Anger: "So what are you saying? We just sit by and watch him fall?"
Indifference: "In fact, we have already done so. If luck isn’t on our side, there’s nothing we can do... Why do you have such an unwilling look? Haven’t I told you that this is an all-or-nothing gamble, not some leisurely trip down memory lane?"
Anger: "Sonia is still waiting for him. Sonia can’t be without him."
Madness: "What an easily solved problem. Why so distressed? Let her die with him. What’s the issue, she doesn’t have any experience with suicide? That’s a failing in education."
Wow, a fight’s breaking out, clickity-clack, Ash thought. But they really are noisy, can’t they consider the feelings of the other spectators? There are people here who want to sleep.
Indifference: "Alright, if you like fighting so much, go back and fight to your heart’s content."
Anger: "Is there a need to go back? What’s our purpose for existing if he falls?"
Madness: "Idiot, what he means is that it’s not time for the curtain to fall yet."
Anger: "You... loudmouth..."
Madness: "It’s only you who are anxious. I knew who would come to save the day... hmph, the one you really should be hitting is him, talking about ’not in the plan’, ’bad luck’, as if he can only go with the flow. Yet, he has foreseen all the outcomes because he has gone through it once before!"
Indifference: "It’s completely different. I really don’t have any confidence."
Madness: "How different is it? Is it just that it was Sister Fu last time, and this time he himself charmed the foolish girl?"
Anger: "You’re talking about your past acquaintance?"
Madness: "Acquaintance is too kind a word. Even calling it a grudge seems too light. I’d rather say it’s our tragic story of misjudging character. Later, at all costs, I chased him to different lands to kill him, which is proof enough of how unforgettable his great ’kindness’ was. Nothing could extinguish our inner rage unless we chopped him into pieces to feed the dogs."
Indifference: "I thank you for the compliment, and I will continue to strive."
Madness: "But there’s one thing I’ve never understood—how did you manage to steal the Divine Being from my soul?"
Indifference: "The Blessing I received from the Drama Poet allows me to snatch away a Technique Spirit through close contact... I didn’t expect it to work on a Divine Being too."
Anger: "So we just need to quietly wait? We don’t need to do anything?"
Indifference: "If you’re interested, you can take this opportunity to brainwash him. He is in a dazed, trance-like state right now. One step further, and he’d be soul-scattered. This is the most vulnerable time when he can easily be twisted. Anything you tell him now can anchor deeply in his consciousness and completely reshape his personality."
Anger: "What do you mean?"
Indifference: "You care so much about him and Sonia, don’t you? Then whisper in his ear that in this life, he will only love Sonia, and he won’t even feel sexual desire for anyone else. Just the scent of Sonia will be enough to make his blood surge. If he doesn’t see Sonia every day, he’ll go through withdrawal... and so on."
Anger: "Are you mocking me?"
Indifference: "If you insist on thinking that, I can’t help it."
Anger: "If it’s really possible to do that, then why don’t you brainwash him?"
Indifference: "Whether for selfish reasons or out of goodwill, if you want to reshape his personality, you must think the changed him would be better than before, right? In other words, you want to create a better Ash."
"But in my heart, I am the best. Personality, codes of conduct, desire structure, will and thought... My soul is perfect."
Madness: "Wow, this guy’s shamelessness in praising himself is really something!"
Indifference: "But facts have proven that I am not perfect. I might even be the opposite of perfect; otherwise, I wouldn’t have ended up here with you all."
"Since that’s the case, I will not influence him. Otherwise, it would be nothing more than a boring repeat of history. I want to see if I am wrong, or if it is this world that is wrong."
Anger: "... Then why do you allow me to influence him?"
Indifference: "Because I’m also curious about what you all consider the ’perfect Ash.’"
Madness: "Sounds interesting. Let me do it—"
Anger: "Stay away from him!"
They’re fighting again... They are so annoying...
Ash watched the screen listlessly, when suddenly he saw Gospel Books popping open for everyone in the banquet hall.
Indifference: "It seems this play hasn’t reached its curtain call yet."
Madness: "To think they were actually beguiled to such an extent, even willing to go this far... How foolish, just as foolish as us."
Anger: "No wonder you’re not worried at all... You have calculated everything but pretend to know nothing to fool me!"
Indifference: "I just thought it was a possibility. The one who has truly calculated everything and has always been fooling others is the All-Knowing Weaver, not me."
Anger: "Wait, but then, even though Ash has escaped unscathed, but—"
Indifference: "Don’t worry, the All-Knowing Weaver has calculated everything long ago. That spider is never satisfied with making 99% while the other only makes 1%. She wants to earn 200% while making the other owe her 100%."
Ash couldn’t hear the impolite chatter of those behind him; he felt as though he had just left a closed movie theater, and the light, the air, the scents... the whole world couldn’t wait to welcome him back.
He had become the protagonist of his life again.
Like having drunk a very strong liquor, Ash realized that a lot of time had passed, yet it felt as if it wasn’t part of him at all, completely unaware of what had happened.
As exclamations arose around him, Ash looked down at the Gospel Book and found a strange name—
"The First on the Gospel List: Lissdia"
Ash suddenly found that he couldn’t concentrate; his consciousness was dissipating.
Although not fully possessed, when a Divine Being tried to leave his soul, it still placed an excessive burden on it. Coupled with the fact that he had experienced stealth, disguise, escape, combat—all the gameplay tonight—his soul was already overburdened. As the Divine Being entered and exited, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
It was unclear how much time had passed until a ray of sunlight pried open his eyelids and danced on his lens; Ash let out a long-absent groan of someone reluctant to wake up, wanting to shift into a more comfortable position to continue his sleep.
However, when he tried to move, he felt something heavy on his body, as if something was pressing down on him.
Ash opened his eyes and found himself still sitting on the throne of the banquet hall, only the guests had vanished. The hall was empty except for a little girl with white hair sleeping on his lap.
Ash, overjoyed, supported her arm, examining her with the delicate care of viewing an artwork: "Are you alright? I clearly saw... anyway, it’s good that you’re fine, really good!"
The little girl with white hair smiled at Ash, who almost had tears in his eyes from relief, and said, "Not just me, Hanna, Igula, Harvey, Banjee—they all survived though some are wounded. I’ve already called off the manhunt for Hanna."
"Thank you," Ash said, thanking her instinctively before realizing something was off: "You called it off?"
"You mean... your status as Princess is recognized by the royal family, so you can order..."
"No." The little girl with white hair ignored his almost pleading, nervous expression and punctured his silly fantasy, "I am now the First Gospel, Lissdia. My commands are the destiny of all beings; it’s why I was able to make the Holy Sanctuary Mages who follow the Gospel stop hunting Hanna and the others."
Ash summoned the Gospel Book in disbelief and stared tightly at the first name on the Gospel List, as if he was learning to read for the first time, he struggled to say, "But your name doesn’t include the word Liss!"
The little girl with white hair jumped down from him. She wore the same pink woolen coat and checkered skirt as yesterday; her skin was as white as snow, her lips red as blood. She looked at Ash with a smile, but in her pale green eyes, there flickered a look extremely unfamiliar to Ash.
"Hello, I am Lissdia."