Chapter 156: The Goddess’s Hint
The chains strained, their sharp sound echoing through the arena. The Goddess resisted, but the force pulling on the chains intensified, biting into her ethereal flesh. Qin Chu could sense her agony, sharp and profound.
With the phantom of the Evil God dispersed, the seven Evil Gods in the Void refocused their attention on the Goddess, their combined power almost unbearable.
Yet, she persisted, desperate to communicate something vital. Her lips moved, a silent message.
Qin Chu knew this was crucial. He strained his ears, focused his mind, but the chains, imbued with chaos and madness, assaulted his senses. Even attempting to understand threatened to shatter his consciousness.
The Goddess’s image was fading. Darkness consumed her lower body, a churning black fog creeping upwards.
Only her head remained.
Still, her lips moved, a silent plea.
Damn it, Qin Chu thought, I have to try. He knew the risk was immense, but the Goddess’s message could be the key to his survival.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed his consciousness towards her, bracing for the inevitable backlash.
Hum!
A violent tremor ran through his body, blood erupting from his orifices. Madness, slaughter, malice, cruelty… a torrent of negativity flooded his mind, his body convulsing, strange marks spreading across his skin.
Almost simultaneously, the Goddess’s head was swallowed by the darkness, vanishing into the Void. The sliver of her consciousness, withdrawn, imprisoned once more.
But in that final moment, he saw the curve of her lips, heard her silent whisper.
A faint smile, a single word: Witches.
Ah!
A spasm of pain ripped through him, and he clutched his head, his hands covered in scales and vertical eyes, his body shaking uncontrollably. He was being polluted, corrupted, destroyed.
His cry startled Angelica, who had been watching anxiously from the entrance. While others knelt before the divine presence, she remained standing. In her heart, there was only Qin Chu.
Knowing her own weakness, she rushed into the arena, heedless of the danger, and placed her hand on his head.
“Holy Light…Holy Light…Holy Light…” she chanted, bathing him in a gentle glow. Her Holy Light, less potent than his, still had some effect. His pain subsided slightly.
Encouraged, Angelica continued, her Mana dwindling. Finally, his groans ceased.
Despite the throbbing pain in her head, she was ready to exhaust her remaining Mana when his hand reached out and grasped her wrist.
“Ange,” he rasped, “I’m alright.” He looked up at her, the little maid’s face pale and streaked with sweat.
Qin Chu’s condition was still dire. The physical mutations had subsided, but the pain lingered. He couldn’t let Angelica continue.
He glanced at the Goddess’s Hair on his wrist, now calm but still warm. The sprout within him, which had been greedily devouring his energy, was also quiet. He was drained.
He stood, his vision swimming, his body weak. He was vulnerable.
Anthea, sensing his weakness, prepared for battle within him.
Violet and Ekaterina rushed to his side, protective.
Anastasia, too, moved to shield him.
Only Loseweisse remained rooted to the spot, her feelings a confusing mix of concern and resentment. When Qin Chu had shielded her, she had felt a flicker of attraction to his strength, his protectiveness. She was ashamed of this fleeting feeling. Her heart belonged to Jie Luo.
But what confused her most was Qin Chu’s behavior. He had saved her, clearly indicating some level of interest. Yet, he was surrounded by other women, some exceptionally beautiful and powerful. He pursued them, but never her. Did he value her too much to approach, too precious to risk rejection?
If so, didn’t that mean she held a special place in his heart? A secret thrill ran through her. No, no, she reminded herself, her heart belonged to Jie Luo. Her interest in Qin Chu was purely strategic.
And what was that enormous phantom behind him? Why did she instinctively recoil from it, yet feel a strange kinship with the grotesque being behind the Grand Prince? It didn’t make sense.
Meanwhile, Qin Chu, struggling to regain his composure, looked around the ravaged arena. The dome had collapsed, raining down debris. The air reeked of blood. Through the shattered walls, he could see the devastation in the city beyond, like the aftermath of an earthquake. Screams echoed through the night.
Good heavens, he thought, how many nobles died this time?
He looked back at the arena and saw almost everyone kneeling. “What are you all doing?” he asked, surprised. He wasn’t worthy of such reverence.
The figures in the VIP seats straightened, their faces flushed with embarrassment. They couldn’t explain it. The sight of the enormous figure behind Qin Chu had evoked an instinctive awe, a primal urge to kneel.
No one mentioned it again, as if it had never happened.
Wadsworth, Saint Monique, Augustus, Zimmerman, and Natia descended from the platform and hurried to Qin Chu’s side, their faces still etched with shock.
