"M-Mom? Mom?! Y-you monster—what kind of sick joke is this?!"
Veins bulged on his forehead as Fisk roared hysterically.
The girl in front of him—who called herself Bai Lianyue—seemed entirely unfazed by his reaction, as if she had long grown accustomed to it. She showed no intention of arguing with him.
On the contrary—
As she gazed at the human powerhouse before her, still radiating a dense aura of spiritual energy, and as she inhaled the scent of blood lingering in the air, Bai Lianyue’s stomach let out a strange sound. A primal impulse, the most fundamental of biological urges, began spreading through her being.
Though, to be fair, Miss Bai Lianyue wasn’t entirely sure whether she could even be considered a biological entity.
"Well, whether you believe it or not doesn’t really matter. Anyone who has seen my true form... cannot be allowed to live."
As soon as she spoke those words—
The grotesque, pulsating flesh-wings on her back twisted violently. In an instant, a massive gaping maw, lined with rows of razor-sharp fangs, coalesced out of the shifting mass—its bloodthirsty intent locking onto Fisk as it lunged forward to consume him whole.
Faced with the abyssal mouth rapidly closing in on him, Fisk’s heart was utterly consumed by despair.
But just then—
A voice—melodious, commanding, yet laced with urgency—suddenly rang out inside the room, sending an involuntary shudder through the white-clad girl’s entire body.
—"HEY!!! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"—
As the voice cut through the air—
Fisk, still paralyzed with fear, suddenly realized something shocking.
The massive maw that had been about to rip him apart, just inches away—
Had stopped?
...??
Stopped. It had actually stopped?!
But why?!
Overcome with confusion, Fisk frantically turned his gaze toward the source of the voice—toward the entrance of the room.
And there—
A breathtaking silver-haired girl stood at the doorway, panting slightly, her single high ponytail swaying behind her. Her cherry-colored eyes were filled with unmistakable anxiety.
Fisk recognized her immediately. There was no mistaking her.
She was the same dazzling figure who had appeared on the broadcast screens just earlier.
The sixth Heaven’s Decree Knight of the Alliance—
Aeria Lingyuan.
The moment he laid eyes on Aeria, Fisk froze instinctively. But almost immediately after, as if grasping onto his last shred of hope, he shouted at her desperately.
"Lady Aeria!! This thing isn’t your mother at all!! She’s the Earth Evil God—Gaia Lobil—disguising herself!! Quickly—issue a Divine Summon!!"
In the next instant—
As Fisk watched with feverish anticipation—
Aeria, just as he had hoped, unsheathed the sword at her waist. The silver blade gleamed as it fused with sacred energy, and in a single, fluid motion, she slashed forward—
Cleansing, purifying light split the grotesque flesh-wings in two. The severed front portion, along with the abyssal maw it had formed, crashed to the ground before rapidly disintegrating into ashes beneath the purifying force of spiritual energy.
And with that, Fisk was finally freed. His knees buckled as he slumped onto the floor, weak and trembling.
But then—
As he looked up at Aeria, who had already closed the distance between herself and the Earth Evil God, he called out in urgent warning.
"Lady Aeria! You can’t engage Gaia Lobil directly! Hurry and activate the Divi—huh??"
...Huh?
His words abruptly cut off. Fisk found himself completely dumbfounded.
Because in that moment—
What he had expected to see was Aeria standing her ground, confronting the Evil God, demanding to know where her real mother was.
But instead—
She had stepped forward, cupped the blue-haired girl’s face in her hands, and, with a deeply serious expression, said:
"Lianyue!! You cannot just eat whatever you want!! What if you get a stomachache?!"
Her tone carried not a trace of hostility—only exasperation and doting concern. This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
...She knew.
Not only did Aeria know this blue-haired girl’s true identity—
She was even... close to her?!
"L-Lady Aeria...?"
Fisk’s eyes blinked in pure disbelief as he stared blankly at Aeria’s back.
But before he could make sense of anything—
Aeria swiftly pivoted on her heel and delivered a casual, practiced side kick straight to his head.
Fisk’s skull embedded itself deep into the black steel-reinforced wall behind him.
With his brain rattled by the impact, his body twitched a few times on the floor before he blacked out completely.
