By the time Lessa realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
Kalein’s palm transformed into a blade, aiming straight for Lessa’s heart. She never expected Kalein to attack her so brazenly in front of so many people. But Lessa was no weakling—even caught off guard, she managed to react in time, twisting her body to evade the strike.
Kalein’s hand left a trail of blood in its wake, slashing a long, deep wound across Lessa’s abdomen. Blood poured freely from the gash.
"How impressive. Truly worthy of being the youngest genius battle nun in the Church," Kalein remarked, flicking the blood from his hand and clapping lightly.
"Why?" Lessa clutched her wound, her face twisted in pain.
"Didn’t I already say it? What comes next is far too important to risk any loose ends," Kalein replied, his expression calm and composed, a faint smile playing on his lips. "A nameless village, forgotten by the outside world… it’s the perfect offering."
Lessa’s eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.
"The Goddess Church would never do such a thing! Who are you people?" she demanded.
"Oh, we are members of the Goddess Church… we just happen to have another identity as well."
Kalein shed his pristine priestly robes, revealing a dull yellow tunic beneath.
Lessa’s pupils constricted—she recognized the attire instantly.
Her gaze turned venomous. "Twilight Apostles! How did you heretics infiltrate the Goddess Church?!"
"Don’t look at us like that," Kalein sighed. "I told you—we are the Goddess Church. Being Twilight Apostles doesn’t contradict that. We didn’t infiltrate… we became them. The Hero and the Goddess have always been intertwined… You have potential, Miss Lessa. I’d like to invite you to join us—"
Suddenly, Kalein smacked his forehead. "Ah, what a terrible memory I have. I nearly forgot—after I offer this village to the Hero, we too will embrace death. How unfortunate, Miss Lessa. Even if you joined us to save your life, you’d still end up dead."
"You’re all utterly insane!"
"That’s only because you’ve never heard the Hero’s teachings, poor Lessa… You can’t possibly understand our resolve," Kalein said, almost pityingly. "You could have been properly guided, become one of us."
"Never!" Lessa pressed harder against her wound, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop. Her face paled from blood loss.
"Goodbye, then. Our path tolerates no obstacles." Kalein lunged forward again.
Lessa’s face was deathly white. With such severe injuries, she had little strength left to resist.
Just as Kalein’s attack was about to land, the holy scripture in Lessa’s arms suddenly flipped open on its own. A golden silhouette emerged from its pages, shielding her.
"ORA!"
The golden figure punched Kalein, sending him flying nearly a hundred meters away.
Lessa’s jaw dropped as she stared in shock at the muscular, bald man now standing before her.
"Y-You are…?"
The figure was built like a warrior, though only his upper half was solid—his lower body dissolved into ethereal smoke, connected to the scripture’s pages… like a genie from a fairy tale.
"Ah, I almost forgot you were with her… Musen, are you really opposing us?" Kalein groaned as he picked himself up.
"Miss Lessa is a devout believer. I won’t allow you to harm her," Musen declared sternly. "To think you, as followers of the Goddess, would sink to heresy!"
"Honestly, talking to the unenlightened is exhausting," Kalein sighed. "Musen… I heard you were once the Hero’s comrade. Don’t you have any desire to see your old friend resurrected?"
"Hmph. Captain Xia Lun would never sacrifice others to bring himself back."
Musen cast a beam of white light over Lessa, and the wound on her abdomen began to heal rapidly.
"Take me and run," he whispered to her.
"Run… where?" Lessa clutched the scripture, her eyes darting around—Kalein’s forces had already surrounded them.
"Back to the village! Warn the others," Musen urged. "The villagers are strong, and those powerful adventurers should still be there… They won’t stand by and do nothing."
Without hesitation, Lessa sprinted toward the lake behind her, the scripture glowing faintly as a protective aura enveloped her. The nameless village materialized in her vision, and she plunged inside.
Kalein followed at a leisurely pace. After all, in his eyes, the entire village was already trapped like fish in a barrel.
But as he reached the lake’s edge, he frowned.
Strange… why was it so cold here?
---
"Where did Lessa go all of a sudden?" Landa fretted outside Lessa’s door, her expression anxious.
The girl’s sudden disappearance had her worried.
"Sister Landa, where’s Lessa?" Milu and Mina crowded around her, looking up with wide eyes.
"Maybe… maybe she went to the village?" Landa ventured uncertainly.
"But Lessa never goes to the village."
"She doesn’t like talking to others."
"When villagers come to the church, she hides."
The two little ones chimed in one after another.
"Is something wrong?" Mo Lini approached, concerned.
"Lessa’s gone… I’m afraid something might have happened," Landa admitted. "I hate to impose, but could you help look for her?"
"Ah…" Mo Lini hesitated—she was just the mascot, after all. Xia Lun and the others were probably about to leave anyway.
"Of course, we’ll help, Sister Landa," Liyana’s voice cut in, much to Mo Lini’s relief.
Liyana pulled Mo Lini aside and whispered, "What do we do? Did Lessa elope with that man from last night? Should we tell Landa?"
"I… I think so," Mo Lini murmured back.
Liyana cleared her throat and turned to the nun. "Sister Landa… I might know where Lessa went, but… you should brace yourself."
Just then, the church doors burst open.
Lessa rushed in, breathless and frantic.
"Everyone—RUN!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
