I Reborn as a God Within a Statue, And You Ask Me to Enslave All Gods?-Chapter 118 --The Church in the Storm

A sudden memory surfaced in Aysa’s mind—on the day her father personally sealed her away, she vaguely recalled hearing his soft murmur:

"Though he failed this time, humanity has always risen stronger from adversity. The more we fight, the stronger we become. As long as hope remains, next time, humanity will never lose..."

She didn’t know who "he" referred to, but judging by the deep reverence in her father’s eyes, it was certainly someone beyond her comprehension.

Yet in her mind, her father had always been the strongest being in the Caesar Empire—the undefeated one in her heart.

For the empire to fall so suddenly... her father must have known something, and it was likely related to that mysterious entity.

But now, with her strength still far too weak, even if she uncovered the truth, there would be little she could do without sufficient power.

Taking a deep breath, Aysa quickly composed herself and looked toward the depths of the temple.

"Since His Grace is unwilling to meet me, I shall take my leave for today. But I will never forget the grace He showed in saving my life," she said firmly. "I owe Him a life."

With those words, Aysa turned and departed without further delay.

She had much to do.

James’s reminder had awakened her curiosity about the fall of the Caesar Empire. If she wished to restore it, she had to uncover what truly caused its collapse.

More importantly, she needed to raise her combat strength as quickly as possible.

Power—true power—was the only thing she could rely on now.

It was the foundation for rebuilding the empire.

As her figure disappeared into the distance, James, Tommy, Thomas, and the others stood silently, watching her go.

Aysa carried many doubts in her heart, and so did they.

They had all once been people of the Caesar Empire. Although the empire had fallen, no new one had taken its place. Most of its people had become slaves to the spellbeasts, so they still referred to themselves as Caesar Empire survivors.

But now, with the sudden appearance of this prodigious princess from long ago—still alive—the question arose:

If she could survive all these years... could there be others?

Others just as powerful, still hiding?

...

Within the idol, Owen had taken note of this as well.

He had examined Aysa’s body closely—she was no soul remnant, no mummy. She was alive, vibrant, and wholly human.

But even the most advanced awakeners couldn’t live for such a span of time.

There had to be something fishy going on here.

"How did such a mighty Caesar Empire collapse overnight? What truly happened back then?"

"Looks like the Caesar Empire isn’t so simple after all..." Owen murmured to himself.

Still, he didn’t plan to pursue it just yet. It wasn’t closely tied to him for now, and keeping his distance meant avoiding unnecessary trouble.

Once his level became high enough, there would be no secrets left in the world that could escape his eyes.

Even dangers that seemed terrifying now would look laughable in hindsight.

Then, Owen turned his attention toward Thomas, who stood at the temple entrance.

"Thomas," his voice echoed in Thomas’s ear, "the spellbeasts around Black Iron have been mostly cleared. The next priority is the Aberrations."

"Eliminate those Aberrations. Hone your strength. Only through hardship can peace last long."

Hearing the voice of Deus Initium, Thomas dropped to one knee in excitement.

"Great Deus Initium, I shall heed Your guidance!"

Aberrations.

Using the map given by the city lord, Thomas had searched far and wide and identified five distinct types of Aberrations.

These creatures dwelled in extremely remote regions. If not for the map, they would have been nearly impossible to locate.

But finding their locations was only the beginning.

The real challenge was how to eliminate them.

After all, anything classified as an "Aberration" was no ordinary foe—it was extraordinarily powerful.

Fortunately, he was no longer the same Thomas he once was.

Not long after bidding farewell to Owen, Thomas set off alone toward the nearest Aberration’s lair.

Two hours later, after a long trek, he arrived at an ancient church marked on the map.

The church stood deep within the mountains—tall and pitch black, exuding a deeply disturbing, Aberration-like aura.

At that moment, light rain drizzled from the sky, pattering against the church’s dark surface. Wherever it struck, the droplets instantly hissed and turned to mist, which hung thickly in the air around the structure, making the already eerie church even more foreboding.

As Thomas gazed at the church’s wide-open doors, he saw inside a group of nuns dressed in long robes, their faces full of devout reverence as they knelt in prayer.

They were all strikingly beautiful—and unnaturally young.

But upon closer inspection, Thomas noticed something that made his skin crawl.

They all looked exactly the same.

As if cast from the same mold, the identical features of the nuns made even a single glance feel deeply unsettling.

Before them stood an angel statue—blood-red from head to toe, reeking with a pungent metallic scent, as if its skin had been peeled away like that of a spellbeast. Its exposed crimson flesh twitched and spasmed, grotesque and unholy.

Anyone else who stumbled upon this scene would have been terrified beyond belief, desperate to flee.

But Thomas was not just anyone.

He walked straight to the church’s entrance.

"It’s raining. Are you here to take shelter?" one of the nuns near the doorway turned her head slightly and asked as Thomas approached.

"The church is under the protection of the Lord. We welcome all devout believers. Come in—our almighty Lord will offer you warm food and clothes to keep out the cold."

With a bright smile, she stood from her prayer and extended the invitation warmly.

Thomas nodded. "Then I’ll trouble you for your hospitality. I may stay the night."

With that, he stepped forward and entered the church.

From the outside, the church was painted jet-black—but inside, the moment Thomas crossed the threshold, the light dimmed drastically, as if he had walked into a cave.

He looked up at the statue again—that blood-red thing carved from what looked like living stone.

It was like a monster frozen in time, on the verge of awakening.

The air was heavy with the stench of blood, growing more intense with every breath.

"This way, honored guest," the nun said gently, making a courteous gesture.

Thomas followed silently.

As they passed the central statue, the nun led him to a room in the back of the church.

Along the way, Thomas felt a chill creeping down his spine.

The rows of guest rooms lining the corridor looked to him like gaping, bloodstained jaws—waiting, watching, ready to bite.