Mage? Magic Engineer!

’Let a God of Deceit resurrect himself just like that? Doesn’t that make me seem a little too easy?’ What truly put Rorschach at ease was Hercules’s explanation:

"Balan will vie for the Wine God’s remnants to resurrect himself. For one, this will restore a ’Thoth.’ For another, it will completely eliminate the latent threat of the Wine God, Dionysus."

If he succeeded, it would be killing two birds with one stone—a win-win for everyone. If he failed...

"I’ll give you the Double Serpent Staff, Rorschach. If the Wine God wins out, first let him completely possess the body you constructed with Divine Power. Then, kill him in a single strike to eliminate the threat for good." As for what would happen to Balan Thoth, Hercules didn’t seem to have given it a single thought.

Guiding the Holy Knights here was also part of the plan. Hercules had anticipated they would begin to pray and exorcise evil, drawing the power of the Master of Light and Order down to the Prime Material Plane to suppress the Wine God, who might seize the chance to revive.

Rorschach was moved by Hercules’s well-thought-out plan and sincere attitude. At least for now, Hercules was acting in accordance with the will of the Master of Light and Order to help humanity. It was absolutely not because Rorschach had just received the Double Serpent Staff from him.

The staff felt light, its craftsmanship exquisite. As Rorschach gripped the shaft, made of willow, the smooth yet resilient bark felt wonderful to the touch. The twin serpents coiled around it were lifelike, and the head of the staff was adorned with folded feathers.

Merely holding it made Rorschach’s body feel much lighter, and his perception of the ambient Magic Power ascended to a new level.

Praying as they advanced, the Holy Knights had reached the edge of the altar ruins on the summit. Rorschach and Hercules needed these pawns to channel the Power of Light, but they couldn’t let them interrupt the ritual just yet.

Hiding off to the side, Rorschach waved the Double Serpent Staff, and all the Holy Knights fell into a dream. They maintained their forward-marching posture, but their eyes were closed. Some, unable to keep their balance, toppled over, but did not wake.

It was a powerful hypnosis. The Magic Power from the Double Serpent Staff had plunged them into a dream from which they could not wake on their own. For all their talk of being Holy Knights, as long as one had not reached the level of a Living Saint, they were ultimately mere mortals. If Rorschach bore them ill will, he could have made these warriors slumber for eternity.

Rorschach waved the Magic Staff again, tracing a circle in the air. The dreams of all the sleeping knights linked together, allowing him to peer inside.

Within the dreamscape, the Holy Knights were still on the same mountain. The mountain itself was an echo of history, a projection of legend that bridged the gap between reality and the sea of the unconscious. Suddenly, Rorschach received a short message from Hercules:

"Find a way to support the Lord’s warriors and destroy the Wine God’s remnant in the dream. The Lord of Order has already locked onto this location; the real world is safe for now."

Only after Hercules’s message did Rorschach notice that the sun had, at some point, reached its zenith. All the Holy Knights were slumbering soundly, bathed in golden light. Meanwhile, the soldiers who had come up seeking fine wine and beautiful women saw only a strange wine goblet and a figure whose features were indistinct.

The figure was beautiful, inspiring admiration in all who looked upon it, yet it stirred not a single shred of lust.

By now, Rorschach’s avatar had been stripped of any features that linked it to his original body. It was a collection of nearly all the perfect elements of the "human" concept—an Original Scripture of "Man" as an intelligent species, one might say.

Axiom Creation. Rorschach hadn’t intended it, but he had completed a spell that had only existed in theory. The form it created possessed the basic qualifications to host a Divine Spirit.

As for the soldiers, upon seeing that indistinct, perfect, and sacred being, subtle emotions like jealousy and inadequacy were stirred within them. Unconsciously, they aimed their guns at the target.

Soon, however, the sunlight intensified, blinding the soldiers who had reached the summit.

Seeing that he wasn’t needed in the real world, Rorschach turned his attention to the window into the dreamscape. He raised the Double Serpent Staff. First, the wings on its head unfurled, strengthening its power. Then, he mimicked the "prank" Hercules had played on him, giving the staff a "Flaming Greatsword skin" with roaring fire.

