Chapter 44

“Praise the Saintess, praise the Goddess!” The moment Vanessa returned from the dead and transformed into a six-winged angel, the previously lifeless scene instantly became fervent and lively.

Waves of excited cheers surged one after another, not only because hope had emerged from despair, but also because the injuries of everyone in the academy were healed by the light particles falling from Vanessa’s wings.

“Look! Some people said I was exaggerating before, but now? Where is that person? Come out! Even the light dust casually shaken off from the feathers can instantly heal bones and flesh, something even advanced healing magic couldn’t achieve. What else could this be if not the Goddess?” someone immediately argued.

“Your Holiness, have you heard the prayers of your believers?” The loyal church followers wept. “The Goddess, as always, loves the world, loves us!”

At that moment, a black wind suddenly swept in, and everyone instinctively covered their eyes. Thunder roared in the clouds, as if it were about to shatter the heavens.

This was the roar of the Demon God Pillar.

‘Vanessa’ shielded her body with her wings, and the light from the wings formed a solid barrier of light, protecting the people below.

This scene was as if the Goddess had spread her wings to protect her believers from the erosion of the Demon God Pillar.

“So beautiful, truly beautiful!” A non-combatant teacher specializing in art and painting, witnessing this scene from the shelter, became a devoted believer of the Goddess of Graceful Radiance.

“No! I must create this painting afterwards! It’s just too beautiful. If I don’t complete this painting, it will be the regret of my life!” The painter stared intently at the scene, desperately trying to etch the feeling and the moment into his memory, as if blinking would make him regret it for the rest of his life.

He wasn’t the only one moved; thousands of others who saw this scene were equally stunned.

In fact, many students and teachers at Carillian Academy only superficially believed in the Goddess of Graceful Radiance, with their faith being quite weak.

Most people merely regard the Goddess of Graceful Radiance as a symbol and emblem of humanity.

After witnessing such a grand divine miracle, it was hard for anyone not to be moved and thus strengthening their inner faith.

“It’s been a while, Terraria Continent.” ‘Vanessa’ exhaled slightly, reaching out as if to caress the familiar landscape.

“Likewise, it’s been a while, ‘old friend’ of the Varelis family. After all these years, you haven’t changed a bit.” ‘Vanessa’ smiled as she gazed at the massive shadowy figure behind the tentacles and the Six Dead Star Gate.

The implied meaning was probably, ‘After all these years, you still haven’t made any progress.’

“Well, if you think that outfit of yours is fashionable, that’s your business, I have no opinion on that, but…” The six-winged angel’s hands ignited with a seven-colored flame, with a cherry-colored core.

In stark contrast to Vanessa’s [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings], the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] in Selina’s hands burned fiercely, exuding a world-destroying aura.

Compared to Vanessa’s small flame, the holy fire in Selina’s hands was the true [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings].

“You bullied my dear descendant, attempted to destroy the [Divine Authority] sealed in the Order Spire, and sought to overthrow the Terraria Continent, endangering all living beings. I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

Just as no one could understand the voice of the Demon God Pillar except ‘Vanessa’, ‘Vanessa’s’ current voice was also only heard by Erunes.

In response, a surging sea of clouds and flashing thunder erupted.

‘Vanessa’ understood that this was the Demon God Pillar calling her name with extreme anger.

Selina Varelis.

“I’m honored that Lord Erunes still remembers me, I should say?” Selina, who had possessed Vanessa, smiled radiantly.

“This is not your Demon God Domain. The [Rules] of Terraria are constantly formidable restrictions on you, and only one of your tentacles has emerged from the Demon God Domain. I can’t kill you, but ‘asking’ you to leave is easy. So, please go back, lest I have to do something undignified later.”

The falling lightning strikes the light barrier formed by the wings, and Erunes responds in this way.

“Why be so stubborn? Isn’t this just making things awkward for both of us?” Selina raised her hand, and the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] in her palm instantly surged out.

Unlike Vanessa’s [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings], which could only be used in close combat, the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] released by Selina was like a fire dragon, rushing out and directly attacking Erunes’s tentacle.

However, Erunes was, after all, a Demon God Pillar.

His tentacle was covered with a bluish-green luster, and the scales on it shone, actively colliding with the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings].

The [High-Dimensional Domain] around Erunes’s tentacle was instantly burned to pieces by the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings], and the scales were scorched by the holy fire, leaving no ashes behind.

In the face of the holy fire of the Blessing Angel, even the Demon God Pillar could be injured, or even killed.

However, the difference was that the Demon God Pillar could endure for a long time, while powerful Demon God Pillar minions and even demons would be roasted into silence, all giving default positive reviews.

But Erunes had no intention of retreating. After waiting for so long, having finally seized this good opportunity, he will never give up easily.

He believed that even if Selina had manifested, it was unstable. Once she couldn’t sustain it and disappeared, it would be his victory.

All he had to do was endure. As long as he can withstand the scorching of the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings], the final victory will be his.

Indeed, a temporary manifestation meant Selina couldn’t stay for long. On this point, Erunes was not mistaken.

However…

Selina didn’t seem anxious at all, as if she was certain of her success.

Erunes wasn’t fooled by Selina’s appearance.

He had dealt with the Varelis family more than any other Demon God Pillar. He knew all too well the nature of these descendants of the Varelis family, each one a seasoned actor, both superficial and cunning, just like their ancestor.

Having been fooled several times before, he wouldn’t fall for the same trick again.

Erunes stubbornly withstood the burning of the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings].

Due to his massive body, the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] couldn’t burn him completely in a short time. The air was filled with the roars of the giant creature and the sizzling sound of the burning scales.

