Three.
With their vision obstructed, Lucoco’s [Perception Masking] activated once more, directly enveloping the trio.
In her original plan, Lucoco had intended to use the terrain ahead to achieve her goal, but she hadn’t expected Lino to give her such a perfect assist.
With the conditions met, a tentacle shot out and grabbed Ian’s wrist.
Startled mid-run, Ian was about to react when Lucoco’s voice reached his ears: “Perception… Masking.”
Ian whipped his head around, looking first at his sister.
Seeing Lino nod, he then turned back to Lucoco, his face filled with disbelief as his pace slowed.
“Who… exactly are you…?”
Lucoco didn’t respond.
Instead, she fired over ten shots of [Laser] toward the path ahead.
After kicking up a massive cloud of dust and smoke, she led them into a dense thicket of the forest.
She tossed Lino into Ian’s arms and pressed two tentacles against their respective foreheads, saying solemnly, “For safety… I’ll… teleport… think of where you want to go… now.”
Ian hugged Lino tightly, his brow furrowed as his confusion deepened.
Just as he was about to press for more answers, he felt a soft, holy light envelop himself and Lino.
Simultaneously, a strange ripple of energy followed immediately.
When that peculiar sensation of being pulled away surged through him, Ian’s gaze toward Lucoco was suddenly tinged with awe.
“You are—!”
“Shhh!”
Lucoco raised a pinky finger, her red eyes shimmering.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*
Dozens of figures blurred through the woods, chasing after one another toward the swirling smoke.
There were assassins and knights, while the church monks were likely still huffing and puffing somewhere halfway behind.
The things at the bottom of the lake were manageable, but the things scurrying past now were a different story.
They were all elite rank, and their levels were generally above Level 40!
Even with her authorities fully activated, Lucoco could at most guarantee her own survival.
Once those two groups reached the end of the smoke and realized they had been tricked by a diversion, a fight would be inevitable.
Meanwhile, Lucoco’s teleportation magic was nearing completion.
“I don’t want to be disturbed…”
Lucoco said, looking at the two seriously.
“We understand…”
Ian and Lino nodded solemnly.
“Thank you.”
Lucoco flashed a grin, and several more tentacles emitting holy light reached out to wrap around them.
The fluctuations from the teleportation became increasingly intense, to the point that [Perception Masking] was on the verge of being blown apart.
Ian and Lino both felt an illusion, as if their souls had already arrived at the royal palace they so dearly missed; strange smiles unconsciously drifted onto their faces.
The scene was truly bizarre.
If an outsider saw it, they would probably suspect Lucoco was using some wicked method on the pair.
In the distance, the church monks finally appeared.
A battle had indeed broken out ahead, though this time it was the assassins being suppressed by the furious knights and monks.
Was teleportation no longer necessary?
Absolutely not!
From the very beginning, Lucoco had no intention of sending Ian and Lino back to their so-called “allies.”
First, she didn’t want to attract unnecessary eyes.
Second, the numerous red dots of knights and monks on the map radar were actually marked green by her authority’s perception.
These guys were members of the dark faction in disguise!
Returning the two to them was definitely not a good idea.
The holy light suddenly increased by an order of magnitude, and the figures of Ian and Lino became almost transparent in an instant.
But just as the teleportation array was about to finalize, a blood-red dot suddenly appeared on the map radar without warning—it was inches away!
Lucoco turned her head in shock, only to see a young man in armor raising a longsword high, radiating a murderous aura.
The youth’s eyes were bloodshot as if containing endless flames of rage.
The longsword exhaled a brilliant sword intent, hacking down toward her head with the force of thunder!
“Vile creature! Die!!” the youth roared, his voice shaking the forest leaves.
“Gabriel, stop!” Ian and Lino cried out in horror.
Both shouted at once, but the youth seemed to have lost himself to bloodlust, his sanity entirely gone.
‘Holy crap!’
Lucoco’s soul shivered in fright. She instantly propped up a [Magic Field] to protect herself.
Unexpectedly, that longsword sliced through the barrier as easily as cutting through thin paper!
Even without using an appraisal skill, the orange-yellow [Hero] title above the youth’s head was blinding enough.
“Perish!”
He laughed maniacally, his longsword wrapped in blazing sword qi, inches away from splitting Lucoco’s skull.
Ian and Lino’s mouths opened and closed, but they were so frantic they couldn’t make a sound, their eyes nearly bursting from their sockets.
‘Sigh… I guess I’m done for. But since a Hero showed up, it doesn’t matter if the teleportation fails.’
