【 DESCENT OF THE GODDESS, UPHEAVAL IN SEIGÜES 】

—

The actions of the group seemed to have stirred a hornet’s nest. For within that instant, it was as if they had become the enemies of the entire world.

Whether fish or even the seaweeds, all forms of marine life suddenly became active, launching attacks against them.

The marine life moved swiftly and the players had barely finished praying when they were completely surrounded.

The creatures charged at them in a frenzy, heedless of their own survival.

But just then, a dazzling radiance burst forth from the Stone Gate. The ancient archgate emitted a hazy glow, and a graceful figure slowly emerged from inside it.

With silver hair, violet eyes, and clad in a dress of armor, it was none other than Evé.

The instant she stepped into this world, the very mana of the place seemed to boil asunder.

The players watched in astonishment as the surrounding fog surged rapidly toward the goddess.

At the same time, the goddess, who until now had displayed only a sacred and beautiful appearance without exuding even the slightest sense of oppression, began to radiate an immense divine aura, becoming even more sacred and noble.

Her strength, in just a single moment, rose from a level the players could only look up to, to one far beyond even their ability could perceive.

She cast a gentle glance at the illusory marine creatures surrounding them. At once, all the nearby creatures trembled and collapsed, disintegrating into pure mana.

Yet the creatures farther away did not retreat.

As though driven by some unseen will, they surged forward, charging toward Evé.

Great white sharks, colossal octopuses, sea serpents, and massive whales gathered in increasing numbers, rushing toward her with wanton abandon.

Their auras were formidable. Even the weakest among them were at the upper ranks of Gold, most were of Legendary-rank, and a few possessed a strength so overwhelming that even Kelez felt a chill in his heart.

Yet Evé merely raised her hand and gave a gentle wave.

A hazy brilliance spread outward, and a domain woven from golden and green light expanded from her as its center.

Across the ground, seaweed began to grow wildly. At the same time, it seemed to break free from some unseen controlling will, instead becoming an ally of Evé.

It sheltered the players and began to entangle the frenzied sea creatures.

This was the complete Domain of Life and Nature.

Having entered the ruins through the Gate of Reversal, the suppression of the Mindel Realm had now vanished.

Eve’s divine incarnation had returned to the peak of lesser divine power.

Moreover, with the lifting of that suppression, the Triumphal Arch Gate was finally unsealed, restoring its former strength.

It once again possessed the ability to traversed any space at will.

At the very moment of their transfer into this place, Evé had already used this divine artifact to locate the coordinates of the world of Seigües and reestablish contact with her true body.

At this moment, the passage between the two realms had been opened.

However, Evé could still sense a force of law suppressing both herself and the Gate of Reversal.

The connection between the two realms was not bidirectional as usual, but remained one-way.

Thus, only beings from the world of Seigües could pass through the Gate of Reversal into the ruins, while those within the ruins could not return to Seigües through it.

This suppressive force seemed to originate from the massive stone formation before them.

Another crucial reason was that Evé was still unable to determine the exact location of the ruins and the Mindel Realm within the cosmos.

Without knowledge of both sets of coordinates, the Gate of Reversal could not fully unleash its power.

Even so, it was sufficient.

A passage of this level was enough for Evé to project her true power.

The complete Domain of Life and Nature before them was precisely what her true body had transmitted through the Stone Arch Gate.

Golden radiance enveloped the land, while pale green motes of light danced through the air.

The marine creatures froze in place.

As the light swept over them, their bodies rapidly solidified, transforming into sculptures of mana crystal.

Moments later, the sculptures shattered, dissolving into a drifting rain of crystal that fell gently from above.

The rain of mana crystals intertwined with the golden and green motes, forming a scene of breathtaking, dreamlike beauty.

Amid this brilliant radiance, Eve’s sacred and lofty figure appeared even more majestic and divine.

The players gazed blankly at the goddess in the sky, once again overwhelmed by the magnificence of her presence.

Kelez, sensing the immense power radiating from the Goddess, was filled with excitement.

Eve’s expression remained calm.

She swept her gaze over the remaining sea creatures, and they immediately fell into disarray.

At the same time, a sense of dread and apprehension arose within the hearts of the players and Kelez.

Yet this was not their own emotion.

