Village Head's Debauchery

Chapter 1226 Mending Aerialia's Divine Soul, The Divine Mysteries' Retaliation

Chapter 1226  Mending Aerialia's Divine Soul, The Divine Mysteries' Retaliation

General Reynold nodded in acknowledgement and continued the procedure. The light enveloping Aerialia shone with a mesmerizing hue.

....

Outside the realm of the new Mysteries on Earth, the sky began to darken unnaturally. A low hum resonated across the entire Drelyal mountain range as though the heavens themselves were closing their eyes in sorrow.

When a divine being aids a god in ascending to true divinity, the Divine Mysteries create phenomena that showcase their heartfelt sadness. However, when a god breaks away from the Divine Mysteries and ties themselves to a new Mysteries—an act of betrayal—its reaction is unknown. After all, not many could even comprehend such a thought, and fewer would dare act upon it.

The hum grew louder until it became an agonizing wail, resonating across every corner of the territory. Then, countless shards began to materialize in the atmosphere. These shards were not large—they ranged from the size of a finger to that of a humanoid arm. They descended endlessly from the sky as though the heavens themselves were weeping. The emerging phenomenon, filled with both sadness and terror, was overwhelming.

....

With the Sundial,

The mysterious power, enveloped in creamy white and ink-black flames, flowed from Aerialia's body and returned to the towering, radiant twelve-step stairs.

Aerialia now floated upright, her broad wings stretched to their entire span as she opened her eyes. A frown appeared as she surveyed her surroundings, her gaze finally landing on General Reynold. Aerialia halted, her expression shifting from confusion to shock, disbelief, and anger. "What are you doing here? How are you still alive?" She asked, her tone aggressive and her gaze fierce as she clenched the crimson greatsword. Though she had noticed the bizarre stairs in the distance and Oberon's presence, she focused first on the man before her, as his appearance caused her more emotional turmoil.

"You don't have a monopoly on survival. I also have ways of ensuring I live on, even after death," General Reynold responded, his hands clasped behind his back as he stood confidently before Aerialia. "Also, you should be grateful that I chose to heal you after listening to my successor's plea. But if you wish to remain in this state, you should inquire about the condition under which you were healed."

Aerialia frowned and shifted her gaze toward Orion and Aurora as though awaiting an explanation.

"I will explain everything," Aurora said. She transmitted all the information she had received from Orion through the fragment of the Divine Medallion of Sovereign Accord.

Aerialia's gaze flickered as she processed the memories. Her eyes widened, and her expression morphed as various emotions surged within her. Once she was done, she took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Was any of this falsified?" Aerialia asked, her expression solemn, her firm gaze fixed on Orion. She found it hard to believe that so many things had transpired in such a short time. It felt as though she had once again awakened from a 7,000-year slumber. She wasn't worried about the condition, as her children needed new blood to reemerge into the world.

Most of all, there was Liora, who also possessed a human bloodline and was Orion's daughter. This gave her more freedom to establish a foundation for the One-winged in Paradise.

"No, it isn't," Orion responded, shaking his head.

"Okay," Aerialia nodded, then sighed, "But why him?" She would have preferred Oberon to heal her or perhaps the new Mysteries without General Reynold's aid.

General Reynold narrowed his eyes. "If you are displeased, I can return you to your previous state. However, I am unsure if you will be healed next time without sustaining some long-lasting adverse effects."

Aerialia snorted at his words and wanted to speak but sealed her lips. "Let us not speak of this matter again," she said firmly, leaving no room for refusal.

"As long as you keep to the condition, my lips will remain sealed," General Reynold responded, meeting her gaze.

Aerialia's lips twitched, but she remained silent. She took a deep breath and exhaled, calming herself.

As if losing interest in the conversation, General Reynold shifted his piercing gaze toward the void and frowned.

Oberon swiftly vanished from his position and reappeared beside them.

"It's been a long time, goddess Aerialia," Oberon greeted respectfully. "It's good to see you are back in good health," he added.

Aerialia's expression softened as she nodded at Oberon. "And it's good that you are still alive," she said.

Oberon nodded. "I apologize for the condition you were given for your recovery. It was what we could get him to agree upon."