Lucoco’s mind raced as she accepted reality.
She had already started considering what to do after she respawned…
But the necklace around her neck protested!
At this critical moment, a new barrier suddenly deployed.
*Clang!*
The longsword slammed into the barrier, sending sparks flying everywhere.
*Crack!*
Cracks appeared on the barrier, making it teeter on the verge of collapse.
*Hum—*
The teleportation magic finally finished.
Ian and Lino’s figures flickered and vanished without a trace.
At the same time, several miles away, Lucia—who was busy in the kitchen—suddenly felt a pang in her heart.
She abruptly dropped her spatula, her body flickering as she disappeared into thin air.
Though the deep blue barrier had blocked the fatal blow, it shattered like glass with a loud *crunch*.
The sword light, like a bolt of silk, had lost its momentum but still veered off its trajectory.
Cold light reflected in her red eyes.
Lucoco felt a chill throughout her body as her feet and her right arm tentacle were simultaneously severed.
Crimson blood sprayed out, filling the air with a metallic scent.
Agony rushed in like a tide, and her consciousness blurred instantly.
Her small body stumbled to the ground, her red eyes half-closed.
She couldn’t help but curse under her breath, ‘What kind of aim is that? It hurts like hell… for this old-timer…’
“Still not dead!”
Seeing his sword failed to kill, the youth immediately raised it for a follow-up strike.
Suddenly, the air distorted violently.
A figure flashed into existence—it was Lucia!
Without time to check the situation, a longsword of holy light condensed in Lucia’s hand.
With one swing, she snapped the youth’s longsword in two!
The sudden turn of events made the youth turn pale with fright.
He retreated frantically, barely avoiding the fate of being decapitated.
In the next second, chains of holy light erupted from the void, binding him so tightly he couldn’t move, with a chain even locking his jaw shut.
Having trapped the youth, Lucia immediately cast a [Magic Barrier] to envelop Lucoco.
When she looked back, her pupils shrunk instantly!
The small child who had been playfully weeding the courtyard just moments ago now looked like a broken doll.
She lay in a pool of blood, her breath faint… the severed tentacles twitched unconsciously.
When she forced her eyes open to look at Lucia, they were filled with fear and worry.
Those once-bright red eyes had already been stained with the grey of death.
“Coco!!!”
Lucia’s eyes nearly split from grief as she stumbled to Lucoco’s side.
Blinding holy light erupted, attempting to reclaim the life that was fading away.
But this time, the normally infallible [Sacred Healing] failed to work.
“Mom…”
Lucoco called out weakly, her small hand feebly pushing Lucia away.
Lucia lowered her head, looking at the tiny body in her arms that was barely breathing and twitching from pain and fear.
A deep, abyss-like coldness suddenly surged in the depths of her purple eyes.
“Don’t sleep, honey! Mommy will save you! Be good, okay? You mustn’t sleep!”
The holy light became even more blinding.
The healing authority caused the surrounding grass and trees to grow wildly, yet it had absolutely no effect on Lucoco.
Lucoco was truly worried sick.
She was a player; if she died, she died—she could just respawn.
But if Lucia was identified by those church fanatics as being from the dark faction, there would be no good end for her.
Being able to use holy light magic didn’t determine one’s faction!
It all depended on how those fanatics chose to label someone.
As long as that Hero named Gabriel insisted on it, Lucia would definitely suffer.
Her consciousness was sinking rapidly.
Lucoco knew she didn’t have much time left.
‘If that’s the case… then there’s no other way. Lucia is my mom; if someone has to die, it should be the Hero!’
‘…And she’s a Saintess, too!’
Under the blinding holy light, Lucia didn’t notice Lucoco’s movements at all.
A tiny, intact hand trembled as it rose, pointing toward the immobilized Gabriel.
Using the last of her strength, Lucoco let out a mocking roar: “Go to hell… with me!! Infinite Seal!!”
The surrounding hundred meters went silent for an instant as the childish roar exploded in everyone’s minds.
Lucoco swore this was the most fluent sentence she had spoken since being born.
The struggling Gabriel froze.
Lucia froze.
The assassins, church monks, and knights who had been drawn by the holy light all froze in place.
Lucoco also froze, in a physical sense…
The healing holy light dissipated, revealing Lucoco in Lucia’s arms—she had turned into crystal, devoid of all life.
Lucia’s eyes were instantly swallowed by darkness.
She shook her head mechanically.
“No… Mommy doesn’t want this…”
“Coco!!”
A heartbreaking scream shook the forest leaves.
