Chapter 27: The Collapse of the Inheritance

Time rewound to not long ago.

While everyone had fallen into a coma within the illusion, the Holy Son stood in the empty temple, gazing at Song Ze, who lay unconscious in his arms.

Here, he could clearly feel the resonance between his soul and the entire ruin—so similar, yet still different. The inheritance within the ruin rejected him, even though he was inextricably linked to its origin.

His original plan had been to use Song Ze, who bore the mark of the inheritance, to draw it out and then claim it for himself.

According to the plan, he should kill Song Ze now to execute it most effectively.

But…

He couldn’t do it.

The Holy Son gently leaned down and pressed a kiss onto Song Ze’s forehead.

At that moment, the ring on Song Ze’s finger suddenly blazed with light. Along with a force that twisted the space, vines materialized and bound Song Ze’s body, pulling him directly into another’s arms.

The Holy Son’s expression turned cold as he stared at the intruder, his gaze like that of a dead man.

Aliel’s expression was no better. She pulled Song Ze close, glaring at the Holy Son as if he were a fox spirit.

How dangerous—the moment she wasn’t by Song Ze’s side, who knew how many people would come to seduce him? Just earlier she had driven away Idis, and now even the Holy Son of the Sanctuary was like this. It seemed she had to stay by Song Ze’s side at all times.

In this tense moment, like the calm before a storm, Song Ze’s body stirred slightly, as if disturbed by the commotion.

Both of their gazes immediately focused on Song Ze.

Still unconscious, Song Ze furrowed his brows slightly, then lowered his head and, in a daze, gently kissed Aliel on the lips.

Aliel was stunned.

The entire temple fell into a deathly silence.

The Holy Son suddenly clenched his fists. An indescribable emotion, one he had never felt before, surged within him.

In his memory, there was no concept for this—this almost unbearable feeling, like countless ants gnawing at his chest. What was it…

The Holy Son, who had always seemed detached from the mortal world, now seemed to have been pulled down from his pedestal in an instant.

With his gloomy mood, the surrounding environment was affected, causing violent fluctuations. The illusion shattered instantly.

Song Ze jolted awake and found himself facing this shocking ‘coming out’ scene.

No, was this really a coming out scene, or a love battlefield?!

“Song Ze…” the Holy Son spoke softly, his gaze still as gentle as ever, as if the previous tension didn’t exist. His tone carried a hint of inquiry. “What is going on?”

“N-no, wait, I, Aliel and I aren’t in that kind of relationship…” Song Ze’s forehead broke out in cold sweat. Why did a love battlefield have to happen now? And he didn’t even have a relationship with the Holy Son, so why did it feel like he was explaining himself as if caught cheating?

“What?” Aliel immediately looked down at Song Ze, her eyes sharp, and whispered, “What did you just say?”

Song Ze: “!!!”

Song Ze replied rapidly, “I-I mean, Aliel and I aren’t just strangers! We’re closer… yeah, yeah, that’s it!”

Damn it! Between the Holy Son and Aliel, he had no choice but to lean toward Aliel. After all, Aliel was as dangerous as a time bomb! He had already been killed by her once and didn’t want to take that risk now.

“Hmph.” Aliel was clearly satisfied with Song Ze’s answer. She raised a hand, and the vines binding Song Ze dissipated. Losing support, Song Ze fell directly into Aliel’s arms.

The nearby clergy were astounded. In their decades at the Sanctuary, they had never seen anyone engage in such blatant homosexual activity here!

“What are you trying to do?” The Holy Son clenched his fists tighter as he looked at Aliel and spoke coldly. “An outsider, trespassing into the forbidden area of the Sanctuary.”

“I’m just protecting my fiancé,” Aliel said, holding Song Ze’s hand, confidently proclaiming their relationship as she looked proudly at the Holy Son. “On the other hand, Holy Son, what are you trying to do by luring my fiancé here?”

Song Ze immediately interrupted, eager to explain, “No! I came on my own. I wanted to avoid Aliel, but who knew she would show up because of this ring? No matter where I go, she follows me like this. Can this really continue?”

Aliel’s expression turned cold—not at Song Ze, but because the people of the Sanctuary were too good at bewitching others, and their actions were so effective that even Song Ze had been deceived… No.

The Holy Son’s expression softened slightly. He said, “Song Ze, come over here. I understand how you feel. You’re very scared right now, aren’t you?”