...

The Holy Knights remained oblivious to their true situation, feeling only an extraordinary warmth coursing through their bodies.

Then, a horrifying scene appeared in the woods: a young man with damp, matted hair and dressed in rags was beating an old man like a wild animal.

After beating him for a while, he shattered a wine jug and began gouging at the old man’s stomach with the sharp ceramic shards...

"Look no further." A gentle voice spoke a warning. It was impossible to refuse; all the Holy Knights closed their eyes.

The gentle voice continued, "That is the Wine God devouring the Dream God. Before the Old Empire Era, when the light of the Lord of Order did not shine so brightly, there was no shortage of primitive, bloodthirsty gods."

The commander found he could open his eyes again. He quickly gripped his Cross Sword and assumed a battle stance, only to see a young man in a white robe, wielding a Flaming Greatsword, now standing between him and the Wine God.

"Who are you?"

"...I am Cherubim, an Angel of the Lord." Rorschach recalled the Divine Beast he had seen in the Thoth Temple and casually borrowed its name to bluff his way through.

"No, you’re lying! You claim to be the Lord’s messenger to deceive us." All the Holy Knights were on edge. They knew the young man before them was powerful, but they couldn’t ascertain his true identity. After all, almost no contemporary Holy Knights had ever seen an Angel in human form with whom they could communicate.

The commander said slowly, "You... must be a Demon. An evil spirit."

Hercules’s "backstage" prompt sounded in Rorschach’s ear again. He immediately adopted a solemn expression. "Lidusop, repent! The world indeed has good and evil, Angels of the Lord and wicked Demons, but is it your place to so easily pass judgment? Lidusop, you must be on your guard! For beneath the guise of caution lies a hidden arrogance..."

The Holy Knights were instantly convinced. They accepted Rorschach’s temporary "cosplay," because his speech fit the part perfectly. ’Yep, that’s the stuff!’ they all seemed to think.

"Please, forgive me... My caution is for the sake of the brothers I lead. We are forever devout to the Lord and His Angels." The commander remained wary, not easily accepting the story of this "angel" of unknown origin. He was merely cooperating for now due to the circumstances.

Rorschach accepted the apology and began to instruct the members of the Holy Knight Order. "We are going to kill a god of old and cut off any possibility of his escape from this dream."

Wine, delirium, and absurd dreams have been intertwined since ancient times. At first, Rorschach thought the old man being devoured by the Wine God was Balan, which gave him a shock. But upon analysis, he confirmed that the victim was not the cunning old Prophet, but the Dream God.

It was unclear if this was the Wine God’s true self or an avatar. He was clearly planning to devour the dregs of another era to gain more energy, hoping to win the race for resurrection against the God of Deceit.

Of course, neither Hercules nor Rorschach would permit another ridiculously powerful god to exist in the world of dreams.

He brandished the Fire Sword that had been the Double Serpent Staff, and the spirits of the Holy Knights soared—it was the Lord’s Protection! It was unbelievably clear and powerful, compelling their complete submission.

The members of the Knight Order charged toward the gruesome scene without a second thought.

In response to the intruders charging in to disrupt the ritual, another manifestation of the Wine God’s power appeared in the woods. Female tree spirits emerged and began to fight fiercely with the Holy Knights.

These Little Elves were another manifestation of the Wine God’s power, hinting at his connection to the Earth Mother Goddess. Their faces were entrancingly beautiful, and their cute, charming laughter was punctuated by hiccups. A pity, then, that these tree spirits were facing religious zealots who would only swing their swords relentlessly, delivering a fatal blow to every enemy with absolute impartiality.

Rorschach was slightly surprised by the Holy Knights’ unyielding will. After all, they were in a dream, yet their base desires weren’t being amplified in the slightest.

The commotion caused the Wine God to stop "dining." He stared directly at the most powerful interloper, Rorschach, as blood the color of rich wine dripped from between his teeth and down his lips.