The Paladin in the Abyss

"I know," Medusa took a deep breath. "But you don't understand, souls like mine, 'monsters', are cursed and almost worthless to beings of Divine Power. So, they won't waste their attention on us... All I ask is to be introduced to a True God. As for what He requires me to do or how He tests me before He's willing to help, that's none of your concern."

"Is this the reward you ask for in return for your help?"

"Yes. It's very fair."

Lancelot and his companions exchanged glances, with no one voicing opposition.

"Any True God will do?"

"... It can't be a god of the evil alignments."

"Of course," Lancelot shrugged. "But do you trust me that easily?"

"I can see that you're the kind of fool who always keeps his promises."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Lancelot smiled and shook his head. "Alright then... deal."

"... Thank you." Medusa painstakingly spat out these two words. "It seems there's nothing more for me to do here. Goodbye, Sir Lancelot. Remember to fulfill our agreement when we meet again."

"Please stay a little longer, Madam." Lancelot laughed and shook his head. "We won't need to wait for the next time."

"What do you mean?"

"A True God will soon arrive here, and... as far as I know, His alignment isn't evil, and He definitely has the power to fulfill your promise." Lancelot turned to the anxious half-elf beside him. "Ready, my friend?"

"Of course, we've been waiting for this," Tanya's expression turned excited, "Let's start."

Lancelot nodded and pointed the black-green trident in his hand at the half-elf. The mysterious weapon's end began to wriggle and split, as if some aquatic creature using tentacles to hunt opened its mouth and spat out head-sized, multicolored crystals. The half-elf stood in place with a devout expression, allowing the accumulating crystals to bury her.

The crystals pouring from the trident far exceeded the size of the weapon itself, which was one of its many magical properties—it could store items like a Dimensional Bag. In Lancelot's Divine Sense, the space within the trident was exactly the size of the drained lake before them; the missing lake water was now inside the trident.

As the trident's owner, he could control it to consume any items (though nothing too large) and could make them eject at will. In other words, the trident could also be used as a water gun, spraying a stream of black lake water. Lancelot speculated that this liquid still retained the properties of the Stygian River water, causing targets to lose memories from hours to days if splashed. This would be useful against Mage enemies, as forgetting prepared Spells equates to losing casting ability. On the battlefield, a Mage without casting ability... is still a Mage?

The crystals piled up into a small hill, a scene they had previously witnessed in the Dragon's Nest, though Dragons preferred to use Gold Coins. After the last crystal was ejected, Lancelot retracted the trident and signaled everyone to step back.

"What now?" Bruto asked curiously. "What do we do next?"

"Next is up to Tanya," Lancelot felt a mysterious unease in his heart, "All we can do is wait..."

Under everyone's gaze, the multicolored crystals began to glow as if tiny fireflies were trapped inside, but when gathered, they shone like a campfire in the black night. When the brightness reached its peak, a beam of light about the size of a barrel shot upwards, piercing the cloudy sky but disappeared shortly thereafter.

However, the light beam had torn through the fog shrouding the Demon's Domain, revealing the sky: pitch black, no sun, no stars, nothing. Lancelot had a vague feeling that this was the true form of the void—more than just nothing, even the concept of existence didn't apply.

During his recovery, Lancelot had discussed the structure of semi-planes with Kalalin. On the surface, the boundary of the Demon's Domain was obscured by dense fog, isolating the area, but the fog was actually a phenomenon of the Multiverse itself, observable at most discontinuous spatial boundaries. By analogy, these discontinuous spaces were like the wounds of the Multiverse, and the fog was the 'scab' formed for self-protection. Forcing through or dissipating the fog was meaningless and dangerous, at least for mortal Scholars.

"Is that it?" the impatient Dwarf spoke again. "That felt a bit weak..."

"Could it be that there weren't enough Memory Crystals?" Kalalin worriedly speculated. "I've always had my doubts, after all, it's the legendary Raven Queen, and there's no historical record of Her descent..."

"Then you'll witness history today," Lancelot looked up, "Guys, I suggest we take a few more steps back... including you, Madam Kesme."

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When a mortal ascends to a being with even the lowest Divinity due to some legendary experience, they will find themselves 'seeing' much more, as if they were previously colorblind, and the Multiverse was incredibly vibrant. Some clever fellows soon realize that what they now see might not be all there is, and the world seen by other beings with Divine Power might not look the same.

Guess what? They were absolutely right.

In reality, what a deity can 'see' largely depends on their Divine office and its domain. The Lady of Fire, Shuni, can see the sparks of love between people, even if they just exchange a glance in a crowded place, and the Lord of the Dead, Cranvo, will never miss the gray flame on the dying. Similarly, when someone plots lies and betrayal in their heart, their head glows like a torch, attracting Shrek's attention. If your conspiracy is creative enough, the Prince of Lies might assist you behind the scenes... but He can also be angered by foolish plans, bringing misfortune to the fool.

At this moment, gods with domains of death, loss, sorrow, and forgetfulness noticed a peculiar light in a semi-plane near the Fallen Shadow Netherworld—usually a sign of some catastrophic disaster. However, the nature of the Demon's Domain obscured what exactly happened. While these divine beings cautiously observed, a special presence darted into the area without hesitation. Many onlookers recognized who it was.

"The Raven Queen?" someone muttered, "Why has She stepped out..."

"Perhaps just another meaningless act of madness..."

"Is every cursed existence truly meaningless..."

"Stop looking; if Her madness infects you, you're doomed..."