The entire lava of Lupus seemed to come alive, with the island’s fierce forces raising lava pillars hundreds of meters high, like waterfalls flowing backward, spanning in front of the Eternal Summer.
Andasu gripped the helm tightly, steering the Flying Airship to elegantly dodge the lava pillars at the last moment every time it seemed about to crash into them.
In her hands, the Eternal Summer was not like a massive Flying Airship, but rather like a graceful giant fish, ready to change direction at any moment.
"Can’t we accelerate to the maximum speed and rush through? Didn’t we even manage to pierce through the outer shell of a Super Demon before?"
Dorothy watched in horror as the magma soared into the sky beside them. As the wind slightly solidified it, the half-melted state transformed into a stone rainstorm. Livi was working with Meimei to maintain the Shield of Water outside the Eternal Summer, but it could not completely block it, causing some molten rock to crackle against the armor and deck of the Eternal Summer.
For now, it was just a dense stone rain, but it was foreseeable that larger chunks would strike the Flying Airship in the future.
"Lava isn’t water. If we hit a lava pillar, the hull will suffer great impact, and the speed will slow significantly, making it impossible to rush out. Also, we haven’t reached the point where we need to leave the island immediately yet; we still need to pick up Anna," Li Ang said.
"Phew." The Ancient Abyss Crocodile Dragon stepped forward, supporting its front body with robust arms. Even amidst the earth-shattering commotion, others could hear the strong beating of its heart.
With its heart pressurized, it squeezed Water Element infused with the Power of Dragon from its heart, which turned into a cold stream from its crocodile-like maw, instantly forming an icy protective layer on the periphery of the Eternal Summer, blocking a significant amount of falling molten rock.
It noticed Livi the moment it came aboard the Eternal Summer, but the Dragon Maiden didn’t want to interact with it. Not daring to speak, it followed closely behind her, ready to exert effort with any movement.
The Eternal Summer traversed the hellishly scarlet sky, approaching the Earth Serpent’s position.
Anastasia was surrounded by the surging magma. She controlled the Earth Element to form a high platform resembling a lotus stand to transmit shockwaves.
However, the structure of Lupus Island continued to disintegrate, with utter destruction imminent, and her continued efforts were no longer needed.
"Anna!"
Zoe stood at the ship’s edge, waving and shouting. Although she could summon the Earth Serpent via Mind Link, her straightforwardness made her act before thinking.
The Earth Serpent raised its head to confirm the direction of the Eternal Summer, then turned into a beam of starlight and flew towards Zoe.
Behind her, the lotus stand shattered, and the Sky Island barely connected by the River of Lava finally decomposed into multiple blocks, falling towards the Bloody Red Land amidst flame-filled clouds. The scorching dust they stirred up could be carried by the wind to other islands, triggering a climate change.
In the depths of the flaming clouds, fiery starlight flickered, extending a giant molten hand.
Within it surged heterogeneous Spirituality, binding the extreme Fire Element together, while the howling Earth Element attempted to escape, forming protruding spikes of dirt and stone on the molten arm, unable to break free, resembling demonic thorns.
"That is—"
The Star Flower Travel Corps members looked towards the perishing island beside the ship. Within the dust and cascading molten rock, appeared a twisted amalgamation of Fire Element, with a bull’s head and human body, covered in bizarre, twisted spikes made of Element, other parts flowing slowly. Rather than being lava and flame, it was the blood of all Life and of the Star Soul that protects Lupus.
Zoe’s expression gradually turned sorrowful, as she could no longer feel Hedaya’s presence.
The Demon Transformer had thoroughly entwined itself, the Molten Mountain Star Soul, and the fire Element of Lupus Island together through Secret Technique, becoming this last monster charging towards the Star Flower Travel Corps.
It spread its twisted arms, slowly pouncing towards the Eternal Summer.
Although it seemed slow relative to the Giant, to the scale of a Flying Airship, it reached them in an instant. The eighty-plus meter length of the Eternal Summer seemed a toy boat to it, as it was about to crush the hull.
The Eternal Summer had accelerated as it approached, but ahead lava pillars were raised by its power.
"Now we can’t accelerate, first fly out of its power’s area!" Li Ang instructed the whole group.
The Eternal Summer maneuvered to evade the crisscrossing giant lava spectacle, while Othella, elusive as a Spiritual Body, slowly floated up, as if losing sync with the Eternal Summer, beginning to float back towards the monster.
This unexpected move shocked not only the Star Flower Travel Corps members but also the Purgatory Spirits, who hurriedly flew towards her waving.
The young girl raised a divine God Sacrificial Branch to manifest a Flame Bow, the arrow formed from starlight in her hand, attached to the bowstring, aiming at the Giant Abnormality.
Under the fiery red sky, the young girl’s blue short hair fluttered, casting arrows that grew sharper and stronger, yet ineffective against the massive twisted monster, seemingly about to be devoured by Lupus’ doom the next instant.
"Watch out!"
Zoe leaped high using the airflow of Celestial Maiden Stance to grab the Beast eared Maiden, while ALulu jumped using her Brute Force to hold onto Othella’s other arm, pulling her back onto the deck, anchoring her firmly like hammering a stake.
"Eh?"
The girl with a face full of deathly stillness said in surprise, "Why did you hold on to me..."
"What do you mean why?" ALulu said, "Of course, to save you!"
The Eternal Summer performed maneuvers, passing under the Giant’s swinging palm.
"I... Don’t worry about me, just run away."
Zoe ran up to her angrily, shouting, "Hedaya gave you Power not for you to just die like this!"
"But, I was originally dead."
Zoe was momentarily speechless, Dorothy blinked: "You wouldn’t say that you have no place to settle, and don’t know where to go, so you might as well disappear with Lupus, would you?"
