Ugh—!
Just as Ariadoa was about to launch a counterattack, her body suddenly froze.
Although the blow that pierced through her abdomen was severe, it wasn't fatal, nor should it have completely paralyzed her—but she couldn't move at all.
Why was this happening? She didn't feel herself being bound by any magical spell or formation.
What on earth was going on? A chill shot up her spine and pierced into her brain, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably in fear.
But it wasn't just fear—something far deeper was slowly seeping into her very soul. What exactly was causing this terror?
Then she felt it—the source of this paralyzing fear was behind her.
Mechanically, Ariadore turned her head and saw a towering black ice crystal more than twice the size of a human. Inside it, a weapon was frozen. That weapon was the source of her dread.
The weapon had a black-red orb, resembling an eye, which seemed to react to her divine aura, blinking faintly as if it was alive.
This feeling—it was like being stared at by something unimaginably terrifying.
"W-What is that...?"
Her trembling lips croaked out hoarsely, like someone who had wandered a desert for days without a single drop of water.
"Oh? Looks like you gods really don't know, huh?"
The voice, amused and mocking, came from the newly ascended Demon King. Ariadoa could sense that this Demon King had at least reached the S-rank level of power.
"Ariadoa, you know about the Divine Realm Unification War in the distant past, right? But did you know that even further back in ancient history, the Divine Realm was once ruled by Demon Kings?"
"W-What...?"
Of course Ariadoa knew about the Divine Realm Unification War—it had been an incredibly brutal conflict. But even further back, the Divine Realm was ruled by Demon Kings?
That had to be nonsense, right?
"You probably think I'm talking rubbish, don't you? Honestly, I found it hard to believe too. But do you see that weapon behind you? That's one of the 'Sin Armaments' created by the Demon Kings who once ruled the Divine Realm—specifically designed to completely annihilate the souls of gods."
"O-One of them...?"
"Yes, there are more, all sealed away in unknown worlds. Back then—"
"Enough talk. Let's begin!"
The Demon King interrupted with a cruel smile.
At that moment, her graceful body erupted with explosive muscle growth and began to transform, becoming monstrous.
The vile energy pouring from her body polluted the air, and it was likely only a matter of time before the entire world of Yadetre became part of the Demon Realm.
The next instant, the Demon King crouched and slammed her palm into the ground.
Her immense, dark energy corroded the earth and flowed into the altar like a blazing furnace beneath a cooking pot.
Ariadoa then saw the altar floor beneath them start to glow, forming a complex magic circle. At the same time, the sealed weapon—an icy black staff—began to stir.
Black flames gushed from it, seeping out from the black ice and spreading outward.
"It's okay. I'll protect you!"
Ariadoa moved beside the terrified human girl and held her tightly.
She tried to summon a teleportation gate, but quickly realized that space around the altar had been completely sealed. She could no longer use the Divine Realm's teleportation gates.
"Isolation Bubble (FloatingBubble)!"
Since space was sealed, she created a new isolated space within the current one to shield the two of them.
In the blink of an eye, the black flames surged forward and engulfed them.
As if sensing her divine aura, the flames grew more agitated. They twisted and coiled into a long, serpentine form—a black flame dragon that lunged down with gaping fangs.
Boom—CRACKCRACKCRACK—!
A violent shockwave erupted, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass.
"Isolation Bubble (FloatingBubble)..."
Ariadoa forced out more divine power and layered additional sealing spells to shield them from the external corruption.
Looking outside, the black flame dragon grew even more violent due to its failure to break through. Its attacks became increasingly ferocious, and the flames covering the altar grew more intense.
The entire altar began to melt, especially the central black ice crystal, which was dissolving rapidly.
The red-glowing orb within the staff grew even brighter.
CRACKCRACKCRACK—
Cracks spread across the black ice crystal, and soon, beams of red light as sharp as lasers burst out from the fractures.
The next second, as if the world was rewinding, all the flames and light around them were sucked back inward. If not for the melted ground, one might think it was all an illusion.
At that moment, the staff inside the ice seemed to fall dormant, its light extinguished.
But Ariadoa sensed it—something terrifying was about to awaken.
BZZZZZZ...
The staff started to vibrate with an eerie hum.
The entire space trembled. Magical light wheels appeared around the ice crystal, and layered magic circles formed above the staff, extending into the sky.
Ancient symbols covered the inside of the crystal.
As the Goddess of Seals, Ariadoa knew—they were all sealing formulas, most of which she had never seen before. They were far more advanced and ancient than any she knew.
But now those seals were unraveling.
The white light of the magic formations was gradually being consumed by darkness, like ink erasing words from parchment.
Once the light wheels surrounding the black crystal shattered, the entire ice structure disintegrated into powder.
The staff changed again—releasing countless slender black flame dragons that swarmed upward, devouring the magic circles above, even breaking through the seemingly endless ceiling.
Finally, only one massive magic circle remained in the sky, spinning counterclockwise. Everything was being pulled backward—it was a Time Magic Circle, attempting to restore the world to the moment before the seal broke.
"It's the time spell of Lord Chronoa, the God of Time!"
Ariadoa recognized the divine power within the magic circle, her voice tinged with hope.
The blinding divine light caused the Demon King and the fallen goddess to scream in agony, smoke rising from their bodies. Sealing formulas also appeared on them.
Did that mean they were being saved too?
But then—it happened.
Just as the time magic reached its halfway point, the staff released a darkness more terrifying than anything before.
That darkness coalesced into a towering giant hand that reached out and grabbed the magic circle in the sky.
This terrifying development shocked even the Demon King.
It truly felt like something far more dreadful than any Demon King was about to emerge from within the staff.