In the end, Hecate had the upper hand.
The earth cracked, and the vegetation withered.
The Elven Mother Tree's roots were eroded by dark power, her silver-white leaves rustling down as her life force steadily waned.
Even so, she was still protecting the entire Elven Valley.
Hecate walked over to the Elven Mother Tree, her black skirts billowing like blooming flowers of death.
With a brilliant smile, she said, “Even if I currently possess less than half of my peak strength, you are still no match for me, pseudo-god. The difference between having a godhead and not is like an impassable chasm.”
The Elven Mother Tree could no longer hold on. Her roots dug deep into the earth, beginning to absorb the vitality of all life in the Elven Valley.
Rather than letting Hecate destroy the entire Elven Valley, it was better to wage a desperate, final struggle.
Vegetation withered, branches and leaves turning to ash. The sea of flowers faded, and butterflies and bees fell like dead leaves. The streams ground to a halt, leaving only dried-up riverbeds.
Seeing this, even Hecate's eyes flickered with a trace of shock.
Plundering vitality?
Was this something a god wielding the authority of life should do?
Meanwhile, Ning Busan suddenly realized something.
Since this was a war of gods, why was the God of Light completely indifferent?
He prayed in a low voice, begging the God of Light to lend a hand.
Yet, the God of Light did not respond.
Seeing his actions, the corners of Hecate's mouth curled slightly into a half-smile. “My dear, do you know why Surya is letting me do this?”
Ning Busan did not know.
Why would the God of Light watch idly as the entire Elven Valley was destroyed?
Hecate suddenly burst into laughter, her collarbones trembling with her mirth. “Because neither he nor I want to see the birth of a new god—”
Ning Busan only found it absurd.
No wonder there was only one True God in this world.
Because every existence that could potentially become a new god was strangled in its cradle.
By now, the entire Elven Valley's vitality had been completely drained by the Elven Mother Tree, transforming into a jade comet that tore through the sky.
Under Hecate's control, the light of the crimson moon converged into a bloody pillar of light, striking directly at the Elven Mother Tree.
The moment the two energies collided, they swept outward like a raging tide, emitting a low hum that seemed to drain all color from heaven and earth.
The Elven Mother Tree still lost.
In truth, had she absorbed the vitality of all the elves, she might not have lost.
She was simply unwilling to do so.
Deep cracks were eroded into the Elven Mother Tree's smooth, silver bark, slowly oozing black sap.
Hecate's low laughter echoed, squeezed from the depths of her throat. It carried a spine-chilling pleasure, as if she were savoring a thrill beyond ordinary comprehension.
“In this world, having the God of Light and the God of Darkness is enough. There is no need for any new True Gods.”
“And my child only needs me as his mother.”
Just as Hecate was about to deliver the final blow to the Elven Mother Tree, Ning Busan stepped between them.
Ning Busan had already seen through Hecate's nature. She was an incredibly possessive and controlling creature.
Therefore, Ning Busan took a soft approach: “I don't want dominion over life and death. I only want them to live. Let them go, and consider it a gift for our first meeting, alright?”
Hecate's dark brows knit into an incredulous angle, her voice laced with warning: “Darling, don't make Mother angry!”
Ning Busan took a deep breath.
You barged into my home and want to kill my family, yet you're the one getting angry?
“Oh, fine. Who tells you to be Mother's darling? How about this: between the Elven Mother Tree and all the elves of the Elven Clan, whichever side you choose gets to live.”
Hecate brushed a cold finger across Ning Busan's cheek. “Look how gentle I am, even giving you a choice.”
“Now, choose.”
The veins on Ning Busan's temples bulged, looking as if they were about to burst through his skin.
How was he supposed to choose?
The Elven Mother Tree did not make things difficult for Ning Busan. Instead, she made the choice herself.
Humming a song, she voluntarily set her own tree rings ablaze. The soaring emerald flames illuminated the now-barren Elven Valley.
All the elves saw the burning fire and heard the familiar melody, letting out low, sorrowful wails.
With a brilliant smile on her face, Hecate turned back to Ning Busan and asked, “The eyesore is gone. Shouldn't you smile?”
A tear flickered in Ning Busan's eyes, but it was quickly consumed by fury.
He used every ounce of his strength to maintain his precarious sanity, preventing himself from making a catastrophic mistake.
The crimson moon still hung in the sky. Hecate could wipe out the hundred thousand plus elves of the Elven Valley at any moment.
Ning Busan stared at Hecate, saying word by word, “Keep your word. You cannot harm the elves of the Elven Valley anymore.”
Despite having killed the eyesore, Hecate found herself unable to feel happy when she saw Ning Busan's current expression.
Hecate tilted her head. “Darling, shouldn't you say you love me at a time like this?”
Ning Busan's lips trembled, his teeth grinding together as if he wanted to crush all his anger and hatred between them.
“I... love... you...”
Hecate curled her lips in pleasure. “Good boy!”
“Before long, I will be able to rid myself of Surya. When that time comes, you can be with me forever. Darling, are you looking forward to it?”
Ning Busan squeezed two words through his teeth: “Looking forward.”
He swore that when that day came, he would make Hecate pay the price.
Hecate smiled and said, “Next time, I will be able to meet you in my most beautiful, true form.”
Under the crimson moonlight, Hecate parted her red lips, each word ground and reconstructed between her teeth, delivering what was to Ning Busan the most venomous curse in the gentlest of tones:
“Mother loves you the most.”
The crimson moon vanished, and Hecate disappeared without a trace.
Ning Busan knelt beside the burning Mother Tree.
Ever since he arrived in this world, while he hadn't exactly been able to summon the wind and rain at will, things had generally gone his way.
This was the first time Ning Busan felt utterly powerless.
With the melody hummed by the Mother Tree still echoing in his ears, he finally tasted the bitter flavor of loss.
Death gives life its value.
But he did not want to see death.
In that case...
Creation!
Ning Busan lifted his head, the red flames consuming the Mother Tree's trunk reflecting in his dark green eyes.
In the eyes of a creator, death and rebirth were nothing more than the blink of an eye.
...
Divine Realm.
Beneath the shining holy light, Surya's shadow began to writhe, eventually condensing into a beautiful woman with a human upper body and a serpent's tail.
Surya sighed. “Everything you have done will only push him further away.”
“If I cannot have him, then I will kill him!” Hecate's voice was as sharp as a blade scraping against glass, filled with a frenzied possessiveness and desire for destruction.
Surya said calmly, “You wouldn't have the heart to.”
“Indeed... I wouldn't...”
Hecate's tone dropped suddenly, becoming incredibly soft and carrying a morbid attachment, as if she were speaking of some inseparable obsession.
Surya frowned. “Madwoman.”
Hecate burst into wild laughter. “But I am you, hahahaha...”
She was the incarnation of chaos, the source of madness, the Mother of Destruction who held the authority of darkness, possessing a True God's divine seat since birth.
Yet, an existence like hers was actually born from the dark side of the God of Light, sharing one body and one life with him.
The darkness nurtured within the light was the most perfect fall.
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