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**Avatar of Love.**

The highest grade power that can be drawn from a gacha, a 5-star ability, and the core power bestowed upon the Apostle by the Goddess of Love.

Thanks to this power, my body was fundamentally transformed from the roots up.

My physical abilities and magical talents remained intact, but my divine power and ability to wield this power soared exponentially.

I don’t have detailed settings regarding this part, and my knowledge from the Pan Continent is shallow, so I can’t say for certain, but…

It was clear that at that moment, the stature of my flesh had grown several levels.

The reason is painfully clear.

Avatar of Love. Just as the name suggests, I had to elevate myself to a level worthy of a god… or with a bit of embellishment, to the realm of a demigod.

That was my purpose, and it felt like my soul had already ascended to a certain level, whether due to the Creator’s special gifts or some other reason.

In other words, as long as I set my mind to it, I could use the Avatar of Love “properly.”

Until now, I had only used it to release the powers I had been suppressing on a daily basis.

That alone was sufficient. It drew attention from others, fascinated them, and made it easier to use divine power and abilities…

Right now, I had merely summoned the Avatar of Love, and wasn’t the immense divine power filling the temple reacting to me?

Yeah. Up to now, this was plenty.

Maybe today, both I and the Goddess of Love might overreach ourselves a bit.

But first, I had to say what I needed to say.

“I won’t listen to those whose hair and pubic hair color is different.”

Perhaps only Claudia understood my words in this place.

Her extraordinarily beautiful face, enhanced with all sorts of powers, twisted in disbelief.

“How dare you! To be so full of yourself from a mere hint of affection bestowed by the Goddess, how dare you insult my firstborn!”

“Insult? What are you talking about? If you’re wronged, come down and prove it! Are you going to use the hair of your god as pubic hair for a transplant? If I were the Goddess, I’d be regretting the fact that I made this crazy psycho les a Pope and banging my head against the ground! I don’t know what could be more insulting than nailing a spike into the chest of the god you worship.”

“Shut your mouth! Knight Order! Behead that blasphemous wretch immediately!”

“…Your Holiness?”

“Why are you standing still? Could it be… do you doubt me, who has dedicated over a hundred years to the Goddess?”

“That wouldn’t be the case. However, I am unsure if confronting the miracle I sense from that boy is the correct action.”

A middle-aged woman with a sturdy build, someone of high status in the Knight Order, spoke in a polite yet firm tone.

Yeah. That makes sense. The power I exude now is unlike anything felt in the last thousand years.

Even Claudia, the Pope, couldn’t harness the power of an Avatar. Any sane clergy would doubt whether it’s right to strike me.

“…You seem quite confused. I understand, Captain of the Knight Order.”

“Thank you, Your Holiness. I also agree that the boy seems blasphemous. First, let’s capture him, and later we can hear a detailed explanation… cough!”

Suddenly, the captain of the order began to cough up blood mid-sentence. She pulled her sword from her waist with an expression of disbelief. But then—

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Before she knew it, two figures in black holy robes emerged from behind her, piercing her arms and heart.

Unlike the clergy who worshiped the Goddess and her teachings, they were a violent organization that followed only the Pope’s orders. The Inquisitors.

Was it the bizarre weapons shaped like awls that caused the problem? The divine power from the captain was about to burst forth but scattered into the air instead.

The tenacious knight, known for their resilience, was in a situation where the strongest was about to lose her life so easily.

However, even if she was agitated, she didn’t despair or give up.

“Y-you… Pope. No, Claudia, how could you…?”

“Thank you for your efforts, Captain of the Knight Order. Please watch from heaven as I bring the Goddess back to this land.”

“The real heretic was here all along…!”

The captain of the Knight Order, her body pierced in multiple places, struggled to swing her sword. Truly admirable willpower.

Of course, the Inquisitors were not about to just stand by.

This time, they pulled out swords instead of spikes and attempted to behead her, but—

Clank!

A pure white dagger, its flaming divine power radiantly swirling around it, deflected the blow.

“This is troublesome. I didn’t expect to attempt taking down someone of your caliber in one fell swoop… You’ve really decided to see this through, haven’t you?”

I mocked Claudia.

And in tandem, Lydia and Karen rushed forward, each wielding their weapons against the Inquisitors from their respective positions.

“Ambush. This is unknightly.”

“Captain! What is the meaning of this?!”

Lydia scowled as she faced two Inquisitors, and Karen poured formidable divine power into the one they called captain, making it hard to see him as just an Inquisitor.

“How is this possible? I know it just crossed the fifth floor, but how could it escape my sight!”

“An heretic knows nothing of such things.”

Claudia, startled by my enhanced stealth from the muffler, backed away. Towards her, a meteor was falling from the sky. No, it was Ellie.

“Why are you so curious about another woman’s man? Mind your own business!”

“Hero…!”

Ellie unleashed a blow of a caliber unlike anything before; Claudia hastily raised a barrier.

The translucent divine barrier absorbed Ellie’s punch, unleashing a thunderous noise.

Boom!!!

The shockwave knocked down the priests nearby, and the rushing Knights and Inquisitors had to lower their stances to withstand its might.

But the barrier Claudia had laid out remained firm.

While it was true Ellie was strong, Claudia wasn’t going down without a fight either. After all, she had been the top priestess for 120 years.

Though her fighting power might be somewhat lacking since she was a pure priest, when it comes to sacred magic—especially in defense and recovery—she was an expert.

Well, it stands to reason that others wouldn’t be as formidable as Claudia.

As the captain of the Knight Order pulled out the spikes sticking out of her body, I heard Benny and Eve calling out from behind.

“Jonah! I’ll take care of the Inquisitors with the Knights!”

