Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1396 The Mother Goddess's Compromise

The declaration of the "Fallen Mother Goddess" was like a thunderclap, stunning all the ancient beings on Earth, and even the other Outer Gods who were currently engaged in battle.

But in the eyes of "Lord of Mysteries" Klein, this situation was not beyond his expectations.

It is important to know that before the final battle, he and Angel had discussed using the "Creator in the Mirror" as the ultimate deterrent for Earth, trying to ensure that they would not truly lose the war. After noticing that the "Fourth Pillar" also needed the symbol of the "Decaying King" to cooperate, he repeatedly used this danger to provoke the "Ring of Fate", forcing it to restart time and affect the course of the war.

In that case, he believes that the "Fallen Mother Goddess," who also possesses the power to create new creators and destroy the current universe, would certainly use this as a deterrent at crucial moments to force Earth to make concessions and seek her own interests.

The fact that natural Great Old Ones act merely based on divinely bestowed instincts does not mean they lack wisdom. Their ability to develop followers, bestow gifts upon them, and even exploit humanity within the barrier for their own benefit is proof of this.

This pillar-level Ancient came to the solar system and has been guarding the Earth's barrier for thousands of years. Its primary purpose is naturally to reclaim the torn parts of the "Mother Nest" and the two extraordinary pathways of "Moon" and "Mother" to complete itself. But in addition, it also has other demands, such as mastering one or two more extraordinary pathways that can enhance its own symbolism within the limits of "pillar". For example, it would help its eldest daughter, "Goddess of Fate", to contain the "Key of Light", and prevent "God" and "Lord of Mysteries" from being truly born, so that there will be other pillars in this universe that can threaten it.

Especially the last point.

Although no Old One dared to truly contain the "Chaos Sea" and the "Source Castle," as this would immediately exceed the Pillars' limits and cause the "First Creator" spirit, present in all Source Matter and Extraordinary Characteristics, to revive, resulting in a second aggregation and split, as long as other Old Ones could contain one or more Extraordinary Paths under Source Matter, the two Pillars would be unable to meet the conditions for resurrection.

Of course, the idea is nice, but the reality is harsh.

Before the barrier of the Creator disappeared, two pillar-level Ancients were born on Earth and broke the seal on the Western Continent ahead of schedule, giving almost all the Source Matter a new master and the strength to fight against the Outer Gods.

The only good news is that the "Lord of Mysteries" is not the "Celestial Venerable," and "God" is not the original "God." Both are new consciousnesses that have been elevated later and are more human. Although the spirit of the past is immortal, even if it is delayed for tens of thousands or millions of years, the Celestial Venerable and the original God will eventually return. However, as long as time goes on long enough, the "present world" will occupy a significant portion of the final outcome.

At that time, the "Celestial Venerable" and the "Primordial God" may only retain the base color of divinity, while the painting will be painted with a strong sense of humanity.

The two pillars, possessing humanity, have a positive aspect for the Outer Gods: they spare them the infamous "Celestial Venerable" and the "Primordial God" who forced the Source Matter to bear offspring. However, they also have a negative aspect: they cannot fight solely based on divine instincts. In this situation, not only is the extraordinary path to splitting them impossible, but even truly defeating the Earth faction and seizing the unclaimed Source Matter is no longer feasible, as this would inevitably provoke fierce resistance from the two pillars.

Thus, the "Fallen Mother Goddess" had only one goal left: to reclaim her lost essence and characteristics, and then leave this land of conflict, no longer interfering in the wars between the ancients.

Once He has contained the complete “mother nest” and regained the four pathways supporting the “real ruler”, He will not fear any enemy, including “God” and “the Lord of Mysteries”.

Of course, all of this is Klein's deduction and speculation. Even at the level of pillars, fate is still mysterious and cannot be determined by divination and prophecy.

Conversely, looking at Earth's bottom line, the "Mother Nest" is not actually an important item that cannot be handed over. After all, the "Earth Mother Goddess" has already fallen. Even if she can return after the war using the reserved resurrection methods, it is unlikely that she can accommodate the source matter with a living consciousness and a strong rebellious mentality in a short period of time. Moreover, the "Fallen Mother Goddess" has a huge advantage in this matter. Once the "Root God, Mother of All Things, Filthy Mother Nest" is born, it is very likely to be controlled by the other party and become a puppet instead.

In other words, surrendering the "mother nest" while retaining the two source materials already obtained is an acceptable option.

