Game of the World Tree-Chapter 717

【 THE THREE EVIL GODS 】

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Under the vigilant gazes of the mythical dragons, three black, illusory figures slowly coalesced around them.

One was an androgynous fallen archangel with twelve wings, clad in silver armor and wielding a long spear.

Another was a bewitching succubus with dark purple hair, her features strikingly seductive, especially when paired with her revealing outfit.

The last was a gigantic demonic unicorn, its entire body covered in black scales, bearing a beast’s head atop a humanoid form.

The three continued to radiate aura even greater than that of Mars and the other two dragons, while black miasma rose and churned over the surrounding hills.

Above them, the power of the Abyss gathered into dark clouds that pressed steadily downward from the heavens.

Dense abyssal energy spread through the area, suppressing the power of the three dragons, which continuously corroded their gleaming scales.

Even more severe was the pervasive malevolent aura that flooded the entire region, causing the three mythical dragons—despite being ancient gods as they were—to temporarily lose their ability to replenish their strength from the cosmic void.

At this moment, they had lost their connection to the cosmos.

These mythical dragons were ancient gods, thus were able to draw power from the void to restore their power. This was the foundation that allowed them to contend with gods of faith and with evil gods alike.

Yet here and now, that greatest advantage had been rendered null.

Dark red mist churned without cease, enveloping the three mythic dragons within it.

This was the Celestial Domain manifested by evil gods.

Chaotic and malevolent, this domain could suppress the divine power of true gods and steadily erode their bodies, corroding both flesh and governing laws alike.

Under the grave gazes of the three mythical dragons, the unicorn with a beast’s head and humanoid body let out a sneer, its eyes gleaming with undisguised malice.

“Heh heh, Luria, Alisa, although I know you two bastards have always been cowardly and timid, this proposal of yours really is not bad…”

“Luring these mythical dragons deep into the Abyss and cutting off their ability to draw power from the Prime Material Realm is indeed a good way to keep them trapped here.”

“It is just a pity about that idiot Apophis. Who knows whether he is still alive… Heh, to think he actually relied on support from evil gods like us. Truly stupid.”

“It would be better if he is dead. That way, all his territory shall belong to me.”

“In any case, it has been a long time since I last tasted dragon flesh. I wonder whether the blood of ancient mythical dragons is truly as delicious as the legends claim…”

The demonic unicorn spoke incessantly, its voice bold and vulgar, spilling out word after word like a chatterbox that never seemed to run out of breath.

However, the expressions of Mars and the other two dragons grew increasingly solemn.

They could sense the powerful strength emanating from their opponent.

This abyssal evil god had been deliberately feigning weakness before, concealing its true power to lure them into this trap.

At this moment, the well informed golden dragon Mars finally recognized the other’s identity.

“Duke Anduria…”

Mars slightly narrowed his golden vertical pupils as information about his foe slowly surfaced from the inherited memories of dragonkind.

Duke Anduria was a fallen abyssal mythical beast. His original race had been a Unicorn from the Prime Material Realm, and he also carried the bloodline of Titans.

This abyssal beast had already risen to fame two hundred thousand years ago. At his peak, he possessed power approaching that of an intermediate divine power, arrogant and conceited, with a strong inclination toward chaotic obsession.

His mind was not particularly sharp, even somewhat reckless. Yet during his fall, he had nearly devoured the core origin of the third layer of Hell. As a result, he ultimately gained a portion of the abilities possessed by the infernal demon lords, making him far more dangerous than his crude demeanor suggested.

Although he could not accommodate a realm like the demon lords of Hell, nor revive after death, he still possessed a recovery ability far exceeding that of other abyssal evil gods.

He had once ravaged the Prime Material Realm for an extended period and even attempted to manipulate creatures from Seigües into falling into the Abyss.

In the end, because his behavior was relatively easy to understand and predict, he fell deliberately into the schemes of certain ancient gods, who ultimately sealed him deep within the underground region of the realm of Seigües.

But given that he was supposed to be sealed, how had he appeared here in the Abyss?

Had he broken free from his seal?

Mars felt puzzled.

As for the other two, they must have belonged to a newer generation of evil gods since he did not recognize them.

Yet just as Mars warily turned his gaze toward these two unknown beings, he suddenly paused, his expression shifting to one of subtle suspicion.

Anduria, oblivious to the golden dragon’s scrutiny, continued to stare greedily at the three mythical dragons, lightly licking his lips in anticipation.

“By the way, since this domain is being maintained by me, I will claim the larger share when we divide our spoils later, even if you need some to recover your strength. After all, my power far exceeds yours at this moment,” he said with crude confidence.

“Speaking of which… how did you know that one from earlier would not pursue us?” he continued, curiosity creeping into his tone.

