Chapter 320: A Profane Ritual...
Serena didn't want to perform the ritual—she felt a sense of disgust and hatred towards Lumina. Yet also knowing that, like her, the hero was manipulated and powerless.
However, looking at the man she loved slowly beginning to waste away, it felt agonising to have to pair him with this woman.
'Will he ever forgive me, if I kill her... can I take in that filthy energy and perform the ritual myself?!'
'Can I really not go and fetch those girls..'
Baku's eyes looked at the goddess covering her face with both hands.
He knew her struggle—there was a communication line between the lesser gods and the spirit beasts who protected the lands.
Thus, they knew the basic information of what happened and who this monster was; he figured it out from Serena's words and actions.
"Goddess Serena, you know that they are watching the beast empire with all their power. The moment you descended here was the trigger for their trap."
"I would guess, soon their attack would resume, forcing your hand to seek out the maidens... It's likely that his cultists have already attacked them. That way he can get instant information on your appearance, to lodge a complaint with the council of gods..."
She understood, but the feelings in her heart and the logic of her mind didn't mesh together. To let this woman who became obsessed with his father so easily touch him. There was no doubt that her joke about this situation caused this punishment.
"Stop being pathetic, goddess! You either share him with another woman or this man will be lost to you forever. I cannot stop Mephisto from entering if he protests and completely overtakes your seat as the goddess of this empire!"
Baku seemed serious, his words and tone filled with concern despite his body trembling at the thought of death. He demanded to wake his beloved goddess up from her deluded desire.
"You cannot keep him clean, he is the demon king!"
"Yes... despite being arrogant for a mere cat. You are right, it's my selfish desire to keep him to myself. I wanted to be the only one related to the divine who touched his body."
'So stupid... Serena, his smile and existence is far more important than your worthless pride!'
Serena's eyes changed—now filled with determination.
She gazed at the woman in front of her.
Though she felt anger growing in her abdomen, she took a deep breath. A former goddess cursed and transformed into a twisted existence. Half monster, half human.
"Do you want that man?"
Lumina's eyes narrowed before she nodded.
"Want... Need!"
"Haa....."
With a deep sigh, Serena stood up and walked towards the arachne but called out. "Don't run! If you want him, then you must obey me." Her steps were loud and carried the weight of her feelings of jealousy, anger and helplessness.
'If this is a plot you made to break me, or trap me Mephisto...'
'You won!'
'However, I won't break... because he will not leave my side!'
Lumina held Asmodeus against her soft, delicate breasts, crushing them flat as if to protect her prey from the goddess.
Yet Serena just gazed into the monster's eight beautiful eyes, like gemstones, with a cold and unfeeling glare.
"He is mine, you are only borrowing him."
"Mine!"
"No, he will be mine. You will become his!"
"His... mine... okay!"
Despite her low ability to communicate, her face showed great understanding, and Serena knew this monster understood each word and their meaning.
"Place him on the floor, and we will start."
"..."
Doubtful, yet without a place to escape, Lumina placed Asmodeus on the ground; her eyes watched him in silence for a few moments before Serena pulled her away.
"Stop, be patient!"
She tried to claw her way to the unconscious demon king; Serena used her right hand to form a ring of magic to force her to stand on a circle marked on the ground.
A red and purple sigil on the floor connected the one between Lumina and the next sigil.
Serena drew the core around Asmodeus's body.
"Now listen well, we need your power to force both our elements into him. Using mine, we can purify your miasma and feed him pure mana and power without overloading him."
"Mina do it!"
"Yes, you can do it... but please... cover yourself!"
"Cover?"
Lumina's exposed crotch was leaking with sticky threads, clearly touching the object of her obsession, causing her desires to run wild.
Yet the arachne, feigning her innocence, tilted her head.
Serena could understand that this bitch was doing it on purpose to tease her. She threw the cloak around Lumina's shoulders, covering her private region.
Then she created a black beam with her finger and started to draw a circle with words and runes all around it—at this moment, Baku spoke up.
"What are you planning?"
"To finish the ritual without them touching!"
"You know that's impossible!"
"Impossible!" Lumina echoed his last voice with a delightful voice.
Serena didn't want to accept Baku's words—she wanted to use the magic circles to help exchange their power.
Even though she knew magic of this nature couldn't affect the divine power.
If anything, the dark divine energy would just absorb the demonic mana inside of Lumina and cause the whole thing to become a failure with no second chance.
"Mother, even if you beat this cat to an inch of his life. I cannot allow you to toy with my new master just out of your jealousy and desire to punish the former goddess!"
