Chapter 293: The Evil God's Purpose

The ruler and his offspring…

Chairman, OriginalBody, Astate?

Leon reacted instantly and said, "By your description, you and your companion infiltrated covertly to gather intelligence, hoping that by helping us humans resolve the current incident, you could increase the chances of cooperation?"

"That can be understood that way," Ina did not deny, "We intended to first investigate the exact sacrificial procedures of the Kirahani tribe and the detailed plan, and then prepare to appear openly within your sight."

Heard that.

Leon saw that Agent X-441 made no move, indicating that the elf's words were likely true, yet he still replied with added emphasis:

"But such covert infiltration gives us a negative impression of your Velyn tribe… or rather the Mar people, in our hearts."

He added, "I have no authority to decide on cooperation, but I will report your situation faithfully."

"Understood, it was our oversight and lack of foresight," Ina nodded.

Seeing this.

Leon also gave a slight nod and asked the final question: "I want to know why, after entering the rainforest, your companion went berserk, and why she claims everything is a trap set by the evil god Parras."

"Well…" hearing the question, Ina seemed hesitant.

After a moment of inner conflict, she explained, "Because when she was jointly hunting and torturing that group of Kirahani tribe with us, she already began to lose her sanity.

From her fragmented and illogical speech, she mentioned that the sacrificial victims were not humans but the Kirahani tribe, and that attacking and encircling them would only usher Parras into the world.

So I warned you not to continue the assault, and then… she was completely possessed by Parras, perhaps even her soul was devoured by that evil god."

"Hmm…" Leon murmured, "Otherwise those beasts are fearless of death, even eager for it."

"Moreover…" Ina added, "She also mentioned that among all of Parras's targets, it also seeks to possess and corrupt one offspring of your ruler."

Especially after we have slain enough sacrifices, it already gained the fleeting ability to step into reality."

———————

…

While Leon was interrogating Ina.

On the near‑Earth orbit of Harvest Star, within the bridge of the Hope Vessel.

Uniformed John stood beside the main console, watching the star map of the border fortress.

The star map marked that on the surfaces of eight colonized planets, including Puerdon, there were Ghost‑faced Beasts corrupted by Parras.

Five hours earlier.

John followed Buleiya's suggestion, promptly halting the full‑scale extermination of the Ghost‑faced Beasts, and instead focusing on sealing and restricting their movement.

Nevertheless, according to statistics reported by junior officers, units at all levels still annihilated over 400,000 Ghost‑faced Beasts during the encirclement operations.

Including the tens of thousands previously dealt with piecemeal, the total number of Ghost‑faced Beasts across these eight colonized planets exceeds one million, and the damage to the locales is incalculable.

It's a trouble.

But at that moment.

John, having shifted his gaze from the holographic star map, found the bridge plunged into darkness, with only the console before him emitting light.

What made John frown slightly was that Spiritual Perception gave him no abnormal feedback; he could still sense the crew members operating the flagship and mobilizing the fleet.

"Since it's a trouble, why not eradicate them entirely?"

Immediately, a voice, soothing and melodious, resonated through the bridge.

Heard that.

John turned his head, sidestepped, and looked toward the former bridge entrance, the source of the voice.

He saw a "woman" whose appearance could be described as flawless, slowly walking toward him.

She stood about 1.8 meters tall, with snow‑white skin and waist‑length golden hair, wearing a white gauze dress, over a golden Greek‑style armor; a massive shield in her left hand and a spear gripped in her right emitted a faint golden glow in the darkness.

Behind her, a pair of bird‑like wings, their feathers shimmering like multicolored glass, were folded.

Even with those exotic wings, her golden‑ratio figure and perfect beauty gave her the same goddess aura as Artemis.

The "woman" spread her hands, dissipating the spear and round shield, and continued smiling at John:

"Since those low‑level cosmic apes are a trouble, eradicate them all, leave none…"

But before the "woman" could finish, John, already rushing to her front, interrupted.

The OriginalBody, without hesitation, threw a right fist at that exquisite face.

