Reincarnated User Manual

Chapter 233: Divine Status

“This is crazy.”

The group that barely passed through the gateway hid in the shadows of the underwater city. They couldn’t use any lodging facilities due to the commotion caused before entering the city, but they were satisfied with having shaken off the troops.

Click-clack - Shiron leaned against the wall, calming his excited breath.

“You said you would open the way, right? That’s why we came. But the path is blocked by your subordinates? What do you want us to do, commit mass slaughter?”

“Well, at least not many were killed.”

Seira answered while keeping an eye on the numerous presences gradually moving away.

“Since the captain was beheaded, it’s natural for their morale to drop, but their lack of control was shocking enough to confuse even me.”

“Some of them even fled.”

“Isn’t that expected? They saw the chance and deserted. There were many deserters in the past, both demons and humans, sneaking away every night.”

Maybe because it had been a long time since she came to the sea, Seira could easily recall old memories. Five hundred years ago, after Yura decided to reveal Kyrie’s existence to the world, the front lines, which had been pushed to the continent’s edge, began to move upwards.

They killed the frenzied wolf who had slaughtered countless humans, decapitated the giant who had seemingly indestructible fortresses, and piled up mountains of demon corpses.

However, the war wasn’t just about killing the enemy. It involved holding the front lines, maintaining supplies, and keeping the soldiers’ morale high.

Therefore, the expedition army before Kyrie appeared had no choice but to retreat. Most individuals were weak in both body and mind, and demons blessed by the Demon God seemed born to fight, enjoying the slaughter of war.

“This time, the situation seems to have reversed. Should I be happy about this?”

Seira, who had just recalled some memories, scratched her cheek shyly.

“Well, with the Demon God gone, I guess this is only natural.”

“That spiky fishman also mentioned something about a shrine…”

Shiron carefully took out a medal from his pocket. Despite the significant bloodshed, the sacrifice wasn’t much compared to the blood spilled. The medal, proving faith, glowed brightly even from inside the pocket.

Lucia stared at the light extending in one direction and spoke.

“Wasn’t Kiara the Queen of the Deep Sea?”

“…She was called that in the past.”

“…Considering all this talk about shrines and faith, it seems she isn’t just a ruler. She possessed Yohana’s body, didn’t she? That’s like…”

“It seemed like she descended through an avatar.”

Using a mysterious power that didn’t exist before, Seira speculated that Kiara had transformed into a higher being.

“Could she really have become a god?”

“A god? Maybe if she had become a demon or a prostitute. She could fit as a goddess of pleasure and lust.”

Shiron, who had put the medal back in his pocket, walked in the direction the light was pointing.

“Anyway, let’s be careful not to get caught from now on. The soldiers’ morale might be in the dumps because of Kiara’s tyranny, so we should avoid them and kill as few as possible to reach heaven.”

‘Kiara, that damn bitch. All my hard-earned reputation is going down the drain.’

[You don’t need to worry about that.]

Latera smiled while counting the numbers on a translucent screen.

[You just killed three fishmen and injured 57 demons, yet your valor score hasn’t decreased. It’s actually increased.]

‘…So it doesn’t matter how many demons we kill?’

[Probably.]

‘Hmm…’

In the game Reincarnation of the Sword Saint, all demons, whether nameless or famous, were classified as enemies. The only exceptions were ‘converts’ who cooperated with Prient.

‘This is just so convenient.’

However, Shiron didn’t step out of the shadows. Ever since meeting Johanna, Shiron had developed a slight sympathy for the fishmen.

Although he didn’t feel a sense of mission to liberate the fishmen suffering under Kiara’s tyranny, he genuinely didn’t want to spill unnecessary blood.

Ding-

[Master of Sashimi]

[One Who Knows the Weight of Life]

[Noble First Step]

A translucent sign appeared above Shiron’s head. Latera smiled broadly and clung to Shiron’s head.

---

Kyrie had arrived in the deep sea.

Kiara felt so delighted by the information spreading like ripples that she began to hum a tune.

She could clearly see everything happening within her dominion, including the underwater city she governed.

“I thought they wouldn’t come because it was taking so long.”

She knew about the guardian captain guarding the gateway being killed a few minutes ago and also about Shiron grumbling curses at her just now.

“Such impatience.”

However, she didn’t get angry. Instead, the curses Shiron muttered brought back old memories, making her smile contentedly.

