I Was The Hero, But I Woke Up as a Phoenix Princess! – Chapter 1020

Chapter 67 The Flames That Burned the World (Part 2)
Hearing Verafia’s voice, Ig’s pupils contracted sharply. He raised his gaze with great effort and saw with shock that dark light and turbid shadows intertwined, forming human figures with shadows of the abyss.
Ig knew what kind of existence the “Geon” Verafia spoke of was.
Geon the Swordsman was the maiden’s comrade-in-arms. For the world, he was a hero who defeated the Demon King and saved the world. After the war, this swordsman, devoted to the way of the sword, refused all rewards and established a sword tower in the Empire under the prestigious title of “Sword Saint,” which continues to this day.
Even among the “Seven Heroes” of the Demon Race War, this taciturn swordsman was considered outstanding. Ig also knew that this Sword Saint had abandoned everything he owned when the abyss first appeared decades ago, founding the Fran Legion to monitor the abyss, and even died thirty years ago due to the turmoil of the abyss.
That was a major event that could be said to have shaken the entire continent. Hodrea, the Sword Saint’s disciple, who had clashed with Ig more than once, fell into despair because of this, abandoned his sword crest, and chose to reshape himself with the power of the abyss, eventually being annihilated by the Eternal Sword, which Ig had also forged from the “Abyss,” at the rotting World Tree.
—But this hero, who founded the monitoring legion and died by entering the abyss, had reappeared in his vision, condensing the power of the abyss as an “Abyss Shadow”?
“This is, the abyss has corrupted the Sword Saint… but no. Could it be that the abyss devoured Lord Geon and reshaped him with the Sword Saint’s will and memories?”
Verafia ignored Ig for a moment. She also raised her face, her slender eyelashes on her beautiful golden eyes trembling slightly in the radiance. The ripples in her heart were even greater.
Whether the Geon before her was his true self or an avatar shaped by the abyss made little difference. Verafia certainly didn’t think that Geon’s sudden appearance was to reminisce with her or to spar with her again.
Just as she had just realized, Iris… or rather, the Abyssal Cult, their goal from the beginning was to usurp the Moon of Light.
The Law of Light was the first color born outside the chaos when the world was first created.
And from all the abysses Verafia had encountered so far, especially her experiences in the rotting World Tree, she could vaguely feel that the so-called “Abyss” was inextricably linked to chaos.
“Iris is also a saintess of light. Could it be that she wants to use the Law of Light to accelerate the awakening of the abyss?”
This thought popped into Verafia’s mind, and her beautiful eyes couldn’t help but move. She quickly thought: “Herafiel couldn’t possibly not know. Then, did she deliberately allow it… Wait, she’s fire, could it be that Herafiel wants to—”
A sudden possibility flashed in her mind, and Verafia quickly raised her head.
In the instant that light and shadow intertwined, time solidified, and everything was left in silence. The dark red demonic energy flowing upwards submerged Geon’s body. He was the shadow of the abyss, and in the instant the light shone brightly, the “Abyss” revealed itself, even overshadowing the brilliant light for a moment.
The “Abyss” was not a substance, but in Verafia’s vision, it was as if a black-red sun slowly rose, and its radiance, transcending matter, submerged the light.
Previously, Moon had condensed a “sun” with usurped laws of light. At this moment, there was no radiance or heat, but in Verafia’s eyes, compared to the abyss, that sun illuminating the entire continent was merely a firefly.
—It revealed the other side of the world, where laws withered and chaos churned. Its meaning was to return all wrong creations to chaos.
Suddenly, under the turbid light of the abyss, amidst the stagnating, decaying, and withering world, a crisp sound rang out.
Outside the filth, vibrant red roses bloomed. The crimson-haired goddess stepped onto the defiled world of the abyss with her slender feet. Her gaze was calm, and the “Sword of Destruction,” Levantine, was ignited by fire, stepping into the abyss like a burning ember!
The red lotus sword edge, ignited by the fire of destruction, was about to incinerate the abyss!
“Herafiel, this choice of yours… is not allowed!”
Verafia also grasped her authority. Without much thought, she drew her long sword, and the life divine radiance surged through the turbid flames, heading towards Herafiel’s convergence with the abyss!
“Veer!” Ig called out.
The will of the abyss rapidly contracted, condensing into the substance of the abyss. The reflections of the gods also watched the red lotus sword slashing towards the abyss.
Suddenly, a stream of brilliant gold light descended, reflecting in Ig’s eyes. The radiance gradually dimmed, and a beautiful maiden with magnificent golden armor carved with an immortal divine bird, her gilded, gorgeous long hair cascading from the gaps of her helmet, appeared before him.
Her magnificent armor, her sun-like battle sword, and the radiance surrounding her like the sun, made her appear like an unparalleled Valkyrie. Beyond her golden splendor, she did not lose any of her heroic spirit.
“A human boy. However, you are a chosen one of Mother, I have heard of you, and she has mentioned you.”
Although still worried about Verafia in his heart, Ig turned his head. However, before Ig could speak, the golden-haired maiden spoke first with a pleasant voice, her pair of brilliant and bright golden pupils appraising him.
“Are you… Sol, the Sun Goddess?” Ig saw the relief of the immortal divine bird on the maiden’s armor.
The immortal divine bird, or rather, the Phoenix, was also once a symbol of the sun. Moreover, when Ig felt the divine power of the sun from Douglas, it was exactly the same as the aura of the maiden before him. Even if she didn’t call Herafiel Mother, it was not difficult to guess.
“Are you thinking about the battle of a ‘chosen one’ from your equal?”
Sol, the Sun Goddess, blinked her eyes, and a smile formed on her beautiful face: “That is the choice of the divine power of the sun. Moreover, you are also a chosen one of the Fire Goddess, so it is natural for you to defeat him.”
“However, what appears before you is only me to a certain extent.”
Sol did not dwell on trivial matters and continued: “Beside you is Mother’s sister… Hmm, I will still call her the Goddess of Life.”
“Since you are by her side, you should know that our era has been buried under the Sacred Sword of Light. I have now condensed through mortal faith.”
Ig nodded.
Herafiel was also the eldest daughter of the God of Light. When the Church of Light converted the entire continent, the Church of Sol, the Sun Goddess, also had a considerable appeal, attracting a good amount of faith.
Perhaps the faith she gained was far from comparable to the God of Light or the twin gods of the Elves, but compared to the shadows of many more ethereal deities, Sol, the Sun Goddess’s will was more solid, and she could even descend an avatar to converse with Ig.
“Are you here to find me?”
“Originally, I wanted to see the Goddess of Life… but she is pursuing Mother. Since you are someone by her side, there isn’t much difference.”
The Sun Goddess turned her gaze. In her gaze, the sky was now divided into two: the black-red sun of the abyss, the burning red lotus sword, and the emerald divine radiance tearing a gap.