Surviving without God

The situation was desperate, yet Gunther couldn’t stop staring at the status window in complete confusion.

“You want me to win? Against that monstrosity?”

From the very beginning, his plan had only been to endure.

“If I can just hold out somehow, the victory will eventually be ours.”

No matter how hard the Luthien special units tried, this was still the capital of Valloren. The numerical advantage was on their side, and most of the enemy’s tricks had already been exposed. Even if Audrey caused chaos in the city center, the Knights of the Round Table would arrive sooner or later.

[The King of Ninety-Nine Defeats says that is far too optimistic]

[He points out that there are too many variables on the battlefield — something you have already experienced firsthand]

[Most importantly, he states that in order to endure, you must aim for victory from the very beginning]

[Finally, he emphasizes that there is a way...]

The King of Knights sent an unusually long message, but Gunther didn’t manage to finish reading it.

Whistle!

The air tore apart again. Blackened iron and crimson magma seeping across its surface filled his entire vision. This wasn’t just an attack — it felt like annihilation itself was descending upon him.

Gunther twisted his body instinctively, swinging his sword.

Screeeech!

The heavy mace scraped along the blade, sending sparks flying. The surface of the Straight Line of Despair, which had endured countless battles, was now jagged and chipped. Even though he had deflected as much of the force as possible, the impact was overwhelming. Gunther was thrown backward, muttering helplessly:

“...Win? Against this?”

Every strike from his opponent was a killing technique. And yet, even in this dazed state, Gunther did not forget what mattered most.

Once in a lifetime. His personal secret technique. In this battle, he had already decided to use it.

[Do you wish to apply “Reading” to “Apostle of Justice, Revmael”?]

Gunther braced himself for what would follow. When used on a human target, “Reading” forced an enormous and chaotic flood of information into his mind. Among that data were fragments directly relevant to combat — giving an overwhelming advantage in battle. He had already confirmed this when fighting the Perfumers.

The price was the nauseating sensation of an unseen hand stirring his brain. If he were defenseless in that moment, it would be fatal.

However...

“...What?”

Nothing happened. No splitting headache. No torrent of fragmented data. Instead, a message arrived from an entirely unexpected source.

[The One-Eyed King adds his power to your “Reading”]

In an instant, Gunther’s vision was swallowed by darkness.

Clang!

And from within that darkness came the sound of something tearing apart.

Then it flooded in.

Memories. Emotions. Disordered and overwhelming.

Blood. The smell of iron. A breath... too short to be called a scream.

A tiny hand. Trembling fingers. A knife clutched within them. Not a toy — a real, sharpened blade.

A dog. A cat. Their eyes meet. Soft paws slipping as they try to escape. Small animals everywhere — and children holding trembling daggers.

— Begin.

The voice that echoed was low and even. No encouragement. No urging. Just an order.

A strike. A spray of warmth. Among the children who cried and threw away their weapons, retching — there was one child who smiled.

Those who froze were taken away. Those who smiled received applause.

“This...”

Revmael’s past? Gunther was stunned — the density of information was far beyond ordinary “Reading.” The scenes shifted rapidly.

Next.

A man tied up. His crimes read aloud. Most were heretics. Their mouths weren’t gagged. One by one, they shouted excuses — pleading, explaining why they didn’t deserve to die. Desperation turned to curses. And among them moved children carrying heavy maces.

“The judge does not understand. Does not empathize. Does not choose.”

Next.

The measurement of physical limits.

No... their rewriting.

Revmael symbolized Fire and Iron. Gunther knew that well. In the original scenario, there had been an encounter with Revmael’s manifestation — a beast of fire and iron.

Which meant that any Apostle bearing that power had to be tempered by it.

Children exposed to heat. Temperatures so extreme their skin blistered, their flesh melting. Yet they did not die. Forced healing. Again.

Then Iron. The weight crushing their bodies. Uneven pressure, shifting balance.

Arm. Shoulder. Spine. Knee. Ankle.

Joints and muscles tore apart and reformed. Structural reinforcement of bone and tendon.

Crack. Crack. The number of children steadily decreased.

Flare. Crack.

And finally—

On the altar.

In the mirror before it, there was no child. No human. Only a “tool.”

The power of the beast of fire and iron — Revmael — was forced into it.

Flames cascaded like a waterfall. Iron energy pierced into flesh, defying gravity. An indescribable power.

The child, now bearing the name of a god, lifted the blackened heavy mace from the altar. It felt weightless. Someone beneath the altar nodded in approval.

The creation was complete.

“Khh—!”

Gunther’s eyes burned as he watched.

He saw it.

Saw how fire and iron became “power.” Where Revmael began, where it flowed, and where it ended.

It wasn’t understanding. It wasn’t analysis.

He simply saw.