“Is she really the revived All-Divine Mother?”

He addressed the other two abyssal beings, but no answer came.

They remained shrouded in black mist, unmoving and silent, standing at their assigned positions around the mythical dragons.

At that moment, the demonic unicorn froze as a sudden realization struck him.

The pressure around him surged outward, causing the dark red domain to churn and boil even more violently.

As he reacted, the figures of the other two evil gods trembled, then shattered abruptly, before dissolving into thin air.

A mere projections?!

Anduria’s eyes widened in shock.

He spun around, only to see two figures cloaked in dark haze already slipping away, vanishing with alarming speed.

Faintly, they were even about to disappear entirely from sight.

Anduria: “…”

“Luria. Alissa. You cowardly bastards! You two better hope I never cross paths with you again!”

He roared in fury, his voice echoing like thunder across the Abyss.

In the next instant, a vast and overwhelming presence manifested behind the three dragons, radiating power that made the very air tremble.

Anduria’s body stiffened.

He slowly turned, eyes widening as he beheld a sacred figure entirely shrouded in brilliant light, standing poised beside the three dragons.

At the sight of that beautiful figure, Anduria’s eyes widened in shock.

It was not because of her peerless beauty, but because of the immense pressure radiating from her.

“I should have known… the words of abyssal beings can never be trusted.” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Anduria swallowed hard and muttered to himself.

Then, without another word, he withdrew his domain and immediately turned to flee.

He might be a little slow-witted

But he was not foolish.

A true god who could effortlessly kill the Abyssal Giant Serpent Apophis, even if only through her incarnation, certainly possessed the ability to eliminate him just as easily.

However, before he could even attempt to run, a thick root suddenly coiled around his body.

A few seconds later, a tremendous suction force surged forth from the female deity. Anduria felt, with alarm, the divine power he had painstakingly amassed draining away in an instant.

With a violent tug from the root and a mournful, enraged howl, he was dragged helplessly into an arching triumphal gate shimmering with golden light, vanishing from sight as the surroundings fell silent once more.

Only the three mythical dragons remained, their eyes fixed on the figure before them, who had, from beginning to end, stood completely calm, as if casually observing the entire scene like a detached bystander.

Seeing her nonchalance, they could not help but swallow nervously.

“You three should return first. This area is already too deep within the Abyss.”

The three dragons exchanged a glance, then bowed deeply to Evé in unison.

“We shall obey your will.”

With a powerful beat of their wings, they took to the air and departed.

Evé then turned her gaze toward the direction in which Luria and Alissa had fled, a faint trace of amusement flickering across her serene expression.

With a sudden flash of golden light, she moved, giving chase to the two.

→⟐←

A canyon deep within the Abyss.

Two towering presences were racing through the void at full speed, fleeing as if their lives depended on it.

They were the fallen angel Luria and the Queen of Pain, Alissa.

They streaked across the Abyssal world like two dark meteors.

“Your Majesty Alissa,” Luria said with a composed smile, even as he fled with elegant grace.

“I can still sense that… ‘one’ trailing far behind us. Escaping this time may not be so easy.”

Alissa turned her head to glance at her companion, her eyes glinting with mischief. She smiled seductively and replied, “Your Majesty Luria, you worry too much. There are many fallen mythical beings lurking in this dark world. As long as we can find some new ones to stall that one, danger can be turned into opportunity.”

Luria raised an eyebrow.

“You are actually willing to drag more mythical beings into this?”

“Of course,” Alissa said with a playful tilt of her head. “The righteous gods are our common enemy, after all. At a time like this, resisting together is the only sensible choice, is it not?”

“Heh, you are truly an excessive woman,” Luria murmured. “I can already guess that once we encounter new mythical beings, you will likely abandon them again and face that one alone.”

“The feeling is mutual, is it not? Did you not also deceive Anduria?”

She countered with a teasing smirk.

“I merely proposed a plan with some risk. It just so happened that I suddenly remembered other matters requiring my attention, so I had to leave temporarily. I could only rely on him to hold the line for a while,” Luria explained.

“What a coincidence, Your Majesty Luria,” Alissa said, her smile widening. “I, too, have other matters to attend to, so I must leave temporarily as well.”

“The other matters you speak of are… finding more mythical beings?” Luria asked, suspicion tinging his tone.

“For now, it seems so,” she replied lightly.

“And what if we cannot find any?” he pressed, his eyes narrowing.

Silence fell between them.

Then, in an instant, the two surged with divine radiance, their forms colliding midair in a clash that lit the canyon with a blinding flash of power.

A terrifying aura spread outward. Alissa raised the scimitar in her hand, her voice tinged with both grievance and disbelief.

