Scott stood alone outside the Temple of the Sun for a long time, until a faint light of fire in the darkness lit up at the edge of his vision.

He turned his head and saw in the distance the square of the Temple of Nesses, the bonfire lit again after the rain had stopped.

The firewood, of course, had been replaced, perhaps because the air was too humid, and the light of the fire was dim and red, and black smoke billowed out, and under the gradually brightening sky, it looked more like some kind of warning.

He froze, remembering the overly serious face of Comit Ansel. The blacksmith-turned-priest was one of the two most trusted of all the priests, and he believed that the news he brought with him would not be unfounded—something was happening, and that ...... Is there some connection to the true purpose of the god he had to obey but did not believe in?

He took a step in the direction of the firelight, and his body suddenly disappeared...... But he didn't step up the steps of the Temple of Nesses, as he had expected.

In that extremely short moment, it was as if a huge claw as hot as a red-hot rock suddenly captured him, tearing him out of the folded space.

He fell out of the void and fell to his knees in convulsions.

He could no longer control his body.

Severe pain struck the whole body. It was an indescribable feeling...... It was as if every drop of blood that flowed through their bodies had turned into a scorching blade, rushing out of their veins, churning their entrails to pull them out of their bodies, slicing flesh and separating them from their bones...... He remembered the pain, he had fought against the pain in anger and roared, but at this moment, the same pain brought only boundless fear. That made his throat constrict, spasming and unable to make a sound.

He fell to the ground stiffly like a corpse, blurred in his vision. Watching in horror as his skin peeled off like charcoal...... He had watched his body be burned, but at least not like that...... Not while he was alive!

- Is he really alive?

The thought slipped through his mind as he plunged into the darkness.

It was as if he had fallen straight into the depths of the ocean from a high altitude, and even without flesh, he could feel the impact—strong enough for him to shatter into countless clouds of dust and nothingness......

But he didn't, and a red glimmer surrounded him...... And bind him in it.

In fact. Scott didn't know if it was really a flame-like golden-red glow. He can no longer see, no longer hear, no longer touch...... The only thing he had was feelings.

He could feel the heat around him. Even though the temperature was burning him now, it wasn't as warm as it had been...... He could still feel the pain, as if someone had deliberately shoehorned the pain into his soul that could only be felt by the flesh, so that he had nowhere to escape.

But it wasn't that that scared him...... Never. What terrified him was the world he was in.

No. It's not a world.

It's a sea of nothingness. The oldest Chaos. The most primitive power, there is no good and evil, there is no life and death, there is no difference between light and darkness, it is just ...... A pure nothingness.

If you can really be a part of it and never feel anything again, maybe you will still be lucky. But he could only float here, desperately aware that he was as small as a tiny bubble in the endless void. There is not the slightest power to resist.

That is the oppression that the human soul cannot bear.

Before realizing what he was doing, Scott instinctively began to pray.

Dedicated to another god. Silent prayers, word by word, flowed like water. It didn't alleviate the pain, nor did it take away the slightest bit of fear, and he was reminded of how he had given up in utter despair.

- What kind of response do you expect to receive when you pray to a god who has abandoned you?

A contemptuous voice blasted through his soul, but it also strangely calmed him down.

He was willing to face anything compared to the nothingness that was devouring him.

He also knew he didn't need to answer...... He even understood why he was being dragged back to the place he had already departed from.

-- This is a betrayal.

A huge force slammed into me, and what felt like a wave that could destroy an entire continent slammed down on me...... Waves scorching like lava.

- You made a promise...... I should have known, though, that humans are less trustworthy than elves. You are such a fickle race...... Fickle, despicable, hypocritical and cowardly. I have given you many opportunities, and I forgive you for your hesitation and procrastination again and again...... But my patience is limited, human.

The voices echoing in his soul were more agitated than he remembered, and Scott wondered at that moment how similar they were—the phrase just now, "Humans are such a fickle race," was almost exactly the same as the one Is's threw in his face.

- Don't compare me to the useless ice dragon.

The voice coldly warned him.

- Its race is already the weakest of the dragons, and the life you give it makes it even weaker...... It shouldn't exist at all.

“...... You made a promise!"

