Chapter 518 (2): I Object to This Marriage

The Heart of Supreme Darkness!

As the innermost core of the Divine Realm of Darkness, with a name like ‘Supreme Darkness’, the place didn’t actually contain a shred of darkness. In the middle of the vast sea was a hovering island. In the sky overhead was an orderly ring of sun, moon, and stars, their radiance refracting like impossibly rare gems, weaving together the warmth of the sun, the serenity of the moon, and the mystique of the stars.

The interlaced light drove away the eternal darkness, illuminating the entire island.

On the lush island, exotic flowers and grasses abounded. Every petal and leaf shimmered with colors that did not belong to the mortal world, seemingly drawing nourishment from the starlight. They prospered with a spiritual aura, emitting captivating fragrances.

In the center of the garden palace, cradled by sun, moon, and stars, a pure white hall stood in silence. The architecture was minimalistic and solemn, with ornamental ponds and waterways circling it. From above, they formed the patterns of the sun, moon, and stars.

Darkness enveloped the stars, and the sun and moon could not escape—that was the meaning of the Heart of Supreme Darkness.

This sanctuary, hidden at the heart of the Divine Realm, was Darkness’s last tender gesture. It was proof that even in the deepest darkness, a seed of light and hope germinated stubbornly, awaiting its moment to bloom.

Of course, drawing a comparison between the Heart of Supreme Darkness and the headquarters of the Church of Darkness, which were similar in style, one could read the design in another way: that Darkness had plans for Sun and Moonlight, and only by consuming all light could Darkness become truly complete.

Wayne followed the garden path and, before long, encountered a woman in a black robe. She bowed slightly and introduced herself as a Dream God.

Dream Gods were Holy Maidens from the mortal realm, serving as Ines’s representatives and vessels. Each one had been personally guided to the Heart of Supreme Darkness to serve at the goddess’s side.

Their beauty needed no description. The Dream God in front of Wayne wasn’t as stunning as Anastasia, but she was undeniably beautiful. Had he met her two years ago, he would’ve added her to his list of first loves.

Not now, though. His harem had raised his standards too much.

After a few hundred steps forward, Wayne spotted more Dream Gods. Compared to the Night Gods of the Underworld, Ines had considerably more Holy Maidens—more precisely, many more Holy Maidens of Darkness had survived the War of Faiths.

Ines’s character left much to be desired, but She took great care of Her people, more so than Aztimor. Her principle was simple: my people are mine to torment, so no one else is allowed to lay so much as a finger on them.

That made Her seem like a benevolent goddess, but things were different from another perspective.

Ines had personally welcomed more than ten Holy Maidens into the Divine Realm. While She teased Briar and Kaya by neglecting them, She would seek entertainment from the Holy Maidens.

What else could the Dream Gods do? As long as the goddess was happy, they were happy. They all convinced themselves that the goddess had revealed Her true self to them out of trust.

The greatest reward for loyalty was loyalty itself. This was an honor. Ordinary disciples couldn’t beg their way to getting bullied. They should be grateful.

Wayne followed the Dream Gods forward. Sniffing the faint floral fragrance mixed with the scent of pure women around him, he strongly suspected that this was his final trial.

This is too easy. You should’ve deployed Anastasia; then I guarantee you that I would lose my disguise immediately.

Wayne thought that the Dream Gods would lead him to the goddess’s bedchamber, but they didn’t. Instead, he reached the far end of a corridor adorned with flowers and, as the door opened, saw a pure white great hall.

The place resembled a church. At the far end stood a statue of the Goddess of Darkness. On the pews on each side sat the members of the adventuring party: Briar and Kaya, the two subordinate gods, Vichy, the Darkness Knight, and Holy Maiden Anastasia, the embodiment of envy, lust, and deceit, whom he had defeated.

Aztimor, the Goddess of Death, was also present!

Anastasia and Aztimor sat at the very front row. When they saw Wayne, Anastasia gave him a small smile, while Aztimor frantically shot Her master pointed looks with wide eyes.

Aztimor was under Ines’s restriction, rendered immobile by the weight of the entire Divine Realm of Darkness, at the price of leaving the Divine Realm in a vulnerable state. At this moment, Wayne could easily take over the Divine Realm with a single strike, corrupting it and the goddess to mold Ines at will.

Opportunities like this wouldn’t come again. Aztimor was reminding Wayne that this was his best chance. If he didn’t seize it, he would be dancing in Ines’s palm in the future.

Aztimor refused to believe in love. She was convinced that Ines harbored ulterior motives, that She was using Wayne to achieve some goal She couldn’t reveal.

Wayne glanced at Aztimor and said nothing, smiling instead. He glanced at Anastasia and Vichy. He would give the two the same thing. Whatever Ines had, they should have, too.

