“I am the slave girl, the Songblade Maiden.”
Her white hair cascaded down to her waist, a glazed crown atop her head, the hem of her skirt woven from feathers. Her beauty was so breathtaking it seemed otherworldly, as if a fairy had stepped out from the realm of immortals. With her eyes lowered, long lashes casting shadows, her ruby-like pupils shimmered with complex emotions.
Goddess Baiya gently caressed the transparent crystal ball reflecting Baiya’s state in the world of 【SLAVE】, her gaze fixed on that familiar face—half-burned by flames. Despite the immense pain she had endured, that face still wore its confident smile, as if no hardship could ever hinder her forward steps.
Goddess Baiya could not see through Baiya, but she seemed to understand a little of why Fia said Baiya could save her life.
Her own first, utterly hopeless despair had already been broken by Baiya. As a witness, she had to admit she was once too fragile—she had given up hope too soon, and that was how she ended up like this.
Even after becoming the Sovereign Deity, she had never awakened as the slave girl. It was Baiya who awakened the possibilities within her, accomplishing what she never could—becoming the slave girl. With the power of the slave girl, Baiya had defeated the Ogre. This meant that she, too, once had the chance to guide her own ending towards something better… but regret now was too late.
—I’m counting on you, Baiya-kun.
“A little… I feel a bit relieved now.” A gentle smile appeared on Goddess Baiya’s face, one she herself did not realize was there.
Yes, if Baiya were to restart her life, the outcome would surely be very different. In order to survive, she herself had once sacrificed the girl to slay the Ogre. But Baiya was different—she became everyone’s hope! The brilliance of courage shone, slaying the Ogre!
In the original timeline, all the warriors except herself were killed by the Ogre; none survived. But now things had changed. Baiya was admired by everyone! From now on, her life was bound to head toward something brighter!
“But you… are unforgivable!”
In an instant, the goddess’s pupils turned black and white, while a suit of pitch-black armor bound by chains was summoned from the void and draped over her body. The inscriptions of law carved upon it gleamed with golden light. The ground radiated a pure, holy white glow, and the next moment, a snow-white divine tree surged up from the earth; just a glance at its heart would bring peace and calm to the soul.
“Any who stand against me, against the Sovereign Deity—”
“Tremble! Quake! Your final judgment is upon you!”
“Divine wrath destroys the body! Divine sound shatters the soul!”
“The gods love the world, but hate the sinful! I shall wear the nether armor of life and death, wield the branch of the World Tree, ride upon the Solar Dragon, and come before you to personally mete out divine punishment! This is the wrath of the gods!”
Though no wind blew, the snow-white divine tree swayed its branches and leaves. Goddess Baiya heard a faint sigh—she knew it was the World Tree urging her not to unleash a massacre, lest she taint her divinity’s radiance. Yet she still plucked a branch, transforming it in her hand into a gigantic, snowy white spear, declaring her resolve.
The divine weapon forged from the World Tree’s branch—Forbidden Sacred Spear: Titan of Spirits. The spearhead was two or three times larger than the goddess herself; even the mightiest warrior would struggle to lift such a weapon. Yet with her petite frame, Baiya grasped it steadily in one hand. The shining tip pierced the azure sky, and in an instant, its focus dispelled the clouds.
Unstoppable, indomitable—the enemies marked by the Sacred Spear would have their hearts pierced! Goddess Baiya had not been this enraged in ages. Once despairing, she had lost all emotion; now, with her divine weapon in hand, she felt more powerful than ever before. Perhaps it was because, this time, she fought not to survive, but to protect.
“Evil gods! Come forth and fight!”
Goddess Baiya had no choice but to battle. After time was reset in the world of 【SLAVE】, she had fallen from her divine seat, her divine power dwindling to a mere tenth of what it once was. If she didn’t do something for Baiya now, there would be no chance later!
Before leaving for the Twilight War, Genesis Goddess Fia had told Goddess Baiya to adapt to changing circumstances. Thus, Baiya resolved to strike down the arrogance of the evil gods, ensuring that Baiya would not be threatened by them for at least a dozen years. This was the only way she could help Baiya!
Evil gods of such rank were unaffected by the time reset in 【SLAVE】. They retained their memories, and knew the Sovereign Deity’s vessel was Baiya Iphiel Clorom.
Goddess Baiya and Baiya shared the same soul and remnants of divine essence. Their lives were one; if Baiya died, Goddess Baiya would fall as well. The Sovereign Deity’s throne would be sealed for a thousand years. The evil gods wished to slay the Sovereign Deity, plunging 【SLAVE】 into darkness and chaos, so as to feast on terror, evil, and hatred, growing ever stronger. In the end, they aimed to break the seals of the Ancient Gods across the worlds, blood-sacrifice every living being in 【SLAVE】, create a nightmare abyss, and gain enough power to wreak even greater carnage in the next world.
