Chapter 229: Lynn, Hold Me - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Sister Gretel, who rushed to the scene, was as puzzled as the diverse guests witnessing the ceremony. However, she maintained a calm demeanor, and her expression was stern. She was well aware of the goddess's deteriorating condition, which prompted the urgent search for a new vessel to host the divine descent. Even so, she couldn't believe that, in a place like Glostein under the watchful eyes of the gods, the goddess would encounter a crisis related to demons. The primary concern was to sustain the confidence of the guests and the faithful, preventing a chain reaction. A mishandling here could lead to a major public relations disaster. "Please remain calm, everyone," Sister Gretel announced loudly, "As the goddess's consciousness is about to descend, any revelations you've witnessed will be addressed by the Saintess after the Moonlight Ceremony concludes." Hearing this, the guests in the auditorium looked at each other with uncertainty. No matter what, the demonic silhouette obscuring the moon wasn't an illusion. The overwhelming malice it emanated was enough to terrify them. The word "demon" itself was a taboo to them, given their ancestral enmity. Now, witnessing such an ominous portent on the moon, which symbolized nobility and purity, naturally prompted deep concern. Meanwhile, the clergy from other churches attending, including the Heavenly and Abundant Churches, began to murmur quietly, eyes alight as if spotting a golden opportunity. Noticing the growing anxiety among the crowd, Sister Gretel frowned. Damn it. She cursed inwardly. Although she didn’t know what happened during the celestial rift, past Moonlight Ceremonies had proceeded without error. Why was there an exception this time? Surely, it had to do with the vile consciousness parasitizing the goddess's vessel. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to address the crowd again, only to be interrupted by an unforeseen event. A deafening roar, like the collapse of heaven and earth, erupted from the depths. It swept through the Silent Church like a storm, plunging everyone into chaos, as though facing an apocalyptic calamity from humanity's primal past. The ground quaked, bodies trembled, and spider-like cracks spread across the buildings' surfaces before they crumbled. An earthquake? No, it was far more terrifying!!! This cataclysm wasn’t confined to the Silent Church or the nearby districts. Later, when recounting the night, all of Glostein would shiver at the fear they labeled "doomsday." Within the crowd, Yveste noticed a newfound agitation on the little dog in Eleanor's arms, an evil aura subtly emanating from it. Her face changed dramatically as she instinctively stood up. Lynn? Where are you?! Realizing her little dog might be in unprecedented peril, panic welled in her heart. No matter how cold her exterior, her fervent and twisted feelings for Lynn could never be extinguished. "Woof!" Suddenly, the little dog barked, leaped from Eleanor's embrace, and dashed into the chaotic crowd. "Lynn! Where are you going?!" Eleanor scrambled to her feet, intent on pursuit, but was halted by Yveste. "Afia, get her out of here." The princess slowly rose, her gaze resolute as she looked toward where the dog disappeared. A sudden spiritual intuition stirred within her. It whispered that by following it, she might find where Lynn was. Can human power reach the realm of infinity? Of course not. Ultimately, adjectives like "infinity" are utterly ethereal. Yet while reinforced by the core trait, Lynn dared to make such a brazen wish. Having grasped the rules of the wishing jar, he dared to engage in actions others deemed reckless. One must understand that even a level 0 sealed artifact can't fulfill human wishes endlessly. Or rather, most wishes, like "endless wealth," "immortality," or "being the world's most beautiful person," are unachievable. Think of "immortality" — not even the gods can attain it. Yet when the wishing jar was created, it was imbued with the logic of fulfilling any conceivable wish, given human insatiability paired with limited capacity for desire. This is akin to the ancient emperor who wished for "immortality," only for the wishing jar to transform him into a long-lived mass of pulsating flesh. Although it failed to grant true immortality, this failure derived from the emperor's weakness as a "human." In other words, if a wish surpasses the rules or is wholly impossible, the wishing jar won't refuse. Instead, it grants the wish in the most twisted way, as if in jest. Thus, Lynn wished for "infinite power" through his core trait. It answered his plea, transforming his body wrapped in black mire into such a grotesque form. In that moment, his strength exponentially increased, allowing him to unleash a devastating punch. The fractured demonic wings lightly flapped, enabling Lynn to maintain flight, suspended in midair, gazing at the fragmented chaotic space flow, resembling an egg cracked open and scrambled. The lunar rift serves as a passage connecting the Silent Church and the Silver Moon Divine Realm, a buffer zone of sorts between virtual and reality, possessing dual traits. Lynn's ultimate violence resulted in such chaos. In the deeply sunken, twisted ground below, the white halo dimmed considerably, struggling to maintain the goddess's humanoid form. Suspended quietly in midair, flickering, it seemed gravely wounded. "Heh. . ." Cold sweat formed on Lynn's brow as he heavily panted. At that moment, an overwhelming void threatened to topple him from his flight. His once tumor-like, mutated right arm vanished without a trace. Even the half of Lynn's body wrapped in black mire seemed to evaporate amid the forceful impact, enough to raze a city. Fortunately, the slowly writhing