A silent roar came from the soul. Realizing the threat hidden in those words, Scott unconsciously struggled to break free from the forces that protected and imprisoned him.

- In exchange for your promises...... It's the one you just betrayed. So tell me, human, why do I have to keep my promise? The dragon, your friend, all those who have the blood of the Chrissian family in their veins...... It would be easy to destroy them. And maybe thank you for that, Scott...... You have given me such strength.

The scorching blades that rushed madly through the soul and brought pain were suddenly as cold as ice.

As night fell, Scott stood on the steps of the temple, terrified - he could see the fervor in those eyes...... The "god" he was facing at the moment was in fact trapped here, except for him who was connected to his soul, it could not directly harm any creature in the other world, but because of the "miracles" he performed, the number of believers increased countless times. Would do anything for it. Even if he tells the truth and claims that the God they believe in is nothing more than an evil dragon with ulterior motives, while he is protecting another "evil dragon." And how many people will believe him?

Besides, he probably didn't have a chance to tell any secrets.

But he really didn't expect such a blunt threat...... His "god" had utterly lost patience.

It had never threatened him in a long time...... In fact, it gave him hope, and it was something that a desperate and almost insane, weak soul could no longer refuse.

“...... What the hell did I do?"

Scott desperately forced himself to calm down, realizing that even at this moment, it was not all hopeless...... What he is facing is still a dragon in the end...... And the flame dragon is powerful. Murderous, suspicious...... and arrogant.

"Yes, I regret it. It was a wrong decision, I made the wrong choice in fear and despair...... "but what have I done until now? Your temple stands under a three-storied pagoda. Towering over the Sidney Plains. Above your bones...... Isn't everything going smoothly enough?"

- Do I need to stupidly wait until you ruin my plans before crushing you?

"Crushing me is a breeze for you, but finding someone who can replace me is probably not that easy. Scott calmly noted, "Otherwise you wouldn't have wasted so much time on me." ”

- I've been waiting for thousands of years...... I could keep waiting, I had an endless amount of time, and the gods were gone...... I will be the only God.

“...... So you don't just want to go back to your own world. ”

Scott almost wanted to laugh. He should have known this a long time ago...... But he would rather deceive himself and try to add a little luster to his not-so-great task.

"Hypocritical and cowardly"...... Absolutely.

The pain seemed to be fading away, but he knew it was because his soul was fading away.

Again. Anger and reluctance became his only strength...... Anger, unwillingness and guilt. Those emotions that were too strong even overpowered the fears. Let him continue to exist stubbornly after losing any protection of power...... But it didn't make him support it for long.

In the memory that passed little by little, something suddenly jumped out...... What followed was a crazy thought—desperate madness, but it was also his only choice at the moment.

He wished it could still hear him:

“...... Or, we can make a bet. ”.

Walking up the steps of the temple, Scott saw Copas standing calmly outside the door, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

He couldn't help but wonder how much he really knew.

Copas bowed to him as usual, and when he spoke, he said the question that Scott had almost forgotten: "Kormit is gone." ”

“...... See?" Scott frowned.

"Right in front of me," Copas nodded, "I remember he didn't know how to teleport...... Judging by his expression, it seemed as if he had been carried away by another force, and he himself did not expect it...... He looked surprised, and might even think I did it. ”

Scott unconsciously stared at the unwavering face, but couldn't see anything.

He couldn't deny his suspicions of Copass, but he couldn't say what he was suspicious of...... Kormit probably felt the same way.

"I tried to look for him, but I couldn't find him. "Or can you meet the young man named Duru and hear what he has to say?"

Scott was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"It's up to you to settle this matter. He said, "As soon as possible." Blood sacrifices were not allowed—and the consequences would be unpredictable if word reached the temples of other gods...... At this time, we don't need to make any more extraneous branches. ”

He didn't know if the incident had something to do with Copas...... But the latter reason may be more than the former to stop him from being so unscrupulous, or to make him more dedicated.

Copas nodded slightly, but Scott, who was walking briskly into the temple, didn't see it.

The priest turned to look out into the wilderness shrouded in the early morning mist, and the corners of his mouth curled slightly.

It was a faint smile...... With a little subtle contempt.

(To be continued......)