A Dungeon Somewhere in the Solis Continent
Sora still couldn't get the demon video out of his head.
Demons using Earth weapons.
Demons building cities that looked uncomfortably like Earth's.
It gnawed at him.
How the hell are demons copying Earth technology this perfectly?
There had to be someone from Earth over there. There was no other explanation. And yet, the goddess hadn't mentioned a single word about it.
Which was strange.
Suspiciously strange.
Isn't it bad if this world just turns into another Earth? he thought.
SHRIEEEEK!
Suddenly two kobolds lunged at him from both sides.
Sora cut them down with a single, effortless swing. Blood sprayed across the cave floor.
"Tch. Stop pestering me," he muttered.
"SORA, BEHIND YOU!"
A third kobold burst out from the shadows.
Sora hadn't even sensed it.
STAB–STAB–
Two icicles tore through the air and skewered the kobold mid-leap.
"Is this the supposed savior of the world?" a sharp voice said. "Maybe try not daydreaming inside a dungeon?"
Sora turned.
Isabel stood there, and beside her was a tiny girl wearing a pointy hat far too big for her head, clutching a staff also too big for her frame.
His new party member.
Yumi.
The cliché child-prodigy mage.
A walking trope.
The kind whose mentor decides that sending her on a "field trip" to kill monsters with the hero party is better for her magical education than, say, enrolling her in an actual magic school.
"Sorry, Yumi," Sora said, smiling as he patted her head. "But I knew I could count on you."
"O–of course you can!" Yumi squeaked, her cheeks glowing red. "I–I'm a genius mage after all!"
And yes.
Naturally.
The prodigy mage was also a tsundere.
KIIEEEEEEEGH!
A kobold general and two kobold sorcerers emerged from deeper in the dungeon, screeching as they charged.
"Dungeon boss," Sora said calmly. "Get ready."
The fight was quick.
A few flashes of steel. A few bursts of magic.
Then the boss collapsed.
Faint lights enveloped the party—the unmistakable sign of leveling up.
What made the Otherworlder Hero so frightening on Talvaris wasn't his stats.
It was his system.
Normal Talvarians were born with fixed capacity caps—mana, strength, speed, everything. A high mana cap meant you were suited to become a mage. A high strength cap meant a warrior.
Your role in society was practically decided at birth.
But heroes from other worlds broke all those rules.
Sora could increase all his caps every time he leveled up.
Worse—
This broken mechanic extended to his party.
Historical records even claimed that a mid-tier Hero party had once defeated an entire army on their own.
"Uh…" Yumi said hesitantly. "Does anyone else feel stronger than usual?"
"You're right," Isabel said, flexing her hand slowly. "This is… different."
Sora opened his status window.
His eyes widened.
"Uh, guys?" he said. "You won't believe this."
"What?" Isabel leaned closer.
"I got a new passive skill," Sora said slowly. "Double EXP."
He swallowed.
"We're growing twice as fast now."
"Oh my!" Isabel clasped her hands together immediately. "A blessing from the goddess!"
She began praying on the spot.
Sora didn't.
He wondered.
Double EXP… right after demons start showing Earth tech?
Coincidence?
Or…
…something else the goddess isn't telling us?
---
Divine Empire of Celeste, St. Divinitus Basilica
St. Divinitus Basilica was the largest man-made structure on Celeste—and possibly in the entire world.
It dwarfed even the royal palace.
Carved statues lined every wall. Gold-trimmed pillars rose toward a ceiling lost in shadow. A towering figure of Goddess Celes loomed above the altar, watching over the hall with eternal benevolence.
It was, in every sense, a very on-brand display of what the faith industry could achieve with enough donations.
Inside, the choir sang. Ethereal voices filled the vast prayer hall, echoing softly beneath stained glass that depicted miracles, divine judgment, and generous benefactors whose names were carefully preserved for posterity.
A man in white-and-gold robes prayed alone before the altar.
Footsteps approached.
Cardinal Corvus entered the hall and immediately dropped to one knee as the man rose.
"Holy Father," Corvus said, lowering his head, "you summoned me?"
"Corvus…" the man said quietly. "The Oracle received a new divination last night."
Corvus stiffened.
