SIS B4: Chapter 115: Simple Resolution and A Ton Of Force

"How... opulent," Daz commented.

His companion nodded and replied, "Rimmy."

The mythical city seemed to not be a city per see, but actually a massive religious hallway that appeared endless. The walls of this hallway were laden in gold and rare metals Daz had never seen before.

He would have used his Crystal Digger's Master Identification on them but as soon as he and Rimmy had stepped through the doorway leading them here, they had been cut off from the system and the door had vanished.

'Likely some sort of last-ditch attempt to get rid of me. Maybe Mother Danielle isn't even in here. Not that it matters since I came prepared,' he thought.

He had his Curse of Loneliness and Rimmy's current form had infinite lives. The golem could die, of course, but he'd be right as rain after 24-hours.

In light of that, Daz didn't feel any tension nor stress and just took a closer look at his surroundings while they walked.

"The pillars... Hell, the stained glass roof too. They have images on them. I can't tell the meaning though," Daz muttered to himself.

"Rimmy? Rimmy," his stocky friend chimed in.

Daz slowly nodded. "Yeah, it does kind of represent a battle. I wonder who between though and in which order should it all be viewed? Maybe it depicts this 'Aren' both Big Bo and Altros brought up?"

That was a plausible conclusion in Daz's mind. The more he could learn about this 'Aren' figure, the better, he felt. If Mother Danielle was just a pawn as her cardinals and priests were, then he wanted to know who was really pulling the strings.

Rimmy raised a hand and held his chin before he shook his head and made a thumbs-up sign. "Rimmy."

"Right. If she really is here and does genuinely want to talk first, then we can figure it out from her. Not that it matters too much since this place is going to be destroyed soon enough anyway," Daz replied. "Let's pick up the pace, shall we? The whole world is waiting to see if I'm successful or not."

"Rimmy..." the golem voiced in a disheartened tone.

Daz shrugged. "I know. It had to be done though."

***

Daz stopped running after only an hour, instead having to rely on Rimmy to carry him on his shoulders like the good old days from a year ago.

It was pleasant, Daz couldn't deny that. He was unable to truly savour the times he had used Rimmy as a means of transport because by the time he had regained his emotions, he was strong and fast enough to not require the golem's aid.

He also noticed that there was a constant stream of joy and deep feelings of friendship oozing out of the crystal golem.

'Even though it was forced upon us by Altros, I do admit, this friendship we share is a nice one. It even holds despite the system being cut off,' Daz pondered.

Rimmy had been the insane player's first gift to Daz. At the time, he was leery but accepting of it. Now he actually felt somewhat thankful to the odd and powerful man for strong-arming the golem onto him.

Perhaps Altros genuinely did have his best interest at heart. Every single gift he'd received from the Box of Wonders thus war had done nothing but help him, after all.

Well, besides the danger the dice posed but that was self-inflicted and came with absolute conclusions, so he could hardly complain.

He suddenly chuckled. 'Haha, me? Losing a bit of my paranoia and distrust on my own? Mu would be over the moon if he learned of this. Best keep it to myself. According to him, my issues run very deep so I doubt he'll notice.'

Daz's mood remained somewhat joyful for the three hours it took riding Rimmy's shoulders to finally see a change in the endless hallway.

It opened up to a large circular chamber of sorts which had seven more identical hallways to the one Daz and Rimmy had just travelled down.

At the heart of this chamber stood Mother Danielle and two old men who Daz presumed to be the popes of the Church of Truth.

They were surrounding what looked like a floating drop of blood just staring at it in reverence. Slowly, Mother Danielle turned and smiled at Daz.

"Welcome, child. Few have had the chance to witness the Lord's gift, you mark the fourth existence on Earth to do so," she said as she wore a radiant smile.

"The lord's gift?" Daz asked, probing for information.

She gestured to the drop of blood. "I will tell you the Truth and nothing but it, for my belief demands as much. This is what grants us our connection to the Lord. It gives us the ability to use both God's Faith and God's Truth."

"That drop of blood? Really? What's keeping me from destroying it?" Daz wished he could detect lies right now. 'Even if the threat of the Truthians disappeared today, my next star is going towards my Eyes of Truth.'

Mother Danielle nodded. "You are free to try but know that should you touch it, you will be brought before the Lord and tested. You are strange... but you are nothing when compared to his Lordship."

Daz frowned as he thought. In the time, he took a moment to actually inspect the woman.

