Category: Dear, it’s time for your medicine!

Chapter 292: Give Me Jie Luo’s Soul Fragment

“Muse… wait…”

Athena reached out, a hint of exasperation in her voice. She wanted to warn him against rushing in. They had only disabled the entrance barrier. There could be other traps inside.

This place filled her with unease.

Even standing at the entrance made her skin crawl. She had a bad feeling about this.

But Muse, in his eagerness, had already charged inside before she could finish her sentence.

She watched him disappear into the eerie chamber. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to stay at the entrance.

She would heed her instincts and not enter.

A strange scene unfolded before her eyes. With the purple barrier gone, the chamber was now bathed in a sickly green light, emanating from the black worms within the clay pot.

As Muse entered, the green mist converged upon him, covering him from head to toe.

Athena’s throat tightened, the sight making her scalp tingle. She saw the mist seeping into Muse’s skin.

His condition, which had improved slightly after her healing spells, rapidly deteriorated. Blisters erupted on his skin, bursting and festering without him even scratching.

His coughing intensified.

And despite the cold, his skin flushed as if he had a fever.

The green mist began to seep out of the chamber, towards Athena.

But as it touched her magical shield, the shield flared, incinerating the mist.

Athena’s eyes narrowed, scanning the chamber. She saw a grotesque statue near the stone slab.

It resembled a squatting toad with a wide, gaping mouth and a bumpy back, its form bloated and decaying.

A shiver ran down her spine. Was this the deity worshipped by the deceased alchemist?

She had some knowledge of mystical arts, but she had never seen such a bizarre deity.

It clearly wasn’t a benevolent one.

A dark cloud, swarming with tiny insects, surrounded the statue. A cauldron sat before it…

A wave of terror washed over Athena, stronger than before. She instinctively stepped back, calling out: “Muse, come out!”

Her voice was sharper than she intended.

Muse, oblivious to his deteriorating condition, was fixated on the soul fragment, ignoring everything else.

His eyes shone with a manic light, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

Huff… huff…

He didn’t even notice his cracked lips.

His face was flushed with fever.

His head spun, but he shook it, forcing himself to stay focused, his trembling hands reaching for the soul fragment.

It was Jie Luo’s soul fragment.

The hope of his resurrection.

He didn’t notice the blisters on his hands, resembling clusters of grapes.

His eyes were wide, the pain and discomfort forgotten, replaced by a strange euphoria.

Muse’s feelings for Jie Luo weren’t as twisted as Ronald’s.

His preferences were… normal.

But Jie Luo was his closest friend, closer even than Karsus or Benson. Jie Luo was the only one who truly understood him.

Jie Luo hadn’t judged him for his bloodlust. He had even encouraged him, seeing killing as an art form. They had often discussed new, more elegant and brutal methods of killing.

Jie Luo held an irreplaceable position in Muse’s heart.

He crudely broke the skeletal finger and carefully removed the ring, gazing at the gem-like fragment, his breathing quickening.

It was so beautiful.

Athena’s voice startled him, breaking his reverie. He felt a surge of annoyance. What was she yelling about?

He had already forgotten her earlier kindness.

He vaguely sensed something was wrong with the environment. He spat at the skeleton, cursing under his breath, then turned to leave.

Athena waved her staff, summoning a gust of wind that swept the skeleton off the slab. She then extended her hands, mana converging between her fingers, capturing a magical image of the chamber, focusing on the runes on the stone slab.

This place made her skin crawl. She didn’t want to stay a moment longer.

As Muse exited the chamber, she slammed her staff against the floor.

Earthfire!

Buzz.

Flames erupted, filling the chamber, burning fiercely.

The green mist dissipated, the metal tools melted, the vial shattered, and even the skeleton was reduced to ashes…

The black worms in the clay pot writhed frantically, as if sensing their impending doom, emitting faint, high-pitched screeches.

And the statue…

In the flickering firelight, it seemed to grin, a strangely benevolent smile.

Athena’s mind reeled, her soul trembling.

The strange sensation vanished as quickly as it appeared, lasting less than a second. She looked again, but the statue’s smile was gone, the flames consuming everything within the chamber.

She swallowed, not daring to linger, and turned to leave…

Muse, who had wanted to celebrate, followed reluctantly.

As they ran, Athena continued to unleash fireballs behind them.

She couldn’t explain the feeling, but she felt as if invisible threads were clinging to her.

Only after they left the cave and emerged into the snowy landscape did the oppressive feeling subside.

The exertion hadn’t been strenuous for someone of her level, but she felt strangely exhausted. She leaned against her knees, gasping for breath.

After a while, she straightened up, wiping the sweat from her brow.

The memory of the chamber still sent shivers down her spine.

She couldn’t explain it, but the chamber, its contents, and especially the statue, had filled her with a primal, inexplicable terror.

She just wanted to be as far away from it as possible.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

A violent coughing fit erupted behind her.

She turned to see Muse’s condition worsening, even worse than before.

His coughs were raspy and dry, as if his throat was tearing.

Blood mixed with his saliva, staining the snow crimson.

After a long while, his coughing subsided. He scratched at his head, clumps of hair falling out.

His condition was deteriorating rapidly.

“Muse, you need to go to the Holy See or the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess for treatment. You’re in bad shape,” Athena said gravely.

Muse nodded.

Even he, with his usual arrogance, had to admit something was seriously wrong.

“Give me Jie Luo’s soul fragment,” Athena said, extending her hand.

Muse’s face changed, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

He clutched the ring protectively: “What do you need it for? It’s safe with me.”

“I just want to check if it’s really Jie Luo’s soul fragment and if it’s damaged,” Athena said calmly. “You don’t need to be so wary.”

“If I had ulterior motives, I wouldn’t have healed you. Or I could have simply killed you while you were weak. You know you’re no match for me in your current state,” she added coldly.

Chapter 291: Athena’s Unease

Ah!

Athena’s scream echoed through the cave.

Even with her strength and composure, the sight of Muse had startled her, forcing her to retreat until her back hit the cold stone wall.

She almost didn’t recognize him. If not for the axe and his signature messy hair, she would have thought it was someone else.

Muse was a madman.

His title, Muse the Mad, wasn’t unearned. His face was usually dark and flushed, but now it was pale and bruised, his lips almost black.

That alone wouldn’t have frightened her. It was the things on his skin.

His face was covered in blisters, small as sesame seeds and large as peanuts, clustered like a honeycomb, leaving no skin visible.

The sight filled Athena with disgust and revulsion, goosebumps erupting on her skin.

She remembered the First Hero, Jie Luo, mentioning phobias like claustrophobia, acrophobia, and trypophobia… was this trypophobia?

She suspected Muse’s current appearance would be a textbook example.

Muse stirred in his sleep, scratching at his skin.

Pop, pop, pop…

Blisters burst, releasing a clear, viscous fluid.

That was the source of the stench of decay.

It made Athena even more nauseous.

She couldn’t believe Muse had become this… thing.

She had never been close to him. They were members of the same Hero Squad, but that was the extent of their relationship. Now, his appearance made her want to flee, to put as much distance between them as possible.

What had happened to him?

Was he sick?

Fighting back her nausea, she flicked a small fireball at his hand, bursting a few blisters.

Muse, startled by the burning sensation, sat up abruptly, reaching for his axe.

Despite his weakened state and unsteady movements, his combat instincts were ingrained. He was instantly ready for a fight.

Even in his weakened state, he exuded a ferocious aura.

He relaxed his grip on the axe as he saw Athena: “Athena, it’s you. You’re finally here… cough… cough…”

His voice surprised her. It was raspy and dry, as if his throat was clogged with something.

He broke into a violent coughing fit, spitting a dark glob of phlegm onto the wall.

Athena felt even more nauseous, barely suppressing her revulsion: “Muse, are you sick?”

Muse managed a weak smile: “Lately… I haven’t been feeling well… damn it… probably just a cold.”

“And these blisters… I’ll have to visit the church for healing later.”

Just blisters? As he stood up, his bare chest was as covered in blisters as his face.

Was this some kind of skin disease?

She had never seen anything this severe.

“Let’s get this over with and leave this damned place,” Muse said, his voice raspy.

The once ferocious berserker was now weak and frail, a shadow of his former self.

