Chapter 211: Lilithara’s Intelligence

Lilithara had never imagined fear would feel like this.

We were ordered to destroy the mortal realm.

There was said to be a threat below — something the higher gods wanted erased before it could grow.

I didn’t question it.

Four years ago, I ascended to the god realm.

That alone meant nearly forty thousand years had passed in the mortal world.

Whatever I once was down there no longer mattered.

I felt no connection to that realm anymore.

So what if it was destroyed?

I only wanted the task finished quickly — return to the god realm, eat Vorathrax’s promised feast, and continue my magical research in peace.

It was supposed to be easy.

Five gods against a single world.

An easy mission.

It should have been easy.

…How foolish I was.

—

Reality crashed back in.

Lilithara’s breath shook violently as she sat on the shattered ground, drenched in golden-hued blood.

Vorathrax’s blood.

Fragments of divine flesh lay scattered around her, some still dissolving into fading mana. The air reeked of scorched divinity and death.

Her golden staff trembled violently in her grasp.

Before her stood a figure soaked in the remains of her companions.

A man-shaped silhouette.

A monster wearing human skin.

Blood clung to his coat, his hair, his hands — not his own, but theirs.

And he was smiling.

crazy yet calm.

As if this outcome had been inevitable from the beginning.

Lilithara’s thoughts collapsed.

Only one word remained.

Monster.

She scrambled backward across the ruined ground, palms slipping through sticky blood.

I have to leave.

I have to escape.

Her breathing broke into shallow gasps.

Run.

Teleport.

Do anything—

But her thoughts stalled.

Can I… even do anything?

Her divine mana trembled violently inside her.

For the first time since ascending to godhood, Lilithara — Goddess of Hexes — understood something terrifying.

This wasn’t a fight.

This wasn’t punishment.

She wasn’t facing a normal being.

She was facing something beyond her.

And it was walking toward her.

Zane tilted his head slightly.

“Hey,” he said calmly. “Are you listening… Miss Goddess?”

Lilithara’s trembling eyes snapped up.

Her fear twisted instantly into fury.

She grit her teeth and screamed, divine mana erupting violently as she thrust her staff forward. A blast of violet energy mixed with golden hue tore through the air, space cracking as the curse-laced attack rushed straight toward Zane.

But just before impact—

The spell warped.

Its trajectory twisted unnaturally, bending as if seized by invisible hands.

The blast veered sharply away from Zane and shot toward Eirenyssa instead.

“—!”

Eirenyssa’s eyes widened.

She reacted on instinct, twisting her body aside at the last possible moment. The attack skimmed past her shoulder and struck the distant surface behind.

Boom.

A massive explosion swallowed the horizon, forming a crater nearly fifty kilometers wide. Dust and debris surged upward like a collapsing storm.

When the dust began to settle, Eirenyssa immediately looked back toward Zane.

Her breath caught.

In front of him—

There was nothing.

Lilithara was gone.

Only a faint purple dot remained far in the sky, fleeing at full speed.

Eirenyssa clenched her teeth.

“My lord…” she said quietly. “I’m sorry. I’m still too weak. If I weren’t, I could’ve deflected that instead of dodging it.”

Her grip tightened around her sword.

“I’ll catch her right now.”

She lifted into the air.

Zane’s gaze followed the escaping dot.

“Mm,” he said calmly. “Go after her.”

Then he added casually,

“But let her run.”

Eirenyssa paused midair, confused. She turned slightly, but Zane was already looking back toward the sky.

“I have plans for her.”

She didn’t fully understand, but she nodded once and shot after Lilithara, divine aura streaking across the atmosphere.

Zane remained alone.

The blood coating his body began to fade, dissolving into motes of light. Torn fabric repaired itself. Stains vanished. Within seconds, he stood perfectly clean once more, as if the slaughter had never occurred.

He looked upward.

A faint smile curved his lips.

“Run, little goddess,” he murmured.

“Run.”

.

.

.

.

.

Lilithara streaked across the sky at full speed, divine mana tearing the clouds apart behind her.

Fear still clawed at her chest—but relief followed closely after.

Just as I thought.

He wasn’t chasing her.

From everything she had witnessed… that monster could have caught her within seconds if he truly wanted to. The distance meant nothing to him.

He’s arrogant.

