Gospel of Blood

A hurricane and thunderstorm swept across the entire island, with bean-sized raindrops pelting everything in the howling winds. Charlotte stood midair.

A faint divine power enveloped her, forming a barrier that kept the torrential rain at bay. Her hands clenched tightly as she gazed at the monstrous being before her, as towering as a mountain, her expression filled with complexity.

Though the creature before her was different from what it had been during her journey through history—its terrifyingly corrupt aura now unrecognizable—Charlotte knew that the creature, unsealed on Luna Island, was none other than her old friend from that time, Oceanus, the Sea King.

But now, the Lord of the Seas no longer bore the grace of a true God. He had fallen into a state of chaos, becoming a monster consumed by his own divine power.

No…

This wasn’t mere corruption.

Observing the thick black smoke rising incessantly from the creature’s body, Charlotte’s heart grew heavier.

This was the corruption of the Origin.

And it was the most severe case of origin corruption Charlotte had ever seen since mastering the origin power herself.

“Ar…temis…”

A deep growl rumbled from the monster’s body, and Charlotte suddenly felt a surge of madness, chaos, and malevolence locking onto her. The monstrous creature lashed out with grotesque tentacles, hurtling toward her.

Charlotte’s gaze sharpened.

First, she used her divine power to teleport Sebastian back to Starfall’s mainland. Then, she unleashed her blood divine power, transforming it into crimson crescents that slashed toward the tentacles brimming with corrupt divine power.

Blinding light exploded.

With a deafening roar, the tainted oceanic divine power and the origin-infused blood divine power collided, unleashing terrifying power.

In an instant, the entire Luna Island trembled.

The ground fractured, buildings collapsed, and the shockwaves of divine power triggered towering tsunamis that radiated outward from Luna Island. The rolling clouds in the sky were torn apart by the divine power, faintly revealing a brilliant blue sky.

A large portion of the monster’s tentacles was severed, eliciting a pained roar from the creature.

Massive fragments of the tentacles fell like rain, staining the land and sea a deep, inky black wherever they landed.

However, the creature’s presence did not diminish.

The sea churned, and murky seawater spiraled upward like a waterspout, pouring into the monster’s mouth.

Its enormous body writhed, and pale light spread from the severed ends of its tentacles. In no time, the appendages Charlotte had cut off regrew.

Its massive eyes, filled with madness and rage, locked onto Charlotte hovering midair.

With another furious roar, the monstrous creature lunged at her again.

Charlotte’s expression grew solemn.

Crimson divine power surged as she summoned the Roman Sword and charged forward.

Divine power erupted terrifyingly as Charlotte’s petite figure weaved through the giant monster, severing tentacle after tentacle with her burning divine power.

Yet, the creature’s vitality remained undiminished, and its severed appendages regrew rapidly.

Charlotte frowned.

Once again, she infused divine power into the Roman Sword and slashed at the monster’s body. But, as before, the wounds inflicted by her crimson divine power swiftly healed under the influence of the inflowing seawater and the pale Origin corruption.

Charlotte did not relent.

Raising both hands, she unleashed a torrent of divine power from all directions, converging on the monstrous creature.

Terrifying divine power erupted as crimson and platinum flames ignited the monster’s body. Yet, despite this, the beast did not retreat a single step. It howled, roared, and lashed out with its endlessly regenerating tentacles, continuing its relentless assault on Charlotte.

Amid the deafening explosions and divine power storms, Luna Island below was nearly destroyed, reduced to ruins. Only a single sacred white marble statue, shielded by the monstrous tentacles, remained intact.

It was then that Charlotte noticed the reason the creature had not evaded her divine power—it was protecting the statue on the ground.

It was the statue of the Moon Goddess Artemis, worshipped in the Moon Temple.

“Ar…temis…”

The monstrous creature continued its low, guttural murmurs.

Seeing the madness and chaos in the creature’s murky eyes, Charlotte’s expression grew more complex.

“Oceanus, even in this state, you still remember your feelings…”

Taking a deep breath, Charlotte’s gaze turned resolute.

“You still possess the power of a true God, but your divine consciousness is no more.”

“If a sliver of emotion remains, then a sliver of consciousness must remain too. There is a chance to awaken your true self…”

“But awakening you won’t be easy.”

“Your corruption runs far too deep. Coupled with your command over the ocean, suppressing the corruption would require severing your connection to the sea…”

After a moment of contemplation, Charlotte made her decision.

