Inside the temple of Goddess Freyja.

Aeria clasped her hands together and offered a quiet prayer inside the pure-white prayer room. “Please, let no one grieve. Let Davey not be harmed. Let my family continue to live a peaceful life.”

It was the first time she had visited the temple in a long while. In the past, when she was infected with the Blood of the Demon virus, she had sought refuge at the Holy Empire’s temple. The priests and nuns there had been good people who did their best to heal her.

Perhaps because of that, Goddess Freyja’s temple was a place Aeria felt quite favorable towards.

“Did you finish your prayer well, Sister?”

Aeria smiled faintly at the priestess’s reverent voice. “Yes, thanks to you. I was able to pray without any interruptions.”

“Lord Davey recently brought some good coffee over. Would you like a cup?”

“Yes, please.”

Goddess Freyja’s temple was located within Heins Territory. The people dispatched there were sent by those who supported Davey within the Holy Empire.

“You look troubled.” The priestess who served the coffee smiled gently and invited Aeria to share her worries.

“I... Well, it’s nothing much.”

“Oh my! I’ve known you since you were little, Sister. Do you think I wouldn't notice? Tell me about what’s going on.”

The priestess was one of the people who stayed by Aeria's side when she resided in the Holy Empire Valchas. Thanks to that, her relationship with Aeria was quite special.

“Actually... you know I’m an ordinary case, right?”

“An ordinary case?” The priestess didn’t understand.

“Ummm. I mean, I never stopped aging like Illyna or Perserque did.”

“Ah.”

“Davey’s the same, and the others are, too. I’m okay right now, but as time passes and I grow old alone, will I even be able to stay by his side?”

The fact that he and everyone else remained the same while only she grew older was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow.

“Yes, I understand. That’s quite the dilemma. They’re the exceptions of the exceptions, though...”

Even if one reached the Master-level and underwent a complete metamorphosis, aging rarely stopped completely.

However, Illyna, Davey, and Perserque had essentially stopped aging altogether. Though Aeria was also affected, her aging was simply slowed, so the fear was real.

She went on. “What I’m afraid of isn’t just getting old.”

“Then what is it?”

“I’m afraid I’ll change as I get old.”

Her body would age, while everyone around her remained the same. She wasn’t sure she could hold herself together for her entire life under such a dreadful disparity.

It was a worry she could hardly bring herself to even utter aloud.

The priestess tried to comfort her. “At the very least, I believe that Davey, the Grand Duke of Heins, is not the kind of person to put so much stake in such a thing.”

“I know. But I wonder if I’ll be the one who can’t endure it...”

The priestess sighed briefly. Even though she wanted to comfort her, she couldn’t find any words to do so.

“Everything will be fine.” All she could offer was a conventional consolation.

After Aeria left, the priestess knelt before the Goddess’s statue and offered a prayer.

“This humble lamb prays. Please, let peace and happiness accompany our Sister’s path...”

However, she couldn’t help but wonder if a prayer like this would even make a difference. Perhaps it was nothing more than self-satisfaction. Even so, she couldn’t just do nothing.

The Aeria she knew had been through so much.

Just then, a different young priestess rushed in, carrying a large box. “Sister! The ancient book you asked for from the main temple has arrived!”

“Sister, I told you not to run inside the temple.”

“Hehe. Sorry! But, the saintess sent this.”

Saintess, of course, referred to Saintess Lena, the being currently revered in the Holy Empire of Valchas.

The first priestess was surprised to hear who it was from. “The Saintess?”

“Yes. She asked me to make sure you received it personally...”

The priestess quietly opened the box and revealed the ancient book within.

'How cheeky of her.'

Owing to her selflessness and purity, Saintess Lena was practically untouchable in the Holy Empire. If anyone messed with her, no one knew how the Saint of Tionis would react, so they were cautious.

The ancient book she’d been sent was actually an old bible.

She knew not every word in it would be true, but it was certainly a worthwhile read for a priestess who had been practicing for a long time.

Thrilled, she opened the book, sipped the coffee next to her, and turned the pages one by one.

For her, who had dedicated her life to the Goddess’s religion and enjoyed reading ancient books, the content of the bible was truly mysterious and holy.

It was written in an ancient language that was difficult to read, but the decoding technique she had learned for interpretation guided her through.