“Your Majesty Luria, what are you doing!? Why are you suddenly attacking me?”

Luria gracefully withdrew the demonic spear in his hand, speaking with a calm, almost apologetic tone.

“My apologies. I misjudged just now. I thought you were about to launch an attack on me.”

“Why would I attack you? Do you think that by leaving you behind to divert that one’s attention, I could escape safely?”

Luria and Alissa exchanged a silent glance, both speechless.

A series of thunderous crashes erupted once more as their weapons collided, each strike echoing through the canyon like a storm of fury.

“Your Majesty Luria, what are you doing?” Alissa called again.

“That is precisely my question, Your Majesty Alissa,” he replied evenly.

“Forgive me. After thinking it over, I still feel that you must be very tired from the journey. It would be better for you to rest here for a while.”

“I think the same. You seem even more exhausted, so I wanted to help you a little,” he said, his tone softening despite the clash of their weapons.

“With your demonic spear?” she teased.

“The feeling is mutual,” he replied with a faint smirk.

And so, they fled while fighting at the same time, each attempting to strike the other down even as they raced onward through the Abyss.

Until a faint golden light appeared behind them.

Both evil gods froze mid-motion.

“Your Majesty Luria, you see, this is the consequence of your lack of cooperation. That one has already caught up to us!” Alissa exclaimed.

“Is it not because you refused to cooperate?” he countered.

“As a male, should you not yield to me?”

“Oh please, you are already a mythical being. Why cling to mortal notions like gender chivalry?” he shot back.

“Wait. Why can we not just split up here and retreat separately? Let us gamble on a fifty percent chance,” Alissa proposed.

“I’m afraid our auras have already been locked onto. Would splitting up actually help?” Luria said, hesitation creeping into his voice.

Silence followed, heavy and tense.

Then, suddenly, they separated, each choosing a different direction and fleeing at full speed.

Whether splitting up would help or not while being tracked, neither evil god knew. After all, the gap in power between them and that one was far too great.

Nevertheless, they were willing to try, despite possessing only weak divine strength.

Alas, the one pursuing them had, at the very least, recovered to intermediate divine power.

Their options were few. With their strengths nearly equal, neither could truly strike the other down to use as a scapegoat to escape.

Thus, there was only one choice left: to gamble.

However, the Queen of Pain, Alissa, had barely fled before the golden figure caught up with her.

A golden arch gate appeared before her, and countless small, glowing particles spread outward, forming a resplendent sea of green light.

Vast and overwhelming, it left no room for thought or resistance—that was the power of a true Celestial Domain.

Immediately, several thick roots shot forth. Alissa’s expression shifted slightly, teeth clenched, as she unleashed the strongest abyssal power she could muster.

Yet her terrifying, malevolent force was quickly reduced to nothing by a light, almost casual voice.

“Bind.”

It was the authority of the laws of Evé’s domain.

In the next instant, the roots surged forward, easily ensnaring the Queen of Pain.

Terror overwhelmed her, rendering her Alissa no time to resist.

Peak of intermediate divine power!?

This thought flashed in Alissa’s mind before being dragged into the arch gate.

From afar, after sensing that the Queen of Pain’s aura had completely vanished, Luria’s expression finally shifted.

Without hesitation, he burned through his divine power at max capacity to accelerate his escape.

Even so, he could still not flee far.

From the moment they had been seen by Evé at the Cliff of Sorrows, their auras had already been locked onto and tracked in real-time.

Moreover, with the existence of the Gate of Reversal, no matter where they fled, the final outcome would remain the same…

—They would always be found by Evé.

Plus, the Gate allowed Evé to extend part of her being into the Abyss and unfold her Celestial Domain.

Within this domain, she was nearly invincible.

If not truly invincible, it could only mean encountering a being with a higher-level domain and stronger divine power.

From the moment Evé appeared, this battle had, in truth, already ended.

The two evil gods, who had escaped countless times before, would have no further chances this time.

Since once they learned Evé’s true identity, their fate was sealed.

The golden triumphal arch gate appeared once more, manifesting directly before the fallen angel Luria.

The sacred and beautiful figure of Evé slowly took shape before him. Luria’s expression shifted repeatedly, until he forced out a strained smile.

“All-Divine Mother… I concede. May I seal myself?”

Evé silently glanced at him.

She extended her roots, unfolded her domain, and under Luria’s tense expression, wrapped him tightly like a zongzi. ¹

The words of evil gods cannot be trusted, not even a single one.

Especially those who run faster than rabbits.

¹ Zongzi (粽子) are traditional Chinese pyramid-shaped sticky rice dumplings filled with sweet or savory ingredients and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, commonly eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival.

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