General Situation

A heavy silence filled the air.

The wind howled through the trees, carrying the stench of burning flesh and blood.

The corpses of the Holy Knights lay scattered around.

The eight-winged angel, once appearing in all its divine majesty, had fallen and dissolved into particles of light.

And now, the only ones left standing were two humans, an elf… and a monster.

A monster with a crown of bone-like horns, a cloak of pure darkness, and eyes that burned like the depths of hell.

⸻

Belmor stepped forward, his glowing red eyes locking onto Archbishop Rogar.

"Alright. Now that you're trapped, it's time for you to answer my questions."

Rogar gritted his teeth, but he had no will to resist Belmor's words.

The power this being had used had somehow shattered his mind—he could not lie… and he could not refuse to answer.

With a voice that was still calm and firm, the Archbishop said,

"I know I cannot hide the truth… so ask away, Demonic God."

Belmor clasped his bony hands together and asked seriously,

"The Black Holy Scripture… What do you know about it? How does it work? What exactly is it?"

Rogar lowered his gaze to the ground and began speaking.

"The Black Holy Scripture is one of the five forbidden relics of this world. Every three hundred years, it opens a gate—a gate connected to unknown realms. Through this gate, a powerful being is summoned into this world. This being can have one of two natures: either a righteous and divine nature… or a demonic and destructive one."

Belmor's eyes narrowed.

"So it's a gamble? The summoner has no control over the nature of what they summon?"

A thought crossed his mind.

Could this summoning… actually refer to summoning players from the game, rather than just random beings from another world?

If so… was it possible that other players were in this world too?

Rogar nodded.

"Fortunately, the summoner and the summoned are linked through the scripture. This link allows the summoner to exert some degree of control over the summoned being."

Belmor frowned.

He did not like the sound of that.

Did that mean… his life was somehow connected to the girl who had summoned him?

His gaze shifted to Elise.

The girl was still staring at him—a mix of confusion, fear… and something close to curiosity in her eyes.

The church or any other enemy he might have could take this girl hostage, and he would effectively be miserable.

"Then why didn't the Church kill this girl immediately?"

Rogar cast a calm but mysterious look at Elise and said,

"Because… she holds a secret. A secret that even she herself is unaware of."

Elise took a step back in shock.

"W-what?!"

*"Her family… three hundred years ago… was chosen by the last summoned being to guard the Black Holy Scripture. Since then, the Church has been searching for them.

But we could not kill her.

She must stay alive."

Belmor's curiosity deepened.

"What secret? Why is she so valuable to the Church?"

Rogar closed his eyes and simply said,

"I do not know."

A heavy silence filled the space between them.

Belmor let out a sigh.

He still didn't have the answer to his most important question.

But he wasn't angry.

He knew this man truly did not know.

Thanks to the skill he used, Rogar couldn't lie even if he wanted to.

"Alright… Then is there a way for me to return to my world? And how was this scripture created?"

Rogar took a deep breath before responding.

*"I do not know how it was created.

As for a way back… I have no information.

But I do know that only six people in this world might have the answer to your question…

The Six High Cardinals of the Church."

Elise and Lunaryll's faces immediately turned pale at those words.

Lunaryll muttered under her breath,

"The… Cardinals…"

Belmor crossed his arms and asked,

"So they're the only ones who can give me answers… Who are they?"

Rogar's eyes snapped open.

For a brief moment, a flicker of pure terror flashed within them.

Then—

His body suddenly trembled.

The air turned heavy.

An invisible force, something beyond imagination, crushed the space around them.

And in an instant—

Rogar's body… disintegrated.

No screams, no light, no magic.

Just… absolute erasure.

Belmor's head snapped up, scanning the surroundings.

But there was nothing.

No magic, no enemy, no trace of whoever did this.

Elise and Lunaryll stood frozen in place.

Elise's lips trembled as she spoke,

"W-what… just happened?!"

Belmor stared at the pile of ash that was once Archbishop Rogar.

And yet…

He felt nothing.

Not anger, not sorrow, not even fear at what had just happened.

It was as if…

His emotions had been suppressed.

⸻

"A self-destruction mechanism, huh?

If I'm not mistaken… there was an item like this in the game.

Guilds used it for their low-ranking members."*

He grew even more certain—

The summoned beings were most likely all players.

These kinds of items were used to filter information and words.

If a guild member betrayed their group…

Their character would be instantly deleted.

⸻

After a few seconds of silence, Belmor muttered a single word under his breath—

"Panel."

And suddenly, before his eyes—

A familiar screen appeared.

⸻

[Player Name: Belmor Negaron]

[Race: Eldritch Undead]

[Class: World Disaster (Max Level / SSS) | Evil Champion (Max Level / S)]

[Level: 100]

[Inventory: Click to see your items]

⸻

Belmor's eyes slightly widened.

*"This… This is my player account from the game.

But this isn't a game…"*

A strange excitement pulsed in his heart.

But at the same time…

A deep unease crept into his mind.

If this wasn't a game…

Then just how powerful was he compared to this world?

⸻

Then, a shaky voice spoke from behind him.

"Now… what do we do?"

Belmor turned his head.

Elise and Lunaryll were looking at him.

They still feared him…

But right now, they had no one else.

He could leave them here and go on his own…

But the truth was—

He knew nothing about this world.

And more importantly…

His life was linked to Elise's.

⸻

His gaze fell on Lunaryll.

Those massive breasts.

Were elves… supposed to be this stacked?

This was the first time in his life he had seen an actual elf.

Well—aside from the game, but those were just characters.

This was… a real elf.

"They're insanely beautiful… She's probably more stunning than any model I've ever seen."

After a moment of thought, he spoke in an emotionless tone.

"Where's the nearest city?"

A short silence.

Then, Elise slowly responded,

"The city of Westaria…"

Belmor nodded.

"Alright. Then let's move."