Two Against Two

‘Hestia, this so-called Demon God, do you know her?’

Selina frowned, asking the professional in her mind as she looked at the monstrous, disgusting flesh-and-blood abomination that was neither human nor ghost.

“No, at least not in my memory. I have never encountered a deity called the Demon God.”

The small crystal sword hanging from Selina’s chest glowed slightly, and then Hestia’s familiar voice resonated in her mind.

“Even you don’t recognize her. It seems this so-called Robona is an unpopular, lewd evil god”

As Conde, the former Thief Saint, had seen all sorts of unsavory characters. Even the most remote and obscure so-called cultists had acknowledged Orthodox Deities on the Seraphis Continent.

Since deities required the faith of living beings, they had to contribute. Maintaining order within the domain of faith was the deity’s responsibility. Evil gods, however, were those who did not adhere to their responsibilities.

“A normal evil god, receiving prayers from believers, would guide them in the right way to achieve their wishes. But an evil god who receives faith from believers will stop at nothing, using all sorts of reckless methods to fulfill so-called wishes. Such outcomes often result in countless innocent people suffering tragic deaths due to the evil god’s greedy faith.”

“In short, despite the various and complex irreconcilable contradictions among the deities on the Seraphis Continent, when it comes to evil gods and their followers, all orthodox deities and their believers adhere to the basic principle that ‘evil gods should be punished by all.’”

“Don’t let your guard down. The divine aura emanating from this vampire feels somewhat familiar to you. He might not be as simple as he appears on the surface.”

Hestia’s body trembled, and in her mental realm, the goddess’s eyes were fixed on the repulsive, tumor-like body. The seven distinct, grotesque faces on its chest gave Her a strange sense of familiarity.

Gazing at the several-meter-tall fleshy giant before her, Selina narrowed her eyes. Immense magic converged at her legs. Driven by her heart’s resolve, Wind Spirit Moon Shadow was poised and ready to strike.

Prince Noct, transformed into such a monster, was completely unrecognizable from his original appearance.

Blurred flesh clung to irregular bone spurs. His eerie howl was like the roar of a deep-sea leviathan.

Then, his arm-like limb, emitting a thick black aura, slammed down towards Selina.

The massive body was not as cumbersome as one might imagine. His fist, like a battering ram, stirred up a hurricane, kicking up sand and stones around them. Selina didn’t hesitate. Her powerful legs pushed off the ground, and her agile figure evaded the attack.

[Enhanced Magic: Eagle Eye]

With a faint blue glow flickering in the girl’s pupils, the changes and details of the surrounding environment suddenly became incredibly clear.

The connections and pulsations between flesh and bone were as meticulously observed through the enhanced elf eyes as if with a magnifying glass.

[Blade Technique: Bewildering Dance]

The twin blades in the girl’s hands were like the rapidly vibrating wings of a bee. The dazzling flashes of blades became a net of blades descending from the sky.

Wherever the blade light passed, flesh and blood splattered.

Selina, with a practiced hand, as if a master butcher carving an ox, easily sliced through the gaps where flesh and bone connected, one by one.

The girl’s agile figure dodged the high-impact strike.

When she landed lightly, a rain of blood instantly erupted from the hand that struck the ground, from top to bottom.

The flesh clinging to the white bones detached and fell, and the limb, originally fused with blood and bone, became nothing but bare white bones.

A bone-chilling wail instantly echoed through the underground space.

Immediately after, red granulations wriggled on the stripped skeletal arm, as if attempting to re-envelop and control this arm skeleton.

But as soon as the flesh moved an inch forward, the white bone skeleton, originally covered in blade marks, instantly ignited with a sky-filling silver flame.

The hard bone rapidly turned into ashes flying through the air under the scorching flames.

Selina was stunned for a moment, and then the voice in her mind reassured her.

“You focus on finding his weakness. I’ll take care of the rest.”

‘As expected, Hestia still took action. For such an evil god who regards living beings as mere grass and acts wantonly, the Fire Goddess, who wields the authority of reincarnation, naturally wouldn’t stand idly by.’

‘Before Hestia’s chest, I could feel that bloodthirsty desire. And on the stripped skeletal arm, red granulations wriggled as if attempting to re-envelop and control this arm skeleton. But as soon as the flesh moved an inch forward, the white bone skeleton, originally covered in blade marks, instantly ignited with a sky-filling silver flame.’

