It was midnight when the two of them entered Tark Prairie once more. The moon in the sky was exceptionally bright.
Roel looked at the distant horizon of the prairie with calm, golden eyes.
In the sky, Shrouding Fog was furiously billowing in hopes of suppressing the golden specks of light breaking it down from within. It was unlikely to be able to participate in the upcoming battle in its current state.
“You have worked hard. You may leave now,” Alicia said.
Shrouding Fog billowed in acknowledgement before swiftly departing in another direction.
Ad
As soon as Roel and Alicia lost Shrouding Fog’s concealment, they felt a peculiar feeling as if they had been eyed by something. This was the second time Roel had felt something like this.
“Lord Brother!”
“Mm.”
Another golden streak of light flashed across the sky, targeting Roel.
There was no warning whatsoever. This attack had come from an unbelievable distance away, but that did nothing to lessen its might. The streak of light was like a divine spear of retribution, aimed at the young man who posed the greatest threat.
However, things were going to be different this time around.
“Artasia.”
“Oh? What a rare attack.”
The manifested Witch Queen looked at the sky with an intrigued expression, as if she had seen something interesting. She then raised her hand and released a surge of glowing water.
“Water?” Alicia murmured in confusion.
She raised her hand to raise a second layer of defense for Roel, thinking that Artasia’s counterattack wouldn’t be effective in neutralizing an attack like this.
However, Roel raised his hand to stop her. Artasia witnessed this sight, and her lips curled into a smile.
The golden streak of light and the glowing flood of water collided, stirring an intense shockwave.
Boom!
Water splashed around, but for some reason, the golden light dissipated as well. Astonishingly, the two unrelated elements, light and water, neutralized each other. Unable to comprehend the situation, Alicia widened her eyes in shock.
“How could this…”
“Are you surprised? It’s actually rather simple. That isn’t light but venom.”
Ad
“Venom?”
Alicia was taken aback, but she quickly remembered Roel’s symptoms after being struck by the golden streak of light. Roel also narrowed his eyes.
“That golden light is a hybrid created by mana and venom. I believe the venom originates from an ancient race known as the Helios Venom Bird, which came into existence by absorbing the sun’s energy. I didn’t think that someone would be able to contract with them.”
“What’s that water you released?”
“Venom can be easily dealt with as long as you have the corresponding antidote. That water is from the holy spring located in one of Sia’s divine temples. It is where the notion of purification originated from.”
“I see. Contradiction?”
“Indeed,” Artasia replied as she increased the output of the water with a wave of her hand.
The golden light slowly faded, returning darkness to the prairie. The clash between the golden streak of light and the water concluded with Roel’s victory.
Roel and Alicia’s expressions slowly calmed down.
Just then, Artasia suddenly turned her sight into the distance.
“I should have known it wouldn’t be that simple. I’ll leave the rest to you, my hero.”
“Mm.”
The familiar aura of a Divine Domain could be felt in the distance.
When Roel entered its area of effect, Artasia’s floating silhouette dissipated into thin air, and he suddenly felt much heavier. The Inner Sanctum tied to his bloodline shook, as the candle flame began to waver. His mana also began to recede.
But just as his windows with his ancient gods were about to close, an orange-haired girl seated in front of a table in a dark library suddenly opened her eyes.
Ad
Right as the Inner Sanctum was about to close once more, the evil god from the ancient era finally unleashed the counterattack she had prepared for a long time. Her braided hair loosened, as her aura turned sinister.
The black silhouette encroaching on the library was forced to a halt.
“He has reached Origin Level 1 too. Did you think your suppression would still work?” Edavia said mockingly, as her eyes peered through the layers of mana to see the culprit behind this. “This is the domain Sia has bestowed upon me. Begone, trespasser.”
The aura of the Spiriteer Sovereign flared, as Edavia released a powerful jolt that traversed the trespassing mana, till it arrived at the origin.
“!”
With a soft harrumph, the pressure shaking Roel’s Inner Sanctum vanished.
Roel’s golden eyes blazed once more as he regained control over his Inner Sanctum and re-established his windows with Grandar and the others. He raised his head to look at the distant horizon, where a figure was now in sight.
Carolyn Ascart was finally standing before Roel and Alicia, though her expression was much more severe than before.
Both her initial golden light attack and her bloodline suppression had failed. This meant that Roel had grown much stronger even though it had only been a short period of time, and this piqued Carolyn’s wariness.
In contrast, Roel was much calmer than their first meeting.
“It has been a few days, my ancestor. Are you still faring well?”
“…What did you do?”
“What are you referring to?”
