[Vol. 8] Chapter 261: Sublimation
Tairnak was slightly stunned, then shook his head helplessly.
“Miss Sasha, I’m just stating a fact. I didn’t mean anything else.”
“I mentioned before that I once gained the goddess’s insight and blessing by understanding the book of [Revelation]. But in truth, the real secret of the holy book is far from that simple.”
“I don’t know how that so-called Knight of God managed to do something so unbelievable, or what level they’ve reached. But without a doubt, those words contain a mysterious power called causality. Receiving divine power is just the most superficial part of it. I was lucky enough to go one step further, through the book of [Revelation], I heard the true guidance of the goddess herself!”
“Uh… could you please explain that in a way I can actually understand?”
Seeing that the captain of the guard looked completely confused, the Behemoth chieftain realized he had gotten carried away and was speaking with too much excitement. He gave a small cough, then suddenly changed the topic.
“Miss Sasha, if I’m not mistaken, you recently met an important person, right?”
“An important… person?”
Sasha suddenly realized what he might mean, but at the same time, more questions popped up in her mind.
If we’re talking about someone with high status and a direct connection to a supreme goddess, then yes. She had indeed met such a person not long ago. Could Tairnak be referring to the Heaven Hero? But what does that have to do with the goddess watching over her?
Before the girl could respond, the Behemoth chieftain continued explaining on his own.
“Miss Sasha, the goddess is an all-knowing, all-powerful being. She knows everything that happens to you, and she had already told me I didn’t need to go out of my way to search or rescue you. She said you would bring your people here to Saint Tyr on your own. And in fact, things unfolded exactly as she revealed to me, which is why we are meeting here today.”
“?”
Following her personal rule of only believing about thirty percent of what ‘holy preachers’ say, Sasha didn’t completely trust Tairnak’s words. Still, she couldn’t help but ask curiously.
“If that’s the case, why didn’t the goddess directly tell the church and your people that today’s disaster would happen? Does she want to just sit back and watch her believers get slaughtered by monsters?”
Tairnak frowned slightly but still shook his head.
“I don’t know. The goddess must have her own reasons for doing so. Besides, receiving divine guidance through the book of [Revelation] is completely different from how we humans normally talk to each other. It’s not that she refuses to speak, perhaps it’s just that we are too ignorant to understand her will.”
“To put it simply, it’s more like having a piece of information directly placed into your mind in a different form, and we believers must guess at the deep meaning behind it. For example, this time, while reading the book of [Revelation], I only vaguely sensed your appearance, Miss Sasha, and got a blurry vision of some events you had recently experienced.”
“Eh?”
Sasha froze for a moment, staring at Tairnak in disbelief, certain he wasn’t joking.
“Hey, hey, are you serious? Isn’t that basically the goddess spying on people and invading their privacy?!”
“?”
A few clear, angry vein marks appeared on the Behemoth chieftain’s forehead. His fists clenched. Very tightly.
Why was her thought process so strange? Shouldn’t her first reaction be to feel honored and excited? This was the goddess’s gaze! How could she not appreciate such a blessing?!
Still, one had to admit, Tairnak truly had a good temper. Even so, he forced himself to stay calm and patiently explained again.
“Miss Sasha, the Supreme Primordial Light is all-powerful. Nothing that happens in this world can escape Its gaze. There is no such thing as ‘spying’. It is the embodiment of mercy and kindness, the true God. When It casts Its gaze upon someone, it is only to grant guidance to those who have lost their way in times of despair.”
As if recalling something, the tall Behemoth let out a sigh filled with emotion.
“I… was also saved in my moment of hopelessness. The path I walk is only half a step ahead of yours.”
Seeing that the girl still looked doubtful and found it hard to accept, Tairnak didn’t keep talking. After all, words alone prove nothing. No matter how beautifully something is said, it’s meaningless without real action, and taking action is always the most important thing.
Besides, if they kept arguing, he was honestly worried he might eventually lose control and smack this odd girl who dared to speak irreverently of the divine and always assumed people were trying to preach to her.
“Alright, Miss Sasha, let’s talk about the real matter. If I’m correct, you should have received an item from that important person back then. That very item might just be the key to solving the situation we’re facing now.”
“…An item? Oh! I think I do have something!”
