the burden on the God of Righteous Radiance… and got surrounded.”

It wasn’t just monsters. They even set up a barrier that temporarily severed the connection with the God by sacrificing all sorts of offerings, isolating her in the truest sense.

As soon as the connection was cut, the Righteous Radiance naturally noticed and tried to head to Clara’s location.

But the Evil Gods wouldn’t sit still.

The God of Tainted Unity, who also owned the chimera army, personally stepped in to hold back the Righteous Radiance.

“Of course, the Righteous Radiance didn’t just take it quietly.”

Although she couldn’t go there herself, she sent reinforcements several times. The problem was that they couldn’t break through the monsters surrounding the Saintess.

Ten days passed like that.

Clara and the paladins following her kept fighting, even without any response from the God.

But faith alone doesn’t solve everything.

In front of countless claws of evil, the paladins and priests fell one by one, and in the end, only the Saintess was left standing.

She had no other choice, and those who had died wished for her survival.

However, even Clara’s seemingly infinite divine power eventually ran out.

Originally, she would have received an endless supply of divine power through her connection with the God, but since that connection was severed, it was inevitable.

Thus, Clara made a decision.

There was no way that a body in the hands of an alchemist who made chimeras would meet a good end.

Clara gathered the remaining divine power and cast a self-sacrificial spell.

A final miracle that burned both her body and soul.

When the Righteous Radiance arrived belatedly, all that was found were traces of massive destruction and the medallion Clara cherished.

Clara and the paladins following her disappeared without leaving any remains.

Especially in Clara’s case, since she used the self-sacrificial spell, even her soul couldn’t be found.

In the Eurelia Continent, where Gods existed, heaven also existed. It wasn’t exactly the eternal paradise spoken of on Earth.

After a long time, souls disappear somewhere, and until then, they could enjoy a place like a resort.

The sanctuary where the God resided was used as heaven.

In such a world, the souls of martyrs naturally head to the sanctuary… but Clara’s soul was already burned.

She wasn’t saved in life, nor was she saved in death.

Wasn’t it too pitiful to be the end of a Saintess?

That’s why this is a painful history for the Church of Righteous Radiance.

“…That’s what happened.”

I gave a brief summary for those who didn’t know. Helena and Gilbert, who knew but listened seriously until the end, nodded.

“You know well, Brother. Yes, Saintess Clara, who was the last saint, became light, embracing many enemies.”

“Although we recaptured Cassis Valley Fortress after that, we eventually couldn’t overcome the difference in power and had to shrink the front line, giving it up again. I heard it became an enemy base and was sent flying to the sky afterward…”

Gilbert trailed off.

He must never have imagined that it would remain a dungeon, caused by Saintess Clara’s lingering regret.

In the slightly somber atmosphere, Helena’s eyes began to sparkle.

Not metaphorically, but literally, shining golden eyes. Simultaneously, light-formed ears and a tail sprouted from her head and back.

“Huh…? Lord Righteous Radiance? What is this…?”

Helena, looking confused, nodded to herself. She then reverently offered a short prayer and slowly opened her mouth.

“Brother, Lord Righteous Radiance wishes to quickly resolve Saint Clara’s unfinished business and lingering regrets.”

“Oh, so you can hear everything without drawing power. Let’s start the briefing right away. This is important, so listen carefully.”

The story of the past ends here. Now it’s time to talk about the present.

“The repeating period is the last day when all the paladins had fallen, leaving Saintess Clara alone. If the self-sacrificial spell is used, it’s considered a failure, and we go back to the beginning.”

“Is the goal to break through the chimera encirclement and reach Clara, Master?”

“No. Just breaking through isn’t enough. We need to join forces afterward to annihilate the chimeras… Probably…”

“Hmm. Well, since the clear conditions of scenario dungeons depend on the master’s heart, even you can’t be certain, can you?”

Carla nodded. Actually, it wasn’t a guess but a certainty, but it was tricky to explain, so I just nodded along.

“Anyway, now that we know our goal, we need to make a detailed plan. First, look at this. This is what the terrain would have looked like back then.”

I infused magic into my fingertip and waved it in the air.

Thanks to my excellent memory, I could recreate the mini-map vividly, just like it happened moments ago.

The rough sketch was quickly completed. The party members who knew about my secret organization setting looked nonchalant, but Helena and Gilbert, who didn’t, were agape.

Even though they weren’t biologically related, they had a similar father-daughter dynamic. It was strangely endearing.

Smiling, I continued the explanation.

“First, we need to join Saintess Clara. So yes, we do need to break through initially, but since there are many monsters here…”

With two senior magicians, three intermediate magicians, one high-ranking paladin, and even a slightly inexperienced saint, we had considerable strength.

While it was possible to use our firepower from the start, the problem was the sheer number of monsters.

There were just too many. Moreover, they were specialized in defense and regeneration.

They were designed to slowly kill the saint, making them incredibly tenacious.

If Iris and Iona unleashed high-level magic, we could break through, but we would waste too much magic, affecting the subsequent extermination of the rest.

Thus, route selection was crucial. Once we joined Clara, we could receive various aids, making the fight much more efficient.

I shared the standard strategy to minimize initial consumption.

The explanation ended quickly, with no major objections from anyone. Now, all that was left was to execute it.

Helena began casting buffs on everyone before entering the dungeon.

While she could cast group buffs in emergencies, individual buffs were more effective and lasted longer, so she cast them one by one.

She looked quite cool, wearing her glowing armor and fur-lined cloak, likely having activated her sacred armor already.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

As I admired her appearance, my turn came, and I whispered to Helena.

“Helena, you still have the medallion I gave you, right?”

“Of course. Even though I’m wielding a mace, the sacred item you gave me is still a great help.”

“Don’t lose it.”

“Huh?”

“It might fall during battle.”

Helena, who was tilting her head, smiled softly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll hold it tightly in my free hand instead of the scripture.”

She looked at me as if she were seeing a boyfriend worried about losing his gift.

What’s this? Has the Righteous Radiance not told her yet?

Seeing her lion ears twitch urgently, I nodded slightly, indicating I understood.

Then, I focused on the medallion hanging around Helena’s neck.

【Roaring Lion Medallion】

A large medallion carved in the shape of a roaring lion.

Though it has lost its original radiance after being neglected for a long time, it still retains something.

A warm sensation that reassures the one who touches it. Whose trace is the faint bloodstain?

Remember this:

In the most desperate moments, people cling to something.

…Even if it’s a prayer that doesn’t reach.

–Can be charged with divine power (Current Capacity 100%)

–When health drops below 5%, automatically consumes the charged divine power to heal the wearer.

–Increases divine power efficiency by 10%.

–Once a week, can release all charged divine power at once to cause a holy explosion.

Well, Helena would find out soon enough.