Starting with the defeated female knight

[Is the degree to which tentacles are affected and connected influenced by the other party's level of mental acceptance?]

Yes, after returning to the pool to confirm that Green was still the Green she knew, and after becoming more and more accepting of him through subsequent experiments and care.

Green clearly felt that the connection between the living armor and Cecilia had increased by at least one level, and the efficiency of energy absorption and the speed of evolution had also increased significantly.

But upon closer reflection, this isn't surprising.

After all, in a world where faith can converge into miracles and then be guided to repeat them, it is only natural that the human spirit has influence.

This also served as a reminder to Green.

[So, in the future, it won't just affect the physical body, but also the mental one?]

But that doesn't seem quite right either. Ella seems to accept him quite well, even to the point of begging him to let her tentacles go in for an endoscopy, but why haven't those tentacles learned to crawl around in those dark, writhing ways yet...?

Or are there other influencing factors that we haven't discovered yet...?

But regardless of the circumstances, Cecilia's situation was acceptable.

Especially after Green shared this information with her, and after some time of reflection, she took the initiative to approach Green and spoke earnestly.

"I have an idea."

“If what you’ve said is true, then I’d like to give it a try.”

What kind of attempt?

"I try to offer my loyalty to you, and make you the god I believe in and serve."

In fact, Cecilia had thought about this issue a long time ago.

At that time, she hadn't even been parasitized by the tentacles yet; she was just curled up in the tentacle pool in the cave, enduring the disgusting, sticky feeling while anxiously awaiting her future judgment.

At that time, she didn't believe in Grimm and always felt that he would make trouble sooner or later. She also thought about what she should do if Grimm really was an ancient god and wanted her or Edith to change their faith. Should she accept it, resist it, or sacrifice herself to get others to leave?

Of course, it never happened in the end.

In fact, the more time she spent with Green and the closer she became to him, the harder it was for her to regard him as a 'god'.

God is powerful, God is mysterious, God is majestic, God is unknowable.

It is also a mixture of kindness, twistedness, and madness.

But Green...

"Hey, want some?"

[Let me tell you, academic studies are very important. Being good at fighting is one thing, but I suggest you still go to class... Hey, don't run away!]

[How's the texture? If it feels comfortable, I'll use this one. If there's anything I don't like, I'll make some changes...]

She had never heard of such a god.

Her experiences and observations after returning home further convinced her of this.

Green is not a god.

At least, not the god she remembered.

But this realization led her to the idea she just mentioned.

In her mind, there is no closer connection than between believers and God. If she succeeds, not only will the living armor change, but she herself may also undergo some changes, or even take it a step further.

After all, as the saying goes, even the Church dogs would shake their heads at the sight of the Discipline Knight class. If Cecilia hadn't had no other choice, she would have switched classes long ago.

If she hadn't been stuck with this class, she could have at least raised her potential even further if she had chosen a Paladin or something similar.

Of course, Cecilia was not a Powa, nor did she have any particular desire for power.

However, the series of abnormal demonic tides, the resurgence of the ancient gods, and the current siege of Dawn City made her feel very uneasy.

The world is changing, and something is very likely to happen soon.

She doesn't see herself as a hero who can save the world, but she wants to become stronger, even if only a little, so that she can protect more people.

As for believing in ancient gods...

This is indeed a problem.

After all, with the church reformation already completed, abandoning faith in miracles in favor of an ancient god is somewhat like turning back the clock.

But what if Green wasn't a god?

she does not know.

But in the end, she came to a realization.

Whether Grimm is an ancient god or not, and whether he is worthy of worship.

But she was certain that he was someone she could trust.

This is enough.

So she made up her mind, walked up to Green, and explained her thoughts to him.

Green initially wanted to argue, but after listening, he fell into deep thought.

What does it mean to believe in me because you don't think I'm a god?

Isn't this just the left and right hemispheres of the brain fighting each other?

To be fair, Green was quite interested in the consequences of this "I know you are not God, that's why I believe in you" approach.

In particular, although he understood the principles of miracles, he didn't really study the power of faith, nor did he know how faith affected people.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Green agreed to Cecilia's request.

But the problem is, even if he agrees, how can he establish her 'loyalty' and 'faith'?

Cecilia didn't know the answer to that question either.

Although she made the suggestion, the church's faith is cultivated through gradual education, fostering an acceptance of miracles, while the ancient gods rely on spiritual pollution and cognitive distortion to gradually assimilate people's values ​​and perceptions, thereby turning them into their believers and followers.