“Although my healing magic isn’t as potent as the church’s… I can still try to heal you. It might make you feel better,” Athena offered.

“Really? Thanks,” Muse said, accepting her offer. While he didn’t like her, he wouldn’t refuse any relief from the itching and pain.

Athena’s face was still pale, her unease intensifying.

She felt a deep sense of foreboding.

Steeling herself, she waved her staff, casting a healing spell on Muse.

It was a mid-level water spell, one of the few that could heal injuries.

It couldn’t cure diseases, but it could at least mend his broken skin.

As for the disease itself, the Holy See’s Holy Light magic or the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess’s specialized potions might be effective.

After a moment of hesitation, she used a Holy Light scroll, bathing Muse in a soft glow.

His voice improved slightly, the blisters seeming to shrink.

The combined healing magic had helped, but he would need more potent treatment from the Holy See or specialized potions from the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess for a full recovery. While Athena had some potions with her, she didn’t know what ailed him, and potions weren’t to be used indiscriminately.

Muse swung his axe experimentally, the blade whistling through the air. He seemed to have regained some of his strength.

A grin spread across his face: “Thanks, Athena!”

Despite his dislike for her, his gratitude was genuine.

He pointed towards a section of the cave wall: “There’s the chamber… that damned magical barrier is blocking the entrance. I can’t break it.”

Athena sent a fireball towards the indicated spot, revealing a dark purple barrier.

That must be the magical seal.

Taking a deep breath, she walked towards it. She wanted to unlock the barrier, retrieve Jie Luo’s soul fragment, and leave this unsettling place. While they were alone, a lingering sense of dread clung to her.

Muse’s condition had improved, but the stench emanating from him was still unbearable, so she maintained her magical shield.

Crackle… crackle…

As she approached the barrier, her shield flickered, as if something was colliding with it, burning in the heat.

Her brow furrowed, her vigilance increasing.

“Can you… unlock it?” Muse asked impatiently.

He couldn’t wait to leave this place.

But Athena didn’t rush. She peered through the barrier…

A stone slab covered in tiny runes, blackened and corroded. A skeleton, clearly having suffered greatly before death. Jie Luo’s soul fragment, set in a ring on one of the skeletal fingers.

A glass vial containing a dark red liquid.

A strange skull…

Metal tools inscribed with unfamiliar runes.

A clay pot… filled with writhing black worms.

The stench of decay was overpowering.

The scene within the chamber was unsettling. Was the skeleton that of an alchemist? Or a potion master?

Regardless, the materials within seemed strangely out of place.

Especially the writhing black worms in the clay pot… how could they still be alive after all these years, while the skeleton’s flesh had long since decayed?

The pot seemed to contain something else as well, a faint, dark aura emanating from it.

The strange objects within the chamber seemed to draw Athena’s attention even more than Jie Luo’s soul fragment.

“Athena, what are you waiting for? Unlock the barrier!”

Seeing her inaction, Muse grew impatient. What was she doing?

Snapping out of her trance, Athena suppressed her unease and began studying the barrier.

It wasn’t particularly powerful, but it was cleverly designed. The entrance was linked to traps within the chamber. Fortunately, Muse had refrained from using brute force. Destroying the entrance would have triggered a chain reaction, obliterating the entire chamber.

And potentially destroying Jie Luo’s soul fragment.

After some manipulation, the dark purple barrier flickered, then vanished with a crackling sound.

Muse cheered, rushing into the chamber without waiting for Athena.

His eyes, fixated on the soul fragment, didn’t notice the chamber’s true color, now revealed: a sickly green mist filled the air.

As he entered, the mist clung to him, turning him a ghastly green…

Chapter 290: Athena’s Fear

Athena was a useful and intelligent tool.

Compared to Ekaterina, her loyalty wasn’t as absolute. The Crimson Valkyrie’s mind was warped by Stunning Love.

However, Ekaterina required detailed instructions and careful planning.

Athena, on the other hand, was resourceful and adaptable, making independent judgments based on the situation.

Her intelligence, if utilized properly, could save Qin Chu a lot of trouble… but it was also a double-edged sword. No matter how meticulously Qin Chu planned, there was always a chance Athena would see through his schemes.

This time, she was sent to the Snow Chain Mountains to help Muse unlock the barrier and retrieve Jie Luo’s soul fragment.

Qin Chu suspected Athena would attempt to communicate with the residual soul within the fragment. If she discovered it was empty, his carefully laid plans would crumble.

His arrangements were sound, but this one flaw was unavoidable.

If Athena discovered the truth, she would turn against him.

A powerful and intelligent woman like her would be a formidable enemy. If it came to that, he would have no choice but to eliminate her.

And Muse as well.

Qin Chu leaned back in his chair, watching Anastasia. She had placed Mavis’s ashes in an urn and, with his permission, buried it in the garden, granting her a final resting place.

Anastasia hadn’t been close to Mavis. While Mavis had held her as a baby, Anastasia had no memories of her. By the time she was old enough to remember, Mavis had already married into the Empire.

Nevertheless, she was family, her father’s sister.

Another matter puzzled Qin Chu: Wadsworth…

Such a commotion in the Imperial City, and neither Saint Monique nor Augustus had intervened. That was understandable. But Wadsworth? He was the Emperor, and he was searching for Mavis.

Qin Chu didn’t believe his intelligence network wouldn’t have found the abandoned church.

Even if they hadn’t, Wadsworth would have sensed the disturbance and rushed to investigate.

But he hadn’t appeared.

“I sensed another presence near the church during our fight with Mavis,” Sylph said suddenly.

Despite lacking Carol’s innate ability, Sylph’s elven senses were still sharp.

“Who?” Qin Chu asked.

Sylph shook her head: “I don’t know. I didn’t have time to pay attention.”

Although Sylph hadn’t seen the person, Qin Chu suspected it was Wadsworth.

The old fox had likely watched the fight from a distance, without intervening.

He had probably seen all of Qin Chu’s abilities.

This wasn’t good.

…

Meanwhile, in the snow-covered mountains.

Athena stood on a snow-capped peak, her black dress and wide-brimmed hat contrasting with the white landscape. The snow reflected on her face, making her skin seem even paler.

Her dress wasn’t thick, only the tights Qin Chu had given her protecting her legs, the outline of her curves visible beneath the fabric. The loose dress couldn’t conceal her voluptuous figure, adding a touch of languid beauty.

Snow fell like feathers around her, the wind howling, but Athena didn’t feel the cold. A crimson magical shield protected her, radiating warmth.

Maintaining the shield consumed mana, but it wasn’t a significant drain for a mage of her caliber.

Her tall figure was a dark silhouette against the white landscape.

Her progress was slower than anticipated.

Not because of her speed or lack of mana.

She had arrived even earlier than planned… the problem was the sheer size of the Snow Chain Mountains.

The peaks all looked identical.

And Muse, the idiot, hadn’t provided precise coordinates, forcing her to search blindly, wasting precious time. She hadn’t been able to contact him since the day before yesterday.

Had he died?

Athena entertained the thought with a hint of malice.

But she knew it was unlikely. Muse was a War God level berserker. He wouldn’t freeze to death so easily.

Someone of his level could survive in these mountains for months, even without doing anything.

So, she assumed he had encountered some difficulty. Hopefully, it wasn’t too serious.

She stretched her arms, extending her fingers beyond the shield. She quickly withdrew them, covered in frost.

It was incredibly cold.

She looked around, her brow furrowing.

She placed a hand on her chest.

Her heart was pounding.

She didn’t understand. It had been fine initially, but as she approached the Snow Chain Mountains, a growing unease had filled her, a voice in the back of her mind urging her to turn back.

Go back.

Stay away!

She couldn’t explain it.

As if something terrifying lurked within these mountains.

As if something terrible was about to happen.

The inexplicable feeling filled her with dread.

Ever since she had compared Qin Chu and Jie Luo in her heart, concluding that Jie Luo was inferior, even questioning her own feelings, a lingering unease had plagued her, despite her attempts to reaffirm her love for Jie Luo.

She almost turned back, but she persevered. Jie Luo’s soul fragment was here.

The images of Qin Chu and Jie Luo flickered in her mind.

She felt ashamed of her confused emotions, disgusted by her own infidelity.

