Chapter 348 - Trap

The previous Kathedal.

I promised Celeste, the Sun God's Saintess, that I would take her to a Sun God relic she didn't know about.

And a few days after the day we agreed to meet...

Somewhere in America.

I was standing on a desert covered with sand.

...It was quite hot.

While I was thinking that, a beautiful voice sounded from behind me.

"...Is it here?"

And under the wild blue sky where the sunlight blazed fiercely, with endless orange sand stretching out before us.

Standing there with a mystical aura, completely at odds with the scenery, was a white-haired woman in pure white saintess robes—Celeste.

She was looking at me with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, that's right. This is where the Sun God's relic is located."

In response to my smiling answer, she opened her mouth coldly while staring at me with golden eyes visible behind her narrowly opened eyelids.

"I don't feel anything, and I'm the Saintess directly chosen by the Sun God... Well, go ahead and try."

I just laughed off her words.

Of course she couldn't feel it. If she had, she would have already found it.

This was information only someone with knowledge of the original work would know.

With that thought, I smiled as I looked at Celeste standing with her arms crossed in the desert.

Though she appeared delicate with a mysterious aura, truly embodying the image of a saintess.

As a fellow ability user, I could feel it.

Her overwhelming strength.

'...Gives me chills.'

Like a power boiling over, unable to be contained—the vast power I could sense within her.

Among the countless ability users and villains in the world.

The overwhelming world's #1 villain, Celeste.

Stories tell of how she can part the sea with a gesture, move continents, and slice the sky.

In truth, people don't know exactly what Celeste's ability is. They just know she's "overwhelmingly powerful." She can teleport by herself, breathe fire, there's nothing she can't do. That's why some speculate she might possess all abilities.

But I know what her ability is.

Though it wasn't clearly stated even in the original work, fans deduced her power from the given elements.

To put it simply.

'The ability to turn dreams into reality.'

That was the true nature of Celeste's power.

The ability to use powers she dreams of in reality.

The true power of this woman who always keeps her eyes closed.

It sounds simple but incredibly powerful, and the important thing is that no one knows what her limits are.

Since this ability was directly bestowed by the god who created supernatural abilities in this world, Celeste became the final boss among humans in the original work.

Anyway, thanks to that power, she became the strongest villain in the world... No. Perhaps the strongest ability user in the world.

She's probably stronger than Stardust, who has nearly completed her growth. Though Stardust becomes stronger against ability users...

"Hmm. Still haven't found where the relic is?"

"Haha. Just wait a moment."

That's why she can stand so confidently alone like this.

Because she has absolute faith in her power.

...Though I'm not sure if that will remain today.

With that thought, I muttered words toward the ground beneath where I stood.

"O sol sancte Aperi alveum qui lucet ad perdendum malum..."

As I muttered the incantation, the sand beneath my feet began to ripple.

And a moment later.

"...Well. What do you think?"

"....."

Before us, stairs leading underground suddenly appeared in the middle of the desert.

Seeing this sight, Celeste still kept her eyes closed with no change in expression, but I could sense she was a bit surprised.

She probably couldn't have imagined there would be something she couldn't detect.

"Hmph. Well, fine. Lead the way."

She spoke coldly to me, as if uninterested.

...Of course, despite that, undeniable interest showed in her eyes.

She's a Sun God fanatic after all. It makes sense. I suspect she might even have Sun God miniatures at home.

"Understood. Please follow me."

As I led the way down the stairs, she followed behind me.

Wearing only her saintess robes, walking into this underground passage without any caution.

She's so powerful that she can't imagine anything in here could harm her.

...And.

I smiled slyly as I looked at the rippling doorway at the end of the stairs.

That was what I was aiming for.

Because this relic is rather special.

My goal is to get closer to Celeste.

...Of course, Celeste probably hasn't noticed yet.

"Let's go in."

"Yes. Let's see what's inside."

With those words from Celeste, we entered through the rippling doorway.

And at that moment, the scene before us changed.

"Hmm..."

We suddenly found ourselves standing inside a relic surrounded by pure white walls.

It looked ancient and weathered, yet somehow emanated a sacred power. This place bathed in white radiance.

I smiled at Celeste, who was looking around with open eyes, and introduced the place with outstretched arms.

"Welcome! This is the forgotten temple of the Sun God."

"....."

She remained silent, examining her surroundings.

After looking around for a while, Celeste sighed and said:

"...So it was true. I can't believe such a temple was hidden."

Though her eyes remained closed as she spoke, unlike the usual Celeste, she radiated a sparkling energy. She had been staring at the surroundings with interest from the beginning.

She was truly showing her Sun God fan side.

"When was this built..."

And as she took a step forward while saying that.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeing

Suddenly.

A sound like a magical effect came from inside the relic.

Boom.

The rippling doorway we had entered through suddenly collapsed and turned into an ordinary wall.

"...Seems there was a security mechanism."

Seeing this, Celeste muttered calmly.

She didn't seem particularly surprised. Well, what would surprise someone with such immense power?

She flicked her hand toward the collapsed wall.

...

And nothing happened.

"....?"

Sensing something was wrong, she flicked her hand again, but the rock didn't budge at all, as if mocking the delicate woman's gesture.

And only then.

"Wait...!"

Zing

"Ugh..."

Celeste staggered, clutching her head as if her strength had suddenly drained.

Only then did she look down at her hand and murmured.

"Ah..."

And I was still watching this scene with a smile.

Yes.

This underground Sun Temple located in America.

The special characteristic of this space is:

All sun-based abilities are nullified inside.

Unlike the room in the Han-Eun Group basement where abilities couldn't be used, this place doesn't just disconnect abilities—it's where the Sun God directly sealed his own powers so others couldn't use them.

Which means, no matter how powerful an ability user is, everyone becomes an ordinary person in here.

Of course.

Since my ability wasn't sun-based, it didn't affect me.

"I'll clear it for you."

With that thought, I moved my hand while still smiling.

The collapsed rocks floated up and moved elsewhere.

...Though my hand was trembling with effort, I struggled to maintain a composed expression.

Of course, Celeste seemed too preoccupied to notice such details.

"No... What is this..."

She looked down at her hands with a trembling voice I'd never heard before.

Unlike her usual habit of keeping her eyes closed, she had opened them fully since entering this place.

She probably couldn't see outside with closed eyes anymore.

Having always stood at the top, this must be her first experience of having all power stripped away, becoming an ordinary person.

...Actually, she wouldn't normally fall for such a trap, and such traps shouldn't even exist.

Why? Because her power is top-tier on Earth. If Celeste were trapped in that ability-nullifying room where Stardust and I were once caught? She'd probably force her ability to work through sheer power and escape by destroying it.

But this place is different.

It's where the Sun God, who granted the power, takes it away himself.

That's why Celeste couldn't have known about this situation, no matter how cautious she was. She couldn't have predicted it. Those who rise high become arrogant and fail to look below.

Anyway, this is how it turned out.

Without proper guards, stripped of all her abilities, trapped here with me in her bare form.

"Ah..."

And as if realizing this herself.

When she raised her head with a trembling expression, our eyes met.

Looking at her trembling golden eyes.

I smiled and said:

"Shall we continue?"

I had a gun in my possession.

***

A little later.

"Um... Aren't you going to follow?"

"...No. Who knows what you're planning to do?"

"Oh, come on..."

Deep inside the relic.

I sighed as I looked at Celeste, who was standing far behind me, hiding behind a pillar with just her head peeking out.

...I must have scared her too much.