Chapter 56: The Radiant Dragon

“Hey, speaking of the giant octopus, are you awake or sleepwalking? Can you hear me? Uh… you should be an octopus, right?”

Just like in her previous encounters with deities, Miss Vilyric attempted to engage the other party, but unfortunately, those tentacles didn’t respond to her at all, much like when she plunged into the deep sea to excavate the incomplete skull of the God of Truth—no feedback from the external world or even any harm.

It felt more like the presence of a weapon, following some fixed logic to execute established actions, like… like…

A preordained “program”?

Some bizarre and absurd thoughts flashed through her mind, but at that moment, Vilyric had no time for careful consideration or assumptions; she could only raise her weapon and prepare for battle.

Although they were still a distance away from the court in the Ghost Sea, Anies and the others wouldn’t be able to make it in time, but it wouldn’t be long.

Whether to conceal her true strength as much as possible or to avoid the divine conflict affecting them, if it really came to a fight, the Priestess hoped to wrap things up quickly.

However, what was strange was that those evil god tentacles were just moving in the air as if observing, and the countless eyes growing on them sent shivers down her spine, yet they didn’t immediately attack the Priestess.

Perhaps the Radiant Spirit’s imposing presence had something to do with it; that recent strike had a certain intimidating effect, or maybe… they had other concerns.

After all, as long as the Great Evil God retained some reason, it likely wouldn’t recklessly engage in a full-blown battle with a similarly ranked opponent. Its true objective should still be…

Just as the black-haired girl remained cautiously on guard against the evil god, pondering its intentions, her heart suddenly skipped a beat at a perception feedback from directly below in the deep sea!

Wait, is this guy trying to…

Vilyric instinctively wanted to intervene, but the Great Evil God was indeed a genuine deity-level opponent. Plus, she hesitated for just a moment, unable to fully grasp the purpose of its action, and ultimately she was a step too late.

In the next instant…

“Bang!!!!!!!!!!!”

With a thunderous roar, an unparalleled sharp tentacle suddenly shot up from beneath the sea, striking the Ghost Ship!

Being bound by chains in the sea by Vilyric, the seemingly living eerie ship couldn’t dodge or counter, and the attack from the evil god instantly pierced its hull from below, the terrifying force even splitting the massive Ghost Ship in half!

“Crack-crack-crack… Ga-lalalala…”

The fracture spread like a plague, racing across the entire Ghost Ship, with countless wooden shards and indescribable essences scattering in all directions, followed by a bizarre explosive sound, almost akin to the wails and shrieks of some strange creature on the brink of death.

It didn’t sink into the sea like a real ship; instead, as the cracks expanded, it began to disintegrate on the surface, transforming into countless dark essences and indescribable forces.

“You…”

Seeing this scene, Vilyric suddenly understood.

What the Great Evil God truly cared about was that part of the Divine Spark of the God of Truth that constituted the very essence of the Ghost Ship!

It didn’t want the Ghost Ship to be captured as a prisoner, but the power shown by the Priestess exceeded a certain threshold, determined by the evil god as impossible for it to escape, so it chose to obliterate its vessel outright.

Sure enough, having achieved this goal, the tentacles of the evil god instantly retracted into the deep sea like they’d received orders, including the one that pierced through and destroyed the Ghost Ship, all disappearing without a trace in a short time, seemingly with no intent to continue battling the Priestess.

The Great Evil God came swiftly and left just as quickly. As the waves gradually calmed again, only the shattered and rapidly dissipating wooden eerie ship remained on the surface.

“……”

Realizing that the battle wouldn’t continue, the black-haired girl sighed and let the radiant spirit floating behind her disperse.

What a trick, that despicable creature.

The Ghost Ship was ruined, and the Great Evil God had retreated back into the sea. It was clear its slumber had not yet ended; it had only temporarily appeared and intervened due to some triggered conditions.

“……Is this it?”

Even now, the reasons and methods behind Oktaviel creating the Ghost Sea and the box garden, as well as repeatedly destroying and resetting the Emerald Sea Region, remained unclear.

It refused to communicate, and the possible connection to the Eastern Disaster had already been obliterated by the evil god itself. Although this has been “perfectly resolved,” it couldn’t be considered a failure for Vilyric and her companions; however, with all clues forcibly severed and the complete picture still a mystery, she couldn’t help but feel frustrated at having no outlet for her strength.

Indeed, Vilyric could forcibly dive into the sea to take revenge on Oktaviel, or even stir up chaos to vent her frustrations, but given the circumstances, provoking that evil deity into an all-out battle without preparation was hardly a rational choice.

What… to do? Should she swallow her grievances for now and look for an opportunity to make a comeback later, or…

Perhaps the hesitation and resentment triggered something, or it could be the lingering power from the Ghost Ship resonating slowly fading away; the long-untouched concept of “contract” surged forth with a fierce pang in the Priestess’s heart!

It was as if she heard a familiar voice echoing in her ear.

“The despicable usurper!!! You… dare to make the master…!!!”

With that furious shout, a dazzling golden light burst forth from the girl’s chest!

“What?!”

This completely unexpected turn of events left Vilyric momentarily flabbergasted, unable even to prevent it, just like so many times before.

Although it shone with the same light attribute, this golden radiance was far more intense than her own pure and flawless power, possessing a strong and domineering quality. It was like a blazing sun capable of piercing through the endless night, filled with an irresistible and overwhelming majesty and absolute violence!

This wasn’t Vilyric’s power; it could be viewed as her power.

Yet, this power should still be sleeping, not manifesting here.

That came from the other end of the contract, a close and trustworthy companion of some girl.

“Xiao Guang…?”

All that answered her was a resounding, world-dominating dragon’s roar!

“Roar!!!!!!!!!!!”

In the next moment, that crimson-gold light soared into the sky, magnifying in the air, and in the blink of an eye, transformed into a breathtaking golden dragon hundreds of meters long, unleashing a fiery breath of divine punishment aimed at the Ghost Ship fading upon the sea, and the deeper, darker depths…

Explosive eruption!!!

“Boom隆隆隆隆！！！！！！！！！！！”

That crimson-gold breath struck the sea like a celestial star piercing the heavens, and everything evil and tainted that dared to block its golden radiance was instantly turned to ashes.

The golden light stirred the ocean, plunging to the seabed thousands of meters down, detonating into a second wave of horrifying nuclear explosion, instantly obliterating all the evil god tentacles and ghostly beings lurking within hundreds of kilometers!

Everywhere the might reached, even the seawater evaporated under the extreme light, spiraling into a terrifying vortex, and the seabed shook violently, tides surged unceasingly, as if the entire Ghost Sea was on the brink of the apocalypse.

At this moment, the others on the island finally arrived, taking in the indescribable scene before their eyes.

“What… on earth is…?”

Even Anies, the leader of her kind, could hardly suppress the instinctual awe rising within her at this moment.

As the eerie Ghost Ship perished under the roar of the golden dragon, and the dark essence and pollution in the whole sea vanished in an instant, her perpetually calm and wise eyes lost focus for the first time, while those behind her struggled against the overwhelming pressure, trembling and bowing in respect.

“The supreme power that roams the great sea, causing the tides to rise and fall, and the heavens and earth to surge… the magnificent light that illuminates all beings… this is true divine power, the dragon of light descending from the sky… how mighty.”

The man known as the Pirate King deeply lowered his head, kneeling on one knee before the turbulent sea and golden thunder, thoughtlessly performing a more solemn ritual gesture akin to worship.

“Oh, supreme and holy light of origin, source of all beginnings, thank you for your mercy and blessings…”

   

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