After careful consideration, Green suddenly realized that although there are churches and gods in this world, there doesn't seem to be any normal way to 'believe in God'.

Even when he asked Blue Butterfly, her answers were always, "I don't need faith, and I've never cared about these things." "I don't really understand what their faith is all about." "If you do understand, you can tell me."

Green was at a loss.

After much deliberation, he finally settled on a plan.

If that doesn't work, try performing the whole ceremony.

Even without the aid of any mystical power, the ritual itself can still affect a person's psychology to some extent.

and......

If you're going to do it, do it thoroughly.

If you can't even believe in a minor ritual, then you can't possibly have faith in it.

If you insist on doing so, if you are prepared...

Then, let's go!

The door in front of him slowly opened, exuding a sense of holiness, but behind the pure white marble door lay a scene like hell.

From the floor to the walls, from the doors to the ceiling, everywhere was covered with dense, wriggling, flesh-colored tentacles.

Disgusting, viscous, twisted, insane, and filled with a nauseating, inexplicable texture.

They were wriggling, they were breathing, they were watching her, they were waiting for her.

Once you go in, there's no turning back.

Tentacles flowed slowly, and dark green eyes lay across Cecilia's body, intently watching her.

[It could even be life-threatening, the kind of situation I couldn't save.]

Are you sure you want to do this?

silence.

But only for a moment.

Cecilia raised her head.

"I am sure."

Then, she took off her armor and gently placed it aside.

Next came the shoes, the lining, and finally even the undershirt, all folded up and set aside.

The tentacles with eyeballs left the moment she agreed, and there was no one else in the entire space except her.

Looking at the tentacle hell before her, she took a deep breath and took a step.

Click, click, click.

It felt strange to walk barefoot on the tentacle carpet, especially since there was no way to see it and the tentacles were constantly moving and rubbing against the soles of my feet, which felt a little itchy.

Cecilia's face began to flush, and her thoughts gradually became somewhat unfocused. She even started to wonder if the tentacles would hurt from stepping on them like that.

After all, because she has a lot of muscle, although she doesn't look fat, she is actually quite heavy.

As she walked across the tentacle carpet and arrived at the place where the ceremony would be held, she looked up and saw three enormous tentacles, unlike anything she had ever seen before, extending from a passageway that resembled the mouth of some kind of creature.

These are all dangerous items that I've sealed underground.

I haven't named them yet. If you approve this, maybe you can help me think of some.

Alright, if you're ready, touch them.

silence.

Then he took a deep breath, reached out his palm, and grasped the first one.

The moment they made contact, a strange sensation came over Cecilia. She could clearly feel something slowly entering her mind through the point of contact.

But she did not resist; after a moment of tension, she completely relaxed, allowing it to enter her soul.

Then, darkness enveloped everything.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw a village that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

She looked down at her small, delicate hands, feeling as if she had forgotten something, or as if she had just had a dream.

The demonic tide did not occur. She entered the church school through the recommendation of the nuns in the church, and because of her outstanding talent, she was recommended to enter the capital. Then she began her life as a phoenix who punched nobles, kicked the magicians' association, and even changed the church itself.

Her parents were proud of her because she hadn't experienced any suffering. She didn't choose to become a Discipline Knight, and even at the end, she successfully cleansed the church, defeated the Old God, and became a hero. Then, she quietly disappeared and returned to her small village, where she embraced her overjoyed parents.

but......

"sorry."

"It's such a wonderful world, but unfortunately, it doesn't belong to me."

She smiled and let go of his hand, looking at her puzzled parents, and said frankly.

"I've figured it out. The reason I want to become stronger is not to dwell on the past, because the past cannot be changed."

"But at least, what I can do is ensure that when similar things happen again, another 'me' will not appear."

As soon as the words were spoken, the world collapsed.

The first tentacle slowly retreated, gently stroking her face and wiping away her tears.

After crying silently, she looked up again, reached out, and grasped the second tentacle.

Darkness enveloped her again, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself submerged in a disgusting, viscous pool of tentacles.

Before her stood Edith, her body covered in tentacles, staring at her intently.

"Sister Cecilia, this way we can stay together forever..."

puff-

The sharp blade pierced its head, and in the next instant, holy flames ignited.

They stripped the monster of its clothes, put them on, and walked out of the cave.

Looking around, the scene outside was already a twisted and insane spectacle, filled with demonic tides, ancient gods, and lesbians.

So she gripped the sword tightly.

Then let's kill them all.