Chapter 32: The Unresolved Cloud of Doubt

Just like before with the dragon’s breath, the space rift and destruction created by the [Claws of Shattered Sky] did not extend into the real world. After returning to the underground altar, everything around remained unchanged.

Leila and Renée stood not far away, their hidden white wings now fully displayed. Leila bore several gray, swirling wounds, and as a mage, Renée looked quite exhausted, her complexion pale.

Clearly, they had just been in a fierce battle and had used all their strength. Upon seeing the sudden change in the scene and the companions appearing by their side, they both froze.

“Miss Vilyric? Are you alright?”

Despite being the injured party, Leila hurried over to Miss Vilyric’s side, showing concern for her.

“Wow, I thought I was done for…”

Her sister Renée plopped down on the ground, letting out a sigh of relief.

The Priestess hesitated for a moment and comfortingly ruffled the short, snowy hair of the winged girl, treating and dispelling the [Disaster] aura that had invaded her body, nodding gently.

“Don’t worry about me. Where have you two been?”

Although she hadn’t brought up the missing winged sisters from the beginning, that didn’t mean Miss Vilyric was completely unconcerned for Leila and Renée’s well-being.

Before taking action, considering the notorious reputation of the [Southern Disaster] and unpredictable means, Miss Vilyric had cast protective magic on everyone except the Little Dragon Daughter, which allowed her to sense their general location and protect them in dire moments.

Revival magic is not omnipotent. Miss Vilyric could think of several ways that people might die and could not be resurrected, so she had never acted recklessly just because she had such abilities.

It was precisely because she sensed that the protective magic on Leila and Renée had not been triggered that Miss Vilyric judged they were safe, not mentioning it further.

If Miss Vilyric wasn’t mistaken, the two must have been teleported to a separate virtual space, and searching for them would be quite troublesome. However, the core of that space was likely the [Phantom Cloud], or rather, fragments of the Earth Mother Goddess’s will.

As expected, just as Miss Vilyric anticipated, after the space shattered, everyone returned to their original point.

“You’re alright, thankfully. After that strange statue opened its eyes, my sister and I suddenly found ourselves in a place like an arena, with gray monsters wildly rushing at us from all directions. We had no choice but to take to the sky to avoid them.”

Leila still looked a bit shaken.

“Yet among those gray magical beasts, many also had flying capabilities and were extremely strong. In the midst of fighting, for some reason, we suddenly returned here. Miss Vilyric, what exactly…”

“Hmm… explaining this is a bit complicated. Let’s talk about it later. You both should rest well. Leave the rest to me.”

After a brief explanation, Miss Vilyric headed alone towards the Earth Mother Goddess statue on the altar.

This fragment of Xi Fu’s will had a vastly different attitude towards Leila, Renée, and the others on their side.

If at first, they aimed merely to intimidate, then the winged sisters clearly had their hearts set on taking their lives.

I remember previously the false Xi Fu referred to the sisters as pureblood descendants, and used them as a crucial basis for Miss Vilyric being the incarnation of the God of Sky, Minerva. Could there be some deeper meaning to this?

This statue, carved from an unknown stone, still maintained a sacred posture, but the divinity within had weakened to a level almost undetectable.

This is the essence of the [Southern Disaster], a vessel of one of the fragmented souls of the Earth Mother Goddess, and in some sense, it could also be seen as a special high-tier item or equipment. What Miss Vilyric had seen in the temple was its spirit.

A calamity despised by countless beings yet feared deeply.

So, what would become of its spirit if the statue’s body were destroyed?

Taking a deep breath, the black-haired girl raised her holy staff and swung it down heavily!

Bang!

There was no unexpected change; no matter how special or hard it was, it couldn’t be stronger than a true artifact. The statue shattered with a crack, splitting in two from the center, with the upper half rolling to the ground.

Without hesitation, Miss Vilyric struck again and again, reducing the unknown statue to irreparable fragments before finally stopping.

The remaining divinity and will completely dissipated.

Is it dead…?

Miss Vilyric couldn’t be bothered to engage further with it.

“Hmph… Heaven’s sins can be forgiven, but self-inflicted sins cannot be lived through.”

After completing this, she pulled out another small stone statue from her bosom and projected her consciousness into it.

Everything that had just happened was vividly shown to the other fragment of Xi Fu inside.

After all, this was a fragment closely related to it, and Miss Vilyric believed it necessary and worthy to know these events.

[Sorry for using such a crude method.]

Though she spoke eloquently before, had it not been for the warning and information provided by this fragment of Xi Fu, Miss Vilyric might have genuinely been taken in, treating it as some mysterious unknown deity.

After all, Miss Vilyric had never seen what could be called a true god.

But even though Xi Fu had warned her that the fragment here might not be friendly, and that conflict could arise, obliterating another shard of the same soul in front of Xi Fu would feel somewhat delicate.

[…It’s okay, I didn’t expect one of mine to turn out like this. Though I don’t remember, the Xi Fu of the past shouldn’t have this kind of disposition. Could it be… no, perhaps a thousand years really is too long.]

[Moreover, Miss Vilyric, because you’ve erased this fragment’s will, its core power has automatically merged with the nearest self, and I have regained some abilities and memories. Would you like to hear them?]

Huh? Even shattered like this, it can merge?

This thing… wouldn’t it do something like unholy resurrection and come back to life again? The previously mentioned [Immortal] trait by Epunya, although clarified, still had Miss Vilyric a bit concerned.

Seemingly sensing the doubt in Miss Vilyric’s heart, Xi Fu’s voice from the statue gently explained.

[Don’t worry, it’s just the most fundamental part of the spirit. Its derived will has been thoroughly shattered by you, and the memories that this self recalls are merely those that the Earth Mother Goddess should have.]

[…Alright, so what are those memories?]

[Hmm… to put it simply, the Earth Mother Goddess Xi Fu is actually a dual-faced deity. She possesses two completely different powers and souls—representing the vital force of creation and love, and representing the force of decay and merciless disaster. So, what do you think?]

Xi Fu seemed to playfully withhold the end of her sentence, but Miss Vilyric immediately understood her meaning.

[You mean the essence of [Disaster] is the force of calamity? So this fragment represented earlier was… ]

[Correct. She should be the soul that split from my dead side, while this self, just as you assumed, is the remnant soul of the living side. We are originally a unified existence of different natures, but this difference in nature has been infinitely magnified by the separation over the millennium.]

In that case, the essence of [Southern Disaster] is actually the product of the Earth Mother Goddess’s dead side being released from its seal?

No wonder it became a world-class disaster that no one can control…

However, it still doesn’t quite add up.

If [Southern Disaster] is a remnant of the Earth Mother Goddess, what about the other three disasters?

If [Southern Disaster]’s purpose is to collect power to break through its seal, then who originally awakened this will from within the seal? Who constructed this underground altar?

From the condition of this Xi Fu beside her, the fragments within the seal should be unable to do anything.

And most importantly.

Why did the God of Sky, Minerva, seek to kill and seal the Earth Mother Goddess Xi Fu, even erasing her from history?

Perhaps these questions could only be answered once they truly reached the Kingdom of Azure.

But as for this matter, it has now come to a close.

   

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