The sun was harsh and piercing, with distant cicadas buzzing in the air.
When Lu Mo walked out of the hall, it was still afternoon.
She descended the steps, crossed the square, and from afar could see Cecilia standing in the moonlight shadow, waiting for her all along.
Lu Mo was just about to greet her.
At that moment, Cecilia’s little radar had already detected her arrival.
“Miss Lu Mo——”
The girl looked up at her, eyes sparkling, a smile tugging at her lips, and she ran into the sunlight.
She wore a light-colored dress, the hem swaying in the wind she stirred.
Her soft, golden hair was dazzling under the sun.
She was so pure, so sacred.
Standing in the brilliant light.
As if she could never be swallowed by darkness.
Seeing Cecilia run over, Lu Mo quickly shed the coldness on her face, revealing a doting smile.
“Slow down. You’re about to enter the Holy Sanctuary headquarters—you should be a little steadier by now.”
She watched Cecilia stop in front of her.
“Miss Lu Mo, nothing went wrong over at Miss Rumina’s place, right?”
Cecilia asked, a bit nervous.
“Of course not.”
Lu Mo replied.
With the nature of Fusion Sublimation Power and the concealment of the Original Sin Imperial Armament, not even the Holy Sanctuary could discover her secret.
“That’s a relief…”
Only then did Cecilia relax.
“Alright, there’s nothing left for us here now. What do you want to do?”
Lu Mo asked.
Cecilia thought for a moment, then spoke.
“How about… we take a stroll through the Holy Capital?”
“Sure.”
Lu Mo agreed without a second thought.
Leaving the Holy Sanctuary, both of them relaxed.
Hand in hand, they walked along the streets of the Holy Capital.
Though the celebration had ended, the flower and lantern decorations lining the streets had not yet been taken down.
The entire city was still filled with joy and peace.
People walked along the roads, chatting about the end of the Demon King’s era, arguing over who deserved the most credit for killing the Demon King.
Young men and women sat in the shade of trees, talking freely about their futures.
The demons had been defeated, and they were full of hope for what lay ahead.
Children ran through the crowds, wooden swords in hand, pretending to be heroes attacking the Demon King.
They were all happy.
Only the child playing the Demon King looked a little sad.
“Come on, hit me, Demon King!”
“Hey, Demon King, can you take it?”
Finally, the chubby boy playing the Demon King couldn’t run anymore. He stopped, panting heavily.
“Watch out——”
He staggered back a few steps and nearly bumped into Lu Mo and Cecilia.
The chubby boy looked up, embarrassed, and said to them:
“S-sorry…”
Then his expression froze.
He recognized Lu Mo and Cecilia!
The two girls were the ones who had been at the very front of the returning group after the battle at the Demon King’s throne!
“You guys…”
The chubby boy was about to shout.
But at that moment, Cecilia pulled her hat down a little.
She pressed a finger to her lips, making a “shh” gesture.
The boy caught on immediately and shut his mouth.
Then Cecilia smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
The little boy grinned back and nodded at them.
Soon, he regained his energy and chased after his friends again.
“Looks like you’re good with kids.”
Lu Mo smiled as she watched the chubby boy run off, then spoke to Cecilia beside her.
“Or maybe it’s because you’re still a kid who never grew up?”
“A kid? No way!”
Cecilia immediately objected.
“I’m a reliable adult now, okay?”
“Want some ice cream?”
Without arguing, Lu Mo simply pointed at the ice cream shop where parents were holding their children’s hands, waiting in line.
“Yes!”
Cecilia raised her hand at once.
“One chocolate, one strawberry, and one vanilla!”
She said it with stars sparkling in her eyes.
So much for being mature, huh?
Lu Mo thought to herself.
But she still took Cecilia’s hand and joined the back of the line.
A joyful and peaceful atmosphere.
People coming and going on the streets.
Children running around.
This scene—they had once seen it inside the Holy-Demon Barrier many years ago.
But back then, the peace of the Holy-Demon Barrier didn’t last long.
Soon after, the demon attack broke through the outer wall of the Barrier, destroying everything.
But now, something like that would never happen again.
“It’s all over…”
Lu Mo sighed.
“Demons probably won’t show up in human cities anymore, ruining all this beauty.”
“Yeah.”
Cecilia echoed.
“The demons have been chased away. No one can bully us anymore.”
And now…
Of course, Cecilia hadn’t forgotten her dream.
She might not be able to change her own fate.
But she could change the fate of others.
Change their circumstances, make their lives better than before.
Now, her own fate had been changed too.
It was time for her to work hard and make her dream come true.
“There are quite a few towns destroyed by the demons. The areas around the Great Barrier and the Corrupted Lands—there’s a lot of lost human territory to reclaim…”
Cecilia murmured.
“And that’s what you’ll be doing from now on, isn’t it, Cecilia?”
Lu Mo smiled and said.
“Mm.”
Cecilia nodded.
“Then do your best.”
Lu Mo ruffled Cecilia’s hair.
“Cecilia, make this world… into what you want it to be.”
Under Lu Mo’s touch, Cecilia squinted in contentment.
That little antenna of hair even curled around Lu Mo’s finger.
Then, seemingly offhand, she asked:
“And Miss Lu Mo… will you stay with me?”
She suddenly felt Lu Mo’s hand pause for a moment.
“Mm, I will.”
After a few seconds, Lu Mo replied.
“Miss Lu Mo.”
“Hm?”
“We’ll be together forever and ever, right?”
Lu Mo saw Cecilia lift her head abruptly.
Her voice was soft, but her eyes carried a certain seriousness, a certain obsession.
Meeting Cecilia’s gaze, Lu Mo soon smiled.
“Mm, together forever.”
She ruffled Cecilia’s hair again, replying softly.
Time spent together was always short.
Soon, dusk arrived, and the sky darkened.
“It’s getting late. Should we head back?”
Lu Mo asked.
“How about we stay one night in the Holy Capital?”
Cecilia suggested.
“Sure.”
Lu Mo nodded.
“Then let’s find a room with a big bed?”
Cecilia asked tentatively.
“Big bed? Weren’t we getting twin beds before…”
“Twin beds are a bit pricey in the Holy Capital. Let’s save some money—we still have other places to visit, right?”
“That’s true…”
“We’re both girls. A big bed won’t be a problem!”
“Alright.”
Lu Mo didn’t think much of it.
Cecilia breathed a sigh of relief inside, secretly delighted.
Then, in the dusk before them, the figure of a woman appeared.
The woman walked toward them casually.
They moved forward.
Just like any ordinary passerby.
She showed no hostility, nor did she emit any aura of cultivation.
Lu Mo and Cecilia didn’t pay her any attention.
The figures brushed past each other.
And in that instant—
The woman suddenly looked up.
Beneath her hair, her dim, slightly manic eyes lit up with complex divine patterns.
Her perception and divine power intertwined, silently and abruptly surging toward Lu Mo!
That woman was none other than Isanti!
Solaris’s mother—that somewhat neurotic woman from the God-descendant family.
And at this moment, she was silently using her family’s secret art.
Eye of the Divine Sight!
Even though Lu Mo had been crippled now,
she still wanted to see what kind of girl this really was.
How could she have defeated her own daughter?
And how could she have taken her daughter’s place, killing the Demon King alongside Rumina?
So pressure, divine power, and perception all fell upon Lu Mo at once.
The woman glared at Lu Mo.
But then, her pupils suddenly contracted.
Because at that moment, she sensed something…
A chill, as if from the abyss!