The only problem is that taking one step back may mean taking a second or third step back.

What if this great mother wants to obtain the "Key of Light" for her eldest daughter, the "Goddess of Fate"? What if the other ancient beings disagree with the "Fallen Mother's" deal? If Earth shows any sign of compromise, it will likely be asked for more, such as the return of the "Shadow World" or the return of the "Super Star Overlord." If this happens, the hard-won situation will return to its initial state, and many of the methods used will be unusable a second time, making the upcoming battles even more difficult.

Could the Outer Gods even demand that the "Cataclysm of Destruction," a Great Old One that poses a threat to the original Creator in the mirror and is a component of the Fourth Pillar, willingly fall?
Feeling the trust and reliance that Angel placed in the "connection," waiting for his decision, Klein was determined not to allow this to happen.

"...We must be firm and not show any signs of compromise. But even if we're prepared to perish together, following suit after the 'Fallen Mother Goddess' has already activated her ultimate deterrent will be ineffective. Therefore, we need to do this..."

Within the Old Legion centered around Angel, "God" Grisha also made a similar analysis.

With the help of the "Knowledge Demon," the exchange of information was completed almost instantly. At this moment, the "Fallen Mother Goddess" had just finished speaking when she declared that she would use the special symbol of the "Primordial Chaos Embryo," and all the ancients were stunned for a moment.

Then, they all noticed something:

The Astral Realm has reopened.

Undoubtedly, this was intentionally done by the "Lord of the Astral Planes." Without His permission, any being that tries to enter that space composed of abstract concepts and authority will be greatly repelled. Even the "Primal Hunger," which forcibly carved out a passage, would find it difficult to move quickly with the help of the Astral Planes, let alone ordinary beings of the Old Ones.

Now, the opening of the Astral Plane not only effectively connects the two separate battlefields, allowing all the ancients to instantly transfer between them, but it also signifies something else...

...The Outer Gods can now escape.

Long before the fall of the "Mother Tree of Desire" and the "Super Star Overlord," several Outer Gods felt that the battle was no longer necessary. The only reason they continued to resist was that the Astral Plane was sealed off and they could not leave quickly.

Now that there is a way out, the first to disappear is the "High Dimension Overlooker," who was already lingering on the edge of the battlefield and whose main body had escaped far away by relying on its upgraded state. Almost the instant it sensed the opening of the astral plane, it left the Milky Way and hid inside some star system that no one could find, completely giving up its thirst for the source matter such as the "Disordered Kingdom."

After all, He had already suffered serious injuries and had witnessed the “Super Star Overlord”, who also wanted to seize the source matter, easily die under the terrifying “Destruction Cataclysm” sword. He was afraid of becoming the next target, and also worried that other Outer Gods would covet his power after the war ended.

Those who share similar ideas include the "unceasing murmurs," which also lack a physical body.

If it weren't for concerns about the "Fallen Mother Goddess's" current mental state, He wouldn't have run much slower than the "Higher Dimensional Overlooker."

The "Decaying King" also felt the deep malice, the undisguised will of the "Beginning of Evil" and the "Cataclysmic Destruction" once again setting its sights on it.

Fortunately, "Primal Hunger" was completely unaware of the constantly changing situation. It continued to chase the aura of the "City of Calamity" that it craved most, wandering back and forth in the star field with vortexes of giant teeth and chaotic liquid, constantly crushing mirror doppelgangers or imaginary illusions that could not fill its stomach, even devouring the weariness and sleepiness that kept rising in its heart.

With Him stirring things up, the "declining king" has time to ponder whether he should distance himself from the "fallen mother goddess" or move closer to her to wait for her deterrent effect on Earth to take effect, and then make his demands to get some compensation so as not to leave empty-handed.

Compared to these temporary allies with their own differing motives, the "Ring of Destiny" is the most conflicted. It also feels that there is little reason for it to remain in the current situation. Even if the "Fallen Mother Goddess" is effective due to the deterrence of the Chaos Primal Embryo, it will most likely only seek the "Mother Nest" and will not be generous enough to help other Outer Gods. Furthermore, the "Ring of Destiny's" "rewinding" based on fate and time has no effect on the other creator it is carrying. Once the Chaos Primal Embryo is truly born, there is no way to stop it.

The only reason He remained here was to see if there was an opportunity to help Earth and stop the "Fallen Mother Goddess." After all, He could interfere with the former, whether it was merging the "Mirror Creator" or causing the fourth pillar to appear, but not with the latter.

