[Vol. 8] Chapter 188: The Battle for Control
Most of the people present had already handed over their equipment to Violet before entering the valley, so there weren’t many clues to investigate.
The special artifact made for the Spirit Hero, the [Heart Chime Pendant], could be ruled out right away. Violet had made it herself, and as a priestess, she knew exactly what it could do. It wasn’t that the artifact couldn’t protect its owner. If it had been activated, Violet would’ve noticed it immediately.
But just now, during that unseen, silent clash before the “black blood” appeared, even Violet hadn’t sensed anything strange. Judging by the little girl’s shocked expression, she didn’t know what had happened either. So, it couldn’t have been caused by the artifact.
Then… what was it?
Although Violet didn’t raise Eudora herself, most of the girl’s true secrets were closely tied to her, like her being a succubus, and her unique ability to transform into something with Holy Light powers…
Wait a minute…
Just then, Violet felt a strange reaction in her heart. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed a golden mark appear on Eudora’s forehead. It came out of nowhere, and looked very familiar.
It was a golden "round egg," with three elegant white wings spreading out on each side. It looked sacred, noble, and beautiful.
That was a divine mark belonging to the “Radiance” divinity.
Anyone who had taken part in the Hero Trials would carry a similar mark. It was created by being exposed to the glow of a god’s power up close. As the trials progressed, the bond would grow stronger, and the mark would become more complete.
For example, the five members of the current Hero Party had all entered the third and final trial. Their marks weren’t all the same, but they were clearly there. Especially Elunie, the Heaven Hero, her complete six-winged mark looked almost exactly like the one now appearing on Eudora.
But maybe because the little succubus had once drunk Violet’s blood, her bond with the priestess was even stronger than the others’, just like Leila and Rene. So instead of being on her hand like the others, her divine mark appeared on her forehead, a more important and vulnerable spot.
Of course, Violet had always known this. In fact, she was the one who helped Eudora hide the mark in the first place, just to avoid any danger. But… why had it suddenly shown up now?
As that question naturally popped into Violet’s mind, what happened next made her eyes suddenly widen in shock.
For some unknown reason, the divine mark, originally glowing with pure platinum light, like the essence of Holy Light, began to change. The six beautiful wings faded and twisted, losing their color and shape. Even the egg-shaped center transformed in an instant, its holy aura vanishing completely. What replaced it was an overwhelming, indescribable sense of nothingness and emptiness.
In that moment, Violet suddenly understood.
That wasn’t an “egg” at all.
It was clearly an “eye!”
Aside from the fact that the pupil in the center hadn’t opened yet, this scene looked almost exactly like the “Dark Moon Hanging in the Sky” from before!
Before Violet could react, the dead-silent ring surrounded by colorless wings exploded with terrifying suction, like a black hole that could swallow all light!
But strangely, this force didn’t seem to exist in the real, physical world. Instead, the campfire nearby, which had been quietly burning and giving off warm light, suddenly flared up, shooting nearly ten meters into the sky! The flames twisted into a long, strange creature, rushing straight toward Eudora. More specifically, toward the black hole in her forehead that seemed ready to devour everything!
“HISSS~!!!!!”
The strange flame shot through the air, letting out a sharp hissing sound like a snake's cry. The sudden change caught everyone off guard. Because they were deep inside the Chaos Magic Valley, all methods that required magic to work were completely blocked. Even warriors like Mevis and Kunnir, who relied more on their physical strength, were affected to some degree.
The fire snake came too fast and too suddenly. In just a blink, no one could react in time. Only the little fox girl, the assassin, managed to shout, “No weak spot?!” But before she could rush forward to stop it, it was already too late.
Just as the Dragon God frowned and was about to act, a figure appeared ahead of her. Right in the path of the fire snake, even faster than she could move.
Violet felt it.
The [Radiance] divinity was going mad.
It was angry. It was roaring. Its powerful will burst forth like never before. It felt as if it were facing a hated enemy it could never forgive. The divine power exploded outward like the rising sun, and in that moment, the black-haired girl’s silver-blue eyes turned into a blazing gold, filled with overwhelming holiness.
A strange impulse, one that felt both part of her and yet not hers, trembled inside her heart, pushing her to raise her hand.
Grab it! Grab it! Hurry, catch it!!!
And then…
Crush it!!!
“Smack!!!”
Her pale, jade-like hand moved slowly, but with unstoppable force. She reached out and grabbed the snake right at its weakest spot. A golden light, like a glowing veil, covered every inch of the girl's skin. The strange creature, made of flame, twisted and struggled wildly in her grip. But it also seemed to shake violently with fear.
“Hisssssss!!!!”
The fire snake twisted in the air, becoming more solid and real. Its molten scales fell away like sparks as it thrashed around. At the moment Violet tightened her fingers, beams of brilliant light appeared like swords from thin air, piercing through the snake’s body piece by piece!
Trapped and unable to move, the monster let out a sharper, more furious cry. Its molten tail suddenly split apart into hundreds of small snakes that rushed out to bite. But the moment they touched even a single strand of the girl’s hair, the sacred golden light around her burned them all into smoke instantly!
[Filthy leftovers from the old world… You dare try to steal from me? Get lost!]
“Splat!!!”
A voice that didn’t quite sound like hers echoed through the air. As the girl clenched her white fingers again, the strange fire snake was forcefully crushed and exploded into glowing sparks that scattered across the sky.
Its entire flaming body shattered. But a few small lights quietly slipped away, drawn into the strange, black-hole-like ring on the forehead of the pink-haired girl. That dark ring looked just like an eye, and those fragments vanished without a trace.
As the fire snake finally collapsed and disappeared into the night, the campfire slowly returned to its normal state, burning quietly again. The brilliant divine light in the priestess's eyes, so dazzling that normal people could barely look at her, also slowly faded away.
The Dragon God frowned again, as if she sensed something, but said nothing. She simply looked into her master’s eyes for a brief moment, then turned into a streak of light and flew into the sky, leaving the rest behind.
Everyone else still had looks of surprise and worry on their faces. But after that sudden beginning and end, all they could do was stare blankly.
“…Eh… Eh?!”