Chapter 136: Illeves Defense Battle Part 5

Ah, down in the lower world, monsters and humans were fiercely battling. Let me thank you for your hard work. We shall elegantly invade from the sky.

“The ones below are so engrossed in battle that they haven’t noticed us.”

“Or rather, they’re too busy dealing with enemies in front of them to look up.”

“True. Normally, they would be on guard against flying monsters.”

Had the soldiers been as vigilant as usual, they would have paid attention to the skies. And if the monster army had a unit capable of flight, they would have been even more vigilant. But that was all hypothetical. In reality, we could pass through unnoticed. Taking advantage of this situation was only natural.

“Our destination… is coming into view,” I announced.

The structure I pointed out with my staff was a white marble temple. Its walls were uniformly white, while the roof was painted in a dull, lackluster gold. Various parts of the temple, starting with the pinnacle of the main building located at the center of the grounds, were adorned with symbols: a sun encircled by rings, within which were scales, either painted or carved into the structure.

This symbol was the holy seal of the “Goddess of Light and Order,” Earle. In other words, this was a temple of Earle who was widely worshipped in the human cultural sphere of the Luxresia continent.

“Wow, it’s huge!”

“Hoho, as expected of WSS. It’s amazing how profitable religion is even in the game.”

Seventh Armor expressed genuine admiration at the size of the temple, while Moth-san mused with a twisted sense of humor. Is this his personality…? No, it seemed more like a simple difference in personality. Yes, that was it.

“The bigger it is, the more meaning there is in it. And with such size, it’s even more satisfying to destroy, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“Certainly, that’s true.”

Indeed, my goal was to destroy the temple of Earle, the “Goddess of Light and Order”. If asked why I would commit such an act of terrorism, it was simply because I disliked the methods of the “Goddess of Light and Order” Earle.

The world constructed in WSS was, in a sense, like another world. While the goddesses were AI managing this world, they were designed with personalities like the gods of Greece and Japan. This made things interesting and allowed an ordinary person like me to receive blessings from Lady Yifa, the “Goddess of Death and Chaos.”

Yet, despite this, FSW remained a game. The managing AI should think about the players, and it was wrong that players with monster avatars couldn’t even enter the city. At the very least, they shouldn’t be treated the same as mobs.

Therefore, amidst the chaos of war, I planned to raid and destroy the temple, declaring war on Earle, the “Goddess of Light and Order” who oppressed monster players. This was only half the reason. To put it bluntly, the other half of the reason was that I wouldn’t be able to meet Jigoro’s expectations unless I did something that would cause a major incident inside the event. I had to live up to my companions’ expectations, right?

“According to Usuba’s letter, the people have taken refuge in shelters known as ‘Guardian Towers’ scattered around…The priest-warriors capable of combat and priests skilled in healing magic are gathered at the city walls. Therefore, the temple’s defenses are currently weak. Let’s make a grand spectacle of blowing it up.”

“Coming this far and saying this now might be odd, but we’re surely going to be deeply resented by the NPCs of this country.”

“In any case, we’re targets either way. So we might as well do as we please.”

“Moth-san, your way of speaking is polite, but what you say is always so extreme.”

While engaging in this idle chat, we reached the sky above the temple. Alright, let’s make our move.

“Hmph!”

“Waaai!?”

I shattered a stained glass window of the temple that was presumably depicting Earle, the “Goddess of Light and Order” with my staff. Seventh Armor exclaimed in surprise, but there was no time for shock when we were about to turn this place into ruins.

“The ventilation’s better now, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. Shall we push forward?”

“Haah…”

The three of us entered the temple through the broken stained glass. Our first impression upon entering was that it was luxurious. A plush red carpet covered the floor, and beneath the stained glass I had shattered was an altar adorned liberally with precious metals and gems. The chairs on which believers sat while listening to sermons were made of solid wood and covered with soft fabric and the supporting stone columns were intricately carved.

Although I’m not Moth-san, it’s clear to see that the temple is quite affluent with money to spare. From an unbiased viewpoint, this could imply that Earle, the “Goddess of Light and Order,” was deeply revered.

“There’s no one inside… The place is empty.”

“How convenient. Maybe we can ‘borrow’ something useful—”

[What are you doing?!]

“!?”

Just as we considered looking around for valuables before destroying the temple, the largest stone statue in the temple began to emit a bright white light from its eyes. And then, unbelievably, the statue started to speak! What was going on?

[How dare you filthy monsters enter my temple with your dirty feet! Unbelievable!]

“So you’re Earle, the ‘Goddess of Light and Order’?”

To our surprise, it seemed the “Goddess of Light and Order” Earle herself, was residing within the stone statue. This was an unexpected development.

[You! How disrespectful… Wait! You’re a player! And you’re the one who killed my hero!]

“You’re just realizing I’m a player now? Even though you’re a management AI?”

[Silence! The management of player data is a shared responsibility among all the goddesses… But that’s beside the point!]

Interesting, so they shared the management duties. Given the game’s vast amount of information, it made sense to divide the responsibilities. However, it also meant they couldn’t keep track of every player. But Earle did seem very human in her reactions.

[Leave my temple at once! Just because you’re a player doesn’t mean monsters are welcome here!]