The Holy Maiden and knight sat with perfect posture, warning Wayne not to speak nonsense. They didn’t want this at all, oh no. Besides, in such a sacred and solemn setting... He should show some restraint. His scum level was way too high.

Wayne looked back at the crystal flower bed ahead. Ines lay silently on it, hands folded on Her abdomen. Her long black hair was pinned up, and She wore a black wedding gown.

An endless cascade of flowers surrounded her, all in full bloom and emitting pleasant fragrances. The entire space seemed radiant and mysterious, a perfect blend of dreams and reality.

While the flowers were beautiful, the bride was even more so. The goddess’s transcendent beauty reduced the flowers to nothing but a backdrop.

Wayne stopped right in front of the flower bed, studying Ines’s face quietly. She didn’t take the form of the darkness elf he had seen the first time they met. Sunlight, moonlight, and starlight converged and shone softly on the sleeping beauty’s face. Her fair skin looked even more luminous and smooth under the soft play of light and shadow. Her stunning features seemed too perfect to be real.

With each soft, even breath, the goddess appeared perfectly in sync with the rhythm of the flowers and the light and shadow around Her. She seemed submerged in a deep, sweet dream.

Aztimor glared at the shameless wench with blazing eyes. She saw no romance, only a trap. Yet Her master obliviously ignored Her warnings and put his faith in Ines.

Aztimor regretted everything. If She had known that this was what She would witness in the Divine Realm of Darkness, She would have stayed in the Underworld.

Amidst Her fury, Wayne messaged Her and said that if Aztimor wanted it, he would arrange a similar ceremony for Her too.

Aztimor suddenly settled down, Her eyes shifting aside. If She wanted it? She wasn’t Ines, who had a penchant for feigning innocence. As Wayne’s vassal, She would never make improper requests to him, so he should simply do whatever he saw fit.

She didn’t need an extravagant wedding. Ten times bigger than Ines’s would do.

Without Aztimor glaring at him resentfully like a ghost, Wayne felt much lighter. He had had many candlelit dinners, but this was new to him.

What was the first step? To kiss the sleepy beauty awake? If She didn’t wake up, he would just keep kissing?

Wayne thought of the gift he had picked up in the Garden of Sorrow. He retrieved the bouquet of nine hundred and ninety-nine roses from his personal storage, arranging them on either side of the flower bed.

He looked around. Indeed, there was every color imaginable, but not fifty shades of black. Since the bride was the Goddess of Darkness, and Her wedding gown of choice was black, there should be black flowers to represent Her.

Sure enough, the corners of the sleeping beauty’s mouth curled up slightly, and Her dream grew sweeter.

Wayne took a deep breath. He didn’t rush in to kiss Her like a fool; if Ines didn’t want to wake up, the atmosphere would be spoiled. This was an important moment for Ines. Whether She would wholeheartedly fall for him would depend on what he did next. He had to do everything right.

He got on one knee before the crystal bed and took out the black velvet he had acquired and kept on his person, unfolding it. He took Ines’s slightly cool hand.

He knew it had to be the left hand, but whether he should put the ring on the middle finger or the ring finger... The former would mean an engagement, while the latter would mean marriage. This was an important decision.

In the end, Wayne chose the ring finger. If Ines wanted to be his partner, let Her be. She had more than earned it, no matter how one looked at the situation.

Picking up the ring, he softly read the inscription on the inside, “Beloved, Ines, vow... My goddess, you’re truly stunning today.”

He had thick enough skin to pull off an adoring fiancé with no effort. In the pews, the audience watching them held their breath. Setting aside the few brimming with jealousy, the atmosphere was pleasant.

Briar, the Eye of Tears, had already covered her mouth to muffle her sobs.

Another inhuman superior added to the mix. Life is hard.

Kaya, a fellow subordinate god, had given no thought to the future. Lost in the romantic floral atmosphere, she looked dazed, her cheeks flushed. She almost cried out, I object to this marriage!

If that happened, Wayne wouldn’t need to propose. Ines would sit up immediately and tear the treacherous subordinate god to pieces.

Wayne put the ring on Ines’s ring finger. He felt Her fingertip still, and when the ring slid into place, Her left hand balled into a fist, even trembling slightly.

He made no comment about it. If he called Her out, he could forget about ever entering the Divine Realm of Darkness.

Taking Her left hand, he leaned down and gazed at Her tightly shut eyes, noticing the flutter of Her lashes. His lips curled up as he lowered his head to kiss her.

Their lips pressed together gently for three seconds.

When he lifted his head, Ines had opened Her eyes. Her deep, dark gaze was brimming with adoration.

“I do...”