Extra's Perfect Ending

Chapter 160: Tumidus Epilogue (2/3)

"What have you got for me?"

"Nothing much, just a congratulatory gift—a new app on your phone."

Reeva checked his phone, and sure enough, there was a new app waiting for him. It had a battery icon on it. He clicked it, and the screen opened to reveal a larger battery icon with zero percent power.

"What is this?"

"Are you dumb?" the author mocked. "That’s a place where you can store mystic power—for emergencies."

Reeva looked at the screen, considering the potential uses. He couldn’t think of anything right now, but a free power upgrade wasn’t something to complain about.

"Is that all?"

"You’re really heartless... Anyway, that’s pretty much it. I’d like to see how much you struggle. See you next time."

"Wait..." Reeva tried to ask something, but the author was already gone.

With that, the phone went offline. He quickly shoved it back into his pocket. The last thing he needed was for the author to make the phone visible to the priests. That sounded exactly like something he’d do.

Reeva stared into the distance and smiled to himself, looking a bit like a madman.

Ding.

Another notification ruined his mood. Sneaking a peek at the screen, Reeva saw the message:

[Narrative Score]

26/100

- I don’t like you talking to people too much

This fucking guy.

------------

In a dimly lit room, the only source of light came from a flickering candle. A man sat in a chair, watching over another figure lying in bed. The stone walls seemed to dance with the rhythm of the flame’s glow.

"Father Theodore, is this the future you foresaw? Lying here in this bed, I mean," Plutus asked, his expression unreadable. He knew Father Theodore was a devout believer, but the truth couldn’t be denied—Father had done something unacceptable. Colluding with heretics and almost tarnishing the church’s name.

Still, Plutus had managed to sweep it under the rug, saving the church from disgrace.

"Cough... I..."

Theodore, suffering from injuries he had inflicted on himself, couldn’t move his mouth properly. His throat was always dry, and his eyes saw nothing anymore. It was sheer will keeping him alive—his faith in the Sun God barely steering him clear of death.

"Father, you need not speak. Just answer my question with a nod or a shake. Father, are you still devout to the Sun God?"

Theodore nodded weakly.

"If so, then why are you in this state? Is the Sun God unable to help you?" Plutus asked, his voice heavy with sadness as he looked down at the bedridden man.

Theodore shook his head lightly.

"Then answer me this, Father. Why do we have to sacrifice ourselves to borrow power from God? Why must we hurt ourselves to gain something from Him? If He is so benevolent, why must we pay?"

"He...re...cy..." Theodore croaked out, his voice barely more than a whisper. His condition made it impossible to respond with just a nod or shake, so he struggled to speak.

Plutus’s eyes softened with pity. "Father, you devoted your entire life to the Sun God, but what has He given you in return? He’s using you as a pawn. Is that why you betrayed the church and went behind its back? No, I know your faith is still intact... So does the Sun God approve of your actions?"

Theodore stayed silent, either unable or unwilling to answer.

"Why, Father? What is the Sun God’s goal in all of this?"

Still, no response came. Whether Theodore couldn’t speak or simply refused to, Plutus wasn’t sure. The mystic artifacts keeping the man alive were the only thing standing between him and death.

"Funny, Father... The reason I ask is because, as confirmed by the Burners, a demon has helped us again. First, by showing you mercy, and now by fighting against the heretic we supported. Should we punish such criminals for cleaning up our mess?"

Theodore remained silent.

"If not for that demon, Father, the heretic you supported would have summoned something far more powerful than we could have handled. Should we really punish them for taking care of the problem before we could?"

This time, Theodore gave a weak nod.

"I see... Father."

Plutus’s faith, once firm, now wavered under the weight of these questions. The church had always taught that the Sun God helped them, that He sustained the world by being the sun itself. But if He were so omnipotent, why did His followers need to sacrifice themselves to rid the world of its filth? Weren’t they supposed to cleanse the evil, not suffer for it?

The more Plutus thought about it, the less sense it made. A world where the church could make deals with heretics without consequence, and where a demon could assist them in killing another demon... Plutus let out a long sigh.

After sitting in silence, he stood up and left Theodore, who still couldn’t say a word. Plutus walked down a long hallway, eventually arriving at the torture chamber. However, the chamber wasn’t being used for torture now—it was holding something inside.

The grey-robed man had passed away long ago, his body secretly burned and forgotten. What remained in the chamber was far more sinister.

Plutus entered by burning Reeds to open the door, revealing a circular room like before. But this time, instead of a grey-robed man, there was something else lying in the center. A wedding dress fused with a body—a pale, white body that showed no signs of decay, even in death.

"Sun God... forgive me... No, I won’t ask for forgiveness. I have to know... I have to judge it for myself. Sun God, I want to know if demons are truly the filth of the world, as You’ve said."

With that, Plutus extended his hand. His third circle began to form, and in that moment, he unleashed all of his mystic power, letting it flood his body uncontrollably. At the same time, he absorbed the demon’s corpse to ascend to the Third Circle.