"Knowledge, I thought you had everything prepared."

"It is peculiar indeed. Seven Face, what do you think attracts her to this place?" The Ancient God of Knowledge said. "To prevent her from interfering, I specifically borrowed a Shadow Heart Fragment from you. There aren't too many things in this world that can move her."

"The Core is really with Gulia? But this is illogical. She would never do this." The First Goddess of the Seven Goddesses said. "Has Lilith managed to revive through one of her seeds?"

"If Lilith revived, all the Monster Girls would have gone crazy. Even your planted agents would have betrayed you." Knowledge closed his eyes and breathed in lightly. "The owner of the Core left no trace in Fate or Destiny, yet she could not conceal the aura of the Core."

"A hidden Fateless? To acquire the Shadow Heart Core, she must have been an important piece. Looks like Gulia and Lilith made a mistake."

"You should know the best not to underestimate them, Seven Face."

Seven Face glared at Knowledge, but she didn't do anything. Knowledge, too, was one of the Ancient Deities who weathered through the mythical era. Though not many Ancient Deities survived, all of them were extraordinary in both power and influence. The religions they created spanned every stretch of land.

"I know about them more than you, Knowledge. After all, they still owed me half of my body."

"Shall we hear the others’ thoughts? Shall we proceed as planned, or shall we retreat?"

Knowledge and Seven Face turned around. Behind them, a man and two women stood. The women had their heads lowered while the man smiled brightly. His flickering orange cloak fluttered, his flaming aura burning the surrounding.

"Seven Face, you've once suffered a great loss under their hands," the man under the flaming cloaked said. "Compared to you, Knowledge is much more trustworthy."

"Sun, are you still afraid of me?" Seven Face said. "I thought that you, Ancient Sun God, would head straight into the war and illuminate the battlefield with your radiance. If you shy away from the darkness, Moon will one day surpass you."

Sun frowned and turned to the two Goddesses behind him. They weren't Ancient Goddesses but merely Goddesses. If not for the extraordinary price they invested into the Crusade, they would not have a chance to participate in this event.

"I place my trust in Lady Seven Face," the Goddess of Redemption, donned in a long milky white dress, said. "She is most familiar with them."

"And you are most familiar with her," Sun said. "Though I was not there, I knew that she gave you a drop of her Essence."

Redemption further lowered her head, glancing at the last Goddess, the Nightly Goddess.

"I, too, choose to believe in Lady Seven Face," Night said. "We've spent so much in this Crusade; the reward is in front of us. If we retreat without trying anything, we'll waste everything, both time and resource."

To the Ancient Deities, these resources meant nothing, but it was not the same for the two Goddesses.

"You also agree with her?" Sun glared at Night. "Is it because I'm the opposite of Moon? If you fear Moon, why don't you fear me?"

Sun's orange cloak violently shook. Intertwining solar flares emerged from the fabric and danced around him. The sky turned red, then orange, shifting towards blue. An oppressive pressure spread and clasped onto Redemption and Night.

"Sun, you are an Ancient God. Is it deserving of your status to bully fellow Goddesses?" Seven Face raised her hand. The overwhelming heat dissipated. "Knowledge, my side has more votes. Are you unwilling?"

Sun clutched his fists, but he dared not go against Seven Face. He turned to Knowledge, who stared at Seven Face.

"The decision is reached. No one can overturn it." Knowledge smiled. "Let us end this long-lasting animosity. Lilith has fallen. Now, Gulia, it is your time."

The five Deities shifted their attention to Purple Cloud Peak below them. Redemption and Night quietly moved towards Seven Face. They were too weak to participate in the battle of this scale, but Seven Face requested their presence. She would protect them herself.

"Gulia, Lilith, I've come to take back what's mine," Seven Face said.

The three Ancient Gods focused their attentions. Inside their souls, their Divine Flames ruptured with endless radiance, producing tides of Divinity, each droplet composed of the interweaving Faith of countless believers.

Behind them, the wall of purification glowed. Its translucent yet firm surface trembled. As it forcefully devoured all the Faith and souls of the dead believers, its surface cracked. Even the believers of the Crusade panicked.

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In contrast, the Purple Cloud Peak remained still.

...

Gulia raised her head and smiled. Her gaze peered through the confinement of time and space, reaching into the depth of the void, and landed on five figures in the Main Material Plane.

"Lilith, it seems that you've underestimated both the Divine and Iris," Gulia said. "None of your plans worked as intended, but there is another possibility: You didn't trust anyone, not even me."

Gulia crackled. The rusty chains which bound her fiercely trembled. They yanked backwards, constraining Gulia, but she felt nothing. With her slightest touch, the chains shattered into countless shiny fragments.

"Now that your plan is obsolete, it's time for me to step on the stage." Gulia walked forwards. "Take a guess: Iris or Lilith, who am I going to help?"

The darkness of the prison dimension quivered. The divine formations left by the Ancient Deities silently dispersed. They could not suppress Gulia; their purpose was never to suppress her. They only needed to inform their creators of her arrival.

