Chapter 184: “Above the ‘Strongest'”

Without further responding to Miss Vilyric’s question, the 【Sword】 donned its helmet once more, reverting to its fully armored form. In a voice resonating with indescribable emotion, it spoke slowly and solemnly.

“Outsider, you have successfully passed the trial of the Twelve Zodiac Guardians. As the head of the Twelve Zodiac—【Sword】—I grant you permission to move forward. Go seek the wealth and power left by our master. It is a dangerous yet opportunity-filled path, but I believe someone of your great strength can accomplish what we could not…”

“What is it that you couldn’t accomplish?”

Miss Vilyric tilted her head in surprise, but 【Sword】 remained silent, bowing its head in seeming reverence for her departure.

“Alright, alright… If you don’t want to say anything, that’s fine. I’m on a tight schedule, so I’ll take my leave now. You do as you wish.”

With a gentle nod, Vilyric no longer hesitated. She stepped past the black-armored warrior and headed straight for the pitch-black passage that had opened automatically after the battle ended.

Just as her figure was about to vanish into the passage, she turned back without looking and made a light yet earnest promise.

“Don’t worry, the path you couldn’t finish, I will walk it to the end.”

With that, the girl stepped into the darkness.

“Thank you so much, Your Highness Vilyric…”

Carrying a sense of expectation and relief, 【Sword】’s form, like other companions long gone, slowly turned to ashes, drifting among the sea of golden flowers.

……

“Upper Realm Spirits aren’t all that unsightly after all…”

Stepping out of the dim passageway, Vilyric found herself in an entirely different world.

She had returned to the temple filled with mystery and solemnity, but the scene was markedly different from before.

Simply put, she had progressed quite a bit.

Thinking of this, Miss Vilyric took out a small vial containing the 【Frenzied Spirit】 she had caught by chance at Spirit Butterfly Peak from her spatial bag. She uncorked the vial and released the intangible spirit.

Just freed, the Frenzied Spirit was flitting around restlessly, as if scheming something. However, when the black-haired girl cast a cold glance its way, its assembled body trembled and promptly settled down in compliance.

After all, its life was completely in Vilyric’s hands at the moment.

【M-Master, may I ask where we are right now?】

The message—a mix of madness and subservience—was relayed through the spiritual antennae extending from Vilyric.

【In the depths of your home, within the temple of the God.】

【G-G-God!!??】

【Shut it! No need to overreact… Let me ask you, what is the strongest being you know of in the Illusory Realm?】

Miss Vilyric made a fierce expression and shot a harsh glare at the spirit to suppress its fear-induced wobbling, cutting straight to the point with the question she most wanted to know.

【Uh… S-sorry, but the strongest being should still be Lord Blaze, right? He is basically the pinnacle of elemental beings in the entire Illusory Realm…】

Before the words finished, another equally mad yet different voice chimed in, interrupting the previous speaker.

【Wrong! The strongest is obviously the Spirit Butterfly Sovereign! She may be lacking in destructive power compared to Lord Blaze, but as the mightiest among our spiritual entities, in a life-and-death battle, she would definitely outmatch that fiery rock!!】

Then came another furious shout from who knows where.

【Stop spouting nonsense! The Spirit Butterfly Sovereign can only exert lord-level power with the help of terrain and external objects. Let her go head-to-head with Lord Blaze without any help, and she’d be burned to ashes in an instant!】

The earlier supporter of the Spirit Butterfly Sovereign immediately retorted loudly.

【What’s wrong with external help? Isn’t that power too? The Summoners are always pulling out gear from here and there; are you saying they aren’t strong? We’re all spiritual beings here, so to be supportive of outsiders is a bit excessive, isn’t it??】

【Uh, actually, I think the Storm Tyrant might be a little stronger than them?】

【In any case, Lord Blaze is the strongest! You’ve never witnessed that existence firsthand, so you simply can’t grasp its terror!!】

In an instant, four or five voices babbled away, drowning each other out in a cacophony of madness that felt like cawing crows, making Vilyric’s scalp tingle. Even though she could completely immune herself to their mental influence, she could hardly withstand the raucous argument resembling a group of brawny adventurers banging tables in a tavern.

So, she directly reached out and grabbed the five clustered entities, stuffing them back into the jade vial and tossing it back into her spatial bag.

The world instantly fell silent.

“Why does this feel like watching fangirls rabid over their idols…”

Shaking her head in slight exasperation, Miss Vilyric nonetheless achieved her primary goal of letting out these beings temporarily.

Undoubtedly, the strong ones in the Illusory Realm far surpassed those in the outside world in both quality and quantity. And the Lord Blaze the Frenzied Spirit mentioned was probably that God of Flame and Explosion, while the Spirit Butterfly Sovereign likely referred to Tiyelu.

If these fellows were not purposely spreading false information or messing things up, it seemed Tiyelu, despite not having combat powers as strong as the newly ascended fiery giant, could tap into similar strength thanks to what the God had left for her.

Besides, there probably were more than just one other powerful entity nearing that level in the Illusory Realm.

So many terrifying existences, yet none had attempted to come here and seize the power left by the God? The Twelve Zodiac Guardians, though formidable, were far from invincible; what were those strong beings truly wary of? Or perhaps… they simply found no way in?

While pondering various related questions, Miss Vilyric’s steps did not pause.

She was unaware of how many trials and challenges the God had left for future seekers, but this sensation of clearing obstacles felt rather pleasant. If not for her time constraints, Vilyric would have even gladly spent some time playing with them instead of relying purely on brute strength as she had with the Twelve Zodiac Guardians.

Calculating the distance, it should be about time.

With this thought, the moment the girl took a step on the crystal-clear floor, the world changed once more.

“Whoa…”

Turning to see everything around her, Miss Vilyric couldn’t help but exclaim in mild surprise.

No longer were there Guardians rushing in with wild abandon, sharply contrasting with the raw and violent style of the coliseum. Instead, the air here was filled with a sense of civilization and tranquility.

This place was actually…a library.

   

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