Lucoco’s sealing divine art activated at that moment.
An intricate Demon-Sealing crest flew out from her forehead, marking itself directly onto Gabriel within the chains.
The man who had been so arrogant just a moment ago was now scared out of his wits, his pupils shrinking to the size of needlepoints.
Gabriel was filled with overwhelming regret; he knew he had misjudged Lucoco, but everything was irreparable.
Killing a Saintess was a sin no one could bear.
This was exactly Lucoco’s calculation; a Saintess would never appear in the dark faction.
But Gabriel didn’t want to die yet.
He still wanted to fulfill his unfinished oath.
A kaleidoscope of memories seemed to flash before his eyes: a beautiful village, a happy family.
The Demon King, Krulu, descending and devouring everything—sparing only him.
He had sworn to wipe out the darkness.
During the crest awakening ceremony, he truly had awakened the [Seed of the Hero].
Through battles where he feared no death, he finally became a [Hero].
Finally, he had encountered Lucoco casting magic.
A familiar aura, familiar tentacles, and a familiar scene.
That night, the Demon King Krulu had done the same thing, devouring his family and friends one by one right before his eyes…
That was a shadow that could never be healed, waking him in the middle of the night, driving him to work harder.
The dazzling crest approached rapidly.
Gabriel closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate.
None of the church members or knights dared to step forward, choosing instead to continue fighting the assassins.
“You are not worthy!”
A spear of holy light, almost turning into a purple beam, was faster than the crest!
It struck Gabriel first.
It was an attack launched by Lucia as she held Lucoco’s crystal body.
The power of the spear was so terrifying that the earth for ten meters around was overturned, carving out a crater several meters deep.
Lucia’s pupils had almost turned into black whirlpools.
Quietly, everything in the surroundings began to slow down.
“Sigh…”
A soft sigh came from nowhere.
A slender hand emitting a faint green glow reached out from the void.
With a gentle tap, that terrifying strike was neutralized.
With a light pinch, the Demon-Sealing crest was also absorbed into a fingertip.
A void gate opened, and the holy, flawless Goddess of Life stepped out gracefully.
The pawns of the darkness didn’t even get a chance to look before they were turned to ash under the divine light.
The church monks and court knights fell to their knees one after another, gazing at her with devout eyes.
Even the grass and trees bowed low.
Only Lucia did not move.
She simply stood there, cradling her “deceased” daughter, watching silently.
The Goddess said, “You all, withdraw.”
Immediately, all the monks and knights vanished without a trace, Gabriel included.
She landed gently next to Lucia.
Under Lucia’s hopeful gaze, she broke into a smile and blew a soft breath into the ear of the crystallized Lucoco.
She said, “Little one… it’s time to wake up.”
A green stream of life-like light quietly surrounded her.
The crest at the Goddess’s fingertip flew out and settled back into Lucoco’s forehead.
The crystallized body rapidly softened, finally returning to flesh and blood.
Even the severed tentacles grew back in the blink of an eye.
Her chest rose and fell as steady breathing followed.
Without using any player privileges, Lucoco had been resurrected.
The darkness in Lucia’s eyes quickly receded, her spirit returning.
Hot tears burst from her eyes as her straight knees suddenly buckled.
“Thank you!! Thank you, Great Goddess of Life!!”
However, she was caught by the Goddess and prevented from kneeling.
The Goddess said, “It will not be too late to kneel when you are truly ready to believe in me.”
Then, she dissipated into flecks of starlight before Lucia could even respond.
***
Meanwhile, with the teleported monks and knights:
“Gabriel.”
“Lord Bishop…”
“The mark, is it activated?”
“…”
“The Saintess didn’t blame you, did she?”
“…”
“Continue with your oath.”
“Lord Bishop, the Goddess, she…”
“Gabriel, do you know you’re a complete piece of work? You caused this mess; go redeem yourself! Even if you have to be a dog!”
The normally kind Bishop finally snapped, swearing as he flicked his sleeves and walked away.
***
In the Heavenly Realm, the various entities who had watched the whole thing:
“Oh my! That scared the life out of me!!”
“Good grief! That was terrifying!”
“One step later and a Demon God would have been born, you know!!”
“True, true… but doesn’t Yggdrasil’s move count as poaching?”
“Hasn’t Alicia already become a non-believer?”
“But Hemera hasn’t taken back her authority over there either.”
“That reminds me! Why can a God-Favored only have one authority?”
“Among those knights and monks just now, there were quite a few players, right?”
“We can’t let those animals corrupt Lucoco!”
“We need to think of something!”