The Withering Heart.

This was the first divine artifact that Evé had acquired, which came from the God of Winter and Hunt, Uller.

Although it was still in an incomplete state, the Withering Heart possessed extraordinary sealing power and perfectly complemented Evé’s fighting style.

Despite having been corrupted by the Abyss in the past, this divine artifact could seal any mythical entity with less than intermediate divine power, provided it was supplied with sufficient life force.

Throughout history, Uller’s ownership of this artifact instilled fear among countless gods with lesser divine strength.

It was also said that during the Heavenly War a thousand years ago, some of the former World Tree’s demigod followers met a swift demise in battle partly due to this very artifact.

Of course after claiming ownership of such artifact, Evé herself had wielded the Withering Heart to seal numerous formidable foes.

These included Uller’s demigod incarnation, the weakened Dragon of Despair Nidhogg, and the Seventh Demon Lord Azazel, who had not yet regained his full power.

And now, Evé brought it forth once more, her hand steady as she invoked the power of the Withering Heart.

This time, her target was none other than the self-proclaimed “God of Creation,” a being whose strength barely reached the level of a demigod.

However, though the other party was just a demigod, Evé could not afford to underestimate him. A cornered entity, desperate and clinging to delusions of grandeur, could prove to be more dangerous than a fully-fledged god. Thus, she intended to seal him in a swift manner, before he had the chance to unleash catastrophic destruction within this demi-realm.

The Withering Heart had already been infused with the necessary life force it needed well before Evé performed her descent.

Now, as she held the artifact in her grasp, its crimson surface shimmered ominously, as though soaked in freshly spilled blood.

With a deliberate motion, Evé lifted it up gently.

“Pitiful fallen one, your future is to be sealed, left only to await death.”

Her gaze swept over the ‘God of Creation,’ whose entire body was shrouded in the aura of the Abyss, then shifted to the surrounding local residents, now warped into nightmarish demonic forms. The corruption of the Abyss had already seeped deep into their very beings, twisting their bodies and minds beyond recognition.

Evé sighed softly.

She did not know when this ‘God of Creation’ had succumbed to the corruption of the Abyss.

Perhaps it had been long before he and those ancient elves had fled into this demi-realm, after seeking refuge from the wars back in Seigües.

Or perhaps it had happened much later, when he had used his full power in order to protect this demi-realm and repel those other mythical entities that had tried to invade it.

But regardless of when his descent into corruption occurred, since he had allowed himself to use the power of the Abyss and willingly become an evil god, it also meant that he had become the common enemy of all true gods.

The minds of evil gods can become inevitably twisted, and judging by the actions of this “God of Creation,” it is likely that his reasoning had long been distorted by the power of the Abyss.

Moreover, considering his ambitions to gain control of the Divinity of Life and Nature, Evé would not have spared the other party even if he had somehow resisted the corruption of the Abyss.

This was a matter of principle.

For the sake of elevating himself into a True God and seizing her predecessor’s Divinity, this former demigod, who had once been a follower of the previous World Tree, not only declared for himself the grand, self-imposed title of ‘God of Creation’ but also erased all traces of the World Tree and even attacked those ancient elven believers.

Such behavior is a complete betrayal to the former World Tree.

With these thoughts, Evé sighed faintly and raised her right hand.

The Withering Heart in her palm transformed abruptly as it finally activated!

The crimson necklace turned into a scarlet beam of light, before heading straight toward the ‘God of Creation.’

The players present only felt a sudden surge of energy, a shocking and powerful aura that erupted from the goddess’s body.

Then, without warning, a blinding light appeared, radiating from the goddess in waves, as a scarlet beam, akin to a flaming arrow, shot from Evé’s hand and struck the ‘God of Creation’ in an instant.

A crimson glow flickered across his form and quickly seeped into his body.

Immediately afterward, the ‘Creator’s’ movements stilled as his entire body began to tremble violently, as chains of light materialized around his form, their radiance blinding as they coiled tightly, wrapping around him like serpents.

The chains shimmered with divine energy, their grip unrelenting as they bound the ‘God of Creation’ completely.

He struggled, but it was futile—one by one, the chains began to vanish, but not in the way he hoped.

Instead of dissipating, they pierced into his very soul, sinking deep into his divine essence. Each chain that disappeared into him seemed to solidify the seals that were being placed upon which restricts his power.

As the final chain vanished into him, the “God of Creation’s” aura began to fade at a speed almost visible to the naked eye.

The sealing had been successful.

In fact, for a deity like her to resort to using a divine artifact just to seal a mere demigod-ranked mythical being seemed like an overkill.

