Chapter 516: The Heavens Shall Fall (LVII)

After the boat gently returned to the dock, the entire group stepped off together, the cool night air refreshing after the warm lantern-lit cruise.

“Where are we going next?” Maria asked, still holding Aestrea’s hand.

Aestrea glanced toward the brightly lit eastern side of the festival grounds.

“The Night Garden. They have the big lantern festival games and performances there.”

The girls’ eyes lit up.

“Games?!” Zeva and Yara said at the same time, exchanging competitive glances.

“I want to play all of them!” Lumi clapped her hands excitedly.

The group made their way through the lively streets, the atmosphere growing even more festive.

Colorful lanterns hung between buildings, street performers played upbeat music, and large open areas were filled with various festival games and attractions.

A massive glowing sign floated above the main plaza:

[Night Garden Divine Festival Games]

Only for those strong enough to play.

“Now we’re talking!!!” Zeva’s eyes lit up like a predator spotting prey.

The first major attraction they stopped at was the Titan’s Hammer, a strength-testing game where participants had to swing a massive enchanted hammer to launch a glowing orb into the sky.

The higher the orb flew, the better the prize. The current record was held by a 3✯ God who had sent it past the clouds.

’…Only a 3✯ True God?’ Aestrea frowned for a moment.

He had almost forgotten that the only thing that gods need is to get stronger, so they wouldn’t be at a place like this at all.

“My turn first!” Zeva rolled her shoulders.

She grabbed the enormous hammer like it weighed nothing, spun once with a battle cry, and slammed it down with monstrous force.

BOOOOOOM!

The orb shot upward like a meteor, disappearing completely into the night sky. A loud bell rang as golden fireworks exploded overhead.

“New Record!” the attendant shouted excitedly.

“Beyond the clouds!”

“Beat that~” Zeva grinned arrogantly and looked at Yara

“Watch me,” Yara cracked her neck..

She stepped up and swung even harder. The impact created a small shockwave that made nearby people stumble.

KABOOOOOM!

Her orb flew even higher as another explosion of fireworks lit up the sky.

The two crazy swordswomen immediately started arguing over who hit it higher while the rest of the group laughed.

Next, they moved to the Abyssal Archery range.

The targets were moving shadow beasts flying at high speeds, and the bows were enchanted to require perfect control of divine power.

Lilith took the bow with a seductive smile. She fired three arrows in quick succession, each one piercing a different shadow beast through the eye.

“Too easy~” she purred, blowing a kiss toward Aestrea.

Ruli and Leaf went next, both surprisingly good. Their arrows glowed with their respective powers as they competed fiercely against each other.

Meanwhile, Rose and Violet tried the Heart’s Harmony game, a gentle couples-style game where participants had to synchronize their divine energy to make a crystal flower bloom.

The more beautiful the flower, the better the result.

Rose and Violet played together, their energies mixing softly. A delicate but beautiful purple-orange flower bloomed, earning them a pair of matching flower hairpins.

Aestrea watched them with a small smile.

Christina instantly tugged his sleeve.

“Let’s play something together!”

She dragged him to the Star Weaver stall, a game where couples had to weave threads of starlight together to create constellations. The more accurate and beautiful the pattern, the better the reward.

Aestrea and Christina worked side by side. Their combined energy created a beautiful crescent moon surrounded by stars. The attendant applauded.

“Truly harmonious!” he praised.

Lumi, not wanting to be left out, jumped onto Aestrea’s back and pointed at the Floating Cloud Race, magical clouds that participants had to ride and race through an obstacle course in the sky.

“Can we do that one, Master? Please~?”

“We’ll do it as a group,” Aestrea nodded.

The entire harem ended up participating in the cloud race.

Chaos immediately erupted.

Zeva and Yara tried to sabotage each other mid-air. Mia tried to ram into others playfully. Lilith used seductive illusions to distract people.

Alaine stayed protectively close to Aestrea the entire time. Vivian calmly guided her cloud with elegant precision and still came in second place.

In the end, surprisingly, little Lumi won by turning part of her body into a jet-like propulsion and zooming past everyone.

“I won! I won!” she cheered, jumping into Aestrea’s arms the moment they landed.

Her translucent body shimmered with excitement as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

“Did you see that, Master?! I was super fast!”

“I saw. You cheated quite creatively.” Aestrea caught her easily, laughing lightly.

