Village Head's Debauchery

The other women sensed similar changes stirring within them.

They soon realised that even their unborn children had undergone the same transformation.

After reaching the same conclusion as Reena, excitement rippled through them.

"The Vylkr energy is gone!"

"I no longer feel the barrier blocking my ascension to divinity!"

"I can sense it... But I still can't believe it!"

"Hah! Our husband really knows how to put on a show and share his blessings."

"That's my darling for you."

At last, they were no longer stagnant on the path to divinity.

They could now advance just like the rest of their sisters.

Soon, their attention shifted to Avarielle and the others, who were resisting the White Flame's cleansing.

Blazing strands of Vylkr energy coiled around her body, but the flame continued to consume them slowly.

They instinctively backed away, not wanting to risk re-infection from the Vylkr energy.

Meanwhile, Ilse, fully aware of the changes within her, realised that her instinctive fear of the Vylkr energy had vanished. Curious, she reached out and touched a stray strand of Vylkr energy radiating from Margona.

Her eyes widened as the strand transformed into the unfamiliar energy and dissolved into her, saturating her entire being.

"So this is what all the fuss was about," she murmured with a smile.

She had to admit, it truly was an incredible gift for any divine.

Ilse turned to General Reynold and Oberon and said, "Do something about this."

As much as she restrained her counterpart, she knew Orion would be devastated if anything happened to them.

General Reynold raised his hand. A crushing pressure slammed into Margona, binding her in place.

"You—!!" Margona tried to scream, but her voice faltered as consciousness began to slip away.

She felt the power of the Mysteries of the Twelve Step Stairs flowing through him, suppressing her completely.

"I WON'T FORGIVE YOU, HUMAN!" she roared one final time before her body collapsed backwards, unconscious.

The attacks from both sides had taken them by surprise, making it far easier to suppress them.

Within their shared consciousness, Avarielle and Zera were also rendered unconscious.

General Reynold snorted at Margona's final words.

If not for the fact that they were Orion's potential partners, he would have thrown them out of this realm long ago.

Still, he recognised that the future was taking a turn for the better. Now that they had a method to cleanse the Vylkr energy, they could face the Naka and the Vylkr entities without fear of being defeated.

He had once resolved to sacrifice his life for the growth of Paradise, but now, seeing the magnificent cosmic tree Orion had created, he wondered if there might be a way for him to regain a physical body someday.

It wasn't because he clung to life; he simply wanted to see with his own eyes how far Orion's foundation would grow in the future.

Oberon felt something similar. Except his desire was to train the younger generations, to guide and protect the future of Paradise.

Meanwhile, the White Flame completed its purification of Margona and the others within minutes.

The speed of the cleansing revealed just how deeply they had been infected by the Vylkr energy.

Afterwards, the White Flame dissipated entirely.

A familiar yet unique energy burst forth from their bodies, swirling around them before reabsorbing into their cores.

As the energy circulated within her, Margona's eyes snapped open.

Her gaze widened and reddened as she turned toward General Reynold and Ilse. Then, without a word, she vanished, disappearing entirely from their perception.

General Reynold and Oberon could still sense her presence.

She had retreated to a remote world in an isolated galaxy to recover.

"She's fine," General Reynold said, glancing at Ilse before turning his eyes back to the fiery, blazing white cosmic tree overhead.

Ilse sighed. She knew herself all too well and understood that if her other counterpart had emerged at a moment like that, it meant she was truly hurt.

"Forget it. I'll leave it for him to handle," Ilse muttered.

Her counterpart also took a liking to Orion. Since she was unharmed, it was best not to interfere and let Orion handle it when he returned. Nevertheless, she knew she'd have to keep a close eye on things; if not, together with that other ancient woman, they might just drain Orion dry.

She didn't even want to imagine what those two had already taught the other woman they'd taken under their care.

The other women, having observed the dramatic scene, each reacted in their own way.

