Chapter 395: The Unfavorable Truth
Nathan reacted immediately to the hero’s sudden arrival.
"Come now, Jillia." He reached for her wrist, and the instant their hands met, both their bodies twisted unnaturally.
Their forms warped into a whirling mass that folded inward upon itself, as though reality had begun swallowing them into another plane.
In that very instant, twin beams of red light erupted from Dark Nova’s eyes, crossing the distance between them towards the demons attempting to leave.
There had been no regard for whether Ethan and Princess Isabella, who stood beside the pair, would be caught in the crossfire.
But just before the beams could reach their targets, they met an immovable resistance.
With one hand outstretched, Ethan had intercepted the crimson rays head-on, the concentrated energy crashing against the repelling gravity caused by the aspect of dominion, before being forced backward, unable to advance another inch.
In the next split second, three streaks of orange, blue, and golden light crossed the length of the battlefield simultaneously, converging upon Dark Nova from the left, the right, and directly above.
They were Ethan’s summons.
From the left, the half-dragon Nina had closed the distance, her flaming greatsword carving a blazing arc through the air and towards the hero.
From the right, King Arthur charged in, clad in blue armor, while bringing down Excalibur with overwhelming force.
And from above, Arael drove down a spear-like projectile of condensed holy light toward the hero’s head.
The coordinated assault forced Dark Nova to abandon the beams erupting from his eyes and go on the defensive.
Both of his arms stretched outward almost simultaneously, each hand intercepting a sword before it reached him. His right palm caught the edge of Nina’s flaming sword, while his left stopped Excalibur itself.
On impact with this palms, the immense force behind both weapons sent shockwaves rippling through the surrounding ground.
At that exact moment, Arael’s attack descended from above as the spear of light struck the crown of his head.
However, It failed to inflict any visible damage.
Dark Nova’s expression contorted into a furious scowl as he let out a deafening roar which came with a violent surge of red lightning, erupting from his body in every direction.
The omnidirectional blast exploded outward like a raging storm.
Nina, Arthur, and Arael were all hurled away at once as the expanding wave crashed through the surrounding area, kicking up massive clouds of dust and debris that swallowed Dark Nova’s position from sight.
Nina skidded across the ground before planting her feet and forcing herself to a stop.
Arthur landed several metres away, his boots gouging deep furrows into the earth as he absorbed the remaining momentum.
High above them, Arael steadied herself midair with several powerful beats of her wings, remaining suspended as her eyes continued to watch the dust cloud below.
"Tch." Ethan clicked his tongue in frustration.
From Dark Nova’s nationwide broadcast to the hero now personally witnessing the very demons they had been searching for; the situation had only much more troublesome.
At this time, Nathan had succeeded in taking both himself and Jillia into the Astral Realm in a bid to avoid further complicating the situation.
Isabella, on the other hand, had been protected by Ethan’s Aspect of Dominion, his manipulation of gravity intercepting Dark Nova’s attack.
Even so, that sudden attempt on her life had agitated Mrs. Stark, causing an aura of darkness to slowly begin enveloping her figure.
The response from Ethan’s remaining summons followed immediately after.
Having already been stationed around the manor long before Dark Nova’s arrival, they wasted no time in readjusting their positions to confront the unexpected intruder.
The commotion had also drawn the attention of those still inside the house.
Ishtar and Francesca stepped out through the front entrance, only to freeze as their eyes fell upon the scene playing out before them.
As the dust cloud began to settle, Dark Nova finally spoke. "It comes as no surprise that I would find the demons we’ve been searching for in league with you, Ethan Stark."
His gaze then turned toward Princess Isabella as he slowly raised a hand in her direction.
"And you, Princess, I—" He began but stopped abruptly.
It hadn’t been a conscious decision, nor had he intentionally activated it. But the instant his eyes settled on the princess while that unnatural darkness coiled around her... Perfect Deduction reacted.
It gathered everything before him; from the darkness, to the witness accounts surrounding the disappearances, to the testimony describing light itself being consumed.
And like threads, the blessing wove them together until there was no missing piece left.
Everything simply aligned to produce one answer:—The darkness was caused by the Princess.
But almost within that same infinitesimal instant, something else happened.
There were truths in this world whose danger was not merely in discovering them, but in the fact that those truths could discover you in return.
In essence, Perfect Deduction had arrived at a truth that it should never have reached. The moment the blessing reached her true existence...That existence reached back.
Dark Nova’s breathing abruptly stopped as the world around him vanished.
Then suddenly, he floating in a dark void and was faced with the presence of the Mistress of the Endless Dark
The Mistress was so vast that the skies themselves seemed not to exist amidst her figure. Dark clouds obscured her eyes and portions of her body, leaving only her lips visible, curved into a devious smile beneath dark lipstick.
With that same devious smile, the Evil Goddess slowly raised her hand before bringing her palm down upon Dark Nova, who, before that incomprehensible existence, resembled nothing more than a floating insect.
But just before her hand reached him, the hero was suddenly pulled out of the trance.
When Dark Nova blinked again, he found himself back at Stark Residence, his gaze fixed upon Isabella and the unfavorable situation of being outnumbered.
The entire encounter had lasted no more than a second or two, and almost immediately after he returned, Atia’s voice echoed through his thoughts, carrying a level of alarm that even a deity rarely displayed.
[It is as we feared. The Evil Goddess has arisen in this era... and you had just formed a connection to her.]