I dashed into the temporary laboratory set up in the holy city.

Having observed the pillar of light that struck the sky, Pingvalez was already armed and ready, while the Tower Master was struggling to put on his socks.

It seemed they had no idea what was actually happening. Of course. They wouldn’t have been able to hear the goddess’s warning.

Pingvalez pulled on his black gloves tightly and spoke.

“Mi-ma, what’s going on? The Tower Master sensed danger, and right now, the evil deity is huddled up like a cat that fell into water.”

“Wow, you’re here! I was shocked by the tremendous divine power pouring down from the sky…!”

“The goddess is thinking of erasing the holy city.”

“…Are you serious?”

I was able to convince Benet immediately by abandoning the concept, but since we had always been together without a mask, perhaps my sincerity didn’t come across strongly enough.

I warned them as kindly as a fool could.

“…If we survive this, I’ll confess to you. Let’s date with marriage as the premise.”

“Ah. Something really dangerous has happened. What should we do?”

“Should we use Sublimation…?!”

I knew the goddess’s goal, but not her means.

Whether she planned to physically erase it with a large-scale divine beam, or if she intended to use some unknown euphoric ability to instantly kill us, I would have to guess.

So, what we needed to do at this point was to secure personnel and prepare for evacuation.

“First, let’s gather the people we need to protect and keep them safe, and it’s best to stay as far away from the holy city as possible.”

“Prince 2, and I must convey the news to the Northern Duke.”

“Bennett is fine. He’ll join us soon since he’s close.”

In this world, where communication devices are ambiguous, it takes considerable time to locate them and convince them of the crisis…

“Should I send it?”

“Please.”

It almost worked.

The continent’s strongest illusionist, Yuna, sent a butterfly with a single gesture. This established a communication route to Irid and Daisy.

Now it was time to determine a concrete course of action.

The top priority is the safety of loved ones. Next is Irid or Bennett, and last are the city dwellers. As long as we don’t stray from this overarching premise.

Can we escape the trumpet hall in time and get away from the goddess’s city, Malso?

“The fastest I can manage is to use the chains of ‘Bongmangusok’ like a rubber band… to shoot you out.”

“People?”

“Yes. I think it might be about twice as fast as a rapidly running carriage.”

“…If that’s a viable method, then yes. I have a way to get out of the city in one go. I’ll throw you like a giant.”

That’s right. Once again, there was the reliable transcendent-level mage, Matapju.

When we clashed with Kim Luru in the imperial capital, Crown Hall, those two insane transcenders had vanished from the city to the suburbs in an instant. The very unit of physical power they could exert was different.

With this, even if the worst-case scenario unfolds, we should be able to escape.

“…Do you think it will be that easy?”

“Yes?”

The demon girl, who had been curled up and biting her nails, interjected.

“Let’s say there were signs that an NPC moved freely in your simulation world. You plan to erase that malicious data. So, what would you do first?”

“If the NPC could interfere with the simulation, it means the admin privileges have already been breached. Simply stripping away power wouldn’t be enough to feel secure… so I would isolate the very space where that malicious data resides… Ah.”

Of course, you’d trap it and beat it down.

They say when you mention a tiger, it comes; the space trembles, and divine words echo.

[Warning: Movement in and out of the cathedral is prohibited.]

[Transcend: ‘Cogwheel: Apoptosis’ activation.]

The goddess’s proclamation rang out, and within a few seconds, the world shifted from night to day.

As if someone had pressed a switch. Instantaneously, without any premonition.

Rushing to the window to check outside, I saw a blue sky and white clouds leisurely drifting by. As if it had been morning from the very beginning, brazenly so.

The people of the city began to murmur in response to the enormous change.

However, on such a clear and bright day, there was no sun in the sky to assert its presence in the middle of it. It wasn’t that it was hidden from view due to the angle. It simply… wasn’t there.

Had a false sky been laid over in an instant?

The goddess wielded a power that I could only exercise within the simulation, in reality. I vaguely understood that gap. I became a little… scared.

Still, there must be a way. I shouted aloud.

“Even if we’re trapped, we can break through! We have sublimation power here too, and if we gather people’s strength in one place, we can find a way to attack.”

“A direct confrontation with a goddess specialized in defense… interesting. I hope you succeed. But in my opinion, it would be much better to unravel that thing in your head.”

“Stop messing with me, you b*stard!”

I playfully hit the mischievous demon who kept pointing out the facts. I knew he was right, but if he kept saying ‘it’s all futile’ in front of someone who was running around trying to survive, he had to expect some backlash.

External escape was impossible. Considering the scale of the goddess projecting her power across the continent, enduring from within… was also impossible.