The Demon God Pillar, enduring the burning, extended its tentacle, trying to wrap it around the freely burning Selina, but the tip of the tentacle had already been completely melted.

The speed at which it extended was no match for the speed at which the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] burned.

Erunes couldn’t do anything to Selina, and Selina couldn’t completely burn Erunes’s entire tentacle in a short time, resulting in a stalemate.

However, Erunes’s goal wasn’t to defeat Selina. As Selina had said, the Terraria Continent didn’t welcome the Demon God Pillar.

The Terraria Continent imposes many restrictions on the Demon God Pillar, and the [Rules] here reject the existence of the Demon God Pillar.

Therefore, even if the Demon God Pillar was ‘invited’ to the Terraria Continent, it could only exert a small part of its strength.

Moreover, only one of its tentacles had entered the Terraria Continent.

For Erunes, wearing down Selina was much easier than defeating her. He was certain that Selina couldn’t stay manifested for too long.

In fact, he could already sense the instability of Selina’s current state, and so far, the holy fire was far from enough to completely burn away his tentacle.

He had won.

This time, he will successfully reclaim what was him and return to the throne of the Supreme God.

The roar of the Demon God Pillar echoed in the clouds, filled with spatial fluctuations and lightning.

In such a high-level confrontation, the spectators were the first to suffer. Thankfully, Selina had preemptively woven a light barrier with her wings, shielding the people below from the aftermath of the Demon God Pillar’s rage.

The [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] illuminates the expressions of everyone present, igniting their hopes.

However, at the critical moment, the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] stopped burning.

Selina, with her hand raised, drained her power while Erunes’s tentacle hadn’t completely lost its mobility.

Looking at the silent cherry-haired angel, Erunes knew that this time, he had the last laugh.

Selina’s manifested energy had been completely exhausted.

The thousand-year struggle between Varelis and him had finally ended with his victory.

As long as he could destroy the Order Spire.

But why did this woman still have that confident smile on her face? As if everything was already decided?

This woman from the Varelis family must be showing off her acting skills again.

Useless.

This woman in front of me, knowing she’s about to fail, still looks like she’s already won. Doesn’t she know that continuing to pretend is pointless?

“Well, see you next time, Mr. Erunes. Although I’d like to say never again, I know that’s impossible. I hope I can still see you the next time you visit.” Selina waved at Erunes, a teasing smile on her lips.

Erunes seemed to realize something and looked towards the Six Dead Star Gate.

Not just Erunes, but the spectators also realized that Selina had other plans.

When they turned their gaze to the portal the Demon God Pillar had opened in the Terraria Continent, they saw that the portal burning with seven-colored glass was almost completely burned away by the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings].

That’s right, Selina’s target from the beginning wasn’t Erunes, nor did she expect to burn his tentacle.

She merely acted as if she intended to, making everyone think she was confronting Erunes head-on. In reality, as the holy fire she unleashed swept over Erunes’s scales, its tail turned and burned towards the portal above the tentacle.

Due to the blind spot of perspective, Erunes didn’t notice, and even the spectators were focused on Erunes’s tentacle, failing to see the Six Dead Star Gate being gradually consumed by the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings].

The [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings], capable of igniting anything, could even burn the Demon God Pillar, let alone an energy entity like the Six Dead Star Gate.

Under Erunes’s unwilling gaze, the ‘ticket’ he had painstakingly created to reach the Terraria Continent was rapidly burned and closed, along with his boundless ambition.

Having suffered a fierce burn from the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] without achieving his goal, Erunes had lost everything, truly a devastating loss.

The Order Spire, the lost Divine Authority, and the position of the Supreme God were not things Erunes should be considered now.

The Six Dead Star Gate, symbolizing the Demon God Pillar, was about to close. He now needed to think about how to quickly retract his tentacle, or he might lose one.

Although losing a limb wasn’t a big deal for the Demon God Pillar, it would grow back in his domain soon enough, it would still consume some of his great power.

As the tentacle, nearly a third of which had been burned, retracted through the rift gate, everything returned to calm.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Looking at the tainted sky, Selina stood high above, her pure and flawless six wings covering the sky. The angelic girl clasped her hands, closed her eyes, and softly began to chant an unknown but timeless hymn, her voice like a nightingale’s in the sight of all.

The melodious voice echoed through heaven and earth, as if mending the war-torn land and withered soil.

The dead sky seemed to regain life at this moment, as the dark clouds split into two, revealing a huge crack that receded on both sides. The scars and wounds on the earth revived under the saint’s chant.

The starlight and light particles from the six wings fell into the sacrificial array, onto the students who had become minions of the Demon God Pillar.

Their keratinous skin began to fade, the characteristics of the Demon God Pillar’s minions regressed, and then disappeared. Their skin color returned to normal, and finally, they regained their human appearance, collapsing to the ground one by one from exhaustion.

“What’s that!?”

“Your Holiness, has she restored those controlled students back to humans!?”

“Is this the salvation of the Goddess!?”

“Praise the Goddess!!!”

The heartfelt awe and gratitude led the people to kneel and worship devoutly.

The hymn reached its final verse.

The cherry-haired angel opened her eyes, took one last look at the people below, flapped her wings, and flew into the sky, turning into a beam of starlight that descended into the Saintness Selina Cathedral.

“Oh dear, little Vanessa, what should I do? I regret it.” After landing in the holy church, Selina spoke suddenly, looking remorseful.

‘What’s wrong, Senior Selina?’ Since the beginning, Vanessa, whose body had been taken over by Selina, had been watching like a soul, puzzled by what Selina was regretting.

No matter what, the crisis this time has been resolved. Seeing this scene, she also breathed a sigh of relief, although in her current state, she couldn’t actually breathe.

This time, it was really thanks to her ancestor.