Just became an evil god and was summoned by the saint.

Chapter 746 Enemies Meet, Eyes Filled with Hatred (5k)

In fact, even without Ross's reminder, the saints could figure it out themselves given some time.

But Ross still said that since these girls might be going through a process of learning by doing, it was better to explain this implicit rule in advance.

Ross wasn't worried that they would be trapped here forever; he just felt that being passively trapped here was less interesting than actively choosing to be trapped here.

Ross was waiting to see how they would choose their strategy.

This site does not have only one path to the second stage.

It's pointless for Celia to clear the game in such a muddled way; they should be given all the information before making a decision.

Upon hearing Celia's words, Aimo murmured, "Could it be that the reason I'm trapped here is actually because the mirror world of the ruins has been reset?"

"That's possible. If I remember correctly, you told us before that you woke up after the reset and then found that you couldn't leave."

Amo nodded.

"In short, the idea of ​​staying here indefinitely should not be attempted unless absolutely necessary."

Doris looked at the four diamond-shaped machines in Aimo's hand and said, "Let's continue exploring and see if we can get the mechanical balls after Miss Aimo gets them. We'll also look for a device to place the mechanical balls."

The girls left the streetlights and began to clear out the monsters.

As the monsters were cleared away, the pollution resurfaced.

They initially thought the contamination would be blood, but Celia discovered it wasn't; instead, it was the vines they had encountered a second time.

Doris's eyes immediately lit up: "It's vines! Let's go see if those four little balls are still in their original positions."

Aimo followed.

About an hour later, they reappeared in the streetlights, and Doris now had four small metal balls in her hand.

"Just as I thought, each mirror world has a unique ball in a fixed position. The only difficulty is that these balls cannot be taken out, but thankfully, we have Miss Aimo here. We've confirmed that this street lamp can transfer people and objects to another mirror world, so we can give all the balls to Miss Aimo. 12 worlds, that's 48 metal balls! Finding 48 balls should be enough to pass the second stage."

Everyone smiled.

Whenever Celia smiles, I always feel like I'm missing something.

Is this really the method to pass the level?

Something just doesn't feel right.

She had never encountered a ruin that required multiple teams to work together, and where someone had to sacrifice themselves and stay in the ruin in order to clear it.

If this is a relic left by one of the three Fates, what was her purpose in designing it this way?
Is this a test of the expedition team's unity?
In a sense, judging from the tests of the first phase of design, this is indeed the case.

But is this kind of test necessary?
If this is truly the way to pass the level, then it can only be said that the intentions of the gods are beyond the comprehension of mortals.

Or rather, this is not the way to pass the level under normal circumstances.

Celia pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Doris, have you ever encountered ruins that require multiple teams to work together to conquer before?"

"There are ruins where multiple teams collaborate, but they are all in the same world. I have never seen anything like this where teams are collaborating in different mirrored worlds."

Doris said confidently, "It seems that the splitting tomorrow is necessary. We need to get all 48 balls together first and have Miss Amore send them to another mirror world to wait until all the balls are gathered before we see what happens."

She looked at the three horses on the distant sea.

"Perhaps this is the key to activate the three horses, and the activation device will only appear when all 48 small balls are collected."

After resting briefly under the streetlights, the Saintess Squad bid farewell and returned to the entrance.

Before we split up tomorrow, we can look around today to see where the other spheres in the mirror world are hidden. If we can run into Aimo again, that would be great. We can put the spheres on each other.

Aimo stopped going out and chose to wait quietly under the streetlights.

……

"Has the Holy Court discovered a crucial clue?"

At the Royal Camp, the person in charge found Emilia and informed her of the information they had received from the Holy Court.

"The Holy Court summoned those Saintess candidates from the Holy Magic Academy. It must be said that in the realm of gods, they are truly unmatched."

Emilia looked at the information about the ruins and smiled: "I knew it. There was something wrong with that street lamp. So that's how it's used. And that metal ball too."

She put down the intelligence report, got up, and left.

"Uncle, you should give this information to the other friends who are conquering Giant City, not just to me. I'm just an ordinary expedition member right now."

"This information is definitely being withheld; you need to be careful."

"Yes, I will." Emilia's face lit up with excitement. "Sister, although my team can't compare to yours, we're still quite capable when it comes to exploration. I'm determined to conquer this ruin. The relic of the gods can only be mine!"

……

That evening, after Doris finished her report, Katherine said, "The royal family has made a move. They know about the anomaly of the streetlight and the metal sphere. Starting tomorrow, they will likely try to compete with you. However, according to the original plan, it's good that they've taken action. Multiple teams can work together to break through the second phase first, since there's still the third phase to come."

Celia chuckled inwardly at the thought that she could spy on Emilia and the others through Ross.

"Speaking of which, I don't know if the little ball will reappear if Miss Aymo takes it away and those mirror worlds are reset. We can verify it tomorrow. I hope Miss Emilia and the others go to the mirror world where we have already taken the little ball to verify it."

Besides the vines and the world of blood that took away the small balls, there were also small balls from the mycelium world. They were placed in the streetlights. Whether these small balls would continue to circulate through those worlds via the streetlights or disappear is also unknown.