Far stronger than all of them. So strong that pursuit itself wasn’t worth his time.

If he wanted me dead, I’d already be gone.

Her eyes narrowed.

He must have sent Eirenyssa instead.

That arrogance—she would use it.

If she could reach the God Realm, survival was guaranteed. That was her only path.

Lilithara reached into her robe and pulled out a small token engraved with the same three-triangle emblem worn by the others.

But then—

Her gaze sharpened.

“…Just as I thought.”

She slowed, then descended rapidly.

The cold, lifeless planet rushed up beneath her feet. She landed lightly on the frozen surface and turned.

Eirenyssa descended moments later, touching down directly in front of her.

Eirenyssa’s expression was calm.

“After showing so much arrogance,” she said quietly, “look at you now. Running away.”

Lilithara gave a faint smile.

“I know,” she replied.

She lowered herself slowly… and knelt.

Her staff touched the ground.

Eirenyssa frowned slightly.

“Glad you understand your place—”

She stopped.

“…Wait.”

Something felt wrong.

The instant Lilithara tapped her staff against the surface, Eirenyssa’s eyes widened.

Shit.

While they had been speaking, divine mana had been flowing silently through the staff and into the planet beneath them.

Deep below the crust, the planetary core shuddered.

A violent tremor surged outward.

The ground cracked.

Mountains in the distance split as shockwaves rippled across the surface.

Eirenyssa staggered back, stunned.

“What—?”

The sudden instability confused her senses completely.

And that moment was all Lilithara needed.

The divine token in her hand activated, runes blazing white as space began to distort around her.

Behind Eirenyssa—

A presence appeared.

Zane.

He stood there casually, hands in his coat pockets, watching the scene unfold.

Lilithara’s body began to glow as teleportation light wrapped around her.

A relieved smile touched her lips.

“Your arrogance,” she said softly, “will be your demise.”

Zane tilted his head.

“We’ll see.”

Lilithara looked at him one last time.

“I hope I never meet you again.”

Zane smiled.

“Oh,” he replied calmly, “but we will.”

“In seconds.”

The light flashed.

Lilithara vanished.

The planet beneath them began to grow unstable.

Cracks spread across its surface like glowing veins, molten light leaking through the crust as tremors shook the entire world.

Before Eirenyssa could react—

Zane grabbed her hand.

Space folded.

They vanished.

—

They reappeared in open space, a short distance away from the dying planet.

The world below trembled violently, its core screaming as instability climbed higher by the second.

Eirenyssa reacted instantly, surrounding herself in a thin layer of divine mana. Her breathing was uneven, her chest rising and falling as guilt weighed heavily on her.

“My lord…” she said quietly. “I… am… useless. And weak…”

She lowered her head.

Then—

She felt a hand rest gently on her head.

Zane didn’t look at her.

His eyes remained fixed on the planet below, now glowing brighter as its destruction approached.

“You… did… good,” he said calmly.

Eirenyssa froze.

Warmth spread through her chest at the simple head pat.

Her lips trembled slightly.

But then—

Zane added,

“But you’re right about the weak part, though.”

Crack.

Her heart shattered on the spot.

“…!”

She stiffened, eyes wide with pain.

Then Zane finally turned toward her—and laughed.

A quiet, amused giggle escaped him.

“Look at you,” he said. “So upset.”

He gave her head another light pat.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get strong.”

“Just not yet.”

He turned back toward the planet.

“For now,” he said, “watch some fireworks.”

“…Fireworks?” Eirenyssa repeated softly.

Zane raised a finger and pointed.

At that moment, a transparent barrier unfolded around her—layer upon layer of incomprehensible protection forming instantly.

Below them—

The planet collapsed.

Light erupted outward in a blinding surge as the core detonated. Continental plates disintegrated, oceans vaporized, and the world tore itself apart in a silent cosmic scream.

A star-like bloom expanded where a planet had once existed.

If she had been alone, even her divine body would not have survived.

But beside her lord—

She felt no heat.

No pressure or fear.

Only light.

Eirenyssa stood within the barrier, her storm-grey hair fluttering softly as fragments of a world drifted past like glowing embers.

She stared at the explosion, eyes reflecting endless colors.

“…So beautiful,” she whispered.

Zane watched quietly.

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