However, something during the sealing process caught Evé by surprise.

As she manipulated the Withering Heart and its sealing chains entered the other person’s body, she also sensed some of the other person’s emotions more clearly.

Rage.

Boundless, unending rage.

Yet this fury was not directed at Evé per se, but rather it was aimed at the Withering Heart itself.

Evé could clearly sense that after she used the artifact to seal the ‘God of Creation’, the other party’s aura became completely chaotic…

“The Withering Heart!”

The Creator’s roar reverberated, filled with resentment, fury, and unwillingness.

He struggled frantically, thrashing against the chains binding him.

Alas, it was all in vain.

The Withering Heart’s seals were intangible, and unlike physical chains or binding spells, these seals directly targeted the core of a being’s existence—the godfire in the case of demigods, and the soul of its intended target.

Amidst his desperate struggles, the ‘Creator’s’ hooded robe was torn away.

At last, his appearance was finally revealed to Evé and the surrounding players.

A handsome face, partially pointed ears, flowing silver hair, and eyes of violet-red that burned with madness, chaos, and rage…

A Half-Elf.

A half-elven demigod.

His once-handsome features were now twisted, marred by a sinister expression and strange lines caused by the corruption of the power of the Abyss…

Yet even so, Evé still easily recognized his identity through the inheritance of the World Tree.

This confirmed her prior suspicions:

This self-proclaimed ‘God of Creation’ was none other than—

“Ouros…”

Ouros, the half-elven demigod, who’s been a follower of her predecessor.

Evé’s gaze lingered upon his face as her emotions tangled in complexity.

Within the World Tree’s inheritance, Ouros was depicted as a loyal follower of the previous World Tree, steadfast for thousands of years despite not fully agreeing with some of her predecessor’s ideals.

But in the end, he had betrayed his master and befallen.

Now, after being stripped of his power and sealed, he was nothing more than a mindless beast at this point, writhing uncontrollably on the ground.

His incoherent and chaotic roars echoed endlessly throughout the city:

“The Withering…Heart! Uller!”

“Blasphemers must die…they all shall die!”

“Blasphemer… die!”

༺⟐༻

He struggled.

And howled.

Watching the other person rolling around like a deranged beast, for some reason, Eve suddenly felt an inexplicable pang of sadness within her heart.

At this moment, she had already lost interest in using this whole event to show off her strength in front of the players.

“Enough. Let it end here, and at the same time retain a last bit of his dignity of a mythical existence…”

With a soft sigh, Eve’s form blurred, reappearing directly before Ouros.

She extended her hand once more, before placing it upon his thrashing form.

“Ouros, you have forged a cycle that continually absorbs the life force of others just to strengthen yourself. Now… I shall break this cycle and use my own [Absorption] to finally end it all.”

Her voice was calm as she whispered these words.

Eve unleashed her [Absorption] ability, drawing forth Ouros’s divine power and essence, which would serve to strengthen her own power.

The essence of his soul, however, would allow her to access his memories, much like when she had defeated Nidhogg.

After all, Ouros was a half-elven demigod.

Even in his maddened state, he still carried with him an invaluable memories of the past.

For Evé, who lacked the majority of her predecessor’s memories, these recollections from a thousand years ago held great significance.

More importantly, probing Ouros’s memories might potentially also reveal the secrets regarding this demi-realm.

Yet just as Eve’s divine power began to absorb his powers, Ouros’s body suddenly stiffened.

In an instant, his struggles immediately ceased altogether.

Even the rage and unwillingness that had burned so fiercely just moments ago vanished entirely within that instant.

His deranged expression also softened into bewilderment, just as the chaotic light within his violet-red eyes swiftly faded.

Then, to Eve’s surprise, a fleeting clarity appeared in his gaze.

Ouros directly looked at her.

For a moment, his eyes filled with longing and a dreamlike haze, as if he were a child who had been away from his mother for a long time, returning to her arms…

With trembling hands, he slowly reached out toward Evé, as though trying to grasp something just beyond his reach.

“Mother…Goddess…Your Grace…”

These faint whispers slipped from his lips.

Evé was momentarily startled by the other party’s words, causing her [Absorption] ability to stop mid-action.

A couple of seconds passed, and she saw the other person smile for the very first time.

It was a contented, peaceful smile.

He looked at her, his voice trembling with emotion as he spoke:

“You… have finally…returned…”

With those final words, his outstretched arm fell limp.

In the same instant, his body slowly disintegrated, before finally shattering into countless particles of pure energy that flowed into Evé, seemingly carrying his memories along with them…

— 453 —

【 MOTHER…GODDESS…YOIR GRACE 】

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