Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1506 Re-observation

The pharmacist, carrying Danshi, hurried towards the Minute Church as fast as she could. Even as night fell, she had no intention of stopping. No matter how convincing Bavotley's explanation was, she wasn't going to gamble on his ability to actually stop the enemy.

"Hey... Pharmacist, let go of my hand." Danxi suddenly said while running.

Bavotte's blockade was completely inescapable for him, but easy for outsiders to break; this is one of the functions of "stitching".

"how?"

"That guy is back, and something doesn't seem right."

Danxi's expression was as if she had seen something extremely disgusting. The pharmacist immediately asked Joshua, "Did you see anything ahead?"

"There's someone here! But they don't sound injured, just breathing very rapidly!"

“It’s the person who made the contract with you and her before,” Evangeline said.

Poirot? But theoretically, at this time, he should have just returned from the church and left with his people. He hadn't even finished transferring the people he was protecting yet. What was he doing here?
"Can't you hear me, Pharmacist?! That guy's back covered in disgusting stuff! I can't guarantee he'll still look the same! Damn it! Do you really want me to cut off my own hand?"

“We need to figure out what’s going on. I can’t control you in this state,” the pharmacist said calmly to Danxi.

Danxi was furious, but she kept her mouth shut.

Under the sparse moonlight, Poirot finally emerged from the woods. He staggered, and although his clothes were intact, he looked tired and fearful, a stark contrast to his previous composure.

"Mr. Poirot."

"Pharmacist? Thank goodness, you're here..." Poirot's face lit up with joy when he saw the pharmacist and the others.

"Please answer me first: why are you here?" the pharmacist said.

Poirot stopped in his tracks.

“That guy must have seen something.” He pointed at Danshi. “Believe it or not, I’ve come back, from a failed Violet City.”

Neither the pharmacist nor Danxi showed much surprise; to the tourists, it was nothing unusual.

“It doesn’t matter now that I’ve said it. My prop, D13, allows me to choose a different fate to reverse a doomed ending. Originally, its power was enough to overturn all the choices in a scene from beginning to end, but this time it’s clear that there is a more decisive power at play.”

A die appeared in Poirot's palm.

“Let me start with you. In the ending I experienced, you, the Pharmacist, died in a sneak attack arranged by Rosemerada. You couldn’t dodge and were killed instantly. As for Danshi, you went mad. You looked directly at the birth of a god, and your already broken spirit was instantly shattered. I didn’t see your death, but the result was probably similar.”

"Is it really the birth of a god?"

“Unfortunately, even if you ask me, I can’t give you much useful information. I can only say that these two children shouldn’t be allowed to return to that place for now.” Poirot pointed to Joshua and Evangeline. “In the world I’ve experienced, the apothecary deduced some things, but she died before she could tell me everything. And after most of the high-ranking members of the Minute Church were assassinated by Rosmerada and her subordinates, I fled in haste and was even chased by a tourist—the Serpent Dragon, that’s what I heard Rosmerada call him. As I fled into this dense forest, a god determined to take revenge on everything was born from the church.”

“…Vanessa?”

"Ha, you guessed right. The deity who hated the plague and controlled a calamity far beyond it, the Wild Plague, was born at that moment. Danxi, you didn't last long, and that serpent dragon probably didn't either. I escaped quickly, so I wasn't killed by the Wild Plague's power immediately, but I soon realized that this was just prolonging my death. The Wild Plague decided to kill all living things in Violet City and the surrounding area. The mutated colony devoured everything, and it quickly turned this place into its own divine kingdom. I had no choice but to use D13 to change my fate again."

"You're not carrying that god's curse, are you?" Danxi said, covering her nose with her hands. "The plague—whatever that is, you look like you're about to rot."

Poirot gave a bitter smile.

"So you couldn't see clearly either, huh? Haha... That's right. If you could see clearly, you wouldn't have ended up like that."

Before Danxi could object, he put away the dice.

“When I use this item, many destinies will be revealed, including my world that is about to perish, and this time I can see twelve. Do you know what I saw in these worlds? Almost all of them were... annihilation.”

Both the pharmacist and Danxi were taken aback.

"In one of the worlds, you, Pharmacist, became a god. That was a far gentler calamity than the plague. However, the rain you brought down washed over the world incessantly. I'm afraid nothing would survive that torrential rain."

Poirot pointed to the apothecary.

"Then, there were many gods whose origins I did not know. As I looked at the Violet City being destroyed, I suddenly realized... that this city would inevitably be destroyed, and this world would probably be the same."

"The fact that you're standing here proves that this judgment is invalid," the pharmacist said.

“Yes, there are still a few worlds where none of this has happened yet. But I can’t choose those, because in those worlds, Rosemerada’s forces are slaughtering the entire city of Violet City. Only here—only here! I don’t know why it hasn’t developed to that point yet, but I can only choose this path.”

"What are the variables?" the pharmacist asked.

“All I can see are these two people who haven’t returned yet,” Poirot emphasized again. “I don’t know the necessary conditions, but I can assume that their return is essential. Rosemaryda wants to bring about the birth of this god, so we must stop her.”

“No, Poirot, you seem to have lost your mind. If the birth of a god is a fait accompli, then no matter how you try to stop it, you will not succeed.” The apothecary shook his head. “Of course, I also do not agree with letting Rosemerada’s plan proceed smoothly. She is dangerous. What we should do is try to find the necessary conditions for the birth of a god and then take control of the process.”

“I’m sorry, there’s really nothing I can do to help,” Poirot said regretfully. “My arrival also means that the original me in this world has merged with the present me, and I must fulfill another duty that I should fulfill…”

"Take them with you to the Church of East, and at the same time ask for help. Keep the details about the props to yourself. Don't worry, Joshua and Evangeline will cooperate with you. You have to wait for my signal before you can come out to help."