The girl smacked her forehead, then quickly took out a bottle from her storage tool. It was made of semi-transparent crystal and held only about a dozen drops of magical liquid. The pale-golden potion sparkled like starlight under the lamplight, clearly no ordinary object.
“Do you mean this? The lady who gave it to me back then did say that if I was ever in danger, I could use this magic potion to save my life. But she’s not the goddess’s chosen hero… Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
Tairnak stared at the potion for a moment, then shook his head.
“I don’t know exactly what item the goddess meant. But since this was the first thing that came to your mind, there’s a high chance it’s the right one. As for why it wasn’t given to you directly by the hero, perhaps the goddess has her own reasons. Her all-knowing and all-powerful wisdom is far beyond what we mortals can fathom, it’s normal if we don’t understand it.”
“…Alright… so what do we do now?”
Truth be told, Sasha had thought about using it before. But now, with over a tenth of Saint Tyr City’s population already transformed into those monsters, tens or even hundreds of thousands, she doubted that even the greatest power could turn the tide alone. That was why she had never actually used it.
After all, one person’s strength is limited. Was she supposed to drink the potion, turn into a divine being, and single-handedly slaughter every monster in the city? Even storybooks wouldn’t dare write something that unrealistic.
Whatever Sasha was mumbling in her heart, the Behemoth chieftain nodded thoughtfully and said, “Please wait a moment.”
Then, right in front of her, he placed the book of [Revelation] flat on the table, opened a page, stood up, and solemnly performed three deep bows of worship. Only then did he gently rest the edge of his broad palm on the page and begin murmuring as if in prayer.
“Oh, Supreme and Most Holy Primordial Light.”
“You are the first ray of light when heaven and earth began. You are the ruler of creation.”
“You wrote the sun, moon, and stars. Shaped the mountains, rivers, and seas. Your law guides the changing of seasons, calls forth the sunrise and sunset. Everything touched by the light of the world lies beneath Your divine gaze!”
“I, Tairnak, Your devout follower, offer my prayer. Please grant me a glimpse of Your all-knowing, all-powerful sight. Let the brilliance that illuminates all things be bestowed upon me, and by the glory of the Primordial Light, guide us forward!”
Hummm~!
As Tairnak’s chanting grew more passionate, Sasha’s eyes widened so much they almost popped out. The plain, ordinary-looking book of [Revelation] actually began to give off a bright light!
What the heck, how is this even possible?!
The golden light rapidly grew brighter, and within just a few breaths, the whole book shone more brilliantly than the magical ceiling lamps. Countless golden letters rose from the pages like tiny spirits, swirling rapidly around Tairnak in a majestic, holy display. He immediately closed his eyes, as if carefully listening to and comprehending something.
The miraculous, almost divine scene lasted for about half a minute before the golden light full of sacred majesty began to fade. The golden letters danced back into the book of [Revelation] and soon disappeared without a trace.
By the time Tairnak opened his eyes again, everything had returned to normal. The book was once again just an ordinary volume written on mortal paper, and the glow of the magic lamp still illuminated every corner of the room. It was as if everything Sasha had just seen was nothing more than an illusion, a trick of the eyes.
But… her own sense of magic, and that vast, overwhelming presence when the light appeared, clearly told her it had been a true miracle.
“Oh my god… so he’s not just some fake preacher after all…”
“Good news, I’ve received a new divine revelation. I’ve tried many times before, but such a smooth success is rare. It seems Her Divineness the Goddess really is paying a lot of attention to you, Miss Sasha. You truly are someone with a special connection to the divine.”
The Behemoth chieftain was smiling broadly, paying no mind to the girl’s muttered remark. He seemed genuinely excited, perhaps even more than usual, and for once let himself say a few extra words.
Sasha gave him a helpless look. No matter how much she had doubted before, after personally witnessing a miracle, she couldn’t help but admit that maybe everything Tairnak had said earlier was true.
“So… um… what exactly is the oracle?”
Without any more small talk, the chieftain closed the book of [Revelation]. He didn’t sit down again, but instead asked her a question with a level of seriousness she had never seen from him before.
“Miss Sasha, do you believe in the goddess, or have you ever had faith before? I’m not trying to recruit you into the church. Please answer me seriously.”
“What’s this? You can predict what I’m going to say now?”
The girl shook her head, half amused and half exasperated.
