"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
Little Aeria’s desperate, piercing scream tore through the oppressive air.
At that moment, the divine power suppressed within her suddenly erupted, surging toward the shadow.
Though Divine Revelation was a natural bane to Fallen Beasts, Aeria, with her mere second-tier strength, had no chance of harming the Earth Evil God. Before her power could even reach the shadow, it was instantly swallowed by the overwhelming curse energy surrounding them.
However—
The release of Divine Revelation caused the shadow’s movements to halt abruptly.
Its trembling form slowly turned its head, its gaze locking onto Aeria.
At the same time, countless Blood Spectral Eyes, which had been fixated on Brolani’s soon-to-be-devoured body, suddenly shifted toward the silver-haired girl.
"...Huh?"
For the first time, the hollow, vacant eyes of the Earth Evil God flickered with an emotion other than apathy or hostility.
It was not the usual hatred directed at God-bestowed Daughters.
Instead... it was something else entirely.
Something unfamiliar.
...
And as the Earth Evil God’s attention wavered, the black liquid surrounding Brolani collapsed, sinking back into the earth.
However—
This did not change Brolani’s fate.
Even without the Evil God's attack, his body had already reached its limit—his strength exhausted, his blood draining away.
With one final, encouraging glance at Aeria, Brolani's body gave out, collapsing onto the ground.
“Master...”
Aeria’s breath hitched.
Staring into those lifeless, unfocused eyes, tears began to spill from her cheeks, one drop after another.
She clenched her fists tightly, her trembling hands grasping the fabric of her clothes as she hugged the infant in her arms—Baby Blue.
The weight of her rage, grief, and powerlessness crashed into her, but she refused to break.
Her silver eyes burned as she glared at the terrifying black figure before her, an unwavering hatred smoldering in her gaze.
...
On the other side—
Due to Aeria’s shout and the burst of divine energy, the shadow had completely forgotten about the fallen Brolani.
Instead, its entire focus was now on Aeria.
Slowly, it shifted its massive, amorphous body, creeping toward her.
For Evil Gods,
Destroying or corrupting the untainted was an instinctive act.
To them, humans were no different from livestock—except for one exceptional being.
Thus, in a normal situation,
The most logical course of action would be to crush this crying child into pulp, then return to its slumber.
That was the most primal, natural thought in the shadow’s mind.
And yet—
As it loomed closer, gazing down at the trembling silver-haired girl,
Something strange stirred within its otherwise simple, instinct-driven consciousness.
Something... unfamiliar.
With those thoughts clouding its mind,
The Earth Evil God came face-to-face with Aeria.
...
Despite the crippling curse energy, despite the overwhelming terror,
Aeria did not fall.
She knelt on the ground, holding her infant sisters close.
This was unexpected.
Ordinarily, if a child found themselves this close to its presence,
They would have dropped dead instantly, their bodies unable to withstand the miasma surrounding it.
But this child...
Was still alive.
Still conscious.
...
However, more than that—
The Earth Evil God's attention was drawn to something else entirely.
The tears running down the girl's face.
It was an alien sight, something it did not understand.
Guided purely by instinct,
One of the black liquid arms forming its body slowly lifted,
And reached toward Aeria’s face.
...
As the shadow’s hand approached—an appendage that could crush her skull like an eggshell—
Aeria’s mind threatened to collapse under the horrific curse energy and overwhelming presence.
But—
The thought of her two little sisters flashed through her mind.
And she held on.
Through sheer willpower,
She suppressed her fear, forcing herself to remain lucid.
Her small hands trembled as she stared up at the Earth Evil God, her silver eyes filled with both fear... and resolve.
Her entire body screamed at her to run, to break down, to crumble—
But she refused.
She met the gaze of the monstrous entity before her, unflinching.
Master...
I will not fail you.
I will survive.
I will protect my sisters.
And then—
In the midst of the Evil God’s confusion,
The trembling silver-haired girl did something that no human had ever done before.
She slowly, shakily, raised her hand—
And pointed at the floating roulette wheel, still lingering in the air.
“I... I... I want to play!”
“I want to play your Redemption Game!”
At that moment—
Her courage had overcome her terror.
And as her words echoed through the suffocating silence—
The shadow froze.
A strange, flickering light flashed deep within its black void-like eyes.
In its thousands of years of existence,
Many had challenged it to play this game.
Arrogant explorers.
Foolish scientists.
Greedy gamblers seeking fortune.
Desperate avengers craving power.
But—
A child?
A small, crying little girl?
Never.
This was the first time an innocent child had ever requested to play its Redemption Game.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
But despite its momentary daze—
Since the girl had requested to play the game, the shadow saw no reason to refuse.
As for why it was so fixated on this game?
Even the Earth Evil God itself wasn’t entirely sure. It simply acted on instinct.