"M-Master?! Asmodeus...?"
"Yes, I have made my choice to pass down this role to one of my descendants and will be reborn as his spirit guardian. He needs all the help possible."
"And I've grown to admire the kid's spirit..." Baku's voice echoed inside the realm, causing the goddess to widen her eyes.
"You cannot perform this ritual without THAT happening."
"This is the only way; the rules are clear! This dark and primal ritual was created by the pagans, using an intense physical exchange." Baku's roars filled the air as he continued speaking with an angry and determined voice.
"Divine or Demonic. Even if it succeeded, you know he will desire her flesh and body after the ritual ended..."
"This is something you cannot stop."
"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT BAKU!"
It was the first time she shouted out of sheer anger and frustration. Serena covered her lips and felt a sense of self-hatred... because of her desires, she almost put Asmodeus at risk.
'I am just like the past Lumina... my obsession and intense desire will corrupt me...'
The goddess looked down, trying not to cry as she desperately fought against the intense desire to snatch him away and return to her divine palace.
Yet her pride was already in the dirt—the only reason she was fighting back against this urge. It was for Asmodeus and that bright smile he showed when fighting against Baku and other strong opponents.
"Baku... you must oversee the ritual... I will leave, and keep my involvement a secret."
"Goddess?!"
"I must go!"
Serena's figure faded, with droplets of tears falling to the ground the moment she vanished.
The realisation she would become like Lumina in the past caused the goddess Serena to become unstable, and the moment she vanished, the connection with her divine realm shut completely...
Even if Asmodeus awakened and tried to speak to her... he would not get through.
"Mother... why are you so stubborn, all creatures would react the same... It's nothing to feel so ashamed about."
Lumina's eyes blinked upon Serena's disappearance, yet she didn't change or become arrogant. Instead, she looked at Baku as if waiting for instructions.
"Arachne, do you understand my words?" Baku growled.
"Understand!"
The arachne nodded with no fear while looking into his sharp blue eyes.
"The ritual will commence once I ignite these magic circles around you. Then once they start you will feel the desire to reproduce."
"Mm!"
Baku knew this monster wasn't to mess with. A highly intelligent former goddess, at least from his mother's words. He then shook his head and began to move closer.
"I will leave this realm the moment the ritual commences, but you must not become selfish. Let the magic flow through your body and guide you on how to save him."
"You don't want this man to vanish right?"
"Nn! No vanish!"
"Phew..."
He couldn't help but feel bad for the young man.
Not only did his lover, the goddess of darkness, become like that. When he woke up, what kind of feeling would it be to know he mated with a monster like this...
"It's fine, Baku... I understand my body... Ugh..."
"Kid?! You're awake, since when!?"
Asmodeus couldn't move his body well—the feeling of pressure inside his abdomen from the moment he emptied his energy and started recovering started the problem.
'I never thought that Serena did so much for me... but this is Lumina?'
'Somehow I don't feel the same disgust... will I also learn the truth of what happened from her lips one day?'
'This situation, I cannot let it control who I am!'
"The moment Serena cut her link with me and... likely the rest of the world."
Baku came forward, looking closely at him—there was no fear inside the kid's eyes. He didn't appear to be worried, nor did he appear upset.
Instead, a look of understanding covered Asmodeus's face as he turned his attention to Lumina, who remained completely silent after Baku gave her orders.
No... it seemed she was looking at Asmodeus, and after hearing his voice, her pale cheeks turned bright red, and she gazed away, fluttering he,r long white eyelashes.
'It seems that this might just work...'
"Are you ready? It will be a long ritual, but this realm dilates time... so even if you spend a month in here, it's only a day outside."
This new information shocked Asmodeus, who believed he spent a week here already... That meant that only a few hours passed in reality... then he would have at most three months inside this realm to train if he wanted.
"Stupid boy... why is fighting the first thing on your mind, first conquer the situation in front of you."
"Arachne girl, I am going to start, don't forget my words."
"W-Won't forget... ever!"
"Haaa...."
"Sorry kid, this is the only way."
However, Asmodeus didn't seem upset; he instead watched Lumina with a curious gaze.
He always wanted to understand her obsession, and after feeling the atmosphere of Serena collapse so rapidly. The blame towards her lessened a little.
Though he planned to make her atone for everything...
Marionette of Mephisto or not.
Some things couldn't be forgiven so easily, especially that monster she helped create in the north.
'For now... Let's forget anything but becoming stronger and healthy.'