Chapter 371
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Chapter 371: The Spirit of Dionysus
The Spirit of Dionysus floated in the air, but its form was far from the rumors. It wasn’t a handsome man who reveled in wine, as tales often described. Instead, it was a gigantic sphere composed of countless gray skulls and white arms.
Its extraordinary appearance caused a sense of unease among Maryse and the others.
Faintly, the girls in the group caught a peculiar scent of wine—almost intoxicating. But in the air, there seemed to be something more, an invisible power, subtly altering their senses.
Dionysus, the god of wine, was not merely a deity of revelry and drunkenness. He embodied something far deeper: the concept of “sensory stimulation.” As his influence spread through the air, the senses of everyone present were heightened, making every sensation incredibly intense. Whether it was joy or pain, every feeling they would experience in the next moments would be magnified—multiplied many times over!
Maryse took a deep breath, and suddenly, the feel of her bare feet against the ground became incredibly vivid. She could feel every movement of her body, the touch of the deer skin against her skin. Even the simple act of breathing, blinking, and the flow of blood through her veins became startlingly clear.
[Let’s celebrate!]
The voice of the Spirit of Dionysus roared in their minds, a wild cry of exhilaration.
In the next instant, the ancient Greek-style theater around them began to transform. Delicacies and wines appeared out of nowhere, falling from the sky, as if they had always belonged there. The powerful scent of food and fine wine rushed toward them, overwhelming their senses.
It was intoxicating.
Maryse couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming temptation. She had never been so drawn to anything in her life. It was irresistible.
For a moment, she thought that perhaps joining in the festivities wouldn’t be so bad.
But a nagging feeling lingered at the back of her mind. There was something wrong about it. Something peculiar.
[Let’s revel to our heart’s content!]
[Drink, mingle, and forever rejoice!]
The Spirit of Dionysus urged them, his arms waving wildly, the fervor of his voice reverberating within their hearts.
And then, Maryse heard a strange word echo in her mind: “交” (a term that can mean “union”).
She froze. There was only one man present.
Hello? What was the Spirit of Dionysus implying? This was just a celebration, right? There was no need to go that far.
But Maryse understood that some ancient rituals, especially those in the realm of mysticism, viewed coupling as a sacred and mysterious act. It was a common instinct in many cultures.
But… there were so many people here! How could such a thing happen? Not on the first time, at least…
The air grew heavier with a strange sense of unease, and Maryse’s thoughts began to muddle.
[After the revelry, they feasted upon each other, savoring every moment!]
The Spirit of Dionysus’ voice became darker, more sinister. It was both enticing and comforting at the same time, pulling them deeper into his web. Without realizing it, Maryse’s head began to swim.
“It feels… strange,” she murmured to herself.
At that moment, the three of them realized the dance had come to an end.
Maryse found herself able to move freely again, her body no longer held by the intoxicating force.
Then, a word echoed in her mind: [Cooperating].
Her face turned crimson. The voice of the Savior had spoken. It wasn’t union, but collaboration. She was stunned. Who should she cooperate with?
Before she could think further, a magical sword struck down from the sky.
A pitch-black lightning bolt slammed into the Spirit of Dionysus, piercing through its form with a burst of light.
“Ah!” The Spirit of Dionysus let out a wretched scream.
[Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!]
The cry amplified the pain of everyone around them, intensifying their agony and distorting their minds. The emotional overload was overwhelming. The Scarlet Moon instinctively covered her ears, but the mental impact still hit her with full force.
It was too much for anyone to bear.
Except Maryse. With her powerful psychic abilities, she could resist the mental assault and focus on the task at hand.
Maryse soon saw who she was supposed to collaborate with.
Mr. Profligate appeared out of nowhere, brandishing Gungnir. With a ruthless strike, he pierced the Spirit of Dionysus once more.
The Spirit tried to retaliate by throwing the Sword of Demons, but it was once again restrained.
Maryse’s chance had arrived.
Without hesitation, she unleashed her power—Deep Red – Divine Punishment. With the Blade of Annihilation in hand, she surged forward, plunging it into the immobilized form of the Spirit.
And then she saw something astonishing.
Inside the Spirit of Dionysus’ body, a thick black liquid—translucent and dark—was being sucked in by a mushroom called the “Sword of Demons.”
What was that?
Maryse was taken aback, but her focus remained steady. She didn’t stop.
