Brain bloom

Even a step taken by the true God is meaningful.

She was declaring that she wanted to break free from this overly narrow world! Her power could not be contained here; she wanted to return to the vastness of heaven and earth!

In those two seconds, a series of shocking events unfolded, stirring the souls within. They scrambled to gather around Mori, eager to escape the world that had imprisoned them for so long.

But they were also afraid and did not take that step, not only because they wanted Mori to go first, but also because they were afraid.

Is it really... time to leave?

They even forgot that there was an option to "leave".

“Let’s go,” Mori said to them once again.

The voice was gentle, yet it awakened their long-dormant yearning for "freedom."

Nothing is more helpful than this encouragement.

As the gaping hole widened further, she could see the outside world! Outside, she was still near the entrance to the ruins where she had come from, and the clarity of everything moved her deeply.

She led tens of thousands of lonely souls out of the monster's body amidst a cacophony of wailing cries.

Of course, when she returned to the real world, the soul monster woven from her soul had already died. From the moment the true god manifested within it, its narrow body had long been purified by the supreme divine power.

"world……"

Ah...the world.

"I want to go back to my hometown."

"I want to go to the city of magic, and have a bowl of seafood noodles at a little shop along the riverbank..."

"Add a quail egg as well."

Unlike the forest, the souls were so free that they could leave this place at will and head straight for the exit.

“You…” Morishi wanted to say something, but she swallowed the rest of her sentence and instead said, “Go, the world welcomes your return, it’s sunny outside.”

Tens of thousands of souls converged into a massive wave, swaying in the form of "freedom," surging towards the blue sky and white clouds.

Sen Shi relinquished her divine status, standing there leaning against the wall, somewhat exhausted. But she could still hold on. Whether it was because she had become stronger or something else had changed, the drain of her true god state seemed less intense…

She has been witnessing the souls that have been liberated by themselves.

They sang the name of the coffin bearers with boundless joy and gratitude, and from time to time, they would also express their own wishes.

The most common response was wanting to go home and see family.

Sen did not stop them.

Even without entering the state of a true god, Mori knew very well what would happen to them once they left this ruin.

Like a slave of God and that ghostly lotus...

However, rather than wandering and enslaving here, they would still choose to return to the clear blue sky and joyfully disappear into the real land.

……

"Don't do that."

"What do you mean, 'Don't do that'?!"

"Your horn..."

Dandelion looked troubled, because Melia was holding her collar with one hand and the large axe in the other. Her face was full of resentment, and because they were so close, the banshee's elegant horns seemed about to poke her.

However, what Dandelion found most unbearable was not this, but Melia's flying saliva.

"You're just going to let her go alone like that? Do you know how dangerous that is? That godforsaken place is shrouded in a huge cloud of evil mist! That's evil mist! You probably don't know just how terrifying it can be!"

"saliva……"

She was unable to reach an agreement with Lord Balzac because the problem of the Evil Mist had already taken hold, and it was too late to say anything more.

Based on her experience fighting the Evil Mist, Melia already knew that the troublesome thing had spread throughout Silvermoon City. She simply urged Lord Balzac to fight, and then returned with a worried expression.

Although her father possessed the divine status of a true god, and all indications suggested that she was a powerful Seasonal Being, Melia still harbored worries. Just like when parents and children are separated, they begin to overthink and worry unnecessarily.

Her fears came true.

Senshi went to the source of the ominous fog alone! She could only vent her anger on the dandelion.

"I have led my country in the fight against the Evil Mist for a very long time! A mere wisp, if it devours even one person, will turn into a situation where ten warriors are needed to surround and kill it. Sometimes, if we can't defeat it, all ten warriors will be eaten, and then we will need hundreds or thousands!"

"I know... it's written in the history of our Flower Kingdom." Dandelion tilted her head back as high as she could, but unfortunately, her face was still covered in spittle.

“Good to know. It seems you Four Seasons People have also suffered from the calamity of the Evil Mist. Then you should know even more that it was a mistake to let her go alone.” She whispered to herself, “At least, you should have waited for me to come back and called me so we could go together.”

Volume 1 #243: The Grudges of the Previous Generation

"Demon Queen, calm down a bit. Sen Shi is a great power in the history of our Four Seasons, and the mastermind behind the destruction of our country. Do you think such a legendary little strawberry can be dealt with by a mere Evil Mist?"

“Of course she’s powerful…” Melia let go of the axe, seemingly a little happy, after all, her father had been praised again.

"That's good then. Besides, Evil Mist fears divine power, so she didn't go unprepared." Dandelion's tone was quite nonchalant when praising Sen Shi.

"Oh?"

“She brought the remains of the first Pope of the Holy Coffin Kingdom with her.”

"……I see."

Melia knew these things very well, because within the entire Kingdom of Holy Coffins, the bones possessing the strongest sacred aura were those of the first Pope. They were used as the foundation stones for the construction of that world-famous series of churches.

