"She only interacts this way with people she finds interesting. Otherwise, she wouldn't even spare them a glance."
Selena arched an eyebrow at those words. She was about to retort, but after a moment of thought, she realized it was likely true.
From the first moment she met Alkin, just like when she first met Viviana, she couldn't help but want to bicker. However, if it were someone she truly didn't care about—like the members of Faust's maid troupe—the Princess of Midwinter wouldn't bother saying anything at all.
What was there to say? Faust was essentially a walking cosmic beast. A man so magnificent and imposing was not someone any single female in this world had the right or the ability to monopolize.
No matter how strong one's possessiveness or jealousy might be, after being relentlessly pounded for several days and nights, one wouldn't dare speak of exclusivity anymore; they would be begging for someone else to share the burden.
Under Viviana's influence, Selena's perspective had even shifted. The more her lover indulged and the better he performed, the more it proved his excellence.
Only those clearly defined as "partners" would earn a second look from Selena. The Snow White princess tilted her chin slightly and asked, "I can feel it. Is she one of the special ones too?"
Faust nodded. "She is."
Upon receiving the prince's confirmation, Selena raised an eyebrow, offering a begrudging sort of acceptance.
Even if the haughty princess was to have sister-wives, they had to be equally exceptional women. Anything less would be beneath her.
Selena looked toward the town, which was decorated with lanterns and streamers, and added, "This place isn't bad. I heard the Fog Moon Kingdom was a lifeless, beast-infested forbidden land, but it seems quite lively now."
Although Faust had been in the Fog Moon Kingdom for months, he had been maintaining contact with the outside world through family channels. Consequently, Selena knew a bit about the kingdom.
However, the difference between what was written in the letters and what she saw in person was staggering.
Hearing such praise from the Snow White princess, the white wolf girl was quite pleased.
"Thank you for the compliment. This is the result of the joint efforts of Faust and myself. Not long ago, the Fog Moon Kingdom indeed fit your stereotype perfectly."
Like a magic trick, Alkin produced the prepared roses and handed them to Selena and Viviana, actively extending an olive branch.
"I sincerely invite you both to join this grand celebration. Your beauty will only add fuel to the fire of this hunt."
Alkin certainly had a handle on etiquette and grace. The wolf-girl appeared polite yet remained entirely true to her own whims.
"Someone who loves the prince cannot be a bad person."
Ultimately, it was the most sensible childhood friend who softened the atmosphere and accepted the rose.
The blonde, purple-eyed knight looked at Faust calmly and moved to the matter at hand.
"Your Highness, when and where do you plan to face the Moon Deity?"
She spoke with a business-like, efficient tone.
It should be noted that outside of her repressed heat cycles, Viviana's usual personality was consistently serious and professional.
Faust remained silent for a moment before nodding. "Tonight. At the climax before the celebration ends, Alkin will call for the blood moon to appear. Then... we will pull it down to the mortal realm to hunt it and grant it release."
Selena also took a rose, twirling the petals between her fingers while resting her cheek on her other hand.
"So soon? Summoning us only to rush off... Speaking of fighting a deity, why didn't you call Lola? She is a high warlock. In terms of combat power, isn't she stronger than us?"
"Because this has nothing to do with power levels. It is something only you and I can accomplish."
The prince shook his head. "In fact, being 'weaker' is actually an advantage."
Faust's original purpose for this trip was to claim the legacy of a decaying celestial deity, allowing Mephistopheles to scavenge the remains. Naturally, he had considered how to go about it.
According to Mephisto, whether a god falls or not depends entirely on the script. It has nothing to do with the deity's own power or status.
It simply means their time is up and they must step down. When that moment comes, even a mere mortal can achieve the feat of deicide.
Such events were even recorded in the Age of Gods!
As for this celestial deity of the Fog Moon Kingdom... there was no doubt it had been victimized by the great hand of providence.
Mephistopheles spoke directly in Faust's mind:
【The kingdom it resides in has become the stage for the witches' feast. Because of this, even if it is just a background prop, my compatriot is destined to encounter a dramatic betrayal here, falling into madness and decay.】
【To this day, it is hard to say whether its own extremism caused the witches' feast to descend, or if the witches' feast happened to choose its kingdom, leading to this fate.】
【Regardless, as long as it is cast as the villain standing against the witches, its defeat is inevitable. Since it was meant to exit the stage anyway, merely changing the method of its departure will not even trigger a backlash.】
No one held much reverence for gods. Since Faust had put it that way, there were naturally no more questions.
...
That evening, another celebration procession entered the town. Floats and airships transformed the entire town into a city that never slept.
In the past, if she had the time, Alkin would certainly have joined the people to host the celebration.
But now, only a few knew that the uncrowned king of the wolf pack had left civilization behind, stepping into the mist that the people of the Fog Moon were strictly forbidden to enter.
In a clearing within the dark forest, Alkin drew a massive magic circle according to the method Faust had taught her.
Then, she called out to the Great Moon:
"I fearfully invoke the honorable name, the God of the Lunar Disk!"
"The Light of Enlightenment, the Will of Heavenly Scourge!"
"..."
As a hunter who had offered the lives of many Ancient Ones in succession, Alkin's call received an instinctive response. This was also because the wolf-girl had previously used her achievements in subjugating the Ancient Ones to exchange for the Moon Deity's appearance.
Swoosh—
Along with a rift tearing through the sky, the image of a blood-red full moon appeared above Faust and the others.
However, even as the radiance of the blood moon poured down, making people feel a physical warmth, reaching that blood moon was something completely unimaginable for a mortal.
【Fairies and celestial deities exist on the same plane, which is the outer edge of the great wheel of life. It is nearly parallel to the mortal world, making it almost impossible for mortal existences to interfere. But for me, it requires nothing more than a gentle push.】
Boom—
The moment Mephisto's voice faded, multiple rings emerged above the newly prepared ritual circle, and a path of light pierced directly through the sky.
The blood moon was struck by this path of light, and its ominous moonlight instantly dissipated. Then, as if the path of light were retracting, it plummeted rapidly toward the ritual circle on the ground.
Seeing this, Faust encouraged the 【witches】 around him.
"For a fairy to have a physical vessel in the mortal world, it must be either a dragon or a divine incarnation. What we are about to face is the incarnation of the Moon Deity."
"Do not worry. A divine incarnation is not like a demonic dragon. At most, it follows the path of a Saint, not to mention it is a crippled incarnation."
Through Mephisto's explanation, Faust had a thorough understanding of what he was about to face.
Fairies certainly could not have physical forms in the mortal world. If they did, they were definitely a dragonfall; there was no need to investigate further, just eliminate them on sight.
However, fairies who possessed divine authority were exceptions. As characters playing the role of "gods," they occasionally needed to descend to the mortal world to interact, and thus they were permitted to send down an "incarnation."
Naturally, the strength of a divine incarnation could not be compared to that of a dragon. They could even be overwhelmed by mortal heroes. In fact, one could say the reason such nonsensical things as divine incarnations existed was to allow mortals to earn the title of Godslayer.
After all, how could a magnificent epic lack a script where mortals resist gods?
A divine incarnation was, essentially, just a stepping stone.
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