It only took a few seconds for them to understand what Havria meant—but by then, it was already too late.
Though Havria was weak, she still held the Authority of Salt. She was a true god. Her divine power, wild and uncontrollable, erupted from her pierced heart.
How could mortals possibly resist a god's wrath? In the blink of an eye, everyone present turned into crystalline salt—from the inside out, they perished instantly.
As her power gradually dissipated, Havria collapsed weakly to the ground. In her fading consciousness, she recalled Akio's warning: Be wary of mortals...
"Akio…" she murmured in the last flicker of awareness, a soft whisper tinged with longing and something unspoken.
But at that very moment, a surge of immense life energy descended from the heavens, enveloping her body in an instant.
Her shattered heart was miraculously restored, and her fading consciousness began to return.
The next thing she knew, she was in a warm embrace.
Slowly opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was Akio's handsome face.
"Akio?" she said in disbelief, reaching out with trembling fingers to touch his cheek.
Only when she felt the warmth of his skin did she realize this wasn't a dream.
"Havria! I warned you—never place blind trust in mortals," Akio scolded her gently, his tone a mix of tenderness and frustration.
"I'm sorry…" Havria murmured apologetically.
"Since I brought you back, don't even think about asking me to save them too," Akio said, glancing at the crystallized remains of the traitorous mortals. "They overstepped their bounds and dared to raise their hands against a god. The fact that I didn't slaughter them before this is already mercy."
"From this day on, the God of Salt is dead. These mortals died to the divine backlash that followed their assassination attempt."
"You, from now on, will never show yourself here again. You're coming with me," Akio said firmly.
"But…" Havria began, only to be silenced as Akio leaned in and kissed the corner of her lips.
With a single thought, Akio released a pulse of overwhelming energy that blasted away the mortals outside the temple, preventing them from approaching.
After a long moment, he finally pulled back and said, "Havria, from now on, you're mine. Understand? I've given you new life. Offer your loyalty to me."
Havria's eyes shimmered like water. She gazed at his face and gently nodded, then leaned forward to softly kiss the corner of his lips in return.
———
Outside, the mortals waited for a long time. Only when the temple was completely silent did they dare to cautiously step inside.
"Lady Havria has been assassinated! The leader is dead too!"
Upon hearing the terrible news, the mortals scattered in panic.
"You don't need to worry about them," Akio said with a scoff as he and Havria stood high above the land. "They'll find shelter on their own."
"…Okay." Havria nodded quietly. She still didn't understand why her people had turned on her—but it no longer mattered.
"Havria, enter my Imaginary Space. I'm taking you to a world thousands of years in the future." Akio raised a hand and opened a wormhole.
"All right." Havria nodded. She already knew the truth about Akio. Now that she was "dead" in the historical timeline, her departure would no longer change anything.
She stepped into the Imaginary Space, and Akio closed the hole behind her, his gaze turning solemn as he looked off into the distance.
A terrifying presence was approaching rapidly from afar—its target: Guizhong's tribe.
It was the Chi.
In the heart of the tribe, Guizhong's expression changed drastically. She shouted to her people:
"Go! Head to Morax's territory—don't look back! A god is coming. I'll hold it off!"
"Lady Lord of Dust!" Her people looked at her in grief. They knew of the Chi—it was a fearsome god known throughout the region. Their Lord of Dust stood no chance against it.
But as mere mortals, they were powerless in this moment. All they could do was flee toward Morax's domain and beg the Lord of Geo for help.
Once the people had fled, only Yoimiya and Guizhong remained on a low mountain ridge.
"Guizhong…" Yoimiya looked at her, taking a deep breath. She knew Akio's plan. Only by letting Guizhong face the Chi and fall in battle could he intervene and save her—without altering the course of history.
It was the only way to rescue her.
"Yoimiya, I know you have your reasons for not stepping in," Guizhong said calmly, eyes fixed on the fast-approaching Chi.
"Even if Akio were here, he couldn't act either, right?"
"…Yeah." Yoimiya nodded quietly and sighed.
"My dear friend, why the sigh?" Guizhong smiled gently. "I'm grateful for your companionship over these centuries. They were some of the happiest days of my life."
"As for my fate—I've always known it would end like this," she said as though it didn't matter. "I'm too weak. In this war of blood and sorrow, I was never going to survive. It was only a matter of when."
"Guizhong…" Even though she knew Akio would save her, just imagining Guizhong covered in blood made Yoimiya's heart ache.
Her divine bow materialized in her hand, radiating powerful energy. After centuries of adaptation, Yoimiya's power had grown immensely.
"Don't mourn for me, my friend." Guizhong placed her hand over Yoimiya's, gently lowering the bow with a smile.
"Don't break the rules for my sake." She pinched Yoimiya's cheek and laughed softly. "Please… give Akio…"
"Yoimiya, I think I finally understand what human love is. It's just… it's too bad I won't get the chance to tell him."
She looked at her pleadingly. "If you see Akio, please tell him how I feel."
"That's something you should tell him yourself," Yoimiya said gently.
"If I get the chance." Guizhong watched as the Chi flew closer and then leapt forward.
"This will be my final battle. I'll show it that even the weakest speck of dust… can stir up a storm of destruction."
"…," Yoimiya sighed, the glow of her divine bow fading as she finally let it vanish.
Guizhong and the Chi exchanged few words before clashing. But Guizhong had never been suited for battle—how could she stand against such a monster?
Within just a few exchanges, she was gravely injured and her aura weakened rapidly.
"Hah…" With every last ounce of her divine power, Guizhong unleashed a massive sandstorm. Each grain of sand slashed like a blade, cutting through the Chi's tough hide.
"Raaagh…" Even the Chi couldn't ignore such a desperate attack. Wounded and bleeding, it had no desire to continue the fight and quickly fled into the distance.
"Akio… Yoimiya… goodbye… I'll miss you so much…"
Exhausted after her final blow, Guizhong collapsed. She cast one last lingering glance at Yoimiya—and at the place where Akio might be watching.
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