Chapter 214 Giants
Heeey! Swcowboy once again contributed to the book with a donation! Thank you! As always, two additional chapters will be released on 22.11 at the usual time :). Enjoy reading, my friends!
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The Goddess's gaze was filled with interest as she focused particularly on Aurora, who, by that time, had frozen in fear, unsure of how to properly react to the goddess's curiosity towards her. Adam had managed to wake up by then and immediately rushed to Aurora, standing in front of her and looking at Veridia with tension.
"Oh? Hehe.... Protecting your woman? Very commendable, you're a good lad," Veridia said with a laugh, easing her pressure, and then it seemed like she became an ordinary person. A similar sensation occurred when Amarantha completely concealed her aura. Seeing them relax, she chuckled, "You're quite amusing, honestly. Didn't you summon me? And now you're afraid to deal with me... something doesn't add up."
"Ahem..." Adam cleared his throat, but it was forced. He took a step forward and decided to introduce himself first to break the ice that formed during their short meeting. "Lady Veridia, my name is Adam. And I..."
"You created a company, naming it after me, and took an ancient statue of me as a model for your logo, right? Yes, I'm aware," she interrupted him and smiled, tilting her head to the side. "And I know what you want to tell me. And to be completely honest, I have no reason to help you in your endeavor, you know? Despite any disagreements with Stella, we're still close friends. And helping you weaken my close friend... hmm, don't you think that's a bit immoral?"
"Immoral? Can we talk about morality when Gods send the best defenders of our world to the slaughterhouse while they sit in their cozy beds?" Adam sarcastically asked, raising an eyebrow at Veridia's words about morality and immorality. He just smiled and continued, ignoring the change in Veridia's expression, "As for me, the reason for your refusal is not because the Goddess of Light is your close friend, but rather the unwillingness to collaborate with a person who appeared out of nowhere, right?"
"Interesting assumption..."
Even though the Goddess's face became more serious for a fraction of a second, she managed to hide it behind a carefree smile and casually approached him, almost leaning against his body. Her gaze was full of mystery, while an unknown, fragrant scent filled Adam's nostrils, making his head spin.
"You think quite unusually. Why would I, the Goddess of Truth and Justice, engage in such treachery as betraying my friend? It's very wrong... the action itself violates my laws, understand?" she murmured sweetly, gently stroking his cheek, and looking up at him. Meeting gazes, she just smiled affectionately, looking into his black eyes. She chuckled, "So, I can't accept your offer. Although, it was nice that my popularity increased thanks to you. If I had enough power, I would reward you with a divine spell, but alas... you're a demon."
Adam couldn't take his eyes off hers, feeling himself getting lost in them. Veridia was extraordinary – her eyes possessed such power that diverting one's gaze felt like a sin. The emotions intentionally infused into her eyes only intensified the effect. It was as if she was saying, "I'm looking only at you and no one else," which, on one hand, could make an ordinary person feel intoxicated. Such a gaze strongly resembled that of Amarantha and Veronica, as well as his other wives.
"Perhaps violating your principles, but... I've heard that the power of the gods over any law doesn't always mean they should lead such a lifestyle. Otherwise, I can't even imagine what the fate of the God of Life and Death would be," he replied, furrowing his brow, feeling a special force trying to penetrate his body, but...
Ding!
[Attempt to interfere with the System detected...]
Ding!
[The magical mark "Hostage of Truth" has been successfully removed.]
"Hmm..."
The man frowned displeased when he sensed Veridia's attempt to place a mark on him, which would make him speak only the truth. He had already seen a similar effect with Chloe and was prepared for it, considering that followers of the Goddess of Truth and Justice had the ability to detect lies. However, there was still a sense of fear, considering he was dealing with a Goddess whose nature was entirely unknown to him.
"Oh? Do you have some special protective magic or something? Even my mark couldn't penetrate it... how unusual!" Veridia noticed with surprise, smiling, not appearing irritated but rather curious. She suddenly grabbed both of Adam's cheeks and stretched them in both directions. "Come on, trickster, tell me how you did it. Big sister will reward you with something!"
"Ef-f-f?!"