But once she retrieved the soul fragment, she would reaffirm her love for Jie Luo. She had to.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled her resolve and continued forward, leaving a trail of footprints that quickly vanished in the snow.

After a long while, she finally found a cave on the side of a mountain.

Her eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace.

Huff… huff… huff…

As she reached the cave entrance, she heard heavy, ragged breathing, like a beast’s panting.

Someone was inside. Was it Muse?

She reinforced her magical shield and called out: “Muse? Are you in there?”

Her voice echoed through the cave.

Huff… huff… huff…

Only the same ragged breathing answered her, making her frown. Was he asleep?

After a moment of hesitation, she entered the cave, immediately covering her nose.

A foul stench of decay and rot filled the air.

Decay? Could something decay in this place?

She flicked her staff, summoning a fireball that illuminated the cave. Footprints were visible on the ground, indicating recent human activity.

The fireball floated deeper into the cave, and Athena followed, her long legs moving gracefully.

The cave was deep.

After several minutes, she recalled the fireball.

It had moved too quickly. As the light passed, she had glimpsed a shadowy figure huddled in a corner.

As the light returned, she saw a glint of metal. A large axe.

She recognized it as Muse’s weapon. He was here.

The light revealed a figure curled up on the ground, fast asleep, the source of the heavy breathing.

Seeing his messy, bird’s-nest-like hair, she knew it was Muse.

He’s actually sleeping?

Athena facepalmed.

She called out again: “Muse, I’m here. Wake up.”

He didn’t stir.

Exasperated, she walked towards him, the click-clack of her heels echoing through the cave. She bent down and reached out to shake his shoulder: “Hey, wake up… ah!”

Before she could touch him, she recoiled with a scream, her face paling.

Chapter 289: It’s About Time to Deal with Athena

Saint Monique’s gaze was unreadable.

Bathed in moonlight, her figure seemed even more elegant and noble.

She stood against the wind, her flowing robes billowing around her, an aura of authority surrounding her.

Only her eyes, usually gentle, now held a chilling intensity. No one could guess her thoughts.

With the previous Earth Mother’s retirement, the Saintess’s resignation, and the Saint Son’s death, Saint Monique had consolidated her power, eliminating Florence’s remaining influence. Those loyal to Florence had either been purged or forced to submit.

Now, her control over the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess was absolute.

“Your Holiness, it’s late. You should rest,” a nun said softly, appearing behind her.

“The city is in chaos, but it’s being handled. You needn’t worry.”

Saint Monique lowered her gaze, not answering. After a moment of silence, she returned to her chambers.

The events outside didn’t concern her, as long as she remained unaffected.

—

Elsewhere, at the Holy See.

Augustus also gazed into the distance.

He hadn’t gone to the site, but he had sensed the powerful energies.

His old face was creased with worry, his thoughts hidden.

…

It was a sleepless night.

Rioters rampaged through the Imperial City.

Like madmen, they ignored pleas for mercy, their blades taking countless lives.

They focused on the noble district, knowing that attacks there would draw the attention of the Empire and the Church. No one cared about the commoners.

Blood flowed through the streets, corpses littered the ground.

Nobles, stripped of their dignity, fled in terror, fearing for their lives.

But despite their ferocity, the rioters were outnumbered.

The Imperial Guard, the Holy Knights, and the Earth Knights were more than a match for them.

By late night, the rioters in the noble district had been dealt with.

However, some remained unaffected by the chaos.

Like… Loseweisse.

Loseweisse considered herself the core of the former Hero Squad.

While she didn’t participate in the fighting, she couldn’t remain idle. She needed to produce results to maintain her authority.

Two problems occupied her mind.

One was the conflict between Sylph and the Twin Thieves.

Only she could mediate, but it wouldn’t be easy. She needed to give Sylph time to process her emotions. Attempting to intervene now would only alienate her.

The second was the mysterious Horus, who had repeatedly leaked information about the Hero Squad.

Capturing him could turn the tide in their favor.

Loseweisse had mobilized all her resources, even spending countless hours in the library, searching for information about Horus.

But despite her efforts, she found nothing, leaving her discouraged.

If only Sylph had mentioned his name, she might have suspected deception, but the Twin Thieves had confirmed it. They wouldn’t lie.

Who was this damned Horus?

Loseweisse ran a hand through her hair, her usually impeccable appearance now disheveled, her face showing signs of fatigue.

She knew searching the library was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Horus was likely a false name, a convenient alias used for dealing with Lomond. No one would be foolish enough to reveal their true identity while consorting with Demon Beasts.

Finding someone with a fake name was nearly impossible.

But she had no other leads.

“Saintess…”

A nun hurried over, a hint of excitement on her tired face. She held a thick book: “Is this what you’re looking for?”

It was a book of myths and epics.

Loseweisse’s eyes lit up as she saw the contents.

She snatched the book, her hopes rekindled, and began reading.

The poem told the story of a prince named Horus, betrayed and killed in a power struggle, his soul returning from the underworld to exact revenge.

After succeeding, he became known as the God of Vengeance.

Loseweisse’s excitement waned.

It was just a poem, not a historical account.

Perhaps the person dealing with Lomond had merely adopted the name Horus, the God of Vengeance, to symbolize his hatred for the Hero Squad.

It was because of this supposed hatred that Ronald had been tortured so brutally. Loseweisse knew that much.

She had tried to analyze individuals who held grudges against the Hero Squad and Jie Luo, but she had found nothing.

The Hero Squad’s methods were swift and decisive, leaving no survivors. Those who held grudges were already dead, along with most of their families.

She flipped through the thick book, the rustling pages accompanying her thoughts. She considered herself intelligent, but this was proving to be a difficult puzzle.

Horus.

The God of Vengeance…

The Hero Squad.

The names swirled in her mind.

She reached the last page.

A small note was tucked inside, a list of names of those who had borrowed the book…

One name caught her eye.

Augustus!

Her pupils contracted.

Augustus had read this book?

He knew the name Horus, and its association with vengeance.

He had also snuck into her room, stealing her valuables, seven scrolls, and her diary.

He had placed an Eye of True Sight in her room, monitoring her every move. He knew the Hero Squad’s whereabouts.

Then there was the matter of hatred.

Augustus was the Pope of the Holy See, while Jie Luo was the Hero. As Jie Luo’s fame and power grew, so did the influence of the Hero Squad, challenging the authority of the Holy See, the Empire, the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, and even Sage Mountain.

Augustus, accustomed to being at the pinnacle of human power, wouldn’t tolerate this. It was natural for him to resent Jie Luo and the Hero Squad.

Moreover, aside from herself, the Saintess, the other members of the Hero Squad had a rather antagonistic relationship with the Holy See.

Karsus had even been hunted by them.

Jie Luo’s choice of Karsus as a Squad member had been a slap in Augustus’s face, a humiliation. It was understandable for him to hold a grudge.

And she herself had allied with Cardinal Douglas, plotting to overthrow Augustus and become the first female Pope. It was unlikely Augustus was unaware of this. She was also his enemy.

Ekaterina and Muse had openly mocked him.

Ronald had even publicly declared Augustus impotent.

Suddenly, it all clicked. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

She concluded that Augustus was Horus.

Of course, she knew the evidence was circumstantial, but did it matter?

Was it truly important whether Augustus was Horus?

No. The mere possibility was enough.

After all, Augustus was someone she wanted to eliminate. With him gone, she would control the Holy See.

And blaming him would also conceal her own incompetence in finding the real Horus.

Therefore, until she found the true identity of Horus, Augustus would have to be Horus.

At the Holy See, Augustus, about to retire for the night, sneezed. Perhaps the night air was too chilly. He pulled his robe tighter.

Perhaps it was the stress of recent events.

He felt his back ache.

The poor Pope didn’t know that his aching back wasn’t from stress, but from the weight of the metaphorical pot he was carrying.

Bigger than even Shirou Emiya’s…

…

Meanwhile, Qin Chu, Heloise, Iyeta, and Sylph returned to the Hero’s Residence.

Seeing him return safely, Anastasia breathed a sigh of relief, but a hint of sadness touched her face. She knew Mavis was dead.

It was an unavoidable outcome.

Qin Chu gazed into the distance.

