Goddess's Yuri harem: Chosing the Empress is hard-Chapter 87: Are you shocked - Part 3

Lilith was the first to reach them, her gaze sharp as she placed a hand on Auriel’s shoulder.

"What happened?"

Auriel exhaled shakily, forcing herself to stand straighter despite the pulsing pain in her head.

"I tried to lift her curse again... but there was backlash. Something is preventing me from interfering with it."

Lilith’s expression darkened.

"I told you before—it’s not a simple matter of divine intervention. The forces at work here are beyond normal blessings or curses."

Carol looked stricken, her hands clenched into fists.

"You shouldn’t have done that, Goddess! Not if it was going to hurt you!"

Auriel managed a small smile despite the pain.

"I wanted to help."

Carol’s lower lip trembled, but she quickly turned away, her shoulders stiff.

"I... I don’t want you to get hurt because of me."

Lilith sighed, rubbing her temples.

"We need to figure out what kind of power is keeping this curse in place. For now, Goddess Auriel, you need to rest. Carol, come with me. We’ll discuss this further later."

Carol hesitated before nodding. As she followed Lilith out of the room, she stole one last worried glance at Auriel, her emotions unreadable.

Auriel remained standing for a moment, still gripping her aching head.

The curse was no ordinary one—of that, she was now certain. But more than that, she was left with the unsettling realization that someone—or something—had deliberately woven a barrier around Carol’s fate.

And that meant breaking it would require much more than just divine will.

Auriel sat in her chambers, her fingers pressed against her temple as the last remnants of the earlier backlash faded.

Though her divine energy was vast, the interference with Carol’s curse had drained her in ways she hadn’t anticipated.

Even now, a dull ache throbbed at the base of her skull, a reminder of the unseen forces at play.

Once she was certain she had stabilized, she called for Priestess Lilith and Carol. The two arrived swiftly, their expressions marked with concern and anticipation.

"I need to tell you both something important. During my time away from the temple last night, I uncovered something far more dangerous than I originally expected."

Auriel began, her tone grave.

Carol and Lilith exchanged glances before focusing intently on Auriel.

"The underground chamber I found beneath the city was not merely a place of worship. It was a place of dark magic, a gathering ground for a new religion that seeks to bring forth a goddess of their own"

Auriel continued.

Lilith’s eyes widened in alarm.

"A new goddess?"

Auriel nodded.

"Yes. And from what I sensed, this ’goddess’ is not born from divine energy but something far more sinister. The presence of dark magic in that place was overwhelming—it clung to every surface, to every person there. Their so-called deity was more of a spectral entity, unstable and incomplete."

Carol paled.

"Are you saying they’re trying to create a goddess from dark magic? That’s... impossible, isn’t it?"

Auriel’s expression was grim.

"Not impossible. Merely unnatural."

Lilith exhaled sharply.

"This is worse than I thought. If they succeed, it could spell disaster for humanity. Gods are meant to be beings of balance—if they create one through dark magic alone, it will be tainted. A being of destruction rather than divinity."

Auriel nodded.

"Exactly. This is no longer something we can handle alone. We need allies, and fast."

Lilith straightened her back, her usual composed demeanor taking on a sharper edge.

"Then we have no choice. We will have to put the empress selection on hold."

Carol gasped.

"But—!"

Lilith raised a hand, silencing her.

"Carol, I understand that this is an important matter, but nothing is more important than stopping this disaster before it begins. We must prioritize the safety of the world first."

Auriel agreed, though a sense of unease settled within her.

"I will reach out to the other gods. They need to be informed of this immediately."

Both Lilith and Carol nodded, though worry was evident on their faces.

Later that night, once the temple had quieted and the air had cooled, Auriel prepared herself to contact her fellow gods.

She sat cross-legged in the center of a sacred chamber, golden light flickering around her as she reached out with her divine energy.

Normally, this process was effortless. The connection between gods transcended mortal understanding—distance, time, even realms themselves were not barriers. A simple thought, a mere call, was enough.

But this time, something was wrong.

Auriel focused harder, her energy stretching out like invisible threads across the divine plane. Yet, instead of finding the familiar presence of her kin, she was met with... silence.

A deafening, suffocating silence.

Her brow furrowed as she pushed further, straining against the void where the voices of gods should be.

Still—nothing.

A sharp pang of unease twisted in her gut. This had never happened before.

Something was blocking her.

Auriel drew back sharply, breathing heavily as a strange chill settled over her. This was no ordinary interference—something, or someone, was deliberately cutting her off from the divine network.

Her fingers curled into fists.

This wasn’t just about dark magic anymore.

Something far more dangerous was at play.

Auriel’s breath came in shallow gasps as she tried to steady herself. The divine plane had always been a constant presence, a realm beyond mortal reach where the gods remained eternally connected.

But now, she was alone. Truly alone. The silence was not simply an absence of voices—it was a void, a suffocating emptiness that gnawed at the edges of her mind.

Had the other gods fallen? Had they been sealed away? Or was something greater, something beyond even her understanding, at work?

The implications sent a wave of nausea through her. If she could not reach them, then no one could warn them of the impending threat.

No one could prepare for the chaos that would follow if the dark cult succeeded.

A flicker of movement in the corner of the chamber made her tense.

For a brief moment, she thought she had sensed another presence—an echo of something vast and unseen.

But when she turned, there was nothing. Only the dim glow of her fading divine energy.

Her time was running out. If she could not rely on the gods, she would have to seek allies elsewhere. Even if it meant turning to those who walked the path of shadows.

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