As he spoke, Davidson unleashed a wave of Dark Element Mana, blocking an attack aimed at Tan You.
"Your Holiness, the Saintess, please just focus. Leave this to us," the Grand Elder of the Dark Divine Hall said. Rolling up his sleeves, he went head-to-head with Sonis. The two exchanged blows, each one more perilous than the last.
The Holy Beasts that had arrived with the members of the Dark Divine Hall could no longer hold back. They gathered around Tan You, guarding her vigilantly while occasionally providing support to the others.
"The Saintess? Isn’t Lilith a Light Element Mage? What’s going on?" Andre stood at the outer edge of the battle, his mind in a knot as he looked from Tan You—protected in the center by Undead and dark Holy Beasts—to the dumbfounded members of the Edmonds family.
No matter how slow he was, he could tell this "Lilith" was no Light Element Mage. What kind of Light Element Mage could summon so many Undead to fight?
Dumont was the first to realize the truth. "She’s not Lilith," he said. "She’s Adina."
"Adina?" Catherine’s reaction was huge. "Then what about Lilith? Where did Lilith go?"
Dumont was remarkably calm. "She arrived in the Imperial City long ago. The one you all brought back from Kandapes was clearly a fake..."
How could Tan You have possibly heard their conversation? She was about to die from exhaustion. Perched atop a dark unicorn, she had to simultaneously summon Undead to fight the God of Light’s incarnation, decipher the Magic Array, and periodically tear open magic scrolls to replenish her Magic Power. She was by far the busiest person on the battlefield, with no time to notice anyone’s expressions, let alone overhear their dialogue.
The sheer scale of the scene had the Beauty System trembling in fear. It had never witnessed anything so dangerous; after all, it and Tan You had only ever messed around in the novice zones before.
Faced with such a momentous event, the fact that the Beauty System hadn’t burst into tears was a testament to its self-control.
Tan You grew anxious as she watched swaths of Undead get pulverized by the God of Light’s Divine Power. She poured out all her Magic Power, brandishing her staff so quickly it left afterimages. Arcane lines materialized in the air with every swing.
With the God of Light’s incarnation on the field, the Dark Divine Hall’s side inevitably began to lose ground, no matter how many Undead Tan You summoned. That is, until Tan You drew the final arc, and the Magic Array that had sealed the Dark God for centuries finally shattered.
The God of Light’s expression changed drastically. All his Divine Power converged into a single beam and shot toward Tan You. She felt as if she’d been locked on to by a sniper, unable to move an inch under the immense pressure.
Yet Tan You’s face showed not a hint of panic or fear. She had done all she could. The rest was up to fate.
"If I don’t survive this, it just means you’re too weak." Even at this critical moment, Tan You could still joke with the Dark God.
"Relax. You think I’d let an interesting little thing like you get hurt right in front of my eyes?" a lazy voice drawled as an endless dark aura surged from the depths of the altar, gradually coalescing into a black figure.
Tan You squinted. After getting a clear look at the Dark God’s true face, she paused. "This is what you look like?"
The Dark God effortlessly neutralized the God of Light’s attack on Tan You. Hearing her incredulous tone, he chuckled. "Is there a problem with how I look?"
Tan You took a slow breath. "I just thought all Divines were incomparably handsome. After all, those portraits of the God of Light... You, on the other hand, look... remarkably plain."
She was trying to be diplomatic. ’Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, anyway. The Dark God’s appearance has nothing to do with me. Still, he is the first Divine I’ve ever seen with my own eyes.’ For a rare moment, Tan You was curious.
The Dark God continued to chuckle. "Why does a man need to be so handsome? Immense power is enough."
"If you have such immense power, how did you end up sealed for so many years?" Tan You blurted out. Everyone in the midst of battle froze. ’She actually said that out loud.’
’Was it really okay to rub salt in his wound like that, right to his face?’
The Dark God wasn’t angry in the slightest. She was the hero responsible for him seeing the light of day again; he wasn’t about to get upset over a few truthful words.
After casually crushing the God of Light’s incarnation, the Dark God suddenly unleashed a boundless wave of Divine Power. Everyone still fighting, including the spectators, dropped to their knees in unison.
Only Tan You, still perched on the dark unicorn, stood out like a sore thumb. ’I’m exhausted too, you know!’ If she weren’t so concerned with her image, she would have flopped down right then and there.
The Dark God’s gaze swept over the people from the Divine Hall of Light before landing on the elders of the Dark Divine Hall. "You have all done well. These past years have been hard on you."
Tears streamed down the face of the Dark Divine Hall’s Grand Elder. "For our Divine to see the light of day again gives us a purpose once more. This has been our lifelong mission. We are blessed to have lived to see you, but so many others... They didn’t make it to this day..."
"For all these years, we’ve been hiding, always on the run, constantly on guard against being hunted by the Divine Hall of Light... It’s been so incredibly difficult..."
The Dark God fell silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to Tan You. "Adina, you are the Saintess of the Dark Divine Hall. How do you view light and darkness?"
Tan You mentally rolled her eyes. ’How do I view them? From the back of my unicorn, of course.’ Outwardly, however, she remained perfectly composed. "As there can be no shadow without light, the two are forever in opposition, yet forever intertwined..."
"If either side were to gain absolute dominance, it would bring no benefit to this world..."
She was essentially just spouting political dialectics. "Regardless of one’s talents or affiliations, everyone has the right to walk in the sun. Not even a Divine has the right to take another person’s life."
"And as for faith, that is a matter of one’s own heart, not external pressures."
Tan You’s words were nothing short of stunning, and everyone present hung on her every word. ’If you’d ever studied political philosophy,’ she thought, ’you could pull this stuff out of thin air too.’
The Dark God clearly understood her implication: Tan You herself was not one of his believers.
Lowering his gaze with a smile, the Dark God waved his hand, and a stream of Divine Power flowed into Tan You. She blinked, suspicious. ’Even if he plans to discard me now that my purpose is served, isn’t this a bit too soon?’
"A Divine Favored! She’s a Divine Favored!" the Grand Elder of the Dark Divine Hall shouted, having seen the faint pattern that had appeared on Tan You’s forehead. He immediately bowed low before her. The moment he moved, everyone else bowed in unison.
Nourished by this Divine Power, Tan You’s exhaustion was instantly swept away. She leaped down from the dark unicorn, strode over to the Grand Elder, and helped the old man to his feet.
"You shouldn’t bow to me, I’m unworthy. I’m your junior, after all," she said with a small smile. "My followers... I’ll entrust them to your care."