Although Qin Chu’s strength hadn’t surpassed theirs, although he had only temporarily reached the mid-stage of the Champio realm through some unknown means, his rate of improvement was terrifying. Perhaps in a few years, or even less, he would be their equal, or even surpass them.
They knew that this day would be recorded in the annals of the Heavenly Continent.
Qin Chu’s name, as the strongest Hero, would be remembered forever.
Their wariness of him reached an unprecedented level. After defeating the Demon Beasts, this man would undoubtedly become the strongest in the Heavenly Continent, the most fearsome being.
Especially with that goddess behind him…
“Hero…”
“Brother Qin… Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?”
Qin Chu just shook his head, “I’m fine, but… I’ve overexerted myself. I’m a little tired.”
It was true. He was exhausted.
His body still twitched occasionally.
“Your strength truly opened our eyes, Hero. To have achieved such power in such a short time, it’s truly amazing. The Heavenly Continent is saved now. I believe it won’t be long before we can completely cleanse our land of those filthy Demon Beasts,” Wadsworth exclaimed excitedly. Whether these were his true feelings or just empty words, only he knew.
Qin Chu smiled wryly, “You overestimate me. My strength just now was only temporary, I’ll soon return to my original state…”
“Well, even so, it’s still very impressive.”
They all praised Qin Chu’s strength, saying he far surpassed the First Hero.
Hearing these words, Loseweisse and Athena’s faces darkened. In their hearts, no one could replace, let alone surpass, Lord Jie Luo.
Just wait, when Lord Jie Luo is resurrected, you’ll realize how short-sighted you are.
No one mentioned the goddess behind Qin Chu, as if she had never appeared… These old foxes were deliberately downplaying her presence, trying to keep the matter under wraps.
Otherwise, the Hero’s fame and influence would grow even stronger, something they couldn’t accept.
“By the way, Hero, did you also learn martial skills before being summoned to the Heavenly Continent? During your duel with the Grand Prince, I sensed an extremely refined combat awareness,” Saint Monique asked, voicing her doubts.
Tsk…
A mistake.
Qin Chu had hidden everything else well, but he had been careless about his combat awareness. He hadn’t expected it to be noticed so quickly.
He shrugged helplessly, “The world I came from wasn’t very peaceful either… Wars were frequent…”
He tilted his head and thought for a moment, “How should I put it? The intensity of the wars was much greater than the war against the Demon Beasts in the Heavenly Continent. In our world, people aren’t good at using magic, but they are very good at creating various magic tools. People drive all kinds of… well, magic tools, speeding across the land, flying in the sky, throwing all kinds of powerful magic bombs…”
“These magic tools can launch thousands of magic bombs, turning a city into ruins in a very short time.”
Augustus and the others exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other’s eyes.
A race that wasn’t good at using magic but was good at creating and driving magic tools? What kind of magic tools could withstand the weight of humans and allow them to drive them? Could even speed across the land and fly in the sky?
They couldn’t help but imagine the scene of thousands of Mana bombs raining down from the sky.
“There are also some powerful weapons called Truth and Justice. A single shot can directly destroy a city…”
“If a Demon Beast outbreak occurred in my original world, then the Demon Beasts now would probably be endangered species, enjoying the same treatment as pandas in zoos…”
“Oh, zoos, you know, those places where animals are kept in cages for people to watch…”
Qin Chu explained ramblingly.
He was also downplaying the impact of his strength while finding a reasonable explanation for his combat awareness. Living in such a war-torn world, wasn’t it normal to have good combat awareness?
“By the way, shouldn’t we be concerned about other issues, such as how much damage the Imperial City has suffered this time?”
“The Evil God summoned by the Grand Prince seems to have caused serious damage to the city. By the way, where’s the Grand Prince…?”
Reminded by Qin Chu, everyone finally remembered that they had forgotten about the other protagonist in the arena.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, His Highness the Grand Prince is here…” Morton’s weak voice came from the side.
When the Grand Prince summoned the phantom of the Evil God, Morton was one of the closest people and had also suffered a severe impact and trauma. Although he had suppressed the chaos within his body with his strong strength and willpower, he still felt very unwell.
Following Morton’s finger, they saw the Grand Prince’s figure in a large crater.
The Grand Prince was still a mess of rotting flesh, but the decay was clearly more severe.
He could feel that his strength was gone. The mass of flesh wriggled slowly, letting out a desperate wail, praying that the Evil God’s will wouldn’t leave him.
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