Chapter 175
Meanwhile...
After Suhyeok left, the Constellations of Paradise appeared.
Tarmiel glanced toward the place where Suhyeok had disappeared.
Then, with an expression of complete confusion, he asked,
"...Father, why did you let him leave so easily?"
"You know as well as I do that Lee Suhyeok isn't someone who can be won over that easily."
"And on top of that..."
"You even accepted this much loss...."
Jesus's hand had turned bluish.
A disturbing layer of slime writhed over it.
It was the remnant of Indura that had remained inside Lee Seha's soul.
"Haha."
"Why are you worrying so much?"
"I tell you all the time, Tarmiel. You worry too mu── cough."
"F-Father...!!"
Dark blood suddenly trickled from the corner of Jesus's mouth.
The surrounding Constellations froze in shock.
They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Jesus was a Constellation who ruled an entire dimension.
His Rank was immense.
And yet...
He was bleeding right before them.
"I've never seen Father bleed before...."
"S-Something must be wrong with his body!!"
"H-Hurry! Treat Father!!"
Everyone rushed forward in panic, desperate to heal him.
But...
"Everyone, quiet."
Jesus raised his voice.
"There's no need to make such a fuss."
"It's nothing."
"Calm down."
Only after Jesus casually wiped away the blood did everyone stop moving.
Even then...
Their eyes continued trembling.
They looked ready to rush forward again at the slightest signal.
"Haa..."
Jesus sighed.
"You all worry too much."
A powerful light flashed.
In an instant...
The contaminant that had been eating away at his hand disappeared.
The blood around his mouth vanished as though it had never been there.
"Tarmiel stays."
"Everyone else, leave."
"B-But...."
"I said I'm fine!"
Jesus waved them away.
"Go on."
"Go!"
Eventually...
Only Jesus and Tarmiel remained.
Silence lingered.
Just as Tarmiel was about to speak...
"Cough, cough...!"
Jesus suddenly clutched his chest.
His face twisted in pain.
Clotted blood spilled from his mouth.
"F-Fath──"
"Haa..."
"I'm fine."
"I'm fine."
Jesus steadied himself.
"I simply didn't expect the backlash to be this severe."
He looked down at the clotted blood in his hand.
His expression hardened.
"As expected..."
"They're dangerous."
Tarmiel swallowed dryly.
Jesus looked completely different from his usual warm self.
"By ‘they’..."
"Do you mean the Otherworldly Divinities?"
"Yes."
Jesus nodded.
"Even though it was only residue..."
"Taking it into my body caused this much damage."
He narrowed his eyes.
"But I didn't expect them to have become this powerful."
"They're incomparably stronger than they were in the past."
Jesus remembered Kim Mihyeon from the Banquet Hall.
She possessed Rank from another world...
While also possessing Rank from within the Tower.
She was most likely one of the souls that had escaped the Underworld.
And just like Lee Seha...
She had probably been someone connected to Lee Suhyeok before his regression.
"I didn't expect System to have prepared this much."
"I let my guard down."
"The fact that the Otherworldly Ranks have grown this powerful..."
"That must be because of it as well."
"In the end..."
Tarmiel frowned.
"The fracture between Olympus and Asgard was caused by System too."
"So this time, it must be planning something again──"
"The unknown Constellation we saw in the Banquet Hall is probably that plan."
Jesus's expression remained grave.
"System has been pushed into a corner more than it expected."
"So it finally played its last card."
"The problem is..."
"Even I can't predict how much damage that card will cause."
Tarmiel's expression suddenly brightened.
He seemed to have thought of something.
"It's too late to persuade Olympus and Asgard..."
"But can't we ask Lee Suhyeok for help?"
"And you said that soul was someone from his past."
"If Paradise offers to personally guide her soul..."
"Wouldn't Lee Suhyeok be more likely to choose our side?"
It wasn't an unreasonable idea.
But Jesus firmly shook his head.
"No."
"If anything..."
"He'll try to protect her."
"That is precisely why she was brought into this situation after Lee Seha."
Jesus already knew.
Lee Suhyeok wouldn't choose any faction.
And yet...
Knowing that...
He had still accepted Lee Seha's soul.
"Then why...."
"Why did I do it?"
Jesus smiled bitterly.
"Causality is part of it."
"But if I had to be honest..."
"I suppose you could call it my final conscience."
"Your final conscience?"
"Tarmiel."
"As you know..."
"Paradise has always maintained neutrality."
"Even after Loki's death..."
"We didn't rush to assign blame."
"We tried to mediate instead."
"That is what Paradise stands for."
"And what I believed in."
Then...
Jesus stared at his bloodstained palm.
He clenched it.
"But now..."
"The weight on my shoulders is different."
"If I fall..."
"Everyone in Paradise will be extinguished with me."
In other words...
Regardless of his personal will...
He could no longer afford to show mercy to anyone.
That was why he called it his final conscience.
"So remember this, Tarmiel."
Jesus's voice became heavy.
"We've already abandoned our conscience."
"And..."
"That is the only way to protect Paradise now."
"...Understood, Father."
[Constellation ‘Player’ Lee Suhyeok has arrived in Asgard.]
The blinding light faded.
Suhyeok's vision returned.
The first thing he saw...
Was a gigantic tree covered in lush green leaves.
The scent of grass tickled his nose.
A cool breeze brushed across his skin.
Unlike the Underworld or the Heavenly Realm...
This place felt warm and peaceful.
Beneath the tree...
An ordinary-looking old man sat leisurely in a chair.
A staff rested in his hand.
A black eyepatch covered his right eye.
"You've arrived."
"I've been waiting."
He welcomed Suhyeok with a relaxed smile.
And yet...
Something about him felt unsettling.