Rather, it seemed to be an emotion emanating from the world of the ruins itself.

It was the feeling revealed by the will that had been controlling the sea creatures to attack them.

At that moment, a single thought arose in the minds of all the players:

The sealed existence within this ruin was afraid!

And the object of its fear was the goddess who had descended before them.

Realizing this, the players were filled with excitement, their gazes toward Evé brimming with fervor.

“This feeling of clinging to the support of a powerful figure to complete a quest… was simply exquisite!”

The marine creatures scattered in all directions, fleeing in panic as the surrounding world gradually fell into silence.

Eve’s expression remained calm, as though she had merely accomplished something trivial.

She slowly raised her head and looked toward the center of the ruins.

There lay the core of the massive monolithic formation.

She could sense a foreign presence there, so ancient and heavy, tinged with a faint sense of decay.

Lowering her gaze, Evé swept her eyes across the towering monoliths, the dense magical energy that permeated the surroundings, and the marine creatures hiding in fear.

A thought stirred within her.

She had already grasped the nature of this ruin and formed a preliminary judgment regarding its sealing mechanism.

Not only that, but from the scene before her, she had even begun to speculate on the identity of the sealed existence.

Withdrawing her domain, Evé slowly descended to the ground.

She intended to directly visit the entity that had been sealed.

Meanwhile, the moment she withdrew her domain, the players, having regained control of their bodies, brightened up and excitedly began picking up the scattered mana crystals on the ground, as though they might pull out sacks to gather them.

All except Li Mu and Little Salty Cat.

Evé: “…”

Kelez: “…”

→⟐←

The Abyssal World, Wasteland of Desolation.

A mighty black dragon roared across the sky, locked in battle with several Abyssal myths. The clouds churned violently, as though heralding the end of the world.

On the ground, a vast army of demons surged like a tidal wave, charging toward the blood-soaked walls, whose original color could no longer be discerned.

Flashes of magic erupted across the battlefield, accompanied by the thunderous roar of mana-crystal cannons and the sharp whistling of arrows.

By now, this ongoing conflict within this Abyssal World had reached an increasingly intense stage.

Suddenly, a resounding dragon’s roar echoed through the sky, followed by several muffled cries of pain.

The heavy clouds were torn apart by immense force, and several battered figures, shrouded in black mist, fled into the distance in disarray.

The majestic black dragon let out an excited cry and gave chase.

Behind it followed three other dragons, one gold and two silver, along with two figures cloaked in black and wielding scythes.

Only after the fleeing shadows had completely vanished did they gradually come to a halt.

The enormous black dragon circled in the air before returning to the stronghold, unleashing a torrent of corrosive acid breath upon the demons below.

The other beings, each radiating vast power, descended to various points along the city walls and joined the battle.

With mythical-rank beings directly entering the fray, the demonic and monstrous army on the ground quickly fell into disarray as heavy casualties spread rapidly through the black tide.

Eventually, a deep, resonant horn blasts sounded in the distance.

It was the signal to retreat.

Leaving behind an endless field of corpses, the Abyssal forces withdrew in defeat.

Gradually, the battlefield grew quiet once more, while cheers erupted from the defenders of the stronghold.

The black dragon snorted, circled once again, and returned, shrinking his form.

Upon landing, Meryer spoke excitedly:

“Quick! Bring forth the roasted meat for this great lord!”

At once, a group of elves rushed forward, pushing carts laden with roasted meat, their expressions eager to please.

The black dragon began to feast with satisfaction, casually spitting into a barrel the elves had brought forward.

That was his means of payment.

Observing this scene, demigod Aurora, standing atop the city wall, was already accustomed to it.

Similar events had occurred repeatedly in recent days.

Several months had passed since she had reentered this Abyssal world.

Even in the world of Seigües, nearly two months had gone by.

Although the elves had faced unprecedented crises during their defense, they had endured with the assistance of the Black Dragon God Meryer and the emissaries of the God of Death.

The most severe incident occurred when the Abyss launched a full-scale assault on the stronghold, even dispatching a malevolent entity of intermediate divine power.

However, its dominance was rather short-lived.

A scythe descended from the heavens, striking it into nothingness and bringing about its complete destruction.

