Chapter 523 (2): Goddess of Light

Siluk’s expression crumbled. She hurriedly said, “Don’t look at him, Kaleb. The bastard is dangerous. You’ll get corrupted!”

“But he hasn’t corrupted me...” Kaleb murmured under Her breath. When Her heart raced at the thought of the glance She had just exchanged with Wayne, she felt a pang of guilt like She had done something to betray Siluk.

Damn it, why do you feel guilty? Look at me!

Siluk stepped forward and glared at Wayne, then seized Kaleb by the hand to yank Her back to Her side. She didn’t stop until She had put a safe distance between Wayne and them.

Planting Her hands on Kaleb’s shoulders, She instructed, “Listen to me. I’ll never lie to you. That man is only using you. We’ve lived through a War of Faiths and met many schemers like him. Don’t fall for it.”

“Um, but—”

“No buts. Do you trust me or not?!”

“I do.” Kaleb nodded firmly, then added, “I trust you so much, Siluk, so you should trust me this once. The two of us alone won’t survive the Final Judgment. Joining him is the smarter move.”

“Wake up. He’s brainwashed you.”

Siluk shook Kaleb vigorously, trying to shake Wayne’s influence off Her.

“Stop shaking Her,” Wayne said. “You’re going to turn Her brain into a smoothie. And She’s right. There is strength in numbers. If the two of you alone could overcome the Final Judgment, Elohim wouldn’t have turned tail and run.”

“Shut up. No goddess here is on your side.” Siluk glared at him, warning him not to toy with Her gullible friend.

“I am, though,” Kaleb said while raising Her hand.

Why are you so proud of that?! Siluk shot Kaleb a furious look, who turned away innocently. The power dynamic between them had never been clearer.

“Siluk,” Wayne said. “I can tell that you don’t trust me much.”

“Not much? I don’t trust you at all...”

Siluk’s voice turned icy. Wayne had been growing too fast. He had been insignificant like a stray dog on the street, but became unrecognizable after only a few days. Together, She and Kaleb wouldn’t even pose a challenge to him. They couldn’t afford to get any closer.

What worried Her was that he might not be a stray dog after all, but a starving wolf with bloodthirsty eyes—the kind that rolled his eyes in contentment after a feast.

“You treated me nicely before,” Wayne said, raising an eyebrow. “Did your opinion of me go one-eighty because I’ve gotten too close to Kaleb? Do you feel insecure?”

“Don’t try to drive a wedge between us!”

“I’m not. I’m only telling the truth.” Wayne smiled. “Before, I would’ve told Kaleb that you were only using Her, thus denying Her value. I’d make sure that She realized She was the true leader of this duo. Without the sun, the moon won’t shine. It’ll just be a piece of rock with an uneven surface...”

“But I promised Her that fire elements wouldn’t lie to each other. I’ll refrain from voicing those manipulative words.”

...You just said all that!

“Let’s be practical, Siluk.” Wayne held his fist up. “Kaleb and you have your own plan. You believe that you can survive the Final Judgment on your own. Show me your trump cards then. If the two of you can’t even beat me, your trump card isn’t much to begin with, and you should count on me rather than relying on yourselves."

Siluk huffed. “Why on earth would I reveal my trump card to you?”

“You should,” Kaleb agreed. “He has a point. If we can’t even beat him, we should forget about getting other ideas.”

Siluk shot Her a glare. “Shut up. You’re already corrupted.”

“Siluk, what else can you do other than snap at Kaleb? If I were you, I would spoil Her and cherish Her, giving Her the treatment She deserves. After all...” Wayne smiled. “There is no shortage of people who adore Her. If not you, then there’s me. But what about you? Ha, is there anyone standing in line to take care of you?”

Kaleb’s eyes lit up with satisfaction. Then Siluk covered Her eyes.

She stared at Her unhinged best friend. If She didn’t deal with Wayne right now, She had a feeling that Kaleb would sooner or later lose Her body and soul to his deception. She might even have to sell Her future children to pay the debt.

Why can’t you use your little clever head?! Wake up. He’s manipulating you!

Siluk glared daggers at Wayne. Siluk has never been smart to begin with. Why would you tease her and tell her all that nonsense? I won’t let you off the hook.

But then Siluk realized that She didn’t stand a chance. This was the Divine Realm of Sun, and even in the Divine Realm of Moonlight, She doubted that She would be able to defeat Wayne. Once the wolf stopped pretending, both Kaleb and Her would be finished.

Watching Siluk’s shifting expressions, Wayne smiled with amusement, stalking up to Her.

Siluk frowned, but didn’t step back from fear.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you.” Wayne stopped. “Although you aren’t a goddess in my heart, you are Kaleb’s friend. I’ll show you some decorum for Her sake.”

Kaleb let go of Siluk’s hand and shot him an approving look. Wayne met Her gaze, and they soon began to make eyes at each other.

Siluk felt like a green cap was weighing Her head down. “You want to see Kaleb and my trump card, Wayne?”

“Not just see, but experience it.” Wayne’s expression turned serious. “I’ll skip the threats. If you don’t show me what you've got, you might be able to leave the Divine Realm of Sun, but Kaleb won’t. I’m a pervert. You should know what will happen afterwards.”