In order to prevent the universe from being destroyed by this war, the "Ring of Destiny" can only remain here and continue to observe.

At this moment, the most tragic victim of moral blackmail in the entire universe has emerged.

But just as the three faces of this greatest "angel of salvation" in the entire universe all showed expressions of suffering, He sensed an ominous sign while peering into the river of fate.

After the astral plane was reopened by "God", the aura of the "Creator in the Mirror" once again surged within Angel, the "Cataclysm of Destruction".

She has once again begun to revive the positive aspect of the Creator, which is merging with the negative aspect.

Although the chaotic mind left behind by the "Primordial God" is an obstacle, everything is under Angel's control. As long as this part of existence is removed, the Yin and Yang will soon converge. At that time, she will voluntarily give up and expel a portion of the "apocalyptic" characteristics, and her body will immediately reach the balance required for the revival of the "creator in the mirror".

This was the "ultimate deterrent" that Earth originally planned to use when the war was going badly. It was the same method as the Chaos Primordial Embryo of the "Fallen Mother Goddess," and it was also a "resurrection contingency plan" that the creator who created everything left behind before splitting apart.

Of course, from the perspective of the "Ring of Destiny," this is just a wishful thinking attempt. Once the "original in the mirror" appears in its entirety, its position beyond the pillars will inevitably cause a new round of aggregation and division. The universe may not be destroyed, but none of the old days present will be able to survive.

After the fall of the "Super Star Overlord," Angel also initiated a similar aggregation. However, at that time, the "Ring of Destiny" believed that Earth had already gained enough advantage and would not actually detonate this bomb, so it did not interfere. But this time is different. The "Fallen Mother Goddess" used similar methods. The two sides are competing to see who dares to make a real decision and drag all the ancients down with them!
This situation made the "Ring of Destiny" very uncomfortable. It once again considered using the symbol of the "Ring Man" to rewind time, but it didn't know how effective this method would be. Even if time were reversed, the "Cataclysmic Destruction" would surely summon the beginning from the mirror again, because the "Fallen Mother Goddess" would not back down, and the conflict of interests between Earth and the Outer Gods would still exist.

Compared to His conflicted feelings, the "primal hunger" that kept pursuing Angel had a much simpler idea in mind.

He seemed to see his own father appear before him, the person of the "original creator" who gave birth to all the Great Old Ones, the being whom He, in his simple mind, considered irreversible.

Of course, this feeling is not strong, and given the false position of the original creator in the mirror and the "deceptive" power that Klein has already spread throughout the galaxy, it can probably only last for a few seconds.

What Klein needed were those few seconds of undisturbed time.

His voice resonated in Angel's heart:

“Bring the ‘Fallen Mother Goddess’ into our ranks.”

"what?"

Although Angel's expression remained unchanged, his heart was in turmoil.

Based on the "Red Priestess's" team combat capabilities, turning beings of the same rank into teammates requires not only her invitation but also the other party's explicit consent; otherwise, she would have forcibly recruited several Outer Gods during the battle.

The "Fallen Mother Goddess" has once again made the heart of the "Chaotic Primal Embryo" she is carrying beat, and she has also made herself appear desperate to gather the "Creator in the Mirror". In this confrontational state, how could the other party possibly agree to join the team?
However, trusting Klein, Angel took advantage of the other Outer Gods' wavering thoughts and the hesitation of "Primal Hunger" to extend an invitation to the third Pillar-level Ancient present.

Almost simultaneously, that melodious and endearing female voice echoed in the minds of all those who had lived on Earth in the past:

"My request is to reclaim the 'Mother Nest' and the 'Mother' and 'Moon' pathways. In exchange, I am willing to forgo helping other Old Ones in exchange for your support."

He actually agreed... Angel was taken aback and immediately noticed the layers of meaning contained in the words of the "Fallen Mother Goddess".

At this moment, He not only lost the assertiveness He had shown when proposing to use the symbol of the "Primordial Chaos Embryo," but also deliberately lowered His stance and took the initiative to reduce His demands to near the bottom line—as long as it originated from His own "mother nest" and corresponding extraordinary characteristics, He would not make any additional demands, including helping His eldest daughter, the "Goddess of Fate," to accommodate more source matter.

