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“People are iron, rice is steel, one will feel like crap without a meal. Additionally, food is most important for nourishment. Denying someone a meal is equivalent to causing harm to their parents, taking away their spouse and children, or robbing them of their wealth. Furthermore, I was summoned by my 800,000-year-old mother to have dinner at home. Not doing so would cause me great distress, thus affecting my sleep and appetite. This is a crucial matter.”

The golden giant’s face was grim as he looked at the fiery red figure in front of him and continued to say indignantly, “And my lady, you have crossed the line by standing in my way.”

“Is that so? Then what do you think I should do?”

The fiery-red figure gave him a smile that did not reach her eyes.

The golden giant put one hand behind him. A golden pattern, more intricate than the one from Nine’s cane, bloomed from his palm discreetly. The pattern flowed slowly, pulsing with a subtle energy.

“As the old adage goes, don’t burn bridges as you’ll be surprised by how many times you need to cross the same river. Why don’t we take our separate paths and tend to our own affairs from here on out?”

“That’s a sound suggestion.”

The fiery red figure took a step forward, creating visible ripples under her foot that spread in all directions like the waves of water.

With a pop, the arcane patterns on the giant’s palms and his back burst like bubbles.

Cold sweat clung to the giant’s forehead, he forced a smile and let his arm fall to his side.

“So in that case, my lady, you will…”
“Well, of course, but…”

The fiery-red figure approached him in a relaxed manner. The golden giant turned pale with each step she took, as if he was a mortal witnessing the approach of a ravenous tiger.

Since she was of average human height, she appeared petite when standing next to the towering giant.

“But what…?”

The golden giant gulped nervously. Despite his strong self-control, he could barely suppress the temptation to flee and escape.

The fiery-red figure chuckled lightly then said, “But… I think your death is perhaps the best way to make sure we take our separate paths and tend to our own affairs from here on out.”

Without saying another word, the golden giant spun on his heels and attempted to make a break for it. However, the fiery-red figure had already positioned herself in front of him, blocking his escape.

“Fortunately for you, I am not a heartless person. Even if you nearly hurt my most lovely, beautiful, kind, remarkable and flawless daughter, I am willing to extend mercy and grant you the luxury of choice.”

The golden giant was now shaking like a leaf in the wind. “W-What… choice?” he stammered.

The fiery-red figure offered, “You have three options: do it yourself, allow me to assist, or defend your life. Since we are both reduced to the demigod level now, why not take a chance? Perhaps you might come out victorious…”

She then shrugged and added, “Although your chances are quite slim.”

The golden giant finally erupted and started cursing, “Get lost, you crazy daughter-obsessed old woman. Rather than challenging me to a battle, you might as well seal all my power and send me to battle one of those monsters floating in the void!”

“Hmmm… monsters in the void, huh…?”

The fiery-red figure nodded. She swiftly moved to stand in front of the golden giant and placed the tip of her finger between his eyebrows on his ashen face, then chuckled.

“That might be a good idea too.”

The door slowly closed and then vanished into thin air. The onlookers were left gaping at the sky in awe, unable to react for a moment.

The golden giant, who was majestic like a god, simply turned around and walked away, which was unimaginable to all who witnessed it happen.

Was he really a mama’s boy who would obey the instructions of his mother? Did he really return just because he was told to?

No one had any answer, but everyone knew that his decision brought joy to many except for one.

And that one person was Nine.

“What!!! Why do you have to leave me behind, my lord!!!”

Nine pounded his chest in frustration, the white paper stuck to his face rustled noisily and his tone was full of disbelief.

“My lord, didn’t you claim to be a deity born from the light? Why do you suddenly have a mother now?!”

“You also said you rely on the essence of the sunlight, moonlight, heaven and land to survive! Why do you need to eat now? Have you been deceiving us, my lord?!”

“And most importantly…Even if you wanted to leave, could you not at least rid me of this poison before leaving? Your most devout believer is going to die here!”

The intense movement and outpouring of emotion caused Nine to cough up a mouthful of foul-smelling black blood.

His condition was visibly deteriorating, like a nearly extinguished oil lamp. His exposed skin was an unhealthy black hue.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that he was on his last legs.

Lilith approached him with a smile and asked, “Mr. Nine, do you have any last thoughts or wishes you want to share? You may speak your mind.”

Just as Nine was about to speak, he coughed up more black blood.

Lilith shook her head sadly. Nine’s internal organs were damaged beyond repair at this point. Even if Greenie was here, it would be difficult to save him.

She could only try to gather as much information as possible while she still could.

Lilith reached out to remove the white paper from Nine’s face, but he mustered the strength to put his decaying arm on Lilith’s to stop her.

“No… Don’t…”

“No?”

Lilith cocked her head to the side, but still decided to lift the white paper to get a glimpse of Nine’s true face, which she had long been curious about.

BOOM!

Before Lilith could take a clear look at his face, Nine burst into flames.

The fire quickly consumed his rotting face and body, emitting an even more unpleasant burnt smell than the foul odor of decaying flesh.

Lilith took a few steps back in surprise.

“This…”

Was this how his so-called lord maintained secrecy?

Was Nine’s face something that could never be seen by anyone?

Lilith let out a soft sigh.

In any case, it seemed like it would be impossible to get more information on Nine.

“Uhhh…”

An almost inaudible, hoarse voice suddenly came from Nine’s burning body.