‘The hard bone rapidly turned into ashes flying through the air under the scorching flames.’

‘Selina was stunned for a moment, and then the voice in her mind reassured her.’

‘“You focus on finding his weakness. I’ll take care of the rest.”’

‘“As expected, Hestia still took action. For such an evil god who regards living beings as mere grass and acts wantonly, the Fire Goddess, who wields the authority of reincarnation, naturally wouldn’t stand idly by.”’

‘“Before Hestia’s chest, I could feel that bloodthirsty desire. And on the stripped skeletal arm, red granulations wriggled as if attempting to re-envelop and control this arm skeleton. But as soon as the flesh moved an inch forward, the white bone skeleton, originally covered in blade marks, instantly ignited with a sky-filling silver flame.’

‘The hard bone rapidly turned into ashes flying through the air under the scorching flames.’

‘Selina was stunned for a moment, and then the voice in her mind reassured her.’

‘“You focus on finding his weakness. I’ll take care of the rest.”’

‘“As expected, Hestia still took action. For such an evil god who regards living beings as mere grass and acts wantonly, the Fire Goddess, who wields the authority of reincarnation, naturally wouldn’t stand idly by.”’

spherical protrusion on his chest, I can feel it’s his core. It feels like some new life is brewing inside!’

Silver flames ignited in the goddess’s pupils. Her mysterious abilities allowed Selina to decipher the disguises of all things, reaching their essence.

Selina dodged the attacks of the disgusting behemoth, constantly hissing in pain. Her boiling blood surged continuously. The elves’ rich vitality, combined with the high-quality magic in her body, allowed Selina to continuously unleash Wind Spirit Moon Shadow without pressure.

Unlike her previous decisive battle with Noct, Selina, with her restored arms and elf body, could use higher-level blade techniques more flexibly, inflicting greater damage on the enemy before her.

Of course, there were pros and cons. The cost of changing bodies was that the stages of Wind Spirit Moon Shadow had to be re-trained from scratch.

With the myriad of events during her two weeks at school, Selina had almost no time to train her skills.

However, relying on her familiarity with the skill from memory, when she unleashed Wind Spirit Moon Shadow again, she had already reached the sixth stage.

And against this mountain-of-flesh monster before her, six stages were more than enough!

When the silver twin blades intersected, two crescent moons appeared in the dark underground.

Wherever the moonlight passed, sword qi surged, and where the moonlight fell, ravines formed.

Her posture was as graceful as a moon princess dancing in the darkness. Her blade work was as exquisite as a battle-hardened knight.

The blade, like a crescent moon, sharply cut away flesh, and the divine fire, fueled by the soul, incinerated bones with its high temperature.

Until the giant limbs, the sky-filling tentacles, and the wantonly growing flesh all turned into scattered ashes and blood rain, the massive mountain of flesh monster before her was left with only half a torso and a complete head, barely clinging to life.

Selina leaped onto the head, which was larger than two carriages. She plunged her blade into the hard skull.

The divine fire, like a potent poison smeared on the blade, continuously burned deep within the wound.

The air was filled not only with the strong smell of blood but also an intense charred scent.

The girl stomped on the hilt of the blade. The sharp blade finally pierced through the skull and entered the brain.

Silver flames mercilessly surged into the brain, burning the soft and fragile brain matter into black goo.

With a swift move, the neck connecting the body was severed.

The head separated from the body, instantly decapitated.

Looking at the huge spherical object that crashed motionlessly onto the ground, the girl let out a breath, as if her task was complete.

“Is that all?”

If Noct’s revenge plan, meticulously accumulated for over a decade, was just this, then Selina could only say:

“If you’re bad, practice more. If you can’t lose, don’t play.”

‘The past is the past, the present is the present. Although my speed is not as fast as before, my endurance and output are higher.’

‘Aside from having a bit more HP, this behemoth has no other advantages. To be honest, its overall oppressive feeling and power level are even lower than before.’

‘Is this the new power that evil god brought him? Did he not adapt after his breakthrough?’

‘What kind of unreliable scamming evil god is this?’

“Thump-thump-thump…”

A strange heartbeat suddenly echoed in the darkness.

