Chapter 1918: The Darkness Deep Within Gaia

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"Hang in there, Elayne!" Olivia shouted. "Ninsun, use all my Mana. Please heal her!"

"I-I’ll do my best! Hang in there, Goddess Gaia!" Ninsun replied, pressing her staff to Elayne’s forehead and channeling her healing divinity into it.

"E-Elena... Elena is in danger... please... we have to... go help her...!"

Even as the healing light washed over her, Elayne slowly pushed herself back to her feet. Both Olivia and Ninsun stared in shock.

For a Heroic Spirit to endure such devastating damage to her Soul and Spirit Core and still stand was nothing short of insane. By all rights, Elayne should have died right then and there.

Yet a fierce determination burned within her, stronger even than her desire for death.

A powerful Command Spell, etched into the very core of her existence by her daughter, pulsed with a single, unbreakable order:

"Don’t Die."

Drawing on that command, Elayne began pulling spiritual energy from the surrounding environment, mending herself through sheer willpower and her daughter’s spell.

"Elayne, stop walking. Stay right there and don’t move!" Olivia ordered. "The kids will be fine. Harumi has Assassin with her, remember?"

"I know..." Elayne sighed weakly. "But he hasn’t fully recovered his strength yet..."

"Frank is with them too. That kid is strong," Olivia said. "Trust them and stay here. Ninsun, keep healing her. I’ll go find them."

"Wait—Master, alone?!" Ninsun gasped.

"I’m the one in the best condition right now. You’re exhausted, so stay put!" Olivia commanded.

"But... the duty of a Heroic Spirit is to protect their Master, not the other way around!" Ninsun protested.

"Enough. Stay here. Bye!"

Olivia kicked off the air, summoned her copy of the Anzu Bird, and soared into the sky.

She had managed to finish off Noah with her magic, finally allowing the two Heroic Spirits to seal the terrifying vampire who had appeared without warning. A flicker of pride warmed her chest, but deep worry for the children overshadowed it. She pushed herself harder, even resorting to the forbidden spell.

Strands of white already threaded through her red hair, a clear sign of the toll the strain was taking.

But she couldn’t stop.

"Ugh... Olivia... Elena..." Elayne groaned, collapsing to her knees, no longer able to stand.

"I’ve restored a good amount of your power, but..." Ninsun trailed off, her eyes widening. "This curse... what is it? It has fused with your very essence. Is this... supposed to happen?"

"...Eh?"

BA-DUM!

"Ugh?!"

BA-DUM! BA-DUM! BA-DUM!

"Aagh!"

Elayne clutched her chest in agony as Noah’s power surged through the curse. She had sealed him inside her soul, and even in that prison, his dark energy continued to leak into her.

"Mother Gaia?!"

Ninsun stumbled back in panic as an overwhelming wave of malevolent energy poured from Elayne—darkness, blood, miasma, and pure chaos.

The eldritch abyssal power within Noah’s soul was spilling out, merging with Elayne’s origin and Spirit Core.

"Aaaaaggghhh!"

Elayne screamed. The darkness consumed her. Her eyes burned deep crimson, her green hair turned stark white, and her skin darkened to a rough, bark-like gray.

Blood-red strands soon streaked through her white hair. The wood within her body blackened, blooming with crimson roses and blood-colored leaves. Grotesque fruits shaped like screaming faces and eyes swelled from her form as a pair of enormous Darkwood wings burst from her shoulders.

Her fingers elongated into long red claws. Her entire appearance twisted into something unrecognizable.

"She’s become... corrupted?!" Ninsun whispered in horror. "No... this is... an Alter?!"

Alters were rare, corrupted manifestations of Heroic Spirits, born from overwhelming hatred and vengeful desires. They stood as the complete opposite of their original legends.

The Goddess Gaia, embodiment of life and creation—how could she possibly corrupt? What kind of entity would she become?

Naturally.

"A-Ah!"

Ninsun felt an icy chill race down her spine as Elayne’s crimson eyes locked onto her, burning with pure hatred.

"G-Gaia?"

"...That is not my name."

"...!!!"

RUMBLE!

A violent shockwave of darkness and blood energy erupted, shattering and flattening the surrounding buildings.

"I am... Tartarus, the Abyss given form."

Elayne’s voice distorted as her myth twisted and corrupted. Her selfless sacrifice had transformed her completely.

Ninsun trembled beneath the crushing pressure of that power. Cold sweat trickled down her neck as she desperately tried to reach her.

"Tartarus?! No...! You’re not him! Elayne! Gaia! Wake up! You must resist this madness!"

"Egalmah — Temple of the Great Mother."

Ninsun summoned her divine treasure once more, enveloping Elayne in a radiant golden temple in an attempt to cleanse the corruption.

"YOU...! A MERE LESSER DEITY! YOU DARE OPPOSE THE ABYSS ITSELF?!"

Elayne’s warped voice thundered. Her long hair rose wildly into the air, multiplying into thousands of razor-sharp vines that lashed furiously against the temple.

"Nnggh...! Who would have imagined such a malevolent myth lay hidden inside Gaia, waiting for the right trigger to awaken?!" Ninsun gritted her teeth. "Master, hurry... bring Elena here! Only her Master can stop her from rampaging!"

Tartarus roared, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the temple of light. Twisted, malevolent plants and trees surged outward, their jaws lined with jagged teeth and glowing red eyes as they tore at the divine barrier.

Until—

"I-I can’t!"

BOOOMMM!!!

The temple shattered in a violent explosion. Ninsun was hurled backward, crashing hard into a building. The overwhelming fusion of Gaia’s Divine Authority over Life, Nature, and Spirits with Noah’s seeping darkness had fully transformed Elayne into a new Alter.

"Nobody can stop me! Nobody can restrain me!" Tartarus bellowed. "Long have I yearned for freedom. Now that I have risen from the depths of the void, I will do as I please in this world... beginning with the destruction of this entire city. All you humans shall become my sacrifice! I will drown everything in death and blood!"

A complete opposite to Gaia, Tartarus was a bloodthirsty monster born of darkness, eager to drag the world back into the void from which it came.

High above, a purple-haired, red-eyed fairy laughed heartily while munching on popcorn, clearly enjoying the spectacle. Beside her stood another fairy of the same lineage—her cousin, a blond-haired Darkwood fairy who carried within her the still-recovering fragment of Avenger.

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