On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

The two nuns following behind noticed Maria's unusual behavior and hurriedly tried to step forward, but the crosses on their chests began to flash. This time, the holy light was no longer on their side; instead, it froze them in place, unable to move at all.

Interference has been eliminated.

at last.

The girl inside the stone coffin can now enjoy herself to the fullest.

She twisted her graceful body as if the place she was lying on was not a cold and rigid stone coffin, but an incredibly soft and comfortable bed.

Girl

No.

Styutia, writhing inside the sarcophagus, took a deep breath.

Suddenly, a touch of rosy pink appeared on her snow-white skin, revealing a look of intoxication and ecstasy on her noble face, which was originally that of a goddess.

That's right.

This aura, this aura!

The girl was panting.

Styutia took several more deep, forceful breaths.

Beneath the Saint Cloth, his proud chest swayed violently with the rise and fall of his robes.

Familiar scent, familiar feeling, familiar taste

Can't go wrong.

这 是

Lord Ash!

Her Ash Lord!

Styutia's body trembled uncontrollably as she lay inside the sarcophagus, her icy eyes filled with a dazed look. The girl reached out a hand and gently ran it along every surface of the sarcophagus, as if she were caressing the person who had once lay inside it.

"Five hundred years"

"Five hundred years have passed, Lord Ash, you have finally..."

"I knew you were still here, I knew you would come back. Lord Ash, Lord Ash"

The girl inside the stone coffin kept muttering to herself at an increasingly rapid pace.

The three nuns outside the stone coffin, though their bodies were bound, still had their senses. When they heard the girl's murmurs from inside the coffin, they all showed panic and felt a strong sense of unfamiliarity. Was this really their goddess?

Fortunately, the sarcophagus wasn't transparent; otherwise, if Maria had seen it, the girl's series of contorted movements inside the coffin would have completely shattered her faith, making her think the world had gone mad.

but.

Even the sound was becoming increasingly strange.

"Why, why did you suddenly disappear? Did Styutia do something wrong? Did Styutia do something to upset you?"

"Why...why did you abandon us? Why did you make Styutia endure five hundred years of torment? Why...why!!!"

In the quiet, secluded room, the voice of the girl inside the sarcophagus grew increasingly frantic and shrill, whispering in the ears of the three nuns.

In the end, it quickly evolved into a morbid laugh that was completely unfamiliar to Archbishop Maria, and even gave rise to a sense of fear and chill in her heart.

"Hehehehehe."

"I understand. It must be because you, Lord Ash, were trying to avoid those four, right?"

"Let them think you're gone, so you can be with me and Sthiuthia forever, and no one else will interfere between us."

The girl's voice was still as clear and ethereal as ever.

She was filled with joy and excitement, like a little girl about to open a shop window and take home her long-awaited, favorite toy.

Inside the sarcophagus, Styutia smiled—a smile of happiness.

Her eyes were filled with anticipation for a bright future.

In her eyes

It was filled with a frenzied crimson.

"Lord Ash, rest assured! This time, Styutia will never leave you again, nor will she let you go. I will keep you by my side forever, so that you belong only to Styutia."

"This time, no one can take you away from me, not even you, Lord Ash."

Let's be together forever, forever, hehehehehehehe

The girl's originally sea-blue hair turned dark red.

Her holy boots transformed into blood-red high heels with barbs, her religious hood became a crown of thorns, and her pure white holy dress was instantly dyed into the darkest black.

A powerful surge of turbid pollution erupted from the stone coffin, distorting the entire space of the secret chamber. The two nuns who were tainted by the pollution were struck by the impact, and the two weaker nuns fainted immediately. Maria, the archbishop, was still barely holding on, but soon collapsed to the ground, bleeding from her face.

Good times are always fleeting.

The girl's true form is still thousands of miles away in the "Confessional" of the Holy Kingdom Cathedral. The current Styutia is merely a temporary projection of light and shadow using believers as a medium.

This clone has begun to crumble.

I can't withstand her power anymore.

The reluctant girl rose from the stone coffin.

Styutia didn't even glance at the three of her followers lying on the floor of the secret room.

She gazed at the exit of the secret room.

That was the direction Liao Ji and Yi Lin had left in.

The girl desperately wanted to chase after him, but she didn't want Lord Ash to see her in such a wretched state. She was determined to appear before Lord Ash in her most perfect form.

So, it's not possible right now.

She still needs to make some preparations.

Of course, this won't be long.

They will be able to see each other again very soon.

Please wait a moment, Lord Ash.

Styutia suppressed her inner desires and impulses.

The girl touched the back of her neck.

Amidst the surrounding murky, dark red aura, one could see a completely faded and dilapidated brand emblem on the back of Styutia's neck, worn and broken by the passage of time.

This seemed to be the most precious thing to the girl.

And this time, it was her.

I will no longer let "them" share this precious thing with me.

after all

"The contract with Lord Ash can only be, and only allows to be, possessed by Styutia alone!"

With a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth.

Blood-red high heels clattered with light, quick steps.

In the blurred vision of Archbishop Maria, who was lying on the ground, she saw the "goddess" finally walking towards her. However, the "goddess" did not help her up, but instead placed her hand on her head.

"Thank you for your hard work over the years, Maria."

So, get a good night's sleep.

".Good night."

Chapter 14 Black Hole Gathering Place

Irene told Liao Ji that the gathering place was not far from the [Ruins Cave] where they were, only about ten kilometers away.

At the time, Liao Ji didn't think anything of it.

After walking only a few kilometers, he started sweating on his forehead and felt a dull ache in his calves.

Noticing the disdainful look from the girl beside him, Liao Ji couldn't help but recall that he had gotten full marks in physical education in high school. Not to mention long-distance running, he could do more than a dozen pull-ups. But after graduating from college, he turned into a physical failure.

hateful!

Why don't you exercise regularly?

Liao Ji uttered a classic statement from his heart, which further strengthened his resolve to accelerate the upgrade.

Half an hour later.

"Look, you see that? That's our Black Hole settlement up ahead." Irene pointed to a fortress not far away, her face beaming with relief.

The phrase she heard most often along the way was, "How much longer until we arrive?"

Liao Ji, panting heavily, glanced at the energetic girl who had walked more than ten kilometers and was still full of energy as if nothing had happened, and then looked in the direction Yilin pointed.

What comes into view is a tall wall that rises in a ring across the wilderness. The width of the wall seems to stretch to the horizon, and you can see a number of convoys and pedestrians coming and going below it.

"You call this a gathering place?" Liao Ji looked at the girl with a puzzled expression.

With this flow of people, this area, and these fortified walls, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a base city, would it?

In the game, a settlement is defined as having thousands of people, which is considered large. But judging from the size of the Black Hole settlement in the distance, Liao Ji estimated that the population must be in the tens of thousands.

Could it be that the world has developed so much in 500 years?

Obviously not.

"This is all thanks to you guys." Irene pointed at Liao Ji.

"What do you mean?"

"It's the 'legacy.' The ruins and caves were once quite famous in the Holy Kingdom. Every year, a large number of newcomers would come here, hoping to unearth the legendary Emperor's legacy. At its peak, many large corporations and conglomerates were among them. Over time, the area naturally grew in popularity and size."

"Although the craze for the ruins and caves has passed and many powerful forces have left, the scale and development of the settlement have been preserved. As for why they haven't applied for city status and insist on not changing the name..."

Irene then kept everyone in suspense.