“Hehe. It seems there are quite a few high priests siding with the Pope among them. Luckily, I can probably take care of this level on my own.”

Putting on a witch hat and standing before the Knights to face the Inquisitors, Benny’s grin revealed sharp teeth as she laughed.

“I’ve hated Inquisitors since a long time ago. Always suspecting me and calling me to investigate, right?”

In the shadows trailing behind Benny, all manner of horrifying entities began to rise—the Shadows awakening.

“But you all were correct. …Today, over half of the Inquisitors will die by my hands.”

Benny’s magic surged and began to consume the surroundings. It was a scene perfectly befitting her title, Creepy Witch.

Next, Eve hurriedly blocked the approaching priests who were about to go towards Claudia.

While not every priest aligned with Claudia, the majority did.

The truly devout had already fallen victim to the sudden ambush, lying on the floor or watching the current situation with bewildered expressions.

And those were usually the ones of lower rank, thus unentangled with Claudia, maintaining their purity.

In other words, the ones Eve had to confront were the core powers of the temple, composed of high priests.

Of course, she had no reason to worry. After all, who else but Eve?

She was like a living history book, having survived this sort of battlefield countless times.

“Dear me. Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?”

Eve smiled from the shadows and struck the ground with her staff made of World Tree branches.

Tap. Tap.

The refreshing magical power enveloped the surroundings, and one of the spirits she had contracted with revealed itself.

A massive column formed from swirling droplets of water. No, it was the form of a long dragon without legs.

A being that seemed to have gained sentience from the whirlpool of water… The Water Spirit King gazed down upon the fallen high priests.

Eve opened her previously half-closed eyes wide and showed the world the proof that she was the rightful heir to the World Tree, possessing powers rivaling the Avatar of Love.

Her gaze pierced through everything in existence, as if to wrench their souls away, suffocating the breaths of the high priests.

Though it was said the World Tree was dead, it remained one of the most powerful entities even in the divine realm.

In the presence of such a mighty aura, Eve grinned.

“I’m afraid you cannot move any further. …At least, not while alive.”

Soon after, an array of magical circles spread outwards from her staff.

With Eve standing at the forefront, the flow of battle entirely shifted.

All those in the temple who had oppressed me found themselves turning their backs, with the Knight Order and a few devout priests siding with us.

Now both sides were evenly matched. No, with me here, we might be slightly superior.

I gave a potion to the captain, who had pulled all the spikes out of her body. I intended to have her revive and fight again, but… her wounds appeared not to heal.

Claudia, watching that scene, smiled while deflecting Ellie’s attacks once more.

“You’re wasting your effort! Those who have been pierced by a spike cannot be healed by divine power or potions!”

“…That traitor is right. Please don’t waste precious potions on your noble excellency….”

“Shush.”

Taking action at that moment, I sealed the captain’s mouth with the potion bottle.

Now that everyone had shown something, shouldn’t it be my turn?

I shouted loudly so that everyone in the place could hear.

“Attention! Everyone, please look at this real one, not that fake!”

I pulled out the genuine goddess statue from my belongings. Not just the knights nearby, but anyone with a keen eye from afar should have recognized it.

That this artifact contained powers stronger than any other divine item in this age.

After hoisting the goddess statue in plain view, I slowly pulled it closer to me, giving it a gentle kiss on its small crown.

And then, the announcement of the sanctuary followed.

Boom!

A small sanctuary was established around me. But this was not the end.

After having only opened previously, the Avatar of Love shook the divine power that filled the temple with authority, using the immense powers that Claudia had attempted to stifle for their original purpose.

“Come forth.”

A quiet mutter. Using it as a trigger, a pink beam of light began rising from the ground, swallowing me.

What should have descended from the heavens was rising from the ground since the Goddess of Love resided deep within the labyrinth.

I had braced myself for the Goddess of Love to possess my body, but… for some reason, massive power and the goddess’s will merely flitted around me, with no other change.

Hmm. No matter what, it seems unreasonable for her to enter my body while leaving the labyrinth behind.

Well, this alone is sufficient.

“Today! Only the unfaithful shall die on this battlefield!”

The will of the goddess discerned my intention and began to move as I envisioned.

The divine power that had surged upward to pierce the heavens swiftly contracted, concentrating within my body, before radiating out with the sanctuary that wrapped around me, spreading throughout the temple.

Whoosh!

“Ah…”

As the wounds inflicted by the spikes began to heal with smoky gray wisps, the captain of the Knight Order exclaimed in thrilled disbelief.

The first thing she did upon realizing she was back to normal was kneel before me, tears streaming down her face.

I gently patted the shoulders of the somewhat burdened captain and lifted her up.

Then, in a slightly teasing tone, I continued talking.

“Now everyone. Fight for the Goddess, please.”

“…I will follow the Apostle’s command.”

The captain of the Knight Order drew her long sword and made the sign of the cross towards me. Soon after, a roar erupted from the knights, making my ears tingle.

The momentum of battle had completely reversed. Fortunately, not all high-ranking ones had defected, allowing us to escape the worst-case scenario. With my innocence now proven, I wouldn’t even need to flee to the labyrinth.

Now, all that was left was to take down Claudia.

A sinister grin crept onto my face as I looked at Claudia, who wore an expression devoid of life.

“Now then, who is the sinner?”

This assembly was to punish those who falsely claimed to have the Goddess’s favor. The essence remained unchanged.

Only the one standing in judgment had changed.

…Or so I thought.

Until a group of crazed individuals broke through the temple walls.

Bang!

“Ah! If we’re here… as long as that brat is present, our voices! Our love will reach the Goddess! Brothers and sisters, it’s time for Proof!”

The leader of the one who devours the twilight. Baneus.

“Damn it.”

I didn’t wish to attend such a gathering.

 

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