Me and countless me.

Chapter 584 The Cold Yet Scorching Power of Light
"Is this much power... enough to solve the problem?"

Cupping a handful of clear spring water, Li Ke looked at the beauty reflected in the water and couldn't help but frown. But the next moment, the maid who had been serving him spoke up.

"Your Highness, the High Priest is waiting for you at the door."

As she spoke, she took the clothes and stood beside Li Ke. Li Ke could only sigh and, with the help of more than twenty maids, put on a white gauze dress similar to that in the Greek style and put on his golden crown.

Her golden crown was made of laurel leaves and ears of wheat, with the laurel leaves representing the glory and responsibility of power, and the ears of wheat representing the people and the earth.

Then a cloak inlaid with various gems and gold was to be draped over her, so she was now very curious whether she could persevere.

After all, today is her coming-of-age ceremony, which is also the ceremony to receive the power of light. Therefore, for the three days before the ceremony begins, she cannot eat any food, and can only drink a small bowl of dew from the temple.

Half of the day is spent in a pool filled with spices and flower petals, and even when sleeping, one can only sleep on a bed made of flower petals and spices.

To be honest, in Li Ke's opinion, this was less like a ritual to obtain the power of light and more like marinating a sacrificial offering for food. It was ridiculous that she had searched through ancient books but couldn't find the origin of this rule, yet the elders chose to torture her in order to suppress the king.

However, Li Ke was more curious about why the high priest, who should be preparing for the inheritance ceremony in the temple hall, was here.

"Does the High Priest have something important to discuss with me today? Why does he need to come in person? Never mind, I'll go see him right away."

After saying that, Li Ke stood up, but the heavy cloak made it difficult for her to walk steadily. She needed the help of a maid to stand up and walk into the living room.

"your Highness."

The high priest rushed over the moment he saw Li Ke and reached out to support him. His face, though sharp, was full of regret, yet also revealed a resolute determination.

"The king has gone mad! He wants to preside over the ceremony himself and wants me to admit that the power of darkness far surpasses the power of light!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ke couldn't help but glance at the High Priest, only then realizing that the other party had come to find her because his power had been taken away, so she couldn't help but laugh.

"Then what use is it for you to come to me?"

"This……"

The high priest looked at Li Ke, wanting to say that as the future queen of the king, she could naturally say some nice things. So he looked around, maintained his stabbing expression, but took out a piece of dried meat and a dagger from his pocket and handed them to Li Ke.

“I only pity you. Come, child, this is the sword of light that every saintess has carried. The king asked me to give it to you ahead of time, and also asked me to give you this piece of dried meat to help you replenish your strength.”

Li Ke was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, because it was an absolutely foolish act, practically tantamount to having poison written all over his face.

"Was it your doing again? Or was it the malice of my wretched father?"

Li Ke didn't speak, but silently accepted the two items handed to him by the high priest.

The dagger looked damaged, and its design didn't resemble a true dagger. Its blade was a brilliant rhomboid gemstone, but it was clearly damaged; Li Ke could even see the cracks. The hilt had golden wings, similar to the shoulder armor pattern of Ultraman Tiga from his memory, but they were completely different patterns.

But the moment Li Ke touched the dagger, his heart began to pound violently!
Because she felt warmth!
It's light!

In the light, she saw a golden giant standing before countless people, wearing golden armor and covered in golden plates, similar to Ultraman, but not Ultraman, more like an alien in armor!

It bears about 80% resemblance to Amaterasu's transformed form from the beginning of her animal form! However, the shape of the armor is similar to that of the Absolut armor!
In the illusion, she clearly saw countless monsters fall at the giant's hands with great ease. Among these fallen monsters, she even saw well-known monsters such as Belaucon, Bemstar, and Zetton!

Her blood surged, and following this feeling, the warm light instantly enveloped her entire body. Instinctively, she probed her mind into it, wanting to touch that warm light, and then—

"Well!"

The moment her mind touched that warm light, it became incredibly scorching and utterly repulsive! The intense light made her feel as if her entire body was burning, making it impossible for her to touch this wondrous light!

