“I can’t believe this is necessary.”
When that exquisite figure in the magnificent white dress walked out from the Holy Scripture, Mu’en felt a chilling sensation that made his scalp tingle.
Because he also saw the dazzling crown resting on her head, difficult to gaze upon directly.
The Crowned One!
This was actually a Crowned One!
Had the Love God sent a Crowned One to hunt him down?
Surely not. To you, I’m just a little bug; even if I anger you, there’s no need to come at me with a bulldozer to crush me.
Wait.
No, that’s not right.
Mu’en quickly realized.
The Love God’s intention, or rather, her true purpose, wasn’t him at all.
Because since the moment the Crowned One appeared, she hadn’t even cast a glance at him.
She was staring downward at the academy, seemingly gazing through the thick layers of rock, fixated on something.
In her pure and flawless, yet profoundly hollow eyes, a hint of greed not belonging to her emanated.
She was seeking something, something of utmost importance.
But that did not prevent her from casually killing Mu’en, the annoying bug.
So, with her naturally hanging hands, her pinky finger twitched slightly.
In the next moment, Mu’en felt as if an invisible dump truck crashed into his chest, an overwhelming force surged forth, and with a muffled groan, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
A mere twitch of her finger, and Mu’en was instantly gravely injured.
But just as the Holy Maiden’s pinky continued to move, preparing to directly kill the annoying bug, a figure suddenly appeared beside him.
Professor Gran.
He grabbed Mu’en by the shoulder and casually tossed out a handkerchief.
The handkerchief suddenly enlarged, enveloping the two of them.
Then, as if performing a magic trick, the handkerchief, which had originally highlighted their two figures, instantly lost its support and fluttered to the ground.
The two vanished without a trace, like a transformation.
The Holy Maiden withdrew her gaze.
No longer paying attention to the fleeing Gran and Mu’en.
There would be plenty of opportunities to kill that detestable bug in the future, but right now, there were more important matters to attend to.
The Holy Maiden suddenly raised her hand, that long, fair hand, flawless and unblemished.
She aimed it at the entire academy under the night sky.
Her ten fingers came together, forming a grip.
As if she were holding the very wedge that fixed this world into place.
Then, with a fierce pull!
The heavens and earth shook!
The entire academy trembled, and an almost imperceptible crack suddenly appeared around its perimeter, quickly extending and eventually enclosing the entire academy.
The foundation of the entire academy within the crack began to rise, as if some power great enough to shake the heavens and earth was pulling it up by the roots!
“Sigh.”
A sound of exasperation.
One hand resting on a cane, the other holding a Pink Star Wand, Professor Plon stood before the Holy Maiden.
“Long time no see, Belena.”
Professor Plon looked at the Holy Maiden, a glum expression on his face, and in his old eyes, sadness that time could not erase shone through:
“My proudest student.”
Although the Holy Maiden still appeared to be a youthful girl, as one of the few powerful beings in the human world, she was no longer young.
Even the Pink Bear, or Dean Heatherwei, who presided over this academy, could be considered her juniors.
When she enrolled in the academy, Professor Plon was just a young teacher who had recently entered the education field, so cultivating an outstanding Holy Maiden was a matter of great pride for him at that time.
Until now, among all his students, few have matched the achievements of this renowned Holy Maiden.
But it wasn’t merely because of her great accomplishments or high status that he cared for her so deeply.
Rather, it was during those years spent together when she was still a girl, that he had been profoundly touched by her innocence, vivacity, and kindness, her gemstone-like noble qualities.
Though he was a teacher, in those years, he had learned much more from her.
Thus, he continued to love this child as if she were his own, watching her grow from a fledgling into a swan soaring in the sky, filled only with consolation.
“I just didn’t expect that our reunion after several decades would be like this.”
Professor Plon tightened his grip on his cane, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
“The word ‘fate’ is truly hard to decipher.”
“Wah wah wah—”
The Holy Maiden’s hollow eyes betrayed no emotion, only coldness.
Yet her expression, increasingly sorrowful.
“I see. To completely control you, the Evil God has nearly erased your consciousness?”
Looking at Belena in this state, Professor Plon suddenly realized.
Then, a smile unexpectedly appeared on his old, sorrow-worn face.
“That’s right, this is you.”
“This is indeed the Holy Maiden revered and honored by countless people, with statues still standing in many places today!”
“If you had your own consciousness, you would certainly fight against the Evil God to the very last moment.”
“So the only way the Evil God could control you is by completely erasing your consciousness!”
But even under such control, the Holy Maiden still instinctively wept.
Her mournful cries resisted the seemingly conscious-erosive, ever-infiltrating holy song.
“Good, good, good! That’s my student!”
Professor Plon laughed heartily, yet the corners of his eyes, long dried out for decades, suddenly became moist.
“Since my student has become so excellent, I, as her teacher, cannot be too disgraceful.”
Professor Plon suddenly struck his cane sharply against the ground.
Though his feet stood upon the air, the cane emitted a sound of metal colliding with authority.
“Your teacher is here to save you, Belena!”
As soon as the words left his mouth.
In an instant.
Deep within the earth of St. Maria Academy, massive gears turned and interlocked, colossal machinery collided, an endless stream of magic power was extracted from the earth’s veins, then transported through veins-like conduits, flooding into the gigantic network spreading throughout the entirety of St. Maria.
Then.
On the outskirts of St. Maria Academy, twelve structures, glimmering with metallic luster, rose up, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Towers.
These were twelve pitch-black high towers, and as they stood tall, the ground of St. Maria jolted violently, the already elevated foundation being forcefully driven back down.
This time, it was extraordinarily stable, with not the slightest tremor remaining.
Following that, mysterious patterns illuminated on the tops of the dark towers, immense amounts of magic power drawn from the earth’s veins, under the manipulation of those massive mechanisms, converged into layers of magical structures, constantly superimposing, ultimately forming a half-circular barrier that enveloped the entire St. Maria.
In the sky, that increasingly large blue moon seemed to finally halt its advance.
But Professor Plon understood that this was only temporary.
With just the second level of those great mechanisms, even when fully activated, it couldn’t prevent an Evil God from descending crazily.
However, it was just meant to buy time.
After all, how could the fleeting reunion with his beloved student be disturbed by others?
