The air crystallized under the pressure of the clash of power.
A dry crack spread across the battlefield, like ice breaking apart.
The gods released their divine aura to counter the demonic mana. There was no fear on their faces.
Only calculation.
Three of them rushed at Elizabeth and managed to restrain her by force. Every collision between them made the earth tremble. The impact spread for kilometers, opening cracks and destroying everything around them.
Lusian tried to intervene.
He couldn't.
The other gods intercepted him before he could reach Elizabeth.
The Goddess of Ice attacked again. Cold exploded around Lusian, freezing the air and covering the ground in frost.
But then the goddess was forced to retreat abruptly.
A gigantic white tiger tore across the battlefield and nearly struck her head-on.
On top of the creature, Adela held the reins tightly.
—My lord! —she shouted—. Are you alright?
"Be careful, they're dangerous," Lusian answered.
Luminaria was about to attack again.
Divine light began gathering around her hand.
But then she stopped.
Something was descending the mountain.
A figure walked through the snow and the remains of the battlefield.
Emily.
The heroine she herself had blessed.
The chosen of Light.
The woman who had abandoned divine will... for that man.
Luminaria's eyes hardened.
For an instant, even the attack stopped.
Her head.
Betrayal is paid with death.
She had to tear off her head.
The light around Luminaria began to distort under the pressure of her power.
That goddess, worshiped for centuries as a symbol of compassion and mercy... no longer looked divine.
Hatred had twisted her expression.
Her eyes burned as they stared at Emily.
And for an instant, even the other gods fell silent.
The God of Thunder attacked again.
The sky roared.
A bolt of lightning descended directly toward Lusian.
But the impact never came.
The strike was forcibly diverted.
A magical beast crossed the battlefield at full speed, drawing the lightning into its own body.
Thunder neighed loudly, the sound echoing throughout the mountain.
The voice resonated directly inside his mind, filled with desperation.
Fear and pain.
Lusian clenched his teeth.
He wanted to order him to run.
To escape before the gods killed him.
But the situation was already too desperate.
And as much as it hurt to admit it...
they needed all the help they could get.
Berenia, Amon, and Serafina charged at Lusian at the same time.
But before they could reach him, a rain of arrows fell from the sky.
The explosions forced even the gods to stop for an instant.
High atop the mountain, Selvryn pulled another arrow across her bowstring.
She fired again.
One after another.
Trying to slow the gods' advance, even if only a little.
Her gaze remained fixed on Lusian.
That irresponsible man.
The father of the Tree.
And she... the mother.
The bond between them was too deep.
She couldn't allow him to die there.
Even if, once everything was over...
she would make sure he paid for every problem he was causing.
Elizabeth kept fighting even while the gods tried to restrain her.
One of them stepped back after blocking another blow and glared at her furiously.
—Are you insane, demon!? —he roared—. Did you forget the deal we made?
Divine power exploded around them.
—Your race would serve us… and we would allow you to extract that filthy demonic mana from human fear.
Elizabeth slowly raised her gaze.
Her eyes burned with rage.
—That deal was with my father —she replied—. It has nothing to do with me anymore.
Another collision shook the mountain.
Elizabeth smiled tiredly.
—And if I owed any debt… I already paid it by dying enough times.
The gods were beginning to worry.
The situation was spiraling out of control.
Even descending into the heroes' bodies, they still couldn't face Elizabeth directly.
Those vessels were too weak.
Too fragile.
The current heroes could barely withstand a fraction of their divine power.
And even so, their bodies were already beginning to break under the pressure.
The gods realized it too late.
They had forgotten something important.
The Demon Queen had never been an enemy that could be faced alone.
Not even in the past.
It had taken twenty heroes fighting together to defeat her.
And now… several of them could barely contain her.
Every attack forced the gods to spend more power than those bodies could withstand.
They couldn't face her one on one.
And Elizabeth knew it.
Higher up, on the snow-covered hill, Luminaria stood before Emily.
The divine pressure around them made the air tremble.
The goddess's eyes burned with fury.
—Traitor.
The word fell heavily.
Luminaria looked over Emily's body and smiled faintly.
—I see you managed to block the curse I placed on you.
Pause.
—But it's temporary.
The light around the goddess began to distort.
—Your body will rot away regardless.
Emily did not respond.
—Though I suppose I should be merciful —Luminaria continued—. To spare you suffering… I will tear off your head myself.
Emily slowly raised her gaze.
She knew she had failed as a heroine.
She had abandoned divine will.
She had chosen Lusian.
And even so...
she still respected that goddess.
The same goddess who for centuries had healed the sick, driven away suffering, and brought hope to millions.
—Goddess Luminaria… —Emily said quietly—. I beg you to show mercy.
The heroine slowly lowered her head.
—If you want my life… you may take it.
Her hands trembled.
—But I beg you to spare Lusian. He is not responsible for what happened. He has done nothing wrong.
Silence.
Luminaria's gaze became even colder.
—You have no right to ask for anything.
Divine pressure exploded around the goddess.
—Only to obey.
And she attacked.
Emily could barely defend herself.
Every clash forced her backward through the snow.
She blocked as best she could, but the injuries kept piling up. Cuts across her arms, blood falling onto the mountain, her body growing heavier and heavier.
Luminaria did not stop.
Then a flute sounded.
The melody crossed the battlefield for an instant.
Then came blades of wind.
Nearly invisible.
The pressure sliced through the air around the goddess and forced Luminaria to retreat for the first time.
Higher above, Isabella continued playing while unleashing attack after attack.
The wind swirled around her like sharpened leaves.
Emily's eyes widened in desperation.
—Isabella, get away from her! —she shouted.
Emily reacted immediately.
She took advantage of the moment Luminaria was forced to shield herself from the wind blades and ran toward Isabella.
The goddess tried to stop her.
An explosion of light descended in front of Emily to block her path.
But Isabella played the flute again.
New wind blades tore through the air, forcing Luminaria to retreat once more.
Emily reached Isabella and grabbed her by the arm.
—Move!
The two of them began fleeing down the mountain while attacks continued crashing behind them.
The snow exploded with every impact.
And behind them...
Luminaria pursued them.
Lusian was completely overwhelmed.
Attacks came from every direction.
He could barely dodge and counterattack.
Even with divinity activated, his body was already covered in injuries. Cuts, burns, blood running down one of his arms.
They still weren't serious wounds.
But the situation worsened every second.
Amon suddenly appeared through the chaos.
His sword thrust directly toward Lusian's side.
Too fast.
Too close.
Then something slammed into Amon.
The blow split him in half before he could even touch Lusian.
The hero's body was hurled away amid blood and shattered armor.
—Sorry for the delay.
Kara slowly lowered her fist.
The redhead smiled as if she had just arrived at a simple tavern brawl.
—I'll collect this favor later in private.
Her eyes gleamed with amusement.
—And believe me… Lusian, you're going to pay dearly.
—Don't destroy them, barbarian woman! —Dayana shouted.
Kara barely turned her head.
—I can't use them if you tear them to pieces!
The vampire raised one hand while focusing her power on Morgana.
The heroine's body began to tremble.
The goddess descending into her frowned.
Something was wrong.
The body was not responding properly to her divine will.
The commands simply… were not executing.
For the first time since descending, the goddess felt confusion.
How was this possible?
How could a mere vampire block her?
Dayana smiled.
—Don't make that face.
The blood around her fingers slowly began to move.
—It's just that this body had already been infected beforehand.
Morgana tried to move.
She couldn't.
—Your divinity only delayed the process. Nothing more.
Dayana leaned toward her.
And bit her neck.
Morgana's body offered no resistance.