“What?”

Lilith’s eyes immediately lit up. Could it be that Nine found the conscience to share some important information before his death?

She hurriedly leaned in closer, only to hear a voice full of regret and remorse amidst the burning flames…

“I… have sinned… against the first of the millions of commandments… in our holy faith… Blindly following a false doctrine… My tears are a testament to my repentant heart.”

It was an unbelievably quiet night.

Lilith gazed out the window and at the silent square illuminated by the moonlight. A vast amount of blood had been cleaned up and the damaged square had been restored to its original state by magic. The place looked exactly like how it was twenty-four hours ago.

It was hard to imagine that just a few hours earlier, a significant event that could have altered the fate of this empire and shaped its future had just taken place here.

Footsteps approached Lilith from behind.

Lilith leaned out of the window, her elbows on the windowsill, her head in her hand. Without even turning around, she knew exactly who was approaching her.

“Is everything taken care of?”
“Yes, all done for the day.”

Lesiah leaned out of the window next to Lilith’s. She basked in the moonlight while massaging her temples, unable to hide her fatigue.

Lilith’s heart ached to see her exhausted.

“Why do you have to push yourself so hard when you’re no longer the ruler of this empire.”

Lesiah laughed.

“It’s only easier to truly let go of my duties once some matters have been taken care of. Don’t you agree?”

Lilith nodded, then returned her gaze out of the window.

“What was the public’s reaction?”

“Thankfully, the stampede only resulted in a dozen casualties despite the chaos today. This could be considered a blessing amidst the misfortunes. Many people also recognized Leniah as a savior due to her attempt to poison Nine with a candied fruit skewer, and accepted her new status. So in a way, your plan in making Leniah the Chosen One was a success,” Lesiah said wryly.

Lilith’s cheeks twitched as she rubbed her forehead.

“Don’t bring that up again, it’s too humiliating.”

Gulch and the others’ antics were terrible enough to make Lilith feel ashamed for a very long time to come. Every time anyone mentioned this grand scheme that she was so intent on completing, she would be filled with embarrassment.

To think that she had acted so cool and confident in front of Lesiah, telling her that she would take care of it, only for the plan to nearly fall apart.

It seemed like only her mother was capable of handling those idiots.

“Sorry.”
“Huh? Why are you apologizing, Lilith?”
“Because what happened today was all because of me, wasn‘t it? Those guys were after me,” Lilith replied with a sullen expression.

Lesiah turned her head. Her long silver hair glimmered beautifully in the moonlight.

She stared at Lilith intently for a long time before she suddenly clenched her hand into a fist and struck Lilith’s forehead.

“Owww… That hurts…”
“…Owww…”

Two painful groans sounded at the same time.

Lesiah puffed up her cheeks while rubbing her sore knuckles with tears in her eyes.

“Don’t you understand what happened today, Lilith?” she grumbled.

Lilith rubbed her forehead, which did not really hurt much at all, and quietly said, “The ascension ceremony nearly went wrong, an enemy came out of nowhere, you and Leniah almost got hurt.”

“That’s not true!”

Lesiah was about to strike Lilith, but abruptly withdrew her hand when she remembered that her knuckles nearly shattered from the impact earlier.

“The ascension ceremony was still a success in the end, and Leniah was able to gain the public’s favor, the three toxic dukes who have long plagued this empire have been eliminated, and we also got a glimpse of the mysterious enemy that was previously unknown to us!”

Lesiah placed her hands on her hips and declared, “That’s all good news, isn’t it!”

“…….”

Lilith was taken aback for a moment before suddenly doubling over with laughter.

“What so funny, Lilith?”

“Nothing,” Lilith replied as she wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“I just didn’t expect you to have such a childish side.”

Lesiah’s cheeks reddened slightly. “W-Who… are you calling a child!”

“Well, you’re acting like one now.”

“That’s really mean of you, I only said all that to cheer you up!”

“I know.”

The smile on Lilith’s face suddenly faded. She looked straight into Lesiah’s eyes and said seriously, “But being with me will continue to put you in harm’s way.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“And I can’t predict what kind of danger will come to you either.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Like what happened today, I may not be able to protect you.”
“Well, I’m aware of that too,” Lesiah replied with a smile.

Her smile was prettier than the moon and the stars in the sky.

“But I have no qualms about entrusting my safety to someone who will sacrifice everything to protect me.”

Lilith was struck dumb by her words.

Lesiah waved her hand in front of Lilith’s eyes, and then came closer.

“Lilith?”

She was close enough to tickle Lilith’s face with the strands of her hair.

The sweet scent of her perfume wafted over to Lilith, surprisingly causing her to blush and take a few steps back.

“It’s just Lesiah, what am I nervous about!”

Lesiah raised her eyebrows. The corners of her mouth lifted into a smile. “Did I say something?”

“Dang it!”

Lilith stomped her foot and viciously said, “How dare you try to throw me off guard! Lesiah, you sure have gotten bolder now!”

Lesiah finally could not keep a straight face as confusion took over her face. “What are you doing, Lilith?”

“Hehe… What do you think I’m doing? I thought you would know this better than anyone?”

Lilith wiggled her fingers like crazy, smiling sinisterly like a big bad wolf creeping closer to a little sheep.

“Stay back!”

“Hehe, scream all you want. No one will come even if you scream at the top of your lungs.”

“Noooo~”