However, all of this should be answered after we split into five groups tomorrow.

After the report was completed, Katherine led the Saintess Squad to a certain place in the Holy Court camp to introduce them to their new teammates for the next day.

There were a total of 20 fourth-tier mages, some of whom were recruited from various knightly orders of the Holy Court, and others were elite mercenaries or professional explorers recruited from outside.

Those who can reach Tier 4 in mercenaries and adventurers generally have their own specialties.

But at this moment, they showed no arrogance whatsoever when facing Celia and the others.

Because before Katherine and August introduced them to Celia, they already knew about Celia and her companions' adventures.

A small team that came from the school, and in less than half a month, they got their hands on the clues to clearing the game that they hadn't been able to figure out for months. How dare they be arrogant?

I don't even have time to lick your ass.

You struggle with a calculus problem but can't solve it, while someone else solves it in no time. Your professor invites you to participate in a competition with them. Do you really think they're inferior to you?

They'd probably transform into tea-serving servants on the spot, running errands and hoping to glean some experience from others.

The interaction was so friendly, so overly enthusiastic, that Phil couldn't take it anymore and wanted to escape.

After getting to know their respective teammates, the Saintess Squad regrouped. Doris said with some reluctance, "We'll be disbanding tomorrow and going our separate ways."

“That would be perfect.” Celia pouted.

Doris looked at Celia and snorted, "Celia, just you wait and see. Tomorrow I'll show you what adventure is all about. I'll get the key clues faster than you!"

"You're awesome!"

Celia reads the text without emotion.

Although Celia wasn't very interested, Doris's excitement resurfaced at the thought of 'competing' with Celia, completely dispelling her reluctance.

The girl was full of confidence, believing that her rich experience would definitely be enough to defeat Celia!
……

The next day, the six teams were ready to go.

August gathered everyone together and said very seriously, "You already know today's objective. Again, pay attention to your own safety, don't take risks, follow your captain's orders, and don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. If you see an extra person in the ruins, don't be surprised or ask any questions. Just follow your captain."

Celia rolled her eyes discreetly.

Exploring ruins, it's all like those strange tales of rules that Lord Ross talked about.

"Jasmine, stay. I have something to say. The rest of you, go."

August looked at Jasmine, the captain of the sixth team.

Jasmine was slightly taken aback and a little confused, but she stayed and followed August to an office.

August said, "Are you wondering what I just said?"

Jasmine nodded.

She had no idea about 'an extra person in the ruins'; she was the captain, but she was completely baffled.

Is it some new intelligence? Why are they so amazing? They get one piece of intelligence every day. I've been investigating for so long and haven't found anything.
August said, "That's the key to clearing the level. If your team encounters a stranger in the lamplight of the ruins, don't be surprised. Just give her the metal ball you found, and don't worry about the rest or ask any questions, understand?"

Jasmine hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, Your Excellency Bishop August, I will."

"Okay, go ahead." August nodded and let Jasmine leave.

Where Jasmine couldn't see, he smiled.

Jasmine doesn't know Aimo; this has already been investigated.

Similarly, Jasmine will also inform the royal team about this special situation.

As for what the royal family will choose, that remains to be seen.

……

Royal Camp.

Shortly after Celia and the others left, the person in charge summoned all the expedition teams that had participated in the Giant City Ruins.

He looked at everyone and said seriously, "We have obtained an important clue from the ruins. There is an unknown person in the ruins who will be waiting in the street lamp. The small ball you find needs to be given to her in order to pass the level. If you encounter her, do not give it to her first. Try to find out information about her. If possible, take her place and become the one who passes the level."

Emilia frowned immediately in the crowd.

The person in charge didn't say anything, but she could easily guess that the clue came from the Holy Court, and might even have come from the disbanded Saintess Squad.

Emilia suddenly felt the pressure.

No, could you guys please not go so fast?
Only a few days have passed, and they're already preparing to clear the ruins.

Can you leave us a way to survive?
A sense of urgency urged Emilia on. After the conversation with the person in charge ended, she didn't even ask if there were any hidden messages, but instead urged the captain to go on the expedition.

But she noticed a hint of unease in the eyes of the captain and his teammates, and they seemed somewhat reluctant to comply with her urging.

Emilia was somewhat puzzled by this situation.

However, at this moment, she was only thinking about whether she could clear the ruins in front of Celia and the others and win the first prize, so she didn't think about anything else.

The last time they encountered Celia while exploring together, the Royal Mercenary Group was completely outmaneuvered by Celia, who was disguised as an elf. Her brother Pascal, in particular, suffered a double loss.

Whether Celia actually cleared that ruin is unknown, but they certainly took the most important thing with them.

That's right, it's a relic of the gods.

That was a ruin that Celia and Elena explored together. Not long after, Elena became the lucky one of the gods, and then became the number one in the Mage League, shining brightly and dazzlingly.

As for them, they only made an appearance before the competition, and then they were completely outmatched by the Eighth Route Army, losing all their glory and not even qualifying to be the background for the winning Saintess Squad.