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, Earle. And while we’re on the subject, I want to say this: Stop ostracizing monster players just because they’re monsters. Otherwise, I’ll destroy this temple.”

[Wha!?]

While I was waiting for the reply from Earl, who was at a loss for words, I thought about why this happened. Regarding this event, many players had harbored the same question: why wouldn’t the goddess just descend and aid the human NPCs?

The official lore provided an answer to this. It stated that unless there was a world crisis, a goddess would not descend personally. If gods intervened and solved every incident, it would hinder the progress and growth of the people.

Even in emergencies like a town being attacked, the goddesses did not offer more help than sending players. After all, both humans and monsters were creations of the gods, and their conflicts were merely disputes among beings living in the same world. Thus, sending players was, in itself, an exceptional form of assistance.

Why then had a goddess like her appeared? It was probably because this was her temple. It seemed that because it was her domain, she was able to descend to the earthly realm (?), where interference is usually forbidden.

[What are you saying!? Threatening me!?]

“Yes, that’s right. I’ll say it again. Stop the unfair discrimination against monster players. Otherwise—”

[I’ve had enough! Just because you’re a player, don’t get cocky! Go now, White Dynamis!]

Far from acquiescing to my demands, Earle seemed to fly into a rage instead. No sooner had the light from her stone statue intensified than a blinding light, strong enough to sear the eyes, poured in through the shattered stained glass from above. It happened in an instant, but during that brief moment, something new had materialized in the temple.

It was a humanoid being that bore a pair of four majestic white wings on its back, its entire form enveloped in a divine golden armor and helmet. In addition, it wielded a sword, shimmering in the same golden hue as its armor. Indeed, it was an angelic figure. Earle, it seemed, had summoned an angel!

[This is not my divine sanctuary, so this is the limit of what I can summon. But it’s enough to defeat you all!]

“White Dynamis, huh… a Dynamis angel. The fifth-ranked angel?”

“Boss, do you know about this?”

“I’ve played another game with angels as a theme. That’s how I know.”

A mid-ranking angel, then. So, in terms of level, it was not much different from mine? Anyway, it’s time for an appraisal!

――――――――――

Race: White Exusiai Lv49

Job: Angel Exusiai Lv9

Skills:

• [Wing Strike]
• [Dual Sword Mastery]
• [Armor Mastery]
• [Health Enhancemet]
• [Strength Enhancemet]
• [Defense Enhancemet]
• [Intelligence Enhancemet]
• [Holy Magic]
• [Void Magic]
• [Healing Magic]
• [Flight]
• [Light Immunity]
• [Dark Weakness]

――――――――――

Wow, this one is strong. Seriously strong. The noteworthy skills it had were [Dual Sword Mastery] and [Light Immunity]. [Dual Sword Mastery] was likely the advanced form of [Sword Mastery] that Usagi could learn as she continued to develop her skills. Judging from her fighting style, it must involve incredibly aggressive movements. I need to keep that in mind.

Then there was the [Light Immunity] skill. As expected of an angel serving the god of light, attacks with light element seem completely ineffective. I could use [Holy Magic] but I must be careful not to use it recklessly.

However, it’s not like there’s no weakness to exploit. That would undoubtedly be the [Dark Weakness] skill. This was my strongest element, and with the power of the “Dark Grimoire” its potency would be boosted. This enemy is not unbeatable.

[Fufun! My angel has left you speechless with fear! I won’t forgive you even if you beg for it! This temple is surrounded by a barrier, so there’s no escape for you!]

“Base Teleportation… can’t be used, huh. And the Black Field spell… is unusable too. It seems we really have no way out, just like that goddess said.”

I tried using the Base Teleportation spell to see if it was possible. But, as Earle said, it seemed like we couldn’t leave this place using [Space-Time Magic]. We were truly trapped.

Furthermore, I couldn’t use the Black Field spell of my [Black Magic], which enhances my allies. Such a spell was undoubtedly out of place in a temple, so in a sense, that was expected.

“…Can’t be helped. I hate to say it, but you two will have to join in.”

“I get it. No choice then, let’s do this!”

“Subduing an angel, huh? It must be a first for FSW. Rather exciting, actually.”

Originally, I had planned to split up with the two of them here. They were supposed to join up with a team called “Sneak-Thief”, which was named by Shiitake. The initial plan was to find equipment that even they could use and loot it.

However, if escape was impossible, our only option was to fight and defeat our enemy. Fortunately, neither of them was the type to complain about unexpected challenges. If they were, they wouldn’t have lasted this long as new monster players in a game not known for being kind to monster players.

“The vanguard will be supported by Moth-san and the summoned beasts. I’ll quickly apply the [Enchantment] on everyone.”

“Understood.”

“Of course. Leave the poking and prodding from the rear to me!”

Who would have thought the consequences of our well-laid plans would catch up to us at the very end? But, as the one who led everyone here, I couldn’t accept failing to achieve my own goals. I was determined to defeat this enemy and destroy the temple!

************

TN: there are 9 orders of angels: they include Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Kyriotetes, Dynamis, Elohim, Archai, Archangels, Angels, and lastly Humans.

This one is actually fifth like it was mentioned, but I don’t know why the race and job name were different from the rank (Dynamis). Maybe the rank and name were meant to be different.

Btw, I searched and found nothing about Exusiai that pertains to agles, so the name itself could be wrong.