Immediately following, the massive dragon wings flapped violently, whipping up a terrifying airflow that tore through the clouds!
Subsequently, Pollux's enormous body erupted at this moment with a terrifying speed entirely inconsistent with its size, instantly transforming into a bolt of purple lightning that tore through the night sky, speeding towards the fleeing Nether Moon.
"Hey! Wait! I'm still up here—!"
Phainon, who was standing on the dragon's spine preparing to join the pursuit, had completely not expected this sudden extreme acceleration. The expression on his face instantly shifted from determination to panic!
He only had time to let out an exclamation before, in the next moment, an irresistible, massive force of acceleration slammed him flat against the dragon scales! Immediately after, due to Pollux's sudden turn and violent acceleration, he was carried into the air, spinning uncontrollably like a top, experiencing an aerial Thomas flair without any safety measures.
Fortunately, just as he was feeling dizzy and disoriented, several dark purple ribbons of water from the river of souls appeared just in time. They accurately wrapped around his waist, catching him steadily and gently sending him back to the ground.
"Are you alright, Lord Phainon?"
Castorice's voice remained calm, as if the thrilling scene just now was merely a trivial interlude.
"I'm... fine... just a bit dizzy..."
Phainon shook his head after landing, massaging his throbbing temples with his hand, and responded with a wry smile.
Seeing this, Castorice nodded slightly and said no more, casting her gaze once again towards the distant horizon.
Pollux was rapidly closing the distance with the Nether Moon at an astonishing speed. The Nether Moon clearly sensed the approaching threat of death as well. The agonized faces on its surface twisted frantically, continuously spewing out pus, mental tentacles, and newly generated small monsters in an attempt to stop this terrifying creature.
However, these deathbed struggles appeared pale and powerless in the face of absolute speed and strength.
Pollux either nimbly dodged or directly swatted them away with its giant claws covered in hard scales. In merely a moment, it had already chased right behind the Nether Moon.
Immediately after, Pollux's massive dragon body began to shrink rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Once it shrank to a certain size, Pollux aimed at the massive wound on the Nether Moon's back that was still flowing with white life essence, and dove headfirst into it without hesitation!
Time seemed to freeze for a split second at this moment.
The next moment—
Rumble—!!!!!!
Even from a great distance, the muffled explosion originating from within the Evil God's body sounded like countless thunderbolts detonating simultaneously, shaking the entire world until it trembled!
A dazzling, fierce red light containing the ultimate aura of destruction shot out first from the countless cracks inside the Nether Moon, instantly turning it into a red orb of light filled with violent energy.
Immediately after, this orb of light could no longer maintain its structure—
BOOM—!!!!!!
The final destruction descended! At this moment, the Nether Moon's massive body completely exploded from the inside out, turning into a brief firework made of flames and fragments in the night sky, illuminating the vast forests and mountains below as if it were daylight.
"...Even though we haven't seen each other for a long time, Miss Castorice's strength is still as astonishing as ever."
Looking at the distant fireworks, Phainon, standing beside Castorice, spoke slowly with a shocked expression.
"Careful, it is not dead yet."
Castorice's cold voice broke the brief silence after the explosion, warning Phainon.
"Not dead yet?" Phainon's face flashed with a trace of surprise upon hearing this. "It got blown up like that and it can still be alive? The vitality of this Evil God is truly tenacious beyond imagination."
As he spoke, he immediately looked up, his sharp gaze piercing through the energy embers and smoke that had not yet fully dissipated, scanning that chaotic area.
The next moment, his pupils shrank slightly.
He saw a spherical core, its volume drastically reduced and its surface scorched black, rapidly breaking through the smoke of the explosion at a much faster speed than before. Then, without looking back, it fled towards the boundless darkness outside the valley.
"Trying to run?!" Seeing this, Phainon's eyes turned cold. He subconsciously tightened his grip on Dawnbreaker in his hand, the golden light around his body circulating once more as he made a move to give chase.
"Lord Phainon, please stay calm," Castorice spoke up again, stopping him calmly.
