Another Thing

Just as everyone basked in Hera's radiance, Olina saw the god open its eyes.

Those eyes were pitch-black, like two bottomless holes, forming a stark contrast with its pure white, flawless exterior.

Could Hera display such absolute darkness as well?

As she stood there dazed, a crack suddenly appeared, spreading from beside the god's eye all the way to the corner of its mouth.

Then countless tiny tentacles emerged from the crack, slowly peeling open a slit in that enormous face.

The Dragon Girl felt something violently clutch her heart.

No. This was not a god!

At least, not the Sun God people knew!

The instant its facial skin was peeled back, its entire face seemed to become nothing more than a thin shell covering the surface.

"Hera above..."

Pella IV also noticed something strange about the god at that moment. He suddenly seemed to have aged fifty years—stiffly reaching toward the sky, as if he wanted to mend the crack in Hera's face before the believers noticed. Hera responded to the Pope's gesture as well, smiling as it opened its huge hand and held it opposite his palm.

In the next instant, black smoke erupted from the Pope's entire body!

A beam of ghostly purple light burst from Pella IV's mouth and nose, as though the god were drawing it in. His shrill screams instantly spread throughout the city under the amplification spell!

The tens of thousands of believers at prayer were jolted awake by the string of unbroken screams. They all looked up at the cathedral, then gaped in shock at the horrifying sight.

"Your Holiness!"

"Quick, shut down the Maze Lock!"

Even Archbishop Bolton and the crimson-robed Priests stood frozen in place.

They had imagined all sorts of accidents. At worst, the descent would fail. But the