Chapter 151: Sudden Turn of Events

Ah, not good, not good! It was just too delightful, and I couldn’t help but smile.

That smile must have looked quite strange, as even the way the Tiger-Human in front of me looked at me seemed off.

Though I understood it wasn’t the right time for such remarks, the Priestess couldn’t resist teasing.

“Aren’t you a bit wingless yourself? Why do you sound like the Kingdom of Azure is your home ground?”

“?”

As expected, the moment those words left my lips, Kunier’s expression clearly turned more hostile.

After all… if it were an ally, or a normal ally, such a comment would prompt an immediate explanation to avoid misunderstandings.

The Tiger-Human slightly bared its claws, deepening its voice to issue a warning.

“Miss Vilyric, if you two are not involved in this matter, please leave the Temple of Sky at once; otherwise, don’t blame me for any offense.”

“How rude! Just a mere…”

“Hey, all good, all good. It’s just doing its duty; as a Tiger-Human, it’s pretty rational to not attack without reason~”

Stopping my pet, who was ready to raise its claws, I glanced at the distant battlefield where the Wing Emperor and the Half-Dragon were engaged.

It seemed neither side could determine my intentions, as neither made tactical changes upon my arrival, choosing instead to maintain the status quo and observe for the time being.

“What’s going on? Can you explain? Don’t compare claws; you’re no match for me. Together, none of you stand a chance.”

The Priestess didn’t say anything like “I mean no harm” or “I’m here to help,” as those empty claims were meaningless. It was better to demonstrate her overwhelming power directly.

She did intend to stop the Withering Goddess Xi Fu, but she was also here to uncover the secrets of this temple.

Strictly speaking, she wasn’t entirely part of the Winged faction; she was more like a third party.

As a rather clever Tiger-Human, Kunier quickly picked up on Vilyric’s subtle attitude. It could sense the creeping, chilling pressure emanating from the two girls before it, especially the blonde one, suggesting they weren’t just trying to scare it.

It frowned, about to speak, when the large aquamarine crystal, hovering in the center of the palace, suddenly began to shake!

Zzzz, zzzzz…

Intense currents surged across the crystal’s barrier, causing the originally stable floating crystal to tremble slightly, and even the entire palace emitted a thunderous humming!

The Wing Emperor and several Priests maintaining the barrier changed color, as if they understood what this phenomenon meant.

Almost simultaneously, they spat out mouthfuls of blood, and the light they infused into the barrier surged dramatically. Aistini also ceased her original steady offensive, her attacks becoming sharp and fierce as she intended to defeat the Half-Dragon Losa in a short time!

“Damn it, still not enough… tsk… sigh, there’s no choice!”

With this sudden turn of events, Kunier seemed to have no time for guessing or doubting; it swiftly retracted its battle-ready claws and hurried over to the Priestess, who now appeared to be observing with great interest.

“Miss Vilyric, I don’t know how you two broke through the lower defenses and barriers, but it’s urgent now, and I can only trust my judgement on this! If you truly aren’t enemies…”

With a rather rapid pace, it pointed at the floating crystal in the center of the palace.

“This thing is a protective treasure left by the God of Sky for the Winged People, the source of the High Priestess’s power and blessings. Right now, the real enemy is battling with the High Priest above, and the Wing Emperor told me beforehand that if the relic begins to destabilize, it means the High Priestess is losing and forced to borrow power she can’t fully control…”

“This is a very dangerous situation! The High Priestess could collapse at any moment… If that person falls, both the Sky City and we are done for! So, now we are all in the same boat…”

“Alright, alright, so the goal is to stabilize the crystal or defeat that troublesome Half-Dragon so the Wing Emperor can intervene, right?”

Hearing Kunier, the Priestess started to grasp the gist of the situation, and it was not off from her guesses.

However… the Wing Emperor really trusts that Tiger-Human, sharing such secrets with it. What kind of deal did those two make behind the scenes?

Of course, Vilyric wouldn’t follow Kunier’s commands; she had her own plans.

【Xi Fu Lin, that crystal?】

【That’s not a fragment of the Earth Mother Goddess’s Divine Spark, but an external device. Minerva showed me a similar one; simply put, it’s used to share the burden and influence of divine power on the body in a special way.】

Divine power exerting a burden on the body…

Thinking of the powerful force displayed by the High Priestess, everything became clear.

The power protecting the Winged City didn’t actually come from some God of Sky; there has never been a position like a God of Sky or a God of Freedom. The one truly granting protection to the Winged People is the Earth Mother Goddess Xi Fu.

The Withering Goddess wants that very thing.

【But while it’s not a fragment itself, it does have a quite close connection to it, and from it, I can sense a familiar aura. Vilyric, you might try to make contact.】

【So where’s the real Divine Spark fragment?】

While moving toward the increasingly unstable central platform, Vilyric continued her covert exchange with Xi Fu Lin.

【Not sure yet, but it’s likely within that High Priestess’s body. This way, it prevents the emergence of self-awareness and serves as a living seal while also allowing some degree of power usage. It’s a threefold gain, very much in line with Minerva’s style.】

“Ah?”

Vilyric’s lips twitched, eliciting a surprised gasp.

Wait… the actual fragment is on the High Priestess?

Then…

If that High Priestess gets killed by Xi Fu, doesn’t that mean…

Never mind, it shouldn’t be that easy to defeat her.

Lost in thought, the black-haired girl approached the aquamarine crystal, while the Priests looked like they were giving all they had just to keep it stable, utterly unable to move.

Kunier, following closely, appeared somewhat hesitant; though it chose to throw caution to the wind given the urgent situation, it was still quite anxious deep down.

While the Wing Emperor had completely put the insufficiently powered Half-Dragon Losa under control, defeating it wasn’t something that could be done right away.

The scales of victory seemed to rest entirely in the hands of the Priestess.

Thus, Vilyric reached out to touch the floating aquamarine crystal, disregarding the dense electric flashes, her fingertips brushing against the unstable barrier.

Zzzz, zzzz.

   

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