Chapter: 38. Back to the Return (4K)
Right, right, right, you make a lot of sense~ Help you lift the seal, then your divine power descends, starting to kill recklessly, eradicating evil and bringing peace to the world, and I won’t have to worry about anything. I can just fish and sing with Xiya every day, and everything will be so smooth and pleasing!
Sounds pretty tempting, doesn’t it?
But…
If everything in the world could be like this, why have worries not disappeared since ancient times, when you gods were around?
Xue Fei raised both her little hands, extending one index finger from each hand, crossing them in front of her to create a large X.
“You are right, but I refuse!”
“I refuse too.” Almost simultaneously, Xiya decisively echoed the rejection.
It seemed that Aimeres was not surprised by this outcome.
Not only was she not surprised, but the golden space reflecting her emotional fluctuations also indicated that she was quite stable.
“Is that so… well, at least, can I confirm your reasons for refusal?”
Reasons for asking?
Princess Xue Fei slowly lowered her crossed index fingers.
With her hands on her hips, she puffed out her little chest and shook her head with a hum.
“Don’t you already know that we can’t help you? Even if I hypothetically assume what you’re saying is true, you also said, ‘Even gods have selfish motives.’ What you mentioned about divine will… and the Elf God and Dragon God, don’t they all have their own calculations? What about you? Why are you so noble? If you were truly that noble, I wouldn’t understand why they isolated you in the first place. Besides, you said that the world under the governance of gods is still chaotic. If you couldn’t do it before, how can you do it better this time? And considering how much you concealed in the story you just told, how much do you think you have hidden from us? You…!”
“Shut that mouth of yours! Babbling is annoying! If you don’t want to help, then don’t; you don’t get to lecture a god here!”
“Are you getting angry?!”
Aimeres didn’t even know what was happening with her.
She was obviously very angry, but talking to this little demon actually gave her an oddly familiar sense of ease.
Such a thing had never happened in the long river of time, even stretching back thousands of years.
The grand golden light gradually coalesced, with the gold ultimately merely surrounding Aimeres.
This seemed to signify that she had given up on her earlier thoughts.
Or perhaps, she had never expected to succeed from the very beginning.
“I understand your thoughts. It is only natural for you to think this way. I indeed concealed some details… but at this stage, there are some things that cannot be revealed to mortals. I invited you here today solely to make you aware—this world is indeed filled with unknown risks, and that, I can assure you.”
“You’re not insisting on lifting the seal anymore? Didn’t you say you were about to suffocate after being sealed for tens of thousands of years?”
“I never said that…! You little brat exaggerate. Listen, everything is guided by the stars. Your non-cooperation today is fate. But one day, there will come a time when you will need to actively help me lift the seal.”
“Hey, we’ll talk about it then; for now, I don’t trust you.”
“That’s fine; I’ve never truly been trusted by the world.”
As Aimeres calmly uttered this somewhat lonely statement, and as Xue Fei turned around to leave with Xiya, Princess Xue Fei suddenly muttered something under her breath.
“But…”
—She didn’t know that this space could not only echo but could also amplify whispered words.
“Regardless… I can tell you are indeed a very ancient god. What you are like now is beside the point, but the contributions you made to this world in ancient times… you should be thanked for that.”
“!”
Hmm?
Xue Fei slowly furrowed her brows.
She did not know why the annoying god behind her suddenly fell silent.
Nor did she know why Xiya was looking at her with an expression of relief.
Could it be… that my mutterings were overheard?!
With a bit of a tsundere edge, Xue Fei stamped her foot angrily and was about to turn around to engage Aimeres in a fierce retort!
But at that moment…
The two people plus one god in the golden domain shifted their attention simultaneously to the right side of the boundless space.
The keen perception of experts works like that; any slight movement cannot escape their notice.
Moreover… this was not just a slight movement.
“Xue Fei.” Xiya reminded her, “This domain is about to shatter.”
“I know, it seems we should head back.”
Bang!
Just as the words left her mouth, the golden space erupted in an explosion of blinding light akin to a supernova.
Yet it did not produce any lethal force; it was merely a burst of strong light, and the golden domain shattered like autumn leaves, scattering into specks of magical light.
As the domain collapsed, the sounds from the forest returned.
