The giant red moon in the sky hung behind Him, so clear that it was almost maddening.
Above the blood lake, the wicked and sacred figure was so magnificent.
His slender eyes looked at everything by the lake, observing Xia De and the girls behind him.
As for the massive undead beast in the distant sky, the constantly flashing four-colored spiritual lights, and the burning forest and smoking volcano, those were merely decorative backdrops at this moment, unable to capture the attention of a god:
“After two epochs, unexpected guest, we meet again.”
“God, why have You descended upon the human world?”
Xia De wanted to look up, but the headache and the groaning of his entire body were almost crushing him.
Without divinity, he was just a mortal.
“Don’t you know what I want?”
The god, dressed in a blood-colored formal suit, spoke softly in the ancient language of the fifth epoch:
“When we first met, I already said—”,
“The blood of the twin gods, though good, is still not perfect; just a little more, and it could be my collection.” (Chapter 568)
There was a smile on the god’s face:
“Yes, back then, it was truly just a little bit short… It’s a pity, isn’t it?”
The two girls behind Xia De stood trembling, clutching his clothes, hiding in his shadow, awaiting their ultimate fate.
Xia De could still remain conscious, but they had completely lost control of themselves.
“You, at that time, when You saw them, You already had this idea…”
“Yes, I have given you many hints, my blessing to the Twin Union, and guiding them to seek the twin gods.
Is all this due to my benevolence, unexpected guest?
I am an Old God; why would I be generous?”
“Waiting for a millennium, even guiding them to eliminate the sub-spatial evil, and assisting in suppressing the Gap, merely for… brewing wine?”
Under the blood moon, Xia De’s voice trembled by the blood lake.
Enveloped by the blood mist, his body almost uncontrollably wanted to fall forward.
Even though he had guessed all this long ago, he still found it hard to accept:
“You weren’t after the myriad souls of the Gap,
nor to dabble in death to gain the authority of death,
nor for the destined protagonists of the sixth epoch, those Chosen Ones,
nor even for conflicts with other gods—
You did so much, plotted for such a long time, waited for two epochs, even appearing in a saintly form at this time and place, merely to… brew wine?
Merely for Helen and Grace?
Are You… too bored?”
“No, what you said is too boring.
blood brew, that is my interest.”
The god answered softly, always generous to Xia De:
“The ten brewing stories I told you were the most obvious hints.
For a perfect blood brew, what is waiting a thousand or ten thousand years?
Now is the eleventh story, and it is the eleventh story you personally experienced and personally brought about.”
He looked at Helen and Grace behind Xia De with eager eyes:
“The Twin Union blood brew back then merely mixed pain, entanglement, love, and reluctance; while good, it still had flaws.
But now, when two intertwined souls, loving for a millennium and unable to attain, when their bound emotions ferment through repeated cycles and reincarnations, tormenting each other, plus a touch of the Phoenix’s fire… This blood brew is far superior to wine made with the skill of pure virgins, the flame of high-grade kindling, or artifacts of mithril and adamantine.
I will call the blood wine brewed from their bones and souls ‘Red Butterfly blood brew’…”
He extended an invitation to Xia De:
“Unexpected guest, taste this with me; this delicacy cannot be created in any era.”
“You.”
Xia De wanted to roar, wanted to bellow, but only spat out a mouthful of blood; he was truly about to collapse.
The god under the red moon did not care about his attitude:
“You see, I did nothing wrong.
They wanted to break the shackles of their family mission, so I gave them five thousand years of mutual affection.
In fact, I even specifically arranged for them to assist in sealing the Gap here, saving countless mortal lives.
Now, the problem of the Gap is about to be resolved, and their mission is complete.
And the small reward I ask for is merely a cup of wine… A god is very generous.”
For a moment, Xia De even felt that what the other party said made perfect sense, that this reward was not exaggerated.
But he still stood in front of Grace and Helen, trembling, extending his left hand, and offering the bottle of blood brew in his hand:
“I want this, in exchange for them.”
He wanted to fall forward, but the two girls behind him caught him, their trembling voices their last bit of courage at this moment:
“Sir, you don’t have to do this; this is our fate.”
“This is a quarter of the Chosen One’s soul, and it is also a story of love and unrequited desire.
Inside, there is even the purest power and curse of the ancient death god.
I will use this to exchange for Helen and Grace.”
He hoped to end this matter with this method.
Exchanging a quarter of the soul for Marilyn Handel’s corpse in death was for this exchange at this moment.
This was not for Xia De himself; Grace and Helen had sealed the Gap with their own bodies for two epochs, while Barton had accelerated the Gap’s collapse.
This bottle of blood brew was what Helen and Grace deserved.
But the god shook his head slightly:
“This is indeed good, but still not perfect.”
“But this is the Chosen One’s…”
“I know, but what of it?
He is not truly the Chosen One after all, and your brewing method is too crude.
Compared to that trash in your hand, I prefer the blood brew I personally made and patiently waited to ferment.
I enjoy not only the result but also the process.
Unexpected guest, we had a pleasant time at the previous wine party, so please step aside and do not stand there.”
Although the god under the red moon spoke so amiably, Xia De already felt a chill.
But he still shook his head, shielding the two girls behind him:
“Just like back then, I will protect them.
All souls are free; their souls should not become the food of an Old God.”
“Sir…”
“That’s truly a pity; I originally wanted to take advantage of this trip to the material world to have another drink with you.”
