Becoming a God Starts with Acting
Chapter 168: [Blizzard Manor] - Prophet’s part (15)

Chapter 168: [Blizzard Manor] - Prophet’s part (15)

The air fell into a deadly silence. No one stepped forward, nor did anyone say a word—because here, no single person could stand a chance against Susan. Her power overwhelmed them all.

Jessica was the only one who might be able to fight Susan, but she had no regard for the lives of others—especially when the person in question was a dark esper.

She even seemed somewhat pleased as she watched the scene unfold. This was the kind of Susan she liked.

At that moment, Mason had also approached the enormous gate, shouting in terror:

"No! I don’t want to go outside! You can’t do this to me! You’re trying to kill me!"

Susan replied calmly, "It’s just stepping out of the gate. It won’t kill you."

As soon as she finished speaking, Mason stepped outside.

And then—something happened that none of them could have foreseen.

Mason suddenly let out a deafening scream and collapsed onto the snow, writhing in agony. His entire face twisted in pain, his body curling in on itself. Yet oddly, there wasn’t a single wound on him—no blood, nothing.

No one could understand why Mason was in such pain. Not even Mason himself knew why stepping out of the villa terrified him so much—or why the moment he did, the agony struck him like this.

All he could feel was his blood freezing, swarms of ants gnawing through every vein in his body, crushing his heart, suffocating him, making him feel like he was about to explode.

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts!

Then, he suddenly opened his mouth as if to vomit, and a black liquid spilled out. His stomach churned violently, and the pain became unbearable. He raised his hands and gripped his neck, squeezing as if trying to end it all himself.

At that moment, he even forgot about his abilities. He tried to crawl back inside the villa, but his body wouldn’t obey him—he couldn’t move or do anything. Realizing this pushed him to the brink of despair.

When Mason could endure no more, someone forcefully dragged him back inside.

The searing pain vanished instantly.

Mouth agape, Mason gasped desperately for air, his body drenched in cold sweat. Having stared death in the face, he was still trembling uncontrollably, too frightened to speak. Even if he had ten lives, he wouldn’t dare stand against Susan again.

His companions stood frozen like statues, not daring to make a sound.

Jessica grabbed Mason’s cheeks with one hand, forcing him to look up. Her eyes swept over the dark trail of fluid around his mouth. Based on what she observed earlier, there had even seemed to be something churning in Mason’s stomach as he convulsed outside.

"Was it something he ate? Or... something else?" Jessica murmured.

Faced with Jessica’s gaze—one that looked like she might dissect him on the spot—Mason couldn’t help but tremble and squirm in fear.

He could doubt anyone but not Jessica. He was genuinely afraid she’d cut him open.

"I don’t know what’s happening! Please, let me go!" Mason shouted.

But there was no escaping Jessica’s grip.

Jessica raised an eyebrow and glanced at Susan as though waiting for her to decide.

Zara muttered under her breath, "Doing this so directly... feels a bit cruel, doesn’t it..."

"Tom, Justin, Emilia, Stella—you four step outside the villa as well," Susan said slowly.

Tom and Justin’s expressions immediately turned to panic while Emilia and Stella looked at Susan in utter disbelief.

"But we’re believers of the angel Gabriel!" Stella shouted.

Susan replied gently, "There are no exceptions."

The four of them were promptly pushed out of the villa. At the same time, their anguished screams erupted—uncontrollable cries filled with torment, as if the pain had reached deep into their bones.

They were suffering just like Mason had.

Knowing this, Susan didn’t leave them outside for long and quickly allowed them back in.

The group trembled from the pain, but Emilia and Stella stood up quickly.

Emilia gasped for breath and urgently said, "I could feel it—there was something inside me. The moment I stepped out of the villa, it started thrashing, trying to get out."

Stella nodded in agreement. They had to explain themselves. The mere idea of being stripped of their right to remain in the angel Gabriel’s sanctuary was unthinkable.

Jessica sneered. "If that were only in your stomach, you wouldn’t be in that much pain."

Her words sent a chill through Emilia and the others. Mason recalled the sensation—as if countless ants were gnawing through his blood and flesh—and shuddered again.

One of the believers of the angel Raphael speculated, "Could it be... they ate something they weren’t supposed to?"

Zara nodded. "That’s right. This might be the consequence of consuming the wrong food. Let’s make them vomit it up first."

With that, she rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward, clearly planning to use physical means to help Emilia and the others purge their stomachs.

But just then, Susan raised her hand, stopping Zara mid-action. Zara halted almost immediately, looking at Susan with confusion.

Susan spoke calmly, "Last night, someone knocked loudly on Tom’s door—and there was screaming."

Her gentle gaze turned toward Tom, making him feel colder inside. He stammered, "Y-Yes, but nothing happened. I didn’t open the door."

"Tell the truth," Susan said kindly, her face soft.

Tom froze—and could no longer resist. "...Yes. I opened the door."

"And then?" Susan pressed.

But just then, Tom suddenly let out a scream and collapsed, clutching his stomach and writhing in agony on the ground. His face twisted like a fish out of water.

He could no longer speak.

But Susan had already gotten the answer she needed.

Jessica chuckled from the side and said, "So Tom opened the door. And the other four showed the same symptoms—chances are, they opened it too."

Susan’s gaze turned sharp as she looked at Emilia and Stella.

The two lowered their heads in shame.

Stella, frustrated, snapped, "It’s all because that monster was so cunning—it targeted us on purpose!"

Emilia added, "Yes, we opened the door. But... nothing happened, so we didn’t report it."

Jessica scoffed coldly, "How can you be sure nothing happened? With your power level, it wouldn’t be surprising if the monster inside the dungeon altered your memories."

Her words stabbed into everyone’s hearts like blades. But there was no denying it—she was right.