...
Glancing down at Fisk’s unconscious form, Aeria’s eyes narrowed slightly. A faint but undeniable trace of gravity flickered in her cherry-hued gaze.
People from the Celestial Court...
They’ve already infiltrated this deep?
As expected—
Those old bastards were finally beginning to suspect Lianyue’s true identity.
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As this realization sank in, a chilling, murderous glint surfaced in the depths of Aeria’s eyes.
But before it could fester any further—
A soft, familiar voice gently called out to her:
"Aeri?"
The intimate way her name was spoken made Aeria snap back to attention. Instantly, she buried all traces of her previous coldness and refocused on the blue-haired girl before her.
Her gaze softened.
But—
After that fleeting moment of warmth, Aeria’s expression suddenly turned stern, her brows furrowing in mild frustration.
“Lianyue! You glutton! Didn’t you promise me you wouldn’t eat random things?!”
“Mmh?”
The blue-haired girl tilted her head slightly.
She didn’t seem to have registered Aeria’s complaint at all. Skipping over conversations had always been one of Bai Lianyue’s habits. However, even if she missed the latter half of Aeria’s words, she heard exactly how Aeria had addressed her.
And because of that, a trace of displeasure appeared on her exquisite face.
“Lianyue? Aeri, that’s very naughty of you. How could you address your mother like that? Where’s your respect?”
...Was it just her imagination?
It felt like Aeria had been calling her “Lianyue” more and more frequently lately, rather than “Mom.”
How impolite.
Could it be—
She was going through her rebellious phase?
“T-That’s not a big deal...”
Aeria averted her gaze, avoiding a direct response.
At this, Bai Lianyue puffed out her cheeks in mild irritation, her voice dropping into a soft grumble.
“...Aeri.”
In the end—
Faced with Bai Lianyue’s wide, expectant gaze, Aeria caved. Muttering begrudgingly, she relented:
“...Fine, I get it, I was wrong, alright? ...Mom.”
The moment the word left her lips—
Bai Lianyue’s face instantly brightened, a breathtaking, angelic smile spreading across her features, so radiant it could cleanse the very soul.
“Mmm, now that’s my good girl.”
Saying this, Bai Lianyue reached out and gently ruffled Aeria’s silver hair. The latter, without resistance, lowered her head slightly to enjoy the affectionate gesture.
But—
After a few brief seconds of indulgence, Aeria quickly straightened up, grabbed Bai Lianyue’s hand off her head, and resumed her serious tone.
“But Mom, I’m being serious! How many times do I have to tell you—stop eating random things! That kind of stuff isn’t good for you.”
Glancing at Fisk’s unconscious body sprawled across the floor, Aeria made a face of pure distaste.
In response—
Bai Lianyue huffed, her tone stubborn.
“I wasn’t going to eat him.”
“...Then what was with that giant mouth you conjured?”
“To chew him up, swallow him, and erase all witnesses.”
“...That is eating him!!”
“No, it’s not.”
Bai Lianyue turned her head away, expression dead set in obstinacy.
“Hahhh...”
Seeing this, Aeria let out a long, weary sigh. She didn’t have the energy to argue with Bai Lianyue any further, so she simply relented with a resigned instruction.
“...Do whatever you want, Mom. But next time, if someone breaks in, just restrain them and let me handle it, okay?”
“Oh.”
“...Hahhh.”
Another sigh escaped Aeria’s lips as she leaned against the nearby wall, looking thoroughly drained.
On the other side—
Bai Lianyue watched as Aeria, half-lidded eyes drooping, lightly shook her head in exhaustion. She hesitated for a moment, then softly asked:
“Tired?”
“...Sort of.”
Aeria mumbled weakly.
“I thought so.”
That Heaven’s Decree Knight conferment ceremony must’ve been a real energy drain.
Bai Lianyue concluded as much.
“Then, since you’re tired, how about having a little something to eat? To replenish your strength?”
“Food? ...Wait, is it something you made?!”
At the mention of food, Aeria immediately perked up, her fatigue vanishing as excitement sparked in her eyes.
“Mhm. Do you want some?”
“Yes~!”
“Then go sit at the table.”
“Okay!”
