The Earth Mother had been unable to find an opening until now. At last, her chance had come.
A Brown Wooden Staff appeared in her hand.
Thud!
The God of Combat's Greatsword struck the black scythe again, but the towering Twilight Giant did not launch another attack.
A dark brown wooden staff had pierced his back. It was frantically draining the god's life, dragging him back to the earth, back into his mother's embrace.
The flowers covering the Earth Mother, who held the staff, also began to wither, as though mourning the God of Combat.
The God of Combat slowly turned his head toward the Earth Mother, who cradled an illusory infant in one arm, and said in agony, "Li... lith?"
Just then, the Evernight Goddess, clad in a gown of stars, chuckled. She released the Bird-Shaped Golden Ornament in her hand, letting it fly straight into a gap in the God of Combat's visor. Then she tossed the Crimson Moon held in her other two hands to the Earth Mother.
A second later, part of the God of Combat's body collapsed. Clusters of orange-red twilight pierced the tranquil darkness and fell back into the real world.
Some landed on battlefields, killing countless soldiers outright. Some crushed mountain peaks and created lakes that could age any living creature. Some merged with a few fortunate creatures, turning them into powerful, deranged monsters. Others enveloped the Twilight Giant Palace outside Saint Millon City, instantly extinguishing the frozen orange-red light there.
In a small, overlooked church on the outskirts of Backlund.
A devout priest in a simple white robe, with a pale golden beard, opened his eyes. They held the clarity and innocence of a child.
He calmly took a bottle of Golden Potion from inside his robe, unscrewed the cap, and poured