Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

No one at the scene could react in time, including Kaka.

By the time she regained her senses and drifted to the ground, Chaoyang’s body had already ceased to breathe.

"How... could this happen..."

She murmured.

"Isn’t that to be expected?" The man withdrew his greatsword, staring at Chaoyang’s "corpse" and spoke with gravity, "A true divinity could not possibly die from such an attack. The reason for his death is that he was not a true god, but merely an impostor. You saw it too, that eerie red light just now... it more closely resembles the methods of a Heretical Cult."

"Even The Divine Country could be impersonated?"

"Perhaps with the aid of the Evil God’s power," the man said solemnly. "These people are certainly not envoys. Just now, they attacked the reception troops that stayed behind. Those four or five fellows were mere mortals, yet they dared to provoke an army several times their number. If that’s not the act of a Heretical Cult, what is? Although I am not clear on their motives, these people definitely didn’t come for peace talks."

Was that really the case...?

Kaka always felt that something was off—Engfelt’s view was not without reason, but upon closer scrutiny, there were many subtle discrepancies. For example, the red light that slithered like a horde of snakes indeed resembled a technique of the Heretical Cult, yet as someone who faced it directly, she did not feel the suffocating oppression it contained, or the cold indifference that viewed all life as insignificant. Furthermore, the black spear that pierced through the meteor magic could have dealt her a final blow, greatly reducing her wishing power or even causing the collapse of The Divine Country, yet the opponent did not do so.

Which meant the Paradise Master indeed was conducting this battle in a way akin to a friendly match, or perhaps trying to convince through force.

But now he was dead.

This situation left Kaka extremely perplexed.

"You’re tired," said the man, noticing her somewhat unfocused eyes and speaking to her in a softer tone, "I’m going to check on our losses over by the tents. Rest here for a bit, and there’s no harm in reporting this to Count Franken later."

"Mm, I need to think this through," she replied.

Engfelt had only left for a short while when Kaka suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart! Surprised, she clutched her chest, trying to ascertain the cause of this pain—she couldn’t fall ill, nor was she injured, how could she experience heartache like a mortal? But she quickly realized things were not looking good, as her wishing power began to slowly strip away, gathering into a cluster atop her head spontaneously.

’This contract carries coercive power. It belongs to the authority of divinities, unlike contracts among mortals.’

The voice of the Paradise Master suddenly surfaced in her mind.

’This contract carries coercive power. It belongs to the authority of divinities, unlike contracts among mortals.’

’If not adhered to, the cost will be the wishing power of breach, one-tenth of each other’s.’

One-tenth of each other’s?

Did that mean, she had to pay one-tenth of the wishing power that the Paradise Master possessed? Kaka did not pay much attention to this clause initially, as the other party’s domain of The Divine Country was so small, and the amount of wishing power he could possess would surely not be much. Moreover, whether the contract was effective was questionable, and she did not believe she would lose to him.

Could this be the sign of the contract’s enforcement?

As wishing power continued to pour out, Kaka finally realized there was a serious problem! That was, the one-tenth of the wishing power was far more than she had imagined! Although she did not know the specific amount the other party demanded, judging by the current trend, she couldn’t afford this price!

Once wishing power is completely depleted, divinities will fall, more effective than any deicide!

Wait, wait, I’m willing to go to Thistlefort!

The words hadn’t even left her mouth, only just forming in her mind, when the leaking of wishing power came to a halt. The previously formed deep blue sphere of wishing power just hung there in the air in front of her, as if weighing her next move.

Kakamotchi felt a sudden chill rise up her spine.

This contract could actually take effect on a divinity, and she had no way to counter it!

She couldn’t help but turn her head, looking toward the distant south—the great headquarters of the Paradise Sect, Thistlefort, lay beyond the layers of forests.

What kind of terrible things would be waiting for her there?

...

Engfelt rushed to the location of the Magic Goddess, despite having advised her to rest just before, but now he realized the trouble had escalated.

Several corpses were strewn haphazardly around the tent, but none belonged to members of the Envoy Delegation. As for those formerly under Count Franken’s command, not a single one was left! It was not hard to deduce from the scene that these hundred or so men not only failed to control the delegation but were instead caught off guard and slaughtered, ultimately leading to a rout!

Was it Kokomoqi’s magic that caused the panic that led the whole troop to flee in disarray? Then why could the few people sent out from Thistlefort stay calm and composed in battle, showing no signs of panic?

The messy footprints on the ground were sufficient to piece together the event—the five men always stayed close together, firing as they retreated down the slope; whereas the footprints of the Earl’s men were all over the place, along with the handprints and the imprints of their armor from rolling on the ground, sharply contrasting with the enemy’s.

It would have been one thing if just these people were utterly defeated, but the trouble was, he couldn’t find the body or the departing footprints of Elise Ben! She had run out from the tent and then stood on a small flat piece of grassland, likely observing the contest between the Magic Goddess and the impostor god. Afterward, she only moved a couple of steps before her footprints abruptly disappeared, plainly indicating that she was carried off by someone from the Envoy Delegation, preventing her from leaving any further useful information.

Engfelt didn’t know much about the woman Elise Ben, only that she was General Fales Ben’s daughter, and a part of the soldiers within the Kingdom Army regarded her as the general’s substitute. Even though her command abilities and combat talents were nothing out of the ordinary and some senior officers did not acknowledge her status, she was crucial for maintaining the stability of the allied forces; at least currently, no one within the Kingdom Army could fully replace her.

And now Elise had been kidnapped by the assassins sent from Thistlefort?

And right in front of two divinities?

That was beyond belief!

Engfelt knew his strengths and weaknesses, he excelled at close combat, the pinnacle every warrior aspired to, but finding a few people fleeing in the vast forest was not easy. If the enemies knew even a little about counter-surveillance methods, such as removing scents, erasing footprints, he would be no different from an ordinary person.

But Kakamotchi was different.

The power of magic could let her see through all disguises, eliminate all misdirections, no matter how the enemies hid, she could precisely locate these rascals!

Mere mortals relying on their legs could never escape the hunt of a divinity.

Engfelt quickly returned to the crater blasted out by the Magic Goddess, only to be stunned to find that Kokomoqi was no longer there.

Not only that, even the shell of the Evil God had disappeared without a trace, the woods were dead silent, and calling out loud received no response. Apart from the surrounding trees flattened by shattered rocks and the hundred-meter deep crater indicating a fierce battle had taken place here, he couldn’t find any trace of their presence.