Chapter 138 : The Rise of the Demon
Chapter 138: The Rise of the Demon
Within the Royal Capital, there were still over a dozen massive golden shields surrounded by liquid flow. Inside them, a handful of high-ranking Church clergy knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly as they stared at the sea of fire burning around and upon the shields.
After ten minutes of burning, aside from the Pontiff, the Saintess, and the Saint Spirit—those capable of sustaining divine arts for long durations—no one else could withstand the faith energy that allowed the Goddess to endure a thousand degrees of heat for ten full minutes.
Aside from alkali, the white phosphorus added to the napalm served as a second safeguard—white phosphorus could ignite at 40° merely through slight friction.
At the same time, it consumed oxygen in the air as it burned, producing large quantities of nitrogen monoxide. Burns caused by white phosphorus would also lead to blood poisoning.
When napalm burned, it continuously produced large amounts of carbon monoxide, causing poisoning and confusion of the mind.
When Mitia said she would send them to meet the Goddess, she meant it seriously—they truly could see Her~
“Alright, once more.”
【What a beautiful jasmine flower, what a beautiful jasmine flower.】
【Fragrant and lovely, branches full, praised by everyone~】
【Let me come~ and pick you off, to give to someone else....】
Mitia watched the young ladies performing on stage in boredom, thinking to herself that lyrics really weren’t necessary—she preferred the symphonic version.
Ah~ Civilization VI, how she longed to play it again~
The ultra-low altitude bombing caused forty percent of Paria Royal Capital to ignite in fierce flames during the first wave, burning everything to ash. Fueled by the wind, the fire spread across the city, consuming other districts to varying degrees.
Fortunately, most of the buildings in the Paria Capital were stone, preventing the flames from engulfing the entire city. Still, the horrific sight drove many commoners and nobles alike into madness.
Before the second round of bombing targeting the Royal Palace even arrived overhead, the King of Paria announced the nation’s unconditional surrender.
If there truly existed a demon, then every member of the Church would have pinned that name upon the Seris Empress.
Whether it was the hell of Paria she personally created, or the three consecutive golden divine thunders that struck her own Empress’s Palace—both served as proof of it.
Mitia stood before the ruins of her Empress’s Palace, exchanging glances of speechless disbelief with Aisha and Sherria.
Aisha placed her hands on her hips and asked, ‘What on earth did you do? How did you make that old Goddess so furious?’
‘Yeah! You scared me to death—I thought you were done for!’
Sherria patted her chest in lingering fright. Had Aisha not been nearby in the capital today, they might already be preparing Mitia’s funeral.
Hearing that, Mitia became indignant. “So what if She’s a Goddess? Does that give Her the right to bully an ordinary person like me? She can just kill me if She wants to?”
Aisha shook her head. ‘She wouldn’t kill you—at most, half-dead. Maybe She could before, but not anymore.’
‘Don’t change the subject. What did you do? Interfering directly with the mortal world like that must’ve cost Her dearly.’
Mitia’s confidence faltered. She tidied her hair and dress—both messy from her earlier escape—and mumbled, “Being human.”
‘Huh? Being human?’
“Just… doing that… the, uh, 120%-well-done kind~ I estimate about a hundred thousand.”
Aisha: ‘......’
‘I think I understand why She wanted to kill you. If She really did, Her divinity would’ve fallen, and we’d have avenged you anyway—honestly, I couldn’t have saved you then.’
Mitia tilted her head curiously. “What does that mean?”
‘If kings and emperors were so easy to kill, the Gods would’ve conquered the world long ago and turned it into their own divine realm. Why would mortals even still exist?’ Aisha countered.
‘Since faith energy exists, why should only Gods possess it? Every king and emperor begins with the people’s trust and carries their faith. What She has, you have too. Faith can empower Her—but it can also consume Her through another’s faith.’
As she spoke, Aisha cast a subtle look at Mitia.
‘They did try to counter it, of course—by establishing Churches within kingdoms to gather believers, dispersing the people’s faith to keep royal families in check. But you…’
‘Anyway, because the Federation’s faith is more centralized, you’re much harder to deal with than other monarchs. You’re like tough meat—She could strike you, but She’d only make you suffer a bit. She doesn’t dare deal real damage.’
Hearing that the Goddess couldn’t do much to her, Mitia’s confidence flared again. “C! Then what’s Her deal? Just trying to disgust me? I’m really pissed off right now.”
Sherria interjected, ‘Think of it as a warning. She probably descended, gave out a few commands, then came back to smack you a few times before leaving. After this, it’s truly a fight to the death between you two.’
Mitia shrugged. “We’ve already been at that point. Don’t even mention the ‘Promised Land’ nonsense the Church pulled before.”
“Those two kingdoms tied to the Church within that Alliance share the same sea as us, controlling nearly eighty percent of it. Just geographically, we’re destined to be mortal enemies.”
If the economy took off in the future, and trade routes overlapped heavily with the Church and its lapdogs, she’d be strangled by tariffs before she could even breathe.
Though the Kingdom of Suria maintained friendly ties with them—and the Federation even helped build their railways—Mitia had no intention of putting all her eggs in one basket.
Even now, the Federation’s maritime trade was often taxed heavily. Most goods crossed the ocean directly to the ports of the Three Kingdoms before being shipped worldwide.
Even if they avoided cooperation and took the long route to Imperial ports, they couldn’t escape resupplying in those nations’ waters.
The more their influence expanded, the more points of friction appeared—if war didn’t happen now, it would eventually.
Seris wanted its own port on the main continent; the continental kingdoms wanted to siphon profits through tariffs. Both sides would fight to the death to protect their maritime claims.
Their geopolitical realities made union nearly impossible. The only path left was war. That was why Mitia’s strikes were always ruthless, leaving no room for compromise.
In one sentence: 【Abandon illusions, accept war.】
This round of hellfire bombardment was brutal—but immensely effective. Half of Paria’s Royal Capital was leveled to the ground. Not even ants hiding underground could escape the thousand-degree inferno.
The defensive line against the Federation’s army was wiped clean—soldiers, buildings, and heavy weapons alike. The King of Paria gave up all hope, summoning his ancestors and presenting his letter of surrender to the military.
This marked the complete liberation of Paria. The advancing Federal forces entered the city to restore order, extinguish fires, and clear the ruins...
The remaining Church troops attacking the Ortu Alliance had all withdrawn to Nom Port, awaiting the ships that would carry them home.
At the same time, the Seris Federation’s Empress submitted a special proposal—【Subcontinentalism】.