“You were able to raise your strength by so much within a short period of time. Should I say ‘as expected of my descendant’? Or should it be attributed to the Mother Goddess’ favor?” Carolyn sneered.
Ad
Roel shook his head and sighed. “I have said that I’m not the Mother Goddess’ disciple. I have only received the power that Sia has reserved for me… but I doubt you’d believe me.”
“If you want me to trust you, leave this place right now and let me complete the final plan.”
“The final plan? It looks like you haven’t changed your mind at all.”
“Change my mind? You don’t know the sacrifices we had to make in order to weaken the Savior and the Mother Goddess, so that we could cope with the doomsday prophecy. The final plan is humankind’s hope! How can I give it up?” Carolyn said with eyes filled with anger, as her mana grew increasingly turbid.
“…” Roel fell silent.
The final plan and its execution were the crystallization of humankind’s wisdom. Unimaginable blood, sweat, and tears had been put into it. Carolyn had even waited a thousand years for this. It was impossible to change her mind with just a couple of words.
It was not just naivety but arrogance.
Sensing Carolyn’s determination, Alicia’s face turned pale, and she took a step back. However, Roel grabbed her hand.
“Lord Brother…”
“Don’t be scared. It’ll be fine,” Roel first reassured Alicia with a warm smile before grimly turning to Carolyn.
“I have utmost respect for everything you have done for humankind in the past, but you have been in hibernation in the Abyss for a thousand years. You aren’t up to date with humankind’s current plight, as well as the circumstances surrounding Alicia and the Mother Goddess.
“The situation is different from before. The final plan was formulated a thousand years ago, so it should be modified to suit the current context. As a member of the Ascart House, I should have the power to make modifications to it too, right?”
Ad
“Don’t even think about it. I won’t entertain the words of a potential traitor.”
“…” Roel’s face darkened at Carolyn’s obstinacy.
He finally understood the greatest barrier between the two of them—a lack of trust.
Carolyn’s judgment had been marred by the Savior’s aura of depravity, and it didn’t help that Roel was practically cloaked in the Mother Goddess’ aura. It was a deadlock. There was no way he could win Carolyn’s trust.
“…It looks like there’s no room for negotiation.”
“Indeed.”
“There’s no choice, then.”
Roel unleashed his mana. In response, Carolyn also unleashed hers.
The two members of the Ascart House who lived in two different turning points of history stared at each other in anticipation of this unprecedented battle.
It was midnight when the two of them entered Tark Prairie once more. The moon in the sky was exceptionally bright.
Roel looked at the distant horizon of the prairie with calm, golden eyes.
In the sky, Shrouding Fog was furiously billowing in hopes of suppressing the golden specks of light breaking it down from within. It was unlikely to be able to participate in the upcoming battle in its current state.
“You have worked hard. You may leave now,” Alicia said.
Shrouding Fog billowed in acknowledgement before swiftly departing in another direction.
Ad
As soon as Roel and Alicia lost Shrouding Fog’s concealment, they felt a peculiar feeling as if they had been eyed by something. This was the second time Roel had felt something like this.
“Lord Brother!”
“Mm.”
Another golden streak of light flashed across the sky, targeting Roel.
There was no warning whatsoever. This attack had come from an unbelievable distance away, but that did nothing to lessen its might. The streak of light was like a divine spear of retribution, aimed at the young man who posed the greatest threat.
However, things were going to be different this time around.
“Artasia.”
“Oh? What a rare attack.”
The manifested Witch Queen looked at the sky with an intrigued expression, as if she had seen something interesting. She then raised her hand and released a surge of glowing water.
“Water?” Alicia murmured in confusion.
She raised her hand to raise a second layer of defense for Roel, thinking that Artasia’s counterattack wouldn’t be effective in neutralizing an attack like this.
However, Roel raised his hand to stop her. Artasia witnessed this sight, and her lips curled into a smile.
The golden streak of light and the glowing flood of water collided, stirring an intense shockwave.
Boom!
Water splashed around, but for some reason, the golden light dissipated as well. Astonishingly, the two unrelated elements, light and water, neutralized each other. Unable to comprehend the situation, Alicia widened her eyes in shock.
“How could this…”
“Are you surprised? It’s actually rather simple. That isn’t light but venom.”
Ad
“Venom?”
Alicia was taken aback, but she quickly remembered Roel’s symptoms after being struck by the golden streak of light. Roel also narrowed his eyes.
“That golden light is a hybrid created by mana and venom. I believe the venom originates from an ancient race known as the Helios Venom Bird, which came into existence by absorbing the sun’s energy. I didn’t think that someone would be able to contract with them.”
“What’s that water you released?”
“Venom can be easily dealt with as long as you have the corresponding antidote. That water is from the holy spring located in one of Sia’s divine temples. It is where the notion of purification originated from.”
