Chapter 1097: Surrender and Be Saved
Chapter 1097: Surrender and Be Saved
Orion, Seth, and Zogar refocused their attention on the live screen, observing as a rift in space appeared above the two injured divine entities lying on the ground, and Ilse emerged from it.
On the other side, Ilse's arrival immediately stunned the two battered and severely injured divine beings on the ground.
The unknown woman immediately distanced herself from the slender dragon Vylkr spawn, watching her intently.
The slender dragon Vylkr spawn took the opportunity to remove the greatsword from her stomach and flung it aside.
"Who are you?" the slender dragon Vylkr spawn asked, her wary eyes fixed on the unknown goddess before her. "You're the god who governs over this territory, aren't you?" she added swiftly.
The Vylkr vines slowly assimilated into her body, healing her severe injuries so she wasn't concerned about them. Instead, she focused on the unknown goddess who had appeared at such a critical moment.
She realized her colleague had been right-a divine being was waiting in hiding for the perfect moment to attack them.
However, contrary to her expectations, Ilse didn't introduce herself. Instead, she swung her hand forward, tearing open a rift in the sky. The rift shone with brilliant golden light, indicating Ilse had opened her vault.
A vibrant hum filled the air, and a deadly ray of golden-purple light shot out from the torn space, engulfing the slender dragon Vylkr spawn.
"AHHHH!" The slender dragon Vylkr spawn screamed in pain as her body was vaporized into bits. Her voice faded as the brilliant golden-purple light dimmed. Soon, it vanished, leaving behind an 8-meter-(26ft) wide and 36-meter-(118ft) deep crater where the slender dragon Vylkr spawn had once stood.
Ilse swept her senses over the area, searching for traces of the slender dragon Vylkr spawn's energy signature. Finding none, she sighed in relief.
Her gaze shifted to the greatsword, glinting from within the immense pit, unblemished even after her powerful attack. Its durability rivalled that of a Divine Artifact as it was the only thing that could withstand her attack even while it was at its weakest form.
Ilse then turned her attention to the unknown woman, whose leg and left arm had been ripped off. Despite her injuries, the woman wasn't bleeding, nor did she show any fear in Ilse's presence. Even her internal organs appeared unnatural, making Ilse briefly wonder if she was truly alive.
However, as a goddess who had studied the vast knowledge left behind by her previous self stored in her vault, she was aware of various gods with unnatural bodies. So she wasn't shocked by the scene before her.
"I am Ilse, the goddess of treasures. I'm not here to harm you. If you surrender and come with me, I promise you will be treated fairly and given the chance to recover," Ilse said, her voice resonating through the surroundings.
Though she had agreed to follow Orion's plan to capture the unknown woman, she was unsure how to do so without attacking and subduing her.
Ilse doubted she had the power to restrain her at the moment or prevent her from sacrificing herself to avoid capture. However, if she could get the unknown woman into Paradise, the Primordial Barrier might be able to suppress her.
'Energy signature-Divine. Classification-Goddess. Analyzing... Estimated probability of victory-10%,' the unknown woman thought, her expression deepening into a frown as she heard Ilse's words.
Suddenly, the greatsword within the immense crater shot out, slicing through the air as it sped toward Ilse.
Ilse reacted immediately, flicking her right wrist to the side, tearing several rifts in space before her. The rifts gleamed with a bright golden light, attempting to pull the greatsword into her vault. However, as though sentient, the greatsword twisted away, evading the rift.
The unknown woman took to the sky, opening a rift in space to escape.
Though the greatsword dodged the first rift, it couldn't evade the second, plunging into it. As it was about to emerge again, Ilse sealed her vault shut and chased after the fleeing woman.
Suddenly, the mechanical halo shot toward Ilse, attacking her with beams of light from its edges.
"What is that thing made of?" Ilse muttered, opening her vault to absorb each beam of light aimed at her. She felt her vault tremble with each strike, making her wary of receiving the attacks head-on.
Seeing the halo charging toward her, Ilse created multiple rifts around it, attempting to corner it. Fortunately, after several attempts to dodge, the halo was finally sucked into her vault, which Ilse sealed immediately.