Moreover, He said He needs our support? Does this mean that the "Fallen Mother Goddess" is also worried that publicly making such a request will cause other Outer Gods to oppose it at all costs? After all, with this ceasefire, apart from Himself, none of the Outer Gods have gained anything; instead, they are all wounded, and might even become prey for other Old Ones who haven't come to Earth... Grisha's initiative to open the "Astral Plane" is to shake the resolve of these Outer Gods, so that they won't fight to the death if they have a way out?

Angel's mind raced with thoughts, but he was careful not to let them leak out during the "connection" lest the Fallen Mother Goddess discover them.

Of course, the conditions proposed by the other party were close to her previous ideas, and the "Fallen Mother Goddess" was obviously in a state of fear from both sides. She was worried that the other Outer Gods would not support her and thus start another battle. It was not right for her to use the "Primordial Chaos Embryo" or not to use it. She was also worried that the Outer Gods would simply use the Astral Plane to run away, leaving her to face the two pillars and the other Earth Old Ones alone. She had no other way but to drag everyone down with her and destroy herself.

Therefore, He merely awakened the heartbeat of the "Primordial Chaos," rather than placing the Creator in a state of imminent birth as if destroying a barrier. It was like loading a gun and pointing it at oneself, but not putting the finger on the trigger, leaving the opponent some room for negotiation.

Klein keenly sensed this and realized that having Angel pull the other party into a "connection" for private communication was the best way to break the deadlock.

Should he agree to His request? As long as the "Fallen Mother Goddess" leaves, the other Outer Gods are no threat... But could He be bluffing, waiting to reclaim the "Mother Nest" and immediately heal the other Great Old Ones, launching a second Doomsday War... Angel's mind was in turmoil, but he still maintained the initial state of the "Creator in the Mirror" while remaining vigilant about the movements of the Outer Gods such as the "Ring of Destiny" and "Primal Hunger".

Just then, Grisha's calm and serene voice rang out:

"Leave a way out."

The "Fallen Mother Goddess" immediately expressed strong dissatisfaction in the mind connection.

puff-

Another heartbeat rang out, even more powerful than the previous one, as if it were already close to reality.

Leaving a path open… preferably the “Moon” path, would allow Earth to gain an additional Sequence 0 True God, and would weaken the “Fallen Mother Goddess” as a pillar. While reintegrating the Mother Nest and the “Mother” would strengthen her own symbolism, she would lose some abilities and corresponding uniqueness, making her weaker than our two pillars. Moreover, she wouldn't dare to affect the Extraordinary Ones of the “Moon” path, as Earth would trace her back to her location, bringing unnecessary trouble… Angel's mind stirred; he thought it was a good suggestion, but the “Fallen Mother Goddess” might not agree.

Just like her previous attempts to "perish together," the Earth side is now in a dominant position, trying to protect its own gains, while the Outer Gods, especially the "Fallen Mother Goddess," have nothing left to lose.

At that moment, Grisha added:
"This will earn me my 'notarization'."

Possessing the "Sun" pathway, He is the strongest "notary" in the entire universe.

The "connection" fell into an eerie silence, with the "Fallen Mother Goddess" remaining silent.

But the next heartbeat of the "Primordial Chaos Embryo" never sounded.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Earth's outer space as seen in a mirror.

As the Earth's angels gradually became familiar with the rhythm of battle, they launched coordinated surprise attacks with the help of team hubs such as "Conqueror" and "Weather Wizard," slaying and severely damaging enemies one by one, while also suffering increasing losses themselves.

Suddenly, they noticed that the Outer Gods and Angels had retreated like a tide, using the reopened Spirit Realm to escape the Mirror World, leaving behind many corpses.

"...Pursue cautiously and protect the barrier."

Gled Soren issued the command through the telepathic link, watching the bizarre Outer God angel disappear from the edge of his sight.

He had previously noticed that the followers of the "Mother Tree of Desire" and the "Superstar Ruler" were becoming flustered, helpless, and unwilling to fight. He guessed that the situation in the real world was developing in a direction favorable to Earth. However, the fact that the bitter battle he had imagined ended so quickly was still beyond his expectations.

Immediately, He received a divine message from His own deity, the invincible "Goddess of Calamity," in His mind.

Adjusting his expression, this "conqueror" turned around, faced his comrades who were looking at him expectantly, and smiled:

"The war is over."

"Victory belongs to the earth, and to everyone who fought to the end."

With their suspicions confirmed, Fors, Leonard, Emlyn, and the other angels relaxed and smiled in unison.

Behind them lies the azure gem, the home and guardianship of all angels.

(End of this chapter)