"A signal? How are you going to send it to me?"

“Normally, it shouldn’t be possible, but you now bear the mark of a god, and I happen to have a close connection to it.” The apothecary pointed to some obvious marks on Poirot’s body. “Don’t worry, I can feel that they still obey my commands, and they will remind you when the time comes.”

“Alright, also you must be careful of the Serpent Dragon… that tourist, he killed many people, he was practically the most powerful blade under Rosemerada’s command. In my world, even a First-Class Archbishop couldn’t stop him.”

"I understand."

The pharmacist knew this meant Lu Ning would have to take her place. The tourists' battles were far too unpredictable; her death in Poirot's scene was likely because she was the one in control at the time. Only after Poirot and his men hurriedly left did Danxi glance at the pharmacist.

"You're really brave. You knew about such a big thing and still dared to go there."

"Of the several endings Poirot mentioned, which one do you want to end up with?" the apothecary countered. "Are you willing to become a stepping stone for the birth of some god?"

“Gods… I only have a bad impression of that word,” Danxi murmured.

"On the road."

=
At the same time, Locke, who was on night watch, smelled blood.

This wasn't an actual smell, but rather an instinct he'd honed over years as a mercenary. This instinct was more convincing to him than Walter's premonition of danger, so even though Walter hadn't given any warning, Locke attacked immediately.

It wasn't his signature spell, "Gravity Binding," that was too expensive. Locke used the lower-level "Directional Collapse."

The wall, made of bricks and mud, was nothing special; it was far from an impregnable fortress. In an instant, the wall crumbled, bricks and stones flying horizontally like a falling object, carrying the people behind it rapidly into the distance.

"What!" Walter jumped up in surprise, while Locke was already ready for battle.

"How many are still alive? Get up!"

Unfortunately, his realization came a little too late; all four of his companions had already been assassinated by the ranger.

Locke could only click his tongue. He wasn't afraid. Although he wasn't very old, he had been a mercenary for a long time, and this kind of thing couldn't scare him.

"Then let's send a reminder to that Ophelia who can't keep an eye on things, Walter!"

"Understood!" Walter couldn't stay calm. Upon hearing Locke's command, he immediately raised his hand and unleashed a sonic boom.

The defining characteristic of this spell is its noise; the sound effect is far greater than its interference with enemies. However, it's also a good spell for early warning, as casting it woke up everyone in the entire church within minutes.

Rosemerada naturally heard the sound as well. The ranger's ambush failed at the first place, which made her feel disappointed, but that was all.

Even if we get caught, it's not a big deal; it just means we have to move the plan forward a little.

She took out a small paper boat, the final creation of her life, formed from everything drawn from within her body, including what the Plague Lord had bestowed upon her.

"Miracle Ark".

There are too many coincidences in this world.

The birth of geniuses is said to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, occurring only once every few decades or centuries.

The birth of saints comes from the sincere prayers of the masses.

However, these are ultimately within the realm of humans, things that can easily be born into the world. These alone cannot be called gods.

The ranger had already rushed back towards the house, determined to atone for her mistake. However, Rosemerada had long since lost interest in her, now that she had fulfilled her wish. The ranger was not qualified to become a god; at most, she had only obtained a ticket to leave this place.

She was waiting for the right person to arrive—it didn't matter who it was.

Soon, she saw the person emerge from the church. Dressed in all black, holding a gun, and illuminated by the firelight that had ignited inside the church after the disturbance, she looked less like a clergyman and more like a demon.

Is strong emotion a necessary condition? Rosemaryda wasn't too sure about this; the gods had never shown any emotion, so this element lacked a reference point.

“There’s a traitor inside, and… one with considerable power.” Vanessa looked at the area where the confrontation had already begun, her mind still calm. “This place is close to the Minute Church, and my colonies are in most of the surrounding area. Anyone who wants to bypass the surveillance of these colonies and sneak in must be very familiar with the routes here.”

Most people have no idea about the distribution of bacterial colonies, or even that such a thing exists.

Can she handle this attack? And who are the attackers?

--sure.

The other person watching from the shadows focused their gaze on Rosemerada. Liu recognized her, of course; even though her hair had returned to its normal color, Liu had been deeply impressed by her during their previous nighttime meeting.

She had originally planned to return and make further plans after failing to find anyone and being blocked by a powerful enemy, but she never expected that the enemy would come to her doorstep instead of her searching for anyone.

Now, she was not far behind Rosemerada, and at her speed, she could close the distance in two seconds and decapitate her with her serrated blade. No matter how powerful the Plague Apostle was, taking that blow without warning would mean certain death.

Her guards were already locked in a fierce battle, and the envoys from outside were no pushovers either; they wouldn't be able to take her down anytime soon. And now it was nighttime, the perfect time to launch an attack.

The saint of the Burial Pivot lowered his stance, his hand gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist. His hot blood warmed the cold handle, and battle magic was already woven into his robes. Just as Rosemerada saw Vanessa and took a step forward, Liu moved instantly.

However—she immediately felt pain.

Only her upper body lunged forward, and because she lacked the leverage of her lower body, she didn't fly very far before landing on the ground.

"cough!"

A spurt of blood gushed from her mouth. In that instant, her chest and abdomen had been ravaged, and the perpetrator was not far behind her, just as she had been when she faced Rosemerada.

"It's not good to focus too much on immediate goals."

A man's voice came through the air, entering Liu's gradually fading consciousness.

"No one can kill her until she achieves her goal."