Once everything disappeared, silence returned. Without its power source, the prison dimension rapidly disintegrated. Through the cracks, the unending void crawled out and devoured everything.

"Iris, I've great expectations for you." Gulia waved her hands.

Space and time distorted, folding, shifting. The foundation of existence morphed itself according to Gulia's design. They moved the world around her and arranged a one-step path whose destination was Purple Cloud Peak of the Main Material Plane.

Gulia stepped forth. She appeared in front of the five Deities. Her presence was nothingness, but nothingness permeated everything. Thus, she was everywhere and nowhere.

"How long has it been since we last saw each other?" Gulia said. "I didn't expect that three of you would come here. Do you not fear the others’ escaping?"

"While all of you sit and rot inside the prison, we continuously grow stronger." Ancient Sun God laughed. His blazing aura intensified. Though his side had the numerical advantage, he did not feel safe. "The day we got rid of all Fateless and healed the Source will be the anniversary of your death."

"Even after so many years, the Source is still broken. What has Fate been doing? Without Death, you all have been crumbling from the inside?"

Sun trembled, his eyes turning bloodshot. He pointed at Gulia and opened his mouth, but Knowledge raised his hands and prevented Sun from exposing more information.

"Gulia, time has changed. If it were back then, when you five were at your peak, we would not be able to keep you here. Now, however, Lilith has fallen, you are dying, and the other three can't save you. This is the weakest you've been since then."

"You're still as long-winded as ever. Spare me the introduction. If you were sure of my demise, you wouldn’t have spoken this much."

"No one can ever be so sure of everything, Gulia, especially everything related to you people." Knowledge reached into his cloak and took out a worn-out book. "Of all the seven major battles, we have won thrice and lost the rest."

"But in the end, I am the ultimate loser. I became a lonely prisoner in the lonely prison, trapped inside the darkness, unable to leave, unable to die."

"Gulia, I hate that expression of yours," Seven Face said. Behind her, Redemption and Night tensed. "The ease at which you escaped from our prison is evident. Why are you still acting? In your eyes, do I amount to nothing?"

"Of course not, Seven Face, you worth more than you think." Gulia licked her lips and smiled. "Without half of your body, I wouldn't have lasted this long. You even gave me a dessert not long ago. I'm eternally grateful."

Redemption shivered. Her eyes darted between Seven Face and Gulia, her heart frozen. Ever since she obtained her Divinity and ascended to godhood, this was the first time she felt such palpable terror.

"Redemption, don't listen to Gulia. Once she gets into your head, she will eat you from the inside out." Seven Face snapped her fingers.

Behind her, the rest of the Seven Goddesses manifested. They all placed their hands on her, gently grasping, connecting.

"Everyone, I know our wound hasn't yet healed, but if we don't combine, we might not walk out of this alive," First said.

"Don't worry, First. I know you can do it!" Second said.

"Just this once, I'll help you," Third said.

Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh all gave their encouragement, each having their unique disposition. They pushed their hands into First. Their bodies fused. First’s aura rapidly surged as she gained more power and special talents. Her aloof demeanour shifted towards gracefulness and naturalness.

At that moment, the true Seven Face woke up from her long slumber.

Watching the transformation, Gulia wiped the saliva off the corners of her mouth. Her eyes fixed on Seven Face's delicate, delicious body. Her nonexistent aura quivered, sending out the faintest ripple.

"I think I've given you enough time to finish your preparation." Gulia grabbed her tattered cloth and tore its sleeve apart. She held the fabric in her hand and knitted it gently into a napkin. "Thank you for the meal."

From the golden dome of purification, Faith flooded out and merged into countless grand heroes. They held their legendary weapons and donned in their signature uniforms, each with an epic behind their history. Their golden silhouettes formed a great circle encompassing the Sinking Dark Forest, blocking all evil from escaping.

Though they had died, their tales endured through generations.

Above them, the drifting clouds parted. Armies of Angels flew from the Heavenly Kingdom. As they flapped their wings, their white feathers rained from above. They escorted the souls of the heroes, who fused with their respective golden silhouettes.

The heroes rapidly recovered their peak strength, ranging from Grandmaster to True Master, equivalent to Solidification Phase. Among them, an old man with an ancient, fleeting aura stood out. He was the Second Hero, the strongest.

"This is the first time we have awakened from death," he said. "Hopefully, it will be the last."

He gazed forwards, his sight landing on Gulia. She turned to him, smiled, and lowered her hand.

The Sinking Dark Forest gradually sank. From the shadow of the forest, the all-corrupting blackness seeped out and tainted the surrounding. It morphed into shadowy silhouettes resembling Monster Girls, each having its distinctive charm and talent. Though they were weaker than the heroes, their number far surpassed the heroes.

"Unfortunately, I can't bring back the souls of these Monster Girls. They have long dispersed into the endless void." Gulia looked at Seven Face. "I sometimes envy your power. How nice must it be to have an immortal army that can be anywhere?"

Seven Face didn't speak. She stepped forwards, and the other two Ancient Gods followed her. Their powers erupted, tearing the sky asunder.