Chapter 196

Chapter 196

The first to notice the disappearance of the Divine’s influence were naturally those who had relied on it for their lives.

The Theology Department of St. Jans University was engulfed in chaos that day.

“Lord... where are You...”

A nun knelt before the holy image, tears streaming down her face. Countless faithful were praying with trembling voices.

The huge hemispherical statue, designed to imitate the sun, continued to shine beautifully in the midday sun.

However, all the priests present had lost their divine powers and crumbled.

“Lord, why have You forsaken me?”

Despite the anguished prayers of the responsible priests, the Lord remained silent. In the vine-entwined main building of the theology department, the bishop finally stood up and took a step forward.

It was incomprehensible why they had lost the divinity.

Perhaps there had been believers who had turned away from the Lord’s words. Or perhaps the Lord would no longer allow their evil and sins to go unpunished, and this could be a test.

However, whatever it may be, there was one fortunate aspect: there was someone in this school who was promised to sit closest to the Lord.

The Saint, Patricia. The woman who miraculously reattached her severed limbs with a single prayer, walked on water, and turned fresh water into wine.

At the tender age of fifteen, she returned with the hero after defeating the Demon King and selflessly donated all rewards from various countries to care for orphans and refugees.

The bishop knocked cautiously on the door to the dean’s office.

“Come in.”

“...Dean... no, Your Grace.”

Though she usually rejected any titles related to the clergy, the bishop could not simply refer to her as the dean of the university at this moment.

In a time when divine protection had vanished, these young lambs must rely on their shepherd.

The bishop carefully knelt and humbly bowed his head.

“We have been unworthy, and thus have lost Your divine light. Your Grace, please guide us.”

“Lord, depart from me. I am a sinner.”

At her words, the bishop suddenly lifted his head. It was a familiar verse from scripture, one he could even recite in the original language. However, for her to speak such words in this situation meant...

“What did the Lord say?”

“...The Lord said, ‘Fear not, for from now on you will catch men...'”

“Brother, we have not been forsaken by the Lord. Our original sin has been forgiven by the Lord, so how could our remaining sins fall short of His great love?”

“...Your Grace, I find it difficult to comprehend Your wishes.”

“Man’s sins and man’s virtues belong to man.”

The saint spoke while wiping the leaves with a damp handkerchief over the lush greens.

“All things in the world are content in the harmony of the Lord. Man’s sins and man’s virtues are also the will of the Lord... He does not abandon us, and we cannot abandon Him.”

“If that is so...?”

“Yes. The disappearance of divine power is also the will of the Lord. And I shall declare it with the authority of the highest ecclesiastical interpretation authorized by His Holiness the Pope.”

The noon sunlight beautifully scattered through the stained glass.

The woman clasped her hands and whispered softly.

“The Lord loves us dearly and has finally permitted man to be truly human. When a child becomes independent, the parents must bless them. We must not rely on the Lord for our future; we must walk forth with our own hands and feet.”

“Your Holiness. However... how will the Church understand this?”

“I will send a letter to the Papacy. We shall convene a council to summon the bishops.”

If divine power suddenly vanished, the authority of the Church would be plunged into despair. Many would think that the priests had fallen into corruption and had provoked the Lord’s wrath.

But that is a misunderstanding of the foolish masses. What could provoke the Lord? If God is truly omniscient and omnipotent, then humanity can never infringe upon His decree.

For He already knows whatever actions humans take. And He could have stopped it. Simply put, it is thus.

However, God did not reign in that manner. This means that the freedom of human will is also the will of the Lord, and all that happens under that free will is included in His grand plan.

Therefore, humans cannot provoke the Lord’s wrath. In fact, the Lord has only expressed emotions once in the Bible.

– In the beginning, the Lord created the heavens and the earth.

– He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

– The day and night were divided, and a full day transpired.

– The skies, the earth, and the waters were separated, and it was good in the Lord’s sight.

“All created beings were made according to the Lord’s will, and He directly created this world and found it pleasing, so indeed. Are we not all blessed from our birth?”

The saint quietly made the sign of the cross.

At least at the level of the Tylesse Civil War.

For now, there was nothing more he could do in Krasilov. He had just been spending his time chasing away colleagues who occasionally barged in and caused trouble.

Before a few days had passed, the quest window began to flicker again—

[Quest Completed&*133@#]

“Ugh.”

When the characters in the status window started to garble, he finally had to acknowledge that the situation was not normal.

[“?S-Class Quest!#$” Eternal!@#]

[Now!@#%#%]

“What is it? What, what, what’s going on?!”

Eugene stared at the flickering blue window with a pale, shocked expression.

With a crackling sound, the distorted blue window expanded, covering his view.

[Objective: You have killed a god.]

[Supplemental Objective: Now]

[Additional Objective: You all]

The broken characters came together, becoming readable again, but the content was different.

[Reward: Freedom.]

Eugene brushed down his arms, which were covered with goosebumps, and exhaled calmly.

[Due to signal interference, the connection to the live service server is lost.]

[In honor of your achievement, we will reveal additional content to you.]

[Now you!@#%$%]

[Choose!%%^]

[“Impossible” Quest. Warriors Who Became Stars.]

[“Impossible” Quest. Doctrine War.]

[“Impossible” Quest. Prelude to the Great Collapse.]

[“Impossible” Quest. Avatar of the Morning Star.]

[“Impossible” Quest@%#$^ For True Freedom.]

[Objective: Kill the God Slayer, Ivan Petrovich Yeremov.]

Eugene gasped in terror, struggling to catch his breath. However, the blue window’s rampage did not stop. As if it wanted to say one last word, sentences that even emanated malice began to rush towards him.

[Feel free to choose. However, any quests you do not select will be marked as ‘failed.’]

A dizzying array of goals, rewards, and penalties for failure swirled in front of him as if it were a threat.

As Eugene struggled to read the text on the status window, a sudden ‘poof’ sounded, and the window finally disappeared.

Then, with the sound of the last candle flickering out,

[Now you are finally free.]

[There are no gods in this land anymore.]

Eugene felt the withering divine power that seemed to be severed and had to read that sentence over and over.

—

Side Ep. There are No Gods in This Land.

Ivan Petrovich drew a deep breath and opened his eyes. The dream was over.

He cautiously looked around.

Warm air filled the room, and he could see the crackling fire in the hearth. Suddenly, he gazed at the silky blanket comforting his skin.

This situation feels familiar.

Slowly, silently, Ivan pushed aside the blanket and raised his body. At the foot of the overly luxurious bed, where it was hard to measure its worth, lay a silhouette curled up tightly.

Through the slightly rising blanket with each breath, silky hair peeked out.

“Is this a dream?”

It must be so. Because that hair color is...

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