Chapter 322: The Lord of Pleasure’s Revenge
This was the limit of Qin Chu’s power in his current state, as pure consciousness.
The sapling and the Goddess’s Hair resided within his physical body and couldn’t be brought here.
Without them, he truly understood the difficulty of confronting an Evil God, even a mere statue requiring his full strength.
Under the relentless assault of holy light and the Devourer’s absorption, the statue finally reached its breaking point.
Crack.
A faint sound.
A crack appeared on its surface, spreading rapidly, covering the statue in a web of fissures.
With a snap, its head crumbled.
Qin Chu, having reached his limit, retreated, his consciousness a small, pulsing mass on the ground, as if gasping for breath.
Wielding his full power in this state had been a strain, but seeing the headless statue, he felt a small sense of satisfaction.
I said I would crush your head, and I did.
Few in this world could boast of crushing an Evil God’s head. I’m awesome.
What? You say it was just a statue, not the actual god?
An Evil God’s statue’s head is still an Evil God’s head.
A rotten egg is still an egg.
He prayed to the Goddess of Holy Light, hoping the statue wouldn’t regenerate like the chain had.
Perhaps his prayer was answered. The statue’s head didn’t reattach itself. Instead, its energy seemed to dissipate, the cracked figure crumbling into dust, scattering across the altar.
A wind swept through the soul space, carrying the dust away, until it became one with the endless desert.
As the statue crumbled, the chains extending from it vanished from Athena’s soul.
Qin Chu’s consciousness gasped, as if breathing heavily. There had been an easier solution: simply leaving Athena’s soul world and destroying her physical body.
But he hadn’t chosen that path.
Not because he cared about her, but because he wanted to use this opportunity to gain experience fighting against Evil Gods, even if they were merely immobile statues.
After all, for him, statues were the ideal opponents.
Facing a real Evil God would be suicidal.
He was exhausted, unable even to leave Athena’s soul world. He needed to rest.
Athena’s soul, despite the reduced number of chains, didn’t seem any less burdened. Qin Chu’s attack on the statue had burned her soul with holy light, causing her immense pain.
Her soul had even become translucent, weaker than Qin Chu’s. It would take a long time to recover.
…
In the boundless Void.
An Evil God roared, the soundwave rippling through space, shattering nearby asteroids.
The Lord of Pleasure.
His androgynous form, far more imposing than the statue, was elegant and alluring, a captivating beauty that could ensnare souls.
But now, this elegant and charming god was consumed by rage.
That insignificant insect had thrown his statue into a latrine and now had crushed the head of another, more powerful statue… and even absorbed some of his power.
Huff… huff…!
From a distance, a massive, rotting chunk of flesh pulsed, its countless tentacles writhing, seemingly mocking him.
A giant, toad-like deity croaked.
A massive figure on a throne of bones roared with laughter.
A distorted face within a purplish-green flame grinned.
For these entities, trapped in the Void for a thousand years, this was a rare source of amusement.
Their unrestrained laughter echoed across vast distances, reaching the Lord of Pleasure, fueling his rage.
He would make that insect pay for this transgression.
…
In the Imperial City of the Auville Empire.
Saint Monique, fast asleep, suddenly sat up in bed, her slender figure outlined beneath her thin white nightgown, her skin glowing in the moonlight.
Her purple eyes, like gleaming jewels, gazed at the starlit sky.
A voice, filled with rage, echoed in her ear.
Within the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, hundreds of nuns and priests, their eyes turning a dull purple, walked out of their rooms like puppets, standing in the courtyard, their gazes fixed on the sky.
At the Marquis Edmund’s residence in the Imperial City.
The Elegance Society was holding its weekly banquet.
It was a registered organization, its members all high-ranking nobles.
They pursued the ultimate elegance, despising all things crude and vulgar, seeing them as unclean and blasphemous.
They sought absolute beauty, not just physical, but also of character and soul.
Even their banquets were quiet and refined, the atmosphere filled with classical music… but suddenly, the seventy-plus nobles present froze, their eyes glowing purple.
In the commoner district, at a tavern frequented by adventurers, rough men’s eyes widened, sinister smiles twisting their lips.
Within the military barracks…
Follow the Lord of Pleasure’s will.
At all costs!
…
Back at the Hero’s Residence.
Sylph stood guard, despite her exhaustion, her senses alert.
The night was silent and still.
Not a single sound, not a breath of wind.
Only the bright moonlight, unobstructed by clouds, cast a soft glow over the world.
She glanced back at the bed. Athena lay motionless, her convulsions having ceased. The worst had passed.
Qin Chu, however, seemed exhausted, his breathing heavy.
They would likely wake up soon.
She couldn’t remember how long Qin Chu’s first treatment had taken, but it hadn’t seemed this long.
Looking at his face, a faint smile touched her lips.
She didn’t dislike this feeling.
It was a moment of peace and tranquility, a respite from the burdens and sorrows of this chaotic world.
Suddenly, her smile vanished.
She looked out the window, towards the darkness beyond.
Her elven senses were sharp. Despite the stillness of the night, she sensed several presences approaching the Residence.
And their aura was filled with killing intent.
She put two fingers to her lips and whistled sharply.
Violet, Norma, Ekaterina, Heloise, and Iyeta, sleeping within the Residence, opened their eyes simultaneously.
Angelica and Anastasia, slightly weaker, also woke up quickly.
They all knew what the whistle meant. Violet, enveloped in a shimmering veil, floated out the window, rising above the Residence.
She sensed the air currents, assessing the situation. After a few seconds, her voice echoed from above: “Prepare for battle.”
“Multiple enemies approaching.”
“Where’s Qin Chu?” she asked Sylph.
Sylph glanced back at the bed: “His consciousness is within Athena’s soul world. He won’t be waking up anytime soon.”
“Angelica, Anastasia, stay here and protect Qin Chu,” Violet instructed.
“Everyone, prepare to fight. These enemies seem… unusual.”
The women within the Residence quickly took their positions, each guarding a different direction.
As the enemies drew closer, they finally understood what Violet had meant by “unusual.”
They were a motley crew: nuns, priests, Holy Knights, nobles in fine attire, their private soldiers, and even rough mercenaries, soldiers, and adventurers…
No one knew how such a disparate group had come together.
But they all sensed the near-fanatical aura emanating from them, their eyes glowing with an eerie purple light.
Their faces were twisted, their expressions crazed.
They were like wild beasts, devoid of reason.
Their numbers were greater than anticipated. Hundreds of mercenaries, soldiers, and adventurers, along with hundreds of nuns, Holy Knights, and priests, and even more private soldiers, their masters leading the charge.
Even from a single direction, their numbers likely exceeded two thousand.
And among them were many powerful, experienced fighters.
Even Sylph and the others felt a sense of pressure.
Suddenly, Sylph’s ear itched again, making her temper flare. She pressed a finger to her ear, and Loseweisse’s voice echoed:
“Sylph, bring Ekaterina and Athena to me immediately!”
“Get lost!”
Sylph ended the call.
Damn it, this is no time for her Saintess nonsense!
The moment she ended the call, the enemies charged, their weapons raised, howling like mad dogs.
Their eyes glowed with an intense purple light under the moonlight.