This matter was settled. Athena should have reached the Snow Chain Mountains by now. It was time to deal with her.

Chapter 288: A Hair from the God’s Right Hand

The passage leading to the underground chamber was riddled with traps and wards, at least a hundred in total.

Each one was deadly.

Even Wadsworth had to proceed with extreme caution.

Finally, he reached the chamber at the deepest level, a vast, cavernous space that stretched beneath the entire palace, perhaps even the entire Imperial City.

Who living above would suspect the ground beneath their feet was hollow?

A large, translucent barrier shimmered within the chamber.

It was the final ward, not designed to kill, but to contain the aura emanating from the colossal object within.

Without the barrier, the aura alone would have been enough to pulverize the entire city.

Wadsworth had seen this before, but even so, the sight still filled him with awe and dread.

Thump… thump…

His heart pounded in his chest.

It was a giant arm… a right arm!

Said to be the remains of a god.

Wadsworth was a large, powerfully built man, but compared to this colossal limb, he was smaller than a fingernail.

A thousand years ago, this arm had fallen from the sky, crashing into the Imperial City, creating a massive crater.

Buildings had been destroyed, countless lives lost. The devastation was said to be comparable to a meteor strike.

The ancestor of the Aberchian family had sealed the site and built the current palace over it.

He had silenced all witnesses, making the arm a secret known only to the Aberchian family.

They sensed the immense power within the arm. If they could harness it, they would be invincible.

Not just in the Heavenly Continent.

Even ascending to godhood might be within their grasp.

This secret had been passed down through generations, known only to the Emperors.

In the following millennium, the Auville Empire had seen dozens of Emperors, each a remarkable individual, possessing exceptional talent and strength.

They had conducted countless experiments, trying to harness the arm’s power.

But their efforts had ended tragically.

Over ten Emperors had lost their minds, their consciousness consumed by the arm’s power.

Three had exploded, their bodies unable to contain the immense energy.

Two had even died in the traps leading to the chamber…

After becoming Emperor, Wadsworth had studied his ancestors’ research.

He hadn’t intended to approach the arm so soon. Even through the barrier, he could sense its overwhelming power… but now, he had no choice.

The Hero’s strength and rapid growth were alarming.

Too many secrets surrounded him. Wadsworth knew that after the Demon Beasts were dealt with, the Hero would become his greatest enemy.

By then, he would be like an ant before the Hero’s might.

He needed to become stronger.

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his fear and deactivated the barrier.

Buzz…

An immense pressure slammed into him.

Wadsworth’s legs buckled, and he fell to his knees.

Despite being one of humanity’s strongest, he couldn’t withstand the pressure. It was far greater than even the Demon King Nagath’s aura.

Pain filled his eyes as the aura, like needles, pierced them. Blood trickled down his cheeks.

He saw the arm as if it were alive.

Despite the passage of millennia, it showed no signs of decay.

The hairs on the arm swayed slightly.

It seemed as if it could break free at any moment, bringing ruin to the Heavenly Continent.

He roared, his fists clenched, struggling to rise.

But the immense pressure pinned him to the ground, his head lowering towards the cold stone.

Crack…

The stone beneath his knees cracked under the pressure.

He refused to yield, trying to lift his head.

He crawled towards the God’s Right Hand, his fists and knees scraping against the stone.

Thud… thud… thud…

Each movement was a struggle.

The pressure intensified with each inch he gained.

Finally, he reached it.

He extended his trembling hand.

Crack, crack…

His fingers broke under the pressure.

But Wadsworth’s willpower was astonishing. He seemed oblivious to the pain, stretching his arm, a guttural growl escaping his throat.

Finally… he touched it.

He grasped a single, thick hair and pulled with all his might.

Snap.

The hair broke off.

Then, he retreated.

He didn’t aspire to study the entire arm. A single hair, containing immense power and knowledge, would be enough for a lifetime of study.

He reactivated the barrier.

The pressure subsided.

He collapsed, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

His body, drained of strength, lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

He was covered in blood.

The pressure had ruptured his blood vessels and shattered his bones.

This was the power of a god. Even before a mere fragment of a divine being, humans were as insignificant as ants.

But Wadsworth’s eyes shone with excitement. He looked at the hair clutched in his hand, a mad grin on his face.

If… if he could absorb the power within this single hair… he would become the eternal ruler of the Heavenly Continent.

…

Meanwhile, at the abandoned church.

The Goddess’s Hair restrained the monstrous fetus.

The sapling, now a towering tree, absorbed its power.

The creature’s energy was immense. It would take the sapling some time to fully digest it.

Qin Chu walked towards Mavis, who still lay writhing on the ground.

The so-called God-Mother was barely recognizable, her body charred black.

But she still crawled towards the creature.

“Give up,” Qin Chu said, frowning.

Mavis’s body trembled. Her empty eyes fixed on him, her voice raspy and dry, like scraping metal: “You killed Lance… and now you want to kill my other child.”

“Why?”

“I just wanted a child, a family.”

“Why take even that away from me?”

Mavis’s life had been tragic.

This was the fate of the Ice Duchy’s princesses.

For a thousand years, they had been forced to marry strangers, living out their lives in a foreign land.

Those who found kind husbands were fortunate.

But the Emperors of the Auville Empire were always wary of their Ice Duchy brides. They granted them status and privilege, but never love.

Their social interactions were restricted, their influence limited.

After the birth of the heir, they were neglected, forbidden from bearing more children.

Their fate was a lonely life, essentially widows in all but name.

To the Emperors, they were merely tools for producing powerful offspring.

Mavis’s voice was filled with anguish and despair.

Qin Chu watched her silently. After a long moment, he spoke:

“Your life is tragic, but what does that have to do with me?”

Truly a cold and heartless man.

“It doesn’t justify harming Angelica.”

“And you’re directing your hatred at the wrong person. I never provoked Lance.”

“He challenged me to a duel.”

“I didn’t force him to embrace the power of an Evil God.”

“And I didn’t kill him. Wadsworth did. So, you have no reason to hate me.”

“Wadsworth executed him, but who truly led him down that path? The father of your second child. He corrupted your son, turning him into a mindless monster.”

Mavis wanted to cry, but she couldn’t.

Driven by loneliness and despair, she had sought solace in the worship of a Void entity, believing it would bring her salvation.

But now, the Hero was telling her that this very entity had destroyed her son?

Her years of indulgence and depravity… what had it all been for? Her faith crumbled.

“I promised Anastasia I would grant you a swift death,” Qin Chu continued.

“Anastasia?”

Mavis repeated the name, then seemed to smile: “I held her in my arms when she was a child…”

“It seems Anastasia is more fortunate than I.”

Qin Chu shook his head: “No, she’s not more fortunate. She’s stronger.”

“Is that so…”

Mavis sighed, her empty eyes looking towards the creature. After a long moment, she closed them.

Qin Chu knew it was time.

“One last question. Who is the leader of the Witch Society?”

“I don’t know.”

He didn’t press further. He ended her suffering, severing her neck and engulfing her body in silver flames.

Reduced to ashes. Perhaps this was the most merciful death for Mavis, sparing her body from further indignity, from being displayed as a cautionary tale, the fallen Empress.

The holy fire consumed all traces of corruption.

And ended the tragic life of a lonely woman.

Meanwhile, the monstrous fetus’s cries ceased.

The Goddess’s Hair retracted, and the towering tree shrunk back into a sapling.

A new leaf had sprouted, but it was a strange purplish-red, an ominous hue.

It would take the sapling a long time to purify the evil it had absorbed.

The commotion had drawn the attention of the entire city.

At the entrance to the cathedral of the Earth Mother Goddess, Saint Monique gazed into the distance, her expression grim.

Chapter 287: Goddess of Holy Light or Evil Goddess?

Just as Qin Chu believed both Mavis and the creature were dead, a loud cry pierced the night.

Mavis, her body and soul nearly consumed by the holy fire, her face charred and blackened, suddenly lifted her head.

Waaaa, waaa, waaa!

The cries from within her belly echoed like a nightmare.

Her nearly lifeless body convulsed, crimson tears flowing from her scorched eyes.

She didn’t care what the creature within her was.

She only knew it was her child. Were they going to take this one too?

No… no!