black muck gradually regenerated his missing body. Given his second-tier strength, such injuries should have ensured his demise. Perhaps, after integrating the wishing jar's core trait, he completely transformed into something inhuman, severing ties with humanity. Such is the cost of using the power beyond mundane means. Faced with his predicament, only two choices remained. The first was letting his right arm continue to swell and mutate until the core trait twistedly fulfilled the wish. The second was releasing the accumulated power in his right arm, which a human body couldn't withstand. In desperation, Lynn re-entered the Fateweaver mode, transferring the damage to the slime fused with the black mire on his body, barely clinging to life. However, the core trait's power isn't inexhaustible. Each moment of wielding this power saw the demon's residual forces corroding and transforming his body at a terrifying speed. The writhing black sludge covering his body testified to this. What began as a "corner conquest" steadily enveloped Lynn's entire being. Such is the horror of a high-dimensional demon. Even if Yuvylia's consciousness was obliterated by the Doom Witch, her power didn't vanish. Once Lynn was fully transformed, the Genesis Demon would resurrect anew. The lunar goddess understood this and chose to keep her distance from this suicidal madman. An abomination like him needed only a slight delay to lead himself to destruction. The young demon descended gracefully on his crippled wings. Meanwhile, the missing half of his body gradually reformed under the black sludge's restoration. Yet, even restored, Lynn retained an aura of madness and distortion, an unsettling sight. Were his left face not still human, he would be seen as an eldritch abomination. Off in the distance, the goddess's consciousness seemed to be on pause after taking a hit from him, floating silently in the air without any response. Seeing this, Lynn uncharacteristically chose not to press his advantage. He cast a cold glance in the direction of the goddess, then slowly turned around. The area where Tiya was located had been consciously protected by him, thus she was unharmed by the violent impact. At this moment, the girl, who was lying on the ground moments before, exerted all her strength to support herself and tried to stand up. Yet, for a consciousness on the verge of vanishing, merely controlling her body was already the limit. Her soul, tormented by illusions of suffering and deliberately ravaged by Beatrice, was in tatters. From Lynn's sudden appearance to the current dramatic turn of events, everything far exceeded the girl's expectations. His presence was like a beacon of light, piercing the despair and darkness in her heart. Tiya felt a warmth fill her eyes, and a sourness tinged her nose, nearly bringing her to tears. It was a strange sensation. Not long ago, they were enemies who couldn’t coexist. But now, the once dim future destined for conflict between them began veering toward the possibilities of the new and unknown. Whether this change was good or bad, she didn't know. All she know was that there were many things she wanted to say to him. "Ah, sorry." Who knew that at the last second, as he neared her, the young man stopped, hesitantly scratching his head. "This body might be a bit ugly right now; I'm sure you're scared." As those words reached Tiya's ears, her pent-up emotions burst forth, and tears fell like rain. Indeed, she had many things she wanted to say to the boy before her. She wanted to apologize, to share the grievances buried in her heart, to tell him how scared she had just been, and cautiously probe what he truly thought of her. Tiya wasn’t one to be unreasonably tsundere; once she recognized her feelings, she would choose honesty. Therefore, there were so many things she wanted to talk about. But when it all came down to it, all her words condensed into one simple request. "Lynn," Tiya's voice quivered with a sob as she slowly opened her arms toward the boy in front of her, "Hold me." [S-grade plot character "Tiya Eurstia" plot deviation increased to %.] “?!” Inside the Elorate Palace, a chilling shiver coursed through Shia as if something vital had been lost, leaving him numb and his legs weak. Though he had no other choice but to endure. Shia stood silently, feeling the changes within him during a prolonged moment of silence. God knows how long passed before the bloodshot-eyed boy returned to his senses, staring at the lofty golden tree of the holy spirit in the distance. Two days had elapsed since Tiya angrily distanced herself from him. During these two days, he had searched non-stop for any trace of Lynn Bartleon. Every time he recalled Tiya’s detach and rejection, Shia was filled with the impulse to destroy the cause of it all instantly. Yet Lynn vanished as completely as if he had disappeared from the face of the Earth, evaporating from Glostein without a trace. This feeling of the unattainable only fueled Shia’s frustration. He thought the situation would continue indefinitely. But just moments ago, a feeling of inspired clarity struck him. Subtly guided by that mysterious voice—voice that had echoed in his ears countless times before, as if favored by some powerful entity—he found himself at the Elorate Palace. Only then did the boy finally understand what had happened to him. Ignoring the ominous feeling for now, as he looked at the holy spirit tree now close at hand, Shia realized a crucial fact. Due to the unique properties of this sacred tree that defy spatial principles, those unchosen could spend their lives and never stand before it. Yet, Shia effortlessly reached its base, becoming one of the few in the realm who could. In essence, he had received the tree’s acknowledgment, marking him as the hero foretold by prophecy.