Only God

"Success..."

Eden muttered to himself as he felt the fusion of his soul with the Ancient Language.

With an ample supply of materials and mastery of multiple Ancient Languages, the Ascension Ceremony went smoother than Eden had ever imagined.

"But considering it, it makes sense. I have a deep understanding of the Holy Chorus, and with sufficient preparation, success isn't hard to imagine. It would be more incredible if I had failed."

That's what Eden thought.

Stepping out from the Invisible Tower, he turned his head back and looked at the Sea of Souls before him. Despite the obscurity as far as his eyes could see, he could sense the teeming vitality of this place.

This sight was much better compared to that future Sea of Souls, destroyed and lifeless.

Then... it was time to return.

As the thought settled, Eden's soul slowly detached from the Sea of Souls, crossing immeasurable distances, making its way back to his physical body.

In the quiet darkness of the Ausenco Kingdom night, a faint dark red figure flickered through.

"Perfect timing," a seductive voice echoed from the sinister corner.

"It's just the right moment for his soul to return from the Celestial Kingdom. It seems God is on our side."

"Oh, should we be thankful to the Divine for this?"

Laughter echoed through the night.

Thankful to the Divine.

Such a ludicrous idea for demons.

...

Eden took far longer to return to his body than usual.

In the past, he would leave the Sea of Souls and his soul would return to its rightful place at an unimaginable speed, possibly in the blink of an eye.

However, this time, the return took much longer than Eden had anticipated.

It felt as if about half an hour had passed, and he still hadn't returned to his body.

Nothing like this was ever mentioned in books...

At that thought, Eden suddenly became alert.

"Could it be that my soul is being captured?"

"No, that's unlikely. If it were captured, I would definitely notice it, and I am still on course for returning to my body."

Eden was at a loss.

As he pondered, the distance between his soul and his body slowly closed.

Soon after, a familiar sensation emerged; he began to slowly enter his body.

"Strange... why do I feel, so tired..."

Eden opened his eyes, feeling an overwhelming exhaustion.

It was a dual weariness of both soul and body.

As if... something had squeezed itself into his body.

"Could it be an illusion?"

Eden looked around, making sure he was still in his tent.

He turned and touched his pack to ensure that all his belongings were still there.

"How odd, nothing is missing. Could it really be just an illusion?"

In the midst of his thoughts, as he was about to lie down and close his eyes for sleep...

Footsteps came from outside the tent.

They... sounded like the clopping of goat hooves, yet also like human footsteps.

Eden turned his head towards the tent curtain.

From the center, the curtain was gently lifted.

A woman's face emerged through the curtain, blooming like a begonia.

The woman had fine, pale yellow hair like silk and a well-proportioned figure, exquisitely beautiful. She wasn't flamboyant but rather dignified. Her expression carried a hint of sorrow, and her eyes seemed to beg for something. She looked like a lovely townswoman who had come with a request. As he watched her, those pale gray eyes kindly fixed on his face, as if trying to distinguish who he was in the darkness.

"Messenger..."

The woman's voice was innocently pure, even more so than the Queen's.

Suddenly, Eden's hands grew warm, and he didn't understand why.

"Who are you?"

Eden thought,

"A believer of the Fahela Sect?"

In the darkness, the woman nodded.

"What have you come for?"

Eden spoke.

"I apologize... Messenger, I, I didn't mean to disturb you... I just wanted, I wanted to ask for a blessing for my sick child."

The woman said, slowly lifting the curtain, exposing her simplicity under the moonlight. She was dressed in a plain robe, her posture revealing elegance. This dignity, Arsia could not compare to her at all, although they seemed equally beautiful.

Eden saw, beside her legs, a pale-faced boy standing there, timidly eyeing him up.

They seemed to have no ill intent.

"What have you come for?"

Eden asked again.

He must play the part of a Messenger well.

The woman took a deep breath, slowly kneeling down, her beautiful head leaning towards Eden,

"Please, heal my child; he's sick, and he's lost all colour."

Eden looked at the boy, his eyes cast down, then slowly took a step back and knelt down as well.