"Rou～!" The fist's wind was fierce, striking straight at the "woman's" head.

But unlike expectations, there was no crisp sound like a watermelon splitting, and the right fist felt no tactile feedback.

Because the right fist passed straight through her head with no sensation, it indicated she was not solid, but some image or illusion.

Then the "woman" smiled faintly, voluntarily dissipated her form, merging into the darkness, and said:

"Be patient, John, you are a deity… however, what I admire is your cold‑hearted ruthlessness toward enemies."

"…"

Seeing the physical attack ineffective, John retracted his right hand, stood firm, ignored her words, closed his eyes slightly, and attempted to shatter the space with Spiritual Energy.

Noticing John continuously releasing Spiritual Energy, the "woman" ceased her teasing and said solemnly:

"I forgot to tell you, I am the goddess of war and wisdom, Parras, Parras Athena, one of the twelve Olympian gods."

Even after this "woman," or rather the evil god Parras, declared her identity, John remained unmoved, continuing to release Spiritual Energy to contend with the space created by Parras.

In fact, Parras is the goddess Parras Athena who, following her father Zeus, leads the Olympian divine servant army into the other dimension.

It is just "she"…

No, it should be its current form, and the slaughter it carried out earlier on Puerdon, that both indicate it, like Aphrodite, has been corrupted by the other dimension into an evil god.

At this moment.

Parras continued patiently to John: "John, you are a deity, and also the war god who inherited the Spear of Fear.

Your father has deceived you from the start, as have your many brothers; he never regarded you as children, merely using you as tools to rule the galaxy."

Because you lacked fatherly and motherly love from childhood, a mere hint of kindness is enough to win your gratitude and devotion.

However, he is indeed that hypocritical older brother of yours, the guy named Robert, and Leon, who thinks himself superior, dotes on you excessively…

Yet they placed you in this chaotic, conflict‑ridden star sector, even though you are the strongest, the most powerful deity among all your brothers!

Don't forget, your father has always insisted there are no gods, but gods truly exist!

John, wake up! Stop deceiving yourself, face your identity as a war god! Command the Sparta Corps! Command all humanity to exterminate every alien, enslaving them as cheap slaves or pets!

I will always teach and accompany you, unlike that father who sees you as a tool and sends you on dangerous missions before you even come of age.

Pallas's words carry no falsehood, only utter sincerity, and with her soft, pleasing voice, even a vaccinated, battle‑hardened veteran cannot resist a goddess's personal recruitment.

Too bad…

No matter how Pallas reasoned with him or appealed to his emotions, John never opened his eyes, uttered a word, focusing solely on releasing spiritual energy to shatter the space confining him.

"Although I already knew this would be the outcome, I'm still unwilling, hehe."

Pallas wasn't angered, she chuckled self‑deprecatingly, and said: "Then I'll have to wait until I enter your world and speak with you face to face."

But before that, John, you need a remedial lesson to clearly understand the difference between mortals and you, a war god.

Remember your identity—you are no longer mortal, you are a deity destined to receive mortals' reverence and worship.

Her words fell silent.

!

John, sensing something amiss, suddenly opened his eyes to see the dark space collapsing and disintegrating on its own, revealing the bridge's original form, and also saw the bustling crew members.

But a "Boom—" explosion.

Flames rapidly devoured everything on the bridge.

Outside the hull.

On the upper sections of the Hope Vessel, the bridge burst into flames, viewports shattered, and the α‑titanium alloy deck twisted and deformed.

The blast's bright light shone extremely dazzling on the sun‑facing side of Harvest Star.

Although the bridge was damaged, the Hope Vessel's main hull suffered no serious harm, remaining synchronized with Harvest Star's rotation and showing no signs of sinking for now.

Meanwhile, the two nearest Zeus‑class carriers and four Resolute‑class escort ships rushed to surround the Hope Vessel, emitting a stabilizing field of pale purple light to act as temporary tugs, ensuring the Hope Vessel wouldn't suddenly lose control.

Immediately after.