Suddenly, Mavis extended her charred hands.

Her fingers, like knives, plunged into her abdomen.

Her body, both a protection and a prison for the creature, was torn open.

A bloody mass fell to the ground, writhing. Mavis collapsed backwards, a twisted smile on her charred face.

She tried to reach for the creature, to see her child… but her eyes wouldn’t open, her arms lacked the strength.

The monstrous fetus.

Finally born.

Prematurely released by its dying mother.

Qin Chu’s face darkened. He hadn’t anticipated Mavis’s sheer willpower.

The bloody mass lifted its head, five wounds still visible on its body, one from Anthea, four from Qin Chu.

Viscous fluid oozed from the wounds.

Thump… thump…

Its heart beat steadily.

Its emaciated body, bathed in moonlight, was grotesque yet strangely elegant, exuding a sinister allure that drew the eye.

The offspring of the Lord of Pleasure, the god of desire, nobility, and elegance, had been born into this world.

It crawled towards Mavis, its limbs moving awkwardly.

It wasn’t fully developed, a deep emptiness within it. It craved souls and flesh to sustain itself. And here, it had the perfect sustenance.

A fissure opened on its head, revealing rows of sharp teeth. It latched onto Mavis’s unburnt foot, the only part of her body spared by the holy fire.

The sound of its chewing and swallowing was chilling.

But Mavis seemed oblivious to the pain, a twisted smile on her charred face.

This couldn’t continue.

Qin Chu took a deep breath, his hands outstretched. The holy fire burning on Mavis’s body, as if under his command, flowed towards the creature, engulfing it.

Mavis struggled, but she was powerless.

Qin Chu tried to incinerate the creature with holy fire.

But the creature, now born into this world, was growing stronger with each passing second, an immense power within it.

The holy fire caused it pain, but it wouldn’t be enough to kill it quickly.

Suddenly, the creature lifted its head, its crimson eyes locking onto Qin Chu.

An invisible force slammed into his chest, caving it inwards.

He felt his ribs shatter, piercing his heart.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Holy Healing mended his injuries, but he gasped for breath, wiping the blood from his lips. Some of the blood touched the Goddess’s Hair.

The threads instantly absorbed it.

As if a switch had been flipped, a silver flame ignited on his wrist.

Qin Chu looked at the Goddess’s Hair in surprise, wondering what was happening.

The temperature intensified, his wrist feeling as if it were being roasted.

Then, the Goddess’s Hair detached itself from his wrist, floating in the air.

The creature sensed its presence. Despite being a single strand of hair, it filled the creature with primal fear.

It stopped advancing, slowly retreating.

Its sinister eyes narrowed.

If it had been born in its complete form, it wouldn’t have feared the power within the hair. But now, it was vulnerable.

It wanted to escape.

And it did.

Before Qin Chu’s eyes, the creature transformed into a shadow and shot away with incredible speed.

It was about to disappear into the darkness.

If it escaped, given enough time, it could become the most powerful being in the Heavenly Continent.

The Goddess’s Hair swayed.

It began to divide, one becoming ten, ten becoming a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand…

The strands lengthened.

A silver ocean filled the air.

Like a river of light, it flowed through the night sky, dispelling the darkness.

The creature was fast, but the Goddess’s Hair was faster.

Qin Chu felt his arm growing numb… the damned hair was drawing power from his blood.

Was this truly the Goddess of Holy Light? Or some kind of Evil Goddess?

He cursed inwardly, feeling as if a pump was draining his blood, his head spinning.

But Holy Healing replenished his blood, preventing him from bleeding out.

He watched intently.

The creature, sensing the approaching power, increased its speed, but the Goddess’s Hair had already enveloped the area like a net.

The silver threads wrapped around the creature.

The Goddess’s Hair, upon contact with the creature’s blasphemous fluids, sizzled, releasing plumes of white smoke.

The creature screamed in pain, struggling against the binding threads, snapping some of them.

Suddenly, Qin Chu felt a surge within him, an emptiness in his chest.

An emerald leaf had detached itself from his body.

The sapling that had been residing within him…

This was the first time it had left his body.

It floated towards the creature, its three leaves swaying.

Before Qin Chu’s astonished eyes, it rapidly grew into a towering tree.

Its roots spread downwards, enveloping the creature in a cocoon, some even piercing its flesh.

The creature, now completely immobilized, could no longer struggle.

The towering tree’s trunk contracted, as if taking a deep breath…

Then, energy flowed through its roots, into the sapling.

The greedy little thing was devouring the creature’s power.

Qin Chu’s lips twitched. Don’t eat everything you see! You’ll get a stomachache.

Even he wouldn’t dare absorb the power of Mavis and the creature, fearing the corrupting influence of their wills.

But the sapling seemed to have no such qualms, treating the creature as a mere supplement.

Gulp… gulp…

Faint, strange sounds echoed through the night, mingled with the creature’s cries.

…

Meanwhile, on a nearby hilltop, a figure stood against the wind.

His bearded face was turned towards the towering tree.

His bloodshot eyes were narrowed, his thoughts unreadable.

It was Wadsworth.

The Emperor of the Auville Empire.

Nikles’s Information Magic, though interrupted, had conveyed a few crucial words: abandoned Church of the Earth Mother Godd…

Enough for Wadsworth to deduce Mavis’s location.

But he hadn’t expected the Hero to be there already.

He had intended to join the fight, but he stopped.

He wanted to observe the Hero’s true strength.

The outcome of the battle stunned him. Mavis’s power had clearly reached, perhaps even surpassed, level 90… He felt a pang of regret. If he had treated her better, would she have remained loyal?

Then, the Empire would have two level 90+ experts, securing their dominance in the Heavenly Continent.

Neither the Holy See nor the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess would pose a threat.

Too late for regrets now.

The Hero was the more pressing concern.

Despite having four companions, Qin Chu’s ability to suppress Mavis proved his strength was even greater than anticipated, far exceeding his performance during the duel with the First Prince.

And who was that strange woman with the chains? He had never seen her before.

And what was that silver river of light?

And the sudden appearance of the giant tree?

The Hero was shrouded in mystery, making Wadsworth increasingly wary.

This man could become his greatest obstacle.

A flicker of killing intent crossed his eyes…

Mavis was finished.

Having confirmed the outcome, Wadsworth turned and left, returning to his palace.

He waved his hand, and the floor opened, revealing a dark passage leading underground.

Within lay the Imperial family’s darkest secrets.

Chapter 286: Judgment of Light

The mingled cries of the monstrous fetus and Mavis became an unearthly shriek.

An invisible shockwave erupted from Mavis, spreading outwards.

Behind her, Anthea materialized, her spear piercing Mavis’s abdomen and the creature within.

Anthea sensed a connection to Mavis, similar to the one she felt with Anastasia.

But another aura emanating from Mavis filled her with instinctive revulsion. She hadn’t held back.

Mavis’s speed and unorthodox fighting style had initially given her an advantage, but she couldn’t evade Anthea’s surprise attack.

The pain of the spear piercing her abdomen, the terror of the creature within being impaled, intensified Mavis’s screams, her body convulsing.

The soundwave rippled outwards, striking Anthea.

Buzz… crack.

Anthea’s spear vibrated violently, then shattered.

The Ghost Valkyrie’s stoic expression flickered. She leaped back dozens of meters, narrowly avoiding the full force of the shockwave, which tore through the ground and floor.

Qin Chu, standing before Mavis, wasn’t so lucky.

His body was torn apart by the soundwave.

Sylph’s eyes widened in horror, a hollow ache in her chest, a feeling she couldn’t describe.

One thing was certain: she didn’t want to see this.

But before she could process her emotions, she saw Qin Chu’s shattered form dissolving into motes of light.

The heart Mavis held in her hand also crumbled to dust.

The shockwave continued outwards. A muffled groan echoed from the darkness, and Qin Chu’s figure reappeared.

His face was pale, a trickle of blood staining his lips. He had clearly been affected by the shockwave.

Sylph’s heart, which had leaped into her throat, slowly returned to its normal rhythm. She didn’t notice the slight upturn of her lips.

Phantom Speed.

A high-ranking ability of the Dire Wolf tribe.

