Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level?-Chapter 148[Vol. 6] - A Melody to Guide the Lost Home

[Vol. 6] Chapter 148: A Melody to Guide the Lost Home

For the first time, the voice emanating from the tablet betrayed panic and unease.

“You… it’s you! Impossible. It can’t be you! How could you be here?”

But the white-haired girl with the fox mask merely chuckled softly.

“What’s the matter? Weren’t you putting on quite the act earlier when you pretended to be me? You even bragged that it wouldn’t matter if I showed up. Feeling scared now?”

“Nonsense! How could I possibly be afraid of a mere greedy little fox? Before, it was just luck and trickery. You only succeeded because of a fluke…”

The voice faltered mid-retort, and a sudden cold realization seemed to dawn, its tone shifting into something colder and more distant.

“No… you’re not [Dawn]. The [Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden] would never appear here. If she could, why would she wait until now to reveal herself? Who are you, daring to impersonate her in front of me?”

“Heh~ Who’s the real imposter here, I wonder?”

Despite the harsh accusations, the masked girl remained composed. Her calmness was like a gentle breeze, unfazed and unyielding. She took slow, deliberate steps forward, her presence radiating quiet authority.

The figure projected from the tablet began to shrink under the weight of her advance, retreating step by step until it backed into the statue of the [Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden]. Realization dawned on its face, replaced by sheer terror.

“You… you… this aura… it’s impossible, impossible!”

The girl stopped next to the towering white-armored warrior, who seemed uncertain about the unfolding events. Its eyes as deep as an abyss beneath the helmet locked onto her in silence. It neither lowered its greatsword nor made any move to attack.

Ignoring the warrior’s hesitation, the girl continued forward. Standing at barely half the height of the massive guardian, she positioned her small frame between it and the tablet at the temple’s center. Her voice, calm and steady, rang out again.

“[Nameless]… it’s been over a thousand years since we last met. I thought you might’ve spent that time reflecting here, but it seems you haven’t changed one bit.”

Her words struck a nerve. The [Nameless Demon Sovereign], now fully enraged, abandoned its earlier focus on questioning her identity. Instead, it roared with fury and venomous hatred, its voice reverberating through the temple.

“Reflect? What do I have to reflect on?! I only wanted to become stronger, to gain power beyond this world’s constraints and achieve true freedom!”

“Survival of the fittest, natural selection. This is an eternal truth! The strong should rule all. What harm is there in that? Haven’t you, the great [Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden], killed people before? You just can’t stand the idea of others reaching your level of power, so you’re making excuses to justify your actions!”

“Do you have any idea what a miracle the technique I created is? It’s a path that allows mortals like us to surpass our limits, break through the unyielding barriers of the mundane, and reach the ultimate realm! Even in the [Origin Realm], there are only a handful of ascended gods who’ve achieved this!”

“[Dawn], you selfish, greedy fox! What right do you have to claim the title of Holy Immortal?!”

The white-haired fox-masked girl tilted her head slightly at the outburst.

“Oh? So that’s what you think…”

With a light wave of her crimson sleeve, an ancient wooden zither materialized before her. Her delicate fingers brushed gently across its seven pristine strings as if in thought.

Others in her position might have sternly rebuked the [Nameless Demon Sovereign] for its disregard for life or defended their actions as a protector of justice. But not her.

Instead, she let out a soft chuckle, the corners of her mouth curving into a teasing, almost infuriating smirk.

“You know, there’s one thing you said that I actually agree with. Strength is everything in this world. Without it, all talk is meaningless.”

“Hmm… That’s right. I didn’t like you, so I went out of my way to mess with you. What about it? Who do you think you are? You think you’re qualified to decide whether I deserve the title of [Holy Immortal]?”

“Doesn’t it just make you furious that your grand plans were ruined by a fox? It happened a thousand years ago, and now it’s happening all over again. Doesn’t that make you want to explode? If you’re so angry, come fight me, you pathetic loser~”

“[Dawn]!!!”

The projection froze for a moment before erupting into an ear-piercing roar, almost a scream. The sheer intensity of its fury seemed to reverberate through the entire temple, raw and unrestrained.

“You greedy fox! I’LL KILL YOU!!!”

