Chapter 293: Divine Spark, the Optimal Solution

Ansu and Freya sprinted side by side, continuing their pursuit of the miserably fleeing Gulzan.

Though his feet never stopped, Ansu's thoughts remained on the simulation he had just concluded.

He had thought he had neutralized the demon's death trap, but he hadn't expected the Goddess of Holy Light to personally intervene in the end.

And to strike at him, of all people...

Ansu gazed silently at the horizon, a trace of speechlessness rising in his heart.

He had only touched that divine shard and... well, tried to use it. Did the Goddess of Holy Light really need to be so overreactive?

I can't even use it once? It's not like I'm actually disloyal to the Holy Light...

She made me feel like some kind of turncoat.

Immediately, deeper clouds of doubt filled his mind.

According to Zak-Eos, the fall of the God of Nature was actually related to the Goddess of Holy Light?

Both were among the five righteous gods, allies who had once joined forces to resist the Demon Calamity and ultimately emerged victorious.

But looking at it now, it was highly likely that a backstab from the Goddess of Holy Light led to the God of Nature's final fall. The mana plague spreading across the world, and even the roots of countless future disasters, were fundamentally the result of infighting within the righteous god faction.

The Goddess of Holy Light... is far too devious.

As for the reason... Ansu could understand it. It was nothing more than a struggle for followers and the power of faith.

A god exists only if people believe in them; the more believers there are, the stronger the divine power. This was the underlying logic behind every action of the gods.

Ansu had felt from the beginning that none of those gods were any good, and Master Hoffman's alchemy notes had revealed many historical truths related to the God-Making Project—

Anthropomorphic gods inherently possessed many flaws. They were not impartial or selfless; instead, they had personalities, desires, and made mistakes just like humans. Even the false God of Magic had lost control because of this...

As Ansu's thoughts churned, the system's settlement panel appeared before his eyes.

【Score: C】

【Comment: Before the joy of a reunion could even fade, you watched your beloved meet a total end. Lord Chosen One, you certainly have a knack for raising yanderes~】

【Please be sure to guard against the gaze of the gods; do not touch divine taboos.】

【Reward: Points * 40】

【Please choose: Should Freya inherit the memories and combat experience of this simulation?】

【Yes/No】

Ansu did not hesitate and selected 'Yes'.

With their lives currently on the line, it was safer to let Freya remember the key to breaking the deadlock in the simulation.

Ansu stopped and reached out to take Freya's hand.

"Hmm?" Freya was slightly startled. She looked up at him, her clear eyes filled with confusion.

"Are we not continuing the pursuit..."

In the next second, she suddenly raised a hand to her forehead, her expression becoming dazed.

All the memories from the simulation were forcibly flooding into her mind—Gulzan summoning the demon, the demonic domain in the dark void, the cruel game of death... and the agonizing choice of having to sacrifice one of them.

And finally, the despairing scene where, before they could even celebrate breaking the trap, the Holy Light descended from the heavens to obliterate Ansu.

"An... Ansu." Freya's body shook uncontrollably as a wave of lingering fear washed over her.

Ansu supported her and spoke softly to comfort her. "It's okay now. It was just another prophetic dream."

Freya nodded gently. It took a long time before she slowly looked up.

Tears welled in her clear, pale gold eyes and slowly rolled down her cheeks.

She had actually started crying.

"Why are you crying?" Ansu sighed helplessly. "It was a prophetic dream. Am I not standing right here, perfectly fine?"

"I... I'm not crying..."

"I just... haven't processed it yet." Freya lowered her head, clutching the corner of her clothes as she explained in a small voice, "I just can't help feeling miserable when I think about those images... After all, you just died right in front of me."

Even though she knew it was just a prophetic dream and part of Ansu's ability, seeing him die before her eyes was still terrifying.

Ansu smiled and wiped the tear tracks from her face.

"Alright, alright..."

In the distance, Gulzan's figure was fleeing toward a mountain hollow. Freya quickly wiped the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Lord Ansu... you don't need to stay with me to calm me down. Let's keep chasing! I'm fine... really, I'm okay!"

She reviewed every detail of the prophetic dream, her brow furrowing slightly. "This time, we already know Gulzan's trump card and have seen through that cunning demon's game. We must not repeat the same mistake!"

Ansu smiled and nodded. "Of course."

The two continued their pursuit. At the same time, Ansu pulled out his tactical communicator and sent a key message to Celia.

It was information regarding the demon Zak-Eos.

(The demon has already signed its death warrant.)

It had narrowly escaped last time, but it wouldn't happen again.

This fellow, who hid in the cracks in the rules to toy with people's hearts, would ultimately pay the price for its greed.

...

Gulzan was already heavily injured. He hadn't run far before Ansu and Freya caught up to him again.

He looked back in panic. The two followed him unhurriedly, like they were playing with a dying prey.

"Save me!" In his despair, Gulzan screamed frantically at the empty snow: "Save me! I can't die!"

"Contract Watcher! Lord of the Scales! Zak-Eos! Come out!"

A domain like a deep void suddenly enveloped the three of them, and the massive figure of the ancient demon Zak-Eos descended once more.

The subsequent events unfolded exactly as they had in the simulation.

Gulzan was killed like a stray dog on the side of the road, and Zak-Eos took control of the game of death once again, attempting to lead Ansu and Freya to kill each other.

"Next," Zak-Eos slowly stated the rules, "you must choose between two buttons. Red represents sacrificing yourself; blue represents sacrificing the other person."

The demon let out a low, malicious chuckle of anticipation, preparing to watch a good show.

"In the past, mortals playing this game would fight desperately to sacrifice the other..."

Its gaze drifted back and forth between Ansu and Freya. It intended to say more to provoke them, but it suddenly stopped.

The atmosphere was completely wrong. Things were not progressing in the direction it had anticipated at all.

The two of them were too calm—so calm that they seemed to have completely disregarded life and death, as if they had already experienced the outcome of this game once before...

"The seemingly unbreakable bond between you..." Zak-Eos could only awkwardly continue its script, "will surely... shatter in the face of death."

In the two magnificent rooms, Ansu and Freya looked up simultaneously. Across the churning darkness, they quietly watched the ancient demon in the void.

It was as if they were waiting for it to finish its performance.

A trace of eerie unease rose in Zak-Eos's heart.

What is going on?

"Each round, you have one communication opportunity..." The demon braced itself and finished the final rule. "Consider it carefully. Think about who should give up their life so the other can live to the end..."

The moment the communication channel opened, Ansu's steady voice carried clearly into Freya's room.

"Freya, press the blue button."

"Okay!" Freya did not hesitate for a second.

Ansu had already found the optimal solution.

He would still rely on Magic Immunity to tank the kill from the demon's Command: Dominion. When the demon domain collapsed due to the rule backlash—

Freya would be the one to pick up that divine spark fragment.

He needed Freya to dominate that divine spark.

The little Holy Maiden's God-Descent was powerful, but it caused her body to fall apart; if it lasted more than ten seconds, she would undoubtedly die.

However, 'Resurgence', one of the authorities of the divine spark fragment, made up for this deficiency.

A Freya who could constantly resurce and heal while maintaining the intensity of God-Descent...

Absolutely terrifying!

(She was scared to tears.)

"You chose this yourself!" The demon had no idea what was about to happen.

It was momentarily stunned before letting out a grin of pure anticipation. "It's even better if you actively choose to die! Both of you, press the buttons!"

The smile at the corner of Ansu's mouth deepened. Meeting the demon's expectant gaze, he slowly raised his hand.

...