"We're here."
I told Marcus as the two of us arrived inside a sanctuary within the city's main cathedral, a place surrounded by classical Gothic architecture.
"Hah… ha…"
Marcus dragged himself forward, his body burdened with several heavy bags filled with items we had just gathered.
They were nothing less than supplies meant for the survival trial—items Ron had asked Marcus to locate and mark within the false reality layer.
"Aren't you going to continue?"
"No. We've arrived already. Besides, I'm tired from talking so much."
It seemed Marcus still wanted to hear more about the events from three hundred years ago—or perhaps because I had only told him the beginning, while the most important part remained untold.
After all, the most critical elements were precisely what led to the false reality layers and the three demons—truths I still hadn't revealed.
Not to mention the real motives behind the terrorism, the plan, the true nature of the incident…
"Don't worry. We're almost there. Someone else will tell you the rest in my place."
…
(In truth, at the very beginning, there was only a single false reality layer—created to imprison one being alone.
Phelion.
But it was also meant to confine three other entities.
Three hundred years ago, during the storm of the New Religious Wave, Satan nearly succeeded in manifesting in the mortal world.
Why? Countless reasons.
On the day of the Winter Hunting Festival, three hundred years ago, Acrune witnessed four different types of mana.
All four were unprecedented—never recorded nor seen anywhere in history. And Lebem was the origin of those four manas.
LAWDISGUISEIMMERSIONFAITH
Among them, Law and Faith became integrated into the world's magical system, while the remaining two were known only to those who directly witnessed them.
Legends tell that the Pope and many others died trying to protect the city, but failed. All things were swallowed by the incoming wave of monsters.
There, Acrune—the nameless one—was worshipped by some as the Son of God.
There, the moon was dyed blood-red, and a woman who seemed to step out of a painting descended, bestowing blessings upon the world for forty consecutive days.
There, the night was illuminated endlessly by the stars, and the one who performed that miracle in Lebem was an unknown child.
The Monster Wave of Lebem was regarded as Satan's attempt to incarnate, and the three who appeared were the three who protected the world.
All three vanished.
Yet simultaneously, three new faiths were established.
The Church of the Moonlight.The Church of the Celestial Heir.The Church of the True God.
All were founded by the royal apparatus and followed the doctrines of the original church. All three were deemed orthodox successors of the fallen old church.
…
In the ruined city of Lebem, only a single wooden staff remained intact.
At the same time, deep within the abyss beneath the earth, three different demons were imprisoned.
The one who imprisoned them all was Phelion—who was himself imprisoned.
The false reality layer was something Phelion created at the cost of his life, using one special type of mana imposed upon another.
Love and Curse imposed upon the Mind.
Stillness imposed upon Heavenly Annihilation.
Vibration imposed upon Earthly Expansion.
And Faith imposed the Authority of God.
However, Phelion's mind was eroded. He was driven mad by three hundred years of torment.
And the only thing he needed was the Staff of the Blind.
The Staff of the Sun.)
…
Marcus snapped the notebook shut. He didn't dare to continue reading.
Those moments had been the few seconds during which he read the first two pages of a notebook he had stolen from a high-ranking priest.
He wanted to read more—the past of Acrune, three hundred years ago, was irresistibly captivating.
Yet the truth slowly encroaching upon his mind made him dizzy, struggling to breathe.
Because the real truth lay further ahead—where blood stained the remaining pages of the notebook crimson.
"…Can you walk?"
I asked Marcus, who stood there blankly staring at the ceiling.
I didn't know what else to say to him. After all, that was only a fragment of what had truly happened.
There was far too much to explain. Where should I even begin?
So I started with the fact that originally, there had been only one false reality layer—and one reality barrier.
It had been created from the strongest demon that had ever appeared in the city.
The Body Demon.
Its physical form was nearly annihilated, leaving only this barrier behind.
Based on the fact that when the festival began, everyone—including myself—was pulled into the false reality created by the Mind Demon…
I used three relics:
Creating a false perception layered over the false reality, forming an incomplete reality—yet one sufficient to deceive everyone.
By killing two demons in the first layer of the Mind Demon, I obtained the sunglasses, which generated visual illusions reinforced into matter and energy, recreating the moment the demons were slain and overwriting it onto the false reality.
Using the flute to deceive the demon, preventing it from determining which reality belonged to itself—and which belonged to me.
At the same time, I used the unwrapped chocolate—a gift created by Kale before entering reality—to lure the two demons.
In truth, they were manipulated by the Mind.
And Kale also used Mind mana for his Gift.
That was also what allowed us to remain lucid across the layers of reality.
The third reality layer emerged when the Mind Demon lost its false reality—causing the barrier itself to accidentally become the third layer.
What had once been a deception barrier meant to restrain the demon's will now became its playground.
However, in exchange—
Lloyd somehow obtained the Heavenly Demon (Fire) and the Earth Demon.
…
"That's… all."
"YOU'RE INSANE—!"
Marcus shouted after hearing my explanation.
But there was nothing I could do.
Because even this was still only part of the whole picture.
"Either way, we're already here. Prepare for the real battle."
"…Ron Irus. What exactly is your plan?"
…