'She's about as old as I expected but she looks way too beautiful. Is it some sort of effect of that holy aura she's emitting? No matter. I don't sense any danger from my Survivor's Instinct,' Daz thought. "Right. Well then, what's your goal here? Distract me long enough to brainwash me or something? Forgive me if I don't immediately believe that you've given up."

"You are forgiven," Mother Danielle said warmly. "But yes, we have not given up. Why would we? You will likely kill us today. I know not how you have ascended to immortality, child, but it is proof enough of your worth to lead the lonely sheep of Earth. Our Lord respects his peers. The one under your control is one such peer and he is willing to step aside for her and her master, that being you."

"Her master? Inaccurate and not for long," Daz replied.

Mother Danielle smiled. "We are aware of the system distaste for Crusher's existence on this planet. Our Lord was surprised, even, to learn the system gave her an entire month to settle her accounts. It truly does value winning above all else."

"What does that mean?" Daz asked in an almost demanded tone.

He wanted to learn more about why the system was being so deferential to Earth when compared to the other tests he had learned tidbits about, mostly from the Master of Flavour Text.

Mother Danielle shook her head. "While I belong to the Lord, we stand in the grounds of the system. We must respect it if it will respect us in kind. You are clever. As is the Flower. Learn from what I have already revealed."

"More fucking cryptic bullshit. You people are all the fucking same." Daz scowled as he ran a hand through his hair. "So this 'Aren' person is another peak existence?"

"How dare you speak his name! and assume him to be a mere 'person'! He is a god!" one of the popes roared. "You do not share equal footing with his holy majesty just yet, you arrogant fool!"

The man immediately collapsed onto his knees and prayed to the drop of blood. "Oh, mighty Lord of the one Truth, please overlook the sins of the ignorant!"

The other pope also fell to his knees and began chanting similar such prayers.

Daz wore a confused look. "Why does saying 'Aren' matter? I've said it a lot and I heard it directly from a player who isn't a peak existence. Maybe two, even."

Daz assumed Altros was likely a peak existence. Considering he had enough influence to directly communicate and gift things to host's of Earth when it was such a tightly controlled planet... Well, that spoke of his power and influence.

Big Bo on the other hand? He was a well-informed monkey but no one of any real note on the grand scale, Daz felt.

Mother Danielle shook her head faintly. "Perhaps Brother Frederic is too pious. His faith is rewarded and justified but it can limit his views. Think nothing of it. Now, High King Daz Crowthorne of New Earth, have you any questions for us before you return us to the Lord's side?"

"Why did your lord even want to spread a religion on Earth in the first place? Why the senseless killing? Why the kidnapping? Why the brainwashing? Why did you destroy Las Vegas, Incheon and try to destroy Fort Home?" Daz asked coldly and calmly. "Feel free not to answer, either way, I'll rebuild and sleep easy knowing I've destroyed you and this place."

"Ah, yes. You intend to erase this magnificent hall of clarity and tranquillity in your rage... Something I thought you would not do due to the self-sacrifice such an act would require. With your newfound immortality... It saddens me but your mind is your own as are your decisions," she said as she turned around and approached the droplet of blood.

"The Lord only wished to spread the Truth. There is nothing more to your first inquiry than that, I am afraid. No grand plans to dominate the planet. No maniacal schemes to take over our budding galaxy. No, such things are beneath one of his power as they will soon be beneath Crusher and even you," Mother Danielle claimed.

She wore a look of love and affection as she stared at the blood. "Perhaps my methods were wrong. We did kidnap many people. Brainwash? Perhaps. The effects of his Lord's holy aura are powerful and mysterious."

She turned and looked at Daz once more. "You would never convert, not easily and not without many lost lives. I knew this to be the Truth. Thus I ordered the attacks on your lands. You should not blame the soldiers or even the generals, but the people who stand behind them and give down the orders. Do you think it was the best move to destroy the cathedral like you did?"

Daz scoffed. "Do you have any right to preach to me about something like that? When you destroyed entire cities without giving the common folk, men, women, and children, a chance to evacuate? No, you did not. I did. With your capabilities, you could have emptied that cathedral within seconds, I'm sure."

Mother Danielle smiled kindly at him and didn't respond. Clearly, she was making a statement with her silence.

"... You did evacuate them," Daz realised. "That would explain why I couldn't see their souls."