The Holy Son stared fixedly at Song Ze, almost recalling how the boy had followed him not long ago. In his eyes, only the Holy Son existed… Even at the risk of death, Song Ze had willingly gone through countless hardships to fetch water for him. Back then, Song Ze would never reject his requests.

He didn’t know what he was expecting—perhaps to see that reliant and adoring expression appear in those eyes again.

But now, he was destined to be disappointed.

Song Ze looked over, then quickly averted his gaze as if to escape. “No, there’s no need for that trouble. Aliel didn’t mean anything else; she just wants to help me. We should just explore together…”

Song Ze never expected the Holy Son to perceive his current feelings, nor did he expect to hear the same lines he had repeated hundreds of times to the Saintess come out of the Holy Son’s mouth…

But it was useless! He wasn’t afraid of Aliel; he was afraid of this love battlefield, okay!

Besides, the Holy Son’s combat power wasn’t that high. If he actually fought Aliel, could he win…?

Though his goddess was actually a man, Song Ze still had some fondness for the Holy Son and didn’t want to see him get hurt.

The Holy Son’s expression remained gentle, but everyone near him could feel a chill in the air and an underlying fear in their hearts. His next words were ice-cold.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t allow that. According to the Sanctuary’s rules, a sinner who trespasses into the forbidden area must be executed.”

As the Holy Son’s soft yet cruel voice fell, several dazzlingly bright magic arrays appeared in the air. Then, several transparent spirit priests like the one before emerged from them and attacked Aliel.

At that moment, Aliel frowned slightly and waved her hand. Vines wrapped around Song Ze and moved him to a safe spot behind her.

Song Ze watched in shock. This was the first time he’d seen the Holy Son possess such offensive abilities; even in the game, he’d never seen them… Was it because he hadn’t completed the true ending? In the game, only the Saintess’s ultimate move had never been triggered. He’d thought it was because the Saintess was a healer and didn’t have one.

But why did this scene feel so familiar? It had just happened with Idis not long ago! And Aliel’s injuries hadn’t even healed yet!

[Congratulations, host, for triggering the ‘Love Battlefield’ scenario. CG saved. The previous exciting scenes have also been auto-saved as CGs.]

“Wait, Holy Son, Aliel, don’t be so impulsive!” Song Ze finally realized the situation was bad and tried to mediate.

But Aliel seemed determined. After binding Song Ze tightly with vines, she launched into a fierce fight with the Holy Son.

The clergy nearby were stunned. This suddenly appearing Aliel actually had strength comparable to the Holy Son!

However, it was obvious that Aliel’s weakness was Song Ze. They quietly moved to capture him.

But Aliel noticed. She sneered, and countless vines sprouted from the corners of the temple, binding the group. Worse, these vines were different from the ones restraining Song Ze—they were clearly offensive, and soon the surrounding people began to wail in pain.

Song Ze couldn’t help but sympathize… If Aliel ever found out he was trying to cheat, would he end up like this too…!

But speaking of which, since the illusion was broken, how would the inheritance proceed next…

The battle between Aliel and the Holy Son grew intense. Both seemed to have endless power, and if they weren’t worried about affecting Song Ze, they might have already unleashed their destructive twelfth-level magic.

But even with their powers restrained, the ancient temple couldn’t withstand the impact. The walls began to shake, and the floor cracked.

“Is it going to collapse?” Song Ze thought. Suddenly, the inheritance mark on his back burned intensely. “W-What’s happening?!”

Cold sweat dripped from Song Ze’s forehead. He felt as if the mark was draining all his strength, making it hard to breathe. Yet the mark’s change didn’t stop; his consciousness began to fade, and he almost blacked out.

As a falling rock hit the ground, the floor itself collapsed, revealing not the solid earth beneath but a strange, pitch-black void, like a doorway to another world.

Everyone stared in shock at the unexpected development.

“Oh no—”

“I can’t use my power?!”

“No, this is wrong. How could something like this appear… Were we still in the illusion just now?”

Their faces turned pale as they tried to flee, but the dark vortex emitted a terrifying suction—a divine force surpassing all their powers. They couldn’t resist and were dragged in, screaming.

Even the Holy Son and Aliel, with their off-the-charts levels, could do nothing. Such power in this space was like a rule. They realized this was the will of the god who once resided here… the key to the temple’s inheritance.

As Song Ze fell, still tormented by the burning mark, he vaguely saw what seemed like a town below. Then, amidst the weightless sensation, everything went black.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

How Could a Reincarnated Skeleton Be the Young Lady’s Familiar?

FarmingFemale ProtagonistGender Transformation

Read Now →
Not interested