834 The Day Before the Heavenly Battle (3)
“Huff…” Elena heaved a subtle sigh as she waited for Lifa to return. She used to let Elysia do things for her, but it was the opposite now.
She estimated it would take Lifa at least an hour to defeat that Ancient Demon God in the trap formation within the separate realm. Still, it only lasted ten minutes, and the dimension was destroyed.
An ethereal beauty clad in a white-gold divine gown with leaf green patterns that matched her hair color appeared to float in the air. She pulled out a golden chain and knocked the Ancient Demon God to the ground.
‘My apologies, Elena. I need to use my divine dress at full strength to defeat him.’ Lifa spoke via private telepathy.
‘Thank you for the hard work. Using the divine battlesuit was a wise decision. Ely will be mad at me if one of us gets hurt.’ Elena appreciated Lifa’s efforts.
She knew the Goddess of Life still had many hidden mysteries and secrets. Still, she would uncover them one by one, just like Lifa tried to dig up secrets from herself and Elysia.
‘Fufu, I believe Ely will become a Goddess of Destruction if she is freaked out. Ai once told that, and she adored that version of Ely.’ Lifa flew down with a subtle smile on her face.
‘Don’t try to figure things out unnecessarily even if you feel curious. You can become my enemy if you do something stupid in the future.’ Elena squinted her eyes.
‘Hm, why would I need to risk my good position for something insignificant? Rhea’s life depends on both of you and I look forward to a long-term relationship with tons of benefits. It is you who should be more careful because you are Ely’s weak spot. That day will still come, even if you don’t want it. You should discuss this with your beloved disciple soon. But, worry not. I will protect you just like how Rhea protected Ely~’ Lifa landed on the ground, right in front of Elena.
‘…’ Elena chose not to respond to that.
The black flame domain gradually faded away until it completely disappeared. Elena then announced the results. “You have already lost, Arthrozan. What’s your decision? Imprisoned and weakened until the day of heavenly judgment. Or, atone for some of your sins and mistakes by helping the Divine Association against the corrupted Council?”
“Hahaha! It was an incredible and unexpected battle, Goddess from another world! I’ve already lost. The decision is made by the victor. Tell me your plan.” Arthrozan stared at the black clouds gradually disappearing from the starry night sky.
“You will know the details of the operation from the Divine Association. You will coordinate with them. The first thing you need to do is extract that king piece from your spirit. I’m giving you a chance to get that out yourself. You know what might happen if we took it, right?” Elena held out her hand.
“Why would I need to do that?” Arthrozan frowned. He propelled his body to sit down. His divine armor crumbled to pieces, leaving him half naked.
“Didn’t you ever think that that thing could affect you later? Perhaps, that God is able to manipulate you? Who knows? If you don’t want to do it, then we have no other choice.” Elena shrugged her shoulders.
“Wait.” Arthrozan raised his palm. He then put his hand to his chest, and a jet black king piece stuck out. He threw it at the Golden Goddess.
“You are quick to understand.” Elena put that king piece into the dark pouch. She then glanced at Gaia. “Did the nature spirits capture the defeated deities before we got here? Also, the missing king pieces.”
“Mm, I’ve ordered them to take care of the rest. They already finished their task and currently on their way to the meeting place. That is sixty-three king pieces in total. What are you going to do with those cursed artifacts?” Gaia nodded in reply.
“Extracting them into a small gift to their creator.” Elena spread her arms. She couldn’t tell the details because it was all Elysia’s plan.
“Please bring him with you. I and the divines from another world will repair the broken world laws and barriers.” Gaia asked Zhao Fu for help, and he didn’t mind doing it. She then looked at the deities in mid-air. “We’ll meet again at the meeting place in six hours.”
After saying that, Gaia took Elena’s group away from there with a dimension jump.
*Poof*
“They’re gone. Arthrozan, pack up and take all your luggage. We’re leaving tomorrow morning at the zero universal time.” Zhao Fu folded his arms.
“Tch, I know. Don’t order me. My minions will go with me tomorrow.” Arthrozan pressed two fingers to his forehead. He ordered his minions to bring all his belongings from the research room.
“Good. So, how were you defeated? Was it both satisfying and upsetting?” Zhao Fu smirked in mockery.
“I can’t even touch her. She was invisible in that neutral zone. At least, my situation is much better than how you were defeated.” Arthrozan smirked disdainfully.
