Grim Reaper in the Apocalypse: Reaping Immortals

Chapter 220 Riddle me this

"Do you have any more questions?"

Atlan shook his head. Ninth already told him the basic plan. It was useless to go into more detail because things could always change in the Remedium. It would be much better to familiarize themselves with each other's tendencies so that they could anticipate each other's moves when plans go awry.

It was a pity that they didn't have the time to do so. Ninth would have wanted to practice in the dojo and let Atlan witness their teamwork before they embarked on the mission, but they didn't have any time to waste.

The least she could do was tell Atlan her team's jobs and responsibilities.

"Just make sure to always stick to your bodyguard."

The tank raised his bicep and flexed it to Atlan, showing him that he was more than capable of protecting him. Atlan ignored him.

"Go to the Reverend. He has to give you something."

Atlan looked to the side and saw Reverend Fifty-Seventh. He was muttering a prayer in the sky. He only finished his prayers once Atlan walked over towards him.

"God blesses you, young man. It is a huge honor for you to be the one to enter into the Church's holy basement. I implore you to, please, be careful."

Atlan wasn't supposed to know this, but he heard from the Elder Heads that the Door in the basement was actually the Genesis God's literal heart.

It was no wonder why the Reverend looked so stressed. With the Ifrit taking hostage of their God's heart, it was as if it took everyone's heart hostage as well, literally and figuratively.

"Can you give me any advice on how to find the basement? Ninth told me that the Remedium won't exactly mirror the real world."

The Reverend closed his eyes and muttered a prayer Atlan couldn't understand.

Then, he suddenly opened his eyes. Atlan was shocked to see that the Reverend's irises turned grayish, and his pupils turned pure white. His expression of zealousness was gone and was replaced by numbness and indifference.

Then, in a low voice rumbling voice, he utters,

"In the realm beneath your feet, where shadows often creep,

A world turned upside down, where secrets lie and sleep.

Not quite the attic, nor the sky so bright,

A place of hidden wonders, away from the light."

The reverend soon closed his eyes and opened them to reveal his normal brown iris and black pupils. His expression returned to normal and showed a…human…expression.

"What was that?" Atlan asked.

"It is the answer to your question," the Reverend said. "The Genesis God gave you a riddle that you must find the answer yourself."

Atlan found it quite ridiculous. This mission was supposed to help the Genesis God and get rid of the Canzer taking hostage of His heart. He couldn't understand why the God wouldn't just give him the answer so that he wouldn't have any trouble with the mission.

"Why can't he just tell me the answer himself? Why the riddle?"

"If He tells you what happens, then it will not happen. The moment you learn the truth to where the basement is located, is the moment that its location changes. The Remedium will not let you go to its most critical point so easily; it will trip you, confuse you, and force you to turn back. You must find the answer yourself if you want to reach the basement."

Atlan frowned. "Is my thinking correct that the Remedium is the God's body?"

The Reverend remained silent for a few moments before saying, "Yes."

"If so, then why couldn't the God command His own body to guide me towards the basement? Why must the Remedium be hostile to those who are trying to help Him?"

The Reverend looked at Atlan and pondered, for a second, whether it was all right to reveal some of the God's secrets to him.

"Just like how a person cannot control the mechanisms of his own body, a God cannot interfere in His own Remedium. That is the very reason why humans—Saviors—are needed in the first place. They are the only ones that can help the God."

"But why not? If he is a God, then surely he must have the power to make the impossible possible."

"Young man, can you control the beating of your own heart? Can you make your veins stop themselves from passing blood? If you cannot, then does that mean that you do not own your body? Does that mean that you cannot control your own body?

"No, I can't. But I am not a God."

The Reverend put his hands behind his back. "No, you are not."

"If the Genesis God is not all-powerful, then is he still considered God?" Atlan asked.

The Reverend went silent and looked up at the skies.

"This is not the time to argue about philosophy, young man. These are the rules of the world, and we must abide by them. It might not make sense for us mere mortals, but who are we to comprehend the divine? You cannot explain it by human logic or sense."

Atlan went silent. For him, this mission was important to preserve the lives of everyone in the City. He didn't want to lose.

Failing means that millions of people will suffer.

Atlan couldn't let that happen, which was why he couldn't understand why the God wouldn't help him find the basement.

"I suggest that you focus on your mission. This is a job that only you can accomplish."

The Reverend then raised his hands in the sky and muttered a prayer under his breath.

Atlan watched as a cloud above them suddenly turned golden. A bright ray of light beamed down towards Atlan and bathed him with warmth.

"As the Elder Heads decreed, you are entitled to rewards for accepting this mission. The Genesis God has allowed you to receive them, and will endow you with his blessing."

Just as the Reverend said that, blue wisps and golden sand particles suddenly descended from the skies and spiraled towards Atlan.