Lumi puffed her cheeks at his words.

“It’s not cheating! It’s using my natural abilities!”

“That was bullshit. I demand a rematch.” Zeva crossed her arms, still breathing heavily from the race.

“Yeah, next time I’m tying her down before we start,” Yara smirked beside her, wiping sweat from her brow.

Rustle…

Alaine gently adjusted Aestrea’s slightly disheveled coat from the wind of the race.

“Master, are you tired? Should I bring you something to drink?”

Before Aestrea could answer, Christina’s stomach let out a loud, unmistakable growl. She blushed instantly and covered her stomach with both hands.

“…I’m starving,” she admitted with an embarrassed laugh.

“Finally! I’ve been waiting for someone to say it. All that racing made me hungry too.” Mia grinned.

“We’ve been walking and playing for hours now…” Maria nodded gently.

Aestrea looked at the group and nodded.

“Then let’s eat. There’s a large open-air restaurant pavilion nearby. They should have enough space for all of us.”

The girls immediately perked up. Lumi was still clinging to him like a koala as they walked, while the others chatted excitedly about what they wanted to eat.

The restaurant pavilion was beautiful, a massive circular area with floating lantern lights overhead and large, comfortable tables arranged around a central glowing fountain.

The staff looked slightly overwhelmed when they saw the size of the group but quickly combined several tables to accommodate them.

Once everyone was seated, the real chaos of ordering began.

“Twenty skewers of flame-bear meat, extra spicy! And a barrel of honey-wine!” Zeva slammed her menu down.

Yara leaned over instantly, glaring at her.

“Make that thirty skewers. I’m not losing to you tonight.”

Christina scanned the menu with sparkling eyes. “I want the rainbow fruit platter… and the cream pasta… and the honey cakes for dessert!”

Lumi, still half-sitting on Aestrea’s lap, pointed excitedly at the menu.

“Everything sweet! All of it!”

Rose and Violet quietly discussed what to share, eventually deciding on a large vegetable and spirit herb platter together.

“I will have whatever Master is having.” Alaine remained formal even while ordering.

“The same for me.” Isabella smiled elegantly.

Lilith leaned over Aestrea’s shoulder, pressing her chest against his back as she whispered,

“I want something… juicy.”

Aestrea gave her a light elbow.

“Behave.”

“Heh~” Lilith just giggled.

Chaerin sat close to his right, quietly ordering a modest but flavorful dish while occasionally glancing at him for approval.

Ruli and Leaf were in their own little world, arguing over whether to order spicy or sweet dishes before ultimately deciding to get both and share.

Vivian, ever the mature presence, calmly coordinated with the waiters to make sure everything arrived smoothly and that no one was left out.

When the food finally started arriving, the table became a lively battlefield of sharing, stealing, and feeding.

Christina immediately picked up a piece of honey cake and brought it to Aestrea’s mouth.

“Open~”

He accepted it, earning a satisfied smile from her.

“Try this one. It’s really good.” Mia, not to be outdone, cut a large piece of grilled meat and held it up to him.

Lumi stretched her arm across the table like slime and offered him a spoonful of glowing pudding.

“Master, this one is super tasty!”

Even Maria shyly offered him a piece of fruit from her plate.

Aestrea accepted all of their offerings with patience, occasionally feeding some of them back, which caused happy giggles and flushed cheeks around the table.

Zeva and Yara were in a full eating contest, both inhaling food at terrifying speeds while trash-talking each other between bites.

“Phew… I’m satisfied~” Mia mumbled, rubbing her belly lightly.

Maria chuckled at her actions before delicately wiping her lips with a handkerchief. But then, she frowned.

“…Aestrea? Are you okay?”

Aestrea instantly snapped out of his daze.

“Oh, yeah…” he nodded lightly.

“I was just thinking about the organization…”

Thump!

Hearing those words, Christian elbowed him slighly, leaning her head on his shoulder, comfortable.

“Don’t worry about it… I made sure that everyone had something to do.”

“Mhm…”

The truth was that Aestrea wasn’t thinking about the organization, but… he had just received a message from his new slave.

And that message was none other than about the appearance of an energy similar to the one that she saw in that painting.

’Describe that person for me…’

{Male, darkish-brown hair… dark brown eyes, lean physique… and apparently has a retard-looking friend called Kael.}

’…Tyrian?’

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