Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

'The Protector of the Holy Son, by virtue of this function, when possessing skill level 1, is immune to all darkness, sleep, stun, charm, and other negative statuses that affect willpower; requires no food, water, or sleep; and possesses perpetually abundant energy and stamina.'

Current item held: Blank Astartes Card

Tsugumi stroked her chin, then looked up, glanced at the cross behind her, then looked up again, and glanced at the cross behind her once more.

"Um—should I put him down?"

Dongjiang pointed to the motionless Teacher Daye on the cross and tilted her head, saying...

There was no response. The sky remained the same, so blue, so white.

Tsurugi walked up to Jesus, circled him a few times, and then spoke.

“I know you may not want to see what I’m doing, Bro, but you have no choice. To be honest, this atonement is really useless. After all, the first thing you’ll see when you return to the world is a street full of crosses, just like John F. Kennedy when he was resurrected and saw a street full of sniper rifles.”

"Oh fuck, I really don't know why they think the cross is the most suitable logo for you—is it because your current image is too iconic?"

“You know what, bro? Someone was arguing with me about who’s better, you or Confucius. I was talking about you, because you have two Confuciuses.”

Tsurugi started telling hellish jokes circling around Jesus.

No malice intended, just having fun.

He wasn't sure if he was seeing things, but he thought he saw Teacher Da Ye's lips twitch.

"Well, looks like no one's giving me any tasks."

After telling hellish jokes for a while, Tsurugi clicked his tongue. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he began to put Jesus down from the cross.

Of course, burying Teacher Da Ye was only one of the purposes; the most important purpose was, of course, to—

"Let me see, why doesn't it have any attributes? Is this even equipment? What kind of thing can I summon if I take this to Fuyuki City as an artifact?"

Tsuruga carefully pulled the three nails off Teacher Daye's body, then kindly bandaged his wounds, changing the bandage as soon as it was soaked with blood.

Then he had hundreds of 'shrouds'.

And those three nails... he vaguely remembered them as something like 'Helena's Holy Nails'? Could stabbing yourself in the heart with those things turn you into a madman in a vegetative state?

Anyway, he put everything away: the nails, the shroud, and the Spear of Longinus, which he had been eyeing for a long time. As for the 'True Cross,' it was too big and heavy to carry, so he set it aside for the time being.

Oh—and we can't forget these two either. It seems one of the two robbers who was nailed to the ground went to heaven?

Never mind, just tear all the nails off and take them with you!

With a greed that was ten or even nine parts greed, Tsurugi packed up almost all the relics and took them away, even setting his sights on Teacher Daiya's crotch.

You might not know this, but Teacher Da Ye's Holy Bag O is also a sacred relic enshrined in the Vatican!

But thinking about it carefully, Teacher Da Ye is already in his thirties, and I guess that thing has probably been cut off long ago and I don't know where it is... Maybe I should just forget about it?

Tsurugi gave up his plan to collect the sacred essence of Master Da Ye with some regret. He wasn't sure if he had misread it, but the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch again.

Tsugumi has collected a huge pile of artifacts of all sizes, but the problem is that not a single one has any attributes.

Does this game's equipment not have any attributes? Or are these things actually useless?

Who cares? Tsurugi happily played with the blood-stained spear in his hand. Even if it had no attributes, it would still be great to take it back as a collectible.

After playing with it for a while, Tsurugi sat back on the throne.

Jesus' body was placed peacefully in a clean place nearby and carefully wrapped in cloth.

Night fell completely over Jerusalem, and a cold night wind blew from the mountains, sweeping through the streets with a ghostly wail. But instead of the scent of spices and dust, the wind carried a cloying, foul stench of congealed blood, exposed entrails, and bone marrow.

In the distance, the sound of orderly yet suppressed footsteps echoed. A line of torches lit up in the darkness, like a swaying fire dragon, cautiously moving in this direction.

Tsuruga straightened her body, presenting herself to the visiting guests with an even more perfect posture.

The fire dragon stopped at the edge of the square, not daring to approach further. In the firelight, dozens of Roman guards clad in elite centurion armor, wielding shields and unsheathed short swords, formed a formidable shield wall. But their solidity was merely a facade. On every soldier's face was an undisguised expression of horror and terror.

