The Goddess of Nemesis was frightened.
This was not the fleeting unease of a disturbed mind, nor the caution one felt before an unpredictable fate. It was a fear that erupted from the deepest layer of her divinity–a fear so absolute that it bypassed will, dignity, pride, and even divine authority.
Her knees slammed into the corpse-flooded ground.
Before Kiaria could not even register what was happening, her forehead struck the filth-soaked earth.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
The sound of her skull tapping against the land echoed dully through the silent battlefield. Blood, corpse-fluid, and rotting residue splashed across her black robes, yet she showed no reaction of disgust or resistance. It was as if her body had been seized by an invisible command far older and far higher than herself.
"My… My Lord… please forgive this lowly one's negligence…"
Her voice trembled uncontrollably as she continued to bow.
This was not submission born of manipulation.
It was instinctual repentance.
Kiaria stood rooted in place, completely stunned.
"…Lord?"
He subconsciously rubbed the back of his head, his brows knitting together in disbelief. His eyes swept across the surroundings in confusion. Everyone else was still unconscious–Diala, the others, all unmoving. Only he and the kneeling Goddess remained awake in this cleansed land.
"Why… why did you call me that?" Kiaria asked slowly.
Even as the words left his mouth, he half-believed he might be dreaming.
The Goddess of Nemesis trembled more violently.
"This… this is not something a lowly Goddess like me is permitted to explain," she said in panic. "Even speaking of your existence violates the boundary of divine silence. Please forgive me, my Lord… I beg forgiveness…"
Her forehead never once dared to lift.
Her eyes never once dared to meet his.
Kiaria felt a strange chill crawl up his spine. Moments ago, this very Goddess had dominated the battlefield with absolute authority. She had stood above death and fate alike.
And now–
She was kneeling in terror before him.
"…This is really awkward," Kiaria muttered, scratching his head. "Can you… stop calling me Lord? It honestly sounds like you're mocking me."
His tone held no threat.
Only helpless discomfort.
"My Lord, I am incapable," she said immediately, her voice breaking.
He knew, beyond any doubt, that her strength surpassed his by an immeasurable margin. Yet her fear was real. And that was exactly what confused him the most.
His thoughts were in chaos.
Then suddenly, he remembered something important.
He turned his gaze toward Diala.
"…Didn't you say you wanted me to become your disciple?" he asked.
The Goddess froze.
Only then did Kiaria finally realize something even more awkward.
"…Ah–also, you can stand up," he added hurriedly. "The ground is… really dirty."
"I… I do not dare," she whispered.
Kiaria fell silent for a few breaths.
Then, as if making up his mind, he lifted his arm and pointed forward.
"But I already have enough masters," he said calmly. "So instead… take her as your disciple."
His finger pointed directly toward Diala.
"She is the most important person in my life," he continued softly. "And she doesn't have any masters to guide her."
There was no command in his tone.
No suppression.
No hidden dominance.
Only sincerity.
For several heartbeats, the world itself seemed to pause.
Then–
"As my Lord commands," the Goddess of Nemesis said without even a fraction of hesitation.
She rose instantly to her feet, her reverence deeper than before.
"From this moment onward, she will be my direct disciple."
With a simple snap of her fingers, reality itself shifted.
The corpse-flooded battlefield vanished.
The stench disappeared.
The blood, the decay, the layered remains of countless deaths–all of it dissolved into light as if it had never existed.
In their place bloomed a vast, vibrant emerald meadow beneath a calm spiritual sky. Gentle winds brushed across the land once more, carrying with them the scent of life instead of death.
Clean.
Pure.
As if the nightmare had never happened.
The Goddess turned and walked toward Diala's unconscious body.
She knelt once more–but this time, it was gentle.
She leaned forward slightly and placed two fingers upon Diala's forehead.
The moment her divine sense entered Diala's martial soul–
Her body stiffened.
Then her eyes widened.
Then–
She laughed.
Not in madness.
But in overwhelming relief.
"Finally… finally…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "I have found her descendant…"
Tears shimmered faintly at the corner of her eyes.
She snapped her fingers beside Diala's ear.
The crisp sound echoed.
Diala stirred.
She rubbed her eyes slowly, stretching her arms like a child waking from a peaceful sleep at home. Her lashes fluttered.
When she opened her eyes–
She found herself floating.
Gentle spiritual energy wrapped around her like a warm sheath, lifting her softly into a standing posture.
She felt no panic.
Only comfort.
A warmth strangely similar to what she felt whenever she stood beside Kiaria.
