Chapter 374: The Witch Lucrezia Chooses to Become His...
The term "Witch" refers to the descendants of women who served as Holy Maidens or priestesses in the most ancient eras.
Their knowledge and magic are passed down directly through oral tradition from previous generations of witches. Only those with the aptitude of a Holy Maiden can inherit and teach the arts of witchcraft.
Currently, a stunning woman draped in a sheer purple nightgown and lavender lace thigh-highs lay lazily on her bed—she was a witch.
Moreover, she was among the highest rank of witches, having attained the Earth Zenith as a witch.
A few days ago, she observed two Heretic Gods descending upon this country and used her Spirit Sight to search and spy on them, thus learning their identities.
One was the God-King Melqart from Phoenician mythology, and the other was the God of War from Persian-related myths.
After their encounter, they clashed but ended without a decisive outcome, both sustaining injuries.
God-King Melqart had a golden sword plunged into his chest, while the God of War was shattered by Melqart, his body scattered into multiple fragments that needed to be recollected.
Thus, once both recovered, they would battle again.
However, before either could fully recuperate, an anomaly occurred that left her stunned.
A ruptured hole in the sky signaled a god forcibly descending from the mythological realm to the earthly world.
Moreover, the act of tearing open such a hole outright astonished her—such a thing had never happened before.
She also noticed that the cause of the breach seemed somewhat related to the young lady of the Brandelli family.
The spear that should have struck the divine beast inexplicably veered off and pierced the sky.
It appeared as though the god attempting to descend had sensed the spear, borrowed its power, and used some method to directly connect the earthly and mythological realms, forcibly breaking through the barrier between them to emerge.
In the end, before the god could fully descend to the earthly world, it was annihilated by a Seraphim.
But in truth, the god had successfully descended.
The clearest evidence was that God-King Melqart sought him out and engaged in a duel.
Due to the opponent deploying a bounded field, pulling them into another world as it were, the burden on her Spirit Sight also increased.
Thus, she risked the potential danger of being detected and peered inside.
And so, she witnessed an extremely abnormal duel.
The Heretic God that descended beside the young lady of the Blandelli family possessed an extraordinary ability: it could truly kill its target by recreating the target's mythological death.
However, such a feat seemed to require an extremely detailed understanding of the target's mythology.
Therefore, the young lady of the Blandelli family ultimately supplemented the missing portion through the method of [Professor], successfully slaying Melqart.
Of course, that wasn't the most shocking part for her. What came next was that the Heretic God actually bestowed a divine authority upon Erica.
Wasn't this something only Pandora could accomplish? How could this one do it as well?
So, who exactly was this Heretic God?
Witnessing the earlier struggle to break free from the mythological world, he appeared to be the Plague Knight among the Apocalypse Knights.
But Melqart also referred to him as the God of the Bible. Well, that wasn't entirely wrong, as in the woven myths, there is a theory that the Apocalypse Knights are incarnations of the Lord.
Later, Melqart said otherwise, claiming the true God of the Bible was dead, yet also mentioned that the God of the Bible had achieved something, seemingly understanding who the other was.
So, what exactly happened? This deeply concerned her, as it might involve the safety of the world.
Subsequently, with her magical power nearly depleted, she could only rely on her familiar to keep watch, attempting to gather more information.
Unexpectedly, the other party also seemed to have some knowledge of The Last King.
No, not knowledge—it appeared he wanted to learn more, likely having obtained some information from Melqart.
It seemed The Last King was specifically designed to deal with Campiones, which aligned with her own deductions.
Yes, she had also investigated The Last King.
And then, she was discovered. The other party came for her.
Through the black cat, she saw the white horse approaching her small dwelling—an extremely abnormal white horse, one that seemed to spread death wherever it went.
The horse's hooves landed on the lush green grass, leaving behind black, scorched-looking imprints wherever they stepped, the plants withering instantly.
As the other drew closer, she felt death approaching as well.
It wasn't that she believed the other had come specifically to kill her, but as a Witch, she instinctively sensed the dangerous power he carried, evoking a sense of fear.
He was here. He had already entered her house and was heading toward her bedroom.
So, she no longer needed the black cat's perspective. She looked directly at the door, watching the black-haired youth step inside, her sensual lips parting slightly.
"My apologies. As my magical power is nearly exhausted, I cannot offer you a proper greeting."
"So, you are Lucretia Zola, correct?"
The one who entered—Renji—gazed with interest at the woman before him, whose alluring curves were subtly revealed by the purple nightgown that couldn't quite contain them.
Her flaxen hair, partly draped over her shoulders in front, artfully concealed certain areas. Her amethyst eyes, tinged with a hint of trepidation, were also filled with curiosity—directed at him.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, lying in a pose that seemed paralytic yet exuded a bewitching allure capable of captivating any man.
"Correct."
Lucretia nodded slightly, a bitter smile gracing her delicate features.
She could read something in his eyes—he wanted her.
Of course, this "wanting" was not driven by lustful desire to possess her, though his gaze did seem momentarily dazzled upon seeing her.
This desire to possess her clearly meant he wanted her to serve him.
Having always remained solitary and unaffiliated with any faction, was she now to have a master?
"I offer you two choices. First: become my possession."
"I choose to become your possession."
Without waiting for the second option to be stated, Lucretia immediately responded.
After all, the being before her—no, the god—was not someone with whom she could bargain.
It was truly mystifying. No matter how she perceived him, he seemed human—a Heretic God disguised as a mortal.
"Don't you wish to hear the second choice?"
"Then what is the second choice?"
"Become my Holy Maiden."
Ah? This choice left Lucretia momentarily stunned.