Even the ‘Divine Punishment’ cast upon just one paladin was poured down with such persistence that it left no ashes. It was even more impossible to think that she might leisurely rain down divine beams on the city for three days.

…Did I misjudge the scale? I thought it would end neatly with just the Vatican being wiped out if an error occurred. I never expected the goddess to be this aggressive.

I pondered.

When reaching an extreme state of concentration, time seems to flow slowly. I commanded numerous modules to find a method with their own logic. In that fleeting moment, a one-person think tank was set into motion.

1. A way for us to survive.

Yuna’s sublimation has the effect of ‘blurring the boundary between illusion and reality.’ This is akin to transforming the world within the range into a simulation for the duration.

Using this… we change our race.

Taking the mole as a motif, we transform into a monster with resistance to divine power, altering the human form. Like Nidhogg.

Then, we pray for the disaster to end while burrowing deep underground.

Of course, the goddess isn’t a fool; she would likely create earthquakes or something to turn those who hide underground into mush. But if we take on the form of a monster rather than a frail human body, it might be different.

No matter how much the sublimation carpet is laid out, the task of changing a person into another race won’t be smooth. Even considering my innate talent, ‘we’ would be the limit.

Moreover, I have no idea what side effects might occur if the race changes. Perhaps we might lose some magical abilities, and in the case of the two of us, there’s a significant chance our forms might change.

We cannot save more people.

2. A way for us + our friends to survive.

It’s human sacrifice.

We collect the souls of those who are going to die anyway and throw them at the demon statue. Then, we draw out the power of ‘that’ as much as possible to confront the goddess head-on… as a ruse.

If the goddess reacts so hysterically to ‘that,’ she won’t be able to refuse the bait. By diverting her attention, we can use black magic that burns souls to break through the barrier and escape.

Many will die, but many will live.

In the process, my balance will tilt a bit toward the dark side.

And.

3. A way to save everyone.

⋯⋯Is there?

——–

I joined the Bennet party. Tara looked noticeably anxious and restless, while Niore’s gaze was also wavering. Bennet glanced at me while patting them.

“What’s going on?”

“The goddess has trapped the city during the day. It seems an attack is imminent. Escaping will likely be incredibly difficult, and we should seriously consider our last words.”

“Is there no way out?”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

There is, but I’m contemplating.

It’s hard to choose either option. The hesitation arises from the difficulty of letting go.

The people I care about, as well as the ordinary citizens living in the city, are hard to sacrifice.

I keep brainstorming other alternatives, but nothing more stable than those two options comes to mind. The taste in my mouth is bitter.

At that moment.

Yuna scurried up beside me and whispered softly.

“⋯⋯Is there really no other way? What about hacking? Would that be too difficult?”

Disabling the goddess’s functions through hacking.

Since I could reverse-engineer the ‘Divine Punishment’ to read the data, it might be possible with the holy sword, which is a direct terminal. Even if controlling the goddess entirely is impossible, perhaps we could revoke or… weaken the lethal orders given.

“If we can make contact with the holy sword, we might be able to attempt it. But.”

There are two problems.

First, I can’t withstand the ‘Divine Punishment.’

If I make contact with the holy sword in this emergency, the goddess will undoubtedly unleash the ‘Divine Punishment.’ My body would dissolve in an instant.

I might be able to buy some time using various means. For instance, buying time for hacking with Yuna’s sublimation. But even that can’t guarantee 100% safety.

And second, the moment I choose the hacking operation, I can’t use my ‘Race Change’ plan.

If I use it beforehand, I worry about losing my magical abilities.

After hacking, there won’t be any time to spare.

Above all── the relatively certain method of saving Yuna and Yuri, and the unstable method that could save everyone. The gap between the two weighs heavily on my mind.

“Yuna, you’re risking Yuri’s life to try to save everyone, but that’s not guaranteed. So… I deliberately didn’t think about it.”

“Then, does that mean we need a way to increase the success rate? If there’s a way to block the ‘Divine Punishment,’ then… would you do it?”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Yuna gently ruffled my hair.

“I’m worried. When I said not to get hurt… it includes your heart too. Just now, your expression was really bad. Are you okay? Do you want to… touch my chest?!”

“⋯⋯I think I feel a bit better with just that.”

“Ugh, yeah. You look the best when you’re a little unpredictable… You know, to be honest, I think it would be fine to offer everyone in the Holy City as a sacrifice. They’re just distant strangers.”

But.

“⋯⋯You don’t want to, do you? You say that, but deep down… you’re the kind of person who can’t turn away from someone who’s dying. Sometimes you shrink back, and you like happy endings. We want you to be happy. Yuri feels the same way.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“I have a way. The ‘Divine Punishment’ will definitely hold off for about twice the time you expect… Want to give it a try?”