"You shouldn't worry. I'm certain you did your best, and there's only one person to blame," Aerialia responded. "Though I am curious about this new Mysteries, I'll look into it later. We will be taking our leave for now."

"Wait, you shouldn't leave yet. There's something you need to see," Oberon said, his expression and tone turning solemn.

"What is it that I need to see before I can leave?" Aerialia asked, her tone curious about why she couldn't leave yet.

Orion was equally curious about what they needed to see before departing. Had healing Aerialia's divine soul triggered profound changes within the new Mysteries? Or perhaps this had something to do with the Divine Mysteries.

Even Aurora shared the same level of curiosity at that moment.

"It seems the Divine Mysteries have decided to take action against Paradise because you severed your ties with it and formed a new connection with the new Mysteries," General Reynold responded, refocusing his gaze on them.

Orion frowned, his heartbeat quickening as his mind raced. The severity of Reynold's words was far greater than he had initially expected.

Aerialia and Aurora's expressions also grew solemn.

"Regardless, at least we can now discern its intentions," General Reynold added.

"Can you show us what's happening before continuing?" Aerialia asked, her tone and expression slightly irritated.

General Reynold nodded and waved his hand. A transparent screen materialized in the void above them.

Myriad images flickered across it, showcasing a darkened sky and countless translucent shards of unknown origin raining endlessly from above, dissolving into ghastly red dust. This dust transformed into phantom-like winged humanoid entities lacking distinct features that wandered aimlessly across the land while emitting agonizing wails.

Some shards, however, remained suspended in the sky as though frozen.

The sight baffled and stunned Orion, Aurora, and Aerialia. They immediately recognized that this was happening outside the barrier, in Paradise's former territory, after spotting the enormous deep pit that served as Paradise's Vylkr alloy mine. But that wasn't all.

The land, now overrun by these phantoms, was crawling with Vylkr vines slithering across it, ranging from one-star to three-star Vylkr vines. Each time the vines encountered the phantom winged beings, they latched onto them with their tendrils, draining their life essence. Even a four-star Vylkr vine with several two- to three-star Vylkr vines surrounding it, grew larger after absorbing the life force of multiple phantom entities.

Aurora had constructed defences around various sections of their territory to push the Vylkr vines back and prevent them from encroaching on the city they had been building. However, it seemed the barrier had been breached, and the Vylkr vines had flooded in, taking over the entire territory.

"What's that?" Orion asked, narrowing his eyes at the screen as he noticed an unfamiliar Vylkr vine.

However, none answered because they were also unsure about what they were looking at. It was a four-star Vylkr vine with broad, membrane-like wings. As it touched the translucent shards suspended in the air, the shards dissolved into dust that scattered around. The Vylkr vine, upon contact, became unstable in the air before exploding, its body evaporating into thin air.

Orion couldn't determine the rank of the vine but quickly shifted his gaze toward another part of the screen as the scenes unfolded.

It was a gigantic beast with an elongated jaw filled with razor-sharp teeth and an upper body as large as a mountain. Its inky black skin was covered in tendrils that extended out like limbs. The creature remained motionless, not attempting to drain the life from the humanoid-winged phantoms wandering around it. Instead, numerous one-to-two-star Vylkr vines rested upon and around it, alongside various other Vylkr vine variants scattered upon it. There were many of these creatures scattered over Drelyal Mountain ranges. They couldn't determine its exact rank, but its overwhelming presence made it clear that it was far more powerful than any other Vylkr vines they had seen.

The humanoid, winged phantoms avoided these locations entirely, venturing around it while releasing agonizing screams as they wandered through the Vylkr-infested land.

Orion couldn't help but swallow hard at the sight before him.

Even Aurora and Aerialia were shaken by the absurd phenomenon they observed on the screen. It was unlike anything they had witnessed before, making them question whether this was happening within Paradise's former territory.

"Was this caused by the Divine Mysteries?" Aerialia asked, her voice filled with hesitation as she turned to General Reynold. Watching the scenes unfold on the screen made her—a goddess—feel a chill crawl down her spine. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be in an environment resembling a god's burial ground, with the terrifying amount of Vylkr energy present.

...