"Very well." Lucifer said with a smile, knowing the Earth Mother was signaling her regard for him... or perhaps her eagerness to speak with him.
It seemed the Evernight Goddess had indeed shared a wealth of information with her ally.
The trio followed Bishop Utravsky into the Harvest Church. Upon reaching the main hall, Utravsky didn't immediately lead Lucifer to meet the Earth Mother. Instead, he turned to Klein and "Jack Jones." "Please wait here for a moment." He said.
Clearly, the Earth Mother intended to speak with Lucifer alone.
"Stay here and don't worry. I'll be back soon." Lucifer said, glancing back at the two.
Klein and Jack exchanged a look, then obediently found seats in the hall.
Alaric, in his Lucifer guise, followed Bishop Utravsky deeper into the church, soon arriving at a door.
Utravsky opened it, revealing a potted plant at the room's center.
He bowed respectfully to the plant, murmuring praises, then stepped aside deferentially.
Alaric studied the plant, understanding immediately... the Earth Mother's partial will had descended into it, akin to a divine manifestation, though with little power.
She really was eager to talk.
With that thought, Alaric stepped into the room.
Click.
The door shut automatically behind him, but Alaric paid it no mind. He looked at the plant and smiled. "First meeting, Lady Lilith. Shall I introduce myself?"
"…You are as Amanises described, privy to many secrets." The plant said after a few seconds of silence, its flower blooming to emit a soft, feminine voice full of charm.
"I'm curious... how did Lady Amanises introduce me?" Alaric asked, his smile tinged with intrigue.
"She shared some intelligence about you... not much, but enough to show me what kind of being you are." The flower, bearing Lilith's will, continued. "So I know you can summon the ancient Sun God from the distant past and that you aided Bethel, cleansing some of his corruption, allowing him brief clarity."
"Oh? Heh, you two really are close." Alaric said with a chuckle, unsurprised by Lilith's words.
The ancient Sun God's existence wasn't a secret to Amanises. Alaric had even dragged him to the Church of Storm to confront Leodero, and given the Lord of Storm's nature, he'd likely shared that with the Evernight Goddess.
As for Bethel, that was even less hidden. Amanises had always kept a close eye on him; it'd be stranger if she hadn't noticed his changes.
"We are, naturally, close allies." The flower said, its lack of expression somehow evoking a polite, forced smile.
"Indeed, close enough to plot against the God of Combat together. Poor thing, he doesn't even know his mother was replaced long ago. In all the stories I know, that's a downright…" Alaric paused, then spat out a single word: "hellish joke."
The flower, bearing Lilith's will, fell silent again. After a moment, it spoke. "Let's be frank, Mr. Lucifer. You didn't come to the Harvest Church just to chat about trivial matters."
"The God of Combat wouldn't appreciate such gossip." Alaric said, shaking his head. He smiled, speaking slowly. "Shouldn't you be the one to be frank, Lady Lilith?"
His gaze settled on the potted plant. He reached out, lightly pressing a leaf, then shook his head. "Such a familiar aura. The last time I felt it was when I cleansed Bethel's corruption."
"Lady Lilith, I'm curious... how much of your will still belongs to you?" Alaric asked, his expression like a scholar probing an academic question.
If one were to pinpoint what set the Earth and Moon pathways apart from others, it was, without question, the influence of the Outer Deities.
While Earth's 22 pathways weren't all originally tied to Outer Deities, only these two belonged to a Pillar-level entity. This allowed the Mother Goddess of Depravity to easily sway their Beyonders, leading Lilith, the former Sanguine Ancestor, to choose death in the Second Epoch to escape that influence.
Lilith had succeeded back then. Death and switching from the Moon to the Earth pathway drastically reduced the Outer Deity's hold on her. Yet she also failed, as the influence persisted, lingering like a shadow and growing stronger as the apocalypse loomed.
It was hard to say whether, if things continued, Lilith wouldn't end up like another Tolzna.
"…I don't know." The flower admitted, not denying Alaric's words. "Even I can't tell anymore whether my will is my own or shaped by that Outer Deity."
"So I need your help, Mr. Lucifer." Lilith said, dropping all pretense and speaking decisively. "If you can suppress the Outer Deity's power and cleanse its corruption, that's exactly what I need."
"I'm willing to pay any price, as long as it's within my means."
No one wanted to die, and becoming an Outer Deity's puppet was worse than death. Lilith was prepared to strike a blow against the Mother Goddess of Depravity at the apocalypse, ready to face her end, but who wouldn't choose to live if they could?
Alaric raised an eyebrow, unsurprised. "To be honest, I can cleanse Outer Deity corruption, but my method may not work for you. I can purge power, not will."
Unlike Mr. Door and others simply tainted by Outer Deities, Lilith's case was closer to "the Primordial One had awoken in my body," the Primordial God Almighty and Lord of Mysteries had fallen, but the Mother Goddess of Depravity, a third Pillar, was still very much alive.
While Alaric's power could forcibly remove Outer Deity corruption, it was less effective against the will inherent in Beyonder characteristics.
The flower fell silent again, longer than before.
"…Clearing the power would be enough. It would let me hold on longer." Lilith finally said, her tone a mix of relief and faint disappointment.
"No, I mean, why not try another approach?" Alaric said with a smile.
***
Every 100 Power Stones and 5 Reviews will earn you a Bonus Chapter.
And if you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)