Dungeon Predator (WN)

[You have defeated the Arrogant Sun, Jigon.]

[You have cast judgment on an unforgivable criminal, who not only insulted the gods but also attempted to supplant them.]

[The Mayanes' last hope has been destroyed.]

[You have achieved a great feat.]

[Fame has increased significantly. You will become more well-known to people of faith in particular.]

[Several churches will welcome you. You can accrue contribution points more easily now, and also accept quests from the churches.]

[You have completed the most critical part of the goddess's quest. The quest is 90% complete.]

[Remaining Mayanes: 2]

Jigon was finally gone.

"Hoo." Kang Oh caught his breath.

Three glittering sources floated in front of him!

He quickly grabbed them. Unfortunately, he didn't see the Black Sun or the Gold Monarch's Armor anywhere.

'How disappointing.'

He was especially disappointed that the Black Sun had disappeared... He really coveted that weapon. After all, he'd seen firsthand just how powerful the weapon was.

Then...

"Uwaaaah!" Bart exclaimed. He seemed unbelievably happy.

'He must've become a Master.'

That's the entire reason Bart had helped him with the Mayanes. He needed to achieve a great feat in order to become a Master!

But for some reason, killing Mayanes Orga hadn't been enough.

Was it because he wasn't good enough?

Well, it didn't really matter. After all, defeating Jigon was more than enough to break the wall.

Cyndia and three of her priests approached Kang Oh.

"Good job. It's because of your efforts that we were able to fulfill the goddess's mission," Cyndia said. She looked exhausted.

"My condolences for those who died," Kang Oh said respectfully.

Of the 100 paladins and priests that'd fought, only three priests had survived. Any normal person would offer their condolences when so many had died.

"The Supreme One will take good care of them."

"Yes."

Kang Oh gathered the survivors and headed down the Maam Cliff.

Following Orga's death, the lake slowly receded, eventually revealing the pit at the bottom of the cliff.

Once there, they saw Gainus, who hadn't regained consciousness yet, as well as Eder, who was watching over him.

"How's Lord Gainus doing?" Kang Oh approached Eder and asked.

"The Leviathan's poison is too strong."

"He didn't..."

'Die, did he?' he thought, unable to voice it out loud.

"If it had been anyone else, then they would've died, but Lord Gainus was able to just barely survive."

"Then?"

"He needs to be someplace safe. He can't receive any outside stimulation either! The best thing for him right now is to rest."

Gainus's insides were in a strange state. His body was filled with the Leviathan's poison, but he was just barely suppressing its effects. If Gainus regained his strength, then he would be able to get rid of the poison on his own.

"Mm, how do we move him? No, even if we could move him... Where would he go?"

Kang Oh was at his wit's end.

However, Gainus took that moment to open his eyes. His giant eyes stared at Kang Oh.

"Kang Oh."

"Lord Gainus!" Kang Oh yelled in shock.

"What about the Mayanes?"

"They're dead."

"Good."

The old dragon's face began to relax.

"You have to rest," Eder quickly said, his face filled with concern.

"Can I?"

"Of course. I'll take care of the rest."

"Thanks."

[Closeness with Gainus has increased significantly.]

[Gainus now considers you a trustworthy human.]

Gainus turned his attention to Cyndia. Cyndia slightly bowed her head. She was basically communicating that she and Kang Oh would take care of the rest.

Whir.

A giant magic circle appeared beneath Gainus's lying form. It looked quite familiar. Kang Oh remembered seeing it when they teleported to Gainus's Nest.

"I'll go with you," Eder yelled. 'I go where my patient goes!'

Gainus nodded his head.

Helena wanted to say something, but she kept her mouth shut.

Whir.

A golden pillar of light rose from the giant magic circle, which softly wrapped around Gainus and Eder.

A short while later...

Gainus and Eder disappeared. All that remained was the imprint Gainus left behind on the ground.

"When Lord Gainus is healthy again, I'll set up another meeting for you."

Kang Oh had seen Helena try to speak to Gainus before he left. He could roughly tell what she wanted to say.

She probably wanted to follow him. After all, she wanted to learn magic from him.

"Understood." Helena nodded her head.

"I can go now, right?" Bart asked.

"Did you become a Master?"

"I did." Bart grinned.

"Congratulations."

"Hehe. Just you wait, I'm going to create an unbelievable secret move."

When one becomes a Master, they gain the ability to create a secret technique that cannot be passed down.

"See you next time."

Once Bart left, Helena cast a Return spell.

Kang Oh and Cyndia headed towards the dragon statue, and reclaimed the halved source.

"Let's go see the goddess."

"Yes."

Kang Oh headed for the Great Temple of Death.

* * *

Mt. Latnia was located in the Goddess's Land, and at the very top of this mountain lay the Great Temple of Death.

Kang Oh, Cyndia, and the revived Sephiro entered the temple.

"Is Waryong alright?" Kang Oh asked.

"Its wing was heavily damaged. It'll need treatment for at least a week. But still... I consider myself fortunate." Sephiro forced a smile.

Kang Oh tapped his shoulder and then took a look around.

The temple hadn't changed much. Words like 'solemn', 'sacred', or 'quiet' were good descriptors for this place.

"This way." Cyndia guided them with her calm voice.

The goddess's statue, which lay in the innermost part of the temple, was still the same as ever.

Cyndia was the first to kneel onto the floor and bow her head. Kang Oh and Sephiro belatedly followed suit.

"Supreme One!" Cyndia's voice was the very definition of 'reverent'.