The Zeus‑class and Resolute‑class launched numerous engineering and rescue craft from their hangars, one rescue craft flying straight to the vicinity of the Hope Vessel's bridge.

Inside the cockpit.

The comms channel was noisy, but from the fragmented chatter it was easy to guess that the Second Corps had entered an emergency combat readiness state.

Two pilots wearing sealed pressure suits had faces grim to the extreme beneath their HUD helmets.

After all, the Supreme Commander of the Second Corps, who also governs the Frontier Fortress, was right there on the Hope Vessel's bridge.

Even though the pilots knew how formidable their Supreme Commander was, being unarmored in the blast's epicenter, their bodies exposed to a ‑270 °C radiation‑filled vacuum…

The more they considered this, the heavier their hearts became.

Yet when they piloted the rescue craft to the bridge—where the flames had faded, leaving a wrecked, fully exposed state—they found John in his torn uniform.

At that moment, the Original Body's right hand gripped the warped railing; aside from his tattered uniform, his exposed skin bore some scorch‑black marks, his short hair slightly curled, but otherwise he was unharmed.

!!

Witnessing this, the pilots immediately reported it and flew the rescue craft above the bridge.

Outside the craft.

The starboard hatch opened, and a medical team of four in white lightweight power armor disembarked from the rescue craft, slowly approaching John using small thrusters.

Approaching.

Stopped.

The four medics jointly moved John into the cabin, sealed the hatch, and the pilots continued flying the rescue craft back to one of the Zeus‑class ships.

———————

…

Soon after.

Inside a medical chamber of a Zeus‑class ship.

Having shed his torn uniform and donned an oversized medical gown, John sat beside a bed reserved for Astate treatment, while several ship‑borne doctors from Luna Base examined him.

Meanwhile, the chamber housed many silent Warrior Guard clad in Terminator power armor.

John retained his cold stare, gazing at the holographic screens before him displaying the latest intel sent back by Leon, Jerome, Byron, and others.

At the same time, John uploaded his recent ordeal to the Red Empress, who would relay it to his father.

"Sir, your body shows no abnormalities; all physiological functions and data are normal—you could say you're very healthy," a doctor reported to him.

"…" John nodded without speaking.

Seeing this, the doctors also tactfully withdrew.

No need to ask; John, stationed at the blast's epicenter, had already sensed that the unaware, dutiful crew members had all perished.

Yet he himself was unharmed.

The difference between deity and mortal…

Pallas…

After organizing the clues of the past half‑month and considering Leon's interrogation results, John surmised that the fallen goddess's actions were indeed intended to contact him, corrupt him, and even subvert the entire Sparta Corps.

Being targeted by an evil god feels utterly unpleasant.

He felt an urge to personally lead troops to slaughter the ignorant Ghost‑faced Beasts exploited by the evil god, to massacre everything.

However, John quickly calmed himself, knowing that such an extreme stance would play right into Pallas's hands.

At that moment.

Seeing the notification flashing on the screen, John got up from beside the bed, waved his hand to signal the warrior guard to leave the medical cabin first.

The cabin was now empty.

The cabin's holographic device projected numerous blue light points, coalescing into a live image of Sui Bian.

When the image finished rendering, John spoke, "Father, the true identity of the evil god Paras is the Paras Athena who rode with Zeus into the alternate dimension ten thousand years ago."

"I have read your report," Sui Bian nodded lightly and said, "Artemis is expected to arrive at Harvest Star in four hours; then she and the Grey Knight will assist you in fully cleansing the corrupted ghost‑faced beasts."

Since it wants to enter the real universe, let it come. Lai Ang and I have also altered the destination; we will reach Pu Er Dun in twelve hours. Before then, the report I wish to hear is that you have successfully hunted down Paras.

"I understand, Father, and…" John began, but stopped.

"No need to agonize," Sui Bian's tone shifted, offering no scolding nor instruction, merely a calm reminder:

"Nothing will affect the trust between us as father and son; I will not doubt you because of a petty trick of an evil god, so give me free rein to act."

Everyone, please take a day off tomorrow—

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(End of chapter)