A tremendous force also surged out from the crystal dagger, trying to break free from her grasp!

Li Ke tried her best to hold on and communicate, but all she got in return was a more violent attack and a colder, more scorching rejection! It made her feel like she was standing in front of a cold yet scorching sun!

The skin on her palms began to burn from the scorching heat, but she persisted in trying to hold onto that power, though doubts began to creep into her mind.

"Is it a test? Or is it resistance against me, a creation of Gatanothor?! Or is it that my original destiny was to be a man, and therefore this power refuses to be wielded by a man?"

Under the impact of the flowing light, the high priest was dumbfounded, because he had never believed that the power of his ancestors was real, nor did he believe that the power of this Holy Maiden of Light was real, but everything he saw from the princess told him that it was all real!
The high priest, devoid of faith, watched in horror as the princess was rejected by the power of the Holy Maiden's Sword and her palms were burned by the power of light. He couldn't even imagine how he would die if the king discovered this!
However, Li Ke didn't care about the High Priest's thoughts at this moment, because just as she was trying to master the power of light, a voice rang in her ear.

“You’re doing it the wrong way, child.”

As she spoke, streaks of blue and white power instantly emanated from her body, flowing like water along her arm, constantly repairing the arm that was stung by the light, and like tentacles, it burrowed into the light dagger in her hand!

The moment the blue-white light appeared, Li Ke wanted to throw away the light dagger, but the instant she released it, the light dagger was captured by the blue-white light and healed all her injuries!

The sword of light instantly calmed down. Its cold light no longer felt scorching, but instead emitted a warm glow. A realization dawned on Li Ke, letting her know that she could transform at any time, becoming the giant in the illusion.

The arm, which had been almost charred, returned to its previous soft and white state at this moment. However, Li Ke glanced at her arm, which had been reshaped by that power, and the next moment she knelt down on the ground due to excessive physical and mental exhaustion.

However, even so, she did not forget to ask the question in her heart.

"Who are you! Why are you helping me!"

And the voice became gentler.

"I am your ancestor, child. What you just experienced was a power dormant within you; I merely guided it out. Your father was corrupted by darkness; you must end his mistakes, restore the kingdom to its right path, and restore the world to its right path! Let love and peace return to this planet!"

Li Ke didn't speak upon hearing this, but simply gripped the sword of light in her hand. The power within it made people feel at ease, because now, with just a thought, she could easily transform into a giant hundreds of meters tall.

In mythology, the giants of their race could easily lift up stars, seal Gatanothor, and change the position of galaxies, making them virtually invincible.

And the power she felt was indeed invincible.

"Then why don't you go and wake my father?"

As Li Ke questioned him, the voice became filled with pain and regret. "He has been corrupted too deeply by darkness! He has become Gatanothor's vessel, to the point that you almost couldn't bear the power of light. So child, you must quickly master the power within you to defeat your father! Otherwise, this planet will have no hope!"

The power within the body?

Reaching out, Li Ke easily sensed the blue-white power hidden within her body. This power was in no way inferior to, and even surpassed, the power she felt within the Sword of Light. Even within Li Ke's own domain, it easily surpassed the power of other Li Kes, including those from the Type-Moon series.

Looking at the sword of light radiating a warm glow in his hand, Li Ke hesitated. But it wasn't hesitation about killing his father; rather, it was hesitation about whether to believe the voice.

Legend has it that this power of light did indeed defeat Gatanothor, so it's reasonable that it could suppress Gatanothor's power. Furthermore, it appeared only after it touched the sword of light, so its origin is quite plausible.

but……

"Are you hesitating about whether to kill your father? It is indeed a difficult choice... but son, look at what your father has done."

With this voice, a warm light screen unfolded in front of Li Ke, showing her father's soldiers levying exorbitant taxes and exploiting the people to build spaceships to attack neighboring planets, as well as countless children working on production lines on empty stomachs.

These images filled Li Ke with anger, but her reason told her that the voice was becoming increasingly suspicious, even...

The power within her seems highly suspicious!

The sudden arrival of power, the voice that could not prove its origin, and the light that gave warmth yet was both cold and scorching—all these seemed reasonable in their explanations and speculations, yet they also aroused considerable suspicion.