“To be honest, no. And even if I did, it was very shallow. I once joined something like a ‘Goddess Church’ in the past for certain reasons, but that group had very loose rules. They didn’t even require any kind of formal prayer, so I’m not really sure if that counts as faith.”
“I see,” Tairnak nodded.
After thinking for a moment, he took out a calligraphy brush from his storage tool. With a simple glance, he gave Sasha a silent signal. She hesitated briefly, then handed him the golden magic potion.
As he gazed at the crystal bottle and the pure golden liquid inside, an expression of reverent excitement spread across the Behemoth’s face. He offered another serious prayer toward the distance.
“Praise the goddess! To think I, Tairnak, could personally carry out such a sacred and meaningful ritual. This is the highest honor… Miss Sasha, I’m going to begin. Please, hold out one hand.”
“…Alright.”
Although she still looked puzzled, Sasha quickly did as told. The chieftain took a deep breath and flicked his finger, the tightly sealed stopper popped off and fell onto the table.
Whoosh~
It was as if an invisible ripple swept through the room. Just by the liquid being exposed to the air, the concentration of light elements rose sharply. Even the glow of the magic lamp seemed to brighten. The holy power in the potion was so pure that it made the Behemoth’s body tremble slightly in response, his expression instinctively shifting to one of awe.
“As expected of a divine artifact!”
Even while praising it aloud, his hands moved quickly. He immediately put the brush into the bottle and soaked up the little golden liquid that was left inside. Then, he began to draw something on the back of Sasha’s hand.
It was a symbol.
A symbol that looked simple, but neither Sasha nor Tairnak could understand its meaning.
Even though it only took a few strokes to draw, the strong Beamon chieftain moved slower and slower with each line. It was as if every stroke took a huge amount of his strength. With each movement, his face became visibly paler.
But it was clear, there was only one chance. No matter how hard it was, he had to keep going. Both of them focused completely, Tairnak while drawing, and Sasha while receiving it, without letting their guard down for even a moment.
They didn’t know what the symbol meant, or what would happen when it was finished. But Tairnak completely trusted the will of the goddess, and Sasha was determined to avenge her fallen companions and help the survivors escape. The joking and light words they exchanged earlier had only been to ease the heavy tension in their hearts.
The drawing was difficult, but the bottle of [Tears of Light] didn’t have much liquid. In total, the drawing took only a little more than ten strokes. When Tairnak finally drew the last line, sweating all over, the brush that had been glowing gold-red from the liquid lost its color and returned to normal. Then, in an instant, turned into ashes!
Just one symbol had destroyed a brush that was as strong as a magic weapon.
All the power of the potion flowed completely into the symbol. Exhausted, the Beamon stepped back a few steps. The mysterious symbol on the back of Sasha’s hand suddenly shone brightly, releasing a beam of light that shot up through the roof and caused a huge phenomenon in the sky!
“Wummmm!!!”
The wind and clouds gathered. The sun, moon, and countless stars appeared in the sky at the same time, sending endless light down into the girl’s body!
Sasha could clearly feel an unimaginably huge power flowing wildly inside the glowing symbol drawn with the potion. Her arm, which had been sore and tired from overuse, instantly felt normal again. Every wound she had from the battles before healed rapidly.
How strong… how unbelievably strong was this power?!
Bathed in the light, Sasha felt strength fill every part of her body like never before. This wasn’t just an ordinary boost. It was raising her very limits as a living being: her body, her mind, and even her soul were all growing at an incredible speed!
Many difficult fighting moves, especially the six famous techniques her teacher had taught her, suddenly became clear to her. Before, she had mastered only the first technique, Crimson Flame, and barely touched the second, Sky Blaze. But now, with the help of the golden symbol, countless things that once felt deep and impossible became simple and easy to understand.
In that moment, the girl understood.
Turning the impossible into possible, making miracles happen. This must be the true power of the gods.
The potion and the symbol were only the tools. Right now, Sasha could clearly feel a great, holy presence, like an endless source of light, flowing through them, through the sun, moon, and stars shining together, and through this powerful energy that could even let a mortal briefly touch the level of myths. That presence was giving her an even greater power.
It felt as if a pair of warm, gentle arms had wrapped around her from behind, holding her softly. In her whole life, Sasha had never felt such warmth and safety.
So Tairnak had been telling the truth all along.
A true god… was watching her.