The battlefield did not fall silent all at once.
Ash still drifted through the Night Kingdom like dying snow, and the rot lingered in the air—thin, stubborn, unwilling to let go. Minami stood at the center of the ruined square, her presence calm, her gaze steady as the remnants of corruption writhed weakly around her.
She raised her hand.
Life Essence flowed—not violently, not greedily, but gently, as though the world itself was exhaling.
"Goddess's Blissful Touch."
Warm radiance spread outward, washing over fallen vampires and shattered stone alike. Where rot had eaten into flesh, it receded. Where death had claimed lives too early, it loosened its grip. One by one, the fallen stirred, gasping as breath returned to lungs long stilled.
A low murmur rose across the square.
They were alive.
Valx dropped to one knee as his father's body twitched—then inhaled sharply.
The Vampire King opened his eyes.
"…Valx?" His voice was rough, confused. "My son… what happened? I remember… a strange woman. My memories are… blurred."
Valx laughed, the sound breaking as he pulled his father into a fierce embrace. He explained everything—Minami, the Blight, the battle, the cost.
Dracula listened in silence.
When Valx finished, the king clicked his tongue in irritation… then sighed, resting a hand on his son's head.
"You reckless idiot," he muttered fondly. "You really are my son."
Few would have believed it—fewer still would admit it—but the cold ruler of the Night Kingdom was, above all else, a son-obsessed father.
As the Night Kingdom counted its losses and began to recover, Minami withdrew with her companions, the world folding softly around them.
Her divine space shimmered into existence.
"Hahaha—" a lazy voice echoed. "For a second there, I thought you guys were actually going to lose."
A young man lounged in a chair that hadn't existed moments ago. Blue-silver hair, golden eyes, legs crossed with infuriating confidence.
Kai scoffed. "I can't believe evolution didn't fix that ego. You're still a dipshit, Codex."
Minami folded her arms. "It seems even in human form, you're just as annoying. Maybe worse."
The man smirked. "I may look human, but I'm not. And it's Yun now."
He paused, then cleared his throat. "Due to your battle against the Succubus Blight, you gained over five thousand merits. As a result… you have evolved."
A book formed in the air, opening before
Minami.
"B-Rank Goddess."
Minami blinked. "That's nice and all—but if I fall, you fall with me."
Yun stiffened. "W-What? That's not— I'd probably just get reassigned—"
"Don't lie," she said flatly. "You were created with me."
"…Whatever."
The pages turned.
Authorities Unlocked
Supreme Presence
Divinity Zone
Spells Acquired
Tundra
Revitalisation
"Your control over Life Essence has increased immensely," Yun continued. "And from now on—every one of you will possess your own codex."
Valx had already felt it. His blood stirred differently.
He had risen—from a mid-ranked vampire to a Count.
The Gorgon triplets followed, evolving into Shadow Snakedancers. Each received their own codex—Dark, Psychic, and Demolition
.
"Note," Yun added smugly, "I remain the main codex. Yours are merely extensions of my humble self."
"Yeah, yeah," Valx replied. "Cocky bastard."
Minami reshaped her divine space next.
Stone rose, towers forming, halls stretching wide—a castle worthy of a goddess.
"This place," she said, "will be called Saytar."
Her disciples became known as The Five Steps of Saytar.
And Saytar became their command center.
Their next destination was Haven.
"Who are you people?" the guards demanded.
Yun stepped forward. "You stand before a being you cannot comprehend—a goddess."
Laughter followed.
"Gods are myths," one guard scoffed.
Minami released her authority.
The world bowed.
All three guards collapsed to their knees as Supreme Presence crushed their disbelief into silence.
Inside the throne room, nobles were mid-argument over healed farmlands and vanished monster waves when the doors opened.
"Guards!" a noble shouted. "Seize these intruders—"
"Come any closer," Valx warned, "and you lose an arm."
The king narrowed his eyes. "Is that a vampire? I thought your kind was banned from Haven."
The Gorgon triplets spoke as one.
"Before you stands the Goddess of Elythra. The one who healed your lands. The one who halted the monsters."
Disbelief lingered—until Minami waved her hand.
Crops erupted into existence. Fruits
overflowed. Rain fell as the roof disintegrated under controlled divinity.
The queen fell to her knees.
"The goddess… the one we prayed for… has arrived."
Minami spoke calmly.
"Elythra is rotting. Six Blights anchor that corruption. Two have fallen. The rest must follow—or this world will end."
A rift opened, linking Haven to the Night Kingdom.
"Vampires and humans—cast aside your differences and unite as one.
You are all children of Elythra, and under my watch, you must stand together.
That unity is the only way to stop the rot and destroy the blights.
You believed you had no Goddess.
I stand before you now to shatter that belief.
I will do everything in my power to protect this world—but I cannot do it alone.
We must move as one.
As Elythra."
A soft chime echoed.
Three hundred merits gained.
Later, Minami met with the King of Haven,
Kamed, and Dracula.
Kamed spoke grimly. "Two days ago, a weakened elemental appeared. Spirits and elementals are fighting amongst
themselves. They requested outside help."
Dracula frowned. "They are peaceful by nature. Something forced this."
Minami nodded. "A Blight."
Silence followed—brief, heavy, expectant.
Yun was the first to break it, leaning back with his arms crossed. "So it's obvious where we're headed next."
He glanced around the chamber, golden eyes gleaming. "Our next stop is the Arcane Plane."
Kai shot him a flat look. "That's rich, coming from the guy who's been absent for two literal fights."
"Tactical absence," Yun replied smoothly. "Someone has to keep track of your reckless decisions."
Minami ignored their exchange. The air around her had already begun to shift as she moved. Preparation came first—sigils etched into space itself, Life Essence flowing in careful, deliberate patterns. She reinforced her authority, stabilized the transition, and anchored her divine presence to the destination beyond.
When she was satisfied, Minami raised her hand.
Space folded.
A radiant portal bloomed open before them, layered with dense mana that distorted the air around its edges. Without hesitation, she stepped forward, her disciples following in her wake.
The world twisted.
And then—
Mana pressed down on them from all directions as they emerged into a land saturated beyond reason.
They had arrived.
Mana thickened as they arrived in the Arcane Plane—the theocracy of spirits and elementals.
Far above, upon a throne of warped
essence, a Blight watched the chaos unfold.
A shadow peeled itself from the wall.
"…It seems you have guests."