Chapter 287: Ch 286: All becoming one

It felt weird. Seraphina could tell that her body was still her own. It obeyed her when she wanted to move and when she wanted to cast magic. Heck, there was no fog around her mind when she wanted to work either.

And yet, she could tell that something fundamentally inside her had changed. Her thoughts were spiraling in a way that was not her own, and that made her feel nervous.

One look around, and she could tell that she was not the only one who felt this way.

Iris, Elena, and Lyra seemed to be going through the same feeling.

"It feels...weird. It’s as if my body is my own, but it is not at the same time. I wanted to attack Leon and hurt him...which I have never thought of in my life until now."

Iris pointed out with a shaky voice, and her worry was something that Seraphina could agree upon.

Her suspicion about her situation was increasing by the second until something clicked inside her mind.

These powers and the way she was feeling...it could only be one thing.

"I think...we are being controlled by corruption. And it is not the normal corruption either that is controlling us, but a deep and dark kind. I am afraid that we might be filled with corruption inside out."

Seraphina told the others, and Lyra let out a laugh at her words.

"That is a good joke. You almost had me there with it. Now, anything else you would like to add?"

The demon queen told Seraphina, but the Saintess did not laugh. Instead, she tried to use holy powers to prove her point, but they would not come out.

Lyra noticed this, and her laugh began to dwindle until she could not laugh anymore. Instead, her eyes widened in shock as she bit her lip.

"You are joking, right? This has to be some kind of elaborate joke. Otherwise, it does not make sense! Us? Getting corrupted? But for what reason?"

She asked, but as soon as the question was out of her mouth, her surroundings dulled a little.

She and the others watched as the space in front of them was torn apart, and a beautiful lady who looked like Seraphina stepped out of it.

Despite her beauty and charm, she had a haunting feeling that gave others chills with just her presence.

Even now, her presence startled the people in front of her, who immediately became very aware of her and took a defensive stance to fight against her.

"Who are you, and what do you want from us?"

Iris asked as she stepped forward. But weirdly enough, her instincts told her that she could back down and trust this unknown person.

The floating person sighed and waved her hand, and it forced Iris to sit down.

But she was not the only one who was made to sit down by this entity. Everyone around was affected by that power and forced to sit down and look at the lady in front of them.

"You all must be feeling like I am familiar when you look at me, right? It’s because all of you know me. And I know you all well as well. Our relationship is simple—you are all a part of my soul. Can you try and guess who I am?"

The lady spouted nonsense, and Iris opened her mouth to refute these words, only to fall silent at the pressure surrounding her.

Her instincts were telling her not to say anything and to accept the truth, and she was not the only one.

However, unlike her, Elena and Lyra had a temper, and they were unable to take an insult lying down.

"Are you telling us that our existence is limited to being a part of you? I am not going to accept it. I am the demon queen, Lyra, and I-"

"I know what you are capable of more than anyone. But do you know what I can do? Moreover, don’t you wish to be with Kael? If you attack me, then I will make sure you are never able to get to him once I take him away and make him mine. If you still wish to continue, then be my guest."

The female proposed, causing Lyra to grit her teeth.

The demon queen seemed to have a lot to say to this outsider, but Seraphina concentrated on the magic surrounding her in order to find its weakness.

She was sure that there had to be something when she felt the magical ties around her tighten. And then, she sensed a familiar feeling in the depths of this person, and she let out a gasp.

"You! Are you the person who is controlling us? Let go of us right now, and I shall spare you."

Seraphina tried to reason with the corrupted goddess, but the lady just laughed out loud at her words before she shook Seraphina’s body using her powers.

"You...and spare me? Do you even realize that I am the source of your power? All of your powers and even your soul originate from me. We are one and the same, so our tastes are the same as well. Did you ever wonder why you all fell for the same person? And even went as far as to reverse time to save him? It is all because of me."

The goddess took credit for everything that happened. But there was still confusion on the faces in front of her.

She had not expected them to believe whatever she said, but at least a little recognition would have been nice...

Of course, Seraphina was the only one who seemed to have any idea of what was going on. But she almost wished she did not have any.

Still, she had theories that she wanted to get confirmed, and the way to do so was finally in front of her.

"Hey, you...are you the goddess who was banished from this world but decided to come back like a loser? You couldn’t take your loss and decided to make it all of our problem."

Seraphina tried to taunt the goddess, and it seemed to work for a minute, but then the goddess sighed and looked at Seraphina as if she was pitiful.

"I do admit the fact that you were able to piece everything together until now. However, if I am a loser, then so are all of you. After all, you were born from a part of my soul. And now, it’s time to return."

The goddess did not look rattled. If anything, she seemed to be telling the truth, and she raised her hand to show off her power to the females in front of her.

Seraphina tried to fight, but her instincts told her that it was a useless fight and that she should give up.

’But how can I do that when I need to protect Kael? I cannot give up-’

"Don’t worry. I understand what you all are worried about. But Kael is just as precious to me as he is to you. So I will do everything in my power to make sure he stays alive and well. I will even turn this world upside down if I have to for the sake of my goal."

The female goddess promised, and Seraphina knew that her heart should not be skipping a beat at her offer. She needed to stay vigilant so that she could break through this magic...

But...

"Will Kael...get to live this time?"

Seraphina asked, and the goddess nodded.

"On the name of Goddess Aria, I promise you that Kael will live his happiest life by our side. You and everyone else will get to be with him forever."

The promise seemed genuine, and Seraphina felt like she was falling into a trap when she closed her eyes.

But her instincts could not fight against her origin, and she wanted Kael to be fine as well. So she fell asleep in the end, and the corruption took her inside as well.

"Finally, I have all of my power back. Now, it is time to bring my dear follower to my side, and to do that, I need to get rid of all the obstructions."

The people in this world would become the witnesses of her power and authority. It was finally time for the grand magic-

But the second she decided that, a bright light started filling the world. It was fast-acting and also filled with hope.

"What is this?"

Aria questioned as she looked at the bright light. She felt like a moth being called to that flame, and her whole body jolted as she started walking toward that pillar of light. It was something precious, and she could sense Kael’s presence there.

And for her, that was the most important thing—what was Kael doing? Nothing else mattered to her more than the fact that she needed to get to him.

"Hmm, is this a gift from my precious follower? Then, I better not disappoint him."