"I have no place to settle... Eh? How did you know..."
"Oh my, don’t say such self-destructive things that are even within expectations," the Half Elf sighed.
"I-I’m sorry... I’m so useless..."
"Stop saying that, Hedaya doesn’t see you that way." Zoe said very firmly.
"Lady Hestia has always been very gentle."
Othella hugged her arms, "That’s why I wanted, at the end, to stop her, um, she’s gone now, there’s nothing I can do, but I also want to..."
"Mesa and the others said the same thing! They don’t want you to die either!" Zoe angrily grabbed Othella’s hand. The girl flinched back in surprise but was held firmly by the Purgatory Spirits that appeared behind her.
"You should listen to what they have to say!"
The Fire Spirit Maidens surrounded Othella, each speaking one after another, demonstrating with gestures, but one hand always gently rested on the girl’s shoulder.
Andasu focused intently on steering the Eternal Summer to escape the firestorm stirred up by the Abnormality. Othella kept her head down, as if the roaring outside the ship and Zoe’s shouts were isolated from her.
"I’ve only known them for two days, yet I already know what they’re thinking. They’ve long since let go of their obsessions, you know?!"
"With your company, your listening and understanding, they have no more attachment to the world, but they still hold on to you. They worry about you, hoping you’ll keep moving forward, you know?!"
Othella kept her head down, murmuring softly, unable to form coherent words.
A twisted bull-headed Abnormality spread its arms, which extended outward as blazing thorns, attempting to crush the Eternal Summer with a converging strike.
The heart of the Mecha Demigod roared within the engine furnace as the beautiful ship suddenly accelerated beyond its reach. The slapping of its molten hands missed behind the ship, even the splashing flames and rock attacks couldn’t catch up, but the booming impact echoed across the sky, snapping Othella out of her daze.
The young girl’s shoulders trembled slightly: "But, move forward? Where can I go? I can’t do anything..."
"I already told you, you’re not—ah!" Zoe was frustrated, even Mesa and the other two beside her raised their eyebrows, clenched their fists, and waved them.
"What about your family?" Li Ang suddenly interjected into the conversation.
"Family... they... should also be gone, after all, as you said, it’s been so many years."
"That might not be the case."
Li Ang spoke to her earnestly: "The path forward is quite clear. Your death, the end of your life, came from a disaster caused by the conspiracy of external evildoers, but this world has still left you a small window.
"Your bond with Hedaya, your companionship with Mesa and them, respectively, provided you with the opportunity to remain in the world with someone’s help. While other Purgatory Spirits wandered aimlessly, you chose to use your own strength to stop Hedaya, precisely because of this noble act, her power was not exploited by the Demon Transformer."
Li Ang pointed at the young girl’s chest: "You possess courage and kindness even you might not be aware of, and often, the latter requires a greater courage."
Othella opened her mouth, but it seemed something was stuck in her throat; she trembled all over, unable to utter a sound despite her efforts.
"It’s precisely because you are such a person, whether it’s Hedaya or the Purgatory Spirits, they’ve all tried their best to create a road for you, a path through which you can return to the life you were meant to have."
"You talk about a new life? When I was alive, nobody even liked me."
"How can you be sure of that? If you were truly so terrible, why would Hedaya entrust you with the divine God Sacrificial Branch?"
"I overheard, my mom and dad whispered about their worries for me too, it’s me who caused trouble for everyone."
Oh Othella, what’s going to happen to this child in the future? Will she only be able to do simple work at home?
Sister, you, on the contrary, are like a young sister, making us all worry.
I’m really sorry, I’m such a coward, I mess up everything I do...
"Before we came, you should have met a young Beast-Earkin," Li Ang said.
Othella’s eyebrow twitched, obviously she knew, although perhaps the encounter didn’t go well.
"Even I can imagine how awkward that guy is when communicating with others, he must’ve scared you, right? But what I want to say is, he didn’t come here by coincidence."
Li Ang, with his single arm and relying on Alulu beside him for stability, retrieved a photo Mort gave him and handed it to Othella.
What is this?
Taking the card-like object, Othella saw a family of gathered Beast-Earkin on it.
"Look at the lady at the front."
The girl’s gaze dropped, finally resting on the elderly lady sitting in the front.
She... She? It’s her!
She is—
The girl suddenly stiffened, but her tears flowed endlessly, crashing like a waterfall onto the photo.
"What is this?" Zoe and the others hadn’t expected Li Ang to suddenly pull out an unfamiliar photo, and they all crowded around, discussing who the people in the picture were.
"Anala, it’s you, it’s really you, you’re still here... Waaaah!"
Othella slowly slid to her knees: "I’m sorry, I forgot, I forgot the words you said to me..."
"Sister, in a few days, Mom and Dad are going to take Mut and me to the City of Crafts for a trip."
"You guys go, I’ll stay, I have rituals to host, and if I go, nobody would be happy? Haha, you all enjoy yourselves."
"Sigh." Younger sister Anala sighed and turned away.
Yes, so long as Mom, Dad, and my little brother and sister are happy, if I’m not around, everyone would be even happier.
Since the last time Lady Hedaya met that odd person, there’s been no response from her. How is she doing? We’re powerless to know. But, in times like this, we must encourage everyone, make sure the Divine Hall events are held well...
As she walked, Anala turned back to spy on her sister, and exactly met Othella’s gaze watching her back.
Ignoring startled Othella, Anala briskly ran up to her.
"Forget it, better tell you, sister, I’m really worried about you misunderstanding."
"Say, say what?"
"Look, half a month later is your sixteenth birthday."
"Oh, right."
"Geez, you’re so focused on the Kitchen Goddess’s work, which is a good thing though."
Anala exhaled with a smile: "Let me tell you a secret."

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