Hearing this familiar sound and the abnormal vibration beneath her feet, Selina instinctively looked down.

Then, six eyes met hers simultaneously.

The strange heartbeat continuously vibrated.

The seventh face, preserved on his chest, also vaguely showed signs of opening its eyes.

‘What’s going on? When did these seven faces recover?’

After Hestia’s reminder, during the dismantling of this massive body, Selina had precisely and successively slashed each face attached to the chest with her blade techniques.

While other parts of the flesh cut by the blade had not healed, these seven faces had eerily recovered.

And these seven grotesque faces were originally closed, but now six had opened their eyes. The last face’s eye was almost… no, it had already opened!

When the largest face opened its malevolent eyes, the air flowing in the entire space seemed to freeze for a moment.

Breathing became incredibly difficult.

Deep sin seemed like an inescapable quagmire, pulling one down into it, to sink to the deepest hell.

The seven grotesque, twisted faces resonated simultaneously.

Then came a violent explosion.

The half-chest cavity that had stood in place instantly burst apart.

As flesh and blood splattered, accompanied by dense blood mist, a familiar figure gradually appeared before her.

“Hoo, what an intoxicating feeling. Is this rebirth?”

A young voice emerged from the blood mist.

A naked Noct walked out from the sea of blood and corpses.

At this moment, he seemed to have shed the outer layer of decaying skin that had endured the passage of time.

His vibrant and elastic pale skin heralded his regained youth and power.

Golden curly short hair, tight white skin, a high and defined nose bridge, chiseled facial features, and strong, muscular contours highlighted the pure physical beauty of a man.

At this moment, Noct was no longer the classical European-style handsome man he had once been.

His exquisite and well-defined appearance brought him back to his youth.

Black bats flying everywhere transformed into black streams of light, weaving into exquisite Gothic attire clinging to his skin.

At this moment, the former Prince Noct Vlad, who once held the pinnacle of wealth and power, seemed to have returned from the past to the present.

“So, it was the ‘blood lock’ mentioned earlier, activating a second form?”

Gazing at Noct, who had completely changed his appearance, Selina casually quipped.

“I remember! Seven faces, symbolizing the power of the Seven Deadly Sins! His power comes from the Demon God! Demon God Lilith!”

Hestia’s startled cry suddenly echoed in her mind.

“What Demon God Lilith…”

This time, Selina didn’t even have time to ask the question.

A red light, inversely reflected from Noct’s pupils when he opened his eyes, accurately shot into the girl’s body.

Her brain felt as if it had been hit by a heavy hammer, completely blank.

Then, as if something important was forcibly pulled from her body, her vision recovered, but her consciousness was still hazy.

Selina covered her head with both hands, her expression slightly pained, and her stance somewhat wobbly and unsteady.

“What did you do?”

Noct proudly watched the tottering girl before him. He calmly straightened his cuffs, and at the same time, his rejuvenated voice carried the arrogance of a superior being.

“Nothing much, just clearing out some potential threats.”

“The former Goddess of Lampfire was indeed glorious once, but that was merely in the past. Before the great Demon God, the so-called goddess who controls reincarnation is merely nourishment for a stronger being.”

Evidently, Noct was extremely confident in his newly worshipped so-called Demon God.

As for Selina, she also noticed the sudden disappearance of the Fire Goddess from her mental realm, though she didn’t panic too much, because she could still faintly feel the connection to the Fire Goddess’s Crystal Sword at her chest.

“You don’t need to worry too much about that goddess. After all, the outcome is already decided. What you should be worried about now is yourself, Thief Saint Conde. Don’t think that just because you changed your appearance, you can escape my revenge.”

“Ultimately, you are nothing but a cowardly and incompetent thief. The weapons you used against me before were stolen, your wealth was stolen from others, and even your current identity is stolen.”

“You think no one can know what you’ve done, but in the eyes of the gods, we see your so-called thievery clearly. The noble Elf Princess? She is nothing but a despicable, lowly thief, a wicked wretch desperately craving a noble identity, who cruelly strangled an unborn elf royal, forging her current self from the flesh and blood of an elf royal. Tell me, aren’t you now a thief who stole the life of an unborn elf?”

Noct gradually closed the distance between himself and Selina.

At the same time, thick blood continuously spread outwards from his feet as a base point.