Their gazes were fixed on the skull pyramid, which flickered in the firelight and seemed to still be writhing, and the figure at the top of the pyramid that looked particularly thin in the night wind.

The crowd parted, and a man clad in a purple-trimmed toga, his face resolute yet deathly pale, emerged, surrounded by several guards. It was Pontius Pilate, the governor of the Jewish province.

The only Roman governor to play a righteous role in the story of the death of Jesus.

His soldiers fled back and reported the unimaginable massacre to him. As the governor of the Roman Empire, he could not simply flee. He had to see it for himself, he had to confront the “thing” that had perpetrated it all.

He brought his most elite guards, but this brought him no sense of security. When he saw the mountain of skulls with his own eyes and smelled the thick, unbearable stench of blood in the air, he realized that what his soldiers had reported was not even a tenth as terrifying as reality.

Pilate waved for his guards to stop, then walked forward alone for several dozen steps. Each step was heavy and hesitant. Finally, he stopped about thirty steps from the pyramid of skulls. He gazed at the silent figure atop the pyramid, and the eyes that shone so brightly in the firelight sent a chill down his spine.

He took a deep breath and did something that shocked all his subordinates.

He straightened his robes, then slowly knelt on one knee, bowing his noble head—belonging to the Roman governor—to the handsome Eastern youth and to the altar piled with countless Pharisees' heads.

“I, Pontius Pilate, governor of the Roman province of Judea,” his voice was hoarse with extreme restraint, “pay homage to you, messenger of the great god Mars.”

Having transmigrated, the only purpose is to kill, kill, kill! : 5. The Arrogant Illusion of the Demon King of Desire—Arrogance has become obsolete!

Did the Roman governor have any religious beliefs?

It's hard to say for sure in this era, but there's no doubt that compared to the priests in the temple who were delirious with their incense and herbs, the scene before him was enough to make Pilate lose all reason and offer his faith.

After all, it's hard not to feel fear when you see a small mountain of skulls and an altar, and a figure sitting on that skull throne.

"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's."

Tsurugi placed her hands together, mocking him with a gesture that mimicked an elegant aristocrat.

"Pilate, do you agree with this statement?"

"I..." The Roman governor was drenched in sweat. He knew this was a death sentence: yes, and he would offend the embodiment of war before him; no, and he would offend the emperor.

But his mind worked quickly, and he spoke decisively.

"All I know is that the Pharisees who killed this righteous man should pay the price for their tyranny."

Tsugumi tilted her head slightly. The governor's answer was wise, and she had no intention of pressing him further.

Regardless of the outcome, this race of 'wisdom that has wandered for millennia' will at least have to embark on another journey.

"Governor... your respect is worthless. Your fear, however, is barely pleasing to me." Tsuruga's tone was filled with utter contempt.

"Mortal, do you think this is a punishment? No, this is not even a proper sacrifice. Can a mere apology be enough to end the grave sin of offending the youngest son of the Lord of Armies and annihilating his mortal body?"

Tsugumi stood up, her voice rising in pitch, like a priest's proclaiming in a temple, echoing across the empty square.

"War! Only war can be offered as a sacrifice to the great Lord of Armies! He is weary of your childish wars among mortals, weary of your cheap prayers that promise victory with cheap wine and a few bulls. He yearns for a true, glorious war that will make his blood boil! A symphony of flesh and blood that will shake Mount Olympus!"

He stretched out his finger and pointed it toward Pilate, who was kneeling on the ground.

“And you, Pontius Pilate, will become my herald.”

Pilate looked up, his face full of astonishment.

“Listen well, Governor of Rome.” Every word Tsurugi spoke was like a cold stone striking Pilate’s heart. “Go back and gather your legions. Not just those stationed here, gather all the troops you can mobilize.”

"That's not enough!" His voice suddenly turned ferocious. "Send my words to Rome! To the heart of the empire! Tell your Senate, tell your Emperor Tiberius! Tell Rome to send their strongest warriors, their most skilled legions, their most famous gladiators! Let them come here with their best weapons and their highest honors!"

"I'll give you time." Tsurugi held up four fingers, then three more. "Forty-three days. Starting from sunset today. Within forty-three days, I will witness here the strongest military force the Roman Empire can muster. Let them challenge me, please me, and offer my master a grandest sacrifice with their blood and courage!"

