Reborn as a Transcendent-Chapter 686: I’ve Clung to the Goddess of Light’s Coattails

Shards of debris scattered as dust billowed through the air.

Not far away, a group of players finally arrived on the scene. At that moment, both the players and the clerics turned their eyes toward the dust-filled area. A golden silhouette suddenly rose into the air, radiating divine energy that swept the dust away.

As the haze cleared, they saw a golden apparition of a goddess standing tall—sacred and solemn. Unfortunately, her face was obscured in a blur, preventing anyone from glimpsing her holy and beautiful features.

As they gazed upon the goddess’ manifestation, the clerics trembled from head to toe, tears streaming down their faces in uncontainable emotion. The goddess they had worshipped for so long had finally descended, albeit in this ephemeral form.

The players stopped in their tracks, shaken to the core. And terrified. It felt as if taking even one more step forward would cause that divine aura to crush them flat like dried fruit.

Thankfully, the feeling passed quickly. The goddess’ image slowly faded away along with her divine presence, dispersing into the wind. Golden particles danced through the air. They were stunning, carrying an inexplicable aura of holiness. Everyone stood dazed, momentarily lost in the sight. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

KokoDayo was the first to snap back to his senses. He quickly turned his gaze to where the apparition had faded.

The space was now empty. No… on the ground remained a deep and massive handprint. And if one looked closely within, they’d find a smear of something that resembled mashed tomato pulp.

“This… this is a miracle! Praise the Goddess!” Micha suddenly stood up and shouted with religious fervor.

“Praise the Goddess!”

“Praise the Goddess!”

The clerics behind him immediately followed, lifting their heads toward the sky and placing clasped hands to their chests, voices filled with reverence.

The players watching the scene couldn’t help but feel a chill run down their spines.

‘These zealots… we better not mess with them.’ KokoDayo muttered to himself. Then, he quickly sent out a group message, “Scatter and complete the search as fast as possible!”

Even though the Black-Hearted Princess hadn’t appeared, he was convinced she was still hiding somewhere in this village. In truth, whether she was here or not, he was determined to comb the place from top to bottom, he had to give his boss a report, after all.

Upon receiving the order, the players split up and spread throughout the village.

Meanwhile, the villagers and militiamen finally reached the church. Unfortunately, the players had already dispersed. Chasing them out now would be an impossible task. But compared to that, the villagers and militiamen were more concerned about what had just happened at the church.

After some discussion, another wave of praises for the Goddess echoed across the scene.

While the players continued their search of Aoma Village, Yaeger was lying on the rooftop of the church, gazing leisurely at the stars. She looked completely relaxed, as if nothing had happened at all.

“[Divine Blessing] is ridiculous. Just a 350% boost was enough to beat the Ninth Apostle to a pulp.” Looking at the brightest star in the sky, she murmured quietly. Though her voice was soft, it carried a hint of awe she couldn’t quite hide.

“And the best part? The boost comes from taking hits from light-element attacks, regardless of strength… It’s absurdly overpowered. I’m never letting go of the Goddess of Light’s backing!” Clenching her fist slightly, a content smile spread across Yaeger’s face.

“Praise the Goddess!” Down below, the believers were still shouting with zealous fervor.

“That projection earlier really riled them up,” she said with a trace of exasperation.

That burst of divine light could only be expended in one go. If not used, it would simply disperse on its own. It couldn’t be stored or retained. This was what Yaeger found most regrettable.

If it could remain in her body for longer, she could have Irene bombard her with holy spells before every battle, and she’d crush every opponent with ease.

“The duration of use still wasn’t as long as the Holy Spirit Shards,” she sighed softly, then smiled. “But its power was truly astonishing.”

“Praise the Goddess!”

“Praise the Goddess!”

Down below, the chanting continued endlessly. To be honest, it was getting annoying. Yaeger even considered jumping down and giving each of them a kick in the rear.

“That aside, this Apostle knew how to disguise himself and sneak in. Clearly, his brain worked better than the last two. And judging by what he said earlier, it seems he came to investigate the cause of the other Apostles’ deaths. If he had been just a bit weaker, I could have captured him and interrogated him.”

Indeed, the Ninth Apostle’s cause of death was that he was too strong. With someone of that caliber, even if Yaeger jabbed him full of needles, she likely wouldn’t have gotten anything useful out of him.

As for mind control… that was out of the question. Her medical skills had their limits.

“These Apostles are a pain since they can’t all be taken down at once. Still, at least I gain something from every encounter.” She tapped her ring, and three fragments appeared in her palm. Each one larger than the last.

“What in the world are these shards from? Could it be… some kind of tiny bowl?”

All three pieces had a noticeable curvature, suggesting the original object might have been a small container. But with four pieces still missing, it was impossible to tell what the complete form looked like.

“Whatever. As long as those Apostles are still out there spreading the plague, I’ll eventually run into them. When that time comes, the remaining four shards will end up in my hands.” Yaeger smiled coolly. “With three shards in hand, once I fuse them, they’ll become one of my trump cards.”

Previously, she had relied too heavily on her sword-based ultimate skill, which left her somewhat constrained in battle. She always feared that something would go wrong during its cooldown period. But now, with the Holy Spirit Shards and Divine Blessing, her offensive options had clearly expanded.

“Hehe, having Irene as a walking power bank is the best!” In her view, Irene—who could recharge the Holy Spirit Shards—was simply too useful to give up.

At that very moment, far away in the Jade City Church, Irene suddenly shivered from head to toe, her whole body turning cold. “I’ve got a really bad feeling about this. I’d better just stay in my room all day tomorrow…” She curled up in her blanket, trembling as she muttered to herself.

Under the same sky, at the Black Forest Altar. The First Apostle stared at the shattered white jade in his hand, his brow twitching violently.

“How can this be… Even Number Nine was killed?!” His star-spotted face twisted with rage and disbelief, and the words he spat out were laced with venom. “This wretched interloper must die! No matter the cost, they must be eliminated!”

Back in Aoma Village, the players were eventually driven out by the villagers. What’s more, their reputation with the village had plummeted. From now on, whether taking quests or doing business here, the locals would no longer show them any kindness. They might even get chased out with brooms, just like tonight.

Despite paying such a heavy price, they had gained nothing of value. KokoDayo felt like he had suffered a massive loss. He sent the search report to his boss.

Within three seconds, he received a furious reply. Hearing the word “useless” appear again and again, KokoDayo was so angry he nearly exploded. He wanted nothing more than to grab Taurus by the collar and slap him silly.

But that sort of thing could only play out in his imagination. If he ever actually tried it, he could forget about surviving in Huadu. Even his family would suffer serious consequences. After all, his boss really did wield that much power in Huadu.

Once the players left Aoma Village, Yaeger leapt down, vanished into the air, and reappeared at Micha’s residence. She raised a hand and knocked on the door.