Gunther instinctively realized he was witnessing this through a foreign, alien perspective. And at that moment, a familiar voice thundered in his ears:

[...The beast of fire and iron tore out my eye and devoured it]

[Then it spat into that emptiness and erected its blasphemous name]

[A fragment of that beast is here. There is no longer any reason to delay or conceal]

Cling!

[“Observation” recorded]

[Through the eyes of an Outer God, you have witnessed the birth of an Apostle and the establishment of divinity]

[Incomprehensible truths flow into your mind]

[Skill mastery of “Reading” increases rapidly]

[Effect applied]

You have deciphered the structure of the “Justice” power emitted by Revmael. Your ability to interfere with and resist divinities of the “Justice” type has significantly increased.

※ The result exceeds what your current state can withstand. Karma will be deducted automatically.

...What?

Before Gunther could react, his vision snapped back.

And at that exact moment, something completely unexpected happened.

— W-what the...

BOOM!

The Apostle of Justice’s thigh swelled nearly twice its size for an instant. Revmael kicked off the ground with overwhelming force and launched into the air. The earth beneath her fractured, stones scattering in all directions.

A deep vibration spread.

Gunther expected a descending strike and immediately lowered his stance, gathering mana, regulating his breath.

“...?”

But why?

Her silhouette never came down.

Far beyond the city walls, she vanished completely, leaving behind only a sinister afterimage.

— ...?

Gunther stood there, utterly stunned.

“She... ran? Why?”

[The King of Ninety-Nine Defeats is also stunned]

Then came the familiar lines.

[Current Karma: -3881]

Your soul is now in debt and so on... If you fail to repay it, each life will carry a new debuff and so on... Compound interest — 12%!

However, there were two differences.

The first — the initial debuff.

*Current Debuff: Miss. Your first strike often fails to hit.

At least... that was manageable.

But Gunther’s attention wasn’t on the debuff.

※ Karma has fallen below -3000. You are entering the “Judge Pursuit” branch.

[Based on the trajectory of your Karma, the most logical and inevitable Judge is being calculated]

[Calculation complete]

— Ha...

Gunther let out a breath, watching yet another fragile hope collapse.

.

.

.

His mind was still in chaos.

What exactly was “Judge Pursuit”? Why had Revmael fled when she clearly had the advantage? Had she even left the capital entirely?

No answers.

“The only comfort {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} is... repaying this Karma debt doesn’t seem impossible right now.”

If he resolved the capital incident successfully, the debt would be covered. And “Miss” was tolerable.

In any case, standing still wasn’t an option.

Gunther activated the communication device.

Pshhh—

— Levain, what’s your situation?

Pshhh—

The reply came instantly, tense:

[We’re engaged. Slight advantage. Their resistance was fierce, but just now, for some reason, they started losing ground. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time. We’ll win without much trouble...]

Levain’s report was steady as always — but then he faltered.

[...Wait. How are you even talking to me? Weren’t you fighting the Apostle of Justice? No, don’t tell me this is your last message—]

— Relax. The Apostle of Justice fled. Looks like she left the capital.

Silence.

[No... wait... what?]

And then—

Levain, whose voice rarely betrayed emotion, shouted at full volume:

[My God, victory! Gunther reports victory! The Apostle of Justice has fled!]

Immediately, other voices broke through the static.

[Yes! Now it’s your turn, fake teacher! Old man, get that wrinkled neck ready!]

[Gunther is the best!]

Rietta and Yur shouted first.

[You... you insane green brat! You just wrote your name into Night Raven history!]

Cheonmae’s astonished voice followed.

[Honestly, I didn’t believe it this time!]

Ryan Parker laughed.

[That’s our captain!]

And Blanc Ibel’s proud voice rang out.

Voices overlapped, one after another.

Yes... strictly speaking, it wasn’t a “victory.”

But Gunther didn’t correct them. This misunderstanding — this exaggeration — would work in their favor.

“Well then...”

Confirming Levain’s side was stable, Gunther considered his remaining options.

Head to Sector 7 to assist Parco and deal with the “zombies”? Go to the city center and help suppress the Luthien special units? Or head to the Hill of Swords and try once more to obtain the Holy Sword?

“...The Holy Sword first?”

To save those already infected, he needed the Holy Sword. Parco could only slow the disease, nothing more. And Valloren hadn’t yet caused irreversible damage — the sword was likely still intact.

But Gunther soon shook his head.

“No. The center.”

The special units. More precisely — Audrey.

In the previous iteration, she had turned the Bureau into a nest of zombies through a suicidal method. If Seren Mayra had personally brought her back, she was definitely hiding something.

“I need to be where the most variables are.”

And above all...

He wanted to personally bring Raymond’s story to an end.

Rustle.

Just as Gunther fixed his target and stepped forward—

[“Compass” bonus activated]

A special ability triggered.

Whoosh!

A translucent arrow spun wildly, as if caught in an unseen gale.

— ...What?

It pointed in a completely different direction from the one Gunther intended.

Gunther stared at it, doubt in his eyes.

“...You want me to go there? Now?”