Heh heh, Kiara sat back in her rocking chair and picked up her carving knife again. The scraping sound filled the temple, creating a sleepy atmosphere.

‘Is this thickness good enough?’

After repeated carving, she had created a wooden club of just the right thickness. She strapped it to her leather belt and wrapped it around her waist.

“This should do…”

Admiring her craftsmanship, Kiara stroked the end of the club with her palm, feeling pleased.

Grind, grind - The blunt surface smoothed out under her rough palm, and a cloud of fine sawdust spread around her moving hand.

[Aren’t you going to stop them?]

“Who? Kyrie, perhaps?”

[…At least if you hadn’t blocked their path, there wouldn’t have been unnecessary sacrifices.]

A middle-aged voice, not present in the temple, reverberated in her mind through her divine power.

Even though Kiara had divine power, she hadn’t been a divine being for long. Therefore, most fishmen couldn’t have a proper conversation with her, but the demon talking to her now was a bit special.

He had true faith in Kiara. Despite being an unlikely divine figure, she could offer genuine advice to him.

But the response spreading in his mind wasn’t an answer to his counsel, but rather a chuckle devoid of seriousness.

“Well? If you want the grace of a god, you should have prayed more.”

[…]

“I don’t even force people to visit the temple as often as you do. Just, just pray and beg, ‘Please save us, Lord. How should we overcome this crisis…?’ If they had cried out my name, I might have given them a revelation.”

Kiara decorated the wooden club with red coral beads and then stood up from the chair.

“Isn’t it ridiculous? Asking for divine help with such low faith.”

[If they had experienced a miracle even once, it would have been different.]

“But there was nothing that warranted my intervention.”

[There were fewer crises indeed.]

“Exactly! In this tranquil sea, what incidents or accidents could there be? The most that happened was a small internal conflict or a few deserters slipping away.”

Oh, someone had just died. But Kiara didn’t care. The recently deceased soul hadn’t sought her out until the end, so she dismissed the momentary turmoil with a thought fitting an absolute being.

“Besides, if the voice of a god gets involved in such trivial matters, it becomes uninteresting. If they hadn’t prayed, it would undermine my stature.”

[Is that so?]

“Think about it. I’m the Goddess of the Sea, right? Should a god be flustered by mortals’ intrusion? A god should foresee everything and observe with a benevolent smile.”

[Couldn’t you have stopped them altogether?]

“But I want Kyrie to come here. If the gatekeeper had prayed more often, he could have survived. Such a pity~”

Clap!

As if realizing something she had forgotten, Kiara clapped her hands.

“Kyrie is heading your way, she’ll arrive in about two minutes.”

[You’re telling me now, just in time.]

“Isn’t that enough time to run away? If you flee now, you might live.”

[Didn’t you say they would come to kill you? I should at least try to stop them with all my strength.]

“…If only everyone were like you.”

Kiara sniffled, holding her nose briefly.

“You… were quite a favorite disciple. Unlike others who are already dead, you relied on me, sought to converse, and prayed actively.”

[If you had shown a bit more flexibility, you would have gained more disciples than me.]

-I wish to pass through this place.

Through the connected consciousness, a desolate landscape appeared. Kiara didn’t know the name of the elderly fishman, but she remembered he had brought a human girl not long ago.

And she knew the girl’s name was Yoru.

“Why don’t you step aside?”

[Intruder, if you wish to pass through here, defeat me.]

“…Reciting such a cliché line.”

Shortly after, the consciousness abruptly cut off.

‘He was a likable fellow. What a pity?’

Kiara stretched, preparing to welcome the soon-arriving Kyrie.

“Heh… not as omnipotent as I thought.”

It was a self-deprecating remark. Compared to the divine powers shown by the gods who disappeared 500 years ago, her current state was too embarrassing to be called revered.

She had gained divinity in the absence of that god, but with just a few hundred years, she couldn’t reach the same height as one who commanded millions as his limbs.

But if she survived today…

Filling her void with intense experiences with Kyrie, a human with divinity, would elevate her to a higher realm.

The cliff of despair and early abandonment wasn’t appealing, but the moderately high wall that seemed climbable was tempting.

“Have I grown more cunning over time?”

Clack -

“I thought you’d come with swords drawn immediately.”

The sea surrounding the temple began to boil.