As a villain, I really don't want to be pursued by the heroine.

"Haha, I appreciate your kindness. But the effect of Holy Light on me is very limited, unless..."

Booker stared at the black-haired boy, his eyes flashing for a moment, but quickly subsided and turned into a chuckle.

That smile was full of helplessness.

"You can't help me much right now."

"When you reach a higher level, I will no longer be polite to you."

It has been rumored that the Sage retreated behind the scenes due to a hidden illness he suffered during the battle with the Demon King, and stayed in the academy for a long time without leaving.

Now it seems that the rumors are not entirely unfounded.

Even Alice's holy light couldn't heal it, so it seems like it's probably a spiritual problem.

In terms of soul, Phoenix is ​​the undisputed expert. Phoenix and Booker have had face-to-face contact before.

It was not mentioned specifically, which shows that Booker's problem is not too serious. Secondly, it also shows that Phoenix's current power cannot heal Booker's soul.

Without the [Sage], the battle against the [Sword Master] would not have been so smooth.

There is no need to say too much to express gratitude.

Roy just kept this favor in his heart.

The best reward is to reach a higher level as soon as possible and gain the power to heal Booker's soul.

Booker looked back at Alice: "That's enough of my topic. What you're most concerned about right now should still be this child, right?"

Roy collected his thoughts, nodded slightly, and his expression became a little serious: "That's right."

"As I mentioned before, a portion of the goddess' power is sealed within Alice."

The power of the goddess is relatively stable now, but as long as Alice uses the power of [Seraphim], this divine power will show signs of restlessness.

With such a time bomb that will explode sooner or later, it is no wonder that Alice, who is usually indifferent, feels a little uneasy.

The sooner it can be dealt with, the better.

"Master Dean, is there any way to completely eliminate this power?"

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

Booker sighed apologetically.

"According to my speculation, the Church is trying to control the power of the Goddess and force it into Alice's body. The so-called baptism of holy light is precisely this process."

"I'm afraid Alice's body isn't just divine power, otherwise she wouldn't be able to help you purify the Holy Light erosion, and she should also be able to help me resolve it. She probably now contains a portion of the Goddess's essence. Unless she is purified by the power of a higher being, she can only rely on herself."

The source of God, the container of God.

Roy frowned slightly: "This is like... a divine visit."

"good."

Booker agreed with his idea: "In theory, this is not much different from the descent rituals of cultists."

The cultists who preside over the divine descent will not have a good ending regardless of their success or failure.

If they failed, they would face countless ways to die. If they succeeded, they would ultimately be possessed by divine power, becoming the body of a reborn god.

Thinking of this, Roy's heart tightened at first, and looking at the girl beside him, his expression became strange again.

But did Alice succeed or not?

Booker spied on the blonde girl and explained, "Unlike the cultists, the church's methods are obviously more sophisticated and complex."

"Plus, the Saint Lady's bloodline is extraordinary—I mean no offense, but her pure Angelic bloodline is almost the perfect vessel for the power of the Goddess."

"In theory, she will almost certainly be eroded and possessed by the power of the goddess. But now..."

The old man rubbed his beard, his expression becoming profound. He couldn't help but sigh, "Perhaps she can accomplish what those cultists only dream of."

Roy's eyes widened in shock: "Could it be..."

Booker nodded solemnly, confirming his guess: "Becoming a god."

The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Become a god. These two short words carry a divine punishment that no living being can overcome.

Since the First Era, times have changed and countless powerful people have emerged.

But no matter whether they are kings, princes, generals or ministers who inherit the golden bloodline, believers who believe in the holy light, or even servants of the evil god, no one can climb to the position of god.

The Sage cannot, and neither can the Pope.

Even if one is an apostle favored by God, even if he can actually steal the divine power and use it for his own benefit, he will ultimately be unable to take the step of transcending the myth.

"That wasn't easy."

"But as long as she absorbs the divine power bit by bit, uses it for her own benefit, and gradually improves her bloodline, there might be a chance."

Challenging gods with mortal strength would be a long tug-of-war with a huge disparity in power.

But Alice did take the first step, winning a game against the goddess and successfully digesting some of the power.

Although he was excited about this possibility, Roy still cautiously asked for confirmation: "Master Dean, has anyone really ever achieved the goal of stealing divine power and becoming a god?"

"No."

"but......"

"There was once a person who was infinitely close to this, only one step away from success, or even just half a step away."

Booker seemed to sink into the past, his gaze drifting to a corner of the room.

There was a photo recorded by the projected magic stone.

There are eight people in the photo.

The [Six Heroes] in their youth, the first Saint Angel, and another companion.

That was the only person Roy didn't recognize.

He is only one step away from becoming a god. How could he not have heard of such a great man?

