In his Divine Realm, Rodcorte was looking at the information from within the Boundary Mountain Range with a suspicious look on his face.
Rodcorte had prepared to abandon the 'Perseus' Samejima Yuuri… Sarua Legston, but he was continuing to gather information from him and the other members of the Legston family, who had not yet been guided to Vida's circle of transmigration system.
But even though they hadn't come into direct contact with Vandalieu repeatedly, the members of the family were all being guided by Talosheim's influence day by day. It seemed that the buildings' outer walls and the statues of Vandalieu that had been erected all over the city had the effect of guiding those who looked at them.
It was likely that they had been built with a Skill or spell that had some effect on the mind.
Most of those who had defected to Talosheim had already been guided, and the information that Rodcorte and his familiar spirits could gain was greatly limited.
And in these circumstances, what caught Rodcorte's interest was the Trial of Zakkart.
"… If I recall, it was a peculiar Dungeon that appeared about a hundred years ago."
It wasn't that he didn't know about the Trial of Zakkart. He had heard of it, but he hadn't had any interest in it at the time.
Up until now, Rodcorte had possessed no interest in the Dungeon named after a being that was one of the four champions whose souls had been broken by the Demon King Guduranis, the one who had been raised as an Undead by Vida, who had tried to encroach on his authority.
This was because he believed that his work was to smoothly carry out the reincarnation of humans, and it was the work of the humans and the gods who guided them to deal with the problems that arose in their world.
Regardless of what the truth behind the Trial of Zakkart was, even if the one who cleared it really could become Bellwood's successor, it had nothing to do with Rodcorte.
Of course, he had faced troubles with many challengers of the trial dying and their souls not being released, causing them to not return to his system. But to Rodcorte, this was only one of the many problems occurring in Lambda.
But upon learning that Vandalieu was challenging the trial, he had become interested in it for the first time.
"… This is… Has a barrier been placed around the inside of the Dungeon? The memories of the adventurers who have returned from it alive are blurred."
Rodcorte searched the memories of the only adventurer party alive that had challenged the Dungeon before, the Five-colored Blades. But there was something like static in the memories related to the Dungeon, and he couldn't view them.
There was no effect on the adventurers' memories themselves, but gods could not view them. It was clear that a barrier had been placed on the Dungeon… a powerful one at that, one created by a god within his own realm, built with other gods in mind.
This was likely to minimize interference from Rodcorte and other gods such as Alda.
"With that being the case, this Dungeon was created by the evil gods that appeared with the Demon King."
Rodcorte recalled the names of the evil gods that were currently feared by human societies, but none of them seemed to match. He couldn't think of any that possessed the power and authority to create such a special Dungeon and place this barrier around it.
No matter how exceptional a god's power was, they faced great limitations when they tried to perform tasks that were outside their authority. Rodcorte, who was the god of reincarnation, could exert great power over souls that returned to his circles of transmigration before their rebirths, but he could do almost nothing for humans that had already been reborn.
He could give some blessings to the reincarnated individuals, who were like semi-believers to him, but they were an exception to the rule.
"If I recall, the evil god of labyrinths was in Vida's faction. Is it him? But even if it is, why in the world has he done this? There is no reason for him to search for Bellwood's successor… Could it be that he has gone mad and is searching for Zakkart's successor?"
If this was the case, it was an exceedingly foolish act.
The power bestowed upon the champions by Vida and the other gods were blessings that were limited to one generation. They could not be genetically inherited or passed down in any other way. Of course, they did not have any effect after reincarnation, either.
If the descendants of Zakkart and the others… unlike for Ark and Solder who were women, it was possible that Zakkart and Hillwillow had left those with their blood flowing through them behind in the world without Rodcorte knowing about it. Even if their blood still miraculously existed in the present era, a hundred thousand years had passed already.
That was a length of time across which blood relations could no longer be discerned. It would likely be impossible even for Gufadgarn to recognize them.
Thus, it should have been impossible to find the champions' successors by their powers or bloodlines.
The only possibility was that the Dungeon would designate someone who shared the same ideologies and sense of values as Zakkart and his companions as Zakkart's successor, but then, it was difficult to imagine that a Dungeon would be a suitable way to select such an individual.
"No, it is possible that he could distinguish the distorted soul that I created from the broken fragments of the souls of Zakkart and his companions."
In order to ensure that Vida and Ricklent wouldn't try to resurrect the dead, a troublesome act that would jeopardize Rodcorte's own authority, he had gathered all of the fragments and forcibly joined them into a single soul that he then placed into his circle of transmigration system.
It was possible to distinguish this soul if one could see its shape.
But that wasn't possible, either.
"Just in case, I placed that soul not in Lambda, but on Earth, a world where magic and monsters do not exist, a world where gods do not take action. In my system, the circles of reincarnation of different worlds do not exchange souls with each other, so there is no chance that it would have reincarnated in Lambda… Could it be?!"
Rodcorte was astonished by his own words. And even as he told himself that it was impossible, he searched for the soul that was made from the fragments of Zakkart and the others, which was supposed to be in the circle of reincarnation system of Earth.
The soul was merely a single blip in a vast sea of information, but it was a greatly distorted soul. It wasn't impossible for Rodcorte to find it in his system.
But his system merely gave him the answer of: "Search results, none."
Impossible, Rodcorte thought as he repeated the search two more times, three times – but the results didn't change.
"It is not on Earth… which means that it was among the reincarnated individuals? Back then, at the only time in which its circle of reincarnation exchanged souls with another world!"
Indeed, it was something that Rodcorte had carried out himself. He had exchanged souls between Earth and the circle of transmigration of another world.
Uneasiness running through his mind, Rodcorte searched the records of the reincarnated individuals and checked their souls.
None of the ninety-seven souls that appeared had any irregularities.
Among those who had died in the incident on the ferry, Rodcorte had chosen a hundred and two people. In the beginning, one person had declined to be reincarnated, and a hundred and one had been reincarnated in Origin.
The souls of two of them, the 'Gungnir' Kaidou Kanata and the 'Death Scythe' Konoe Miyaji, had been broken by Vandalieu, and the 'Gazer' Minuma Hitomi had been stolen away by Ricklent and Zuruwarn along with the souls of the Eighth Guidance.
As for Vandalieu, he had been turned into a member of one of Vida's races and Rodcorte was unable to interfere with him directly.
Machida Aran and Endou Kouya, who had ascended to become Rodcorte's familiar spirits, had noticed that there was something strange about Rodcorte and were observing him from afar.