“God’s light...”

As she read through slowly, her hand suddenly froze.

“Holy... Mother?”

Her head tilted at the unfamiliar word.

‘What does this mean?’

Curiosity piqued, she kept reading. Then, her eyes widened in surprise.

It was a story about a woman who conceived a child through the grace of God while still a virgin. The ancient book stated that at the time, people branded her a witch, but when she gave birth to the child and the child emitted a brilliant light, everyone called her the Holy Mother.

“This is the same case as with Sister Aeria...” The female priest was very familiar with Aeria’s life story.

- The Holy Mother received God’s blessing, and that blessing brought peace to everyone around her.

- The Holy Mother’s appearance did not change even after decades, and she dedicated her entire life to consistently bringing peace to everyone, even after centuries.

“Then... does this mean that Sister Aeria’s the Holy Mother?”

Unfortunately, the child she had borne was lost.

‘Then she can’t be the same... Can she?’

She was doubtful. “I need to investigate this further...”

If the text was true, she knew it could be a big help in resolving Aeria’s worries.

“Sister! I know you’re waiting outside.”

“Hehe. You caught me!” the courier priestess cheekily called from outside the door.

“You and me. Let’s go somewhere.”

“Where are we going?”

“I think we need to visit the ruins where this ancient book was found.”

* * *

Davey tried to stop Willow from probing the mad angel they’d captured, but she absolutely refused to back down. She stood firm, knowing that no one but her could see its true nature.

“Kiaaa!!!” It resisted madly, seemingly having regained its senses.

However, Willow suppressed it to the point it couldn’t fight back much.

“Just hold on... I’ll make it easy for you soon.”

Willow, who could sense the truth behind that horrific scream, was clearly agitated.

“It’s dangerous! If you get any closer!” one of her mothers nearby worriedly shouted at her.

“It’s fine,” she replied briefly, then placed her hand on its body. Faint light halos flowed out and began resonating between her and the mad angel.

Davey’s group was perplexed by her actions, but no one tried to stop her. It was as if they found what she was doing to be natural.

‘It's the same as before. Though, the power’s characteristic is different...’’ 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The first mad angel they encountered had wielded power focused on destruction.

This one, however, wielded power related to suppression and restraint. In terms of sheer destructive power, the first was stronger, yet in other aspects, this one felt much more powerful.

She closed her eyes and remained silent for a long time, then delved deeper.

“KIAAA!!!”

The deeper she went, the more agonizing screams the creature let out.

‘The power they possess isn’t important. Considering they’re all failed and twisted fake gods, that’s to be expected. What’s important is the reason they were implanted, and why they ran berserk.’

She grew increasingly agitated as she tentatively felt out the power, like testing the waters in a power struggle.

“Stop resisting...”

Though the two were both gods, these mad angels were incomplete beings. They were a different case from Willow, who had become a complete goddess.

Crack! Crack!!

“Inside. In the depths...” Willow pushed her power in further, resonating with them.

It was dangerous enough that she could be swept away, but she knew she couldn't find any clues without going that far. She was still a young goddess, after all, lacking experience and power.

‘There we go!’

Willow eventually won the power struggle, successfully resonating with its mind. She then used the rampaging power to amplify its mental fortitude as much as possible.

Very faint signals from her gathered within its mind. The inside of the mad angel was so broken that it was impossible to say it had an ego. It would be difficult to get any proper information.

However, one thing became certain. It possessed a terrible hatred not for humans, but for the world itself. Specifically, extreme anger and sorrow toward Goddess Freyja.

The anger stemmed from the fact that she had been the one to create them and put them in that state. However, there was a rather questionable part about it.

‘It’s unnaturally amplified. As if... someone deliberately made it run wild.’

She delved even deeper to find more clues, feeling the answer was just that little bit out of reach.

That's when it happened.

“Heek?!” She felt a chilling sensation and immediately fell to the floor.

Illyna, who had been watching the situation, quickly rushed over to support her. “Willow! Are you okay?!”

Illyna was already full of worry, and when Willow suddenly collapsed, she couldn’t help but be flustered.

Yet Willow, still breathing heavily, slowly moved her body and reached out to the monster again.

“Stop.” That’s when Davey stopped her completely. “I don’t know what happened, but you were just about to transform. Stop whatever you’re doing.”

