Inside the military tent, Origami Tobiichi abruptly opened her eyes.
Before the three people present could ask anything, she stood up, her tone tinged with urgency:
"Where are the Corpse Hunterss and the accompanying Werebeast?"
"They're still cleaning up the battlefield. There were quite a few casualties in this battle."
Riku had originally intended to ask her what had happened, but seeing that Origami seemed to have something important to say, he answered her question first.
"Gather the troops immediately. We need to retreat."
"Retreat?"
Not only Riku, but even Jibril and Schwi couldn't comprehend this decision.
They had just defeated the Dwarfs and completely wiped out the garrison of this mining area. Shouldn't they take advantage of the moment—before reinforcements from the Dwarfs arrived—to plunder the resources from the nearby mines?
Although the most valuable battleships, magical devices, and magic-powered armors were already left on the battlefield, those were all strategic resources. A great deal of daily necessities remained in the surrounding mining facilities.
For the sake of feeding and clothing the tens of thousands of believers in her territory, those supplies were critically important.
"No, there's no time."
With a single thought, Origami transported everyone inside the tent directly onto the battlefield.
As if sensing something, both Schwi and Jibril fixed their gazes on the trembling ground.
They could feel a tremendous power continuously rising from beneath the earth.
Although they didn't know exactly what was happening, they now understood why Origami was insisting on a full retreat.
Without hesitation, the three of them activated their respective powers and began large-scale teleportations across the vast battlefield, moving both the living and the dead alike.
In just a few breaths, all survivors and corpses had been relocated thousands of kilometers away.
"What on earth is going on?"
Riku was still completely confused.
And he wasn't the only one—every Corpse Hunters and beastman warrior wore the same baffled expression.
Hadn't they just won a great victory?
Why were they the ones retreating?
Among them, only Schwi expression was solemn, and Jibril was one of excitement. Both of them stared toward the location they had just fled.
"The situation is urgent."
Once everyone had arrived in the safe zone, Origami finally explained,
"Just now, I felt a calling from Mio Takamiya."
"I knew it!"
Jibril pitch rose several degrees, excitement written all over her face.
"Has the required faith finally been gathered?"
"Yes. The amount of faith needed to awaken Mio Takamiya has now been fulfilled."
Origami confirmed her speculation and gave her explanation:
"The humans in the rear and the Werebeast who didn't go to the front lines have been praying constantly for the soldiers. And just now, our army defeated the Dwarfs, which provided the final portion of faith required."
"So then, that tremor just now…"
In Schwi eyes, multiple analytical incantations overlapped as she tried to gather more data and information.
"That's right."
Under everyone's expectant gazes, Origami slowly nodded.
"It's the phenomenon caused by the awakening of the Spirit Race's Main God."
As soon as she finished speaking, a beam of light shot up from the earth, piercing the skies.
The pillar of light cut through the ever-present red clouds above, clearing the sky within a thousand-kilometer radius and letting the sun—unseen for ten thousand years—shine down once more.
Along with the appearance of the light beam, the surrounding space seemed to twist as if by some unimaginable power. Every living and non-living thing within that radius was completely obliterated.
Divine might surged, radiant as the sun.
At this sight, whether Corpse Hunterss or Werebeast, all burst into jubilant cheers.
Some couldn't help but drop to their knees, prostrating themselves in worship toward the source of the light.
Across the world—whether in hidden cities, secluded mountains, or distant planets—powerful beings opened their eyes and turned their gazes in the same direction.
"Another god has appeared?"
"The war of the gods has taken another turn."
"What kind of storm will this one stir up?"
One after another, countless gazes turned toward the figure within the light, watching the arrival of this new God.
It was a girl of pure white.
As if she represented the very origin of life itself—pure, immaculate, untainted by even the slightest worldly filth.
In this apocalyptic world drenched in deathly black and gruesome red, she was abrupt and striking in the most divine way.
She wore a dreamlike white gown, as if woven from illusion itself. Her head was adorned with three or four blooming white iris flowers, radiating a sacred aura.
Her pale legs peeked out faintly beneath the hazy skirt, and her delicate feet were exposed, as though each step she took gave rise to blooming lotuses—so divine that none dared to harbor impure thoughts.
"She really appeared!"
From afar, her silhouette could be seen clearly even a thousand kilometers away. Jibril heart was pounding wildly.
The god-creation project… was truly complete.
The so-called Main God of the Spirit Race, whom Origami had spoken of, had really descended.
Riku expression also mixed shock with joy, and even the face of Schwi—usually expressionless like Origami—showed clear change.
If there had still been doubts in their hearts about Origami identity, then at this moment, as they witnessed the descent of Mio Takamiya, those doubts completely vanished.
Origami emotions were not calm either.
Although she had believed that the progress of Side Mission 1 was nearly complete, she hadn't expected that after just one warm-up battle against the Dwarfs, the amount of faith collected would already be sufficient to awaken Mio Takamiya.
Spreading religion on a wide scale had indeed been the right move.
Had she focused solely on humans and neglected the massive beastman population, it likely would've taken another two or three months to awaken Mio.
"What should we do now?"
Forcing himself to suppress the excitement in his heart, Riku voice trembled slightly as he asked,
"Origami, should we go meet Lady Mio Takamiya?"
"Yes, yes! I can't wait any longer!"
Jibril eyes sparkled as she cracked her knuckles.
"I want to see if the god you've spent so long setting up is truly worthy of challenging the God of War. Don't let me down!"
Origami fell silent for a moment, not replying immediately.
Because she wasn't sure what kind of existence Mio Takamiya truly was.
Was she a mere puppet that only followed her commands? A system-generated tool god? Or the true Mio Takamiya from the original story, with all her memories intact?
She didn't know.
To avoid any unexpected situations, Origami took a deep breath and said,
"The Spirit Race's Main God has just awakened. She may need some time to adapt. You all stay here—I'll go meet her alone."
"That's the safest decision." Schwi nodded in agreement.
"Among the three of us, only Origami is a true Spirit. It's best for her to meet the Spirit God."
"Is that so...?"
Jibril pouted but didn't argue.
In the others' eyes, Origami true identity was the embodiment of the will of the entire Spirit Race. But in Jibril view, she was merely a special individual among the Flügel.
Still, since Origami had insisted, there must be a reason behind her confidence.
So Jibril temporarily suppressed her excitement and eagerness for battle, agreeing to wait.
"Well then, see you all soon."
Looking in the direction where Mio Takamiya had appeared, Origami narrowed her eyes—then, in a flash, vanished from the spot.