"What's wrong with him?" Aran whispered.
"He's acting strange. I suppose something's happened," said Kouya.
Of course, Rodcorte had already inspected his three familiar spirits' souls. In fact, he had made thorough contact with them when he made them his familiar spirits. He would have noticed back then if their souls had been distorted or out of the ordinary.
"No, if that were the case, would I not have noticed when I first reincarnated them from Earth to Origin?" Rodcorte murmured, still talking to himself.
He had granted qualities suited for magic, cheat-like abilities, fortunes and destinies to the reincarnated individuals. He had made contact with the souls as he did so.
So then, perhaps it wasn't that the soul made of the fragments of Zakkart and the others had gotten mixed up with the reincarnated individuals. Perhaps it was some other mistake that had caused it to move from Earth to another world?
It was possible. Recently, Vandalieu had been causing damage to the circle of transmigration system repeatedly. Perhaps a mistake had arisen on one of these occasions –
"Wait! That's right, it's Vandalieu! I did not make contact with Vandalieu's soul!"
Rodcorte was aghast as he finally arrived at this truth.
When Rodcorte reincarnated the people from Earth in Origin, he had nothing to give Vandalieu, as all of his qualities for magic and cheat-like abilities and such had been bestowed uponAmemiya Hiroto. Thus, Vandalieu's soul had been sent on its way without Rodcorte ever touching it.
Even when Rodcorte reincarnated him from Origin to Lambda, he had deemed it likely that Vandalieu would cause harm to the reincarnated individuals. Thus, he had not given him any new abilities or qualities for magic; he had simply thrown some curses onto him.
Rodcorte had never touched Vandalieu's soul.
"Impossible… That cannot… My great failure that I placed among seven billion people, among the countless organisms that live on Earth, was among the one hundred people I selected?!" Rodcorte shouted.
His face still wearing an astonished expression, his body began trembling. He searched desperately for something, anything, that could deny the truth that he had come to realize.
But there was only evidence that supported it.
Even with an empty frame, Vandalieu possessed an amount of Mana that could not be considered normal. Wasn't that because his soul was made of four peoples' worth of soul fragments?
Perhaps the Mana of the Demon King Guduranis or something else had stained these broken fragments, and this was the cause of the manifestation of the death attribute. Could Rodcorte really deny this possibility?
And most of all, the strange movements of Lambda's gods… Ricklent, Zuruwarn and Vida herself were aiding him; was the reason for that not the fact that Vandalieu's soul was made of the fragments of Zakkart and the others?
"Oi, what's the matter –" Aran began.
"What an unpleasant turn of events!" Rodcorte bellowed.
He released a shockwave in his anger that sent Aran flying, but he was in no state to take any notice of that.
The gods of Lambda had ignored Rodcorte's warnings and summoned champions from the foreign world of Earth. The chain of events starting from that one event had now jeopardized Rodcorte's circle of transmigration system.
Rodcorte felt dizzy as he reflected on his own mistakes and carelessness. It was likely that the evil god of labyrinths had created that Dungeon to find Vandalieu.
At this rate, Vandalieu would gain even greater power and lead not only those squirming about within the Boundary Mountain Range, but all of Vida's races, as the second coming of Zakkart.
And then he might persecute the humans that he could not lead… no, it was possible that he would slaughter them and drive them to extinction.
If that happened, an era would come where reincarnation in Lambda would be handled not by Rodcorte's circle of transmigration system, but by Vida's. In order to prevent that, Rodcorte – had no options.
"Then there is no time to lose. Before any more burden is placed on the entire system, I will detach Lambda from it," Rodcorte decided.
This was so that the wound wouldn't open any further, even if it meant sustaining some temporary damage now.
… Naturally, he didn't spare a single thought for Sarua, Asagi, Murakami and the others who had already been reincarnated in Lambda. He didn't even spare a thought for the people of Lambda or Alda and the other gods.
An army, lined up in ranks, stood in the dazzling light of a false sun.
Rank 8 Greater Demon soldiers, a race superior to Lesser Demons, with sand-like bodies that were resistant to physical attacks.
Huge Sandworms that could swim freely in the sea of sand, feared by caravans. Iron Scorpions that possessed exoskeletons as hard as iron. Desert Chameleons that blended into the sand, capturing humans with their rapidly-extending tongues. Mirage Shades, evil spirits that wandered deserts and tormented the minds of their victims with illusions.
They were only Rank 4 or 5, but they were fearsome predators that were well-adapted to desert environments.
They were led by a Nightmare Demon Wizard. A Rank 10 mage that manipulated nightmares, a foe that even an A-class adventurer would not defeat easily.
As monsters that had been spawned by the Dungeon created by Gufadgarn, they were all artificially-created life, regardless of their races. Their bodies, which had been created for a single purpose, housed hollow minds that were so strongly controlled by the Dungeon's will that they didn't even have self-preservation instincts.
But now, their eyes contained the light of a will that they all shared.
It was a nobility, like that of ambitious knights gathered under a single flag.
The Nightmare Demon Wizard gave an inspiring roar, telling his army that they would defeat that mighty enemy at any cost.
"OOOOOOOOHN!" bellowed the mighty foe that awaited them… the bone fortress that was moving across the desert, Knochen.
The fortress, which was as large as a small mountain, was steadily approaching at the walking pace of a human, unimpeded by the sand of the desert.
And then a fierce battle began.
Bones separated from Knochen and took the form of Skeletons and Rotten Beasts that spewed forth poisonous breath as they assaulted the Sand Demons and Sandworms.
And at the same time, Knochen fired bones from all over its body as a long-range attack. They were fired with about as much power as small cannons; direct hits would punch large holes even in the enormous bodies of Huge Sandworms.
But Knochen was not in a one-sided, advantageous situation. Knochen could perform multiple attacks at once, but in the end, it was still just one monster. The variety in its attacks was limited.
Many of the monsters under the Nightmare Demon Wizard's command, such as the Lesser Demons and Mirage Shades, were immune to poison attacks.
"GYUGYOOOOH!"
The Sand Demons, which were far more intelligent than their appearances would suggest, attacked Knochen and its minions with their light-attribute spells, cast with roar-like incantations.
Ironically, even Demons could cast anti-Undead light-attribute spells.
The parts of Knochen's body and its minions vanished as if melting and evaporating.
However, these were no serious wounds to Knochen. Losing a few of the bones making up its body was equivalent to nothing more than a scratch.
"OOOOOOHN."
The Sand Demons, thinking that they could be victorious if they repeated this process over and over, began their incantations again.