It was the innate ability of Dolgo, Lomond’s most trusted subordinate. Qin Chu had acquired it after absorbing Dolgo.

The figure Mavis had impaled was merely a phantom. The real Qin Chu had already teleported away, preparing his next attack.

But he hadn’t anticipated the power of Mavis’s scream, which had forced him out of his invisibility.

His chest was caved in, several ribs broken.

Holy Healing activated automatically, instantly mending his injuries.

Holy Healing was a special ability, not classified by rank.

But Qin Chu considered it a super-tier ability. While it couldn’t resurrect him, it ensured his rapid recovery from any injury, as long as he wasn’t instantly killed, maintaining him in peak condition.

Mavis stood motionless, her face pale.

Anthea’s spear protruded from her abdomen, two gaping holes leaking viscous fluid. Her swollen belly rapidly deflated.

Terror filled her eyes.

She clutched at the wound in front, her other hand contorting grotesquely to plug the hole in her back.

But she couldn’t stop the flow.

Pain, despair, hatred, and resentment consumed her.

Her screams grew louder, the cries of the monstrous fetus mingling with her own, a symphony of blasphemy.

The shockwaves continued to ripple outwards, cracks spreading across the stone floor, then shattering it completely.

The affected area expanded, forcing Qin Chu and Anthea to retreat further.

Heloise, Iyeta, and Sylph could barely endure the sound, a piercing pain in their ears, their minds reeling, strange whispers echoing in their heads.

Heloise and Iyeta’s knees buckled.

Mavis’s hair, sensing their vulnerability, surged towards them, seeking sustenance.

“Wind!”

Sylph called out, summoning a whirlwind that lifted Heloise and Iyeta into the air.

Despite being equally affected, Sylph’s mental fortitude allowed her to resist the whispers and maintain her composure.

As the hair, now a writhing mass like a giant serpent, pursued them into the air, Sylph dodged while summoning her emerald bow.

Wind magic converged on the bowstring, forming a spiraling, greyish-green arrow.

She released the arrow, and it shot towards Mavis’s face.

Mavis raised her hand, but crimson chains snaked out from behind her, binding her arms and holding her in place.

Anthea’s face was grim.

The chains binding Mavis vibrated, straining against an immense force, a resistance she had never encountered before.

Mavis strained against the chains, her arms bending.

Anthea was dragged forward slightly.

The wind arrow reached Mavis, its trajectory distorted by the sonic waves.

It grazed her cheek, tearing away a strip of flesh.

The God-Mother’s scream abruptly ceased.

The shockwaves subsided.

Qin Chu appeared behind Mavis, a silver sword, wreathed in holy flames, materializing in his hands.

Judgment Blade. In the name of the Goddess.

He had used this blade to purify O’Niens and Karsus, two individuals corrupted by evil.

It was his most potent weapon against such corruption.

Swoosh…

The blade sliced through the air, aimed at Mavis’s slender neck.

He had promised Anastasia a swift death, but he might have to break that promise.

Mavis was far stronger than Karsus or O’Niens, even more formidable than the First Prince.

They had merely been corrupted by an Evil God.

But the being within Mavis was an Evil God’s offspring, a different level of threat entirely.

As for using the Devourer to absorb Mavis’s power?

That thought never crossed his mind. He wasn’t suicidal.

Seeing the monstrous fetus, wounded but still alive, writhing within Mavis’s belly, trying to escape, Qin Chu knew he had to kill her. If the creature was born, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Phantom Speed.

He activated the ability again.

Six more Qin Chus appeared around Mavis, each wielding a Judgment Blade.

One blade aimed for her neck, two for her heart, and four for her abdomen.

She couldn’t dodge.

Thud… thud… thud…

The blades struck simultaneously.

Mavis’s scream died in her throat.

She froze.

Her neck was half-severed, her heart pierced from both sides, and the writhing creature within her abdomen was impaled from four directions.

The seven Qin Chus, including the real one, raised their right hands.

Snap.

They snapped their fingers in unison.

The seven Judgment Blades exploded.

Holy fire engulfed Mavis, both inside and out.

Her body became a beacon of light.

This was the Judgment of Light.

Holy fire was the most potent poison to the monstrous fetus.

This time, both Mavis and the creature within her were surely dead.

“Waaaa…”

Chapter 285: God-Mother Mavis – The Most Formidable Foe Yet!

Seeing Qin Chu, Nikles had felt a surge of hope, his face lighting up with joy as he cried out for help.

But his hope quickly faded.

The Hero simply stood there, watching him suffer, unmoved. He was even smiling.

Why?

“Save me…” Nikles wailed.

He could feel his life ebbing away, the pain unbearable: “You’re the Hero! You have to save me…”

His voice weakened.

“Am I obligated to save you just because I’m the Hero?” Qin Chu asked, spreading his hands.

Nikles was stunned. Wasn’t the Hero’s duty to protect everyone in the Heavenly Continent? He was a citizen. Wasn’t it the Hero’s duty to save him?

It was what he was supposed to do.

“Tell me, Nikles…” Qin Chu’s smile remained, but his voice was icy: “How does it feel to impale someone on your spear, to watch them struggle?”

Nikles, writhing in pain, didn’t understand why the Hero was asking this. He had asked the same question before.

He enjoyed impaling his enemies on his spear, watching them squirm like worms. It gave him a strange thrill.

He knew it wasn’t a good habit, but it was his business, not the Hero’s.

“Save me…”

He just wanted to live.

Qin Chu sighed and fell silent. Nikles’s hope turned to despair. The Hero was here, but he was merely watching, indifferent to his suffering.

He couldn’t hold back any longer. With his last breath, he snarled at Qin Chu like a rabid dog: “Bastard! You call yourself a Hero…”

“Watching someone die before your eyes and doing nothing! Qin Chu, you’re not fit to be the Hero…”

Rip.

Mavis, seemingly annoyed by Nikles’s cries, tightened her hair. Nikles gasped, chunks of his internal organs splattering from his mouth.

His eyes widened, then his head lolled to the side, lifeless.

The hair retreated from his corpse, as if losing interest, spreading across the ground like a sheet of ice.

The strands writhed like snakes, then surged towards Qin Chu.

Even Heloise and Iyeta, being Demon Beasts, had never seen anything like it.

Sylph frowned, moving to shield Qin Chu.

Not out of concern for him, but because her own survival depended on him. If he died, she would die too.

But before she could act, Qin Chu spoke, his voice low and cold: “Light!”

Let there be light!

In that moment, he became the embodiment of light.

Darkness vanished, replaced by a soft, white glow.

The hair recoiled from the light with a hiss, retreating rapidly.

A hole was blasted through the church wall, allowing the light to flood the interior.

The naked bodies within writhed in the light, screaming in pain as the holy energy burned away the Witch Society’s corruption.

It was clearly not a pleasant experience.

Mavis struggled against the light.

It pierced her skin like needles, causing intense pain.

But her rank was far higher than the other followers. Despite the agony, she endured.

Her hair whipped around her, her body convulsing.

Her azure eyes, now bloodshot, glared at Qin Chu with pure hatred: “You…”

“You killed my son.”

She had loved her son deeply, even though Wadsworth had taken him from her just days after his birth.

Perhaps that forced separation had only intensified her love.

Looking at his magical image, watching him grow, had brought her joy, easing her pain, loneliness, and despair. Those had been her happiest moments.

But that damned Hero had killed him.

And now he stood before her again.

“Are you going to take my second child too?”

No.

She was the God-Mother. The child within her would become the Heavenly Continent’s one true god.

She wouldn’t allow this bastard to harm her child.

With a chilling scream, Mavis, ignoring the burning pain of the holy light, walked towards Qin Chu, her hatred fueling her. She didn’t notice her grotesquely swollen belly.

It was even larger than Angela’s had been.

Looking at the countless corpses on the bloody altar, Qin Chu swallowed. How much sustenance had this woman consumed?

Her belly was stretched so thin it was almost transparent.

He could see the fluid within, the crisscrossing veins and tendons.

A small, distorted face pressed against the skin, its body writhing within, as if trying to escape.

With each step she took, the stench of evil intensified.

His fingers twitched, and the light around him converged, forming a giant blade of pure light.

Mavis sensed the danger and opened her mouth wide:

“Die!”