In a flash, Aeria’s refined composure crumbled, and she instantly reverted into the childlike, innocent girl Bai Lianyue knew so well. With eager anticipation, she practically skipped over to the dining table and sat down, waiting expectantly for her mother to serve her.
Seeing this, Bai Lianyue’s lips curled into a doting smile.
Then—
Under Aeria’s gleaming, hopeful gaze, a delicious, steaming sandwich was placed in front of her.
The rich, mouthwatering aroma rising from the plate immediately set her appetite ablaze.
To think—
Back when she had first met Mom, her cooking had been so atrocious that it could’ve warded off gods and demons alike...
How in the world had she suddenly improved this much?
A genetic mutation, perhaps?
Of course—
That was just an internal joke.
In reality, after spending so much energy at the ceremony, Aeria was starving. She wasted no time, eagerly grabbing the sandwich and bringing it to her mouth.
However—
Just as she was about to take a bite, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Bai Lianyue’s expression.
That telltale smile, the one she could never trust.
Aeria’s lips abruptly shut. She lowered the sandwich back onto the plate.
“...Hmm?”
Bai Lianyue blinked in confusion.
“Why aren’t you eating? Does it not suit your taste?”
“...Mom.”
Aeria took a deep breath. Then, in an unusually serious tone, she asked—
“What kind of meat... is in this sandwich?”
“Red-striped chicken thigh meat.”
“...Really?”
“Really.”
“Hah~.”
With a cold chuckle, Aeria was suddenly engulfed in silver-white radiance. In the blink of an eye, she surged forward at a speed too fast to follow, closing the distance between herself and Bai Lianyue in an instant—
And then, with a forceful motion, she raised her hand—
And pressed down firmly on Bai Lianyue’s chest.
...??
“Mmh? Aeri, what are you—?”
Caught completely off guard by her daughter’s sudden groping, Bai Lianyue looked at her in sheer bewilderment.
Of course—
Aeria pressing down on Bai Lianyue’s chest wasn’t because she was feeling that kind of impulse. Rather, it was to confirm a suspicion.
And the moment she realized that there was no heartbeat within Bai Lianyue’s chest cavity, Aeria’s expression darkened. Her face turned unusually grim as she shot Bai Lianyue a fierce glare.
“Mom!! You put your heart in the sandwich again, didn’t you?!”
“...Uh.”
The instant her ploy was ruthlessly exposed, Bai Lianyue stiffened, her eyes darting away in obvious guilt.
That guilty reaction, of course, only further solidified Aeria’s suspicions.
At that moment—
A spark of fury ignited uncontrollably in the silver-haired girl’s chest.
“How many times do I have to tell you?! Mom! Stop trying to feed me your flesh and blood!! I’m never going to eat it!”
“B-But Aeri, you did agree before...”
“If I had known that by ‘eat,’ you meant this kind of ‘eat,’ I never would have agreed!! Hmph!!”
With an angry huff, Aeria spun on her heel and stormed toward the door.
She flung it open, stepped outside with undeniable momentum—
...And then, just a few seconds later, she pushed the door back open and returned inside.
Of course, the furious silver-haired girl wasn’t coming back for Bai Lianyue.
Instead, she marched over to the wall, where Fisk was still embedded, grabbed hold of him, and yanked him free. Without a word, she dragged his unconscious body out the front door and tossed him outside.
And with that, silence fell over the house.
A vast, resounding silence.
Bai Lianyue stood frozen in place, utterly dumbfounded.
She just...
didn’t understand.
If Aeria ate it—
She would grow stronger.
She would be able to reclaim the power of her true mother.
So why refuse?
“...I really don’t get what’s going on in that girl’s head.”
Picking up the sandwich from the table, Bai Lianyue muttered to herself in frustration.
...Enmm.
No, maybe—
The taste still wasn’t good enough?
It had to be because the Evil God’s heart still carried an unpleasant aftertaste that hadn’t been completely neutralized... Next time, she’d try adding more cooking wine to mask the scent.
Or maybe—
Deep-frying it would be even better.
As she entertained these thoughts, Bai Lianyue carried her heart sandwich and made her way back to the kitchen once again.
Her cooking skills...
Still needed improvement.