"GYUGY –"
"JYUOOOOH!"
A strange roar came from above, along with a rain of bones that turned the Sand Demons into Swiss cheese.
This attack, which ignored the Sand Demons' high resistance to physical attacks, was Bone Man that had been fired from Knochen.
Bone Man was now a Skeleton Blade Duke with the Unique Skill 'Bone Blades' that allowed him to turn all of the bones of his body into blades.
"Jyuoh, they do not leave bones, flesh or blood behind. What useless monsters," he said, lamenting the lack of reward for defeating the Sand Demons.
"If only they left some bones, they could be added to Knochen," said Eleanora.
Resistant to illusions due to the effects of the Mental Corruption Skill, she was cutting down the Mirage Shades with her magic sword one after another.
"Ah, but Sandworm meat is apparently really nutritious! Though it seems that it gets dried out quickly if you cook it too much!" said Rita.
"Unfortunately, they don't have bones," said Saria. "But their carapaces look like they would make good materials. They would not compare to the fragments of the Demon King, however."
The sisters, having emerged from within a part of Knochen and joined the Skeletons, were swinging their glaive and halberd, their Spirit Form bodies exposed, making round slices of the supposedly nutritious Sandworm meat.
The greatest obstacle on this desert floor was not the monster army that they were fighting. It was the constantly-shining artificial sun.
The fifty-degree, dry air sapped challengers' stamina, willpower and ability to think. The powerful sunlight burned any exposed skin.
Wearing metal armor in this environment would be like getting baked alive.
Thus, careful preparation or clever, non-combat spells would be needed to clear this floor. Magic Items designed with deserts in mind that blocked heat, water-attribute magic, light-attribute magic that blocked the sunlight.
Despite that, Vandalieu and his companions were clearing it with the simplest method. They were leaving the fighting to those who didn't flinch one bit to the sunlight and heat.
Knochen and Bone Man, who had no skin and were made only of bones, and the Living Killer Maid Armors Rita and Saria, whose armors were their main bodies and their only flesh was pale-skinned spirit form.
And finally, there was the Abyssal Vampire Eleanora, who had acquired the Sunlight Resistance Skill while she was still a Noble-born Vampire. Her pale skin did not burn under the light of the desert sun.
"… It's not like I acquired the Sunlight Resistance Skill to deal with deserts, though," she said.
"It's fine, isn't it? You can fly and illusions don't affect you much, so you're very helpful on this floor," said Saria.
"Nee-san, Eleanora-san putting herself to use away from Bocchan where he isn't watching isn't very helpful," Rita pointed out.
"That's not really true, but I also think that I'm not needed for enemies like this," said Eleanora.
"No, our lord is watching. Look," said Bone Man, pointing ahead.
Eleanora looked to where he was pointing to see the right shoulder of the commanding Nightmare Demon Wizard burst.
"That is Vandalieu-sama's Artillery Technique! He is watching from Knochen!" Eleanora exclaimed.
The Nightmare Demon Wizard, whose flesh scattered in pieces behind him, was sent somersaulting onto the ground. Disorder spread among the enemy army as their leader suffered a heavy wound.
As if taking advantage of this, a part of Knochen opened up like a door. At the same time, several voices shouting, "Transform!" echoed out.
"Honki karu!" shouted a three-meter tall metallic mass as it leapt forward and struck down an Iron Scorpion with a mace.
"Uraura… karu?"
TLN: From Googling, these two lines are a reference to Magical girl lyrical Nanoha A's. Honki karu/本気狩る means something like serious hunt, and I don't know what 裏々/uraura is supposed to mean… literally translated, it means something like "back back." Someone let me know if you get the reference.
"Rurururu… RUUUUUU!"
Two more strangely-shaped, metallic silhouettes followed behind the large one and began defeating the monsters in the surrounding area.
The second metallic mass clearly had the form of a woman, but her limbs were unnaturally large from the elbows and knees down; there were wings sprouting from her back and a tail protruding from her waist.
The third was an enormous Hydra, whose snake-like heads had been replaced by the upper bodies of women.
The thing that all three of them had in common was that they were metallic.
At first glance, they appeared to be Golems made of liquid metal.
"… Huh? That's Pauvina, Rapiéçage and Yamata, isn't it?" said Eleanora.
"… That is likely the case," said Bone Man.
The mysterious metallic trio was Pauvina and Rapiéçage, who were pulverizing enemies with their mace and fists as if they were made of biscuits, and Yamata, who was defeating enemies with the shockwaves from her Shout Skill and a swing of her tail.
"I wonder why they're metallic?" said Rita.
"Aren't they the prototype staves that were given to Zadiris-san? Apparently many of the prototypes were made," said Saria.
"I see, so the three of them are able to level while blocking the sunlight. As expected of my lord," said Bone Man.
"Knowing that, we should give the enemy commander to them in a near-dead state. Fufuh, I must have Vandalieu-sama see me serving him~♪"
Meanwhile, Vandalieu was very busy inside Knochen.
"Enemy commander is silent. No new threats," he reported.
"Baked Sandworm with tomato sauce and Sandworm hamburgers complete," said one of his spirit clones.
"Get more vegetables from Group Binding Technique," ordered another.
"… Boy, I can help a little, so why not make a few less clones?" said Zadiris.
Because Knochen's bones were hollow where the marrow was supposed to be, they had an insulating property. With a roof made of these bones on the top and double-layered walls with a layer of air in between, the inside remained a reasonable temperature.
Vandalieu was watching the battle unfold with a cannon made of the Demon King's blood at the ready while his clones, made with Out-of-body Experience, used a portable magic stove to cook the Sandworm meat.
"Zadiris, you have the task of defeating the Sandworms that attack from the ground, don't you?" said Vandalieu.
"That is true, but…" Zadiris mumbled.
"Van-kun, I know that you've gotten worked up, but I think you should rest a little," said Privel, poking her head from around Sam's carriage.
"I believe Privel-san is correct, Bocchan," said Sam.
They were all walking.
Indeed, the floor of the moving Knochen's interior was the bare ground… the sand surface.
As it was difficult for Knochen to move while in the form of a building, the parts where its towers' walls were contacting the ground were acting as legs, and it was using those to walk.
Of course, those inside had to either keep walking at the same pace as Knochen or be attached to one of the walls or the ceiling.
Due to this structure, Sandworms sometimes attacked from beneath their feet, but Zadiris and the others were in charge of cleaning them up.