“You don’t even know the details. You lost miserably while I lost with honor. We’re not alike.” Zhao Fu snorted.
Since Elena’s group started repairing the world laws with Earth Mother and nature spirits, some time passed. It was still midday in North America, but the sun had just set in South Korea.
“Ellie, here’s your hot chocolate.” Erina put the cup in front of Elysia.
“Mm, thank you.” Elysia used the warm cup to warm her hands while looking up at the starry sky in the distance.
“Ellie, thanks for today. Everything was really fun. I really enjoyed it.” Erina looked at the girls wandering in the living room, curious about some things.
“Time flies so fast when we’re enjoying it, hmm… I’m glad you’re having fun, Erina.” Elysia replied with a tender smile and looked at Erina’s face.
“Mm.” Erina just nodded. She reminisced about today’s events.
What impressed her the most was spending that fun time without any burdens or complicated thoughts. She felt like an ordinary girl spending time with her friends, enjoying various things.
The strains of the music seemed to still reverberate in her mind. A beautiful musical melody from Elysia’s piano and her violin, then the music collaborations with the other girls. She and the others sang some songs.
She got a lot of inspiration today and wrote some new lyrics. At the last theatrical event, she got the chance to dance on the dance floor with Elysia. It was so romantic.
After that, the trip continued with a city tour filled with various wonderful events until they finally needed to go to the hotel to rest.
“Ellie, the fifth May, can you…” Erina twiddled with her fingers as she tried to confirm something.
“The fifth of May is your birthday. The event will be held in the evening, yes? I’ll try my best to come to you on that day, Erina. Hmm, do you like a surprise gift?” Elysia raised her five fingers and then turned around to her group.
“Thank you, Ellie. Uhm, please wait a minute. I have one thing to ask.” Erina tugged at the hem of Elysia’s sleeve somewhat shyly.
“Hmm?” Elysia glanced back, curious as to what Erina would say.
“May I know when is your birthday?” Erina asked in a whisper-like voice.
“My birthday? Hmm, I also wonder when it was.” Elysia looked up and shook her head. She couldn’t remember the exact date well.
Maybe, there were some small ‘courtesy’ parties. Still, the dates were often different because coworkers and even her family sometimes forgot the exact date. That event was only celebrated when she became successful and rich, but it was Ali’s experience.
In retrospect, she couldn’t enjoy such an event, but she appreciated those people’s efforts. It was sad to remember because she even forgot when her birthday was. Maybe, she was just stopped to care?
“W-what?” Erina was surprised. She thought Elysia didn’t want to tell her, but Elysia’s unconcerned expression said it all. Elysia really didn’t know because it was probably never celebrated?
Regardless, she needed to know the truth. Elysia had many amazing friends, and such a thing was unlikely to happen.
“Everyone, Erina’s birthday is in three days. She’s going to throw a party!” Elysia announced to everyone.
“Oh! Happy birthday in advance, Erina.”
“I’ll prepare a present for you if we can stop by.”
“Oh no, the birthday celebrated with Ely and everyone. But, my birthday already passed a few months ago!”
“Hehe, if I still haven’t. Wait, the time here is different. However, if it’s fifth month now, then it’s four months away, hehe~”
“Birthday? What is it? When is Xentia’s birthday?”
The girls responded positively. However, Ai kept quiet as if she didn’t care about the birthday event. She rested her head on the table, pretty exhausted.
“Moving in the dark is best…” Ai muttered under her breath.
“Xentia, taken into account, your birthday was yesterday, right?” Elysia answered as the question was directed to her.
“Yesterday? Xentia also wanted to throw a party, but is it too late?” Xentia was confused for a moment.
“Not so late. You just joined us yesterday, after all. However, do you like a surprise party?” Elysia pressed her finger to her lips.
“Yay, surprise! What’s a birthday party like?” Xentia jumped, but she wondered again.
“…” Elysia didn’t know what to say.
“That party is an annual event where you enjoy your time with the precious people in your life. It’s usually also filled with some fun events and good food.” Evelyn helped to explain.
“Ooh, then Xentia can enjoy a party every day? It’s not a birthday party, though? Xentia is having a great time with everyone! Everyone is precious and Elysia’s food is heavenly!” Xentia spread her arms with a bright expression.
“Why do you like celebrating the day you are closer to your demise?” Ai suddenly asked, causing the room to fall into sudden silence.