Chapter 242: Lynn's Buzzer-Beating Decisive Strike - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 243: Lynn's Buzzer-Beating Decisive Strike Gazing at the slender hand offered by Ives, the Endwitch momentarily fell silent. It seemed almost as if her past, extreme self sought reconciliation. Yet, the impatience and loathing flickering across Ives's face constantly reminded her that this was merely a temporary truce for Lynn's salvation. Previously, the Endwitch had a faint sense that everyone's conflicts might lead them to perish collectively here. It was a fitting conclusion—a romantic and poignant end akin to the tales of star-crossed lovers from novels. Of course, she could choose to escort Lynn's consciousness to the Pantheon, leaving Ives and Goddess Tiya behind. But if her past self were to die, her future existence would vanish too. She had envisioned countless scenarios, yet never had she imagined this scene unfolding so vividly before her. The Endwitch knew well how twisted she had been ten thousand years ago and the intense jealousy and hatred her past harbored towards her existence. Though it was admittedly strange, if she imagined herself in Ives's position—the anxiety that her followers might be stolen away at any moment would almost drive her mad. After all, if it were her, she'd perish here before bending the knee to her future self, relying on that version to escape. This should have been the case. That's why Ives's offered hand felt so surreal. In other words, to save Lynn's life, Ives could suppress her twisted and erratic nature, setting aside her anger and hatred to reconcile with a foe. For reasons unknown, with Ives's memories resonating in her mind, the Endwitch contemplated her long-ago self's emotional shift silently, without words. It seemed that her followers had changed her significantly. But then, doubt and hesitation arose in the Endwitch's heart. Could she do for Ives what Ives was doing now? She dared not delve deeper into this conundrum. It felt as if probing further would only reveal her inadequacy compared to the other. "So... what are you hesitating for?" Ives's voice, tinged with impatience, coldly reached the Endwitch's ears, snapping her back to awareness as she noticed the puzzled looks from the two women. Taking a deep breath, she replied, "No need for your reminder." The Endwitch, seemingly restored to her usual cool and noble demeanor, responded indifferently. "Clap!" With a sharp sound, their palms met. In the next instant, the Endwitch, having arrived in a spiritual form, and Ives emitted a strange and harmonious vibration, signaled by their clapping palms. A torrent of extraordinary power erupted forth, painting the entire Moon-Slit with a magnificent crimson hue. Simultaneously, a vast and boundless force descended from the heavens. This power was so potent, imbued with an air of "domination" and "destruction," that even with Goddess Tiya’s vast experience, she had never seen any deity possess such supreme authority in the river of time spanning ten millennia. Is this the opponent I will face in the future? Watching Ives and the Endwitch merge together, Tiya's expression darkened. Despite having witnessed the formidable nature of the Endwitch before, the current scene still filled her with despair. The sole reassuring thought was that the two women wouldn't form a united front, unlike herself, who had no discord with her past self. Goddess Tiya gently caressed her chest and silently mused. At the same moment, the fierce red glow appeared and disappeared rapidly, vanishing within seconds. At the heart of the light, a tall, white-haired woman remained. With ebony magic runes etched on her face, she gazed dispassionately at the grotesque planetary mass above. Her existence seemed peculiar, combining aspects of both the Endwitch and Ives, as if the two had briefly merged. The first step of the plan was achieved. Tiya inhaled deeply, silently cradling Lynn's body into her arms, resting his head against her chest. However, given her current immature physique compared to the well-developed body she would have in ten thousand years, Tiya blushed at the heat of Lynn's breath against her. "I can only muster enough power for a single strike," the white-haired woman suddenly spoke. "After that, the fusion will self-destruct." "So," she addressed Tiya coldly, noticing her intent on taking liberties with Lynn, "you must control that disgusting creature for at least three seconds. Fail, and you'll be killed." Realizing Tiya's intentions, the white-haired fusion of Ives and the Endwitch spoke icily. Prompted, Tiya composed herself, inhaling deeply. "Rest assured, I'll perform my duties." To hold Lynn so closely across ten millennia, with no apparent objections from the woman before her, was satisfaction enough. Thus, Tiya disregarded the hostile