"But Bocchan, would it not have been better to ride in my carriage and pass through? I do not believe we need to defeat all of the monsters on this floor," said Sam.
If Sam were to fly through the air at high speeds, the floor would be easily cleared, as none of the monsters they were currently facing possessed an exceptional ability to fly. Despite having known this beforehand, Vandalieu had chosen to face the monsters head-on and exterminate them.
"Sam, this Dungeon's Demons and Undead have their minds more powerfully controlled, so my Dark Demon Path Enticement doesn't affect them easily. That's why it's perfect for everyone to level here," Vandalieu explained.
Vandalieu had chosen to increase his companions fighting abilities over a quick clear of the floor, even if it meant taking more time. Though Pauvina and the others would not be considered weak by the world as a whole, they were among the weakest members present here.
"No matter how fast we clear the Dungeon, it would be meaningless if we were to lose anyone. We're still on floors that have been previously cleared by other people, but soon, we will have to proceed into unexplored floors," said Vandalieu. "I don't want Pauvina and the others to suffer unrepairable wounds, and Mother would be sad as well. There's no guarantee that Zakkart's legacy will be able to resurrect multiple people, either."
"Now that you mention it, they've got a lot of motivation with the prototype items that you've given them, and their leveling looks like it will progress," said Legion, who was staying put inside because they would turn into fragrant yakiniku if they were to go out into the sunlight.
"You are right," Zadiris agreed. "But Pauvina and Rapiéçage are using 'honki karu' and 'uraura karu' as their transformation words. What do they mean? I can understand Magical, but I do not understand Lyrical at all."
"… It is a phrase that girls say after they transform, I suppose. I don't know how they know it, though," said Vandalieu.
"I taught it to them!" Valkyrie declared.
"… Valkyrie, really," Shade muttered.
"Isn't it fine, Shade? The three of them look like they're having fun."
It seemed that Legion were the culprit.
"Hmm… then should I say it as well? Perhaps it would make it easier for me to acquire a race title with 'queen' when my Rank increases?" said Zadiris.
It was a commonly-accepted theory that monsters' everyday behavior had an influence on their Rank increases. Ogres living in Dungeons becoming Minotaurs was one example of this.
It wasn't unreasonable for Zadiris to think that her words might influence her Rank increase.
"I think it would make you less like a queen," said Vandalieu.
"Very well, I shall never say it," said Zadiris.
『The Levels of the Artillery Technique and Cooking Skills have increased!』
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『The Levels of the Dark King Magic, Dark Demon Path Enticement, Automatic Mana Recovery, Thread Refining, Increased Mana Recovery Rate, Transcend Limits, Alchemy, Commanding, Group Binding Technique and Surpass Limits: Fragments Skills have increased!』
According to the previous challengers of the Trial of Zakkart, like the Majin king Godwin and the Dark Elf king Gizan, the floors of the Dungeon could generally be divided into three categories.
Firstly, the first to the thirty-fifth shallowest floors were riddle floors. They encouraged challengers to display acts like those of Zakkart and the other creation-oriented champions, and imposed deadly penalties upon those who acted like Bellwood and the other combat-oriented champions.
From the thirty-sixth to the seventy-second floors in the middle, including the desert floor that Vandalieu's party had cleared to level, there were no more visible riddles that needed solving.
Each floor had a different internal layout and presented a harsh environment, and they required battles against monsters that were adapted to these environments. The ability to survive through these was tested.
Three large silhouettes that appeared to be Titans wearing conspicuous, fluffy, black furs, as well as a floating man releasing pale sparks and a carriage that flew through the air, were passing through one of these middle floors.
"So, I suppose this means it's just an ordinary Dungeon? Shield Bash!" shouted the 'Saint of Healing' Jeena, driving her round shield into the stomach of a Yeti Berserker whose body was covered in white fur.
Her arm, which was far more powerful than her gentle-sounding Title would suggest, sent the Yeti Berserker flying towards the mass of ice behind it, blood pouring from its mouth.
A harsh-sounding dying scream drowned out the sound of the impact.
"That's how it is, isn't it?! I'm sure Gufadgarn's run out of tricks, too, right?!" said the 'Sword King' Borkus.
His enormous magic sword tore into the stomach of a Poison Wendigo that was even larger than him. It was a superior race of Wendigo, which looked related to Yetis at first glance but were actually Demon-type monsters. But to Borkus, even this Poison Wendigo was nothing more than small fry that he wouldn't lose to as long as he didn't let his guard down.
Jeena and Borkus had been A-class adventurers when they were alive; for them, these middle floors of the Trial of Zakkart didn't seem so difficult to clear as long as one didn't fail the riddle-solving of the earlier floors and become exhausted from getting through large groups of monsters and dangerous traps as a result.
Yeti Berserkers and Poison Wendigos were Rank 9. They were monsters that could be defeated without too much difficulty by an A-class adventurer party.
"Lightning Blade Wave! I don't think that's the case," said Zandia, the two-meter-tall Titan Zombie with the Title of 'Tiny Genius,' as she unleashed a magical blade of lightning to hold back a newly-appeared Poison Wendigo.
"Really? Both this icy field and the desert before it are just ordinary Dungeons other than the large amount of enemies," said Borkus.
"I agree with Borkus. Have you noticed something?" Jeena asked.
"Hmm, well, I didn't think it's surprising that neither of you noticed, but… I think these middle floors test not only the fighting strength of challengers, but their ability to adapt to different situations creatively," said Zandia.
"Adapt?"
"That's right. They're testing whether we can get through the monsters while adapting to the harsh environments. The dryness and sunlight of the desert, the marshland that releases poisonous fumes at irregular intervals, the forest of enormous mushrooms and molds filled with a fog of spores and even this ice field that's so cold that the monsters' blood freezes the moment we spill it. If we don't adapt to the environments well, we'll be killed by monsters that we'd normally be able to defeat," Zandia explained.
Living creatures were not always in their best conditions; their conditions varied greatly depending on their environments.
It would be difficult for most to display their ordinary abilities in a scorching-hot desert, a marshland with bad footing that emitted poisonous gas, a dark fungal forest with spores blocking visibility and this intensely cold ice field, whose ground was entirely ice and snow.
"I see," said Jeena. "We're not supposed to overcome these problems with resistance Skills, willpower, passion or fighting spirit; we're supposed to solve them with tools and magic. Maybe it's because you've become a Zombie Princess, but you've gotten smarter and smaller."
"Jeena-nee, you'd die before you learned any resistance Skills and it would be completely impossible with willpower alone," Zandia pointed out. "And I haven't become smaller."
