ALL NOVEL Chapter 56
Chapter 55: Spirit of Death Omen
“What is she doing?!”
Liliya was dumbfounded. In the short time spent preparing for battle, she had imagined countless ways the enemy might attack, but this direct act of suicide was beyond belief!?
Even if the mission failed, there was no need to lose hope…
“No, wait… she’s not dead. She’s using [Death] to summon something terrifying—this is bad.”
“Huh?”
Hua clearly had more experience than the reclusive Princess, as after a brief moment of confusion, she immediately recognized what Mavis was attempting to do.
To be honest, when traveling the world before, Miss Hua had encountered demons and evil spirits summoned with blood and offerings.
Yet the “Spirit” the little fox was summoning was far more terrifying than any enemy she’d ever faced. If she had to draw a comparison, the only image that came to mind was that of the long-haired priestess girl, always looking so carefree.
Both were beings of such power that Hua couldn’t discern their boundaries.
“We can’t let her complete the summoning! Liliya, get out of the way!”
The girl drew her bow and unleashed a strike engulfed in fiery crimson flames, targeting Mavis, who was teetering on the brink of death while exuding an aura of silence and death.
With her deeper understanding of the Crimson Lotus Six Moves, the power of this strike had significantly increased.
Physical ability does not represent a person’s entire strength. Hua was confident that, even in her current state, she could at least put up a fight against legendary transcendentals.
However, the scene before her still made her pupils constrict.
The enemy had done nothing, yet the blossom of flames, imbued with destructive power, withered suddenly before the fox girl.
No, that arrow, crafted from special metal, had been bestowed with [Death] just before it reached its target.
Absolute death; this was… a law, the true law.
“Pseudo-God…”
Hua’s voice trembled slightly.
Above the heavens are gods, and their power is limitless.
Yet, the gods seldom interfere in mortal matters, and the strongest beings on the ground—the mythical species—could reach their limits, known as the supreme realm just below the gods.
To touch the laws with mortal power is to be called a Pseudo-God.
Even Hua had only heard of such power before; she had never seen a true Pseudo-God.
This level of strength typically only reemerged through sacrifices at a city-wide scale, aside from the long-extinct mythical beings.
Why could a freshly legendary kitsune summon a force that transcended two great tiers? Even if she gave her life, it shouldn’t be nearly enough!
Effortlessly brushing aside Hua’s attack, the radiant spirit descended from the sky, merging into the fox priestess’s body like a tidal wave of blackness, expanding and enveloping everything.
Then the spirit known as [Death Star] had come into this world.
It was a massive black sphere, like mist but showing no signs of dispersing, resembling a living creature yet floating without hands or feet. It appeared like a black sun, with a closed eye at its center, over ten meters high and wide, hovering in the air more than ten meters above the ground.
A god’s eye that looked down upon the mortal realm.
Mavis had vanished, possibly turning into part of the Death Star as a cost of the summoning, or perhaps just hiding within it temporarily—Liliya and Hua could not know.
“This is… really bad.”
Despite the countless confusions swirling within her, the only thing Hua could do was to once again draw her bow and aim at the god above.
Although it was her first time facing a Pseudo-God, the newly comprehended Fourth Move of Crimson Lotus—Flowing Light—had also reached the domain of the gods on its own level, maybe it could inflict some damage.
After all, the Crimson Arrow Technique was a skill created by true deities, and in terms of realms, it was still above Pseudo-Gods.
Her palms began to sweat; simply staring at the corporeal black eye sent chills down her spine. To be honest, she had no confidence that she could withstand any of the opposing attacks.
“Hua姐, I’ll create an opportunity for you. If all goes well, I should at least be able to block one attack from it.”
A slender figure suddenly stood in front of Miss Fiery Blossom. Though blood flowed from many places, the blue-haired princess held her back straight.
“Tsk, don’t say foolish things. You won’t be able to block a single strike; that’s a Pseudo-God… Listen, once I shoot this arrow, you must run without turning back, no matter what happens.”
“…”
Liliya didn’t move, tightly grasping the small box hanging at her chest. Out of Hua’s sight, she revealed a wry smile.
“Trust me; if it’s just for a moment, I should be able to survive.”
“You…”
Hua wanted to say more, but the omen of death had already descended.
The existence known as the Death Star did not allow them time to argue. At that moment, the forming black sphere opened its vast eye.
A pitch-black beam of death surged forth.
“What the…?!”