Her gaze remained locked onto the rapidly shrinking, fleeing black dot in the distance, and she reassured him in an indifferent tone:
"It cannot escape."
"Oh?" Hearing this, Phainon paused his movements, a look of confusion appearing on his face, but he still stopped as instructed. "Could it be that Miss Castorice has prepared another backup plan?"
As he spoke, he followed Castorice's gaze and also looked toward the fleeing Evil God.
Then, right at this moment, he watched in astonishment as a white shadow trailing a rainbow-colored tail, like a shooting star tearing through the night sky, slammed into the fleeing core of the Evil God with an indomitable momentum and unparalleled precision!
Boom—!!!!!!
Another deafeningly loud explosion came from afar. Immediately after, a slightly smaller but still spectacular mushroom cloud slowly rose into the night sky.
The powerful shockwave generated by the explosion spread out like ripples, sweeping across the valley and blowing the forest trees below until they swayed violently and rustled loudly.
"That white shadow... could it be Little Ica?!"
Phainon looked at the explosion cloud in the distance that had not yet dispersed and muttered in disbelief.
With his strength, he clearly saw what the true body of that white shadow was just now; it was just that he didn't quite dare to confirm it.
"Mhm, you saw correctly. It is indeed Little Ica."
Castorice nodded slightly, confirming his guess, her tone still flat and unruffled.
After receiving Castorice's confirmation, joy and a trace of disbelief instantly erupted in Phainon's eyes.
"Since that is the case, doesn't that mean... Hyacine... she is here too?!"
"She has already arrived."
Castorice replied calmly, then slowly turned around, casting her gaze toward the dense bushes in the direction of the valley entrance.
Hearing this, Phainon immediately followed Castorice's line of sight.
As if to verify Castorice's words, a familiar voice, lively yet gentle, carrying a hint of a playful smile, came from the forest:
"Little Castorice, and... this is truly surprising, Lord Phainon. Looking at the situation, my timing in arriving should be considered just right, shouldn't it?"
Before her voice faded, the branches and leaves of the bushes parted gently, and a young girl with pink twin tails walked out with light steps.
She wore her usual gentle smile on her face, and a reassuring aura flowed around her body.
"Hyacine... it really is you..." Looking at the living old friend before him, Phainon took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm the waves in his heart. Subsequently, a complex smile full of emotion and joy bloomed from the bottom of his heart on his face. "I never expected to be able to reunite with you in this world, under these circumstances."
"Yes, Little Castorice and I were also very surprised." Hyacine responded with a smile. Her gaze lingered on Phainon for a moment before landing gently on Castorice. "Little Castorice, that Evil God took a full-strength strike from Little Ica and is now only left with its last breath. It has already fallen down."
Speaking up to here, she quickly reported a precise set of coordinates, and then her expression became serious.
"I must immediately go and treat those elves who have been severely eroded by the Evil God's mental pollution. Time is pressing. Therefore, I will leave this final cleanup work to you. I'll be going ahead."
After saying that, Hyacine did not drag things out. After nodding slightly to Castorice and Phainon, she turned around and hurried towards the direction of the Moon-marked Clan's residential area.
By this time, Clan Leader Thorne and the others had already gathered most of the wounded there.
Castorice nodded slightly at Hyacine's departing back, then immediately set off, walking towards the location where she said the Evil God had fallen.
Seeing this, Phainon immediately gathered his thoughts and silently followed Castorice's footsteps.
Before long, the two arrived at the location Hyacine had indicated.
What greeted their eyes was a spherical object about the size of a truck, completely scorched black and covered in cracks and potholes, lying quietly in the shallow crater it had smashed out.
It lay motionless. Only an extremely faint fluctuation of life could still prove that it had not yet completely perished; other than that, it was no different from a scorched stone.
"I didn't expect that the massive Evil God that previously blotted out the sun and sky would have a core true body of only this size."
Phainon walked closer and examined this scorched black sphere that had shrunk by an unknown number of times. He rubbed his chin, a trace of emotion in his tone.
Castorice did not reply. She silently walked forward and stopped in front of the scorched black sphere.