As a result of their leveling, Zandia and Jeena had reached Rank 9 and 10 respectively. Their race titles had changed from Zombie Hero to Zombie Princess and Zombie Saint.
There was nothing different about their appearances… or at least, there shouldn't have been, but Jeena teased Zandia from time to time.
"Hey Princess, even if we're supposed to be creative, it'd be impossible if we didn't bring the materials and stuff with us beforehand!" said the Thunderbolt Ghost Kimberley, disagreeing with Zandia's theory as he released lightning attacks at the unarmed Yeti fighters and Yeti Berserkers.
Incidentally, Princess Levia wasn't participating on this floor because the Yeti Mages and Wendigos used water-attribute magic, and Orbia wasn't participating either because her body, which was becoming more and more material, would freeze if she lost her focus even a little.
"And there are way too many different types of environments!" Kimberley continued. "Even if you expected everything and brought everything you needed, you'd need an Item Box or you'd need to be Boss!"
As he said, there were limits to how much ordinary humans could carry. Weapons and armor were already considerably heavy; it would be impossible to move while carrying enough equipment to adapt to an ice field and a desert.
With repeated Job-changes, the physical abilities of the humans of this world could only be thought of as superhuman by those of Earth and Origin. But even such superhumans could not fight while carrying luggage several times larger than their own bodies.
"That's why you're supposed to use monster materials," Zandia said as she pierced a Wendigo with a light-attribute ray. "The carapaces of the Sandworms that appeared in the desert floor, the furs of the Yetis of this floor, there's all kinds of stuff, isn't there? I think Gufadgarn is telling us to gather things for ourselves and put them to use."
According to the records left in Vida's Resting Grounds, it was Zakkart and the other creation-oriented champions who had established the utilization of monster materials during the war against the Demon King.
Materials taken from monsters had been used as food and equipment before then, but technology and knowledge, such as which monsters' meat were suitable for consumption and which monsters' bones and fangs could be used as weapons, had not been shared between clans and settlements.
Hillwillow further developed the techniques used to process monster materials, and Ark discovered a way to use Alchemy to create even better equipment and items. Solder took their findings and inventions and compiled and edited them as knowledge, and Zakkart used this to create manuals for effective learning, teaching and to spread the knowledge to the craftsmen scattered across the regions.
Before that, the ways that monster materials were utilized had differed between regions and craftsmen, but with the champions' actions, the techniques were improved and shared.
But this achievement had been long forgotten in human societies. By the time the Demon King was defeated, the population of the world had shrunk to a mere three thousand, and the knowledge and techniques were lost.
And when Vida distanced herself from Alda, many of the people who had felt gratitude towards the creation-oriented champions followed her, causing even more loss of knowledge.
Farmaun had spread this knowledge to the people again when he founded the Adventurers' Guild, but because of that, there were many who credited Farmaun for the achievements of the other champions.
At the time, Farmaun had told the people that the achievements were those of Ark, Solder and the others, and there were even written records that this was the case, though he was still responsible for not allowing the knowledge and techniques to be lost completely.
But naturally, none of these circumstances mattered to Gufadgarn, who had no knowledge of what transpired in human society.
That was likely why the effective use of monster materials was a part of the Dungeon's trial.
"Hmm, I get what you're trying to say, but we haven't struggled much on these floors so far – BYOH?!" Jeena let out a strange noise and vanished.
The Jack Frost facing her, a snowman-shaped Demon, stopped moving in surprise as it lost sight of its enemy.
But Jeena soon reappeared, breaking the snow and ice beneath the Jack Frost's feet.
"Bah!" she gasped. "I take back what I said! It's just like you said, Zandia-chan, this is a harsh environment!"
It seemed that she had fallen into a crack in the ice that had been covered by snow.
"Jeena-nee, His-Majesty-kun told us to be careful of crevasses, didn't he? He said to not step anywhere other than where enemies have stepped on and where the snow has been blown away. Does 'saint' mean 'muscle-head' rather than 'holy person?'" said Zandia, casually mocking Jeena.
Jeena puffed out her cheeks.
"Other than the cracks in the ice, we haven't struggled that much," said Borkus. "Even the cracks… Sword Storm!"
The shockwave of Borkus's Sword King Technique martial skill sent two Yetis flying, along with the surrounding snow.
"We can't miss them if I do this! We do just fine even in the heat or cold, right?" Borkus said, resting his magic sword on his shoulder.
But the others didn't agree.
"I'm telling you, that's because we're Undead," said Zandia, narrowing her eyes. "Our senses are dull and the temperature being a little hot or cold has no effect on our condition."
As she said, as they were Undead, they were not affected by environments being somewhat harsh. Their bodies were not alive.
Human bodies would undergo large changes if their body water content dropped by a few percent or their body temperatures were lowered by as little as five degrees. They certainly wouldn't be able to fight normally; they would hallucinate and have severely impaired decision-making. If their body water content or body temperature dropped more than that, they would likely die before the monsters could kill them.
But Undead as a race were largely unaffected by such changes. As their senses were dulled, they wouldn't feel any mental stresses, either.
But that didn't mean that they were invincible.
"Ah, it might be that we are affected, even if we don't notice. My fingers are broken inside my gloves," said Jeena, only just realizing that her fingers had frozen and broken.
Even though she was a Zombie, she wasn't completely unfazed by temperatures low enough to freeze her body.
She was wearing heavy anti-cold equipment made of the Demon King's fur to keep the cold out, but… her usual body temperature was low and her body fluids didn't circulate, and perhaps this made her less suited to extremely cold temperatures than living humans.
"Yeah. Well, it's not normal to only get away with that little damage," said Zandia. "Thanks to His-Majesty-kun, things are easier for us in a number of ways… ah, it's His-Majesty-kun."
A creature that was completely covered in black fur, appearing to be a Yeti child… Vandalieu, who had activated the Demon King's fur and completely covered himself with it, emerged from within Sam's carriage that was moving along behind the Undead Titans.
Vandalieu, now a black furball, used Flight to approach Jeena and released Rita and Saria, whom he had equipped with Group Binding Technique.
"Jeena-san, we're changing places!" said Rita.
"Leave the rest to us," said Saria. "Our bodies are spirit form, after all. Please have Bellmond-san sew you up inside Father's carriage."
Living Armors like the twins had no physical bodies, so depending on the materials of their armor, they were unaffected by the extreme cold.
"Okay, thanks," said Zandia. "By the way, why isn't His-Majesty-kun talking?"
