Miss Hebe is Killing Her Way Out of the Lostbelt!

Hebe stopped, gazing intently at the pyramids not far away. The ruined city still pressed in on her from all sides, as if to bury her completely in the earthquake.

The girl took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

As her vision disappeared, her other senses became even sharper. She could hear Ozymandias's wild laughter carried on the wind, feel the brewing anger deep within the earth, and even sense the chilling coldness about to descend from the clouds.

Her fingers touched that cold radiance once more.

From an immense distance, a familiar light laugh seemed to echo.

Then, Hebe grasped the Sword in the Stone and drew it inch by inch from the earth.

The girl's right foot pressed against the rubble and debris, her left leg bent slightly forward.

She raised the precious sword high above her head.

The Sword in the Stone was a relic of the Authority Path. Legend had it that the February Archon, the Scarred Father himself, had forged it. And whoever was chosen by the Sword in the Stone would become the Scarred Father's Heroic Spirit, stepping onto the battlefield when the Twilight of the Gods arrived.

Many nights ago, Arthur had shared the secret of the Sword in the Stone with her: it would take on different forms depending on the wielder's heart.

When Arthur went to war, the sword was always brilliant and radiant, exuding an imposing aura.

When Arthur was confined to the Iron Throne, the sword burned fiercely like angry magma.

When Arthur was on the verge of falling, about to choose to walk with Morgan, the blade turned pure black.

Hebe had never truly held the sword, but in her imagination, it should be resplendent and majestic.

The sword descended, and a pure beam of light surged forward from Hebe's palm, cleaving the dead Memphis in two!

The Red King's majesty was nullified before the authority of another king, clearing the path to the Great Pyramid unimpeded!

The illusion of the Sword in the Stone dissipated from Hebe's palm. She coughed softly twice, blood trickling down from her eyes, nose, and mouth, a truly terrifying sight.

The girl pressed forward without a moment's pause, not daring to stop.

This was Egypt, the land of the Red King.

A king's authority was strongest only in his own country. The fact that the Sword in the Stone could briefly suppress the Red King's majesty was already a miracle; how could she ask for more!

As she advanced, a green flame ignited in Hebe's pupils. Soon, the green flame spread like a living thing, engulfing Hebe's entire body, making her appear like a humanoid inferno.

This flame had no heat and did not burn anything.

—[Second Mark: 'Demon King'].

42 Fated Death (Seeking reads, seeking collection)

This was the first time Hebe had fully unleashed this Mark after condensing it, and the furious green fire enveloped her.

She once again stepped onto the royal path leading to an audience with the Red King.

The stone statues lining the royal path came to life one after another, their stone pupils emitting a deep blue light in the fierce wind.

Within them were sealed the souls of sinners from past generations—but now Hebe knew that those sinners had merely realized the truth prematurely.

They were too clear-headed, and thus Ozymandias had ordered them to be bound within, forced to endure torment day and night, suffering excessively painful trials.

Hebe silently watched these sufferers.

She raised her hands, and the green flames formed a lotus-petal-like halo behind her.

Hebe clasped her hands together.

The halo, symbolizing discipline, swept across the stone statues in an instant, causing them to stiffen once more, like corpses.

Then, twin serpents, fully scaled, swam out from the halo, their heads and tails connected.

[First Mark: 'God of Medicine']

One by one, the stone statues knelt on the ground. The suffering souls within them let out sighs of contentment, with no further words. Their centuries of torment had finally come to an end.

At the end of the royal path, the entrance to the pyramid was tightly shut, unable to be opened from this side.

However, the moment Hebe reached out her hand, the pyramid's entrance rumbled open to the sides.

The clouds in the sky grew denser, and continuous, gloomy thunder rumbled. Ozymandias had fallen into a furious rage.

Hebe looked up and smiled slightly, "His Majesty is about to ascend; is there any reason a subject should not come to pay respects?"

Above the clouds, Ozymandias once again let out a thunderous roar of rage.

The Nine Sages of past generations, at the end of their lives, would all pay homage to Ozymandias, offering their life force to allow the Red King's rule to continue.

Obstructed by the King of Sheep, Ozymandias's decree could not be smoothly issued, and naturally, he had not had time to revoke the authority he had granted Hebe.

As one of the Three Kings, she was naturally qualified to enter and exit the Great Pyramid freely.

Passing through the pyramid once more, cobalt blue light flowed past Hebe's side. She gazed at the magnificent yet lifeless wonders, letting them recede.

She leaped high from the stone platform, escaping the narrow stone chamber, like a fish unwilling to yield, soaring above the sea of clouds.

An invisible force suddenly appeared, and Hebe could not advance an inch.

"This is as far as you go."

The colossal Radiant Composite Temple operated on its own in the air, its layers of mechanical rings interlocking one by one. This grand spectacle, surpassing generations, finally opened its door before Hebe.

The God-King's pupils peered out from within, casting a tyrannical glance upon the mortal world.

"Imhotep, you truly are a treacherous minister."

Hebe bowed slightly, a faint smile gracing her lips as if it were an honor. "To receive His Majesty's acknowledgment is the greatest honor. However, Your Majesty, you still have the leisure to converse with a rebellious minister like myself?"

"I am Ozymandias, ruler of all four corners of the earth."

Ozymandias's voice boomed like thunder, echoing in all directions simultaneously. "Do you truly believe that by playing the fool with schemes and words, you can shake me?"

"You are mistaken, gravely mistaken."

The Red King's words were laced with undisguised arrogance.

"I am I, the King of Kings; even the Ennead is not worthy of my notice."

"Imhotep, you treacherous minister, you have arrived at the perfect time."

"The perfect time to witness my great achievement of subjugating the heavens!"

