Chapter 80: God Of Light

The moment Alice heard those words, she frowned in confusion.

"What?" she asked aloud, wondering if she had heard the Pope correctly. The woman remained silent for a moment before speaking with the same smile on her face, as though she had merely made an ordinary request.

"The God of Light Wants your sacred body, Your Highness. As a member of the Royal family, It is your utmost duty to fulfill any desire the God of Light has." Alice’s expression darkened as she clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes at the Pope.

"Not to make an Insult of you as the pope, I will say I didn’t hear that statement." Having said that, she immediately stood up from her seat, unwilling to entertain such an outrageous demand any further.

’Something suspicious is going on, the pope would never dare say something like that In the palace, especially to me.’ Just as she finished that thought and was about to take a step forward, a sudden snapping sound reached her ears.

SNAP!

The moment the sound echoed throughout the room, Alice suddenly felt dizzy, and her legs gave way beneath her as she collapsed onto the floor. The Pope calmly stood up and approached her fallen figure, her cheeks flushing slightly as she brought one of her hands toward her mouth.

"That won’t do, you are an important offering to the God of Light. She specifically asked for you and even Lucien cannot help but oblige to the God’s orders." She crouched slightly beside Alice and ran her hand over Alice’s hands and legs, examining her for a moment before nodding in satisfaction.

Her smile remained on her face as she straightened herself and turned toward the entrance. "Take her away, worshipers of the Light." The moment those words left her mouth, three figures emerged, with butterflies of light fluttering around their bodies as they appeared before her.

"We are at your command, pope." The three figures bowed with their hands placed against their chests before approaching Alice’s unconscious body. They carefully lifted her and, without saying anything further, began to vanish as their figures transformed into motes of light and butterflies.

Within moments, they disappeared from the room alongside Alice, leaving the Pope alone with the consequences of her actions.

The Pope turned toward the window and brought her hands together in a pose of prayer, her expression becoming reverent as she addressed the deity she worshipped. "Can I get my reward now, My most humble God?"

Just as she finished speaking, the space before her began to fluctuate violently, and a drop of blood emerged from within that distortion before falling directly into her palm. The Pope lowered her head to examine the drop, which possessed both red and golden hues, and her cheeks immediately flushed as she looked at it.

"T-Thank you, I will be sure to carry out everything you order my God Luminous." Having spoken those words, she brought the drop of blood to her mouth and swallowed it without hesitation.

The moment it entered her body, a powerful sensation spread throughout her entire being, causing her heartbeat to accelerate. Her heart thumped once before her head suddenly snapped upward, and veins began bulging across her body as the power surged through her.

’S-Such Immense power! My God Luminous, you truly are the God who will guide us before the demons strike.’ The thought crossed her mind as she experienced the immense power she had just received. A golden aura immediately burst out from her body, spreading throughout the room and shaking every piece of furniture within it.

Even the walls developed slight cracks under the pressure of the energy released by that single surge, demonstrating the change that had taken place within her.

After a few moments, the veins across her body gradually returned to normal, and she lowered her head before bringing her hands together in prayer once again.

"O Luminous, Mother of Eternal Light, guide thy faithful through the darkness and cleanse this world of all that threatens thy sacred creation." Her chant echoed throughout the empty room as she continued praying to the deity she believed would protect humanity.

Outside the room, the guards remained silent, none of them daring to speak or question what had happened inside.

However, among those who had witnessed the events leading up to Alice’s disappearance through her own abilities as a fifth evolution Astrine blade user, Natasha was the only one whose reaction showed genuine terror.

She covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide as she struggled to process what she had just seen. Realizing that she needed to inform someone about the situation as quickly as possible, she immediately turned around and ran away from the area where she had been ordered to wait until Alice finished her meeting.

’Her H-Highness Alice! I-I need to inform this matter to Neolan, E-Even Emperor seems under the pope’s control.’ Natasha’s mind raced as she hurried through the palace, desperately hoping to find a way to contact Neolan before anything happened to Alice. However, just as she was running away, someone suddenly appeared in front of her, forcing her to stop in her tracks.

She gulped nervously as she recognized the person standing in her path, her voice trembling when she addressed him.

"Y-Your Majesty?" Before Natasha could ask anything further, the Emperor’s cold, sky-blue eyes locked onto her, and his deep, indifferent voice broke the silence.

"Where do you think you are running?" The question immediately caused her body to stiffen as she struggled to come up with an excuse. She knew she couldn’t reveal what she had witnessed, but she also couldn’t afford to let the Emperor become suspicious of her intentions.

"N-Nowhere Your Majesty, I was going that way to the Kitchen to inform the chef to cook something good as the pope has graced us with her-!" Before she could finish her sentence, a sudden movement interrupted her words.

SHHHK!

A sword pierced through Natasha’s stomach, causing her eyes to widen as blood immediately escaped from her mouth.

"Khug!"

She struggled to breathe as her vision began to blur, and when she looked down, she saw that the sword had been thrust into her by none other than the Emperor himself. His sky-blue eyes had turned golden, and the expression on his face remained cold as he held the weapon without the slightest hesitation.

"No one is allowed to go against the God of Light." His voice rang out, but something about it was different, as another voice seemed to overlap his words, making it sound as though the Emperor himself wasn’t the one speaking.

After delivering that statement, he twisted the sword, and a dark, ashen-coloured glow spread across Natasha’s body before gradually consuming her entire figure. As her consciousness faded, a final thought crossed her mind, filled with regret over her inability to protect the person she had served.

’I...am sorry Miss Alice, I couldn’t protect you.’ With that thought, Natasha’s entire body vanished, leaving nothing behind where she had stood. The Emperor’s great sword disappeared as he retracted his hand, and his cold eyes shifted toward the scorched area on the floor.

He remained there for a moment before slowly closing his eyes, his expression showing no visible reaction to what had just happened.

...

On the other hand, inside the sealed rift where Neolan had entered, he could be seen lying on the bare ground, panting heavily as blood flowed from his mouth, stomach, and ears. "Huff...Huff..." He continued breathing heavily, struggling to recover from the battle he had just fought.

The surrounding area had finally become quiet, with no other monsters remaining nearby, yet something suddenly caused his heart to thump twice.

’Huh?’ Neolan immediately sensed an unfamiliar chill running down his spine, despite the absence of any visible threat around him. Beneath his body lay nine enormous corpses, each so massive that it could cover an area equivalent to half of a city sector measuring approximately ten kilometers.

He and his team had already managed to kill all nine monsters, but the sudden sensation made him frown as he tried to understand what had triggered it.

However, that confusion lasted only a moment before something suddenly clicked in his mind, causing his eyes to widen, ’Could it be...Alice?! That Locket, When I saw its capabilities later...It had the function to warn both me and Alice in case something happened to either of them.’

His expression changed as he recalled the locket’s warning function, and he immediately understood what the sensation might mean. His head suddenly snapped toward a monster he sensed approaching from far away, but his attention remained fixed on the possibility that Alice was in danger.

’If that function is reacting like this...that means-!’