“Respecting the elderly you have done, but what about loving the young?!” Hezekiah blew his beard and glared.

“What?” Meladomir looked at him with a face full of shock, “You’re already over four hundred years old, and you still want to pretend to be young, have you no shame!”

“You...” Hezekiah nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.

Who was pretending to be young? The one who loved pretending to be young more than anyone under heaven was precisely you, old loli!

Who had no shame!

Hezekiah was stifled with anger, yet helpless. The thousand-year-old loli before him was only a projection, it was not as if he could truly fight her to the death.

And at this moment... Hezekiah took a deep breath, no longer arguing with Meladomir, his gaze continued to sweep about, searching for opportunity.

But just as he was preparing to make a move on a new piece of divine flesh, his expression suddenly changed. Without time to choose, he directly snatched the nearest fragment of divine body into his possession, stepped into the golden door, and vanished from the spot.

The crow fled far, the dove in panic.

The mangy rat, having gained nothing, cursed under its breath and slipped away in haste without a trace of reluctance.

Meladomir was even more decisive, reacting before everyone else, tossing the fragment into twisted space, then dispersing this projection directly.

In the void, once again only the Withering King remained, devouring the Moon’s Authority piece by piece.

But suddenly, that enormous and hideous pupil shuddered violently, abruptly raising its gaze, filled with wrath, staring into the depths of the void.

That place, higher and farther even than where the Withering King dwelled, suddenly grew deep and dark, as if endless ink had been spilled upon a painted canvas.

Upon that abyssal background, stars glittered faintly, yet that starlight carried inexplicable strangeness.

A will no less than the Withering King’s drifted among the stars, like a shadow veiling the void, and then... descended abruptly!

Evil God · Lord of the Stars!

As if sensing threat, the Withering King’s endless crimson flames surged upward in reverse, confronting that terrifying will, like a beast baring its fangs at an intruder trespassing on its territory.

But in the next moment, the Withering King seemed to sense something else, and countless withered hands turned in another direction.

In the void, flowers bloomed.

Blood-colored blossoms swayed, blooming one after another in the empty nothingness, paving a dazzling river of flowers.

Then came grass.

Then trees.

Then scarlet plains.

Then grotesque fruits and endlessly multiplying foodstuffs, displaying here a terrifying, boundless vitality.

And upon that river of flowers, a black skirt swaying, a woman whose face could not be seen, step by step, with bare feet, walked forward slowly.

She seemed to lower her head, gazing lovingly at the abyss-deep swaddled infant in her arms.

Evil God · Mother of Abundance!

But it did not end there.

A golden giant tree had, at some unknown moment, taken root here.

The tree was so vast its ends could not be seen.

An incomparably sacred aura spread from it, as if the purest of holy spirits had been born; with every sway of branch and leaf, it seemed able to purify all filth.

But if one’s gaze pierced through that pure golden light to glimpse the true body of the tree, one would see countless white bones hanging, countless corpses rotting, countless souls wailing.

Evil God · Fallen Holy Tree!

......

So, it turned out that those who intended to scavenge were not only the human ants beneath His notice, but at this very moment, three unexpected Evil Gods had descended here.

No, not only three.

The Withering King’s gaze fell farther still, where it seemed white feathers drifted down, sacred hymns resounded, and an indescribably shaped mass of twisted flesh lingered at the edge, not daring to come closer, spectating.

The Shame of the Evil Gods · Corrupted Love God!

That bastard had come too!

The Withering King was furious beyond measure, crimson flames raging, countless withered hands, carrying the phantom of scarlet earth, suddenly... drew back.

No longer able to slowly savor, the Withering King directly tore apart the Silent Moon’s remaining body, withered hands clenching tight, seizing that supremely dazzling Core of Authority in His palm.

And only then did the Withering King realize something was wrong.

The Core of Authority, obtained with such effort after killing the Silent Moon with so much toil and scheming... was incomplete?!

An incomplete Authority could not achieve the effect He desired.

You motherf—, who was it! Who did this!

The Withering King’s gaze swept the surroundings... naturally it could not be Them.

But at this moment, He no longer had the time to pursue the question. Under the pressure of not three... oh no, four Evil Gods’ wills, He had absolutely no chance of confronting them head-on.

Clutching the radiant Core of Authority, before those wills and Authorities could descend to seal this place, countless withered hands abruptly retracted, like a flower folding its petals, swiftly vanishing deep into the void.

The other Evil Gods did not choose to pursue the Withering King.

Their Authorities were not compatible with the Silent Moon’s, thus even if seized, it would be of no use.

Therefore, compared to the Authority Core, which to Them was nothing but tasteless scraps, what was even more enticing was...

This divine body!

Even if some ants had managed to snatch away a few things earlier, in comparison to the vast divine body of the Silent Moon, it was nothing more than scraps from the corners.

Thus, the wills of the Evil Gods slowly drew near, and as if by tacit agreement, each divided a different portion.

A feast of Evil Gods, devouring divine flesh, thus silently commenced.

......

......

The golden door opened, and Hezekiah returned to the Life Church’s sacred hall.

Only now he was clearly somewhat disheveled; that pure white divine robe was already ragged and torn, the beard on his chest singed and blackened.

But fortunately...

“It was not in vain.”

Hezekiah glanced at his sleeve, and his usually indifferent eyes could not help but show a trace of joy.

Fragments of an Evil God’s divine body, still usable for free research—within the ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) thousand-year history of the Life Church, this was an unprecedented great harvest.

Yet when he thought of how he could have reaped an even greater gain, but because of a certain someone... Hezekiah’s eye twitched uncontrollably.

“But... the Moon is, in the end, completely gone.”

Hezekiah considered, then lightly waved his hand, and the divine robe upon him instantly returned to pristine holiness.

“Attend me.”

“At your command, what orders does Your Holiness have?” Outside the hall, a bishop had long been waiting.

“Have the Mechanism Sanctuary forge a new moon and hang it in the sky. I do not wish those bard lunatics, when they discover at night that the moon is gone, to come to my Church to rave.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, right.”

As if recalling something, Hezekiah suddenly asked:

“I heard that the Archmage Meladomir has taken on a disciple?”

“Uh...”

The bishop hesitated, “There are such rumors, but they are only circulated among a very small group, their truth is uncertain.”

“If few spread it, then it means it is true.”

Hezekiah’s lips curved faintly, as he said indifferently:

“Send me that fellow’s information. I want to see, what sort of outstanding talent it must be, to actually gain Meladomir’s favor.”

......

......

Saint Maria Academy, at the top of the great clock tower.

Meladomir had rarely left the sea of flowers, but now she was here, gazing at the moon.

Though now the sky was already bright, and no moon could possibly remain above the heavens, still Teacher Meladomir extended her small hand and gently caressed the air before her, as if truly stroking that gentle moon.

“Moonlight is so beautiful and mournful...”

She murmured like softly singing a dirge:

“Pity that it can never be seen again.”

“But speaking of which...” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

After finishing her mourning of the moon, Meladomir lowered her gaze, looking toward the faraway place where the dark lunar mist still had not dispersed, and sighed with deep emotion:

“Those two fought until their dog brains spilled out, all for that thing, and in the end, it is to the benefit of that little girl who merely slept?”

“No, the true one who profited, instead, is that boy.”

“Hehe, now this has become interesting.”