"Indeed. And you would have fallen at the hands of our loyal cardinals were you not so... peculiar. A shame, but it is what is it. The past cannot be changed, not even by our god nor by yours. The system doesn't have a God of Time for a reason," Mother Danielle said.

"I don't care about that. Where did you evacuate your people to?" Daz didn't expect a truthful answer but he had to ask regardless.

Mother Danielle chuckled faintly. She pointed to the drop of blood. "To the Lord's side, of course."

"... You killed them all?" Daz asked, a hint of horror spreading through his heart.

He was no expert at estimates but the inside of the cathedral was easily the same size as Fort Home itself. There could have been hundreds of thousands to millions of people within it. To kill so many people for no good reason was simply unthinkable to him.

Were he able, he would have checked the remaining survivor count through the system to confirm her claims and he would certainly do so when he got out of here.

Mother Danielle sighed. "They are all in a better place by his side and every single one was willing. It's so narrow for you to think of it as simply 'killing'. Do you think we speak of the Lord's side as an excuse of sorts? It is a very real place, child. A place you could reach if only you opened your mind."

"Rimmy," Daz ordered with a frown on his face.

"Rimmy!" his companion replied before he rushed to Mother Danielle's side and grabbed her, locking her in place.

She didn't even try to resist. She simply continued to smile as she stared at Daz.

"You're not going to fight back?" Daz asked, confused.

Mother Danielle shook her head. "I have already explained. Our Lord no longer lays claim to this world. We happily return to his side. Do as you must, Daz. Neither I nor my brothers will resist."

Daz's frown deepened. He didn't suddenly change his mind though in the face of lacking resistance. His will was not so weak and his mind was not swayed so easily.

He approached the leader of the organisation that had caused him so much trouble and heartache or the last few months.

They had killed so many of his people, Sandy included. Even his ex-fiancée who he cared very little for had been murdered by these people.

They had destroyed so much and ruined so many lives. Emma's, Ellie's, hundreds of thousands of New Earthians, even the lives of people not under his rule.  Now they just wanted to give up and let him win?

'I don't know what I was expecting from religious nutjobs,' Daz thought before he grabbed Mother Danielle's face with both of his hands.

He pushed his thumbs into her eyes, instantly popping them both. He felt no satisfaction from this and no emotion came out of the woman bar acceptance.

Seeing no reason to torture her since he wouldn't enjoy it and she wouldn't suffer from it, he snapped her neck. An easy feat for him even if he was stripped of his system-given Strength right now.

The woman became lifeless in Rimmy's arms. "Drop her and kill the other two."

Rimmy did as requested and walked over to the two old men who didn't counter his attacks at all, allowing the giant of cyan crystals to crush their skulls like watermelons, making a massive mess in the chamber's centre.

Daz reached into his pocket and pulled out a physical Star of Eternity - the last of the five he had been gifted from Altros.

He just looked at it with a deep gaze in his eyes. "I didn't need to use Lian'Wa'Runda nor Grid. I didn't need to use the specially trained marksmen either nor any other of my specially designed tactics. I didn't have to sacrifice anything in this fight really beyond this star."

Daz shook his head. "All it took was Crusher evolving twice to end this pointless war."

He glanced up at the floated drop of blood that was now actively sucking in the corpses and even the blood of Mother Danielle and her popes.

"Aren... whatever you are, I'll find you one day. I don't care if you're a peak existence beyond even Crusher's power. I'll find you and decide what to do with you, whether that be spare you or kill you. Only time will tell," Daz said more to cement the notion in his mind than for any other reason.

"Rimmy, the door closed behind us, right?" he asked his tall friend.

Nodding, Rimmy replied, "Rimmy."

"Right. It was probably a trap to lock me away in here for good as suspected. After all, remnants of the Truthians could still be out there. Good thing I brought this here. According to everything I've researched, since Earth is a trial planet, I should just get spat back out," Daz said.

"Rimmy!" Rimmy answered before he reached over to Daz's hand and carefully grabbed the Star of Eternity.

"Well, this should be interesting, if nothing else. I wonder how many people in the spectroverse can say they willingly destroyed a Star of Eternity and survived it, huh?" Daz asked with a small grin on his lips.

Rimmy gave him a thumbs up with his free hand. "Rimmy!"

The golem then put one ton of force into his thumb and finger, squeezing the Star of Eternity. A fraction of a second later, it exploded violently.