The Scythe of Death…

It was aid delivered from afar by Hela, the Goddess of Death.

After that event, the frequency of Abyssal assaults gradually diminished, and no Abyssal myths of intermediate divine power or higher appeared again.

Even the number of demonic forces besieging the stronghold had significantly decreased compared to their peak.

The pressure on the elves was greatly reduced, and the course of battle was becoming increasingly favorable.

The Chosen Ones had grown more experienced in combat, and the balance of war had begun to tilt toward the elven side.

It could be said that the greatest crisis facing the stronghold had already passed.

At this rate, even without the personal intervention of the Goddess, they would still be able to hold their ground.

However, Aurora did not feel any sense of relief.

On the contrary, her expression grew increasingly grave.

Having spent thousands of years in the Abyss, she understood the demons all too well.

In terms of the scale of this war, the damage inflicted upon the Abyss was far from sufficient to cripple it.

Moreover, the reduction in the number of demons far exceeded the losses actually dealt by their side.

From this perspective, the Demons appeared to be withdrawing of their own accord.

The reason for this withdrawal was evident, namely the direct intervention of the Goddess of Death.

Once the divine artifact Scythe of Death was used, any being whose divine rank was inferior to the Goddess of Death would inevitably perish.

Although all mythical beings understood that Hela, who had yet to fully master the Divinity of Death, must pay a certain price each time she wielded this divine artifact, none knew how many times she could still use it.

Thus, no mythical being was willing to gamble their life on such uncertainty.

Under these circumstances, it could be said that the elven side now stood in an unassailable position.

Yet Aurora knew well that the Demons would never abandon their planned invasion on the world of Seigües.

So this begs the question…

What would they do next?

Her gaze darkened further as she summoned an accompanying priest of the Church of Life.

“Sir Caesar, please inform the Church to once again issue warnings to all factions back in Seigües.”

→⟐←

World of Seigües, Southeastern Lower Reaches of the Vymur River

This was the border between the Holy Maniya Empire and the Kingdom of Aries, two great human powers facing each other across the river.

On the northern bank, within the territory of the Holy Maniya Empire, a procession composed of priests from the Eternal Church and Inquisition Knights came to a gradual halt in a small riverside town.

The leading priest and knight stepped forward, and a local noble immediately approached them.

“Your Reverence, you have finally arrived!”

The priest nodded calmly and said,

“Do not be anxious, Baron. Please tell us in detail where the traces of demons were discovered.”

The corpulent noble nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow, and summoned two farmers.

“Your Reverence, it was them. They discovered signs of demonic activity in their courtyard. At first, they believed it to be a wild beast…”

“However, when they requested adventurers to deal with it, they discovered it was in fact a demon of upper Iron-rank.”

“At present, the demon has been confined within the courtyard by the adventurers. No one dares approach it, nor is anyone capable of dealing with it.”

Upon hearing this, the priest and the knight exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious.

“We understand. Please lead us to where the demon is being held.”

“Do not be alarmed. The knights we have deployed this time are all of mid-rank strength. A mere Iron-rank demon poses no difficulty against them.”

“However, while such a demon is not a serious concern, we do require your cooperation in investigating where these demons are coming from.”

Hearing this, the noble visibly relaxed.

“That is reassuring… truly reassuring…”

He nodded repeatedly.

“Your Reverence, we will fully cooperate!”

With that, he hurriedly led the group forward.

Surrounded by the townspeople, the priests and knights arrived before a dilapidated courtyard.

“Your Reverence, the demon is inside.”

The noble spoke with evident fear.

The priest nodded and signaled to the knight, who immediately brought two companions forward and kicked open the locked gate.

The gate swung wide, revealing the disordered state within the courtyard.

The ground bore traces of blood, along with vicious claw marks.

However, there was no sign of any demon.

“Where is the demon?”

The priest and the Inquisition Knights frowned slightly.

They turned back toward the plump noble, only to find that he and the surrounding townspeople were wearing strange, distorted smiles, their mouths stretched unnaturally to their ears.

“A demon? Your Reverence, do we look like demons to you?”

In the next instant, their skin split apart, flesh bulging grotesquely as jagged scales emerged across their bodies.

A black mist surged forth, instantly engulfing the entire knight squad.

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