Whir.

A breeze blew, causing their hair and clothes to flutter in the wind.

A purple veil concealed the sitting goddess statue's form. They were used to it by now; it meant that the goddess had descended into the mortal realm.

"Cyndia, Kang Oh, and Sephiro." The goddess's voice rang out from the black silhouette.

Kang Oh pulled out the God of Creation's sources from his inventory. He gained one from Orga, and three from Jigon. In total, they had four and half, including the halved source they used as bait.

The sources rose from his palm, and disappeared into the black silhouette.

"Good work," Deborah said.

"We only did as you commanded," Cyndia replied.

"Raise your heads."

"Thank you."

Kang Oh, Sephiro, and Cyndia simultaneously raised their heads.

"Kang Oh."

"Yes?"

"It's due to your efforts that we were able to collect six of the sources. However, there are still two sources that remain."

"I am aware. How have things been going with the God of Destruction..." Kang Oh said carefully, deliberately trailing off.

The remaining Mayanes were safeguarded by the God of Destruction, Ulam.

However, Ulam was against their mission of destroying all of the Mayanes and reviving the God of Creation.

Deborah had been trying to convince Ulam.

"I haven't been able to convince him yet."

"Then?"

"I need you to go to Ulam."

'Wow, is this what it feels like to have your boss shove all of their work onto you?'

"I don't really have a way of convincing the God of Destruction." Kang Oh looked helpless.

"That's not why I want you to go. I'm going to settle things with Ulam today. That's when you'll take care of the remaining Mayanes."

"I mean no disrespect, but... May I go tomorrow? I need to prepare myself for the battles ahead."

'Gluttony's still on cooldown, so please!'

"You don't need to prepare. If things go well, then all you'll need to do is stick your sword into them and they'll die."

"I beg your pardon?"

Whir.

Kang Oh, Sephiro, and Cyndia's surroundings radiated bright light. Then, their environment completely changed.

* * *

They were greeted by the sight of another temple's interior. If the Great Temple of Death was silent and solemn, then the Great Temple of Destruction was quiet and gloomy.

It was only natural.

No living organisms lived in the walls of the Great Temple of Destruction. The God of Destruction's followers didn't live here either.

"This way."

Kang Oh, Cyndia, and Sephiro had been here before. They remembered the way they went last time, and headed for the God of Destruction's statue.

The God of Destruction's statue was of a giant man with closed eyes laying on his side.

Cyndia knelt and clasped her hands together. Then, a purple veil appeared over her head.

A god could only appear in the mortal realm within a temple, a sacred treasure, or their followers.

Why?

What if a god's divine body could appear anywhere in the world?

A god's power was so great that a full manifestation in the mortal realm would instantly destroy a portion of the world. Thus, they limited their appearance in the mortal realm.

For example, they would restrict themselves from appearing in their true forms, or act indirectly when trying to influence the world.

Thus, the Evil God Worshippers' plan to bring Jaila into this world was an act of lunacy.

Anyhow, Cyndia was the Goddess of Death's priestess. Deborah was capable of manifesting herself in the mortal realm through her.

Obviously, it wasn't her true body. It was like she was summoning a shadow of her true body like a silhouette.

"Ulam." Deborah's voice resounded throughout the temple.

Then, the statue's eyes opened, and the lying man stood up.

"Deborah, you came again."

Ulam was sick and tired of seeing her.

"That's right."

"My opinion hasn't changed," Ulam said firmly.

Whir.

Deborah's purple veil flickered. Then, six glittering sources came through it, forming a ring.

"I've gathered six of Maya's sources. As you know, this is enough to revive Maya."

"It won't be a proper revival. He won't be able to use his power properly."

"He will, as long as Luhan and I help him."

There were four Primordial Gods in total. Luhan was one of them, and was called the God of Life. And he had agreed with Deborah's decision to revive Maya.

"Deborah," Ulam said angrily. Then, the temple began to shake furiously.

"Nothing new has appeared ever since Maya disappeared."

No new species, landscapes, or continents had appeared. Nothing had been created. After all, the God of Creation hadn't created anything anew.

"However... some species have disappeared."

As the Goddess of Death, she was acutely aware of this fact. Once a living being dies, they would be sent to the underworld, where they would go through the cycle of rebirth.

However, she had noticed that some species had gone completely extinct, which reduced the diversity of species in the world.

"In the end, all of the species will disappear, or only a few species will thrive."

A world without diversity would either end or become extremely black and white.

"Thus, I will do whatever it takes to revive Maya. If you won't help me, then so be it," Deborah said unwaveringly. She had made her decision. And it was that stubbornness that moved him.

"Deborah, what're you going to do if Maya makes the same mistake again? As you know, if I'm forced to act, my power will create a hole in the world."

"If that happens, then it'll at least be a stimulus for change. Otherworldly creatures will come through the hole and into our world."

Of course, those otherworldly beings were extremely dangerous.

"Without change, all that's left for us is death." Deborah landed the finishing blow.

"Death is a long ways away, but... you're not wrong. I agree with your decision."

Ultimately, Ulam agreed with Deborah's plan.

'Nice.' Kang Oh clenched his fist whilst kneeling. He'd finally overcome the biggest obstacle to him completing the goddess's quest.

"I'll give you the Mayanes."

Ulam opened his clenched palms. Now that he thought about it, Ulam, or Ulam's statue, had always kept his hands clenched.

However, the white-winged Mayanes were laying in the palms of his hands.