Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest Chapter 1918: The Darkness Deep Within Gaia
Previously on Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest...
"Hold on, Elayne!" Olivia cried out. "Ninsun, lend me all your Mana. Heal her, please!"
"I-I will give it my all! Hold on, Goddess Gaia!" Ninsun responded, pressing her staff to Elayne's forehead and directing her divine healing power into it.
"E-Elena... Elena is in critical danger... I beg of you... we must... go to her aid...!"
Even as the healing light enveloped her, Elayne slowly managed to get back on her feet. Both Olivia and Ninsun watched in stunned disbelief.
For a Heroic Spirit to survive such catastrophic damage to her Soul and Spirit Core and still remain standing was nothing short of extraordinary. By all logical accounts, Elayne should have perished right at that moment.
Yet, a fierce resolve blazed within her, more intense than any desire for death.
A potent Command Spell, imprinted upon her very being by her daughter, pulsed with a singular, unwavering directive:
Drawing strength from that command, Elayne began to draw spiritual energy from the surrounding environment, mending herself through sheer force of will and her daughter's powerful spell.
"Elayne, stop walking. Remain precisely where you are and do not move!" Olivia commanded. "The children will be alright. Harumi has Assassin with her, remember?"
"I am aware..." Elayne sighed weakly. "However, he has not yet fully regained his former strength..."
"Frank is also accompanying them. That young man possesses considerable strength," Olivia stated. "Trust them and stay here. Ninsun, continue providing her with healing. I will go search for them."
"Wait—Master, you intend to go alone?!" Ninsun exclaimed in alarm.
"I am currently in the best physical condition. You are utterly exhausted, so remain here!" Olivia ordered firmly.
"But... the sacred duty of a Heroic Spirit is to protect their Master, not the other way around!" Ninsun protested.
"That is sufficient. Stay here. Farewell!"
Olivia launched herself into the air, summoning her replica of the Anzu Bird, and ascended into the heavens.
She had succeeded in vanquishing Noah with her magic, finally enabling the two Heroic Spirits to seal the menacing vampire who had appeared without any prior warning. A faint sense of pride warmed her heart, but profound anxiety for the children overshadowed it. She pushed herself beyond her limits, even resorting to a forbidden spell.
Premature strands of white were already appearing amongst her vibrant red hair, a stark indicator of the immense strain being placed upon her.
Yet, she could not afford to cease her efforts.
"Ugh... Olivia... Elena..." Elayne groaned, her knees buckling as she collapsed, no longer capable of standing.
"I have managed to restore a significant portion of your power, but..." Ninsun hesitated, her eyes widening in shock. "This curse... what exactly is it? It appears to have become integrated with your very essence. Is this... an intended outcome?"
Elayne clutched her chest in excruciating pain as Noah's power surged through the curse. She had imprisoned him within her soul, and even from within that confinement, his dark energy continued to seep into her.
"Mother Gaia?!"
Ninsun recoiled in sheer panic as an overwhelming torrent of malevolent energy erupted from Elayne—an unholy blend of darkness, blood, miasma, and pure chaos.
The eldritch, abyssal power residing within Noah's soul was now spilling forth, intermingling with Elayne's innate origin and her Spirit Core.
Elayne let out a piercing scream. The encroaching darkness consumed her entirely. Her eyes ignited with a deep crimson hue, her once green hair transformed into a stark white, and her skin darkened, taking on a rough, bark-like gray texture.
Soon, streaks of blood-red began to mar her white hair. The wood within her body turned black, erupting with crimson roses and leaves the color of blood. Grotesque fruits resembling screaming faces and eyes swelled from her form as a pair of colossal Darkwood wings unfurled from her shoulders.
Her fingers elongated into sharp, crimson claws. Her entire being contorted into something terrifyingly unrecognizable.
"She has... become corrupted?!" Ninsun whispered, her voice trembling with horror. "No... this is... an Alter?!"
Alters were exceedingly rare, corrupted manifestations of Heroic Spirits, brought into existence by immense hatred and vengeful desires. They embodied the complete antithesis of their original legendary tales.
The Goddess Gaia, the very embodiment of life and creation—how could such a being possibly succumb to corruption? What form of entity would she ultimately transform into?
Naturally.
Ninsun felt an icy dread cascade down her spine as Elayne's crimson eyes fixed upon her, burning with unadulterated hatred.
"G-Gaia?"
"...!!!"
A violent shockwave composed of darkness and blood energy exploded outward, demolishing and leveling the surrounding structures.
"I am... Tartarus, the Abyss given tangible form."
Elayne's voice became distorted, her myth twisting and corrupting. Her selfless act of sacrifice had irrevocably transformed her.
Ninsun trembled under the immense pressure exerted by that terrifying power. Cold sweat trickled down her neck as she desperately attempted to reach out to Elayne.
"Tartarus?! No...! That is not you! Elayne! Gaia! Awaken! You must fight against this madness!"
Ninsun invoked her divine treasure once more, enveloping Elayne within a luminous golden temple in a desperate bid to purge the corruption.
Elayne's warped voice boomed. Her lengthy hair surged wildly into the air, multiplying into countless razor-sharp vines that lashed out furiously against the confines of the temple.
Ninsun clenched her jaw tightly. Tartarus let out a thunderous roar, causing fissures to spread like a spiderweb across the sacred temple of light. Grotesque, sinister flora and arboreal entities burst forth, their gaping maws bristling with sharp fangs and illuminated by fiery red eyes, as they assaulted the divine barrier. Then— "I... I can't!" The temple was obliterated in a ferocious blast. Ninsun was violently propelled backward, striking a structure with tremendous force. Elayne, her form irrevocably altered by the potent convergence of Gaia’s divine dominion over Life, Nature, and Spirits, combined with Noah's encroaching darkness, had fully transitioned into a new Alter. A perfect antithesis to Gaia, Tartarus was a ferocious beast spawned from shadow, ravenous to plunge the world back into the primordial abyss from which it originated. High in the heavens, a fairy with purple hair and crimson eyes was in fits of laughter, casually consuming popcorn and obviously relishing the unfolding drama. Adjacent to her stood another fairy of identical heritage—her cousin, a flaxen-haired Darkwood fairy, who harbored within her the still-mending remnant of Avenger.