Should she believe that this is the warm light, or should she suspect that it is a trick by Gatanjeor to manipulate people's hearts?
It seems she had no choice at all.

Her father was waiting for her, and so was her destiny. At this moment, all she could do was grip the sword of light tightly.

"I understand."

As she spoke, that eerie voice appeared in her ear again.

'Dong dong', 'Dong dong', 'Dong dong'...

The eerie sound, like a heartbeat, caused her vision to go black for a moment, as if the sound wasn't coming from anywhere else, but from her own heartbeat. With the appearance of this heartbeat, she felt her body go numb for a moment, and even felt waves of cold, burning pain spreading from her heart throughout her body. And with each place this cold sensation reached, she felt as if her body was being torn apart!

However, the excruciating pain could not be relieved by losing consciousness. In fact, with the pain, her consciousness became clearer and her body became more and more rigid, as if she had been struck by Gatanothor's petrifying ray and turned into a stone statue. But her consciousness remained clear, and she could only feel endless coldness and emptiness.

And this almost unbearable pain!

However, this pain only lasted for a moment, and the next moment it turned back into that warm feeling of being bathed in light.

Or perhaps, it was dispelled by that warm light.

"What's going on?"

Li Ke covered her chest, trying to feel if her heartbeat was abnormal, but found that because her breasts were too big, she couldn't hear anything when she put her hand on her chest.

"........."

Li Ke, who always forgot that she had been tricked into becoming a woman by her anthropomorphic father, stood up helplessly from the ground and looked at those who were staring at her in astonishment or with joy on their faces, her expression still indifferent.

But she didn't care what these people were like, because everyone here, including her maid, was just a group of humanoids.

They are either daring to kill for fame and fortune, or they are vermin who would give up everything for money and power.

Otherwise, how could she possibly be safe in her father's royal court?

"Get ready to attend the ceremony."

Gripping the Sword of Light tightly, ignoring the priests, maids, ministers, and guards, Li Ke strode forward. A ray of sunlight shone through the clouds onto her, and above the golden sky, the clouds, thanks to the kingdom's technology, transformed into the shape of wings of light.

Countless pale-faced people gathered below the temple. Her eyesight allowed her to clearly see the expectation and longing in their eyes, as well as their desire for her to take power. But even more so, there was hatred and apathy, because they didn't care about this damned king who had created the Holy Maiden of Light. They only wanted the sustenance and fair environment they deserved after their hard work.

"I must respond to them..."

Thinking this, Li Ke looked at the altar in the distance, but at that moment, several young guards appeared in front of her, blocking her view.

"Your Highness, we are the drivers and security personnel for this ceremony. Please get in the vehicle."

A handsome young man with a warm smile and a face that exudes a sense of security appeared before her. Beside him was a woman who looked like she could conjure up an ancient corpse.

Daigo... and Megumi Kijima?

Li Ke looked over in confusion and saw a person on the car she was about to board who clearly looked like he was going to crash. When he saw her looking over, the person even gave her a confident smile.

But that smile made Li Ke fall silent, because...

"Xincheng...will you drive me?"

However, just as she was lost in thought, that gentle voice appeared again.

"If you are not good at fighting, you can also entrust your power to someone else you can trust. This is also the power of the Holy Maiden of Light. My child, it's just that the previous Holy Maidens of Light did not use this method because they wanted to maintain their rule. But things have come to this point. If you really don't want to fight, this is also a way."

But the moment those words were spoken, Li Ke realized something!

The source of this voice is malicious!

Furthermore, this voice can definitely read your mind to some extent, or sense your emotions. Your information is basically a one-way blank to the other party! Even the power within you is very likely to be a trap for the other party!
even……

Looking at Daigo, Megumi, Shinjo, Rena, Horii, Munakata, and a handsome guy who looked like he was good at playing games, Li Ke couldn't be sure whether this was a coincidence from the Ultraman world or just Gatanothor's twisted sense of humor!
Who can she trust now?

And can we still trust our own senses?

(End of this chapter)