The black blood expanded as if alive, forming a twisted domain of crystal-clear blood.

Gazing at the nauseating domain spreading around her, Selina’s eyes remained calm.

Noct’s truthful, attacking words, one by one, seemed to have no effect on her mind. The girl simply stood there quietly, listening to his narration, watching his performance.

“So what?”

The girl tilted her head, her silver hair softly draped between her delicate collarbones.

Her pure emerald eyes seemed to hold a young woman’s calm incomprehension, and her baby-faced cheeks even carried a hint of sweet cuteness.

“So, that victory was nothing but your fluke. It was merely a stroke of luck caused by you, the thief, stealing all your future fortune.”

“And this time, despicable Mr. Thief, no matter how exquisite the skin you wear, or if you shed your original gender, I will rip your soul from that husk and utterly ravage it!”

In a gray, seemingly endless void, two figures simultaneously appeared.

Hestia, the Goddess of Lampfire, calmly gazed at the entity that had forcibly brought her here. The lantern she held emitted a soft, glowing light, continuously dispelling the silence there.

As for the deity before her?

It was not so much a deity as it was six different sins represented by seven faces, the so-called Seven Deadly Sins, fully embodied in those seven faces.

Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust.

The seven faces representing primal sins floated in mid-air.

Being stared at by those seven malevolent eyes would subtly make one feel as if their spirit was being corrupted.

However, this ability had no effect on Hestia.

For Hestia, the Goddess of Lampfire, who ignited the Evernight, was inherently capable of restraining such abilities and the existence of evil gods.

No defilement or sin could corrupt the undying flame.

The long song and runes of reincarnation constantly accompanied Her.

The lantern she held was like the only sun in this space, expelling all yin demons and evil spirits.

“No need to pretend, Demon God. Your true identity is known to me.”

Hestia’s eyes, ignited with divine fire, calmly gazed at the four faces of primal sin.

Although the other party’s manifestation as a deity was somewhat abstract, Hestia seemed to have long been accustomed to it.

“Heh heh heh… To think the former Goddess of Lampfire has fallen to residing within a mere thief. The lampfire that once claimed to illuminate the Evernight is nothing more than this, indeed. Today, with my power, I shall swallow this last flicker of candlelight…”

A blurred, sharp mocking sound was incredibly piercing.

The seven faces simultaneously opened their mouths.

The sounds emitted by the seven pure voices were beyond description as merely unpleasant; they were “mental pollution.”

“I admit that the great vow I made before is temporarily difficult to achieve, but this does not mean that any divine existence on the Seraphis Continent can easily touch my divine light. Your audacity is merely because Lilith is backing you, or perhaps you are a part of the Demon God Lilith herself…”

Hestia calmly shook her head and sighed. The expression on her calm, intellectual, and beautiful face was like that of someone facing a vicious dog on a leash.

“Heh heh heh…”

A sharp female laugh once again echoed through the entire space.

Hestia gazed at the seven wildly laughing faces, the flames burning in her lantern a fusion of gold and silver.

“To think, Hestia, even after so many years, and having become so weak, your eyes have still never been deceived.”

The grotesquely laughing faces suddenly twisted.

Black mist gathered, gradually forming a petite figure, until the innocent and enchanting face beneath the purplish-black daoist robe once again became a demonic pupil.

“Never been deceived? That statement, coming from your mouth, feels like a mockery.”

Hestia’s voice was cold and clear, no longer carrying her usual gentleness.

“Oh~ you’re right, even you have had moments of misjudgment and deception. After all, if you were absolutely never deceived, the ultimate victor of that divine war back then might have been you…”

“How does it feel? Betrayed by your most trusted saintess, it must be quite unpleasant, right? But I actually think you haven’t learned your lesson. After all this time, haven’t you found another saintess?”

Lilith’s face showed a mocking expression.

That face, filled with demonic allure, seemed to combine all the hidden desires and lust in everyone’s hearts.

Ordinary people who saw Her face could always see their deepest desires reflected in it.

“I once believed that the light of the lampfire could illuminate all unknowns. It wasn’t until that time that I understood, even if the lantern in my hand shone like the sun, it could not illuminate the human heart.”

Hestia calmly recalled, the raging flames in her lantern subtly showing signs of vigilance.