Iyeta’s face paled as she stepped forward, creating a translucent shield.

Bang!

She stumbled back, her face whiter than before.

Despite her strength, blocking Mavis’s attack was difficult. The invisible force carried an icy chill, frosting her legs.

But she had bought Qin Chu precious time. A single second was enough.

The holy light coalesced into a divine blade, falling from the sky towards Mavis.

The church was torn asunder.

Walls crumbled, the ground cracked, and the bodies within were reduced to dust.

Mavis raised her right hand, her long, sharp nails, tipped with crimson threads, reaching for the blade of light.

As the blade touched her hand, it exploded into a blinding sphere of light, engulfing Mavis and the being within her.

The light was so intense that Heloise, Iyeta, and Sylph shielded their eyes.

Only Qin Chu, squinting, could see through the glare.

The light faded as quickly as it appeared.

The sudden darkness was disorienting.

Ash rained down like feathers.

Mavis was gone, only a few strands of hair remaining on the ground. The church was completely destroyed, not a single stone left standing.

Had Mavis and the being within her been eliminated?

It seemed so, but Qin Chu frowned.

It was too easy.

Too easy to be true.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him cracked open, and a cluster of ice-blue hair emerged, coiling around his legs.

He looked down and saw Mavis’s face in the fissure, a twisted smile on her lips.

A chill ran down his spine.

Before he could react, Sylph flicked her wrist, a wind blade slicing through the hair binding his legs.

The severed strands made a sound like snapping steel wires.

Sylph grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

Heloise unleashed a barrage of ice shards at the ground, retreating rapidly.

Mavis was unlike any enemy they had faced before. She was utterly unpredictable.

Qin Chu pushed Sylph away.

Sharp claws emerged from where she had been standing, tearing through the air.

Mavis’s attacks were swift and unpredictable, coming from all directions.

Before he could catch his breath, five claws pierced his chest from behind.

Mavis held his heart in her hand.

A grotesque smile twisted her lips…

But it quickly faded, replaced by shock.

Thud.

A strange sound reached her ears.

She looked down in disbelief. A crimson spear, wreathed in flames, had pierced her abdomen…

And the being within.

Pain, then terror, then despair filled her eyes…

“AAAAAAAAAA…”

The creature’s cries and Mavis’s screams mingled into a chilling, unearthly sound that echoed through the night.

Chapter 284: Save Your Sister

A heavy silence blanketed the night.

Violet stood guard beside Angelica.

Ekaterina, her crimson greatsword clutched in her arms, stood like a statue in the courtyard.

Norma knelt, one hand on the ground, sensing the earth’s vibrations. Anastasia stood on the Residence’s rooftop, bathed in moonlight, gazing into the distance.

Qin Chu had left with Heloise and Iyeta. The Residence’s defense rested on their shoulders.

Suddenly, Norma lifted her head, her expression grim: “They’re coming…”

“Approximately two thousand enemies, encircling us. They’re less than three hundred meters away…”

Her voice echoed through the Residence.

A smile finally touched Ekaterina’s lips. A streak of ruthlessness ran through her. She wouldn’t miss this opportunity for a good fight.

She gripped her greatsword’s hilt, the heavy blade dragging along the ground as she walked towards the gate.

In the moonlight, shadowy figures appeared in the distance.

As they drew closer, Ekaterina saw them clearly.

They were mostly armored soldiers and mercenaries, their movements stiff, their faces blank, their eyes dull and lifeless in the moonlight.

If not for their movement, they could have been mistaken for puppets.

They were under the Witch Society’s control.

As Qin Chu had predicted, Mavis wasn’t foolish. She had deployed numerous agents to wreak havoc throughout the Imperial City, targeting not only the palace and the Hero’s Residence, but also the noble district.

They were like grim reapers, killing indiscriminately.

Creating chaos, diverting the soldiers’ attention.

Mavis hadn’t wanted to limit the number of sacrifices for the Divine Descent ritual, but… the women might not be able to handle more.

Despite their eerie appearance, Ekaterina was undaunted. She continued forward, her greatsword dragging behind her.

The puppets’ eyes reddened, and with chilling howls, they charged, weapons raised.

Their orders were to eliminate all life within the Residence.

Buzz…

Crimson flames engulfed Ekaterina’s greatsword.

The bright light dispelled the darkness as she raised the heavy blade.

With a powerful swing, a fiery arc tore through the night.

“Flame… Slash!”

Swoosh!

The blade swept across the ground, cleaving through dozens of figures a hundred meters away.

Their armor offered no protection, the wounds cauterized by the flames.

…

Within the Imperial Palace.

Wadsworth stood on the highest point.

Having deployed all his guards to search for Mavis, the palace’s defenses were at their weakest. The controlled puppets had actually managed to breach the walls.

He sighed as he watched his sons and daughters screaming in terror.

He had dozens of children, but most were fools.

The invaders weren’t particularly strong. His children, if they had any courage, could easily handle them, but they were paralyzed by fear.

Only a handful of princes, along with their guards, were fighting back.

Wadsworth mentally added their names to the list of potential heirs.

The most impressive among them was Princess Carol.

However… he frowned. Please don’t laugh maniacally while dragging a corpse around by its head with your whip.

People might think you’re a psychopath.

He thought of the First Prince. Despite his flaws and troublesome nature, his talent and strength were undeniable. He would have been at the forefront of the defense, rallying his siblings…

Too bad Qin Chu had killed him.

No, not too bad.

With Mavis being the Vice President of the Witch Society, he wasn’t even sure if the First Prince was truly his son.

Damn it!

The weight of all those metaphorical hats was giving him a neck ache.

After dealing with Mavis, he would tighten security within the harem. This couldn’t happen again.

Around the same time, a group of elite soldiers finally reached the abandoned church.

From a distance, they saw a faint light emanating from the supposedly deserted building.

Their leader frowned and signaled his men to approach. Peeking through the windows, they were stunned by what they saw.

Gods, what was this?

Hundreds of figures were entangled within the church, copulating like animals.

There was nothing beautiful or seductive about it, only a chilling grotesqueness.

The men were mostly emaciated, their skin clinging to their bones.

Their bodies were covered in filth and blood.

Yet, their eyes shone with a crazed light, like machines driven beyond their limits, their trembling legs still pumping.

They were oblivious to the blood flowing from their orifices, their lives nearing their end.

They didn’t see the hundreds of dried corpses scattered on the floor.

The women, equally lost in their frenzy, didn’t notice their bodies giving out. Some noble ladies lay motionless on the ground, their chests still, clearly dead.

Blood flowed along the grooves on the floor, forming a gruesome, crimson pattern.

What kind of unholy ritual was this?

In the center of the magic circle stood a tall woman, her abdomen grotesquely swollen, dark purple threads wrapped around her upper body, crimson threads around her lower body.

Her disheveled hair framed a face twisted in a smile.

The scene made their scalps crawl.

Their leader, his throat constricting, stumbled back, grabbing a magic scroll and pressing his ear.

His name was Nikles.

He had once been one of the Hero’s guards, seemingly on good terms with him.

But during the conflict between the First Prince and Qin Chu, he had sided with the prince, providing him with information.

After the prince’s death, he had been demoted.

However, having served in the Royal Guard for so long, he still held some influence.

If he could report this information quickly, it would be a great service, potentially restoring his former status.

He had to inform the Emperor immediately.

“Your Majesty, the abandoned Church of the Earth Mother Godd…”

But before he could finish, Mavis sensed his presence.

She looked up sharply, her voice shrill: “No one will harm my child!”

Bang!

An invisible shockwave erupted from the church.

The already fragile windows shattered, and the soldiers felt as if their heads had been struck by hammers.

Nikles saw only red, blood gushing from his nose.

He was thrown backwards by the force of the blast.

After a few seconds, he regained his senses and looked around. His comrades lay on the ground, their faces covered in blood, their bodies twitching. They were dead.

Only Nikles, the strongest among them, and slightly further from the window, had survived.

“Die!”

Another shout from within the church, and another invisible force slammed Nikles against a tree.

His back felt broken, the pain making his face contort.

He spat out a mouthful of blood.

Then, countless ice-white, shimmering threads emerged from the church windows.

Mavis’s hair, growing rapidly as if with a life of its own, reached Nikles, binding him tightly.

