57 - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

## Chapter 57: Weakening the Belief in the Celestial Church When the End Witch mentioned the initial honorifics, Lin En felt something was off but didn't quite grasp the situation. However, as she uttered the final phrase, everything changed dramatically. "What?" "You want me to kill the Lord of a Billion Stars?" Lin En was utterly stunned. It was akin to being thrown into a track meet on your first day of athletics training, only for Usain Bolt to walk up to you and say he's merely the starter; your true opponent is Barry Allen from Central City. He couldn't help but want to slap himself. What kind of masochistic impulse was this? The witch hadn't asked him to undertake any advancement trials, so why pursue this line of questioning? Lin En thought awkwardly. Even if, hypothetically, he somehow gained the power to instantly defeat a god… They existed in different dimensions; even if he combed the entire continent, he might not see any trace of that deity. Wanting to kill him seemed like a fool's errand. This was, essentially, a fantasy. Seeing Lin En drenched in sweat, the seemingly indifferent witch let a faint smile slip. "I thought you were just an overconfident mortal," she commented, her red lips barely moving. "Now I see you do harbor some fears." Sensing the witch's dark sense of humor, Lin En took a deep breath. He decided to reassess his first impression of the End Witch. It seemed that, even after a hundred thousand years, enriched by such profound life experiences, she hadn't shed her original mischievous streak. And why, once again, was it the Lord of a Billion Stars? There appeared to be some odd connection between them. After all, his previous self had been a follower of that deity, once part of the Celestial Church. But an event known as the "Nobles' Shame" had caused his downfall and led to him being forsaken by that god. Looking back now, it seemed this was all a scheme orchestrated by the Mosgler family and the nobles of the Celestial Church. That high and mighty deity, however, likely knew nothing of these trivial matters. Lin En knew little about his family's affairs. Reflecting on it, based on the original texts, the archbishop of the Celestial Church was a supporter of the second prince, while his previous self's father was a stalwart supporter of the Royal Party, unwilling to get involved in the king's selection. Perhaps the conflict had its roots there. Lost in contemplation, Lin En was caught off guard by the witch's reaction, as she mistakenly thought he was seriously pondering the possibility of slaying a god. She didn't consider Lin En normal. What normal person would pray to her stockings and profess a desire to become her devoted follower? "Forget about that previous demand," the witch said lightly. "Now, this is the trial I truly need you to complete." "Do you know where the power of the gods stems from?" Her voice was cold yet pleasing. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, the End Witch waved her hand. Instantly, a velvet chair materialized beside her that seemed oddly familiar to Lin En. She crossed one leg over the other and sat down, the delicate whites of her feet lightly touching the ground. Lin En gathered himself and replied, "The power of belief." The End Witch gave a slight nod. "Exactly." "The so-called power of belief is the aggregation of the spiritual will of countless devout followers, serving both as an anchor and as the source of divine transformation. That’s why gods choose agents in the human world, establish churches, spread their gospel, and compel people to worship them." "But this power does not originate from them." "Though formidable, it is not without its downsides." Upon hearing this, Lin En gained some understanding, his eyes darting around. "So, you're implying... if we were to eliminate all the Celestial Church's followers, they'd lose their power source and inevitably fall from grace?" "......" The End Witch seemed momentarily stumped by Lin En's bold assertion, falling silent. After a pause, she closed her eyes. "In a way, yes." For example, during times of war, many small nations were ravaged, and the invading oppressors often committed massacres. It wasn't necessarily out of sheer brutality but was a component of divine conflict. The rapid loss of believers led to a significant drop in divine power, making them vulnerable to enemy attacks. But the Celestial Church was different. Apart from the Holy Roland Empire, the Celestial Church had a substantial number of followers, numbering in the millions, in other countries. How could they all be killed? That was entirely impractical. Sensing the End Witch's sudden silence, Lin En awkwardly laughed. "My bad, please continue." The cold woman with white hair and red eyes glanced at him and continued slowly, "There are currently two tasks I need you to accomplish." "First, I need you to hunt down at least one hundred extraordinary individuals from the Celestial Church, with strength no less than Tier 2." Lin En grimaced. Even the first task was daunting. He was currently only at Tier 1. Even with the divine blessing of the "End" faith and the assistance of a system, he could only barely fight beyond his level. A hundred such individuals could overwhelm him easily. Moreover, Ivysser wouldn't allow him to do so openly. Thus, the hunt had to be conducted in secret. This meant progress would be painfully slow. Seeing Lin En quiet, the End Witch continued, ignoring him. "Secondly, I need you to somehow diminish the people's belief in the Lord of a Billion Stars." "Diminish... belief?" The End Witch nodded slightly. "Undermining belief equates to weakening His fundamental power." Lin En felt at a loss. "But belief is intangible. How can I weaken it?" "That is for you to determine." The End Witch's voice turned a bit colder. Observing this, Lin En sighed. "Could you at least tell me the reason for these tasks?" "An experiment." "An experiment?" The End Witch, recalling his earlier words, lifted her delicate wrist and examined her slender fingers. "As you once said, if the inertia of the past is strong enough, destiny is not set in stone." "I want you to attempt weakening his fundamental power ten millennia ago, to see if it impacts his future self." "Not significantly, just a trace will do." Seeing the End Witch's expression, Lin En asked, "Why?" She didn’t answer directly. Instead, under his surprised gaze, she rolled back the cuffs of her ruffled sleeves, revealing a snow-white slender arm. Lin En looked up and noticed there was a scar. A scar... with a very peculiar appearance.