The massive Radiant Composite Temple began to burn, its metal gates dissolving one by one. A skeletal hand emerged from the edge of the gates, tearing the temple apart from the inside out.

Like the creator god born from an egg in legends, the Red King was recreating that myth.

It was a power derived from the Law of Imitation, as if possessing a majestic, unseeable divinity when he acted thus.

When he fully emerged from the temple, proclaiming the golden truth, he would shed his mortal form entirely, even leaping to become a new Archon.

Hebe calmly raised her hand.

The [Demon King] also possessed a second effect, known as Special Authority, which could even allow her to simulate a new Mark out of thin air.

Ozymandias remained unfazed, even scoffing.

Twilight? It was impossible to break through the obstruction of the great temple, and by the time he achieved his unparalleled feat, he could kill as many of those as he pleased!

The halo of the Third Mark rose from behind Hebe's head. It was cold, silent, and as white as bone, possessing no power whatsoever, as if it were merely an impractical illusion.

—[Third Mark: 'Nefertiti'].

In the temple of the Obsidian City, Hebe listened as Tutankhamun recounted the entire life of Ozymandias's wife, Nefertiti.

In her despair, Nefertiti leaped into the Nile, hoping to end the wrath of the Ennead.

This was a secret not even recorded in the temple.

Afterward, in the Abydos reflected in Nitocris's mirror, Hebe found Nefertiti's skeletal remains enshrined in the Temple of the Kings.

Ancient Egypt was a land that believed in resurrection after death; they believed the departed could return.

"Therefore, there must be a possibility of reviving Nefertiti as an undead," Hebe's voice was certain. "There must be a key that only I can complete."

Illusion.

What limits illusion is never its magnitude, but imagination.

Hebe obtained the skeletal framework that constituted "Nefertiti" from Tutankhamun and Nitocris, and with illusion, she added flesh and blood to it with her imagination. Using the Special Authority of the "Demon King," she decreed "Nefertiti" to reappear in the world as the Third Mark.

However, Ozymandias's gaze could no longer be averted.

"You traitorous subject!"

The roar of the God-King could no longer be contained, and amidst his fury, a hint of alarm could still be heard.

Hebe simply offered a forgiving smile. "Your Majesty, why must you be like this?"

A section of white bone flew out from Hebe's embrace.

An invisible power empowered that bone, completing its missing parts.

It was a slender female skeleton. She slowly stepped forward, walking towards Ozymandias's Radiant Holy Temple. The power that had pinned Hebe in place, rendering her immobile, offered no obstruction to her, but rather made her body more complete.

"Nefertiti!!!"

Ozymandias roared. "You willingly offered yourself to the Ennead, and you are no longer the queen who shared glory with me! How dare you appear before me again!"

As Ozymandias's voice echoed, an invisible majesty descended once more, making the skeleton's steps increasingly difficult.

But Hebe's voice rang out again.

"Your Majesty, you are truly senile. Have you forgotten that she threw herself into the Nile in despair? And you have not revoked her title as queen, nor have you taken a new wife, meaning she is still your legal wife... and still possesses all the rights you have personally acknowledged."

"Furthermore, she is also your blood relative, naturally qualified to take your place in the ascension ceremony."

"Then I shall deny her as my wife now," Ozymandias replied darkly. "Only pharaohs older than myself have the right to reject my decree on the grounds of upholding sacred bloodlines."

"All past pharaohs have been consumed by me. Try and see how you will defy me!" The God-King cast a murderous gaze at Hebe. Even Ozymandias hadn't realized he would be pushed to such a point by an insect.

Facing Ozymandias's questioning, Hebe simply raised her hand and pointed at Mercury, which was shining brightly in the sky.

Three voices came from different directions.

"Rejected!" Junapekape's mocking voice came from the other side of the Red Sea.

"Rejected!" Nitocris spat out cold words through her teeth.

"Rejected!" Tutankhamun threw away the Papyrus Scroll in his hand, speaking with eagerness.

At this moment, Ozymandias's expression finally changed drastically. His attempt to revoke Nefertiti's decree was rejected by three pharaohs who predated him!

This was one of the few powers Ozymandias could muster to protect himself during his ascension.

He was no longer capable of hindering Nefertiti's progress!

Ozymandias could only watch as the remains of his wife entered the Radiant Composite Temple, forcefully taking half of his own power.

What was even more critical was that with Nefertiti's entry, the invisible force that had been blocking Hebe also disappeared.

Thus, in an instant, Hebe reassembled the Mark.

This was not enough to allow her to break through the personae of Daylight and Twilight, but it did strengthen the First Mark.

Under normal circumstances, Ozymandias wouldn't even spare it a glance, but at this critical juncture, when competing for control of consciousness, this was a feather that could tip the scales.

The Staff of Apep reappeared in Hebe's hand, the radiance of the [God of Medicine] shining brightly.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to panic. I am here to deliver your fated death."

43 Please Ascend, Your Majesty (Seeking Collections, Seeking Follow-ups)

"Imhotep!!!"

Ozymandias finally realized fear.

He understood that if this continued, the outcome he would face would be even more terrible than death.

Nefertiti was gradually overwhelming Ozymandias, becoming the dominant force in the ritual, and when she successfully ascended, Ozymandias would be unable to escape.

This was because the Red King's ritual was named "Tenth Calamity: The End of the Ennead's Calamity." This ritual symbolized Ozymandias conquering the nine calamities, thereby ascending to the Wasteland and becoming the new Archon.

Without Nefertiti's interference, the Red King could naturally have easily prevented the calamity—because the heavenly disaster descended according to his own will, and canceling it was merely a thought away.

In other words, the Red King and the heavenly disaster were two sides of the same coin.