Kingdom Building: Civilization Starts with Divinity-Chapter 105: Arbiter’s Arrival

"Disciple!" Gravana flinched as Alchemy fell to the ground.

"Oi, what’s happening?"

Alchemy looked up at her teacher but couldn’t see him. She knew he was there, but it was like all of her senses were denying the reality in front of her.

"Like... I know?" She scoffed, holding her head.

|<Notice: Mental Destruction has begun.>| The system repeated.

"I don’t know what that is... System." She scoffed again.

Alchemy used the tree to push herself up before placing her hand on her head.

|<Notice: Mental Destruction is an effect that destroys your mind via memories.>|

’Memories?’

Alchemy glared at the system notification. As she moved closer to the divine tree, the world around her blurred and spun.

"Disciple! Where are you going?"

"If you’re... Not going to do anything... Then shut up!" Alchemy shouted while venom laced her voice.

|<Notice: The system is delaying the effects of Mental Destruction. A solution must be found quickly.>|

"Yeah? Well, if you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them."

|<Notice: Requesting permission to interfere.>|

|<Notice: Request denied.>|

|<Notice: An Arbiter has arrived.>|

While she didn’t notice, an energy separate from divine power engulfed her.

Gravana’s eyes widened at the entire situation.

|<Notice: Estimated time until Memory Destruction: 1 minute 32 seconds.>|

She tried to think about what to do, but any thought she had vanished before it could meet its end.

How was she supposed to come up with a solution when her mind fought against her?

Instinctively, she reached for the World Tree. She had no idea why, but her body was convinced it could help her.

When she started, she was so close to it, yet she walked and walked and still didn’t reach it.

|<Notice: Estimated time until Memory Destruction: 30 seconds.>|

It had only been a minute? It felt far longer than that. Her sense of time had already been destroyed, it seemed.

The world began to fragment. Or was it her vision, she didn’t know.

"Little Monarch, the heat! That burning sensation in your chest. Focus on it! Don’t let it go! Kindle it!" Gravana shouted.

Burning Sensation? Indeed, Alchemy noticed such a thing. Despite the dire situation, it felt like her worries were being thrown into an incinerator. It was the only reason she didn’t completely collapse.

But it felt cooler by the second.

Kindle it. How?

{Mother Goddess!} A voice suddenly resounded in her head.

"Shapeshifter! What happened to your master!?" Gravana shouted out.

Nera arrived. Returning to report good news to her Mother Goddess, she suddenly felt something go terribly wrong due to their connection.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MOTHER GODDESS, GRAVANA?!" She shouted.

"That’s what I’m asking you, brat?! Does your Goddess have a problem with her mind?" Gravana roared back.

Curiously, the pain subsided a little when Nera and Gravana conversed.

She looked at the system’s countdown. It had increased—not by much, but the 20 seconds had turned to 23.

"What mental problems?! Are you benign!? How could Mother Goddess possibly have anything like that?" Nera scolded, rushing over to her Mother with their units in tow.

Goddess! Right, Alchemy was a Goddess. The Mental Destruction had made her nearly forget.

|<Notice: Exaltation has been activated!>|

|<Notice: Double Divine Power has been consumed due to using a Miracle on yourself!>|

|<Notice: Divine Power is insufficient.>|

|<8777 Divine Power has been consumed.>|

|<Notice: Miracle Generation has reached level 3! Please select your next sub-skill at your earliest possible convenience!>|

She used all of her Divine Power to do as Gravana said. She rekindled that fleeting flame.

|<Notice: Estimated time until Memory Destruction: 13 hours 26 minutes 55 seconds.>|

A sudden clarity overcame Alchemy. She turned to see Nera charging at Gravana.

The pain she was in didn’t go anywhere, but that didn’t matter.

"Stop it, Nera." She shouted, jumping in the way of Nera’s charge.

Her large fist hit into Alchemy’s arm but was pushed into the ground instead of sending her Mother flying.

"M-Mother Goddess! Are you okay?!"

"Disciple! Are you alright?"

Unfortunately, the clarity didn’t last long, as the effects of Mental Destruction began to return.

"No... But I think... I’ll man-"

Alchemy failed to finish her words as she fell.

"MOTHER GODDESS!"

"Little Monarch!"

The two shouted in unison as they caught Alchemy.

|<Notice: The System has temporarily synced with Mercenary Gravana.>|

|<Notice: The Arbiter is intrigued by the young Prospect succeeding in delaying a normally permanent, fatal debuff.>|

|<Notice: The Arbiter has permitted the Administrator to intervene.>|

|<Notice: The System can now automatically use the prospect’s skills and authorities.>|

The flurry of notifications confused Gravana. He had no idea why he was seeing this.

Nera was in the same boat, but she couldn’t care less.

"What the fuck is an arbiter!? Stop watching and do something! You exist to help your Prospects, don’t you? Help Mother Goddess."

|<Notice: Prospect Alchemy Ennis is currently under the effects of Mental Destruction.>|

|<Notice: Mental Destruction is an effect that acts immediately and has a 100% fatality rate.>|

|<Notice: It is a miracle that Prospect Alchemy Ennis is still resisting.>|

"DON’T FUCK WITH ME, YOU WORTHLESS EXCUSE OF AN AIDE."

|<Notice: The effect of Authority: Ferocious Vitality has been automatically activated.>|

|<Notice: HP & SP have been restored. All ailments have been removed.>|

|<Notice: An Error has occurred. Authority is not strong enough to fully cleanse debuff: Mental Destruction.>|

|<Notice: Estimated time until Memory Destruction: 1 day 12 hours 1 minute 30 seconds.>|

"What exactly happened to her?" Gravana questioned the system.

|<Notice: Unknown. She was warned of potential risk due to entering uncharted territory.>|

"Potential risk? And you let her?!" Nera continued to scream.

"What risk?! Why wouldn’t she tell me of that." Gravana also jumped onto the bandwagon of questioning the system.

|<We said we would protect her. Our words are promises, and we will not break them.>|

"Yeah? Well, you better get to saving her! Even if I have to sacrifice my everything, I will give up whatever is needed to save her."

Although Nera tried to maintain an angry demeanor, the tears that fell gave her facade away before she almost completely broke down.

"Please... Save her... I beg of you..."

After looking at the system, Gravana crossed his arm.

"This is my fault she’s like this. I’ll also do whatever it takes. I can’t go around being known as a teacher who killed his disciple."

|<Nera... Gravana... Alchemy Ennis will be saved.>|