Song Jia guessed that she must be in a virtual reality world.
Of course, this conclusion didn't come from a random, wild guess. All of her previous missions had followed a linear timeline, so her fifth transmigration mission this time should be following the same pattern.
If she was actually inside virtual reality, everything would start to make sense.
The vengeful reincarnator had also said that the world they were living in wasn't real. Since all of the people Song Jia had met so far didn't behave like NPCs, they must be players that got stuck in this world.
As for how they got stuck...
The vengeful reincarnator had said it herself.
—"I will never let Xu Jinhai wipe out and twist my memories again."
From the looks of it, the vengeful reincarnator believed that the male god was brainwashing everyone to forget about the real world and completely live in this underworld he had created.
But how would he have the ability to do that?
And why would he do it?
Song Jia pursed her lips. "Instead of things being cleared up, it became more complicated instead."
Virtual reality worked just like a game, where although you were granted skills and powers, one couldn't tamper with the memories of the player.
"But that's not the most important point. That strange object I was so interested in...it should probably be a representation of a pixel."
The pixel, representing the smallest part of a bitmapped graphic, which was a single dot of colour. It was the pixel which first led the beginning of digital imaging, from the earliest televisions to the most advanced computer screens.
Not everyone might be familiar with computer science, but almost anyone can recognize what a pixel was. A pixel usually emits light, and if you have enough of them they can be used to display information.
Of course, in a virtual world, pixels doesn't actually exist. That's why Song Jia thought that the vengeful reincarnator must be using it as a memory jogger, to prevent herself from being brainwashed into thinking that this world was real.
"The vengeful reincarnator could also be tricking me like Piencheng, purposely leading me to suspect the male god again. I shouldn't jump quickly to conclusions."
Song Jia's first priority was to escape from her current situation. Regardless of whether this was a virtual world or not, if anything happened to the male god, her mission would still fail all the same.
As for whatever questions she had, Song Jia trusted that the male god would tell her the truth.
"Since when did I trust the male god so much?" Song Jia shook her head. "I should also confirm all of this through Nova, he's probably hiding something from me."
There was no weapon inside her storage space ring that could cut the manacle restraining her ankle. Song Jia also tried using her own magic to break it, copying Yanluo's transmutation abilities.
Unfortunately, the chain didn't disintegrate into gold. Her power level was too low.
Song Jia examined the manacle, and found out that it didn't have any keyhole. It was also fitted tightly to her ankle, which meant that even if she had a lubricant, she still wouldn't be able to slip it off.
"Do I have to cut my own ankle?" Song Jia shuddered just thinking about it. "No, let's leave it as a last resort. Nova said that the other demon lords are beginning to close in on them. It also won't take long for Jinhai to notice that I'm gone..."
Song Jia trailed off as an idea popped inside her head.
"Wait, maybe I could...?"
...
While Song Jia was worrying about her situation, the angels were worrying about their own upcoming battle as well.
Just as there were seven deadly sins, there were also seven virtues to counter them. 『Castitas』, 『Temperantia』, 『Caritas』, 『Industria』, 『Patientia』, 『Humanitas』, and 『Humilitas』.
The vengeful reincarnator had wasted no time in trying to bring these powerful dominions to her side. They were angelic lords which regulated the duties of the lower angels, much like the demon lords in the underworld.
She knew that she couldn't win without some powerful allies by her side. When she had gotten imprisoned by the Great Demon King, she almost thought that she had failed to persuade them to join her cause. But that was before they rescued her from Yanluo's castle and they finally cooperated hand-in-hand.
"Raziel, don't worry. I heard that the demon lord of lust had been killed by the Great Demon King. Also, our scouts had informed me that the demon lord of pride was nowhere to be seen. We outnumber them."
Raphael, the angel lord that ruled over humility, reassured her in a calm tone.
Raziel nodded at him. Raphael was the third strongest angel there after her, so his words held weight. And with Raphael's virtue, it meant that his words weren't spoken in overconfidence, but plain and honest truth.
What the vengeful reincarnator had been mostly worried about were the demon lords of wrath, pride, and greed. They were the most violent and tricky ones. With Songdi gone, that meant they had one less powerful enemy to worry about.
"Alright. Please take care of those demon lords for me."
Raziel clenched her fist. During her past life, she had once met the Great Demon King. When she faced him, she was barely a fly in his eyes.
Now that she was in her second life, she was finally planning to face him in battle. Struggling day by day to level up in power, using any desperate trick to gather allies, she had climbed up to this point with her own two hands that were bruised and bleeding.
'I was so weak back then. Every time I remembered my past death, it gave me more motivation to continue living, to fight for another day.'
Raziel felt her vision becoming blurred with tears, and she hastily blinked them away.
'I was so frustrated with how monstrous he was. How could someone be so powerful? I couldn't even fight against the demon that tortured me, so how could I win against the Great Demon King? But the heavens gave me another chance, so that I could realize the truth of this world. I can't waste it thinking weak thoughts like these.'
"Raziel, my scouts reported that they have seen the demon lords entering our territory," Raphael announced. "Everybody, please get ready for battle."
"Everyone, please take care of yourself! I'll treat you to a grand meal once all of this is over, okay?"
"As expected of the ruler of charity! Then, that's a promise!"
Raziel smiled after hearing the laughter of her teammates. She lifted her face and gazed coldly at the horizon.
'I've done my best. Every trial and struggle I've managed to overcome had made me stronger. I have powerful allies now, and I wasn't as helpless as I was before. This fake world...I'll shatter it with my own two hands.'
She opened her wings and spread them, unfurling them in all of its glory. The representation of the pixel she was holding in her hand floated up, to repeatedly remind them of the cause that they were fighting for.
"Well then...everyone, let's go."