“Dad,” she said in a firm voice.

She had to properly confirm what she just saw. Without that, there was no way she could let herself retreat.

She slowly stood up, clearly resolved to finish what she started.

“Please move aside. I need to check.”

“No.”

Just as Davey was about to forcibly pull her away, Willow moved and kissed his cheek.

“Huh?!”

At the same time, an immense power of suppression came down on Davey. It wouldn’t have much of an effect and wouldn’t last long, but it was more than enough as long as it could incapacitate him for even a moment.

“Willow!!!” he roared in anger, instantly shaking off the suppression and reaching out to her.

It was a short time, less than a second.

‘He broke free that fast? Even though I used the authority of a goddess?’

Thinking that, she put her hand on the creature again.

Bzzt!!

Time slowed down until it was as if it had stopped completely. At the same time, Willow quickly plunged back into the depths of the mad angel. It gave her an unfamiliar sensation she hadn't felt before. She could tell that the major clue to the whole situation lay within.

She quickly went deeper and deeper, finally reaching the end of the abyss within its consciousness.

Her eyes widened. “What... is this...”

What she saw was an eye.

It was incomprehensibly brobdingnagian.

The emotion residing in that eye was a terrible hatred for the world.

[Get lost, little chick.]

The colossal eye projected a powerful will towards her, and her body shook violently.

“Ugh—!”

A terrible pressure came her way, difficult even for a Goddess like herself to endure.

She knew immediately that this wasn’t the level of a failed god like the mad angel.

‘This... is even more terrible than Thanatos...’

She had already fought Thanatos while being inside Super Ribbon.

Something more disastrous than Thanatos had awakened.

“It’s you... You’re the one who’s making these poor things inside people’s bodies run wild,” Willow muttered in a chilling tone.

Her mind became dizzy from the intensifying pressure.

“Grrr... GAAA!!!”

At the same time, a terrible pain began to consume her, and strange tattoos repeatedly appeared and disappeared all over her body.

At the same time, one of her eyes flashed blue again.

“Aaargh!”

Willow gritted her teeth, bracing against the entity that tried to crush her and drive her out with overwhelming force.

“Now that you’re exposed, hiding won’t help.”

Crack!!

One of the wings that sprouted on her back made a terrible sound as it broke and bled all over the place, but she didn’t stop.

“It won’t work, no matter where you hide.”

Once she finished those words, she was violently thrown out of the deep consciousness.

“Aaargh!”

Davey caught her as she was thrown out limp.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” he shouted in anger, but she had to tell him what she saw before she lost consciousness.

“Dad... someone... is making these things run wild.”

“What?”

“I found it... If we don't annihilate that thing, this will keep happening...”

She had been on the verge of a momentary transformation, but luckily managed to pull herself out just in time. To be precise, Davey had forcibly dragged her out.

Hearing what she said, he quickly resonated with the monster in the same way.

Willow had said he wouldn’t be able to, but he succeeded by following the path she had opened into its consciousness. Soon, he came face to face with it.

The massive eye still held a gigantic presence, even though it had lost considerable power. Even Davey felt an intense pressure of power that startled him. It was a power that stirred instinctive fear. Immersed within it, his will screamed as if rejecting his own reason.

It seemed to whisper that he should run away, that it was too dangerous to fight.

He forcibly suppressed the will that was trying to hypnotize him and coldly smirked. “Hey.”

He took a step forward, glaring at the massive eye.

All he had to know was that it was the source of all these events, and thus the same thing that had put Willow in that pitiful state.

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!!

The entire area was completely dominated by the creature's consciousness. Under such circumstances on its own home turf, the outcome of the fight should have been obvious, yet Davey charged directly toward the massive eyeball.

At the same time, hundreds and thousands of tentacles emerged from the white of the eye and plunged toward him, wrapping around and obstructing him.

Unbothered, Davey tore them apart with his bare hands.

Crack!!

Then, he plunged his arm into its eyes and ripped out whatever he could grasp.

Gush!!

It let out a terrible scream, and its consciousness came out.

Davey, pushed back several steps, frowned and looked down at what he held in his hand.

Even though he had pulled it out from within its immaterial consciousness, it was surprisingly solid in his hand. He had pulled it out unconsciously.

“What is this?”

It was an ore, as red as fresh blood.