Under the combined pressure of their attacks, the Spirit of Dionysus began to wail even more loudly, but it couldn’t resist anymore. The wailing continued as Kaluoer nearly lost consciousness from the mental strain.
But finally, the Spirit began to crumble, its strength fading away.
“What’s going on?” Maryse gasped, sinking to her knees, utterly drained.
Bai Yan, who had sheathed his weapon, helped her to her feet and calmly explained, “To be precise, the Spirit of Dionysus isn’t actually Dionysus himself, nor his soul. It’s a trace of divinity left behind after his death. The mushrooms possess the power to absorb souls, so we used them to create an opportunity for you.”
The Scarlet Moon, still shaken, complained, “Why didn’t you tell me this beforehand?”
Bai Yan shrugged and smiled. “It wasn’t necessary.”
With a few gestures, he pulled out the “Thousands of Ruins, Everything Is Used” relic, and began extracting the divine essence from the remnants of the Spirit of Dionysus.
This time, Bai Yan indulged fully in the power of the Spirit.
However, there was a cost. From now on, he would no longer be able to draw the Entertainment Card of Dionysus from the Babel Tower’s pool. But he didn’t mind. The Spirit’s demands had been absurd, particularly the final one: to consume the flesh of a companion.
Bai Yan could never accept such depravity.
Instead, they decided to finish the job and present the Spirit’s remains as a powerful elixir for the Sword of Demons.
The Scarlet Moon stepped over the corpse of the Spirit, coldly remarking, “I bet you had a good laugh watching us all go wild in the dark.”
Bai Yan shook his head, smiling, “Mushrooms as witnesses. No such thing.”
As always, he was in his usual nonsense-filled mood.
Kaluoer, meanwhile, was lost in thought. She had long since stopped paying attention to her companions. Instead, she was thinking about her next task—preparing her master’s bath and snacks. That was her life now, and she was content with it.
Finally, as the space began to crumble and the Spirit of Dionysus faded away, everything returned to normal.
In Tatsumi City’s wilderness, a small town had emerged from nowhere.
Amicio, the Son of God who
had never left, had created it in
an instant—neat streets, stone
houses, all standing tall and
perfect.
In the lord’s mansion of this
new town, Ganis sat, casting a
complicated gaze at Amicio,
who stood silently by.
Amicio spoke. “Do you know
why the people in the city
despise the Persecuted and
refer to you as sinners?”
Ganis nodded, replying,
“Because we are the
descendants of the defeated,
the surrenderers, the weak.”
Amicio’s face remained serene,
but his words carried a chilling
truth. “This world wasn’t
always Noah’s world. The
Noah people didn’t live here at
first. Only your ancestors did.”
Ganis paled as the realization
hit him.
Amicio continued, “The ‘Noah’
name means ‘the ship that
escaped destruction.’ Your
ancestors used a divine
artifact—the Heart of Radiance
—to flee from their doomed
world. They came here, and
once they arrived, they waged
war to conquer this place.
You, the natives, were
defeated.”
Ganis closed his eyes, silent,
feeling the weight of these
words.
In that instant, a vision filled
his mind.
On a battlefield, he saw his
ancestors—marked with black
patterns—fighting and dying
with courage, singing their
ancient songs even in the face
of death. Their courage,
however, wasn’t enough
against the forbidden magic
unleashed by their enemies.
Among the enemies, the leader
stood high above them—a
figure known as the
“Anomalous Star.”
Ganis clenched his fists,
unable to look away.
Back in Sylve, Tatsumi City, Bai
Yan returned to their villa.
Around it, at least ten Night
Watchers kept their vigil, but
Bai Yan was unbothered. With
the power of the Psychic
Dancer, he shielded himself
effortlessly from their
perception.
He extracted the rare Element
of Sensory Power and infused
it into a red ring, creating the
“Ring of Wine.” Its power
amplified sensory experiences
—both joy and pain—by over
ten times.
“Interesting,” Bai Yan
murmured. “This could work
wonders in interrogations.”
He smiled, feeling an
undeniable energy grow within
him. The World Tree outside
the villa had finally matured.
The golden tree now towered
over Tatsumi City, a sight to
behold. Bai Yan looked up at it,
his heart swelling with pride.
“It’s finally grown.”
Inside the Babel Tower, he
received an update
notification. The World Tree
now connected to other
worlds, allowing members of
the Babel Tower to travel freely
between them.
“This will make earning points
so much easier,” he mused,
before checking out more
updates.
And with that, another chapter
in their journey began.