Without hesitation, Ilse tore another rift in space and leapt through, following the trail of the unknown woman. Her expression paled as she sensed the woman was heading toward one of the Runaway Cities.
Ilse realized the unknown woman might try to use the city's inhabitants as a cover to speed up her escape.
"You're not getting away," Ilse gritted her teeth, quickening her pursuit.
...
Orion watched as Ilse eliminated the slender dragon Vylkr spawn and briefly clashed with the unknown woman. He couldn't help but nod in acknowledgement of her strength. He knew that Ilse was improving slightly, as she could stay awake longer.
Despite that, she had proven she wasn't weak and would only grow stronger over time, which made Orion appreciate the effort he had put into building a stable relationship with her.
The surroundings grew silent as the unknown woman emerged from a torn rift in space above the Wanderlust Travelling Tortoise Runaway City.
Orion, Seth, and Zogar frowned in unison. They narrowed their eyes at the live screen, watching as the unknown woman surveyed the Wanderlust Travelling Tortoise Runaway City before tearing another rift.
Within seconds, she reappeared above the Sleeping Fox Runaway City.
"What is she planning to do?" Seth asked, his frown deepening.
Fortunately, Ilse caught up in time. She opened her vault, releasing deadly beams of light that struck the unknown woman, severely wounding her and leaving a hole through her lower
waist.
However, the woman evaded capture, plunging downward into the Sleeping Fox Runaway City. Buildings tore apart as she descended, unable to stop her fall. Soon, she vanished within the Sleeping Fox Runaway City.
Orion clenched his fist in frustration, trying to discern the unknown woman's intentions.
Could it be that she planned to use the Sleeping Fox Runaway City as a distraction for her escape?
Even if that were her goal, there was little he could do but wait and observe. After witnessing the recurring attacks from the Vylkr spawns and the battle between Ilse and the unknown woman, Orion felt an increasing urge to grow stronger.
However, he knew he had to continue at his current pace, relying on those stronger than him
to fend off any threats that might endanger them or Paradise.
At that moment, Orion's eyes widened in shock, his fist unclenching as he stared at the
astounding sight before him.
"This..." Orion muttered, trying to speak, but when he turned to Seth and Zogar and saw their astounded expressions, he realized he wasn't imagining things. They, too, were witnessing the shocking sight unfolding on the live screen.
Ilse was surprised and bewildered by the scene unfolding before her. The Sleeping Fox
Runaway City had come to a complete halt. Emerging on its body was a phantom of an enormous fox superimposed on it. The Sleeping Fox Runaway City then focused on Ilse and
roared at her.
Soon, a deep frown emerged on Ilse's face.
What was this?
From all the information she had gathered or had been told, she had never been informed about any connection between the Runaway Cities and the unknown woman.
'No, that's not right,' Ilse thought, shaking her head.
Ilse realized that Orion and Aerialia might also be unaware of this information. She had seen the effort they had put into gaining her trust and understood they had no reason to hide such
crucial information from her.
Soon, the phantom fox over the Sleeping Fox Runaway City began to dissipate, vanishing into thin air. The Runaway City stood still, its bright lights dimming one by one and flickering back on. If not for the numerous pits and the crushed Vylkr vines strewn across the city, it would have seemed like the previous scene had been an illusion.
After hesitating momentarily, Ilse flicked her wrist to open a rift in space and vanished through it, leaving the scene behind. Even if Ilse was tempted to investigate what had just transpired between the unknown woman and the Sleeping Fox Runaway City, she sensed this was uncharted territory that would require Paradise's help before she could fully understand
it.
For the third time since learning about the Vylkr vines, man-made gods, Naka, and the emergence of the Vylkr spawns, Ilse acknowledged that, even as a goddess, she might not
survive in this world without their assistance.
....
A rift appeared beside the live screen, and Ilse emerged from it before the rift instantlyn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
closed. Upon witnessing her return, Orion, Seth, and Zogar-still wearing expressions of shock, astonishment, and disbelief-quickly regained their composure.
Understanding the question they wanted to ask, Ilse nodded and said, "Yes, she escaped into the Sleeping Fox Runaway City, and everything you saw happened."