Goddess's Yuri harem: Chosing the Empress is hard-Chapter 119: Almost done- Part 3

Mary wasted no time. She leveled her gun at the woman, her stance firm and unwavering.

"That’s enough. Step away from the fire, hands where I can see them."

Mary commanded, her voice filled with authority.

Lila didn’t even flinch. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, as if amused by the demand.

"Or what? You’ll shoot me? You won’t. You’re too righteous for that. I’m a goddess. I won’t die even if you do that. It will just be wasted effort on your part."

She asked, voice dripping with mockery.

Mary’s eye twitched, but she didn’t fire.

Auriel, meanwhile, wasn’t paying attention to their exchange.

Something was wrong—something more than just Lila’s presence. A wave of corrupted energy pulsed through the air, crawling against her skin like insects.

Her golden eyes scanned the village ruins, her divine senses stretching out in search of the missing priestesses and hunters who had arrived before them.

They should have been here. They should have fought through this mess and been waiting at this very spot.

But there was no sign of them.

Nothing.

"Mary, something isn’t right. I can’t sense Lilith or the others. Be careful"

Auriel said cautiously, still scanning the area.

Mary rolled her eyes, keeping her weapon trained on Lila.

"You worry too much. I won’t be taken out so easily."

She barely had time to finish her sentence before the ground beneath her feet twisted unnaturally.

A massive shadow erupted from the dirt, tendrils of pure darkness surging forward and wrapping around Mary before she could react.

She let out a strangled curse, firing wildly at the black mass, but her bullets passed through it harmlessly.

"Auriel—!"

Her voice was cut off as the shadows swallowed her whole.

Auriel reached for her, lunging forward, but her fingers grasped nothing but air. Mary was gone.

Silence filled the village square.

Then—laughter.

Lila’s cruel, delighted laughter echoed through the empty streets, sending a chill down Auriel’s spine.

"Oh, Goddess Auriel, it seems like you’re all alone now. What will you do? Will you run? Will you fight? Will you—"

Lila cooed mockingly.

Auriel didn’t let her finish.

Her hands clenched into fists, divine energy crackling around her fingertips as she summoned her power.

The golden light she emitted was fierce, pushing back against the overwhelming corruption in the air.

"You don’t understand, I don’t need anyone else to deal with you."

Auriel said, her voice steady despite her anger.

She took a step forward, magic gathering at her fingertips, ready to capture Lila before she could cause any more destruction. But just as she was about to unleash her power, a cold hand wrapped around her wrist.

Auriel froze.

A shiver ran down her spine as an eerily familiar voice whispered behind her. freewebnσvel.cѳm

"My, my, Auriel... how you’ve grown."

That voice.

That presence.

It was Minerva.

But it wasn’t.

Auriel turned her head slightly, just enough to see the figure standing behind her.

The woman’s face was unmistakable—Minerva’s strong, elegant features, her piercing gaze, her divine presence. But it was twisted, tainted by an unnatural darkness.

Minerva’s once golden eyes were now a deep, endless void, and her grip on Auriel’s wrist was unnaturally strong.

"Minerva?"

Auriel breathed, barely above a whisper.

The corrupted goddess only smiled, her fingers tightening around Auriel’s wrist.

"Did you miss me?"

She purred.

Auriel tried to pull away, but the strength in Minerva’s grip was overwhelming. It wasn’t just physical power—it was divine.

Auriel felt her own energy weaken just by being near it, as if the very presence of the fallen goddess was siphoning her strength away.

"Let go."

Auriel demanded, trying to summon more magic to break free.

Minerva only chuckled, tilting her head.

"You don’t seem happy to see me. But I suppose I can’t blame you. It has been... quite some time, hasn’t it?"

She said, feigning a pout.

Auriel’s mind raced. This wasn’t just corruption—this was something worse. Something far more dangerous.

Minerva hadn’t just been revived.

She had been changed.

And if Auriel didn’t do something soon, she might not survive this encounter.

Auriel gritted her teeth as Minerva’s grip tightened around her wrist. The corrupted goddess’s touch felt like ice, chilling her to the bone.

The longer she remained in Minerva’s grasp, the more Auriel could feel her divine energy being drained, siphoned away into the darkness that had overtaken her former ally.

She had no choice. If she wanted to survive, she had to act now.

Summoning all the divine energy she could muster, Auriel focused it into her hand, letting it glow so brightly that it illuminated the darkened village around them.

The golden light crackled and pulsed, a stark contrast to the oppressive shadows that surrounded Minerva.

Then, with a sharp cry, Auriel unleashed the energy in a sudden, concentrated blast.

A powerful shockwave erupted between them, sending Minerva skidding backward as she was forced to release Auriel’s wrist.

Auriel staggered slightly, clutching her arm as she regained her balance, her eyes never leaving Minerva.

Minerva chuckled, brushing a strand of darkened hair behind her ear.

"That was impressive. But you must realize, Auriel, that you’re at a disadvantage here"

She mused, flexing her fingers as if testing them after the impact.

Auriel already knew that.

They were in the human realm, a place where divine energy naturally weakened over time, where gods had to exert more effort to maintain their strength.

Meanwhile, Minerva’s corrupted power thrived here. The darkness she wielded seemed to feed off the mortal world, making her stronger with every passing second.

Lila, who had been watching from the sidelines, smirked but didn’t interfere. She knew better. This was a battle between goddesses—something far beyond her mortal capabilities.

Auriel steadied herself, eyes narrowing.

"I won’t let you do as you please, Minerva."

Minerva’s smirk widened.

"Then stop me."

The older goddess sounded confident and she had a good reason for being this confident as well. There was no way she was going to go down that easily.

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