Her expression turned solemn as she raised her right hand once more.

A silver radiance flared, and an ancient shrine engraved with intricate patterns materialized in the air.

It was the Myrick Shrine, a divine artifact.

As soon as the Myrick Shrine appeared, the surrounding space distorted, and a projection of a vast void materialized in the sky above. Within moments, all the seawater within a fifty-kilometer radius was absorbed into the alternate space.

Platinum light spread outward, and a divine barrier, the Wall of Holy Light, formed, isolating the surrounding seawater from the area.

Feeling the weakening power of the ocean, the ferocious beast immediately descended into a frenzy.

However, just as it was about to erupt, a silvery moonlight poured down from the sky, transforming into a dreamlike cage of moonlight.

It was the sealing artifact, Dreamy Moon’s Heart.

The silver moonlight cascaded down, and in an instant, the raging beast quieted, allowing the moon’s radiance to envelop its massive form.

“Ar… Artemis…”

The deep growls softened, becoming gentler.

Now’s the chance!

Charlotte’s eyes flashed with resolve.

Without hesitation, she summoned the illusory Gospel of Blood.

As the ethereal gospel materialized, a crimson blood moon slowly rose, plunging the entire sky into an endless eternal night.

The blood moon hung high, casting endless rays of light that reflected in Charlotte’s fiery golden eyes.

Crimson blood divine power intertwined with platinum holy power, wrapped in the pure white origin power, erupting from her palm.

The next moment, Charlotte placed her palm firmly on the beast’s towering head.

The divine flame in her chest roared violently, and the divine core within spun at high speed. At this moment, Charlotte channeled all the origin power she could muster, pouring it entirely into the beast.

“Oceanus, wake up… now!”

Her clear voice echoed across the heavens, and the crimson and platinum divine powers, under the effect of the origin power, fused into a pure white brilliance.

Charlotte’s soul power exploded instantly, amplifying the white radiance. The overwhelming divine power surged into the terrifying beast’s body.

In the next moment, the world shifted abruptly.

Charlotte had successfully entered the beast’s mental world.

…

It was a calm and tranquil sea.

The setting sun slowly dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant hues. Golden sunlight bathed the shimmering waves, each ripple seemingly adorned with fragments of gold, sparkling beautifully yet softly.

On a fine sandy shore stood two figures.

One was a beautiful elf dressed in a silver moonlit gown.

The other was a rugged man clad in a sea-blue robe.

The two stood by the coastline, seemingly bidding farewell.

“Artemis, are you… really leaving for the Western Continent?”

“Oceanus, this is my duty and my responsibility.”

“If that’s the case, let me go with you!”

“No, you can’t. You’ve been marked by the Origin, and… you must await ‘Her’ return.”

“Then… what about you? When will you return?”

“Once I’ve confirmed the status of the seal, I… will come back.”

“All right. Since you have made up your mind, I’ll protect Luna Island for you, safeguard your people and your faith, and await your return…”

…

The scene rewound, and everything began anew.

The soft sands, the golden shores, the resplendent sunset, and… the same repeated farewell.

This was the deepest memory in Oceanus’s consciousness.

It was also the memory most dear to him.

At the same time, it was the last sliver of self-awareness he clung to, even under the severe corruption.

Charlotte finally understood why Oceanus had appeared on Luna Island and why he stubbornly guarded a powerless and long-dimmed idol.

Letting out a soft sigh, she gently raised her hand and plucked the setting sun from the horizon.

“Oceanus, the dream… must end now.”

The crimson blood moon rose from the sea, illuminating the entire mental world.

Accompanying the moon’s ascent was a voice from beyond the heavens, clear and resonant.

“Oceanus, wake up… now!”

The rugged man standing on the shore, gazing longingly at the departing elven woman, trembled violently at the sound.

In the next instant, cracks spread like a web across the world, and with a faint sound, everything shattered into fragments.

…

In the real world.

Crimson moonlight bathed the beast, while the pure white radiance dispelled the gray-black mists.

The writhing tumors and decayed flesh receded like a retreating tide, returning to normal. The massive black eyes, once filled with madness and rage, regained a faint trace of weakened clarity.

The silver-haired girl’s figure was reflected in the beast’s enormous eyes. A feeble and astonished voice emerged from the beast’s mouth.

“Li…lith?”