What if you ascend to the wrong world?

……

They are devout believers, yet they do not enter the Kingdom of God.

Elliott stood outside the shack, enveloped in a faint golden glow, standing out starkly from his surroundings.

Neither Lorne nor Aarons later discovered that he was nearby.

"Why……"

As the Pope of the Church of Dawn, he knew everything about the holy city of Loser, and even the entire Dawn Empire.

Una may not have an official identity, but her faith is beyond question.

She was a true believer, always believing in the Lord without ever wavering.

Such a person should ascend to the Kingdom of God and receive true eternity under the Lord's glorious light.

But why...?

Will her soul be banished to the gradually reopening purgatory of original sin?

"Because He has to share the cost."

A figure gradually became real from the illusion and appeared beside Elliott.

In his palm, a translucent pale gold sphere, as bright as the morning sun, floated quietly.

Elliott was taken aback.

"Lord Ye Tu?"

Indeed, the person who arrived was Ye Tu.

"We meet again." Ye Tu nodded slightly.

"Why would you..."

"There's no reason why, I just came."

"..." He remained silent for a while.

"What do you mean by sharing the costs?"

“The literal meaning.” Ye Tu looked at him.

"But are you sure you want to know?"

"I know, but then there's really no turning back."

Upon hearing this, Elliott fell silent once again.

He understood exactly what Ye Tu meant, but...

"Yes."

Regardless, he wanted to know.

Before this, he firmly believed that the great Lord would protect all His believers.

But now, if even a devout believer like Una is falling into purgatory, what about the other believers?

What are they anyway?

Please tell me.

"The Lord of Dawn wants to take over the authority of the ancient gods," Ye Tu said calmly.

Because of the different rules of the world, and because these matters involve ancient gods, his divination methods were basically useless.

But the message left by Irene Vitte's father in [Frostfeather], the reopening of the Prison of Original Sin, and the fate of Una's soul after witnessing her death...

Combined with the fact that the Lord of Dawn previously allowed his followers to come into contact with the Apostles of Original Sin...

It's all very obvious now!

“But He doesn’t want to pay the price for taking over power,” Ye Tu continued.

"Therefore, He wanted to distribute the cost through a certain 'medium'."

medium……

Elliott felt a sudden chill and his voice became hoarse.

"You mean...faith?"

He already knew the answer in his heart.

Using faith as a medium, the costs are shared.

The more devout one is, the more of the price one can share.

therefore……

Those who are devout should go to purgatory!

Chapter 52 Gods Are Not Worthy of Respect

Fifteen years ago, the situation was far more serious than it is now.

If the Lord of Dawn chooses to take over power at that time, the entire holy city of Lorther, and even the entire Dawn Empire, will fall into purgatory.

Therefore, Irene Vitte's father risked everything to freeze the entire Prison of Original Sin.

"So, there will be even more people..."

"Yes."

A calm, indifferent voice shattered his last shred of illusion.

Elliott suddenly felt like laughing.

The devout go to purgatory...

What an irony!

If devout faith has become a sin, then what are these so-called 'believers' to the gods?

Even Elliott himself had to admit that his faith wavered at that moment.

Inexplicable.

He recalled the words Cyril had said to him in prison.

Do you believe you are worshipping the true Lord, or a god within your own heart?

The true Lord?

He is still the god in my heart.

At this moment, the question seemed to have an answer.

So, from the very beginning, it was I who was not devout?

But does a god who is so cruel to his own devout believers truly deserve himself and the faith of so many people?

He looked up at the sacred pillar in the middle of the street, his mind clear as a mirror.

Una is just the beginning.

In the future, even more people, even more believers, will fall into the purgatory of original sin, all to fulfill the ambitions of the Lord of Dawn.

What exactly is the authority of the ancient gods?

Why must the souls of countless believers share the cost simply for accepting it?

Too many questions and too many doubts left Elliott in a state of utter confusion.

Now, he no longer believes the nonsense that the Lord of Dawn once fought a great battle with the ancient gods and had some of his authority taken away from him.

Finally, he looked at Ye Tu, a hint of inquiry in his cloudy eyes.

"Have you also come for the authority of the ancient gods?"

What is the purpose of this mysterious Lord Ye Tu?

What role did he play in this incident?

“No.” Ye Tu shook his head slightly. “I will not seek the authority of the ancient gods.”

As for the authority of the ancient gods...

He might take a look if given the chance, but he would never deliberately pursue it!

Ancient Gods!

He was the most feared being after he mistakenly entered this world, without exception.

Even the Goddess of Light, who unified all concepts of 'light,' he was confident he could handle; he had even seen through some of her secrets with that last glance.

Only this ancient god...

It never hid itself from beginning to end; in fact, it could be said that it was omnipresent.

But he couldn't figure out a thing about his background.

"My goal has always been to become the Lord of Dawn."

He had considered capturing a deity for research.

But if this Lord of Dawn is a benevolent deity, he will restrain himself from such thoughts.

A true deity is one who receives the incense offerings of countless people, protects the region, and safeguards the peace and well-being of its inhabitants.

Isn't this what so-called gods should be like?

And the Lord of Dawn...

His actions are not only completely unrelated to the word "righteous god," but calling him an "evil god" would be an exaggeration.

If this were in his original world, a god who so wantonly toyed with the souls of believers would probably have been annihilated by a single divine thunderbolt from that Great Celestial Venerable.

……

……

Soon after, it was completely dark.

Moonlight filters through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Elliott stood outside the shack, a pale golden, translucent sphere, as warm and bright as the morning sun, floating in his palm.

Within this place lies the slumbering soul of Una.

It was given to him by Ye Tu before he left.

Should we give it to this child?

Elliott looked at Lorne, who was not far away.

He could sense that the child's mindset had undergone a tremendous change after witnessing Una's death.

choose……

He is facing the most important choice of his life.

If we give Una's soul to him now, perhaps everything can still be salvaged.

Can……

Why try to win them back?

The gods ignite the divine fire with faith, forging their divine status, but in order to seize power, they banish the souls of devout believers to purgatory.

Is there really a need to have faith in such a 'god'?

And so, Elliott did nothing, simply watching Lorne walk away until his figure completely disappeared into the thick night.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Elliott also turned and left.

The figure quickly disappeared at the end of the street.

……

……