Hate me, Miss Witch!

Chapter 409 - 211: Already Warm as Spring (Double-Length)

"But, I am also very aware, that is just the desperate struggle of the predecessors who refused to accept defeat..."

To achieve the rank of a Demigod, one must devour both Divinity and Authority.

However, all the Divine Shards on the Western Continent already have owners, and to acquire them, one must hunt other Fabled Creatures. For ordinary Legendaries, God-slaying is surely a fanciful dream.

And in the Astral Realm, indeed, there still exist some unclaimed Divinity and Authority, but the vastness of the Astral Realm makes searching for them akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

Ultimately, it is nothing more than the last desperate struggle of the unwilling, with only a few succeeding.

For him, the "Magic" and "Arcane Arts" depicted in the starry broadcast are tantamount to manna from heaven.

However, years of experience, standing atop piles of corpses to reach the Legendary rank, have long since made the old man wary of trusting any promise lightly.

"I fear it is yet another ruse by some false god to gather Power of Faith."

He smiled bitterly.

In the past few centuries, with the weakening of the pollution from the Fallen Sun, many Fabled Creatures have gradually regained some sanity and have started to collect the Power of Faith from humans on the Western Continent, anchoring their image among their faithful through concepts.

Using a method similar to the Soul Pact of human Beastmasters, to resist madness and loss of control.

However, in the Soul Pact of a Beastmaster, humans take the lead, or both parties are equal.

Whereas in the process of faith, Deities hold absolute authority, and those flourishing human nations are nothing more than earthly pastures to the false gods.

This process cannot be simply labeled as good or bad.

In spreading their faith, there are naturally some relatively gentle Deities.

Their methods are conciliatory, whether out of the motive for sustainable development of their followers or simply due to the constraints brought by the type of Authority and Divinity they possess.

Nevertheless, the nations that believe in these Deities indeed receive blessings.

Believers are constrained by doctrines, and the entire country gains direction and motivation.

Those Deities also protect their pastures, preventing invasions and destruction by other half-mad Fabled Creatures.

No matter the initial motive, from the ultimate outcome, these Deities have indeed brought order to their followers, bringing them a precious stable life amid the turmoil on the Western Continent where Fabled Creatures roam.

But this is, after all, only among a few Fabled Creatures.

To most of the false gods, humans and they do not even belong to the same race, and their ranks are worlds apart.

To them, overseeing the human world from on high, their followers are merely consumables.

The so-called sustainable development and long-term benefits can hardly compare to the reliability of tangible and immediate gains... Who knows if one day, should they fall in the God War, their followers might become the spoils of another Deity.

Fire sacrifice, blood sacrifice—

To these false gods, performing such rituals carries no psychological burden, just like how humans feel no remorse for slaughtering pigs, cows, and sheep in slaughterhouses and making them into tasty dishes.

For this reason.

It becomes extremely important for human nations that have not yet become a subsidiary of any Deity to discern the intentions of some scheming false gods.

The desolate kingdom ruins sacrificed by the Deities they once worshipped are a bloody lesson.

"Moreover—"

"Even if the content of that starry broadcast, including the establishment of the Supreme Black Tower, is genuine and reliable..."

"It will still be very difficult."

"After all, a brand-new path that does not rely on Divinity and Authority, yet can surpass Legendary..."

"This is tantamount to rejecting the legitimacy of those Deities from the very source, as if bluntly declaring them to be nothing more than flawed creations."

A trace of undisguisable fear flashed through the Legendary elder’s eyes.

He clearly understood that the current humans, in the eyes of those high and mighty Fabled Creatures, are still nothing.

Mere lambs in the pastures, at best some strong individuals among the flock, but never truly considered as threats by them.

From beginning to end, the opponents in the eyes of those Fabled Creatures have always been only each other.

Usurping each other’s Divinity and Authority, perhaps someday, when the accumulation of Authority leads to a qualitative leap, they might once again ascend the Throne of Heaven like the creator during the Glorious Era...

This is the true aim of those Fabled Creatures.

For this reason, amid the boundless battles and internal strife of the Fabled Creatures, the human race managed to flourish and develop in the cracks.

However, that announcement from the depths of the Astral Realm.

Is declaring war on all Deities—

Or in other words, to become enemies with all Fabled Creatures.

"When, as the starry broadcast claims, the Supreme Black Tower is truly established."

"By then, a..."

"A true God War might erupt."

The old man’s words were filled with emotion.

"It shall be a battle unprecedented since the opening of the Glorious Era."

"However, if after that war, the Supreme Black Tower does not fail..."

"Then—"

"Perhaps humans could stop merely surviving between the cracks of Fabled Creatures, or relying on becoming a subordinate of some Deity to achieve self-detonation."

"Instead, truly become the masters of the Western Continent, the masters of this world?"

...

Abyss, at the Abyss’s bottom.

"Mmmhm."

"In short, that’s how my three-year journey across the entire Abyss was: very monotonous and tranquil."

"However, I believe this journey is extremely meaningful."

"As I stepped on the border of the Abyss, it was a small step for me, but a giant leap for our Elf Clan."

"I believe it won’t be long before we can truly see the blue seas and skies described in the books and once again see flowers in full bloom."

In the City of Wind and Snow, within the Gray Elf Tribe’s residential area.

Lilianna smiled as she spoke to the Grey Elf Children in front of her.

Originally, given her status as a Gray Elf Elder, she should be sitting in the luxurious Elder’s Council, which would be more befitting of her position.

However, Lilianna still liked to tell stories to these young children on the Gray Elf Clan’s square.

As for why she did so, it was actually quite simple—

Many years ago, when Lilianna was just a child, Sister Hathaway would often sit by her side and tell her about the magnificent landscapes of the Western Continent depicted in the library books.

"Alright, it’s getting late..."

"You should all go home and rest, or your parents might worry that I’ve kidnapped you."

The Grey Elf Children bade her farewell politely and were about to leave.

As Lilianna waved goodbye, she continued to ponder the sights and sounds she experienced not long ago in that hall shrouded in the night.

Though it was brief, the experience left a lasting impression on her.

So, that’s the relationship between the leader and the human boy on the Throne...

Tsk, he already has Sister Hathaway... yet still captured the leader’s heart.

Could the human race possess some special charm attribute that makes all the opposite sex fall for them unconsciously?

As it turns out, gossiping is a nature shared not only by humans but also by the Elf Clan.

Even Grey Elves of Legendary Rank are no exception.

Lilianna’s thoughts were wandering.

However, in the next moment, her gossiping soul was interrupted by the exclamations of the Grey Elf Children reaching her ears.

Following the children’s gaze, she looked beyond the city walls, at the unending snow fields covered in ice and snow.

The next moment, Lilianna’s gray-black beautiful eyes also slowly focused.

Beyond the city walls, at the distant end of the ice field, atop the snow mountain covered in eternal ice.

Snap—

That was the sound of ice and snow melting.

The glacier that Lilianna had watched for five hundred years, seemingly unchanging, suddenly melted.

It turned into gentle streams, flowing down the snow mountain.

On this day, the City of Wind and Snow felt as warm as spring.