Bonechewer looked at the pair preparing to risk their lives, a mocking glint in his eyes. He raised a hand, and over a dozen trolls behind him immediately surged into the hall, surrounding them completely.
“Listen up, boys! Try not to hurt them too badly. If we can't hand them over in good condition, kiss those gold coins goodbye.”
“Hehe, Boss, we know what we're doing.”
“Don't worry, Boss. I've got the most battle experience here.”
“Hurry it up, Boss. Once we catch these humans, I'm waiting to go back and marry my sweet Chuchu baby.”
“Hehe, that reminds me. I need to propose to Wangzai Xiaoqiao when we get back too.”
“...”
The surrounding trolls chimed in, letting out loud, vulgar laughs as they talked.
Lilith's eyes flared with anger at their words, which quickly turned into deep grief.
“Lady Mother Goddess... I might never be able to pray to You again.”
“Heh, Mother Goddess? Your god fell in the God War a thousand years ago. Why bother believing in Her? You’d be better off believing in our Father God—His Lordship is quite merciful!”
“Hahaha!”
Bonechewer cast a contemptuous glance at the angel statue behind Lilith, drawing loud laughter from the surrounding trolls.
“Damned monster! How dare you insult Lady Goddess!”
Furious, West raised his knightly longsword and charged at Bonechewer.
Though he knew deep down that Lady Goddess had fallen long ago, Her memory was the faith that had sustained Princess Lilith and the priestly clan for so long. He would never allow anyone to humiliate Her like this.
Clang—!
Crash—
With a couple of casual swings of his greataxe, Bonechewer knocked the longsword from West's grip. Seeing this, the other trolls swarmed forward and bound him tightly.
“So weak. I don’t know where you got the courage to swing a sword at me.”
“Damn it, let me go! You piece of trash! You—”
Seeing his defiant and cursing state, Bonechewer stepped forward and delivered a punch to his gut.
“Ugh...”
Taking the hit, West's expression turned pained as he gagged and trembled violently all over.
Ah, much quieter.
“West!”
Witnessing this, Lilith felt utterly powerless. She bit her lip, her expression growing resolutely firm.
She turned to take one last look at the angel statue behind her, her eyes filled with reluctance and grief:
“Lady Mother Goddess... if You truly are still here, please save Your faithful believers. I am willing to offer everything I possess...”
Her voice trembled slightly, and a few glistening tears slowly rolled down from the corners of her eyes.
Without further hesitation, the holy light around Lilith suddenly flared with blinding brilliance as the phantom angel wings expanded to their fullest.
Bonechewer’s expression changed drastically.
“Not good! She's going to detonate her mana! Get out of here!”
Hearing this, the surrounding trolls panicked.
The force generated by a Class Holder’s self-destruction was no small matter. Even the weakest Bronze Rank Class Holder caught off guard could injure a Silver Rank power, let alone a group of Bronze Ranks like them.
“No! Lilith!!!”
Ignoring the intense pain wracking his body, West struggled desperately, his eyes filled with terror and despair as tears gushed out.
“I beg You, there must be another way!”
He writhed frantically, trying to break free from his bonds to stop Lilith.
Lilith looked at West, a trace of apology in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, West... Please forgive my selfishness...”
As her words fell, holy light began to surge uncontrollably, as if seeking to purify the entire space.
Just moments before Lilith could sacrifice herself,
a divine, ethereal sigh echoed from the sky.
Lilith felt the thrashing mana within her body calmed in an instant by a gentle, warm power.
“Th-This is?!”
Lilith's breath hitched. She jerked her head up and looked eagerly toward the sky, hope shining in her eyes:
“Is... is that the voice of Lady Mother Goddess?”
As her voice faded, countless brilliant, warm particles of white light descended from above, accompanied by the phantoms of countless angels and a sacred hymn.
Magnificent, holy, solemn.
Then, under Lilith’s overjoyed and West’s stunned gazes, the light particles slowly gathered into an ethereal, pristine, glowing white figure of a beautiful angel!
The figure slowly unfurled twelve pristine wings behind Her back, instantly filling the entire temple with divine glory!
In stark contrast to Lilith and West's joy and excitement, Bonechewer and the other trolls were struck with absolute terror.
An angel?!
No, a true god!
This was actually a true god!
Heavens! How was this possible?!
Hadn't the Goddess of Light fallen long ago?
Then...
what was happening before their eyes?
In disbelief, Bonechewer rubbed his eyes violently, but reality told him that none of this was an illusion.
Terror seized his heart.
I just spoke disrespectfully right in front of Her! She will never let me go!
Flee! Run, quickly!
Damned vampires, I knew they were up to no good!
At the thought, Bonechewer trembled all over, cursing Kate for giving him this contract in his mind. Suppressing the sheer terror inside, he tried to turn and run, only to find himself completely unable to move.
He looked toward the surrounding trolls and found everyone else in the same state.
Is it Her?! She restricted our movement!
Bonechewer instantly realized the cause.
In midair, the holy angel figure seemed to sense the panic and fearful gazes of the trolls.
She frowned, and a wave of force instantly struck the trolls.
“Aaargh!”
“My eyes!”
Almost simultaneously, the trolls let out bloodcurdling screams as blood streamed from their eye sockets.
A true god was not to be looked upon directly!
Bonechewer felt a chill run through his entire body as the sensation of impending death loomed over him.
He would die—he was definitely going to die!
“Y-Your Grace, please, spare us! Doing this violates the rules among true gods!”
Bonechewer's desire to survive had never been so intense. He forced down his terror and tried to plead with the entity before him.
After all, unlike the old Shaman of his tribe, he was not a devout believer in Father God. If the Shaman died, his soul could return to Father God’s Divine Kingdom. But if he died, he would simply cease to exist.
“Are you threatening Me?” The holy figure's voice was calm, devoid of anger or joy.
“N-No! It's not like that!”
Bonechewer was horrified. Threaten a true god?! Not even with a hundred times the courage would he dare!
“Pu... ri... fy.”
Showing no intention of listening to his explanation, the divine, ethereal voice drifted slowly from the sky.
Though enchanting to hear, it felt to Bonechewer like falling into a pit of ice.
“Aaargh!”
“My body!”
“Help!”
“...”
The moment the word 'purify' echoed, white flames erupted from every troll's body. The flames rapidly wrapped around their frames, a terrifying force consuming their life force.
Their flesh and bone withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, cracking like shattered mirrors before turning to ash and scattering into nothingness.
Before they died, their agonizing screams echoed through the empty temple, making one's skin crawl.
Bonechewer could no longer speak. As his life force drained away, he opened his mouth one last time before his body completely vanished from the world under the burning flames.
Rate on N.U.