"A–again? It hasn't even been a year since the last one—when we ordered the summoning of the otherworlder hero."
"I know," the man said gravely. "Yet the goddess has spoken. She commands us to deploy the Seven Virtues across the continent to contain demon influence."
Corvus's breath caught.
"But Holy Father…" he said carefully, choosing each word as if it might be weighed later. "In all of church history, the Seven Virtues have never left the Solis continent."
The Pope turned to face him fully.
"Corvus," he said softly, "the demons are no longer invading with brute force."
He paused.
"They are invading with intellect."
Silence filled the basilica.
"The goddess sees beyond what we can," the Pope continued. "And she has judged this threat to be… exceptional."
Corvus lowered his head deeply, his voice subdued.
"…Forgive me for doubting. I was insolent."
"Do not ask forgiveness from me," the Holy Father said gently. "Let us ask it together—from the goddess."
He knelt once more.
Corvus followed.
Their whispered prayers echoed beneath the stained glass, rising upward—soft, obedient, and unquestioning—as they always had.
---
Bashington DC, Joint Base Anaconda-Boiling (JBAB)
The day before, Lich had insisted that Solo and Lilith personally witness his newest experiment.
It was related to the post-battle incident—the one where dozens of Murican soldiers suddenly transformed into raging demons and began devouring Vandorian prisoners.
Naturally, this had resulted in complete chaos for the CDC.
They had no choice but to quarantine the entire battalion.
"Solo, honey," Lilith warned as the Sea King helicopter descended, "Lich sounded… excited yesterday. Be ready."
"Oh dear…" Solo sighed. "That's never good."
Their Marine-13 helicopter touched down. They were escorted across a field crowded with makeshift scientific tents—monitors, cameras, humming machines, cables everywhere like the aftermath of a science fair.
Lich and Stan were waiting inside the main tent.
"Ah! Solo! Lilith! You're finally here!" Lich said cheerfully. "Today is a monumental day!"
Solo folded his arms. "Why is the director of the health department asking me to meet on a military base?"
"Patience, my dear Prime Minister," Lich replied, already typing furiously on his console. "You'll see."
Solo glanced sideways. "And Stan?"
Stan groaned. "I was watching the Cowboys game this morning when my secretary screamed about an army of skeletons invading my base."
"Lich!" Lilith snapped. "You didn't even ask for permission? We're not living in the old days where you can barge into someone's castle and borrow magical artifacts for experiments!"
"Hush," Lich waved her off. "Science cannot be hindered by such trivialities. Now—feast your eyes on the monitor."
Two screens lit up.
One showed the corpse of a raging demon.
The other showed magnified tissue samples under a microscope.
"This," Lich said proudly, "is one of Stan's soldiers who transformed. And these are his cells. What do you see?"
"The goddess virus…" Lilith muttered, staring at the familiar crown-shaped particles. "Was he an anti-vaxxer too? But why transform now?"
"Next sample."
The screen shifted again.
Now it showed a living raging demon restrained inside a containment tank, thrashing violently. Beside it, its cells pulsed under magnification.
The virus count was enormous.
"That's…" Solo squinted. "A lot."
"YES! A LOT!" Lich cackled. "Even more than during the barrier collapse! Fascinating, isn't it!?"
Stan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just tell me why my men turned into this."
"THE ANSWER—IS HIM!" Lich declared, slamming a button dramatically.
Zzzzz… Zzzzz…
The monitor switched again.
This time, it showed a Vandorian man peacefully snoring inside a holding cell.
Solo, Lilith, and Stan stared.
"Behold!" Lich announced. "Test Subject V-1. John Doe One!"
"…Okay," Lilith said flatly. "And?"
Lich switched the feed to the Vandorian's cellular scan.
"What!?" Lilith gasped. "Humans also have the goddess virus?"
"That's correct!" Lich said triumphantly. "Humans, beastmen, avians—every intelligent race! Conclusion: when demons eat other races, raw or cooked, the dormant virus within them reactivates at exponential rates! MUHAHAHAHA!"
"…Demons won't like hearing they can't eat people anymore," Solo muttered.
"But I ate humans," Stan said slowly. "Why am I fine?"
