novelraw Chapter 151: Battle of Divine is Coming [Book 2 Epilogue]
Chapter 151: Battle of Divine is Coming [Book 2 Epilogue]
As that thought crossed my mind, the scenario concluded the moment we fulfilled the main objective of protecting Graythorn Town from the monster army.
You have successfully repelled the monster army’s assault on Graythorn.
Congratulations.
You have cleared Scenario #10 [Defense of Graythorn].
You have fulfilled the second extra condition of the scenario — Keep civilian casualties below 20%. (13%/20%)
You have fulfilled the fourth extra condition of the scenario — Eliminate the monster army’s strongest boss monster. (1/1)
You have fulfilled the fifth extra condition of the scenario — Drive away the mysterious figure leading the monster army. (1/1)
Basic Rewards: 20,000 Soul Coins
Additional Rewards: Two Daleth-Tier General Lootboxes, Epic-Grade Armament Voucher, & A Random Epic-Grade Skill Book.
You have acquired the Mana Overclock Skill Book.
Your Strength has increased by 1.
Your Stamina has increased by 2.
Your Magic Power has increased by 1.
Desperate Willpower has leveled up.
Soon, radiant light enveloped the two of us amid the guards’ bewildered gazes. When my vision returned, I found myself standing once more before the Rift of Scenarios, my body restored to peak condition. Every wound I had sustained during the brutal siege defense was gone, erased so completely that it felt as though the battle had never happened at all.
Contrary to the afternoon sky within the tenth scenario, the world here was pitch-black, illuminated only by the moon and a scattering of distant stars. I must have been spending more time inside the scenario than I’d initially thought.
“Congratulations on clearing the tenth scenario, divine warriors,” Elysia greeted us with a wide smile—the kind she had only shown back when we cleared the fifth scenario. “This marks another major milestone and your second step toward greatness. From this point onward, you are no longer novice divine warriors.”
“Thanks, I guess.” I nodded, then turned to my side.
My friends were all here, or at least, those who were still alive. Erika stood a short distance away, stiff and unsteady, as though she hadn’t fully returned with the rest of her body. Even though her injuries were gone, her gaze felt strangely empty, fixed on nothing in particular.
“Erika,” I called. From the look on her face alone, I could tell she was deeply shaken by the fact that Party B had been wiped out, except for her.
She flinched slightly, then straightened. For a moment, I thought she wouldn’t answer, but when she finally turned, her expression was composed.
“The scenario’s over…” I assured, unsure what else to say.
“Mhm, it’s not your fault,” Michelle added.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“You alright?”
“I’ll be fine,” she replied. “I just need some time.”
Then she turned and walked past me. Her steps were strangely steady, as though she were afraid that stopping—even for a moment—would cause something to spill over.
“Erika…” Michelle called out weakly.
The others watched her go, worry written plainly on their faces.
Erika paused, just long enough to speak without looking back. “Don’t worry about it.”
And then she continued on.
As she passed beneath the moonlight, I noticed something small and almost imperceptible. A single bead of moisture slipped free from the corner of her eye, catching the pale light for the briefest instant before falling silently through the air behind her, vanishing before it ever touched the ground.
Is she crying? Erika is? I never would have expected someone like her to show such emotional vulnerability. In fact, she looked very similar to Michelle, back when she realized that her dream hadn’t been just a dream…
“Lad, this is the first time we’ve lost people other than in the first scenario…” Boris said quietly, pulling me back to reality. His usual bravado was replaced with a more somber tone.
“Do you think it’ll become more unforgiving the higher the scenarios go?” Michelle asked.
Tuilë and Lucian both turned toward me, clearly waiting for my answer. Maybe it was because they knew I understood more about the scenarios than I ever openly admitted. Well, that wasn’t wrong; I was the creator of Divine Will in my previous life, after all.
Still, I couldn’t give them a comforting lie because I knew that it would only get worse from here on out. The best I could do was offer them a solution—one that, at least for now, was the only way to confront this dilemma head-on.
“Don’t worry too much about it,” I said at last. “As long as we train and keep getting stronger, no scenario will be able to corner us like this again. We’ll survive, and we’ll protect each other.”
It wasn’t false optimism. It was a vow.
Nevertheless, as Erika’s retreating figure disappeared into the darkness, a quiet thought lingered in my mind. Strength alone wouldn’t be enough next time. If we wanted to make it through what was coming… we would have to change how we fought these scenarios entirely. If I wanted more leverage to control things, I would need even more plausibility.
With that thought, I opened my status screen and checked how much I’d progressed.