Moonlight once again enveloped, and the rustling of the trees returned to their ears.
The first voice they heard was the Pope’s furious and condemning old voice.
“Impudent wretches…! Do you know who is in the domain… and dare to act so recklessly!”
“Hahahahaha! Old geezer, your eyes are failing; hurry up and step down to rest. Who in the world doesn’t know that our Demon King Dizna is accustomed to being reckless? I don’t care who is in there; I only know my daughter is inside!”
Amidst the fading light, the one appearing was none other than the recklessly laughing Demon King Dizna, alongside the Demon Queen Herlith, who stood smiling with her eyes closed, holding the Ice and Snow staff.
Even as the golden barrier was shattered, Aimeres, sitting in mid-air as a small golden figure, showed no signs of surprise.
She continued to float in mid-air, merely turning her head to glance at those two annoying six-wings and then clicking her tongue.
However, Xiya was now feeling somewhat unstable!
“Xue… Xue Fei! It’s… it’s your mom and dad!”
“Ah? Yes, it’s our parents.”
“We…! Ugh, this is too sudden. I haven’t even done my hair; I should wash my face first!”
“Calm down, would you? They probably haven’t washed their faces themselves. Mother washes her face three times a day, but I doubt Father washes his even once every three days.”
“Can you give the Demon King a little respect? Being talked about like this by his daughter is quite pitiful, and Xue Fei… are you spreading rumors?”
“……”
“Spreading rumors is shameful, you know? Moreover, this is spreading rumors about your own father.”
Xue Fei huffed, blowing a jerk of a whistle, her actions indicating everything.
It seemed that the Demon King did indeed wash his face frequently.
As the Hero, Xiya, faced the Demon King and Queen, she would usually go over to greet them, but now that the Pope was present, she didn’t know how she should react properly.
Little did she know…
Herlith surprisingly turned to look. Upon seeing Xiya, her eyes first displayed a hint of surprise.
But then the surprise transformed into an indescribably gentle and kind smile that held deep meaning.
Hmm? What does this mean?
“Ah… we shouldn’t be discussing this; now this situation has become a bit troublesome.”
As soon as Xue Fei said this, the Demon King Dizna had already turned around.
He confidently raised his fist, pointing with his thumb in the direction behind him.
That direction was towards the Gladiatorial Arena.
“Xue Fei, you shouldn’t be here now; don’t forget what I told your mother. Adult matters should be handled by adults, and children should not meddle! You just…! Ouch!”
The back of the Demon King’s head was struck by the Queen’s gentle fist.
Herlith smiled tenderly, stood the Ice and Snow staff upright in front of her, and tilted her head to admonish.
“Xue Fei, go back. Belis is looking forward to competing with you; your match is about to start. Don’t delay your own matters; leave this to me and your father.”
“Okay…? Then be careful?”
This admonition to be careful was not directed at her parents.
—That was for Aimeres and the poor Pope to hear!
Aimeres was fine; she wasn’t a physical entity, so she was not worried at all and still floating there.
But as for the Pope… he better pray for himself.
—The Demon King is not to be trifled with.
This saying, widely circulated among various races, was not just mere words.
The Pope had not been this angry for many years.
He could manage issues within the church, and policy decisions could go wrong in the state, yet none of these could affect his emotions.
But he absolutely would not allow anyone to offend the dignity of gods.
Even if it was the Demon King, he should still pay the price for recklessly breaking the barrier.
“Your Majesty, the Demon King, I do not wish for any disputes with the Demon Territory, but this is my first meeting with you. I am well aware that the Demon Territory values strength, so let us engage in magical sparring as a meeting gift, shall we?”
“Hahaha! I have long heard that the Church State has its quirks. Lord Gustav, why don’t I have the honor of experiencing it? I promise not to hold your church accountable for the offense!”
“Then I apologize in advance.”
The Pope’s emotional fluctuations were quite strange; he had just been seething with anger, but he quickly regained his composure.
Gripping his staff, he chanted a spell to activate his magical power, exuding a killing intent.
A strand of white light shone forth from the top of the staff.
At first, it was inconspicuous.
But after a moment, it transformed into crackling white lightning, targeting the Demon King and released an intense explosion.
