As the Essence Nurturing Forest fell to chaos, the roughly two-hundred Nature Spirit tribesmen and women away from the battlefield cowered within their dens, trembling under the earthshaking concentration of might sending tremors throughout heaven and earth. Many wondered if this day would end in their demise, if justice erred to the point their innocent selves could never live in serenity. And as fright settled in, they clutched one another's arms, seeking mutual support and reliance in the hands and faces they knew best.
Not that it helped. Carrying Ravana's head on top of a pike, Heide led her Silent Blades to the Nature Spirits' hideouts, sniffing them out with her Seer's Vision before allowing her Blades to do the cleaning. By the time they felt the need to scream, the men became corpses, and the ladies captives. In other hideouts, Selene and the Valkyrie did the same. Only Verena didn't partake in the grand harvesting.
Not that she didn't want to, but from above, a vast pressure descended, keeping her pinned and unable to join the fray. The Essence Nurturing Forest's High Custodian hovered in the sky with dreadful Life Laws erupting from his flawless form.
With his hands crossed beneath his back, and his eyes gleaming with an austere, dignified look, he gave the impression of a harsh but wizened elder hiding a fair countenance beneath a harsh exterior. And as far as the Nature Spirits were concerned, this was indeed true. But to outsiders, he had only one thing to offer:
Spite!
For their greed and selfish purposes, they ransacked his home, despoiled his people, ruined his birthplace, and showed no remorse for it! For billions of years he remained within this land, enduring, enduring and enduring. All…without any chance to retaliate. Fortunately, Heaven was finally taking pity on their plight and giving them the opportunity to fight back!
At the High Custodian's back, the 140 Nature Spirits at the Cosmic God Rank or above stood with their hatred-filled eyes locking the lone Verena below. But even before this mighty battalion of hatred, she remained undaun…wait no, Verena clutched her arms, and shivered under the pressure.
"Oh my profane god, help! 140 shameless defilers have gathered to oppress a helpless woman! Someone please come to my aid! Husband, where are you?!"
Verena sobbed while screaming for help, causing even the Silent Blades in the shadows to not know whether to laugh or to cry. And seeing the oppressor branding them as criminals, the Spirit Gods felt new waves of rage and indignation swelling their hearts.
"Cut the senseless display. Today, your only way out is surrender. Obediently come with me and I won't make things difficult for you. Resist and even those thirty assassins hiding in the shadows won't be of use to you."
The High Custodian spat. Clearly, he'd long-since located the thirty Silent Blades. Although they could cheat the suppressed Ancestral Deva Gods, there was no way their concealment could fool the eyes of a full-fledged Legendary God backed by Life Wielding.
*Sigh*
Verena sighed and stopped her act to raise unfazed eyes toward the High Custodian and his forces.
"I'm curious, of all the targets available, why did you choose me?"
Verena inquired with a curiosity-laced tone. Clearly, the High Custodian wished to use the apparition of those new fruits as decoy to seize key members of Konrad's faction. He didn't doubt the lure of the Primogen Fruits would be enough to captivate their leader, thereby giving him room for maneuver. But within the four available choices, why would a shrewd man possibly choose her?
Before that inquiry, the High Custodian's lips curled into a smile.
"Because you are the least troublesome."
He replied, causing Verena's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"I am? Why did I not know?"
She wondered out loud, causing black lines to flash on more than one forehead. But undisturbed, the High Custodian carried on.
"First choice, the lass. Though she appears to be the weakest of the lot, she's armed with mind-blowing wealth that makes one shiver in fright. Worse, besides her assassins, a non-negligible expert hides in the shadows, ready to strike should the situation get out of hand. Therefore, she's the worst choice."
The High Custodian reasoned, pulling an approving nod from Verena.
"Second choice, the bimbo. She should have been the right middle. Alas, she wields a strange mirror set that lowers her foes' cultivation to her level. That mirror could even affect a Half-Step Legendary God. At the same level, we're lamb for the slaughter. I am not risking my people's neck in such a suicidal assault."
The High Custodian followed, again causing Verena to nod in approval.
"Third, the valkyrie. That creature's strength is deep and unfathomable, shifting and incomprehensible, boasting abilities I can't begin to understand. Understanding your foe is the first step of all victories. I am not one to dive into a conflict I have no understanding of. Worse, she wields a strange armor that makes all her abilities rise exponentially, a terrible foe.
That leaves you, the Fate Goddess. Your forte lies in your Fate Laws, but I happen to have the means to counter them. Before me, you have no hope. Satisf-?"
As the High Custodian's words reached the end, he felt his heart rate rise at an alarming speed while his heart threatened to explode within his chest. His eyes widened in disbelief, and alarmed, he clutched his chest, releasing his Life Wielding to suppress the incomprehensible condition.
A step too late…
*PUH*
The High Custodian spurted a large mouthful of blood, staggered, and tumbled toward the ground, leaving his 140 subordinates dumbfounded! But Verena gave them no time to indulge in stupor. Before the Custodian could reach the ground, she shot toward him, driving her hand into a frontal knife strike aiming at his brain!
But how could a Legendary God fall so easily? Suppressing the horrendous pain, the High Custodian whirled sideways, letting the blow move past him before raising an emerald barrier to repel further assault.
The 140 Gods kicked into gear, descending upon Verena in an organized battle-formation to buy their leader enough time to mend his wound!
But as they reached a five feet distance from her, Verena's lips curled into a smile, and dark-purple energies burst from her form while a crimson Valkyrie Armor appeared to cover her form.
Two blood-colored longswords appeared in Verena's hands, and as the pressure of her late-stage Boundless Sea Devil cultivation skyrocketed, she stepped into the sky, whirlwind her blade in a macabre dance that harvested the heads of the more than one-hundred Cosmic Gods in one go!
A sea of Spirit God-blood stained the air before raining onto the ground and by the time the first droplet of blood hit the timberland, Verena stood high in the sky with six pairs of crimson wings sprouting from her back, and a horned helmet heightening the devilish glint of her eyes.
"Despicable…despicable harlot!"
The High Custodian cursed. Veins bulged from his temple and his eyes went bloodshot as he realized himself played like a rancid fool. But little did he expect that when his echoed…
"Hahahahaha!"
…Verena would burst into laughter!
"Flattery will get you nowhere. As my husband would say, in his court of Jezebels, none can challenge me in deviousness."