This shows the extent to which this great man who created the Holy Coffin Kingdom achieved his goals during his lifetime.

These remains are nourished by faith and, in turn, give life back to young believers.

In order to deal with the Evil Mist, Melia even tried to rent them several times.

Even a small piece of bone would be enough to destroy a source of the ominous mist. Unfortunately, due to religious differences and disagreements over the price, it never succeeded.

These remains have been sanctified; now that Senshi has them with him, he should be able to rest easy.

"We'll just stay home and wait for Mori to come back."

"That's true... I also need to free up some time to help Silvermoon City." She calmed down a bit before turning her attention to more important matters. "What if this entire city becomes nourishment for the Evil Mist... it would be a huge problem for the world."

Dandelion didn't seem to care much about the world's safety, looking rather absent-minded. After talking for a while, noticing her lack of interest, Melia stopped.

She started busying herself with other things—sitting down on the fence of grapevines, legs crossed high.

Every movement as she sat down was incredibly graceful. Her figure, still possessing the delicate curves of a young girl, exuded an imposing yet never cold and aloof charm.

Melia's wings curled slightly behind her back, using them to shield herself from the dazzling afternoon sun, so that the text on the Silvermoon City map in her hand could be clearly seen.

Everything requires preparation. Although she was not as pessimistic as her father, she learned what meticulousness meant.

If things really come to a head and Silvermoon City is irreversibly shrouded in Evil Fog, then she must first figure out where to begin in order to trigger more chains of disaster and ensure the entire city is reduced to ashes.

"—No need for that, little Melia."

Suddenly, as if someone had seen through her thoughts, a quiet, ancient, and distant female voice rang out.

"Forget about how to destroy the city, I'll help you blow away the evil fog."

It came so suddenly, yet it was accompanied by terror.

Melia felt an instinctive fear, and even the dandelion that was yawning and tending to the flowers and plants nearby felt a chill run down its spine for a moment, its branches and leaves becoming disheveled.

"Uh...no way? Aunt Fernanda...you're here?"

"Yeah, it's been a year."

Dandelion dropped the watering can from her hand. Of course, she knew the name Fernanda. The Primordial Evil Dragon that tore apart truth—that was a very famous and ferocious beast; it should have been living in seclusion…

A beautiful aunt with her eyelids closed walked over quietly.

It is unknown when or where it arrived, but its figure is invisible, just like a top assassin who is difficult to detect.

Dandelion secretly breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, it was someone Melia knew, but she was still reserved.

"Why did you come here?" Melia asked with respect and kindness. She had been raised by this dragon after her parents passed away.

"Because I sensed a fleeting glimpse of the power of a true god, and your aura was nearby. I also heard about the Calamity Mist and was very interested, so I wanted to see if it was that 'trouble'."

Fernanda kept her eyes closed, but even without looking at her eyes and eyebrows, her unique smile was captivating enough.

Melia suddenly said, "A true god? Uh, or maybe it's your imagination."

"They must be the ones who brought the coffin," Dandelion remarked from the side.

"Shh!"

Suddenly, as if she had been stepped on, Melia's long hair was all whipped up by the explosive mental energy.

Dandelion was completely confused and asked with a crooked mouth, "What's wrong? Is there something you can't tell me?"

"The Coffin Bearer? The Holy Coffin Kingdom...that true god?" Fernanda seemed to want to open her eyes, but she wasn't quite that surprised yet. "Interesting. So this is the one who manifested. I didn't expect it to be more than just a title. Does this true god really exist?"

"Yes, it exists—"

"Um! Aunt Fernanda! You...you could go back to your country, okay? I can handle everything here."

“I sent Daniel back; it still needs more training. As for the Evil Mist here, it doesn’t affect the Chaos Land yet. I also collected some Rose Stone. Once the craftsmen turn it into a mechanical puppet, it can mine the Thundercloud Worm for you.”

"Then...why don't you go back and rest? This matter is not yet at the level for you to get involved."

Melia's hesitant tone was so subtle that even Dandelion sensed something was off.

Her attitude was too suspicious, not to mention Fernanda who had raised her since childhood.

She walked up to Melia, still full of affection, but with an imposing aura.

"Little Melia, although I have a terrible relationship with your awful father, it doesn't affect my love for you. I've watched you grow up, so... what are you hiding from me?"

"...No, it's nothing."

"Then why are you kicking me out?"

"Haha..." She buried her face low, thinking that she was in big trouble.

As Fernanda said, her father had a very, very bad relationship with this terrifying ancient dragon. It is said that in his youthful arrogance, her father wanted to kill the ancient dragon, which caused the trouble.

Melia didn't know much about the grudges of the previous generation, but right now...

She seemed to see again the childhood trauma of her father arguing and fighting with Fernanda. The scale of that battle still terrified her even now. If Sen Shi's existence were exposed, this ancient calamity dragon would never let it go.