"You are the heir of Goddess Leyna," the Goddess of Nemesis said while slowly circling around her. "That is wonderful… truly wonderful. I have waited for you here for countless millennia. At last, the prophecy is fulfilled."
She gently inspected Diala's arms, shoulders, waist, and back–examining her physique with the attentiveness of a worried elder. The touch held no threat, no dominance–only care.
"Little girl, do not be afraid," she said while gently patting Diala's head. "Goddess Leyna and I were once childhood friends. Before she left, she prepared something for you."
She knelt and pressed her palm against the ground.
At once, a towering five-layered Nemesis Prussian Blue Flame Formation ignited beneath her hand.
Five arch-shaped rings of flame inscriptions rose one after another. Each layer expanded outward precisely two inches beyond the last, forming a perfect ascending array.
The flame inscriptions pulsed.
The earth cracked.
A deep hidden chamber opened beneath her palm.
From its depth, a black box engulfed in Nemesis flame slowly rose into the air.
With a single touch, the outer pattern dissolved, revealing a smaller inner box.
At the same time, the Goddess raised her hand again.
Two blazing cores materialized.
One golden.
One deep blue.
"These are the Abyssal and Heavenly Beast Soul Remnants of Goddess Leyna," Nemesis said.
The twin cores circled Diala in silent recognition.
At that instant–
Diala's Nine-Tailed Fox suddenly burst out of her spiritual space on its own.
Kiaria's expression changed instantly.
He had warned her before–never release it without preparation.
Yet it had emerged by instinct alone.
The twin soul cores shot directly into the fox's forehead.
A heart-rending howl split the sky.
The fox collapsed violently onto the ground. Its claws shredded the earth as it thrashed in pain. Blood streamed freely as its nails shattered under the pressure.
Its fur tore and shed in massive clumps.
Its eyes ignited with crimson flames.
Its breath turned savage.
The Nine-Tailed Fox entered complete bloodthirst.
"Suppress it!" the Goddess commanded.
But she did not explain how.
Diala hesitated only for the briefest fraction of a second.
Then she ran forward.
Her arms could not even reach the fox's neck. She was only six years old, her height barely four feet. Yet the enraged beast's legs alone stood nearly four feet tall.
Still–
She hugged it.
The madness did not instantly stop.
But the fox stopped attacking.
It still recognized her.
"Dia! Activate your spiritual pact!" Kiaria shouted from a distance.
Following the Goddess's subtle guidance, Diala was gently lifted into the air and brought to the fox's forehead.
She placed her small forefinger between its burning crimson eyes.
"Don't be afraid," she whispered."I'm here."
Spiritual resonance surged violently.
The Beast Soul Sacrificial Symbol formed simultaneously on both of their foreheads.
The fox's will for survival erupted–
Then stabilized.
The frenzy vanished.
The savage aura calmed like a storm settling into still waters.
"You truly are the same as her," the Goddess murmured faintly.
Suddenly, her face turned silent.
Tears slowly streamed down her cheeks.
"Goddess… are you alright?" Diala asked worriedly.
"Just memories of something beautiful," Nemesis replied softly.
She then asked gently, "Little girl, what is your name?"
"Diala," she replied.
"A good name," she smiled while cupping Diala's face. "Don't call me Goddess anymore. Call me Aunt. You are my closest friend's descendant."
Diala nodded softly.
But the calm did not last.
The Nine-Tailed Fox began to transform once more.
Its fur shed completely.
From the exposed skin, white jade-like fur erupted and spread rapidly across its entire body. Its size swelled, becoming a towering Giant White Jade Fox.
A tenth tail burst forth.
Instantly, the original nine tails detached and separated midair. They twisted and reshaped–transforming into nine jade-like arc blades, each embedded with a glowing purple-red ocular ring at its core, each ring embedded with fox eyes on both sides.
The Giant Fox bowed before its master.
The blades followed suit.
They accepted Diala.
Diala named her beast–
White Jade.
The Red Velvet Light Sword trembled violently. Its curses shattered. Its form evolved into the Scarlet Jade Sword.
The velvet nimbus cloth condensed, becoming thinner yet incomparably tougher.
The nine jade arc blades rotated behind Diala, perfectly mirroring Kiaria's weapon formation.
"Hahaha–succeeded!" Kiaria laughed as he rushed toward her in joy.
He named the blades–
Crescent Jade.
White Jade ascended into the Mythic Saint Realm.
And from this moment–
Diala's destiny has stepped on its feet.