He struggled, but the seemingly delicate strands were as strong as chains.

The hair tightened.

Blood trickled from Nikles’s lips.

A sickening cracking sound filled the air as his bones broke under the pressure. He screamed in agony.

Broken bones pierced his flesh, some protruding through his skin.

It was worse than death.

Suddenly, he felt a shadow fall over him. He turned his head with difficulty and saw several figures behind him.

Two inhumanly beautiful women, the Snow Woman Heloise and the Blood Elf Iyeta.

And a proud elf, a member of the Hero Squad, Sylph.

Between them stood a tall, well-built young man, slightly more handsome than before.

It was none other than the Hero, Qin Chu.

Hope flared in Nikles’s eyes. The Hero was here. He was saved.

“Hero! Save me…”

He cried out, his voice filled with desperation.

He felt his organs being crushed, the hair tearing his skin and flesh. The pain was unbearable.

Seeing Nikles’s plight, hearing his pleas, a smile touched Qin Chu’s lips.

He remembered. In the first loop, this was the man who had killed Karen, the only girl who had spoken up for him when he was crippled and confined to a wheelchair.

He also remembered how, even in the second loop, Nikles had betrayed him, providing information to the First Prince and helping to frame him.

Some things never changed. Nikles was despicable, in both loops.

As for saving him?

Save your sister!

Chapter 283: The God-Child’s Heartbeat

Men and women alike were lost in a frenzy of unrestrained indulgence.

They didn’t care who their partners were, how filthy or crude. They craved only pleasure, discarding all morals and laws.

They felt their souls ascend, floating on clouds, drawing closer to the ethereal Lord of Pleasure.

This debauchery was their most devout offering.

The Witch Society had held many gatherings, but none as grand as this. The witches praised their great Vice President.

The Society’s influence was greater than anticipated. Besides hundreds of noblewomen, there were also powerful female mercenaries, merchants…

Here, social status held no meaning.

Only the ability to offer the Lord of Pleasure greater pleasure earned his favor.

The weariness and burdens of everyday life vanished, husbands and families forgotten. In their pursuit of ecstasy, they were willing to do anything.

Given enough time, this depravity could consume the entire Empire.

The abandoned church was shrouded in darkness, the torches like flickering grains of sand, casting the scene in a dreamlike haze.

But even the torches couldn’t dispel the darkness.

The area near the center of the circle was particularly dark, a deep gloom shrouding it, the air thick with shimmering, purplish threads.

The threads coiled around Mavis, enveloping her.

She lifted her head, the flickering firelight illuminating her captivatingly beautiful face. Her pale skin was like sculpted ice, her azure eyes filled with madness.

Despite her simple, even ragged dress, she exuded an undeniable aura of nobility and elegance.

Her chest heaved, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she listened to the cacophony around her.

The scent of pleasure.

The feeling of power.

She greedily devoured it all.

“Ahhh…”

A man’s cry pierced the air.

Not a cry of pain, but a scream of ecstasy.

He stumbled back, his body trembling.

He was a burly mercenary, once a hulking figure in heavy armor.

Now, his skin clung to his bones, his body emaciated, as if all his vitality had been drained.

His legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, oblivious to the blood oozing from his orifices, his face a mask of horror, the light fading from his eyes as the ecstasy consumed him.

His rapidly heaving chest stilled.

He was only the first. Soon, others followed, one after another…

Blood dripped onto the floor.

No one noticed the large magic circle beneath them, transforming the abandoned church into an altar.

The altar was covered in strange runes and intersecting grooves.

Blood flowed along the grooves towards Mavis, pooling at her feet, forming a crimson pool… a bloodbath.

Scarlet threads emerged from the pool, coiling around her legs, creeping upwards.

Mavis felt a surge of power within her.

Thump.

A sickly joy spread across her face.

She smiled, her teeth gleaming.

She placed her hand on her still-flat abdomen. She felt it. A heartbeat.

The God-child was growing within her.

She would become a true Holy Mother, leading this world into a new era.

This time, she wouldn’t allow anyone to harm her son. No one.

…

Meanwhile, Wadsworth, frustrated by his inability to capture the missing witches, knew something terrible was brewing.

This could pose an unimaginable threat to the entire world.

He mobilized all his intelligence agents and even the city guard, the search radiating outwards from the city center.

A heavy atmosphere of dread settled over the city.

Seeing the soldiers scouring every street and alley, everyone knew something big was about to happen.

Qin Chu finally returned to the Hero’s Residence, carrying Angelica. Her face was flushed, the recent “punishment” clearly to her liking.

He laid her gently on the bed, and she immediately fell asleep.

She was truly exhausted.

“Violet…”

“I’m here.”

His soft call was answered instantly.

Violet appeared silently behind him, her tall figure casting a shadow over him.

She frowned as she looked at the sleeping Angelica.

“If my calculations are correct, the Residence might be attacked. Protect Ange,” Qin Chu instructed.

Violet simply nodded, not questioning him further.

Qin Chu hoped he was wrong, but he felt a heavy pressure. Tonight would likely be a sleepless one.

From the soldiers on the streets, he had learned of the witches’ disappearance.

Mavis had undoubtedly taken them.

She was planning a terrifying attack, a Divine Descent ritual, to bring a god’s bloodline into this world.

If Qin Chu were in Mavis’s position, he would prepare for the ritual while also arranging a diversion, sending assassins to attack the palace and the Hero’s Residence, buying himself time.

He descended the stairs. Anastasia, Norma, Heloise, Iyeta, Sylph, and Ekaterina were all awake, looking at him with concern. They sensed something was amiss.

“Norma, Ekaterina…” Qin Chu spoke quietly. “Please, along with Violet, protect the Residence. Don’t let anyone in.”

Norma and Ekaterina nodded firmly.

A blush crept up Ekaterina’s cheeks, her eyes glistening.

Whenever she made a contribution, her master rewarded her with her favorite… activity.

What would it be this time?

Sylph watched Qin Chu expectantly, awaiting her instructions.

Being excluded from the initial orders made her feel strangely uneasy.

“Sylph, Heloise, Iyeta, you’ll be coming with me. We need to go out.”

Heloise and Iyeta nodded.

A smug look crossed Sylph’s face. He was taking her with him, while Ekaterina and Norma stayed behind. Did this mean she was more important to him?

The thought surprised her.

She shook her head. No…

I don’t care if he values me more than the others.

His opinion doesn’t matter.

But if she helped him this time, she could ask him to remove another of the Evil God’s threads. Five had been removed, but until they were all gone, she wouldn’t feel safe.

She had no choice. Only Qin Chu could save her. It wasn’t her fault.

Yes, that’s all I care about.

Although Airi and Eileen’s actions had created a rift between her and the former Hero Squad, her love for Jie Luo hadn’t changed.

He’s the only one I love. Other men’s opinions don’t matter.

Sylph repeated this mantra to herself.

“Anastasia, I need to talk to you…”

After all, Empress Mavis was her aunt.

Anastasia looked apprehensive as she followed Qin Chu to the balcony. After a moment of consideration, he told her about Mavis.

Learning that her aunt, her father’s sister, was the Vice President of the Blissful Witch Society, Anastasia paled.

She had encountered one of the Society’s assassins and knew their nature, but she hadn’t imagined her own family would be involved.

She understood Qin Chu’s predicament.

Her silence didn’t last long. She looked up, her hands clutching her skirt as she bowed deeply:

“Hero…”

It was a formal address she hadn’t used in a while, a sign of the gravity of the situation.

“Please grant her a swift death.”

Qin Chu understood. The intelligent princess knew there was no turning back.

He nodded, about to speak, when a sharp pain gripped his heart, as if clutched by a clawed hand.

He swayed, his face paling, his gaze turning distant.

The Goddess’s Hair on his wrist radiated intense heat, as if sensing an immense threat. The silver threads glowed brightly. Such a violent reaction had only happened once before, when he faced the First Prince.

Qin Chu knew the worst had come to pass.

Anastasia stepped forward and kissed him gently: “Go, my love.”

“And come back safely.”

“Remember, I, Anastasia, wish for you to become the Ice Duchy’s Prince Consort.”

“Norma, Violet, and little Karen are waiting for you…”