"Huh? Oh, you, Lilith—basically any demon ranked noble or higher—can easily kill the virus with your antibodies," Lich replied casually. "I tested it long ago."
Stan blinked. "When did you test me? I never—"
"Well duh," Lich said. "I know where your houses are."
"LICH!!!" Lilith roared.
"Anyway!" Lich clapped his hands together brightly. "Time for the next part!"
---
Lich switched the feed to a special thermal view—a new piece of technology he had personally asked Bub to develop.
Outside the tent, the ground split open.
A hidden platform rose smoothly into the open air, lifting John Doe along with the bed he was still lying on. He jolted awake mid-ascent, eyes wide with confusion and terror.
"Since when did we have that containment setup?" Stan whispered to a nearby officer.
"We don't, sir," the officer replied quietly. "Sir Lich built it this morning with magic."
Stan stared. "And no one stopped him?"
"No one wanted to be drafted into his skeleton workforce, sir."
Another hatch opened.
A second Vandorian was lifted into the open, shaking violently as the platform locked into place. Skeleton assistants swarmed in, efficiently tossing each man a sword before retreating at full speed.
Lich's voice boomed from the loudspeakers.
"EHM—GOOD MORNING, TEST SUB—UHH, I MEAN, VANDORIANS! THANK YOU FOR COOPERATING IN THIS EXPERIMENT. NOW, IF YOU PLEASE, WOULD YOU START KILLING EACH OTHER?"
John Doe understood immediately.
He was being used as entertainment.
Victors did this sometimes. He and his troops had done it to prisoners too.
"OH, AND AS USUAL," Lich continued brightly, "IF YOU DON'T, WE WILL KILL BOTH OF YOU."
The younger Vandorian's hands shook violently. "P–please… we don't have to—"
SLAAASH
The veteran John Doe ended it quickly.
A mercy killing.
"I'm sorry, kid…" he whispered. "I want to live."
Inside the tent, Lich leaned forward, pointing excitedly at the thermal monitor.
"Ooooh! Look at the particles leaving his body!" he said. "I think my theory is getting somewhere!"
Lilith narrowed her eyes. "The goddess virus is… exiting?"
"Yes! Lets go with stage two!" Lich clapped his hands. "Stan, my friend, please bring out the next one."
"Tch. Fine," Stan replied.
Outside, John Doe stood alone now, sword still slick with blood.
He waited.
"…Uh," he said cautiously, looking around. "Excuse me… can I go now?"
"AH—SORRY, SORRY! NOW WE CONTINUE WITH THE NEXT STAGE."
A Murican soldier stepped into view, rifle in hand.
He looked deeply uncomfortable.
John Doe panicked. "I–Is this my next opponent!?"
"CORRECT!"
Fear gripped him.
He had seen what demons could do. He had felt it firsthand.
But this time… it was just one soldier.
Maybe—just maybe—he could survive.
"You there!" John Doe raised his sword, shouting with everything he had left. "Back then, I couldn't even see any of your soldiers' faces! But now we're face-to-face! I will strike you down!"
"Sigh…" the Murican soldier replied.
John Doe activated every combat skill he had, praying desperately to the goddess.
Inside the tent, something was happening.
"What the hell!?" Solo shouted.
On the monitor, John Doe's goddess virus count spiked violently, multiplying at a terrifying rate.
"Oh my, they're pulsing! HAHAHA!" Lich scribbled furiously on a polygraph.
John Doe charged.
He was faster. Stronger.
BANG
One clean shot.
John Doe collapsed.
More particles rose from his body in the thermal view, drifting upward like invisible smoke.
Lilith swallowed hard. "Why did the virus multiply that much? His prayer?"
"No," Lich said, eyes shining. "Fear!"
He leaned closer to the screen.
"Fear of demons triggers the growth. They've been taught since childhood that demons drag souls to hell. They fear demons far more than anything else."
"And…" Stan asked quietly, "…where do the particles go?"
Lich paused, waiting.
Solo growled.
"…To the goddess," he said. "She's feeding on it."
Lich threw his arms into the air.
"CORRECT!" he howled. "The entire planet is the goddess's farm! And every race—humans, demons, beastmen—we're all nothing but cattle!"
He laughed wildly.
"Isn't that AMAZING!? HAHAHAHA!"