Then, she slowly raised her hand and gently pressed her palm onto the surface of this scorched black sphere.
In an instant, the cold Aura of Death spread out from her palm, forming countless fine black threads that began to wrap around the scorched black sphere layer by layer.
Graa...
[Let... me... go...]
A faint murmur filled with despair and pleading transmitted intermittently into Castorice's mind.
Feeling this final plea, there was not a single trace of pity in Castorice's eyes.
Immediately after, she spoke softly:
"You have already stripped away the lives of far too many innocent people, and have eternally imprisoned and tortured their souls and bodies, turning them into a part of your filthy shell. Such sins cannot be forgiven. In order to stop you from continuing to create more tragedy and pain, I have no choice but to completely annihilate you."
Graa—!
[Such dense power of death... You! You are clearly also a god who has taken the lives of many living beings! You are more powerful than I am. I lost, and I accept it! But you! What right do you have... to judge me with such high-sounding reasons?!]
After hearing Castorice's words, the Nether Moon seemed to be thoroughly enraged. Using the last of its strength, it let out a mental roar filled with unwillingness, resentment, and sharp irony!
And Castorice's action of wrapping the Aura of Death paused imperceptibly because of these words.
Taking the lives of others...
This sentence of its, in a certain sense, was not wrong.
In the past of Aidonia, Castorice, who was the city's Maiden of War and its Executioner had indeed used these very hands to end many lives, whether innocent or sinful.
But... so what?
Those memories and sins belonging to the other Castorice were like being separated by a hazy veil. Although they existed, they could not truly touch the heartstrings of her current self, who was a player and a visitor from another world.
She was not that Demigod of Death who had personally experienced everything and borne a heavy past.
Therefore, this accusation by the Nether Moon attempting to shake her will did not cause much of a stir in her heart.
Perhaps.
"From now on, the calamity you have brought will cease to exist..."
She murmured softly in a voice that only she could hear.
Immediately after, there was no more hesitation. That deep Aura of Death intensified abruptly, completely submerging the scorched black sphere!
The last remaining bit of life force of the Nether Moon was also thoroughly annihilated by the power of death at this point!
Graa—!!!
Accompanied by a howl filled with pain and unwillingness, the truck-sized scorched black sphere twitched violently. Then, all life fluctuations came to an abrupt halt, completely returning to dead silence without a single sound left.
[Collaborated to kill the Evil God Nether Moon. Stellar Jade +6400.]
'Giving forty pulls worth of Stellar Jade at once, huh... The harvest this time is not bad.'
Feeling the numbers jumping on the system panel, Castorice evaluated calmly in her heart.
"Miss Castorice... are you alright?"
At this time, Phainon's voice, carrying a bit of hesitation and concern, came from behind.
He had clearly also sensed the Nether Moon's final mental shock full of malice. Looking at Castorice's back as she stood silently in place, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Hearing Phainon's voice, Castorice withdrew her attention from the system panel.
She turned around and met Phainon's golden eyes, which carried obvious worry, immediately understanding what he was thinking at this moment.
"I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Lord Phainon."
She shook her head gently, her tone restoring to its usual calmness, indicating that she had not been affected by those words.
Seeing Castorice's expression as normal, Phainon was visibly relieved, but soon after, a barely noticeable trace of nervousness surfaced on his face again.
He looked at Castorice, then glanced at the white robe with golden trim he was wearing, his tone becoming somewhat hesitant.
"Now that... the Evil God has been successfully eliminated, then what... do we do next..."
He did not finish his sentence, but the inquiry and a subtle trace of apprehension within it were already fully revealed.
Castorice's gaze also lingered on his attire for a moment. A complex thought flashed through her eyes before she fell into a brief silence.
A moment later, she raised her eyes, looked towards the direction where Hyacine had gone, and made a decision:
"Let's go check on Hyacine first and see if she needs any help over there. As for other matters... it won't be too late to discuss them later."
"...Alright."
Phainon nodded, agreeing with her arrangement, and did not pursue the matter any further.