【 THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE 】

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Suddenly, ten figures emanating golden aura appeared upon the battlefield, shining in the darkness akin to ten radiant suns.

Their sacred brilliance and overwhelming power made them the center of attention from the very moment they emerged.

Even Kelez, who had been sweeping through the ranks of Guardian Knights, was momentarily stunned.

“God… God’s Chosen…”

Sensing that familiar power, his eyes widened.

Even in the most perilous moments, this legendary elf had never lost his composure. Yet now, for the first time, he simply stood dumbfounded.

The ten golden figures moved as if through an unguarded field, charging directly into the fray.

The encirclement formed by the Guardian Knights and Demon Hunters was instantly torn apart.

At the same time, each members of the organization, who had been pushed to the brink under relentless assault, were swiftly rescued.

“Who goes there, daring to obstruct the Church’s purge?”

The God’s Chosen knight of the Church shouted in anger.

Yet the moment he spoke, his body froze.

He realized that he had lost control over himself.

Looking down, he saw that countless vines had silently wrapped around his body at some unknown point, restraining him with a strange and powerful force.

Not only that, but also felt the divine power bestowed upon him being rapidly drained away as his consciousness blurred, before fading swiftly into darkness.

In his final moment of clarity, he saw the forest erupt into rampant growth, and countless golden motes of light began drifting through the air.

Gradually, he finally lost his consciousness.

Kelez had already ceased his attacks.

Watching everything unfold, his heart was filled with awe.

—Light.

There was light everywhere.

It drifted like falling snow, yet appeared far more ethereal.

The golden motes of light danced and swirled continuously across the battlefield and wherever they passed, flowers bloomed, grass flourished, and trees burst into blossom and bore fruit.

What’s more, when the lights flowed into the bodies of the wounded, people were astonished to find that their injuries were healing at an incredible rate.

Soon, even old scars vanished without a trace.

More than that, everyone felt with delight that as the motes of light entered their bodies, their internal magical power steadily increased.

Their strength visibly grew, and even their minds felt renewed, as though they had undergone a complete transformation.

“Th… this… what is this?”

Every member of the organization in the vicinity gazed in confusion at the golden motes of light drifting freely around them.

The battle was already over, before they even realized it.

As far as the eye could see, the Guardian Knights and Demon Hunters who had surrounded them were now bound tightly by vines.

They had all lost consciousness.

Only the faint rise and fall of their breathing proved that they were still alive.

“Divine power of life… this… t-truly, this is without a doubt the divine power of life!”

Gazing at the radiance filling the sky, Kelez spoke with visible excitement.

As if recalling something, he hurriedly began searching the battlefield for the holy statue of the Goddess.

When he finally saw it, held by a member of the organization who wore a stunned and bewildered expression, his excitement quickly transformed into joy, mixed with disbelief.

The holy statue… was glowing!

To think that this old statue, which he had brought from the world of Seigües to Mindel a thousand years ago, was now emitting such a potent holy light.

With a metallic clang, the weapon in Kelez’s hand fell to the ground.

His body trembled slightly as he gazed at the statue, his eyes filled with shock and exhilaration.

“Th-this… this is… this is…”

His voice became incoherent with emotion.

Then, the organization members saw the ten elves who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere step aside to both flanks.

They knelt on one knee, whilst bathed in sacred light.

At the same time, the wildly growing plants in the forest bent gently, lowering their branches in a single direction as though they were paying homage to their master.

Upon witnessing this scene, Kelez’s expression grew even more excited.

Faintly, a realization had already begun to form in his mind.

However… that thought was far too dreamlike, so unreal that he feared the scene before him might be nothing more than an illusion.

“A miracle… this… this is a miracle…”

Gazing at the sight of all things in the surroundings bowing in reverence, the elder elf Cole spoke with visible excitement.

In the next moment, a gentle and ethereal hymn slowly echoed.

Behind the ten unfamiliar elves who knelt on one knee, the surrounding vegetation parted of its own accord, opening a path paved with radiant light.