words, closing her eyes slowly. As the second-generation Goddess of the Moon, her domain overlapped with that of Beatrice. Though weakened by the friction of time and space, thwarting the grotesque mass hurtling their way wasn't impossible. In the next moment, a crescent halo faintly appeared behind Tiya's head. Simultaneously, the tumor-like planetary mass hovering in the heavens came to a sudden halt. What immense power!!! Immersed in her divine form, Beatrice, her consciousness muddled and polluted, marveled at the sight. At this moment, there wasn't a trace of the once Goddess of the Moon in her. Abandoning all sense of purity for the path of a dark god, even her aesthetic sense had been warped. A newfound strength surged within her, far surpassing her previous pursuit of purity and beauty, leaving her to ponder why she hadn't embraced corruption sooner. Such is the terrifying capability of the demonic. Even gods, when subjected to prolonged corruption and murmurs, might irrevocably fall into darkness. Burdened by insatiable urges deep within, Beatrice was consumed by thoughts of destruction and massacre. Only the blood and cries of life could quell her yearnings and impatience. Kill!!! Controlling the endless tendrils on the planetary mass's surface, Beatrice dispersed the surrounding gravity, fixing her massive vertical eye upon the women before her, descending like doom itself. Hmm? Something felt amiss. Was it the people? Or their numbers? Staring at the familiar yet foreign white-haired woman, Beatrice tried to think, a strong divine warning nagging at her. However, having unleashed her divine form, logic had nearly forsaken her. Basic assessments and analyses of the situation had all but vanished. Solely one thought dominated her mind. Kill the women before her, then break through the Moon-Slit, soaring to the vast city above thrumming with millions of life forces. Glossary was on the brink of once more facing the peril of a dark god's descent. But unlike last time, with only an essence like the Tomb of the Silent at the abandoned factory, it was a full-fledged fallen dark god about to appear. Stop me at your peril! Beatrice roared internally, but in her mythic form, it manifested as a "squeak" that reverberated eerie discord throughout the Moon-Slit. "....." She gazed silently at the white-haired woman, who seemed unfazed by her grotesque form, instead exhibiting a cold contempt. This expression enraged Beatrice instantly. Just as she prepared to act, the white-haired woman, floating in the air, suddenly clutched an invisible sword at her chest, her gaze fixed upon its chilling blade. In the following heartbeat, a colossal gateway, rivaling the deity-gate behind her, pierced the fragile dimensional space, thundering into existence! Chapter 243: Lynn's Buzzer-Beating Decisive Strike Before them stood a gate constructed of blood and remains—a doorway to the underworld. Those familiar with Ives would easily recognize it as one of her signature abilities, aside from her skill with the Bloodthorn. Once this ability was invoked, Ives could briefly draw upon the immense power from the realm beyond the gate, creating a sudden overwhelming burst. Even though Ives didn't fully comprehend where this portal led, the Endwitch knew all too well. Much like the divine gate hovering behind Beatrice, this blood portal also led to an existence known as a divine realm. This was the kingdom future Ives built after attaining godhood. With a sound of bone grinding, reminiscent of a spine-chilling cacophony, two skeletal hands, as large as mountains and intertwined with rivers of blood and endless wailing shadows, slowly stretched from the portal. Mirroring the posture of the white-haired woman, they held their hands as if grasping an invisible sword, their palms erupting with blinding crimson light! From this emanated a colossal scarlet blade, sharp enough to pierce the heavens, appearing within the skeletal hands’ reach. The hands, seemingly extensions of the white-haired woman’s arms, lifted the immense sword high. Then, with the overwhelming might of thunder, it descended as a crimson sword beam, heavy like a thousand mountains, cleaving downward with breathtaking speed! Beatrice, attempting to form a defense with the countless tentacles around her, was suddenly overcome by a stupefying pause in her thoughts. In that moment, it felt as though her dominion slipped away, as if stolen. Instinctively, she turned her massive vertical eye towards the sensation's source. She gazed upon a young woman, reminiscent of the Moon Goddess, cradling an unconscious young man, her eyes closed, with a familiar halo of moonlight hovering behind her head. You damn thief! Fury seethed within Beatrice. The next second, an intense mental assault surged through her eye, targeting the girl’s mind. With a pained