Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 557: A Goddess conflicted

...

It had been minutes since Delia fell to one knee. So far, her expression had remained intense, as if she were locked into a silent conversation, and any change in her expression only showed increased intensity due to whatever she was dealing with.

The Aristide Militants were soon feeling agitated and seemed inclined to keep striking the cube. They seemed to be nursing the notion that they had already weakened the cube and just a few more strikes would do it despite there being no evidence to support such a theory.

And then, Delia opened her eyes, and her expression was not jubilant. It was deadpan, exhausted, worried, and confused. She tried to stand and wobbled a bit before Eloise helped her up while Kaya asked gently,

"So?"

"Hmm?" Delia said like she hadn’t heard the question, and then she blinked and seemed to return to herself as she nodded,

"Yeah, she’ll help me get in."

"’She’?" Kaya repeated with furrowed brows.

"Just you?" Aylin asked instead.

"Oh, right," Delia said.

The conversation she had had with Nyx had somehow thrust it to the back of her mind that she hadn’t been seeking access into the Sealing Cube for just herself.

She worried that amending how many people needed to get into the Cube with the Goddess’ blessing would be terrible for the tentative deal she had secured, but she had to try.

’Hey,’ Delia thought toward the darkness in her mind that she now had a feeling would never go away,

’I’ll be taking four people with me.’

The darkness gave no indication that her request had been acknowledged, and Nyx’s cold and deathly voice didn’t ring in Delia’s head again. And yet, somehow, Delia knew her request had been granted.

"Come on," she told the others and walked even closer to the Cube.

"You’re going in?" Lincoln asked, and the ladies were surprised to see he had followed them here because they hadn’t noticed him until just then.

"Yeah," Delia said absentmindedly.

"Why not just bring Young Master Aurelius out of it?" Lincoln asked.

"We can’t," Delia said, "It doesn’t work that way."

As she spoke, Delia frowned because she had sounded so sure. Yes, of the four ladies here, she was the one Caius had told the most about Aurelius’s mission, but never had she acted like an expert. But she felt like one now. Somehow, she knew things. Things she shouldn’t know.

"What do you mean ’it doesn’t work that way?’" Lincoln asked in an angry voice.

Delia didn’t acknowledge him. She faced Lady Victoire, who, as Aurelius’s mother, was owed as much explanation as Delia could provide right now.

"We can get Aurelius out, but we’ll have to get in there first," she said. "It’s not just a simple snatch and grab. Although he needs rescue, he isn’t actually imprisoned in there. If that makes any sense."

Lincoln cut in.

"’If that makes sense’... well, it fucking doesn’t!" He yelled.

"Lincoln, leave them," Lady Victoire said, but her eyes were on Delia’s, and they were intense as she said,

"Bring him out safe."

"We’ll try our best," Delia answered with a bow.

"We should at least have one of our own with them," Lincoln insisted.

"No," Delia said immediately, "It can only be us."

She gestured at herself, Kaya, Aylin, and Eloise, whose jaws were set. Together, they turned toward the Sealing Cube, and the power was there for Delia to grab in her mental space. As she seized it, something thrummed through her; Divine Ordinance.

The Sealing Cube was able to keep people out not because it was so powerful but because it was empowered by the terms of the deal Aether, the goddess of Divine Light, made with Hell. The terms of the deal stated that none was to interfere in Aurelius’s trials, and it was those terms that made the Sealing Cube invincible to all attempts to destroy it.

As such, the power that could grant access wasn’t brute overpowering might; it was a Divine Ordinance capable of amending the terms of the deal enough to make the Cube penetrable.

As the ordinance thrummed through her—and from her, spread to the others—Delia knew something major had transpired. She knew Nyx had just meddled in something and her meddling would have consequences.

The question was, who would suffer those consequences?

But there was no time to dwell on that. Or to dwell on any of the things that had led to this moment.

As one, Delia, Kaya, Eloise, and Aylin took breaths and stepped through the Sealing Cube and were gone.

Silence followed their entry as the militants had no idea what to do. Should they resume attacking the Cube?

"My Lady?" Lincoln asked.

"Now," Lady Victoire said with a sigh, "We wait."

•••

An Axe blade caught the spear Aurelius had conjured and slammed it into the ground, snapping it in two so that both halves dissipated into nothing. At the same time, Klever closed a fist around Aurelius’s neck and, with a look of glee on its face, it tossed him into a stone formation which shattered and buried him in the rubble.

"Ack!" Aurelius let out and then groaned as he tried to move but found no strength left in him.

’It—’ he struggled to gather his thoughts as his head felt heavy, ’It can’t end like this...’

Summoning the last dregs of his strength, he tried to move the rubble so he could pull himself into a more upright position. Every move hurt like hell. The majority of his bones had fractured, and he seemed to be holding himself together with just his mana. Aurelius had always had an abundant reserve, and so, even with his body as wrecked as it was and despite how he had pulled so much from his reserves already, he had enough mana left to use like a crutch.

Alas, holding himself together wasn’t enough. Not against the duo of Demons who had made his life hell for hours.

Had it been hours?

Aurelius had no idea how much time had actually passed. He knew it was a long time since he had sent the message to Aylin Khione, but had it been an hour? Maybe.

Aurelius’s eyes were heavy-lidded, and he could only see through slits. At first, he saw the roof of the Sealing Cube, and then, it was Klever’s sneering face above his.

And then, suddenly, Aurelius was seeing as clearly as though his eyes were fully open;

He was looking into a grand hall with pillars of gold, silver, and the very air teeming with life. It was insanely bright but a kind of intense brightness that didn’t force one to cover their eyes but instead invited them to partake in the splendor. The light was so rejuvenating that despite this being essentially a vision, Aurelius felt a bit of his fatigue and pain fade away.

But he didn’t care about that. His eyes were on the very end of the Hall where someone— a woman—was seated. Aurelius couldn’t describe her; there were no words, and she was wrapped in too much splendor for her form to be truly discernible, but he knew who she was.

He had seen her in his dreams since he became capable of having dreams. He had thought of her since he knew how to think. And knew she had been by his side since he became capable of being aware of her presence.

"Aether," Aurelius called the goddess’s name.

He didn’t know why, but he had always had a strong sense of devotion to the goddess. The memories that came to him whenever he reached a threshold of magical understanding always reinforced a connection he had with the goddess— a connection that seemed capable of transcending lifetimes.

Aurelius’s affection and devotion toward Aether wasn’t romantic or sexual— No, he would never nurse such a blasphemous thought toward his goddess. However, so much of his life, his thoughts, had become integrated with the visual of the goddess that no mortal woman could have a hold on him.

It was a blasphemous thought—as far as Aurelius was concerned anyway—to compare mortal women to Aether, but the truth remained that he could never foster romantic interest in anyone when they paled so much to the lofty and glorious visage of Divine excellence that was Aether.

Here he was, lying in rubble, his life ebbing away and this battle effectively lost, and the only reason Aurelius felt despair was that he had failed the noble mission Aether had tasked him with.

Some apostle he was.

Was that why Aether was here? Was she here to show him how disappointed she was in him before she accepted his soul into eternal rest with her?

Or—an even worse possibility—was she here to deny possession of his soul? Was she here to deny him access to her Divine Domain for all eternity?

And then, Aether turned to Aurelius and her emotions struck him in a wave. The goddess was feeling two conflicting emotions: relief and annoyance.

Something had happened that pleased her and at the same time, also made her upset.

What was it? Aurelius wondered.

And right then, four sets of footsteps entered the Sealing Cube.