No matter how great the evil gods’ ambitions, as long as they dared stretch their claws towards Baiya, Goddess Baiya would never show mercy!
The recently slain Ogre resurrected and evolved into a Gold-Rank Ogre—clearly a plot by the evil gods to kill Baiya. If not for Baiya awakening her bloodline talent after her wounds healed, mastering the Blade of Insight, and finally, at the crucial moment, awakening as the slave girl and unleashing her racial power, the notion of a mortal slaying a Gold-Rank magical beast would have been mere fantasy!
This time, Baiya barely made it through, covered in wounds. But what about next time? Or the time after that? Eventually, Baiya would face an insurmountable crisis and fall into utter despair. She could not let the evil gods have their way! She had to strike first! This was Goddess Baiya’s resolve!
Suddenly, the valley sealing the evils of this world erupted in chaos, the darkness-stalking evils uttering panicked cries.
“She’s coming! She’s found us!”
“Our plans have been discovered!”
“No need to fear! She’s not as strong as she once was! If we work together, we can kill her!”
“Arrogant fools!”
After the divine light faded, the white-haired girl astride her silver dragon descended with overwhelming force, her cold gaze sweeping over the quaking darkness below. Even these shattered remnants of the evil gods dared wish to kill her—fools!
From the divine power radiating from Goddess Baiya, the evil gods could sense her strength. Their twisted, horrifying faces twisted further with fear, resentment, and rage. Yet after only a brief hesitation, they surged forward in a mass, each unleashing their powers in an attempt to catch the goddess off guard.
Facing the tide of attacks from the evil gods, Goddess Baiya was fearless. She met them head-on, raising the Sacred Spear high above her head, spinning it and unleashing ten thousand rays of light. The sky split open, the earth cracked, and the evil gods wailed for mercy.
“Wretched little worms, today you die with no grave to claim your bones!”
The wrath of a god! Corpses will carpet a thousand miles!
At this very moment, Baiya, forcing herself to stay conscious, began reading the text appearing in her mind. It was the plot of Chapter Two of 【SLAVE】, crucial for her next moves.
Shells exploded on the ship one after another, taking life after life. Choked by the smoke, Baiya coughed, gathering the pieces of her despair and shoving the memory of the girl’s death deep inside. The only thought left to her was to survive, even if it meant becoming a walking corpse.
By luck, she avoided the brunt of the bombardment. Only after reaching a safe place did she realize what had happened: Amidar’s slave transport ship had been attacked by pirates.
No one could have predicted such an event, yet it had happened all the same. The pirate leader was Molly Singia—a former slave girl of Amidar, harboring a deep hatred for the nation. That she would dare such a bold act was thus easy to understand. This was revenge!
The control room of the ship had long been seized by the pirates, which explained why the magic shield hadn’t been raised to block the shells. There were pirate spies among the crew. A monstrous tidal wave struck, and the heavily damaged slave ship sank beneath the sea.
Clinging to a broken plank, Baiya drifted atop the waves and survived. Fewer than ten people from the transport ship were left alive. The pirates sent out boats to capture the survivors, and Baiya was taken prisoner once more.
On the day of her capture, Baiya killed another prisoner in her cell, drawing the pirates’ attention. She was brought before the leader, Molly, and as Molly sized up this ruthless captive, Baiya knelt and swore allegiance to her—thus becoming a pirate.
*****
“So now I’m going to be a pirate…” Baiya forced a faint smile. The girl had not yet dragged her into the tunnel; the arena was already engulfed in flames, and once the explosions started, they seemed never-ending.
“Enemy attack!” A Gold-Rank guard had barely managed a panicked shout before being crushed by a barrage of shells and reduced to ash in the flames.
The guards hesitated only a moment before giving up on chasing Baiya and turning to flee. But the shells rained down so thick and fast, there was no time or space to escape. The fire of death swiftly harvested lives; even the audience stands were pounded by the bombardment. In mere minutes, more than half the nobles had perished.
Ryumion and Arthur, protected by Samsara Tianqi, were unharmed but looked badly shaken. Captain Ya Cang stood unmoved. When a shell came at him, he merely drew his sword, sent out a slash of sword energy, and split it in two, detonating it safely—a display of true mastery.
The squad pursuing Baiya was nearly wiped out. Only Shadow Spider and Curse Doll survived. Shadow Spider, unleashing her racial talent, unfolded her eight black-armored limbs into a giant shield, sheltering herself and Curse Doll in shadow. Yet her increasingly pale face showed the effort it took to withstand the barrage.
Master Luo, accompanied by Lionblade Renxin and four other heavily wounded, hurried into the nearest tunnel, narrowly escaping the deadly bombing. Gazing at the blazing light outside, he was filled with admiration for Baiya’s foresight.
But calling it foresight was perhaps more like prophecy, wasn’t it?
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