【White Thunder Divine Punishment】
“It’s a Tenth Stage magic…!” Grasping Xue Fei’s hand, Xiya, who had risen into the air with Xue Fei, sensed the unusual noise behind them.
Though she had not spoken in the presence of Xue Fei’s parents before, she still felt somewhat concerned.
Oh no, as a Hero, shouldn’t I be worried about the Demon King and Queen? Is that not a bit weird?!
“Xue Fei! Do you want to help? The Pope definitely has a trump card!”
“No need, no need~ My father and mother are actually quite strong, you see.”
“Huh?”
Xiya looked down.
To her astonishment, that terrifying white lightning seemed to be frozen in place, hovering motionless in front of the Demon King, who was in red armor with his arms crossed.
The Demon King shook his head in disappointment.
This seemed to signify his initial expectations for the Pope’s offensive had fallen short of reality.
“What is that… the magic is frozen?”
“That’s my father’s domain; any magic attacking him becomes frozen before it can hit. Quite interesting, isn’t it?”
“An idle domain?! Does such a thing really exist?”
“It exists.”
If one were to describe it in terms of video games from Xue Fei’s past life, her father’s ability would be akin to a “passive skill.”
【Stopping】does not require active activation; this ability of the Demon King allows him to remain flawless against magical attacks at all times.
And this was not the end.
The swirling white thunder departed from in front of the Demon King, gradually drifting towards the Queen.
It coalesced before the Queen into a deep blue magic array.
【Water Moon】
What initially was an extraordinarily expansive attack range of white lightning now seemed to be reflected like a mirror, redirecting its targets back towards the Pope!
“Mother’s magic is akin to a rebound.”
“It can even rebound Tenth Stage magic…”
“Not only can it rebound, but when it rebounds, the power doubles.”
“……”
The Pope was not an incompetent person.
He activated 【Space Leap】 to evade the suddenly amplified white lightning, while simultaneously channeling his staff once more to summon purple lightning from all directions to attack the Demon King and Queen.
The outcome remained the same.
No matter how dense the attacks were, the magic would pause mid-air before being rebounded.
At times, the Demon King would grow impatient, directly intervening and shattering the magical lightning simply by using his fists and physical strength.
The Demon King’s most straightforward attack method, 【Shatter】, is said to be able to crush all magic in the world.
Compared to the Demon King and Queen’s relaxed fighting style, the Pope appeared to be one against two, yet he was in a dire situation. Even with fully armed support, merely evading his own rebounded magic was taxing enough, let alone the Demon King hadn’t even truly launched an offensive.
The Pope silently escalated the threat level of the Demon Territory in his mind.
“How strong…” Xiya watched the battle unfold and couldn’t help but marvel, “From the past to now… the Human Race has been able to continue battling the Demon Race for so long without defeat. Xue Fei… it’s really thanks to your restraint.”
“If I don’t hold back, my father and mother will come after me. What will I do then? Ugh, alright, Xiya, are you still watching? Shouldn’t we be leaving? Besides Belis, I’m curious about how the battle between the Fire Lizard and Xial is going.”
“Yeah, let’s go. Belis is still waiting for you. What your father and mother just said means I have to supervise you to the arena.”
“Huh?! Don’t act all sisterly with me, Xiya!”
“I’m not pretending; I am your sister.”
“Ugh…!”
I’ve already said, I’m the older one here!
As Xue Fei flew away with Xiya, unaware that even the arrival of her parents, the Demon King and Queen, didn’t surprise the god Aimeres in the slightest, Aimeres now widened her eyes, shock growing beyond measure.
During the previous meeting, Xue Fei had always faced her head-on, never turning her back to unleash her magical power, so Aimeres could not see clearly.
But as Xue Fei activated her magical power to fly away.
Aimeres, covered in golden light, clearly saw—on those six wings, the faint appearance of an eighth wing!
The golden light trembled, and if she were not sealed and unable to leave the time-space rift, she might have charged after her.
“Tiyiel…? No, the aura is different… but… this shouldn’t be… how could this be possible…?”
Aimeres’s anger and confusion surged simultaneously, but she had no time or energy to verify those matters now.
Because if she didn’t intervene soon…
The Pope of the Church State might just get himself killed!