Then a beautiful figure, enveloped in sacred brilliance, stepped forward at a measured pace, entering the sight of the Blasphemers.

It was a female elf clad in silver armor resembling a gown, with silver hair and violet eyes.

Her gaze was gentle, carrying a mysterious power that soothed the hearts of all who beheld her.

At the sight of her, Kelez completely lost his composure.

His vision blurred slightly as the figure before him gradually overlapped with a beloved figure in his distant memory.

It was from an era when true gods still walked upon the land, a presence he had once personally beheld in highest regard.

It was the being he had once served at close quarters while still in the world of Seigües, under the guidance of his late master.

The Blasphemers were equally stunned.

As devout believers who prayed daily before the real statue of the Goddess, they could not have been more familiar with the similarly looking figure now standing before them.

This figure was unquestionably, The Great World Tree, The real All-Divine Mother, Goddess of Life and Nature, Matriarch of the Elvenkind, Her Divine Majesty Yggdrasill.

Kelez trembled slightly before dropping to one knee, his voice quivering with emotion:

“M-Matriarch… Your Divine Majesty… is it truly you? Have you truly returned?”

With trembling lips, he spoke the title that had risen in everyone’s hearts.

Then, accompanied by the clattering of weapons falling to the ground, the Blasphemers also knelt in reverence.

Looking at the elves and half-elves kneeling before her, Evé let out a soft sigh.

“Rise, my dear children.”

“I have come to take you home…”

༺⟐༻

Bright yellow flames crackled atop the firewood.

The Blasphemers, who had successfully withdrawn, sat quietly around the campfire.

Their gazes were uniformly fixed on the two figures by the distant lakeside, their expressions still filled with excitement.

Of course, if not for the presence of several elaborately equipped elves chatting among themselves and even striking up conversations with the Blasphemers, the scene would have been far more solemn.

By the lakeside, Kelez stood somewhat stiffly before the being in front of him, still feeling a trace of surrealness.

At this moment, this legendary elf, who’s over thirteen hundred years old, appeared no different from a nervous child.

The sudden appearance of the ten elven God’s Chosen, and the unexpected appearance of their Matriarch…

Though he had imagined countless times the return of the Goddess, he had never expected it to unfold in this manner.

Was he delighted?

Certainly.

Was he confused?

Very much so.

Yet one thing was beyond doubt: the being standing before him was indeed the true All-Divine Mother.

The divine power full of life was unmistakable.

The familiar aura was unmistakable.

That faintly reminiscent smile was unmistakable.

Even the gentle demeanor toward her followers was unmistakable.

Of course, he knew that what stood before him was merely an incarnation of the Goddess.

But the appearance of even an incarnation signified only one thing:

Their Divine Matriarch had indeed truly been awakened.

Speaking of which…

Which clan had succeeded in reviving Her?

Was the world of Seigües now safe?

Kelez’s heart was filled with endless curiosity.

Noticing his uneasy gaze, Evé smiled slightly, as if seeing through his thoughts.

“I awakened in secrecy five years ago. Thus, the world of Seigües is now no longer in danger.”

“My arrival in this world was both intentional and coincidental…”

As she spoke, her expression grew slightly solemn, though her voice remained gentle:

“Kelez, tell me everything you know about this world.”

Hearing Eve’s words, Kelez bowed respectfully.

“I shall obey your command, Your Majesty, the Great Divine Matriarch…”

༺⟐༻

The bright moonlight poured down, casting a silver sheen upon the rippling surface of the lake.

A cool breeze drifted along the lakeshore, bringing a refreshing calm.

The leaves in the forest rustled softly in the wind, joining the chirping of insects in the grass to compose a tranquil symphony of a summer night.

Specks of light danced in the darkness—one by one, fireflies fluttered about.

Evé gently extended a hand, and the fireflies obediently alighted on her fingertips, circling around her before taking flight again.

She withdrew her gaze from the lake, reflecting instead on the information Kelez had just shared.