However, upon hearing General Reynold's words, they put the matter aside for now and refocused on the blazing white cosmic tree.

...

Domain of the gods,

In a room deep on an isolated island surrounded by vast ocean, Aurora sat at the edge of a mysterious glowing inscription circle.

At its centre was a pool filled with shimmering golden liquid tinged with inky black strands of Vylkr energy. Floating above the pool was a familiar, naked figure, Aerialia. Her wings were folded behind her, her body encased in a transparent shell resembling an embryonic cocoon.

She radiated a soft, luminous light and released steady waves of divine pressure at regular intervals.

Golden liquid rose from the pool, rolling over the shell, soaking into it, and dripping down onto the pool.

"It should be over soon," Aurora muttered.

They had borrowed a rare divine treasure from Ilse to accelerate the formation of her mother's divine embryonic seed. The artefact also severed their connection from the outside world, making it difficult to sense what was happening within Paradise.

Initially, she could still receive faint telepathic messages. But now that her mother's resurrection had reached a critical stage after nearly two years, Aurora had devoted herself entirely to the process.

Aurora gazed at the inky-black wing on Aerialia's right, still filled with strands of Vylkr energy. It stood in stark contrast to the shimmering white left wing, which radiated faint wisps of divine energy.

She wondered how Orion would react if he saw her mother like this.

Though the Vylkr energy was a vile curse, its power couldn't be denied. And so, for her resurrection, Aerialia had decided to merge the Vylkr energy into her very essence in hopes of gaining the ability to wield it freely.

It was a dangerous and reckless decision, but she was determined. If Avarielle, Margona, and Zera could achieve such a feat, then she believed she could too.

If 'she', an exact copy of herself, had managed to do it, then her own chances of success were even higher.

Aurora had tried her best to dissuade her. There was a vast difference between spending thousands of years adapting to a curse or being granted a chance by the Divine Mysteries and attempting to achieve the same in less than two years.

Still, her mother persisted.

They had used the golden pool from Avarielle and the others to elevate her chances of success.

If it weren't for the interference of the Vylkr energy, she would have completed her resurrection in less than a year.

Unfortunately, her strong-willed mother had already made her decision.

This was the surprise she had prepared for Orion.

And as her daughter, Aurora could only support her choice.

Suddenly, Aurora sensed something strange. Her head snapped to the side.

"Who's there?" she called out. Her calm voice reverberated powerfully throughout the room. Her gaze narrowed toward the wall beside the sealed curtained windows.

Without warning, a ball of white flame seeped through the wall.

Aurora frowned.

Before she could react, wisps of white flame scattered throughout the room, enveloping both her and the embryonic cocoon.

Were they being betrayed by General Reynold?

Or perhaps by the Mysteries of the Twelve-Step Stairs?

Had something happened to Paradise?

Was Orion and the rest of the family safe?

Aurora didn't know, but she knew one thing for sure: she had to find out what was happening outside, and fast. If Paradise was in danger, they needed her help.

She tried to conjure a barrier to protect herself and the embryo from the White Flames, but she realised her powers were being suppressed.

"What's this…?" Aurora murmured, her frown deepening.

She recognised the White Flame, but the one enveloping her now was completely different. It wasn't destructive; it was purifying the Vylkr energy within her.

The corrupted power was being transformed into something new, a mysterious and unique energy.

She looked up at the Divine Embryonic Seed; her mother's right wing was now cloaked in blazing white flame.

Even the Vylkr energy within the golden pool was being cleansed, shifting into an unfamiliar new form.

Aurora immediately summoned her sceptre.

The wisps of White Flame curled around it, igniting it with a brilliant blaze.

To her shock, the Vylkr energy once infused within the artefact was also being cleansed and replaced by the same unique energy.

Aurora gulped.

What was this?

She no longer believed Paradise was under attack. Instead, she suspected that something monumental had occurred during their absence.