Above Sicar Mountain, shrouded in white mist, above the rolling black smoke spewing from the mountain pass, a crack suddenly appeared in the pure Star Sea.
As the spiderweb-like cracks spread around the Star Sea, the entire starry sky seemed to be tearing apart.
The god looked up:
“The Star Sea Whales are coming.
That scene is one of the most beautiful in the material world; you can watch it closely in a moment.
I specifically chose this time.
But for now, unexpected guest, do not disturb my brewing, otherwise…”
He kept smiling and said nothing, gently bending his finger.
Grace in the white dress and Helen in the black dress, behind Xia De, actually floated towards the sky on their own.
The two girls scattered into Red Butterfly in the air, trying to escape that gravitational pull, but under the light of the blood moon, they instantly transformed back into human bodies the next second:
“Twin Union!”
Hand in hand, surrounded by Red Butterfly, their bodies seemed to melt and merge with each other.
Helen and Grace disappeared; floating in the air was a girl dressed in white and black, with black hair flowing, and blue eyes that were so pitiable.
Helen and Grace already looked identical, and the girl before him also looked identical to them.
Xia De inexplicably understood that this was the Red Butterfly Twins’ strongest power: the twin gods merging into one, two becoming one, achieving Twin Union like the Old God 【twin gods】 of the past, unleashing the true power of an angel-level relic.
But even so, she only resisted that inexplicable suction for less than a second before floating towards the god above the blood lake again.
Xia De’s right hand grabbed the Red Butterfly girl’s hand, trying to pull her back, but this also lifted his feet off the ground:
“Sir, leave.”
The Red Butterfly pushed Xia De away, and he fell to the ground, while Grace Helen floated towards the god in the air.
Only between them, above the blood lake, transparent fishing line connected the two.
Xia De held the Soul Fishing Rod, and the bronze hook was deeply embedded in the girl’s palm.
The god had already grasped her, and the spreading blood-colored light was about to completely engulf her, but at this moment, the god saw that hook.
He chuckled:
“A very good idea.
But unexpected guest, you wouldn’t think that what mortals call a relic could affect me, would you?”
He looked at Xia De by the lake, who could barely stand upright, as if expecting him to make another unexpected move:
“If you could conceal yourself from my perception, or if you were at the same ‘height’ as me right now, you might be able to use this to tear power from me to protect your Red Butterfly.
But now you are just a mortal; do you think I cannot see this?”
Xia De shook his head slightly, gripping the fishing rod tightly and pulling it towards himself:
“I am just a mortal right now, but I…”
Bleeding from his lungs, he could barely speak:
“…I don’t want any reward; I just want to help them.
I am not… alone; there are others who are willing, like me, to help selflessly…”
The starry sky above shattered like glass, and giant blue transparent beings, with the colors of the dreamlike Star Sea, appeared.
Those Star Sea Whales entered the material world through the spatial rupture, swimming freely in the Star Sea, leaving behind deep colors like smeared oil paint.
Luvia once said that the best place to observe the Star Sea Whales was probably in the central-eastern part of the Old Continent, and this location was the Sicar Mountain region.
Above was the Star Sea and whales, behind was the undead beast fighting the Church in the firelight, and before him were the blood moon and the god.
Xia De’s Time Perception seemed to be malfunctioning at this moment, but it was also possible that severe cerebral hemorrhage had already made him unable to perceive time normally.
But he still held the fishing rod firmly and reeled in with all his might, trying to snatch Grace and Helen back.
The god unhurriedly grasped the Red Butterfly’s other hand, the one without the hook:
“Mortals firmly believe that kindness can be transmitted, but I am very curious, at this moment, who else can help you?”
He sneered:
“Who would dare, at this moment, appear before me?”
The god merely tugged lightly on the girl’s hand, and the fishing line immediately tautened, cracks appearing on the fishing rod.
Xia De was uncontrollably dragged towards the sky.
The fishing rod failed to immediately absorb divinity, just as the god said; at this moment, Xia De was merely a mortal, while the Being before him was not just a projection of the initial Blood Feast Lord.
But He did not notice that the brass hook, deeply embedded in the Red Butterfly’s right hand, was emitting a faint golden light.
“You selflessly save them, but who will save you, unexpected guest?
Are you still, as you were then, trusting in a kind heart?
Then tell me, will there still be a Miracle at this moment?
Who will save you all! Who will be your Guardian?”
The god laughed.
He tugged lightly, and the fishing line immediately snapped.
But the next moment, the golden light from the brass hook embedded in the Red Butterfly’s right hand, followed the broken fishing line, connecting to Xia De’s hands.
The power of Miracle repaired the shattered fishing rod, and in the golden light that illuminated the blood lake, the young man’s voice rang out:
“If it is to protect innocent children, then I shall.”
“What?”
A golden figure emerged from behind Xia De, illuminating the blood mist, illuminating Xia De’s face, and causing the God of Vampires in the air to frown.
The blood lake surged with waves, and the golden figure was so ethereal, so illusory, as if it were merely a hallucination:
“Merely for your own drinking pleasure, targeting two poor children, plotting for two epochs.
God of Vampires, you are still the same as before, carrying a nauseating smell of blood.”
Though the power of Miracle was faint, it truly appeared.
The young man with a clown hat stood in front of Xia De.
This familiar figure looked up at the blood god in the air, bathed in the light of the red moon, scolding the outwardly “noble” god.