Hua intended to release her bowstring and counter with [Flowing Light], but at that moment, something forced her gaze to meet the eye composed purely of death floating in the sky. An infinite moment of fear descended, and her body, disregarding her will, was forced into rigidity.
This was! The power of that fox from before? Why can she still use it even in this state?!
This is bad…
With no divine power to counter it, if she received this attack merely with her physical body, Hua’s mind was left with four ominous words.
No chance of survival.
“Hua姐!”
Noticing her companion’s abnormality, Liliya cried out and wrapped her arms around the red-haired ranger, using her body firmly to shield her.
Boom…
The beam representing death engulfed both girls’ figures.
However, the small box tightly clutched in the princess’s hand did not emit the light she had anticipated.
After a moment, Liliya swayed and struggled to rise from the ground, looking utterly bewildered.
“Huh? What just happened? This isn’t what Sister Vilyric described; it was supposed to be deadly… wait, why am I not dead?!”
“…Isn’t that a good thing? You’re alive, you idiot apprentice.”
Amidst the smoke, a familiar voice rang in her ears.
Liliya’s feelings were like riding a roller coaster, instantly transforming from confusion and fear to infinite relief.
“Sister Vilyric!”
“Hehe, sorry for the delay. Looks like I came back just in time.”
The priestess, adorned with white wings, gracefully twirled her staff, vanishing the enormous golden shield resembling a city wall standing before them, and laughed heartily as she sized up the princess, who appeared utterly devastated.
“Pfft, how did you get beaten up so badly? Inflated? Did you try to pick a fight with a pro?”
“Eh-heh-heh…”
“Alright, alright, Rapid Healing.”
Raising her hand, she cast a stream of light over Liliya, instantly causing the shocking wounds to shrink, heal, and transform into fresh, unblemished skin.
Though the almost blood-red armor couldn’t be dealt with just yet, the princess’s life-threatening injuries, which would have sent an ordinary person into unconsciousness, were completely restored in mere seconds.
“Oh wow! Reliable, thank you, Sister Vilyric!”
Liliya immediately gave a thumbs up, just as she was about to say something to Vilyric and to Hua, who had just gotten up from the ground.
In the sky, the Pseudo-God known as the Death Star spoke for the first time.
“Is this your way of evading certain death? As expected, even so, I cannot kill you. Then, who are you?”
The black sphere’s voice resembled Mavis’s but had become heavier and more subdued, as if a person were speaking from inside a massive chamber using a loudspeaker.
Though it was merely a closed-eyed sphere, Vilyric could sense that entity’s attention turning toward her.
She felt a bit displeased.
“Tch, why must I always be forced to introduce myself when encountering such bizarre entities? Can’t you at least start with your own introduction?!”
It felt like she had undergone something similar countless times recently. Even with her good-natured temperament, the priestess would eventually tire of it.
Seemingly confirming Vilyric’s earlier impressive display of having deflected the beam of death, the entity truly decided to speak.
“I am Mavis, also known as the Spirit of Death, the Death Star, the controller of [Death]. The Death Star is a spirit; there is no true self—just a temporary figure and will borrowed through this summoning, nothing remarkable.”
“I see… Liliya, Hua, you both should leave here.”
Vilyric nodded knowingly and waved her hand at the two behind her.
“Sister Vilyric? You wouldn’t…”
The princess gasped in surprise, her face showing hesitation.
“Ha… don’t misunderstand; I’m quite fond of my life and wouldn’t do something foolish like generously sacrificing myself to let my companions escape.”
“It’s just that this fellow seems quite formidable, and I’ll likely be using some higher-tier powers next. You both are too weak; even just being bystanders would inflict harm, understand?”
High-tier magic carries an enormous torrent of information, and weaker individuals would suffer greatly even just from witnessing it, similar to the illusions brought by [Heaven’s Blessing].
Liliya and the others were far too under-leveled to handle magic of level 9 or 10; the great eyeball, however, was manageable.
“…Okay, I understand. Then I will go with Sister Hua to organize the troops and lead them to retreat toward Lake Lirete to avoid the Beastmen’s pursuit. Sister Vilyric, once you’re done here, please catch up with us. Don’t do anything reckless; prioritize your safety…”
Vilyric didn’t continue speaking, merely nodded her head without turning back. Liliya wasted no time, swiftly leaving along with Hua.
Once confirming that outsiders had truly distanced themselves.
The priestess tightly grasped the base of her staff for the first time, taking up a stance to cast magic, her face beaming with excitement.
“Alright… let’s see if you can handle this level. Don’t disappoint me!”