"Apparently it's because his lungs will freeze if he opens his mouth," said Rita.
"… It's said that children are outdoor creatures, but I suppose there's a limit to that," Jeena remarked.
"Boss, we should get more Undead like me that can withstand cold temperatures. Next time you're disposing of guys like the Ahrai family, leave it to me," said Kimberley.
And so, the cause of death of the villains in the next town that Vandalieu would visit was decided.
Having cleared the ice-field floor, Vandalieu and his companions were resting on the stairs between it and the next floor.
"Ah, it was so cold. I underestimated cold conditions a little. Even though I've never experienced such extreme cold, I was naïve," said Vandalieu.
"It's been a while since we felt cold, too," said Rita.
"Well, I think it was just us imagining the cold," said Saria.
Even in the Trial of Zakkart, the stairs were generally safe zones. But if one spent an entire day on the stairs or it was decided that the challengers had given up on clearing the Dungeon and were intending to use the stairs to survive, monsters would appear or the challengers would be forcibly teleported to the next floor.
But since they could rest here, perhaps it was less harsh than the B-class Dungeon that Vandalieu had created in his attempt to make an A-class Dungeon.
"Just exposing myself to the outside air steadily drained my Vitality; it was a very harsh place. I cannot really release my flames inside Sam's carriage, either," sighed Princess Levia, who was being used as a campfire.
She could produce enough heat to fight in rain or even blizzards as long as she was careful of the water vapor, but it seemed that the extreme cold that would even kill a human wearing insulating clothes had been impossible for her to cope with.
"I did not expect the cold to be so extreme that even my Comfort Maintenance Skill would not be able to maintain a pleasant temperature," said Sam.
"Was the Demon King's fur not warm, Master?" asked Luciliano, who had come outside for once now that the party was resting safely.
"Maybe because I'm not experienced at using it or maybe because the Demon King's body wasn't that strong against the cold to begin with, it seems that the Demon King's fur is less protective against the cold than Yeti fur," said Vandalieu.
Luciliano took note of Vandalieu's words.
"Well then, I shall make enough warm clothing for everyone here. There is no guarantee that there won't be another floor like that one ahead of us," said Tarea as she began work on the Yeti fur that Borkus and the others had gathered. "The quality will be quite rough, since I am making them quickly. Please don't mind if it looks unfashionable."
"I won't care. I'm counting on you… fuh, hot water is really good for a frozen body," said Borkus.
"It really is. I'm going to take a bath in Orbia every day from now on," said Jeena.
The two of them were soaking their frozen bodies in a liquid that had been heated by Princess Levia.
"Hey, you two, be more considerate. I feel bad for Orbia-san," said Zandia.
The liquid they were bathing in was the Dark Broad Ghost Orbia.
"It's fine, don't worry about it. You guys worked hard in the place of those of us who couldn't go outside. Van-kun, you should come here too," said Orbia, calling out to Vandalieu while she warmed Borkus and the others with her liquid tentacles.
But Vandalieu had something he needed to do before that.
"I need to eat first," he said.
Vandalieu had stepped onto the frontlines for the first time in a while on the ice fields, but other than that, he had spent almost all of his time eating. But it wasn't because he was slacking off; he had to provide all of the vitamins, calcium and chitin required by those he had equipped with Group Binding Technique – the insectoid and plant monsters, as well as Privel, Gizania and the others… he had accidentally gone and tamed a Huge Gluttony Worm, so the burden on him had increased sharply.
"So, it is impossible to supply all of them with just the Demon King's blubber?" said Luciliano.
He was asking whether Vandalieu could provide the nutrients required by his equipped monsters by activating the Demon King's blubber and using his Mana to create fat.
"It's possible, but it's not very efficient," Vandalieu replied. "I would have to constantly activate the Demon King's blubber, and considering that I'll have to use Dark King Magic when the time calls for it, it's harsh on my Mana. My Mana recovery won't keep up with the expenditure."
"I see… Incidentally, it seems that the food is ready," said Luciliano, stopping his pen and covering his nose.
"I followed the recipe, but… is Poison Wendigo entrail stew really edible, Van?" Basdia asked.
"I have heard that Yetis are not suitable for consumption; I think it is fine to eat other things, you know? It is said that Bushi show strength in the face of hunger*, or something," said Gizania.
TLN*: This is a Japanese saying means not showing weakness even in times of difficulty.
The two of them, who had been in charge of cooking inside Sam's carriage while Vandalieu was outside, brought out a stew that looked too colorful to be considered food.
"We can offer our meat. A few kilos will grow back in no time," said Legion as they looked at the stew's eye-piercing, fluorescent colors.
The others would have problems with this, even if Legion could regenerate, but most would accept Legion's offer rather than eat this stew.
"No, let's leave that as a last resort. I've erased the poisonous compounds with Disinfect," said Vandalieu.
Demons generally were not considered to be edible. The reason for this was that the bodies of many of them contained compounds that would harm the human body. Eating a Demon with 'poison' or 'venom' in its race title was nothing short of suicide.
But since Vandalieu had erased the poison with his magic, it should be possible to eat them. If one ignored how it looked, something could be done about the smell… the stink. Vandalieu steeled his resolve and put some of the stew in his mouth.
"… You two, it's more delicious than it looks," he said.
"Van, you don't have to force yourself," said Basdia.
"I want you to be honest," said Gizania.
"… It tastes just a little worse than Gobu-gobu," said Vandalieu.
The traditional preserved food of the Ghouls, Gobu-gobu, which turned the normally stinking, inedible meat of Goblins into something edible. Vandalieu found the stew a little worse than that food.
"As we expected," Basdia and Gizania said, nodding.
"It was like that for me when I tried it, too. The smell isn't as bad as how it looks, though," said Basdia.
"Both of us clapped at our success before we tried it," said Gizania.
Apparently, they had tasted it and decided that it was just barely acceptable.
In truth, it really was just barely acceptable. It couldn't be called delicious just because the poison was gone, however.
"What should we do? Should we give up on cooking?" Basdia asked.
Iris and Eleanora were currently cooking using the magical stove in Sam's carriage, though they were cooking Yetis, not Poison Wendigos.
Yeti meat was simply very fatty, and yet sinewy and hard. Generally, only the fat was taken from it; it wasn't normally a material that was used for food.
"Well, I'm sure it can become delicious depending on how it's cooked. Like putting it in a curry," said Vandalieu.
"… Even frogs and snakes are edible if you put curry powder on them and fry them, after all," muttered Ereshkigal, one of Legion's personalities.
