Chapter 372: Punishment and Compensation

Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Punishment and Compensation

"We have gained enough. The advantage in the Holy War is ours. It is not wise to clash with an ancient one."

The God of Assassination was brief and to the point.

His phantom image, like a drop of ink in water, quickly faded and dissipated.

The moment the words were spoken, the two phantom masses of energy representing the wills of the God of Slaughter and the God of Assassination vanished completely from the crumbling void, as if they had never existed.

The God of Viruses fled even faster, not even bothering to leave behind a single threat.

With a soft POP, his energy form vanished in an instant, like a bursting soap bubble.

In a flash, on the outskirts of the "playground" temporarily created by the four Divine beings, only the Fiend God’s kaleidoscopic, ever-shifting phantom of energy remained, lingering in place.

The God of Viruses seemed to glance back at it before vanishing, but saving his own skin was more important; there was no time for questions.

’Did the Fiend God not want to leave?’

Of course not!

He wanted to flee more than anyone!

The problem was, he couldn’t leave right now!

To be more precise, the wisp of his Divine Thought attached to Cecilia—the very one that was about to strike Seraphina Sullivan dead—was now firmly locked in place, imprisoned by the descending pillar of light from the God of Cuisine!

It was like a Poison Sting embedded in flesh.

It was gripped by a pair of immense, invisible hands, making it impossible for even this fragment of his true consciousness to withdraw!

What was more terrifying was that a vast, ancient, and palpable will—one filled with a sense of "appraisal" and "appetite"—had already traveled up that strand of Divine Thought, like the sharpest of forks tracing a path back to its source.

It prodded directly into the core of the will he had left behind.

And initiated a direct conversation.

It was like countless whispers, yet also like the sound of chewing mixed with other indescribable noises, all governed by some deeper, fundamental rule.

These sounds echoed directly in the depths of the Fiend God’s will.

It carried with it an undisguised contempt and... curiosity?

"A petty Fiend God, barely grasping a few fledgling principles, and you dare mimic those gutter rats by personally interfering to target my Beloved?"

The voice paused, as if "sniffing" something.

"Tsk. Nothing but crude and filthy tricks.

You younger gods only know how to pull these boring stunts, pitting worms against each other, and you actually think you’re being clever?"

Every word was like an invisible dinner knife,

scraping and scoring across the Fiend God’s will.

It caused the Fiend God’s phantom energy to tremble violently, flickering in and out of existence.

A primal, instinctual fear washed over him, far greater than the terror inspired by the other three Divine beings combined!

That sliver of the Fiend God’s will was now filled with an indescribable terror.

What the Fiend God faced was not a peer with whom he could reason or bargain.

The will represented by the pale golden pillar of light was one of the ancient entities he least wanted—and most feared—to provoke in his long, divine existence.

A Primordial God—the God of Cuisine!

This was a mad being who had carved "Tasting" and "Creating" into the very essence of his Divine Position, one who acted with utter impunity and might even add other Divine beings to his "menu"!

Among all the gods, he was universally acknowledged as the most unpredictable and dangerous "Gourmand" and "Tyrant"!

The Fiend God never imagined that the "little insect" he’d decided to crush on a whim to vent his frustration was backed by this absolute terror!

"A... a terrible misunderstanding, haha..."

The Fiend God’s will forced out a dry, sycophantic wave of thought in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.

His mind raced, trying to figure out how to escape the God of Cuisine’s clutches.

He knew that to create an opening, he might have to make a great sacrifice.

"You... Your venerable self has taken a Beloved! This is... this is truly worthy of celebration!

Hahahaha... You see, this... this is all just a misunderstanding!

A huge misunderstanding! Since you’re here, well... I’ll be on my way. I wouldn’t want to disturb you while you’re teaching your Beloved!"

Right now, the Fiend God wanted only one thing: to flee. Immediately, instantly, and without a single glance back.

Dignity, the wager, the Divine Favored—none of it mattered anymore!

Saving this wisp of his Divine Thought from the "Gourmand’s" attention was the only priority!

The Fiend God’s will frantically surged with Power, attempting to break free from Cecilia, its temporary vessel, and return to its main body.

But in the next instant, the Fiend God made a terrifying discovery.

His connection to Cecilia’s body had been forcibly reinforced and sealed shut by a far grander, more absolute power!

Like a fly caught in the toughest spiderweb, the more it struggled, the tighter the Binding became!

Not only was the Fiend God unable to leave,

but even the thought-waves of his Divine Thought seemed to freeze solid!

The will of the God of Cuisine, like a declaration of supreme law, echoed once more within the core of the Fiend God’s imprisoned will:

"Violating the fundamental rules established by the system, interfering in a trial, and, as a Divine being, bullying a mortal Beloved."

The voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable tone of judgment.

"As one of the supreme figures entrusted with supervisory authority, I, too, have the right to administer punishment."

"Your true self has likely already fled along with those other little ones, has it not?"

The God of Cuisine’s thoughts were tinged with knowing condescension.

"Quick on your feet, I’ll give you that. In that case..."

"This wisp of your will, this Divine Thought that descended without permission and with malevolent intent, you can leave it behind.

Consider it... a small compensation for the harm you’ve done to my Beloved."

"No! God of Cuisine! You can’t do this! This is extrajudicial punishment! I...!" The Fiend God’s will let out a desperate, silent scream of protest.

But all resistance was futile.

"Noisy."

The will of the God of Cuisine gently rippled.

An indescribable,

supreme power—one that felt capable of rewriting reality and reshaping concepts—

instantly enveloped the Fiend God’s trapped will!

"AHHH—!!!"

A silent shriek, filled with ultimate pain, terror, and resentment—one that only beings of a higher order could "hear"—

erupted from the blue light now enveloped in that supreme power.

After what seemed like an eternity,

it abruptly stopped.

The light rapidly contracted, condensed, and transformed...

A moment later, the radiant power dispersed.

Floating in mid-air was no longer the blue light of the Fiend God’s will, which had been saturated with venom and terror.

In its place was a... grape-sized

piece of candy, shimmering with the magnificent, seven-hued color of iridescent glass.

Within it, light seemed to swirl, and it exuded a peculiar sweet fragrance and a faint, fiendish aura.

A wisp of the God of Cuisine’s will seemed to "glance" at the candy, letting out a satisfied "hmmm."

Then,

the iridescent, glass-like candy, as if borne by an invisible hand, slowly drifted toward Seraphina Sullivan, who lay unconscious on the ground.

The candy gently touched her lips.

It then dissolved into a gentle stream of light that flowed naturally into her mouth.

A miracle occurred.

The wounds on Seraphina Sullivan’s body, some deep enough to reveal bone from the Fiend God’s assault and the preceding battle;

the ruptures in her internal organs; the tremors in her very soul—all of her grievous injuries

began to heal at that very moment.