Roy was a little curious, but since the other party didn't reveal it on his own initiative, he didn't dare to ask too much about the other party's past.

Booker's sighing expression didn't look like a happy memory at all.

Alice, who had been silent for a long time, hesitated and spoke: "So, Alice has the hope of becoming a god?"

In fact, after hearing this, Alice, whose head was empty, had only one thought.

I don’t know how powerful it is!

Becoming a god seemed very impressive, and the master seemed very excited.

She shook her fist at Roy, her eyes shining, and said excitedly, "Alice will try her best."

Chapter 4: Alliance Calculations

The relaxed tone, as if he was about to get a good grade in the exam, made Roy suddenly come back to his senses from the shock of the gods and find it a little funny.

He is indeed the destined protagonist. While I am still worrying about how to reach a higher level, he has already seriously considered becoming a god!

And this is not just a casual remark. According to the [Sage], this child really has hope!

Having faced the god of death believed in by the School of the Undead and having had in-depth exchanges with many ancient demigods, no one understood better than Roy how powerful the gods were.

Roy felt a sense of absurdity when he thought that the little angel who slept with him in the same bed every day might one day become a god high above.

but......

Roy suppressed his excitement and smiled calmly: "Don't worry too much about becoming a god."

"Ugh?"

"You don't need to deliberately pursue becoming a god. It's enough to digest the power of the goddess in your body."

In order to become a saint, Alice took risks several times and almost couldn't come back.

The hardships on the road to becoming a god are almost unprecedented, and the hardships involved are probably no less than those of becoming a saint.

But if I tell her that I hope she can become a god, this silly little maid will definitely fight for her life again and fearlessly sacrifice herself to embark on the path to becoming a god for me.

That's not the future Roy wants to see.

Forget about hoping that Alice will become a god and live off her.

He didn't want to push Alice to the brink of danger unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Saint, goddess, your safety is more important than anything else." Roy tightened his clasped hands with the girl's. He gazed into her azure eyes, smiled softly and genuinely, and spoke from the bottom of his heart, "All I need is Alice."

"Owner......"

Reflecting the boy's bright smile, the blue eyes no longer rippled indifferently.

Alice shook Roy's hand again and nodded slightly, "I understand. I won't try too hard."

"However, if one day the Master truly needs the power of the Goddess, Alice will still give it a try."

"You kid..."

Looking at the young man and girl who cherished each other, a scene more valuable than gold, Booker couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Throughout history, countless people have pursued supernatural powers.

The cultists are willing to sacrifice everything to seek the help of the gods, and the Church of Holy Light has also made every effort to obtain the power of the goddess.

They would rather give up everything just to seek a glimmer of possibility.

Roy cares more about Alice's safety than becoming a god.

Rather than facing the dangers, Alice wanted to move forward with Roy.

It is this bond that enables them to rely on each other and move forward to this point.

In a trance, the scene before his eyes overlapped with the light and shadow of the past, and Booker seemed to have returned to that night many years ago.

The same black-haired boy and blonde girl snuggled up to each other, depicting the future and warming the long night.

But no matter how beautiful it is, can you please pay attention to the occasion?

"Cough cough."

Seeing the boy and girl getting closer and closer, exuding an ambiguous atmosphere that dyed the air crimson, Booker coughed awkwardly, thus interrupting the affectionate conversation between the two and preventing himself from being smeared with dog food.

"Why don't you just go home and do it slowly?"

"That's right." Roy nodded seriously.

"I'm the only one who can see Alice's lovely side!"

The girl lowered her head and stared at her toes, losing her previous composure and looking like a little rabbit that was completely embarrassed and at a loss.

"You..." Booker smiled bitterly, feeling that this kid was really hopeless.

"Let's get back to the point."

Booker's tone turned serious: "The Saint's condition is currently stable. There is no need to worry about the power of the Goddess for the time being, but the Church will not give up."

"To fight against the Church, White Harbor and the Kingdom alone are far from enough."

Roy sighed silently.

Although I don't want to admit it, what the other party said is true.

Just one archbishop, one Sword Master, had the upper hand in this confrontation.

And this is far from the full strength of the Holy Light Church.

Not to mention the two archbishops, the extraordinary combat power composed of the Knights Templar and the Inquisition alone is enough to crush any country in the Western Continent.

Roy could intuitively feel how huge the church that had ruled the Eastern Continent for hundreds of years was.

If the Pope really started a war and was determined to take Alice away at all costs, his current strength would be far from enough to cope with it.

"So, I have a suggestion."

"Form a military alliance and gather the power of the entire Western Continent to fight against the Church of Holy Light."

Military alliance? The entire Western Continent?

Roy's eye twitched, and he wanted to complain about what nonsense you were talking about.