Elfido finally relaxed. Since they could not beat it, they joined it, except that this time the one joining was their enemy.
"Even a sanctuary-level being that has stepped into demigodhood and opened a domain cannot escape a spatial fissure prison built from the power of the gods anytime soon." "At least until it is polluted and forcibly reshaped into what the gods want, we can rest easy for now."
The two of them let out a breath of relief on the mountainside.
Serving the gods and spreading doctrine was the duty of believers, and that included Elfido. First, one fact was clear. The power of Biollante had been forcibly poured in by the Abyssal Gods, so there had to be back doors, and the power itself had never been fully digested.
This power had never been a gift but an expensive loan. Even if it were all spat back out later, interest would still be owed. That meant when Biollante was pressed back into its coffin, the pile of gold that exploded out would naturally belong first to the Abyssal Gods as the lender.
However, because the Material World was filled with light and layered spatial interference, this inheritance could not be claimed immediately. It might require a sacrifice, but whether reclaiming the power or stirring trouble elsewhere in the Material World, both were acceptable options. That was, of course, assuming no certain robber with the surname Mo came over to eat everything in one bite.
This scene stunned Mountaintop Dragonkin and Elfido at first glance. Even if the two of them received investments, they were confident they could turn part of the power into their own, but they would never dare absorb it so recklessly. Even Biollante itself, along with the parts of Ludwig's soul it had not fully digested before, had been completely swallowed, and that alone reset their brains to factory settings.
They felt numb. Bush. Gomen. Eating like this, was he really not afraid of other wills contaminating his power and other existences mixing into his soul?
Sure, they themselves were no strangers to devouring the souls and power of others. But there was a difference between scooping fries and fighting equal-tier pvp. At minimum, the target should be an equal or higher existence, with a whole group of gods watching from behind. How did he dare?
Once a soul reached the Crimson Realm, both its quality and weight were completely different from before. Even a Crimson God of the same level could not instantly digest another of equal standing. After that, parts of the Abyssal Gods were also left staring blankly, wondering what had happened above when the funds they had released suddenly went silent.
In short, while the two watched Belial eat, they also used everything they knew to analyze the situation. In the end, they reached a single conclusion. The other party was a lunatic.
This was the most likely result extracted from his behavior. His habits were erratic, he occasionally went mad, could raise world-ending disasters and devour countless souls. Yet he might also roll in a muddy basin in the mountains and play with two ants.
So there was clearly something wrong with him, though thinking about it carefully, that was not surprising. The two of them were not exactly normal either, and doing inhuman things was as natural to them as eating and drinking. To advance into crimson, the path was never easy, and just looking at that pitch-black and terrifying appearance, wrapped in wailing resentful souls, made it obvious how much he had consumed.
If something had gone wrong halfway, leading to soul disorder and madness and turning him into a monster that only knew how to devour, that was entirely reasonable. The first to panic after that were the dragonmen. A madman was not scary, but a madman who was terrifyingly strong and could take your life at any time was.
Lacking a brain was one thing, but at high ranks, the brain was only an accessory anyway. What they feared was him suddenly going berserk and taking everyone down with him. That certain dragon had no idea his actions had already left three sides staring in shock, but that did not mean there was no room to turn things around.
The power of the Abyssal gods in the Material World was not directly controlled by themselves and still required an agent. Elfido realized this first. Since the other party was a lunatic, similar to the previous Biollante, then investment was investment no matter who it went to, so why not pull him in and get two birds with one stone?
No, rather, this guy's style matched theirs perfectly. And since the other party had not noticed him yet, he took the chance to communicate a bit with the abyss and barely convey his idea. After that, a simple but powerful trap took shape.
"Edward… your spatial Laws can at least make a cage that traps that dragon for a moment, right?"
"So what if it can. You can say whatever crazy plan you have, but I will not casually stake a Clone."
"It is just repeating the old method, like before. This time, though, I cannot suppress the second Chosen Hero alone."
"But luckily, this time we will not create a second Demon King."
"Li… Lilith! What is that place? Why does it feel strangely familiar?"
Seeing the huge blood-red spatial Rift swallow Belial and drag him inside, Bella panicked at once. Even though her database had no record of it, she found herself having a ptsd reaction. Save him, please save our big dad.
"…An abyssal Rift?" Lilith said uncertainly, naming something she herself had never seen, only glimpsed in ancient texts. The concept of abyssal hell was not unfamiliar on the continent, since the church preached it as well.
It was the same story of evildoers going to hell. It was said to be filled with countless sinful souls, terrifying demons, and eternal flames. Though the details differed by version, one thing was certain, it was nothing good.
"So the previous Evil God came from the abyss? And monsters like that live there?" "I do not know. If that is true, then it might have avoided the dragon's scan, but either way, we have to pull that big guy out. We absolutely cannot let him fall in there!"
"What happened outside now!" Grand Elder no longer remembered how many times he had been shocked and exhausted today. Every time he caught his breath, something heavy arrived right after. Looking out through Rend, all he could see was horrifying crimson and faint, dreadful sounds that made his stomach churn.
Luna looked even paler, feeling nauseous, as the instinct of the World Tree warned her. Her head throbbed as if it might Rend. "There is something very bad. This cannot go on."
She bit her teeth and stubbornly tried to go out to help. "Grandpa Grand Elder… send me out. I have to help, and there are things I must do."
"I am sorry, you will not have that chance." "Who!"
Grand Elder's face hardened as he protected Luna and looked up at the strange figure. It was an ugly angel hanging upside down in the sky, molded from countless white statues, prayer cloths, and the bones of believers. Burning incense flowed over the statue's face like silent blood tears.
The unclean angel descended, its countless blasphemous marks twisted into a warped holiness. When it spoke, one could hear prayers and wails of believers together. An anointed skeleton hung from a flaming staff, its body covered in eyes, while wings that dripped oil-like matter spread below.
The World Tree's power was troublesome, so Elfido would not give them a chance. Though this Clone was only slightly above crown rank, dealing with the old, weak, and sick was easy. The gap between a domain and Laws was not something raw quantity could bridge.
"Activate highest armament. Lilith, get ready. That thing is definitely no good person, and this must be their doing!"
The floating castle flashed silver-white as pale blue light ran through its seams. An energy amplification array of pure metal unfolded like angel wings. A blue reflective field rose, and dense weapons and modified giant cannons extended as the once dreamlike castle turned into a war fortress.
"Interesting, an ancient relic? But useless to us." The twisted five-headed Great Dragon laughed wildly, flapping its many wings as flesh rolled and multiplied into a mountain-sized monster. Filthy scales covered it as pus and blood flowed, and dragon screams turned into roars that swept forward.
Edward was confident. With him guarding space, this would never become an unwanted accident. "Be careful. Its strength is at least crown rank or above. The two of us might not win," Lilith said seriously as she opened her domain.
Mana Domain resonated with the entire castle, greatly boosting output, yet she still lacked confidence of victory. Understanding how strong the Ascendant Hall itself was only made higher tiers more terrifying. Still, Lilith was not afraid, she only needed to wait a little, if Belial could still respond.
"You two are the ants following that dragon, right? How laughable. I can generously tell you this was all our doing. So what? Your spatial Laws has some skill, but to me it is child's play."