How could Emilia, who was a year older than the Saintess Squad, possibly accept this?

Although they are more powerful than her and advance faster, but... but...

Okay, that's really impressive.

"But I, Emilia, if I were to wrest ownership of the ruins from them, the sense of accomplishment would be absolutely explosive!"

Thinking of this, Emilia became a little excited and her eyes welled up with tears.

"The sixth person in the ruins? I hope I can meet him."

Emilia prayed as she entered the ruins with her teammates.

In the past, when they entered the ruins, their first priority was to avoid the first wave of monster attacks before starting to explore. But now, their first instinct was to rush straight for the street lamp.

Then, they saw a person in the streetlights.

Emilia didn't recognize Aymo. She thought she was lucky and was about to smile when she suddenly sensed that her teammates around her, and even the people in the streetlight, were making disgusted faces.

"It's really you!"

"How could it be you guys? Disgusting!"

Emilia looked at the captain, three question marks appearing above her head.

"You two know each other?" she asked, frowning.

Aimo sneered, "You're more than just acquainted with them. If it weren't for them, how would I be trapped here? Don't you think so, Captain Milana?"

Stuck here?

Emilia was slightly taken aback, but the next moment, she immediately realized something and narrowed her eyes.

"So, you're the Miss Aemo that Captain Milana mentioned, the one who sacrificed herself in the ruins?"

"Sacrifice? Hahaha, how interesting, Milana. I thought you guys would portray me as a villain who betrayed the team. Turns out I'm so great. I didn't even know."

Aimo laughed wildly, a maniacal laugh.

Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet.

Unable to contain her anger, Aimo summoned the puppet and weapon.

However, she still had some sense and knew that she couldn't beat the five opponents, so she looked at Emilia and said coldly, "Are you their new teammate? I advise you to stay away from them. They are scoundrels. To save their own lives, they will push their teammates out to their deaths without any mercy."

“Emilia, it’s not like that,” Milana quickly explained, “We…”

Emilia smiled faintly, interrupting Milana: "It's alright, Captain Milana. I have my own judgment on right and wrong. I believe in you. This Miss Aimo may have been specially created by the ruins."

Even so, Emilia had already mentally relegated Milana and the others to the sidelines.

The reason I say this is...

There were four people in Milana's group, and she was alone. Even with Aimo, there were only two of them. It was two against four, and four of them were experienced fourth-tier mages. Emilia felt that she, a newly advanced fourth-tier mage, should not be able to defeat them.

Let's play it safe and talk about the rest outside.

Milana exchanged glances with the others, then looked at Aimo and said coldly, "That's right, this ruin is very strange. It's not impossible for the dead to come back to life and disturb us. For now, we should defeat this guy first, and then make other plans."

To everyone's surprise, Aimo smiled and said, "You want to make your move under the streetlights? I admire your courage. Come on."

Upon hearing this, Milana, who was about to make the first move, stopped on the spot and looked at Aimo with surprise and uncertainty.

By this time, they had already entered the streetlights.

This streetlight is suspected to be the key to clearing the level, but their information is all secondhand, and they have no idea what rules this streetlight actually has.

The information given to them by the royal family head was that the key to passing the test was to hand over the small metal ball they found to the sixth person in the street lamp.

The extra task is to investigate who the sixth person in the streetlights is.

This extra task may not be necessary, as her identity is already known. The only question is whether she is Aimo, or whether the ruins created her specifically.
Milana leans towards the first point, although she doesn't know how Aimo survived and became the key to clearing the game, but...

Want to fight?
Milana hesitated.

Milana sneered, "What, scared?"

Milana didn't speak, but frowned as she thought.

Emilia glanced at her, then looked at Amore and asked, "Are you really Ms. Amore?"

“Of course, how could it be fake?” Aimo nodded.

She only harbored hatred towards Milana and her three companions. As for Emilia, she didn't know her, had no enmity with her, and even wondered if Emilia had been deceived by Milana.

After thinking for a moment, Aimo said calmly, "They lied to you. Now that you know the specifics of what happened, given their vicious nature, even if you 'believe' them, they won't let you off easily. There's only one way to keep this a secret forever."

She paused, then gave a cold laugh: "Only the dead can keep secrets, right? It's normal for someone to die during an expedition, isn't it? So, what's your choice?"

Emilia immediately felt a faint sense of crisis, as if her teammates' gazes were sharp and menacing.

Clearly, under Amo's guidance, Milana and the others had the idea of ​​'sacrificing their teammates' in order to nip any unstable factors in the bud.

Emilia's mind raced.

After a long pause, she smiled and said, "If you are Ms. Aimo, could you please tell me how you survived against such a formidable enemy after Captain Milana 'framed' you? If five people couldn't defeat you, could you have defeated them all by yourself?"

“This…” Aimo paused, lowered his head slightly, and fell silent.

Emilia breathed a sigh of relief as the feeling of being threatened subsided.

Milana gave a cold smile as she looked at Aimo.

What they didn't know was that Aimo was silently counting down the time in her mind.

She is waiting for the mirror world of the ruins to reset.

(End of this chapter)