Vandalieu nodded in agreement.
Of course, there were still things that tasted incredibly unpleasant even with curry powder applied to them, such as Goblin meat.
"I wonder how far Heinz and his companions cleared before they turned back?" said Vandalieu as he remembered Heinz, the target of his revenge, whose party were the only survivors of this Dungeon from human society.
"Well, Iris said it before, but they haven't spoken much about what happened in the Trial of Zakkart. There are only vague rumors, so we can't even guess," said Luciliano. "But Master, you are unusually interested in them, aren't you? I believe the statue of the person who was apparently their party member was discovered in the lower floors."
One of Vandalieu's objectives was to acquire the corpse of the Elf spirit-user Martina, the Five-colored Blades' only casualty, in order to turn her into an Undead. But this was supposed to be quite low on his list of priorities.
Of course, he would readily give up on this objective if it was necessary to resurrect Darcia or if it would threaten the safety of his companions.
Vandalieu had said this before entering the Trial of Zakkart; was it possible that he had changed his mind?
But Luciliano's worries were needless.
"No, I'm relatively uninterested in that, but I was just wondering how far Heinz and his companions made it with their abilities at the time," said Vandalieu.
What interested him was how strong Heinz and his companions had been at the time, and based on that, how difficult the Trial of Zakkart was.
How far could they get while leveling up and testing their new equipment – in other words, how far could they get before they started struggling? It seemed that Vandalieu was trying to figure this out.
"The first time Heinz and his companions faced the Dungeon, they were fewer in number and less capable than when they fought Ternecia. I was thinking that we would be able to force our way through and continue leveling on the floors that they were able to clear," Vandalieu explained.
"Well, that's true," said Borkus.
At the time, Heinz and his party had been not only strong as adventurers, but had been equipped with various Magic Items to withstand the harsh environments, possessed deep knowledge regarding monsters and were, overall, highly capable.
But as they were now, Vandalieu's party were superior to that party in every aspect. In fighting strength, numbers, materials and prior knowledge. Heinz's party at the time couldn't even be compared to Vandalieu's.
The path that Heinz's party had used all of their desperate efforts to pass through was equivalent to a well-maintained mountain path for Vandalieu's party.
"Isn't what we heard from Godwin-san and the others enough to figure that out?" said Darcia, mentioning Godwin's party, whom Vandalieu could compare his party to. "Or maybe they aren't useful as a reference here, since they mostly cleared the Dungeon in the correct way?"
"That's right, Mom," said Vandalieu.
Godwin and his party had proceeded through the Trial of Zakkart with the correct answers, thanks to Gizan and other knowledgeable individuals. The fighters like Godwin had forcibly cleared their way through when they really couldn't figure out the correct answers, but the number of floors they had cleared this way was low.
And as expected, Godwin's party had faced the harsh environments like the desert and the ice fields in the proper manner. They had waited for the scorching sun to set and then quickly crossed the desert during the night, and they had made cold-weather gear from monster materials and kept themselves hidden as they crossed the ice fields in order to keep their battles to a minimum.
Apparently, even the battle-crazed Godwin didn't like fighting in disadvantageous circumstances.
Since Vandalieu's party were fighting large armies of monsters head-on and leveling up as they proceeded, Heinz and his companions were a better reference point, as they would have likely made their way through the Dungeon with the wrong methods.
"Well, there is no use in thinking about it. It's possible that we passed where Heinz and his party cleared up to long ago," said Vandalieu.
"Master, I would say that we have," said Luciliano.
"Ah, I am of the same opinion. I would say so too," said Tarea.
"Me too," said Jeena.
The three of them thought that they had already passed through where Heinz's party had managed to get to.
"They were A-class adventurers at the time, right? And this was years before they fought the Pure-breed Vampires and their subordinates," said Basdia.
"Unless the quality of A-class adventurers has gone up a few steps since I was an adventurer myself, I think the limit would be around the desert floor," said Jeena.
The monsters appearing on the middle floors were mostly Rank 8 to 10, with perhaps a single Rank 11 or 12 monster per floor. One might assume that four A-class adventurers would be able to clear them as long as they could get past the most powerful monsters.
But continuing to clear the floors would cause fatigue to build up, as well as mental and physical stresses due to the environments that changed significantly from floor to floor. And if they didn't keep replenishing their supplies effectively, they would gradually run out.
"And I have not heard that they had a skilled craftsman like myself among them to use the materials to repair their equipment," said Tarea. "Well, even an amateur would be able to patch together furs taken from Yetis, but… extensive movement while fighting would cause them to fall apart."
And the A-class adventurers of this world were superhumans that would only exist in movies and comics on Earth. Hastily-made cold-weather clothing wouldn't be able to withstand their incredible physical abilities.
"I see… then I suppose we'll only be able to keep leveling for a few more floors. Though we might reach the lower floors before then," said Vandalieu.
Meanwhile, Rodcorte had finished making all kinds of preparations, and he was now about to detach Lambda from his system, along with Earth and Origin.
The fact that he had carried out all of this work in just a few days showed how much impatience and danger he felt.
"Hey, let's stop this!" Aran pleaded.
He and the other familiar spirits were desperately trying to talk some sense into Rodcorte.
"If you actually detach a world from the system, three of them at that, there's no telling what malfunctions will occur. Isn't that right?!" shouted Endou Kouya.
"And you've been doing everything you can to develop Lambda, haven't you?! Are you really just going to give it all up?!" said Shimada Izumi.
"Your words are reasonable. I have no experience in detaching worlds that are connected to the system," said Rodcorte. "It seems that I will become very busy in dealing with the malfunctions that will occur when I detach Lambda and the other worlds from the circle of transmigration system. And the thirty years I spent using you will go to waste. The loss of not only Lambda but Earth and Origin as well is not a small loss to me."
If Rodcorte went through with this, he would likely feel something like a body blow that would continue damaging him for a long time. It would take hundreds or perhaps even thousands of years to return to normal.
But it would be fortunate for him to resolve things by receiving a single body blow.
"But if I act now, things will end with that," said Rodcorte.
Kouya and Izumi gave small groans in response to this answer.
"The gods of Lambda have sided with Vandalieu; if he begins breaking human souls indiscriminately, the entire system will suffer fatal malfunctions," Rodcorte continued. "As he is the reincarnation of the champions, humans that are not members of Vida's races or believers of Vida should have no value to him. There is no telling when he will commit genocide –"
"You know that he won't do something like that, right?! Just look at his past actions!" shouted Aran.
