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The forest, ravaged by battle, lay in disarray. However, with their leader vanquished, the remaining carrion wolves scattered in a panic.
Within the now-silent forest, no sounds stirred save one: the distinct, rhythmic thrust of Eve’s sword, Rona’s blade, as she plunged it repeatedly into the carrion wolf leader’s corpse.
For some inexplicable reason, despite the fact that the sword was piercing only the wolf’s lifeless body, the relentless sound of flesh being torn sent a shiver of pure dread down Xiluo’er’s spine.
It was as if the blade weren’t striking the wolf at all, but rather her own flesh.
Xiluo’er covertly studied Eve’s method of desecrating the carrion wolf leader’s corpse. In her heart, she quietly estimated the extent of torture she might endure if her true identity were to be exposed.
“Kill you, kill you, kill you, kill you…”
“To dare lay a hand on my Xiluo’er, unforgivable…”
“Unpardonable. I won’t let you off…”
Xiluo’er cautiously approached Eve, only to hear her mumbling something under her breath.
Eve’s voice was too faint, however, and Xiluo’er couldn’t quite discern what she was saying.
Eve repeated the motion of raising her arm and thrusting the sword. A splash of blood, perfectly aimed, splattered across her delicate yet somber face.
How to describe it? That expressionless face, shadowed by grim eyes, now stained with blood and accompanied by Eve’s incessant murmuring… Xiluo’er felt a strong sense of déjà vu washing over her.
“Eve… Sister?”
Xiluo’er’s timid voice finally captured Eve’s attention.
Observing Xiluo’er standing a little distance away, seemingly hesitant to come closer, Eve’s lips curved upward into a reassuring smile.
“It’s alright, Xiluo’er. It’s all over now.”
“Those who wanted to harm you are all gone, so there’s no need to be afraid anymore, Xiluo’er.”
“No matter who it is, anyone who tries to hurt Xiluo’er will be taken care of by me.”
*Gulp.* Xiluo’er distinctly swallowed.
Watching Eve approach her step by step, Xiluo’er hesitated, unsure whether to stand still or turn and flee.
After all, the expression on Eve’s face was far from normal, and Xiluo’er was genuinely worried that Eve might casually stab her too.
However, before Xiluo’er could devise a strategy, Eve’s body suddenly went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.
“Eve Sister, Eve Sister?”
Seeing Eve faint, Xiluo’er immediately scurried over.
****
Inside a bright, spotless room, Eve lay quietly on the bed, her eyes closed.
“Do you think Eve Sister will be alright?”
Xiluo’er sat on a chair beside the bed, propping her chin in her hand, and murmured to herself.
Yet, Xiluo’er wasn’t truly talking to herself; it was just that the answering voice was inaudible to others.
“Oh, how many times have you asked? This great one told you, she’s fine, she’s fine.”
“It’s merely an overuse of magic; she just needs more rest.”
Xiluo’er nodded. She understood the logic behind Freya’s words, yet she was genuinely worried about Eve.
Or perhaps, there was also a touch of guilt.
After all, the fiasco during the encirclement was her doing. Serol, Eve, and even Rona—their injuries were all her responsibility.
“Also, Freya, I wasn’t mistaken, was I?”
“Eve Sister, she’s currently at Tier Six, right?”
Freya’s affirmative voice echoed in her mind.
“Mm, that much is true.”
“When you touched her hand earlier, I secretly siphoned off some magic to check, and it was indeed Tier Six magic. No mistake.”
“Oh, I must say, a Hero is a Hero. Her talent is truly remarkable. Reaching Tier Six so young must be quite impressive among humans, but, *hmph*, compared to this great one…”
Freya, uncharacteristically, had praised someone, though her words quickly reverted to self-admiration within a second. However, Xiluo’er’s focus was entirely elsewhere.
“That’s not the problem,” Xiluo’er sighed. “Hey, Freya, aren’t you a deity? What should we do now that the plot has deviated? Will there be any issues?”
Eve, who should have been in the late stages of Tier Five, had now inexplicably reached Tier Six much earlier than the original plot. This couldn’t possibly be a good thing, could it?
For instance… if her strength increased, tormenting her might become even easier once her identity as an insider was discovered, haha.
Upon reflection, this was already the second time the plot had inadvertently diverged significantly in her hands.
The first time was when, despite her clearly displaying a ‘no thank you’ expression, Eve still chose to take her in.
Her previous experience taught Xiluo’er that even a small difference in power, like a single tier, could have serious repercussions on the future plot.
For example, if she hadn’t been taken in by Eve beforehand, she wouldn’t have to live in constant fear of Eve cutting her down every day now.
“You ask me, who should I ask?”
This classic retort, delivered by Freya in a single sentence, successfully silenced Xiluo’er.
As if guessing Xiluo’er’s thoughts, Freya quickly continued, attempting to maintain her persona as a deity.
“No, I already told you last time, asking me about omniscience, omnipotence, or foreseeing the future is useless. Specialization, understand?”
“But if you ask me about things like which position is more successful, or how girls of the same gender can have children, I could certainly give you a thorough explanation…”
“Stop, stop, stop,” Xiluo’er interrupted Freya, her brow furrowed. “What on earth is all this nonsense?”
“Weren’t you complaining that I’m useless?” Freya’s voice held a hint of grievance. “I’m just telling you what I can do.”
“After all, I am the deity in charge of [Fertility], so which area of knowledge do you think I’d be most familiar with?”
“Sigh…”
Xiluo’er didn’t answer directly, but her gesture of covering her face and sighing conveyed her meaning to Freya perfectly.
“You’re not allowed to mock a great deity!”
“I, I can explain some things too! Like why Eve was able to advance to Tier Six so quickly.”
As if eager to prove her worth as a useful and powerful deity, Freya cleared her throat twice and continued.
“Tier breakthroughs are also linked to intense emotional fluctuations. Eve had probably been at the late stage of Tier Five for some time, just one step away. Then, she experienced a strong stimulus in the forest and ascended.”
“You’ve heard the saying, haven’t you? That one’s full potential is only unleashed in desperate situations?”
Xiluo’er nodded. Finally, something useful had come out of Freya’s mouth.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read Ignition! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : Ignition
