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.
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