Chapter 313: Pleading

One must remember the oath that believers of gods and demonic worshippers undergo.

Mages, or any person who pursues the path of mana, who decide to accept the blessings of a god, would have their mana stars blessed with divine power.

This would allow them to cast holy miracles in exchange for losing their ability to cast magic spells.

For aura users, there would not be any drastic changes, as they would be able to enhance their attacks with divine power.

However, they would normally be unable to cast holy miracles on their own.

The Executors and those holding similar positions in other temples were exceptions to this rule.

Meanwhile, for demonic worshippers, the outcome would differ depending on whether they became an inferior or superior demonic worshipper.

In the case of inferior demonic worshippers, their mana or aura stars would be tainted by demonic power.

They would not be able to directly cast evil crafts.

However, their energy capacity and overall power would increase drastically, often by at least fivefold, depending on the amount of demonic power they absorbed.

In exchange, their minds would be consumed by bloodlust.

They would lose their intelligence and devolve into mindless monsters, demons that craved only slaughter.

As for superior demonic humans, they would receive all the benefits of inferior demonic humans, but the drawbacks would be significantly reduced.

Instead, they would merely become more irritable and bloodthirsty than usual.

This would be the normal effect unless the demon explicitly chose to manipulate them, but unlike inferior demonic worshippers, they would normally retain their intelligence.

However, superior demonic worshippers are also known as demon contractors.

To become one, they must enter into a contract with a demon or a devil.

In exchange for the power they receive, their souls would rest in the palm of the demon’s hand.

Their minds, thoughts, actions, and even their very lives would ultimately be subject to their patron’s will.

***

"That’s way easier than expected. People who decide to take in blessings are really useless without the connection with their gods."

Elwood’s cold voice sounded.

"I know, right? The Master’s plans are really flawless and ruthless. She knew that once the connection between the World Tree and the Pontifex ceases, all we need to do is to lead her out of the Eternal Orb’s range, and she would be useless."

Sylvanna spoke without a hint of emotion as she stared at the Elven Queen’s kneeling corpse.

Elysia’s body remained unmoving.

The sword had already been retrieved by Sylvanna, but the arrow that pierced her throat remained, and blood dripped down, staining her white robe.

Elwood sneered as he kept his bow in his storage ring, "Well, she could have used her racial abilities and even aura arts, but she must’ve been too shocked to the point she wasn’t able to react."

"Wait, didn’t she have a familiar spirit?"

Sylvanna frowned as she felt something amiss, a sense of urgency welling up in her heart.

Alarm bells also rang inside Elwood’s mind as he involuntarily glanced at the blood stains on his arm, the same as his companion’s.

When they killed Elysia, her blood splashed on them.

But they believed it to be an effect of the excessive force they used, in addition to their positions being near their victim.

Just as Elwood was about to wipe the blood stains off, they glowed.

Blood-red wisteria flowers that were strangely beautiful began sprouting from the blood stains.

One must know that wisterias are woody climbing vines.

"S-Shit!"

Elwood cursed in anger as the wisterias crawled around his arm, constricting it to the point that it started to turn purple due to the lack of blood.

Thud!

Sylvanna collapsed on the ground with a thud as she frantically tried to cut off the wisterias that had already coiled around her left leg, "W-What is this!?"

The wisterias were not tough at all, having the durability of flora that grew in the Forest of Eternity.

However, every time she cut off a part of the plant, she felt a pain no different than her cutting her own flesh.

Furthermore, the wisterias’ growth was rapid.

In just a few breaths, it had already started to reach her waist.

At this moment, Elysia’s corpse moved.

She slowly raised her porcelain-like hand and ruthlessly pulled the arrow from her throat, making blood spurt like a fountain.

However, her bleeding did not last long as the same blood-red wisterias started to sprout from her wounds, healing her wounds before withering and falling off on their own.

Aside from the tears on her clothes, Elysia looked brand new.

The sight brought chills in Elwood and Sylvanna’s spines, as they tried to fight off the wisterias that were continuously growing on their bodies.

Furthermore, the wisterias also began digging into their flesh, which caused it to multiply.

"Why..."

An ethereal voice tinged with melancholy drifted in their ears, making them involuntarily shiver.

Elysia turned around slowly, her emerald green eyes staring at her two childhood friends, "Since when have you two been demonized?"

Her voice remained calm, but the faint quiver in it betrayed the turmoil within her mind.

"W-We weren’t demonized!"

Elwood shouted with tears flowing from his eyes, "W-We were mind-controlled by that woman!"

"I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!" Sylvanna apologized repeatedly, her voice tinged with sincerity.

As they spoke, the crimson glow in their eyes faded as their irises returned to their original emerald color.

This sight made Elysia’s heart soften as she stammered, "R-Really?"

Despite the high position she had within Edenelia, Elwood and Sylvanna had never treated her like she was a different person.

They stayed by her side.

Thus, despite how unlikely their words sounded, and despite the overwhelming chance that they were lying, Elysia found herself leaning toward believing them.

No— she wished to believe them.

She desperately wanted to believe them.

Just as she was about to take a step towards them— just as her mind was filled with hesitation.

"P-Please, Your Holiness!"

"W-Were innocent! Cough! S-Save us, please!"

Elwood and Sylvanna pleaded for their lives as they were starting to be choked by the wisterias that had almost covered half of their bodies.

However, Elysia’s eyes instantly turned cold as she whispered, "Strangle them to death."

Her words made her two childhood friends’ eyes widen in shock, despair filling their eyes.

"H- Cough! Ho— Cough! How!?"

Just as their coughing fit reached its peak and their bodies convulsed violently from the struggle, Elwood and Sylvanna abruptly went still.

Their heads rose simultaneously as they glared at Elysia.

An unnaturally wide smile spread across their faces, the corners of their mouths stretching nearly to their ears.

Immediately afterwards, their mouths parted in unison as their voice overlapped with one another and became raspy like something unholy had taken control of them.

"How did you know?"