He descended from the pile of skulls, his bare feet stepping onto the cold, blood-soaked stone slabs, and walked step by step toward Pilate. With each step he took, the Praetorian Guard behind Pilate nervously took a step back, their shields clashing against their armor in a chaotic clatter.

Tsurugi stopped just a few steps away from Pilate, looking down at him with the indifference of a god looking down on an ant.

“Remember my words, Governor. If, forty-three days from now, the army you bring, your so-called warriors, do not satisfy me…”

A cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"...I will personally embark on the journey to Rome. Just as Achilles broke down the walls of Troy, I will kick open the gates of your so-called 'Eternal City' with my own feet. I will let the waters of the Tiber be stained red with the blood of your senators. I will tear down the dome of your Pantheon and use your bones to build a new throne for my master, one truly worthy of his skull."

"Now, get out!"

He uttered the last two words, turned around, and walked back to his skull pyramid without looking back. He sat down again, closed his eyes, as if he no longer cared to look at these mortals.

Pilate was drenched in cold sweat. He scrambled to his feet, his body swaying precariously from fear and the overwhelming shock of the information. He looked at the figure who had once again ascended the skull throne, that composure, that arrogance, that disregard for the entire Roman Empire—all of which completely dispelled any remaining doubts Pilate had.

When respect cannot be gained, fear is the best option. If his stance wasn't firm, he would have been utterly humiliated.

“Let’s go…” he ordered his captain of guard in a hoarse voice.

The Roman army, carrying torches as they had come, retreated into the darkness with even greater panic and fear than before.

Not long after they left, Tsurugi lowered her head and glanced at the corpse of Teacher Daye beside her.

Forty-three days. Why forty-three days?

According to the 'plot,' Teacher Da Ye should be resurrected three days later, and then return to heaven forty days later.

Hmm... what if Teacher Da Ye wakes up in three days? Anyway, his mission is to demonstrate God's miracles. He can still go to Jerusalem with the resurrected Teacher Da Ye. If he is stopped by him, he can consider his mission accomplished.

If there's no resurrection—who cares if he dies, I'm just having fun right now!

But—well, forty-three days, what am I supposed to do during these forty-three days?

He glanced down at the corpses scattered on the ground. He couldn't just sit here for forty-three days, could he?

Never mind, I'll go to sleep first.

Tsugumi closed her eyes, and half an hour later she suddenly cursed.

Damn it, I forgot that my insomniac skills were actually keeping me awake!

He decisively switched to his 'Super Invincible Tyrannosaurus Warrior' character card, and then soon, a feeling of exhaustion, like an invisible giant hand, dragged his consciousness into the abyss.

The coldness and stench vanished instantly.

Instead, she felt an indescribable warmth and comfort. Tsurugi felt as if she were soaking in a perfectly warm milk bath, every bit of fatigue in her limbs being gently soothed. The air was filled with a sweet, intoxicating scent that blended vanilla, rose, and the fragrance of a young girl.

A slight tremor pulled Dongjiang back from her daze. A warm, comforting scent of sun-dried bedding lingered around her nose.

"Get up, you lazybones! You'll be late for school if you don't get up now!"

A clear, slightly coquettish girl's voice rang in my ears.

Tsurugi slowly opened her heavy eyelids. Bright sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled patterns of light into the room. This was no longer a blood-soaked wasteland, but an ordinary bedroom, brimming with the warmth of everyday life. Several comic books were piled on the desk, and a game poster hung on the wall.

Everything seemed so normal, the only problem was—how the hell is this Japanese-style room my house?

He turned his head and saw a beautiful girl in a white sailor uniform with shoulder-length blonde twin tails, her cheeks puffed out, poking his face with her finger in slight dissatisfaction. The girl's face was a little chubby, and her large, clear eyes were slightly narrowed because of his staying in bed, like an angry kitten.

Upon seeing him wake up, a suspicious blush suddenly appeared on the girl's cheeks, and the finger that was poking his face withdrew in a flash.

"F-Finally awake..." She turned her head to the side, her voice barely audible, "Get up quickly, I-I didn't come here specifically to wait for you! I just...I was just passing by!"