And so—
The moment little Aeria shouted those words, the Earth Evil God tilted its head in an almost... obedient manner and nodded.
"Oh... al...right..."
The eerie, hoarse voice rumbled from the shadow, serving as its response to the silver-haired girl.
Then—
The black mist-cloaked roulette floated silently before her.
Of course—
The skull that had been chosen by Brolani—the one at the nine o’clock position—had already shut.
Now, all that remained for Aeria to do...
Was to spin the pointer and leave the rest to fate.
Taking a deep breath,
Aeria lifted her small hands and gripped the giant pointer.
Then—
Seconds passed.
Then a dozen.
Then nearly a minute.
Yet—
The pointer didn’t budge.
And Aeria... was panting, already drained of all her strength.
It was obvious—
Her frail arms simply couldn’t move the massive, heavy pointer.
The shadow: =-=
...
For a brief moment, the Earth Evil God blinked—somehow... looking a bit stunned.
But after a short pause, its form rippled, emitting layers of black light.
A dense wave of curse energy surged around the silver-haired girl.
Of course—
The shadow wasn’t trying to harm her.
Instead, it was... giving her strength.
Helping her.
...
Realizing this, Aeria cast a complicated look at the black figure beside her.
At the same time—
Under the curse energy’s influence,
Her small arms finally gained enough power to move the pointer.
And then—
The pointer spun.
"Clack, clack, clack—"
The tension-filled sound of the wheel turning echoed through the eerie void.
And finally—
Under Aeria’s anxious, unwavering gaze—
The pointer’s speed slowed—
Then it stopped.
At the three o’clock position.
Click—
With a crisp, sharp sound,
The chosen skull slowly opened.
And as it did—
Aeria’s long-tense expression lit up with a flicker of joy.
Because this time—
The skull’s hollow mouth wasn’t empty.
Instead—
A silver-glowing Soul Pearl rested inside.
By choosing this pearl—
Aeria had won the Redemption Game.
"I... I won..."
Her entire body went limp.
The heavy weight crushing her chest shattered completely.
M-Master—
Your judgment... was right...
...
"—You... won..."—
On the other side—
Upon witnessing this outcome,
The Earth Evil God did not hesitate.
Its hoarse, deathly voice delivered the verdict.
Then, it slowly approached Aeria.
Its voice, just as eerie as before, yet... somehow carrying a strange weight—
"Then... what... do you wish for?"
The Redemption Game.
Kill the loser.
Grant the winner a wish.
That was the Earth Evil God’s absolute law—a cycle it had followed for millennia.
The only difference this time...
Was that the victor was a child no older than ten.
For the first time, a flicker of curiosity stirred within its mind—
What kind of wish would this small human girl make?
However—
As the shadow waited for Aeria to speak—
The silver-haired girl’s body suddenly gave out.
With the protective blessing within her pendant completely drained,
With both her physical strength and mental endurance utterly exhausted,
Her mind—exposed to the overwhelming curse energy—
Collapsed.
Her small figure swayed—
And she fainted.
...
The Earth Evil God blinked.
Tilting its head,
It stared blankly at the unconscious child on the ground.
???
She... passed out...?
...
In truth—
The shadow’s fragmented memories held countless similar occurrences.
Over the millennia, there had been many who had collapsed after winning the Redemption Game—
Warriors.
Explorers.
Desperate gamblers.
In such cases, the shadow would usually disappear,
Leaving the victor to awaken on their own,
Only returning once they were conscious to hear their wish.
However—
This time...
It did not leave.
Instead—
It simply stood there.
Silently watching the unconscious silver-haired girl.
...
Countless Blood Spectral Eyes turned toward her, blinking in unison—
As if observing.
As if... thinking.
"Enmm... Wu... Wu... Mm... Mmm...?"
After hesitating for several long minutes,
The shadow’s trembling hand—formed from black liquid—
Slowly reached out.
Carefully.
Gingerly.
Almost... fearfully.
Visit ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.
As if...
Afraid it might break the fragile human child before it.
And then—
Its fingers—if they could even be called that—brushed against her face.
Soft.
Warm.
Unlike anything it had ever touched.
...
With that contact,
The Earth Evil God absorbed a faint trace of Aeria’s presence.
And at that moment—
Deep within the hollow gazes of the countless Blood Spectral Eyes—
A faint, imperceptible gleam flickered.
Divine Revelation...
Yet—
Unlike the power wielded by other God-bestowed Daughters—
Unlike the power it had always despised—
Unlike the power it had longed to obliterate—
This one...
Did not feel unpleasant.
In fact—
It felt strangely... familiar.
——"Child?"——
_____________
TL Note:
My dear friends! In this novel I fully retain the author's punctuation.
*Santos*