"Your divinity? You want me to help you get it back?" Angel asked, his brow furrowing.
"Yes," Maria replied, her voice gentle yet strained, as if weighed down by time itself. "I need my divinity restored. Only then can I enter the Hall of Gods once more."
Angel shook his head. "I don't even know what divinity is. How am I supposed to help with that?"
Maria's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's impossible… No human should be able to reach godhood without divinity. And yet, you..."
He crossed his arms. "Then explain it to me. I need to know exactly what I'm getting into."
Maria hesitated for a moment, then gave a slow nod. "Very well."
She raised a hand and conjured a glowing diagram in the air—two opposing forces swirling around each other in perfect balance.
"There are two fundamental energies in this world that elevate beings beyond mortality," she explained. "The first is Divinity. It is holy energy born from faith, hope, and prayer. When enough people believe in you, when their hopes cling to your name, their energy flows to you—making you a vessel of light. That's how gods are born."
She paused, her expression turning grim.
"The second is Infernal. It comes from sin. Hatred. Betrayal. Pain. The more suffering you cause—or embody—the stronger this energy becomes. It can transform someone into a demon or a noble of hell."
Angel absorbed this with a quiet nod, his mind racing.
[So that's how beings become gods or demons… The system never told me that. Taking this commission might have been the right choice after all.]
"I'm sorry," Maria said suddenly, voice quivering. "But I'm running out of divinity. This realm is collapsing."
Angel looked around. The once-lush divine plane shimmered and cracked like breaking glass. "Yeah, I noticed. We need to get out of here."
"I can't," she whispered. "My consciousness here is only a projection—born from the last fragments of divinity I gained when you read the sacred book. I can't pass through."
Angel frowned. "Who said you need divinity to bring someone back?"
Maria blinked. "What?"
[Back when I played the game, I used to revive my party with Yang energy. Those reckless juniors kept charging elite soldiers without a plan...]
He stepped forward and extended a glowing white chain toward her.
"What's this?" Maria asked, grasping it instinctively.
"Just hold on tight. We're leaving—now!"
"Wait, what?!"
With a surge of energy, Angel activated a teleportation rune. The world around them shattered like a dream, and in the next instant, they reappeared in the temple's grand chamber.
---
Temple of Light
"Angel! Where were you?" shouted Cyrus, rushing over. "And who's this woman? She looks like the goddess from the old painting—or am I just tired?"
Angel adjusted his posture, calm and composed. "This is Aria," he said smoothly. "I found her outside the temple, lost. Aria, this is Cyrus. He's one of my clients."
[Maria doesn't want her true identity known yet, so I'll keep it quiet.]
"H-Hello," Maria stammered, bowing slightly.
"Hi there. I'm Cyrus, a researcher. Just a commoner, really," he said with a polite smile.
Angel clapped his hands. "Now that the quest's done, why don't we head back home?"
"Yeah, I'm exhausted," Cyrus said. "And I'm bringing this book with me—it's a treasure trove of lost knowledge."
Maria remained quiet, glancing nervously between them.
The trio departed. Once back in the kingdom, Cyrus stamped the quest paper and returned to his modest home. Maria, on the other hand, lingered beside Angel, uncertain.
---
Angel's Residence, Later That Night
"S-So… what are we going to do now?" Maria asked, her voice small.
"You can't stay here," Angel said, leaning against the window. "But I have a solution. You said divinity comes from prayer and belief, right?"
She nodded slowly.
"Then I'm sending you to the village that worships me. If you make a powerful entrance, show them you're connected to me, you should receive some prayers."
"But… they worship you, not me. Why would they pray to someone else?"
Angel smirked. "My apostles are worshipped as demigods. One of them's even called the 'Fist God' after showing off in a battle. If you demonstrate your power, you'll get worshippers of your own."
"Wait… demigods? Does that mean you have your own pantheon?"
"You ask too many questions," Angel said, stepping back. "I'm teleporting you now. How you present yourself is up to you."
"Wai—!"
A swirl of golden light consumed her before she could finish.
---
Sky Realm: The Sanctum of Apostles
Maria landed softly on divine stone, staring up at vast skies and floating islands. The air pulsed with holy power. She barely had time to breathe before a massive figure appeared before her.
"Who are you?" asked Guan Yu, raising a greatsword taller than she was.
"Calm down," said Chronos, appearing beside him. "Only master or one of the Three Celestial Apostles could bring someone here."
[Angel told me to show them this…]
Maria reached into her robe and pulled out a glowing pendant.
"I'm Maria. Angel-sama sent me… This is my proof."
Chronos examined the pendant. "That's an apostle's token. He must've chosen you as a new apostle."
"What? Are you serious?" growled Akuma. "She's weak! What was Master thinking?"
"Akuma," hissed Ghost, his body igniting in black infernal fire, "Are you mocking the Master's will? I'll burn your tongue out, you half-demon."
"You want to go, Hell King?" Akuma roared as glowing tattoos erupted across his skin.
"Please stop!" Maria cried out, panicked.
Just as the two were about to clash, time itself froze—but barely. Chronos held it together by sheer force, struggling as the power of both warriors strained the fabric of the realm.
Then a voice boomed like thunder.
"Enough. Any more fighting, and I will intervene."
Abaddon, cloaked in flowing black and red, stepped through a portal. The very gravity shifted at his words, pressing everyone to the floor.
"I-It's my fault!" Maria cried, bowing low. "Please, don't punish them. I caused this by arriving here without warning."
Abaddon turned to her, his crimson eyes narrowing.
"What is your name?"
"M-Maria."
"Then Maria, I leave these two in your care. Settle your differences—peacefully."
With that, the pressure lifted, and Abaddon vanished.
Chronos approached her gently. "So your name is Maria. Please forgive Akuma. He has… issues controlling his demonic energy."
"I-I understand," she whispered.
"The servants have prepared a room for you in the kingdom. Come, I'll show you."
Maria followed him silently, her heart still racing.
[So this is the power of the apostles… And I haven't even met all of them. What kind of place have I stepped into?]
---
Luminos Inn – That Night
Angel leaned on the railing of his balcony, watching the stars.
"I wonder if she'll be okay," he murmured. "If she causes trouble with the apostles… she might not survive."
A faint breeze passed, carrying with it the scent of divine flowers from the Sky Realm.
He sighed.
"Tomorrow's going to be a long day."