Hate me, Miss Witch!

In the World of Faiths, the Divine Kingdom Fragment suddenly churned.

Infinite black flames erupted, as if to engulf the entire world.

And Shiayar's astral spirit body, transformed into that little golden figure, just stood within the raging sea of fire.

Then, with a kind smile, he extended his hand toward the Lord of Ashes' strand of divine consciousness.

...

At this moment, if one were to summarize the events unfolding within the World of Faiths, it would probably be—

"Come on, be good, let me have a look!"

"No!"

(Removes glasses, releases seal)

"Let me have a look!"

Initially, when the Lord of Ashes' divine consciousness detected the intrusion of Shiayar's astral spirit body, it subconsciously thought of eroding and devouring the invader, transforming it into a part of its own Divine Kingdom Fragment.

Then, it inevitably met with tragedy.

Shiayar pinned it to the ground and rubbed it viciously several times. Only after thoroughly recognizing that this golden figure was an unbeatable entity did the divine consciousness finally remember to flee for its life.

If all else failed, it had to notify its own slumbering true form in the Astral Realm about the changes occurring within this Sacred Relic of the Main Material Plane.

However, everything was already too late. Because of the contingency plan initiated by the King of Giants' remnant soul for Shiayar, the entire World of Faiths within the skull was sealed tightly by Shiayar, not even allowing a single bit of information to be transmitted.

「A few breaths later.」

The golden figure transformed by Shiayar's astral spirit body reached out and grabbed back the last wisp of black flame trying to flee from the King of Giants' skull.

"Is this the Power of Faith that the Ashes Cult spent over a thousand years collecting, sacrificing countless cities and myriad souls?"

The autonomy of the last vestige of the Lord of Ashes' divine consciousness was erased.

The next moment, Shiayar's mind stirred slightly.

Within the Divine Kingdom Fragment, the pitch-black flames slowly faded a bit.

Countless dark shadows rose slowly, surging upward.

They then dissipated outside the illusory gap into the vast Spirit Realm.

As they vanished, Shiayar felt faint threads of gratitude, barely discernible, being conveyed to him.

These were the souls of those sacrificed by the Ashes Cult. They were trapped and eroded in this supreme Sacred Relic, enduring the torment of the black flames day and night. Yet, they were unable to dissipate due to the characteristics of the Divine Kingdom Fragment.

Had Shiayar not helped them find release, they might have continued to suffer in the black flame's inferno for perhaps a hundred years, maybe a thousand, or even until the end of time.

And as the souls of these sacrificed victims flowed out from that gap and returned to the Spiritual Sea of the Spirit Realm, the illusory gap widened in an instant.

Without the control of divine consciousness, the Power of Faith within the King of Giants' skull was unrestrained and uncontrolled, constantly leaking through that illusory gap.

At the current rate of depletion, it was likely to be exhausted within a few weeks.

Shiayar, observing that only the pure Power of Faith remained after the aggrieved souls had scattered from the Divine Kingdom Fragment, narrowed his eyes slightly.

He could sense the immense power brewing within it.

After both the King of Giants' contingency and the divine consciousness of the Lord of Ashes were eradicated, theoretically, Shiayar himself was now the highest authority holder of this King of Giants' skull.

If he wished, he could completely absorb all of the Power of Faith within it.

After all, this was the Power of Faith a True God's cult had accumulated over a thousand years. It was also the reserve foundation for the Lord of Ashes to return from the distant depths of the Astral Realm, walk the world of mortals once again, and establish a Divine Kingdom.

If all this Power of Faith were infused into an ordinary 2-Ring Transcendent, it would be sufficient to elevate them to the rank of a seasoned Legendary. They would be just one step away from completing the transformation of their life essence and becoming a Fabled Creature.

And if Shiayar were to absorb and digest it all, he could foresee that his own power could take another step forward and make great strides in the Divine Realm.

But such power, assembled from countless followers and sacrificed beings, was naturally not something Shiayar would use to enhance himself.

Who knew if part of this Power of Faith had come from some foot-scratching lout? The very thought of using it on himself was disgusting.

However, before this power disappeared completely, temporarily borrowing it was a viable option.

After all, this skull was not only the great treasure of the Lord of Ashes and the Ashes Cult but also involved a huge conspiracy against the Empire Capital.

"Your Highness, oh Your Highness— Previously, to resurrect me, you caused such a commotion. So this time, let me give you a big surprise in return."

Shiayar thought it over and left a Mental Imprint inside the skull.

...

"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK! (Master!)"

"SQUEAK SQUEAK, SQUEAK! (I got it! I got it!)"

The cheerful calls of the little white ferret brought Shiayar's consciousness back from the world within the King of Giants' skull to reality.

What did you get, little white ferret?

Shiayar looked up to see the dark flame in the little white ferret's eyes had disappeared.

The three crimson Sharingan-like patterns slowly dissipated, leaving only those ruby-like animal pupils.

And Shiayar's gaze fell upon the little white ferret's forehead, where an illusory azure-blue screen had emerged.

[Name: Silver]

[Species Name: To be Named (New Mythical Species)]