The projection shattered with a resounding crash, disintegrating into countless dazzling beams of white light that surged violently from the tablet. The sheer intensity of the spectacle dwarfed the earlier battle with the white-armored warrior, resembling nothing less than divine fury.

This was the [Nameless Demon Sovereign]’s true power.

The white light radiated a force capable of stripping existence itself. Anyone it touched, even slightly, would be drained entirely, reduced to an eerie hollow shell, as if they had never existed at all.

“…!”

The white-armored warrior quickly stepped forward, its battle armor clanking as it moved to shield the fox-masked girl. But she calmly raised an arm to stop it and let out a casual, confident chuckle.

“A thousand years ago, even at your peak, I had you running around like a headless chicken. Now, with your incomplete essence and no physical body to back you up, who are you trying to scare?”

“Ding~”

A soft chime rang out as a silver bell gently floated into the air, hanging naturally beneath the ancient zither that the fox-masked girl had already summoned. The bell emitted a series of serene chimes, and the fox-shaped jade pendant at her waist rose as well, transforming into a pure fox-shaped engraving along the zither’s side, releasing waves of profound energy.

[With clouds as my form, the bell as my guide, and the fox as my heart… let this melody guide the lost souls home.]

*Zing~*

The girl’s fingers lightly strummed the strings of the zither. The invisible sound waves rippled outward like a tempest, surging through the air like crashing waves, scattering the descending white light entirely.

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“This… what… AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

The music carried a power that struck deep into the soul, its effects intangible yet undeniable. As it resonated throughout the temple, the [Nameless Demon Sovereign]’s anguished screams filled the air, starkly different from its earlier fury. It was as though the demon was experiencing excruciating pain beyond comprehension.

The melody rippled on, carrying with it the weight of ancient and mysterious power.

[A boat on the river, an ancient lantern at night~]

[Celestial melodies soar, as dreams of the mortal world drift in~]

[Fate comes and goes like smoke dispersing, yet an infatuated heart remains unchanged~]

[The mortal world deceives, the mortal world laments. People sigh over the mortal world, yet no one truly understands it.]

[Golden spears and iron horses, the old path’s fleeting splendor, a thousand years, a myriad thoughts, all reduced to emptiness in a glance…]

[Let not the delusion mislead. Look back, the familiar tune still plays~]

As the melody lingered, the [Nameless Demon Sovereign]’s anguished wails gradually faded into silence. Fine cracks began to spread across the surface of the incomplete stone tablet. With a shattering sound, it broke apart entirely, splitting into over a dozen beams of white light. These fragments, drawn by some unseen force, shot off into the tomb’s many passageways, vanishing into the distance.

All that remained was the central core of the tablet, less than half of its original size. It glowed briefly before descending into the statue of the [Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden], where it was absorbed and disappeared completely.

“Sigh, the task she didn’t finish back then isn’t for me to meddle with either. You’ll stay sealed here quietly. Don’t think about causing any more trouble…”

With the final note played, the components of the ancient zither began to separate once more. The shrine maiden put the instrument away and raised her hand. A remnant of the white light that hadn’t been absorbed by the seal floated gently into her palm.

The girl silently studied the strange form in her hand, lost in thought, until a dull sound broke her concentration.

*Thud!*

She turned her head to find the white-armored warrior kneeling on one knee, its greatsword planted firmly in the ground. Its head, encased in its armor, was bowed deeply, offering her a gesture of profound respect.

Their eyes met, her silver-blue gaze beneath the mask and its deep eyes beneath the helmet, but no words were exchanged.

After a moment of hesitation, the fox-masked girl sighed softly and motioned for it to rise.

“These thousand years must have been hard for you. To endure until now… it couldn’t have been easy. This was *my* oversight.”

The white-armored warrior, so strikingly similar to Lucas, shook its head slowly, as if understanding her words. The armor on its chest opened naturally, and it reached inside to retrieve an intricately carved, radiant “core,” far more exquisite than those of the scarecrow warriors.

It held the core with both hands, presenting it reverently to the girl.

A faint, sand-like sound, reminiscent of air vibrating with magical energy, echoed softly through the temple as it spoke.

“Mission accomplished… My master.”