Although Zoe comforted her sister not to be afraid, how could she not feel fear in her own heart?
Facing that vast unknown silent starry sky, facing those towering steps, facing the oppressive feeling from mysterious power—everything made her almost unable to breathe normally.
She could feel her sister's mood was exactly the same.
Zoe had to quietly pump herself up: "Zoe, you can do this! Can't let Yui keep feeling scared. You have to be a brave big sister!"
Actually, the twins themselves didn't know which of them was really the older sister. Maybe it was just because Zoe was bolder and had a stronger personality, so she became the big sister.
She gathered her courage and stood in front of Yui, facing the entire starry sky behind the fog directly.
Yui looked at her sister's back and suddenly felt warmth in her heart. She could sense Zoe's shoulders trembling. They were both just as scared...
For some reason, Yui smiled at this very inappropriate moment.
Her "big sister" was always so competitive. She always seemed to stand in front of her, lighting her way with her glow, protecting her.
Huh?
Yui froze. She seemed to remember something... What was that? Was that their past?
Right then, both of them felt something and simultaneously moved their gazes to the thrones atop the high platform.
They waited for a long time and didn't see anything dangerous appear in this space, while those two side-by-side thrones were also quietly waiting for them...
This was an inexplicable feeling, like a voice was telling them they should sit down.
The sisters were possessed and lifted their feet, stepping onto the stairway leading to the top of the high platform.
Walking all the way to the side of the thrones, they finally felt the massive, majestic aura of the two thrones up close.
Strangely, although the thrones were very large, the actual seating positions were very "petite"—like they were custom-made for the two of them.
The distance between the two "twin" thrones was very close. They could even hold hands and sit into the thrones together...
When she came to her senses, Zoe was surprised to find her butt had already touched the seat. Yui next to her was the same.
The two looked at each other in surprise, a bit scared by their own actions.
But this position was so suitable, so comfortable... Like they were meant to sit here, sit in this shattered temple.
Wait, shattered temple?
This term popped into the twins' minds together.
At the same time, the thrones beneath them seemed to sense their masters returning and suddenly lit up with mysterious light.
Layers of fog in the distance surged like waves, completely sealing the stairs leading to the thrones. That gray mist rolled onto their bodies, and in a blink, the sisters' maid outfits turned into one-piece dresses like gray fog.
Solemn, mysterious, beautiful...
Right after, a three-dimensional light projection appeared before the thrones, with many red dots scattered on it, like stars, twinkling on and off.
The twins didn't know what it represented. Everything happened too fast, leaving them at a loss.
Just when both were completely confused, some strange "knowledge" suddenly churned up in Zoe's mind.
The supernatural advancement ritual hadn't made them remember any past, but infused them with a bunch of inexplicable things, including how to "use" that light projection in front of them now...
"Wait, sister! What are you doing!?"
"Huh?"
Yui cried out in alarm. She wanted to grab Zoe's hand, but her sister's movement was too fast. As soon as she spoke, her finger had already touched one of the red dots.
Only then did Zoe react—she'd unconsciously done something weird again!
The red dot at her fingertip was right in the center of the entire light projection. After she "touched" it, the red light immediately spread out like ripples.
The sisters immediately held their breath, because they were horrified to discover a figure seemed to appear in the fog below the throne in front of them...
And they both recognized that figure very well—it was their young master, David Frank.
...
David groggily walked into a fog. He felt like he was dreaming, seventy percent awake, thirty percent confused. This feeling was very strange.
Ever since he'd tricked away that Heretic's Shadow and regained the right to sleep peacefully, David often dreamed at night. That azure planet surrounded by red arms kept haunting his mind, impossible to shake off.
But today's dream was a bit different. He didn't see the crimson arms, and he didn't see that planet he thought about day and night.
Before his eyes was only gray fog...
He lifted his foot forward, wanting to walk out. After just a couple steps, he found the fog parting to both sides on its own. A huge high platform like a pyramid appeared before him.
The background was an infinite starry sky. The stars lit up the silent darkness, illuminating his face.
But there wasn't just stars up there.
A grand aura hit him in the face. Those deep cracks clinging to the starry sky made him feel suffocated—he'd never imagined the universe could show such a scene.
The shattered starry sky was like an abyss devouring the universe. The aura gushing from the cracks would make any being facing it directly feel trembling...
David withdrew his gaze and put his attention back on the high platform in front of him.
A thick fog like a curtain obscured the top of the high platform. He squinted and strained to make out what seemed to be two tall thrones standing behind the fog.
Something was lazily leaning on the thrones, casting its gaze down at him.
What was that?
David's heartbeat accelerated. His body involuntarily produced a fearful reaction.
Those two thrones gave him the same feeling as that god releasing spiders he'd seen in the darkness of the deep sewers.
They were equally terrifying...
Two gods?
Gods beneath the shattered sky?
Fear made David's nerves tight, even making him unconsciously assume a fighting stance.
Though this was laughable. A tiny human actually trying to challenge gods?
But David's subconscious still wanted to struggle. He wasn't willing to just get crushed to death by gods. He wasn't willing. He wanted to resist!
As he thought this, an arm manifested behind him.
Deep red patterns, massive thick arms.
This was the complete Hand of Divine Corpse...
...
Behind the curtain, on the thrones, the twin sisters stared wide-eyed at David approaching the gray fog obscuring the high platform.
At first Zoe even wanted to actively approach the curtain, wanting to tear it open, but she found she couldn't do it at all.
She couldn't stand up, and she couldn't control that curtain either...
A moment later, David summoned his terrifying red arm.
They were scared stiff. Panicked Yui grabbed her sister's hand and shook it hard.
"What's the young master doing!? Can't he see us? What should we do???"
"I don't know... Yui, don't panic, the young master is just..."
Boom—!!!
The red fist slammed hard on the gray fog. The massive force shook the entire shattered temple.
The twins couldn't sit still anymore. They started screaming, desperately shouting David's name, but he seemed to not hear them at all.
Not only that, Zoe also found that no matter how she struggled, she couldn't stand up from the throne. That power was getting stronger and stronger, pressing her firmly onto the throne!
"What's going on!? The young master is angry! Help! Young master, don't kill me..."
Yui got shaken to one side. In her panic, her wildly waving hand slapped onto one of the red dots in that light projection.
"Don't be scared! Yui, the young master just can't see us. He's blocked by the fog. He seems unable to get in..."
Zoe wanted to grab Yui's hand, but unexpectedly her own finger also brushed another red dot...
...
David was knocked back several steps by the rebound force from the curtain. That gray fog was like an indestructible high wall. Even the Hand of Divine Corpse couldn't leave any trace on it.
That gray fog didn't even ripple a bit!
This made him deeply feel his own insignificance. Before the power of gods, he was like an ant.
A huge oppressive force came from behind the curtain, shocking his mind greatly.
Those two gods seated high on the thrones seemed to just shift their postures and continue watching his foolish behavior with a lofty gaze.
David got angry. He started infusing more power into the Hand of Divine Corpse. The dark red arm slowly emitted terrifying red light from being filled with life energy...
Behind the curtain, the twins were scared pale by that arm, completely unsure how to handle this.
Right then, the fog behind David surged again. A somewhat confused black-robed figure staggered slowly out from within...