Chapter 647.1: Sia’s Gift (1)
Chapter 647.1: Sia’s Gift (1)
Roel and Alicia had examined many possibilities to figure out how they could curb Carolyn. Alicia believed that she was the cause of the battle, so she insisted on resolving the problem by herself.
It was not just because she didn’t want to trouble Roel, but that she thought that it would be too cruel for him to have to kill his own ancestor. To avoid such a traumatic tragedy, she decided to go all out.
Unfortunately, Carolyn saw through and exploited that mindset of hers.
In the Second Epoch, the awakeners of the Kingmaker Clan would pay great attention to the combination of ancient gods they had. On top of making sure to pick a balance of offensive and defensive types of ancient gods, they would pick ancient gods with soul-related powers too.
Shaking someone’s soul was worse than injuring them physically. It was the fastest way to render an opponent powerless, which was why all transcendents needed some means to deal with such attacks.
Fortunately, there were very few races with the power to directly interfere with or tackle the soul. Sia understood how dangerous that power was, which was why She sealed the Spiriteers away in the first place.
It had been common knowledge back in the Second Epoch that one needed to fend against soul-related attacks when dealing with awakeners from the Kingmaker Clan, but this common knowledge had fallen into obscurity. That was also the reason behind Alicia’s defeat.
In truth, Roel didn’t think that Alicia could have dealt with Carolyn. There was no basis behind this intuition; it was really an inexplicable gut feeling coming from his instinct, but it was so strong that it felt like fate.
That was also why he insisted on making a breakthrough to Origin Level 1.
But one thing he didn’t see coming was the change that arose from gathering all of the Crown’s Stones, and that built the foundation required for him to confront Carolyn.
When he was brought to the Divine Altar after gathering all six Crown’s Stones and making a breakthrough to Origin Level 1, Genesis Goddess Sia had bestowed on him an unknown gift. He couldn’t tell what the gift was back then, but he now understood what it was.
What Sia had given him was the bridge to bring his powers together.
His powers had previously existed independent of one another—his own strength, the Crown’s Stones, and the power of Sia-fication conferred by the Mother Goddess. However, this changed with the bridge he had received from Sia.
When all of his powers were combined together, his aura turned a familiar holy white, and his Crown Origin Attribute was buried in a white light. In a distant space, a white-haired, crimson-eyed woman slowly opened her eyes.
Carolyn frowned grimly at this sight.
On the plains that had reappeared after the ocean receded, all of the battling ancient gods shuddered, and they turned to look at Roel with shocked eyes.
Dwarf Sovereign Obezo’s lightning hammer halted in mid-air, as he and Peytra turned their heads over at the same time.
The wrestling giant and humongous dragon pulled back their fists and claws, tearing their attention away from the battle for the first time.
The witch and the massive sunlike bird in the sky pulled away from each other.
Edavia, who was hugging Alicia, narrowed her eyes.
Everyone present was drawn to the holy light shrouding Roel, for the aura felt too familiar to most of them. It was the light of genesis, and it suffused their body and soul with warmth. Only one person in the world could evoke such a feeling: Genesis Goddess Sia.
“What’s that? No, who’s that?” Dwarf Sovereign Obezo was startled.
He was one of the first-generation gods who served Sia. The Genesis Goddess had an important place in his heart, and couldn’t be replaced by anyone else. This familiar aura greatly diminished his fighting will.
Meanwhile, Saint Dragon Spansderck tore away from Grandar and flew into the sky. It was hard to make out its expression, but its pupils were narrowed.
Just the aura had already convinced the ancient gods to stop their battle.
Carolyn’s face turned grim.
Under the watch of the ancient gods, the holy light finally dispersed, revealing a silver-haired figure dressed in a white cloak.
“!”
The sight of the silver-haired figure left all of the ancient gods momentarily dazed, be it the Dwarf Sovereign, the Saint Dragon, the Primordial Earth Goddess, or Grandar. It was as if the person in their memories had returned to life and was standing before them once more.
The battlefield fell so silent that only the wind could be heard.
Standing at the center of the plains, Roel felt different from his usual self.
The world looked different to him, as his senses keenly perceived every whiff of wind and every ray of light. Little details he had never noticed before suddenly became salient to him. He felt a comforting warmth lingering in the depths of his heart, as if someone was accompanying him.
“I never thought this would be possible.” Carolyn spoke impassively, but her eyes were filled with disbelief.
The Ardes did have a record describing Sia’s appearance. Her black hair and golden eyes symbolized peace and serenity, whereas Her white hair and crimson eyes represented war and valiance. The current Roel was a mix of the two.
However, Carolyn wouldn’t have been so certain if it had only been the appearance. What convinced her was Roel’s aura. There was no need for verification; all living beings in the Sia Continent instinctively recognized their Creator’s aura.
“The Genesis Goddess should have already passed away.”
“That might be so, but it’s also an indisputable fact that She has left Her powers to me.”
“…I didn’t think you would have such a trump card. What a pity. You haven’t had time to contract with your fifth ancient god yet, right?” Carolyn clenched her fists tightly.
“…” Roel didn’t respond.
Clenching her fists in determination, Carolyn gathered the turbid mana around her and compressed it until it became pitch-black armor that covered her body. This armor wasn’t originally black in color, as evidenced by the hint of white light beneath. It looked as if darkness had choked the life out of the armor, giving off an atmosphere of depravity and terror.
Roel’s complexion darkened, for he could tell that the armor’s power belonged to the Savior.
“I didn’t want to use this power, but I have no choice.”
“Carolyn, this…”
“I require this power to complete my mission. This makes us equal,” Carolyn replied with a hoarse voice as her killing intent flared.
The change in her mana’s nature influenced the ancient gods as well, and they began to frenziedly unleash attacks on their respective enemies.
Dwarf Sovereign Obezo swung his hammer with seething rage. Saint Dragon Spansderck spewed a light breath that illuminated the sky.
Roel’s ancient gods didn’t just stand still and take the attacks. They knew that the scales of victory were wavering in uncertainty; this was the critical moment that would decide the victor of this battle.
The power Roel had received from Sia was formidable, but it was beyond his current limits, which meant that he couldn’t sustain it for long. On top of that, Carolyn was supported by the Savior’s power and the fiend titan.
“It’s awfully disrespectful to suddenly yell, siren.”
The Siren Sovereign had risen into the air following the collapse of Alicia’s Divine Domain, hoping to find an opportunity to sneak in another decisive attack. However, she was confronted by Edavia, thus commencing a battle that pitted their mastery over souls against the other’s.
Artasia’s eyes alternated between Roel beneath and the rampaging bird above, but, choosing to trust him, she rose into the air to confront the rampaging bird.
Roel and Carolyn had a brief stare-down before they commenced their final clash.
…