Maximillian Anderson Lv. 60/60 (EXP 8,793)
HP: 100%
MP: 1,115/1,115
Rank: Gimmel [3]
Patron God: Istellia (Goddess of Imagination)
Class: Paradox Incarnate
Title: One Who Conquered the Impossible (8)
Status: Mentally Exhausted
Strength: 486 + 49 + 49 | Dexterity: 520 + 49 + 50 | Stamina: 447 + 45 + 45
Mind: 340 + 5 + 34 | Magic Power: 404 + 20 + 40 | Luck: 420 + 42
Plausibility: 0
Free Attributes: 0
Signature Skill(s): [Absorb Plausibility], [Fabled Vessel], [God!$# Creation], [Grant Plausibility], [Gravity Magic Lv.4], [Scenario Manipulation]
Skill(s): [Assassination Arts Lv.3], [Basic Alchemy Lv.8], [Basic Cryo Magic Lv.8], [Basic Dagger/Knife Mastery Lv.4], [Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat Lv.7], [Basic Neutral Magic Lv.10], [Basic Shield Mastery Lv.9], [Brutal Smash Lv.1], [Back Stab Lv.4], [Berserk Lv.4], [Blood-Fueled Frenzy Lv.1], [Calm Mind], [Chantless Casting Lv.3], [Desperate Willpower Lv.9], [Divine Sermon Lv.1], [Echo Construct Lv.2], [Extraordinary Fortune], [Extraordinary Harmonized Constitution], [Fast Equip], [Fast Reading Lv.5], [Flaming Fist Lv.1], [Heavy Stab Lv.8], [Inspect Eye Lv.4], [Intermediate Spearmanship Lv.5], [Intermediate Swordsmanship Lv.7], [Inventory], [Mana Manipulation Lv.8], [Mana Sense Lv.8], [Mental Tolerance Lv.5], [Negotiation Lv.7], [Night Vision], [Pain Tolerance Lv.6], [Phantom Blade Lv.4], [Phantom Slash Lv.6], [Poison-Paralysis Resistance Lv.4], [Projectile Defense Lv.3], [Predator’s Step Lv.5], [Reflection Counter Lv.1], [Shield Bash Lv.1], [Stealth Movements Lv.6], [Sword Intent Lv.1], [Weapon Manifestation Lv.5], [Wind Rush Lv.6]
Spell(s): {Frozen Icicle}, {Graviton Pull}, {Gravity Field}, {Gravity Launch}, {Mana Arrow}, {Mana Bullet}, {Mana Shield}, {Mass Alteration}, {Spinning Mana Arrow}
I’d seemed to have gathered quite a lot of random skills. It would be wise to spend the next few days gathering plausibility so I could combine some of them. I was certain Istellia would soon issue another god’s decree to remove the mandatory new scenario challenge after the tenth scenario, just as I had suggested. For once, I could finally slow down, breathe, and stop being dragged forward by relentless deadlines. Or so I thought.
Boris let out a long breath beside me and said in a voice quieter than usual, “Anyway, there’s no point breaking ourselves over what’s already done.”
I glanced at him and realized he didn’t have his usual grin. Still, he looked unusually calm, as though losing comrades was something that he was used to seeing.
“We lost four people today,” he continued. “That’s not something you just shrug off. But dwelling too long won’t bring them back either.” He paused, then added, “Still… we should do something for them.”
Michelle looked up. “You mean… a memorial?”
Boris nodded. “Aye. First thing tomorrow, I’ll go to a place near the cathedral. People say you can buy empty graves there—markers where we can etch names. Grun. Korr. Arlen. Liora.” His voice hardened slightly. “They deserve at least that much.”
No one argued.
Lucian lowered his gaze, hands clasped behind his back. Tuilë sat quietly, ears drooping, looking worn despite being healed by the scenario’s completion. Erika wasn’t with us anymore, but her reaction to all this had already been clear.
“For tonight, though,” Boris said, forcing a bit of his usual tone back into his voice, “we eat and rest. Tomorrow comes whether we like it or not.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go back to the inn.”
Everyone agreed. Slowly, we began moving through the Rift Square, exhaustion finally catching up to us now that the tension had ebbed. The night air was cool, almost gentle, and it felt like things might finally settle.
Not even five steps had passed when the ground suddenly trembled, causing us to stop in unison and turn around. A low vibration rippled through the square as the central alcove began to shine.
“Wh-What’s happening?” Michelle asked with obvious worry.
Though it was already night, several divine warriors were still scattered around the area, and they too stared toward the central alcove in stunned silence, completely dumbfounded at what was happening.
The angel statues encircling the plaza shuddered as their stone eyes ignited with blinding white-gold light. Radiant beams converged toward the two angel statues within the center alcove. Space itself warped, folding inward as a massive circular portal of pure white tore open, swirling with layered light and shadow.
A familiar chill crept up my spine. There was no mistake: the Rift of Divine Will had activated, and the battle between gods would soon come. I stared at the portal, feeling the beads of sweat sliding down my temple. So much for taking it easy.
“It seems the Battle of Divine Will is coming.”