It felt like she was saying that even if it meant betting the lives of Yuna and Yuri, wouldn’t it be worth challenging for a happy ending?

Yuna’s form wavered slightly. Sometimes, she felt like an older sister.

Pingvalez, who had come closer, placed another hand on top of my head. I was intoxicated by the warmth that radiated from that simple gesture, and I reached a conclusion.

“⋯⋯I want to try.”

Yuna and Yuri hugged me tightly.

Once I made my decision, I didn’t think about the chances of success. To achieve it, I had to throw myself into the fray with all my might. Between the warmth and warmth, I calculated the best moves I could make.

——–

First, I gathered all available manpower. We had to break through to where the Holy Sword was and stop the ‘Divine Punishment.’ Everyone—Cicel, the Northern Vanguard, and any potential heroes who could cooperate.

I left Ping out.

No one knew that the goddess’s judgment was imminent. Suddenly, night turned to day, and most citizens were excited, thinking it was a blessing from the goddess.

I judged that the holy knights and troops guarding the main facilities of the Holy City were likely in the same state. If so, they would stand in our way as we tried to enter the hero’s hall where the Holy Sword was kept.

They would serve as both manpower and a way to sweep that aside.

“⋯⋯So, you want me to carry all three of you and run.”

“Exactly.”

It would be a vehicle.

Cicel’s speed was incredible, so it would be a shame not to utilize it.

Also.

Do you remember the details of Plan B?

The part about drawing aggro with ‘that’ to divert the goddess’s attention. I thought using this would buy us a little more time for hacking the goddess.

And just in time… there was a black mage in this city, someone who seemed like they could tank really well, even with infinite lives, while chasing the traces of ‘that’!

I hurried to invite that person.

“Ah, mic test. Listen up, Red Flavor Duke and your crew! This city is completely surrounded by the goddess, and at this rate, we’ll all be burned to death by divine power!”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“So, willingly provide that doll of yours that you haven’t used yet. I noticed there were traces of it being molded from livestock like pigs or cows. I brought plenty of horses that were pulling carts, so use this.”

From noble mtl dot come

—

Was I surprised by my shocking declaration of collaboration?

After a moment, the door of the mansion where the Red Flavor family resided opened, and a doll stepped out, filled with disbelief, and said:

“………Have you finally lost it?”

“I hate you guys for throwing the first punch, and I plan to repay you someday. For now, if you don’t want to die at the hands of the goddess, you should cooperate. Otherwise, go ahead and try to escape from here on your own.”

“What exactly are you planning to do?”

“Hacking the goddess.”

“What?”

Hacking, you idiot.

I’m going to hypnotize the goddess and stop the administrator purification process.

——–

[………]

The goddess began to read through past records and started weighing her judgments.

She had been observing the ceremony known as the Hero Selection Tournament all along. The selection of heroes by humans, through human strength, held great significance. The goddess regarded that tournament as quite ‘commendable.’

Discipline changes with the times.

In the very distant past, murder was not a crime. It was only natural to kill others to survive.

However, as time passed and civilization advanced, laws and order became increasingly sophisticated, and values that had not existed before emerged. Now, murder is sometimes a crime, and new moral standards like chivalry and honor have appeared.

What about that future? Surely, there will be various values that the existing goddess could never imagine. Then… there would undoubtedly be ‘flaws.’ Someday, the gods become shackles.

For example.

What if an ancient god had maintained its power until now? That god would justify murder. If so, to develop civilization and establish a new rule that ‘murder is evil’… one would have to kill the god.

How sad is that?

That is why the goddess was designed mechanically, to be amendable through selected administrators.

If the rules of the ‘goddess’ become outdated due to the natural flow of the times, wise and intelligent humans should gather their opinions to revise them. That was the intended meaning.

[Saint: Voluntarily resigns / Has not contacted the terminal]

[Pope: Does not respond / Does not communicate]

[Hero: Does not exist]

Now, all three administrators are unable to function.

If the ‘Hero Selection’ that could be a remedy has been infiltrated by the schemes of the evil dragon, then all the ‘hero candidates’ participating in the tournament are potential hazards. They all must be erased.

Calculating the risk.

[Shissel Yurensto: 17]

[Bennett Hilton: 12]

[Redburn Knight Anphir : 16]

[Adventurer Kelin : 5]

[Pin : 0.3]

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

And, some⋯⋯ group that played tricks throughout the tournament.

[Unidentified Identifier : 0.2, 0.3, 0.1, 0.5⋯⋯(omitted) (Total 43)]

This cluster, particularly.