Adam was genuinely bewildered by such sudden contact with his skin, so he could only look puzzled at the goddess who seemed to be having fun. Moreover, she actively initiated conversations on various topics and sincerely expressed interest in the state of this world, as if she had slept her entire life and had just woken up.
"Ah-a-a-a? The Holy Empire was destroyed? What a disaster... most of my followers were there," she murmured sadly, hearing Adam's account of the current state of the world. She looked at him and suddenly became serious. "Besides, something has piqued my interest, Adam. You suggested squeezing Stella off the throne... hmm, I'll be honest. I liked that proposal."
"Then..."
"But I can't give an answer now. Unfortunately, even with all my desires, I need to maintain a delicate balance. But rest assured, I'll make sure your women stay alive. Your power in the mortal world is very much needed by me," she muttered and chuckled, starting to disappear. Waving her hand, she said as a parting note, "For your happiness, Stella is currently busy begging Mother Nature for permission in case the Gods have to go to war. Then, maybe, we'll meet face to face for real."
***
"There it is!" someone shouted in the vastness of space.
Amarantha looked ahead with a tired gaze, and in that moment, she held her breath. Before them were no cracks, planets, or anything else. These were massive gates, infernal gates. Red dragons flew around them, and the entrance was guarded by two Red Devils at the SSS level. Each of them exceeded two hundred meters in height, yet they still seemed small compared to the portal, which was as large as entire continents.
The sense of the portal's size was impressive even from a distance of a hundred kilometers, but as they approached, their shock grew. By the way, Veronica was the only one who didn't care about the gate's size. She casually flew up to the gates and looked at the two Red Devils.
"Strange... in my memories, Arnes and Vachares were here. Who are you?" she asked carelessly, stunning the other practitioners.
"Hm-m-m?"
One of the giants looked at her and squinted. His appearance was threatening, his face covered in scars, and his aura was so strong that it created a gravitational field, erasing cosmic radiation to dust. While this pleased some practitioners, there was still a strong fear for their lives.
"Hmm... you look familiar. Moreover, you know the true names of the former guardians. Not everyone knows about it, so you're an important figure for us, right?" he murmured in a low voice, but to be honest, it sounded as loud as an ordinary person shouting. Despite suspicions, he continued, "Moreover, you're an old demon, meaning you lived in Hell before its disappearance. What a pleasant encounter; I thought there were no old demons left in the outer world."
"Hey, stop talking to her. We were ordered not to let anyone in, even if it's an old demon, understood? Chase them away quickly," another guard irritably shouted, and at his cry, several practitioners coughed up blood – that's how powerful he was.
"Sigh..."
Veronica only wrinkled her nose when they spoke to her so rudely, and Amarantha, standing behind a group of practitioners of her level, couldn't help but shake her head, imagining what a scene it would be. And then...
Boom!
A loud explosion echoed, instantly changing the entire situation. Amarantha sighed, activating protective spells, and Izo, standing in front of a group of practitioners, grabbed her head and shouted in disappointment, "Damn Veronica!"
The next scene they witnessed was a small silhouette fighting two titans, whose blows made space tremble, and time seemed to slow down. And, of course, it was Veronica. She activated the Higher Energy of Evil, which began to corrode the surrounding space and create small cracks that were healing with terrifying force.
"Veronica! Get back to your place! We came for exploration, not for a fight!" Izo shouted but received no answer. "Aghhh! Damn Gods and their ridiculous requests! Didn't they know this madwoman wouldn't even be polite to the Demon King himself?!"
Practitioners standing behind could only stay silent, feeling awkward. Veronica's behavior seemed very strange and created an additional problem, considering they initially didn't plan to fight but only to check Hell. And then...
"Evil Flash!"
It seemed Veronica had her own plans. Suddenly, threads burst from her hands, surrounding the bodies of the giants, freezing them for a whole minute, unable to move, while the Higher Energy began slowly corroding their bodies.
"Ah! Damn woman!"
Suddenly, one of the giants loudly shouted, and the threads on him snapped. He angrily yelled and ran towards Veronica, clenching his hands into fists – suddenly, a huge axe appeared there.
"Die!"
To be continued...
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