Kaleb pursed Her lips, looking at Siluk pitifully. “I have a feeling that he means it. You should take him seriously.”

“Shut up, idiot. Whose side are you even on?” Siluk’s chest tightened with frustration. After a long pause, She finally managed, “He has already done it with Ines—they kissed. He’s covered in Darkness. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“Well...” Kaleb gulped. “If I steal him, do you think Ines will die of anger?”

(?_?)

Siluk didn’t know if Ines would die of anger, but She was nearly there already.

Confirming that Her best friend had been bewitched into taking the bastard’s side, Siluk realized that She had no choice. Taking a deep breath, She said coldly, “Fine. I’ll grant you your last wish and show you our trump card, but...”

“But it won’t be for free, and I’ll have to pay the price,” Wayne finished Her sentence for Her, nodding. “I know the rules. If you win, I’ll follow your lead from now on. Actually, I’ll listen to every order of the Goddess of Moonlight regardless of whether the order is reasonable, or if it clashes with my own wishes.”

Siluk’s expression soured.

Kaleb beamed. “See? Didn’t I pick a smart leader?”

You’re just too dumb! Siluk shot Kaleb a venomous look before turning to Wayne. “Go on. Say whatever you have in mind.”

“As the goddess commands.” Wayne bowed slightly. “Conditions should be reciprocal. I can’t be the only one shouldering such a great risk. You two must do it too...”

After a pause, he continued, “Well, maybe not Kaleb. She is a goddess I care for, after all, but you’re not. If you lose, you, Siluk, the Goddess of Moonlight, will obey my commands whether they are reasonable or not and whether they clash with your wishes.”

He looked Her over with shameless, calculative eyes, already getting ideas.

Siluk’s eyes glinted fiercely. She was about to shoot him down and tell him to shut his shameless eyes when Kaleb said, “Don’t worry. He’s bluffing. Even if we lose, he won’t do anything to you.”

(???)

One word from Kaleb made Her anger deflate. She felt out of place like a third wheel. She should just walk away and leave the degenerates be.

But She didn’t. She couldn't bear to leave Her best friend in such a predicament, to a future of selling Her body and children. Glaring at Wayne, Siluk said, “Fine. I accept the bet. How do we seal it?”

“A verbal agreement is good enough. I don’t need an oath.” Wayne smiled and balled both hands into fists. “I have the persuasive power to guarantee the bet. I’m not worried about you breaking your word. In fact, I’m looking forward to your resistance to my unreasonable demands. The harder your struggle, the more fun it’ll be.”

Siluk wordlessly turned to Kaleb.

See? That’s the kind of person he is!

Isn’t he considerate? Kaleb responded with a look. He hasn’t forced you to swear an oath and even leaves you with wiggle room. He shows a lot of respect for your dignity as a goddess.

“...”

Siluk groaned silently. She didn’t understand what was so credible about fire elements. She grabbed Kaleb’s shoulders and drew on the golden sunlight radiating from Her body, projecting a luminous display of four moon phases in the sky above.

The dark moon, the waning moon, the new moon, and the full moon.

The four moons rotated slowly around a massive sun, like the ancient wheel of time in the cosmos, silently calculating the patterns of the primordial Laws.

Wayne looked over and reached out with his senses, feeling the shifting interplay of the information of the Sun and Moonlight. The sun and the moons cycled endlessly, repeating a new beginning and a declining end. Infinite changes reached a perfect balance between opposition and harmony.

At the same time, Kaleb and Siluk began to merge.

“So it’s a literal combo, and...” Wayne’s eyes twitched. “That’s a long wind-up. Lucky for them, I’m not some brainless villain, or I would’ve punched them and stopped them from fusing.”

Wait, it’s the brainless villains who never interrupt fusion.

Hum—

A rumble thundered between heaven and earth. Beneath the vast, infinite sky, the four moons converged with the sun at the center, and a ripple of discrete spatial distortion came from outside the Divine Realm of Sun.

Wayne finally realized why the fusion took so long. There was a necessary process: Siluk had to move the Divine Realm of Moonlight over to bring it into contact with the Divine Realm of Sun so that they could share their divine power.

The two Divine Realms collided, and the world plunged into darkness. It was the darkness that came before dawn, destined to be torn apart by the first ray of sunlight.

A brilliant fissure split the sky. Tens of thousands of radiant rays poured through like the first light of the day, yet it was more magnificent than any sunrise. It heralded the arrival of a new goddess into the world.

She stood regal and graceful with a scepter in hand, dressed in a robe woven from light and embroidered with the patterns of the sun, moon, and stars, symbolizing an infinite light. When Her eyes opened, countless glowing threads cascaded and banished all darkness. Her gaze enveloped all shadows in the world, driving them outside the brilliance.

She was the incarnation of the purest light in the universe, an inviolable radiance, and the absolute antithesis of Darkness—the Goddess of Light!

Her terrifying aura surged in tandem with the infinite light. A searing divine power capable of dispersing everything descended upon the world.