cry, the halo behind the girl shattered into countless fragments, and blood trickled from her facial apertures, showing she had sustained severe damage. Yet, that fleeting interruption consumed precious seconds. Regathering her senses, Beatrice found the colossal blood-red blade surging towards her face. "BOOM—!!!" The space quaked violently in response to the impact, light flickering briefly as the blood-red sword pierced the planetary mass like a knife through butter, embedding itself at its heart. "Eeee—!!!" On the planetary mass's surface, countless tendrils writhed and twisted, emitting an excruciatingly sharp keening. It hurt! Damn insects! In agony, Beatrice, in her mythical form, erupted with a formidable, eerie black glow as never seen before. Simultaneously, the colossal blood-red blade, which had nearly cleaved the mass in two, suddenly halted, caught within the creature's massive form as if unable to advance any further. Not good!!! Despite the hot blood trickling from her nose and eyes and the searing pain in her head, as if it had been stirred with a red-hot poker, Goddess Tiya steeled her consciousness, holding Lynn tightly and sheltering him from the chaotic energies around them. Watching the skeletal hands clasp the blood-red blade, her face gradually turned pale. Even together, they couldn't reach the Endwitch's peak level, falling just short of the power needed to slain a god in a single strike. Beatrice was no stationary target. On sensing pain and peril, her latent power surged unprecedentedly, allowing her to contend with the fused form of the Endwitch in such a short span of time. However, Tiya recalled the Endwitch's words: if this strike failed, their fused form would collapse. Without their sole means of direct assault, they’d stand no chance against the mythic form of Beatrice. This was undeniably a dire predicament. Is this the end? Biting her lip until it bled, her consciousness teetering on the brink, Tiya felt the summons of her entity from within the Pantheon. No matter what, as the silent saint, Tiya stood only at the fourth tier. It was a miracle she hadn’t perished under the planetary mass's gaze. What more could one expect from a superhuman below the fifth legendary tier? Cracks started surfacing on the skeletal hands' surfaces, the blood-red blade growing dim, poised to disintegrate at any moment. The white-haired woman appeared ghastly pale and disheveled, barely holding on, refusing to retreat even a step. The power struggle between the Endwitch and Beatrice had reached a critical juncture, a precariously balanced standoff, sensitive to the slightest disruption. Without external interference, this would lead to the fused form's collapse and a bleak conclusion. Amid this apocalyptic scene, Tiya looked down at the boy in her arms, eyes gently closed, a soft fondness and lingering attachment in her gaze. At least let him survive. With that resolve, even drained and spent, Tiya closed her eyes again. She would exhaust her last ounce of strength to tilt the scales between the Endwitch and Beatrice. This choice would extinguish what little of Saint Tiya's consciousness remained, erasing her future self as well. West separated before speaking a single word to the man she loved. It was a grievous fate. Yet there seemed no alternative. Better Lynn live on, carrying her spirit, than her lonely survival in a desolate world. Even Ives could temporarily set aside her vengeance against the Endwitch for Lynn's sake. If she couldn't offer such a sacrifice, wouldn't that be small-minded? In the next instant, the previous lunar halo, shattered under the dark god's gaze, began painstakingly reforming behind her head. Yet, just then, a gentle voice echoed in her ear. "Leave the buzzer-beater to the true protagonist," a soothing energy flowed through Lynn's hand on Tiya's shoulder. "After all... this is the story I started." Unlikely disbelief surged through her heart like a beacon, tearing the perpetual dark night sky. Tiya's tears brimmed, she instinctively wanted to look at him. "Don't open your eyes, maintain the link between yourself and Beatrice," Lynn stopped her. Wiping the blood from his lips, he rose steadily, "This body was intended as her vessel, and you've inherited her domain, deepening this connection." "Not just power but memory can flow through this link. Your manipulation that stalled her thoughts proves it." "So, Tiya, you are the key to breaking their stalemate." Heeding his instruction, Tiya asked, "What... should I do?" "Not much is needed—just cause the slightest fissure in Beatrice's mind again." With an air of light amusement, Lynn's smile broadened as he observed the intensely locked battle overhead, "Given her extreme aversion to males, the solution is simple." "Tiya, do you remember what we did on that night of our escape?" (End of Chapter)