According to Aran's analysis with Calculation of the data gathered so far, Vandalieu was a non-pragmatist who prioritized his emotions, and his mind fell into the virtuous category.
It was true that he created Undead and didn't hesitate to kill or even make food out of humans he considered his enemies. His actions followed a sense of values that couldn't be ignored by human society.
But he followed his own rules, and Aran thought that these rules were quite open-minded. At the very least, he wouldn't commit indiscriminate genocide unless he was heavily cornered… even at the point where Aran and the others might consider it inevitable, Vandalieu likely wouldn't go through with it for a while, though it was unlikely that he would hesitate to commit indiscriminate genocide.
Even if he toyed with the dead and applied his brainwashing-like charm to spirits, Aran had no complaints.
"That may have been true up until now, but how can you say for certain that he will not do so in the future?" said Rodcorte.
He did not understand human emotions; to go further, he was a god who did not trust humans. Vandalieu had already gone insane; Rodcorte couldn't believe that he would not become even more deranged.
"Even if he wanted to do that, the gods that are his allies, Vida and Ricklent, should stop him!" said Kouya.
"That is questionable, Endou Kouya. Just like the gods of Origin and Earth," said Rodcorte.
He didn't trust gods other than himself, even if he did predict how they would act based on their history and the information he knew about them.
Based on these predictions, Vandalieu resented Rodcorte, and there was no telling when he would cross a line to clear that resentment. Vida, Ricklent and Zuruwarn should be stopping him; in Rodcorte's eyes, they were all insane.
A hundred thousand years ago, Vida had repeatedly performed futile deeds in an attempt to resurrect Zakkart, and having feelings of dissatisfaction towards Rodcorte, she had plotted to rule over reincarnation herself. He could understand her dissatisfaction and distrust, but dividing the world that had just been saved from the Demon King and creating new seeds of conflict could only be considered an act of madness.
Things might have been fine if Ricklent and Zuruwarn had just accepted Vida's actions and criticized Rodcorte for sending the reincarnated individuals to Lambda, but they had become the allies of Vandalieu, who threatened the world's stability and order like the Demon King Guduranis once did.
And the god of Origin had stolen the souls of the reincarnated individual Minuma Hitomi and the Eighth Guidance from Rodcorte's system and handed them to Ricklent and Zuruwarn.
The gods of Earth, like the other gods, were hostile towards Rodcorte as well. According to the records from the members of the Legston family, Vandalieu had apparently acquired the divine protection of a god of another world. That could only be the gods of Earth.
One could guess that it was the gods of Earth, where Zakkart and the other champions were born, but Vandalieu himself was a being that had no relation to Earth. It should be impossible for the gods of Earth to give such a being their divine protection.
So it had to be the gods of Earth after all.
That was the kind of god they were. It was possible that they would remain silent even if Vandalieu committed indiscriminate mass-murder and genocide.
At this rate, Peria and Botin, who were either slumbering or sealed away, were suspicious as well. They were gods who had been involved with the creation-oriented champions in the past; wouldn't they go completely insane? These wild thoughts that were almost delusions ran through Rodcorte's mind.
"The only great god of these worlds that has remained sane is Alda," said Rodcorte.
That was what he believed. If Ricklent were to hear these words, his emotions would go past anger and turn into pity, or perhaps he would give a scornful laugh.
"So… what will happen to the humans of those worlds and us reincarnated individuals?" asked Aran, throwing this question at Rodcorte with the feeling that every option had been exhausted.
"Those worlds… Earth and Origin are particularly likely to be destroyed within a few years to a few decades. The reincarnation of not only humans, but all life, including plants and animals, will cease," said Rodcorte.
Reincarnation would no longer occur in worlds separated from the system. Thus, the next generation of all plants and animals, including humans, would be born as bodies with no souls.
There would likely be almost no effect in plants. But the more intelligent and needing of consciousness an animal species was, the greater the effect would be on it… life forms that would not even feed themselves would grow in number, so it would be a serious problem.
It was possible that lost spirits would enter the bodies, but… that would be something like a fox possession*. They could not be considered normal.
TLN*: This is a thing in Japanese folklore, where people are possessed by fox spirits.
Leaving Earth aside, it could be assumed that the spontaneous rising of Undead would increase explosively in Origin and Lambda. The world would be filled with spirits that had nowhere to go, and even if one were to try and purify them, they had no circle of transmigration to return to.
"It is likely that Earth and Origin will become worlds filled with only plants and primitive creatures that move based on their instincts and reflexes," said Rodcorte. "Considering that, Lambda will suffer the least damage. As Vida's and the Demon King's circle of transmigration systems exist in addition to my own, those guided by Vandalieu, members of Vida's races and monsters will undergo reincarnation."
It was ironic that the world Vandalieu lived in would suffer the least damage despite the fact that he was the reason why Rodcorte was detaching the worlds from the system in the first place.
"I get what's going to happen to the worlds. What's going to happen to our friends?!" asked Izumi.
"Those that are still alive in Origin will keep the cheat-like abilities, fortunes and destinies that I gave them. While they are still alive, that is," said Rodcorte. "Once their second lives are over, they will wander the world with nowhere to go, just like the rest of the people of Origin."
As their connection to the system would be severed, Amemiya Hiroto and the others would not be able to reincarnate in Lambda, nor would they be able to come to Rodcorte's Divine Realm. The program that Rodcorte had created would no longer function.
Their second lives would be their last.
"There were many who thought negatively of their third reincarnation. For them, I think it is not all so bad," said Rodcorte.
"So then… what will happen to Asagi and Mao who have already been reincarnated in Lambda?!" Aran demanded.
"… Whatever happens will happen. At the very least, they will not die as a direct result of this event. Depending on how Alda, Vida and the rest of the gods deal with it, they may end up wandering endlessly after their deaths."
Even if they could not undergo reincarnation, that didn't mean they would die immediately. It simply meant that they could not be reborn naturally.
"We should expect Vida and Vandalieu to take responsibility and conduct reincarnation properly. It is even possible that Zuruwarn teaches the gods of Earth and Origin how to create circle of transmigration systems, preventing the worlds' destruction," said Rodcorte.
"S-STOOOOOOP!" Aran and the others screamed, but as they were Rodcorte's familiar spirits, they could not directly interfere with him.
Rodcorte ignored their screams and began performing the work needed to sever the connection between the worlds and his system.
In the next moment, what sounded like a dying scream echoed across the Divine Realm.
"Gih? GYAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The source of the scream was none other than Rodcorte himself.