Combining the information she received from Kelez with her own deductions, Evé gradually pieced together the thousand-year history of this world.

As the players had suspected, there was indeed another presence manipulating events behind that Evil Tree.

It was not Leviathan, but an ancient entity sealed within this world.

The story began a thousand years ago.

After the Thousand-Year Holy War, Eris discovered a world hidden by a peculiar sealing power that could mask its aura. Leading the Shadowshade Clan and several allied members of other clans, Eris came to this world.

They carried a branch of the World Tree, intending to cultivate a new World Tree here and revive the Goddess.

Upon arriving, they quickly discovered an ancient ruin, brimming with extraordinary magical power and abundant resources.

The Church’s higher authorities then decided to use the ruin’s resources to revive the Goddess.

However, no one had anticipated that mysterious ruin was not ordinary, but in fact, a sealed prison.

In fact, the entire Mindel world itself was designed to contain this ruin—or more precisely, to seal the ancient entity imprisoned within it.

When the elves attempted to revive the World Tree using the ruin, their actions drew the attention of that sealed entity. It gradually infiltrated the World Tree branch and eventually gained control over parts of the Church’s hierarchy.

By the time the World Tree was fully revived, the entity had already seized control of the entire Church.

Only Kelez and a few other clear-headed Church officials managed to escape, thanks to the delaying actions of Demigod Eris.

Indeed, Eris had not been harmed by Kelez; rather, the blame had been framed by that sealed entity.

As for whether Eris survived, even Kelez could not say for certain, because all information regarding his Master had been deliberately released by that malevolent entity controlling the Church.

The sealed entity had complete control over the Church of Nature.

It then renamed the Church as the Church of the All-Divine Mother, altered its sacred symbol, and destroyed all holy statues of the goddess, erasing their images entirely.

At the same time, Leviathan the Evil Sea God extended its influence into this world, and this Demon Lord began gathering followers in the ocean of Mindel.

Meanwhile, the ancient entity within the ruin, upon controlling the “Tree of Life,” quickly connected to the world’s core origin through the Tree’s unique characteristics.

This seemingly triggered the world’s sealing mechanism, thereby causing the realm of Mindel to be entirely closed off.

Thereafter, the mysterious entity used the Tree of Life to siphon faith, devour souls, and continuously draw upon the world’s power from its core origin.

As a result, the concentration of mana within the entire realm began to steadily decline.

It was clear that the entity was amassing strength, preparing to break through the world’s seal.

Meanwhile, Leviathan, after cultivating local followers, repeatedly sent armies and even projected demons via the network of faith to counter the sealed entity.

Leviathan was scheming to take control of this world as well, seemingly seeking something it desired within it.

Over eight centuries, as the world’s mana concentration waned, the struggle between the sealed entity and Leviathan remained unresolved.

Yet the new image of the World Tree grew ever deeper in the hearts of the people.

Sensing the sealed entity’s growing power and his kin’s increasingly unyielding faith, Kelez resolved to exploit the ruin’s opening, enter it, and use its magic and laws to ascend to demigod-rank, fighting to reclaim the Tree of Life.

It was at this moment that Evé had been drawn in by Leviathan.

At this point, Evé likely began to understand why Leviathan had bound her to this world.

—No.

…Bound is not the correct term.

Rather, the seal in this world wasn’t created by Leviathan and he merely had the ability to project his power here through his followers.

His goal, it seemed, was to eliminate the entity behind the Tree of Life by proxy.

After all, as an elven true god, once she became aware of the events unfolding in this world, the most probable course she would take was to seize the Tree of Life’s body.

Of course, such a process would likely entail some sacrifices.

Since the Divinity of Life and Nature rested in her hands, any decision as a true god carried weighty consequences.

When two forces contend, a third party may profit…

It was likely Leviathan’s intention in bringing her into this world.

Yet, knowing the ruin’s significance, Evé felt a faint spark of anticipation.

Deep within, she sensed that the opportunity to ascend to Higher Divine Power was fast approaching.

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