“I see. Contradiction?”
“Indeed,” Artasia replied as she increased the output of the water with a wave of her hand.
The golden light slowly faded, returning darkness to the prairie. The clash between the golden streak of light and the water concluded with Roel’s victory.
Roel and Alicia’s expressions slowly calmed down.
Just then, Artasia suddenly turned her sight into the distance.
“I should have known it wouldn’t be that simple. I’ll leave the rest to you, my hero.”
“Mm.”
The familiar aura of a Divine Domain could be felt in the distance.
When Roel entered its area of effect, Artasia’s floating silhouette dissipated into thin air, and he suddenly felt much heavier. The Inner Sanctum tied to his bloodline shook, as the candle flame began to waver. His mana also began to recede.
But just as his windows with his ancient gods were about to close, an orange-haired girl seated in front of a table in a dark library suddenly opened her eyes.
Ad
Right as the Inner Sanctum was about to close once more, the evil god from the ancient era finally unleashed the counterattack she had prepared for a long time. Her braided hair loosened, as her aura turned sinister.
The black silhouette encroaching on the library was forced to a halt.
“He has reached Origin Level 1 too. Did you think your suppression would still work?” Edavia said mockingly, as her eyes peered through the layers of mana to see the culprit behind this. “This is the domain Sia has bestowed upon me. Begone, trespasser.”
The aura of the Spiriteer Sovereign flared, as Edavia released a powerful jolt that traversed the trespassing mana, till it arrived at the origin.
“!”
With a soft harrumph, the pressure shaking Roel’s Inner Sanctum vanished.
Roel’s golden eyes blazed once more as he regained control over his Inner Sanctum and re-established his windows with Grandar and the others. He raised his head to look at the distant horizon, where a figure was now in sight.
Carolyn Ascart was finally standing before Roel and Alicia, though her expression was much more severe than before.
Both her initial golden light attack and her bloodline suppression had failed. This meant that Roel had grown much stronger even though it had only been a short period of time, and this piqued Carolyn’s wariness.
In contrast, Roel was much calmer than their first meeting.
“It has been a few days, my ancestor. Are you still faring well?”
“…What did you do?”
“What are you referring to?”
“You were able to raise your strength by so much within a short period of time. Should I say ‘as expected of my descendant’? Or should it be attributed to the Mother Goddess’ favor?” Carolyn sneered.
Ad
Roel shook his head and sighed. “I have said that I’m not the Mother Goddess’ disciple. I have only received the power that Sia has reserved for me… but I doubt you’d believe me.”
“If you want me to trust you, leave this place right now and let me complete the final plan.”
“The final plan? It looks like you haven’t changed your mind at all.”
“Change my mind? You don’t know the sacrifices we had to make in order to weaken the Savior and the Mother Goddess, so that we could cope with the doomsday prophecy. The final plan is humankind’s hope! How can I give it up?” Carolyn said with eyes filled with anger, as her mana grew increasingly turbid.
“…” Roel fell silent.
The final plan and its execution were the crystallization of humankind’s wisdom. Unimaginable blood, sweat, and tears had been put into it. Carolyn had even waited a thousand years for this. It was impossible to change her mind with just a couple of words.
It was not just naivety but arrogance.
Sensing Carolyn’s determination, Alicia’s face turned pale, and she took a step back. However, Roel grabbed her hand.
“Lord Brother…”
“Don’t be scared. It’ll be fine,” Roel first reassured Alicia with a warm smile before grimly turning to Carolyn.
“I have utmost respect for everything you have done for humankind in the past, but you have been in hibernation in the Abyss for a thousand years. You aren’t up to date with humankind’s current plight, as well as the circumstances surrounding Alicia and the Mother Goddess.
“The situation is different from before. The final plan was formulated a thousand years ago, so it should be modified to suit the current context. As a member of the Ascart House, I should have the power to make modifications to it too, right?”
Ad
“Don’t even think about it. I won’t entertain the words of a potential traitor.”
“…” Roel’s face darkened at Carolyn’s obstinacy.
He finally understood the greatest barrier between the two of them—a lack of trust.
Carolyn’s judgment had been marred by the Savior’s aura of depravity, and it didn’t help that Roel was practically cloaked in the Mother Goddess’ aura. It was a deadlock. There was no way he could win Carolyn’s trust.
“…It looks like there’s no room for negotiation.”
“Indeed.”
“There’s no choice, then.”
Roel unleashed his mana. In response, Carolyn also unleashed hers.
The two members of the Ascart House who lived in two different turning points of history stared at each other in anticipation of this unprecedented battle.