For some reason, a bizarre sense of throbbing arose as the woman drew closer.

This throbbing wasn't from her beauty or graceful demeanor but like a tender sweetness emanating from within his own flesh.

Eden watched the woman, his shadow unknowingly enveloping her, as if ready to pounce at any moment.

The woman slowly raised her face; her breath became ragged, like soft moans. She watched him in the dark, like a startled lamb, as if at any moment her tongue would reach out to lick the salt from the Shepherd's face.

She inched closer, her fingers clutching the robe at her collar, as if she were about to undress at any moment.

"Do you believe I can heal him?"

Suddenly, Eden asked.

The woman smiled,

"And you can heal me too."

Eden's gaze lingered meaningfully on the woman.

"I've heard many rumors from the monks, that night, that streak of heaven's light..."

She moved closer; her body seemingly wafted a fragrance of orchids. She giggled softly, her crimson lips curving, her eyes shimmering.

As she came closer, Eden realized his body seemed feverish, as if longing for something. His breath grew short. Strange, indeed strange, he felt as if he had never encountered such an attractive woman.

Her beauty matched Arsia's, but she was far more dignified, not provocative, yet her every move exuded tender affection, seemingly a pure admirer. His body urged for something to happen.

Eden felt dry.

He could almost hear his body begging.

The woman saw that she was about to succeed and whispered softly,

"Oh, my body, my soul... they both need your solace..."

As she spoke, her hand slowly undid her clothes beneath her robe. She pursed her lips, as if to draw closer to the Envoy before her, to reach his inner depths.

Solace...

She needs my solace...

The bewitched Eden suddenly remembered something.

The word "solace" struck a chord within Eden.

Theological concepts suddenly surged through the Priest's mind.

Wait, why should I solace her?

Do I know her pain? I haven't even met her, how can I offer her solace?

Apart from God,

who else could know her suffering?

Eden suddenly calmed down, gently pressing on the woman's shoulders.

The woman was about to press in, to offer up her eager kiss.

But then, Eden said,

"No, what you need is the solace of God.

Apart from God,

no one can truly understand your pain."

The woman's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

Her charm... had it actually... failed?

As the most beautiful woman in the city, even without her own charm, she should have...

Could it be... he's really God's Messenger?

Catching the woman's incredulous expression, Eden was pleased with his words.

Although he wasn't actually an Envoy.

But,

he had played the role of an Envoy very well, hadn't he?

The boy at his side was also staring dumbfounded at the scene.

She didn't succeed?

The Enchanting Demon didn't succeed?

For a moment, both devils were thrown into disarray, not understanding where things had gone wrong. Why had Eden, just a second ago ensnared by the charm, suddenly regained his clarity?

"What are you seeking?"

Eden whispered lowly,

"What, after all, are you trying to ask of God?"

The woman paused.

"Do you seek life from God?"

Eden let her go, touching the little boy's head with a look of pity, pretending to be mysterious as he said,

"If you seek life, then life shall be given to you."

The little boy also stood dumbfounded, daring not to move a muscle.

In the devil's mind was just one question.

In case, he truly is God's Messenger, what should I do?

What should I do?!

The devil panicked, not daring to make any moves.

And in their ears came the voice of Lodzmer,

"Get them directly!"

However, both devils stopped, neither daring to act rashly.

In their minds, they both harbored the same fear,

If... he truly is God's Messenger...

The devils immediately began to regret taking on this miserable task. Wasn't it hard enough being a devil, to now also provoke God's Messenger!

Lodzmer, as if sensing the devils' lack of reaction, chanted their true names,

"Slo, Shaka Sai, take action."

The bodies of the two devils trembled, seemingly unable to resist the command of their true names.

Noticing their strangeness, Eden glanced at them, baffled.

Almost simultaneously, the two devils' eyes showed a murderous intent.

Eden instinctively took a half step back, hand resting on his travel bag.

He immediately entered a state of Spiritual Cultivation.

At that moment, he saw clearly.

Two devils entangled with two mortals' souls, they had taken control of these two bodies.

Damn!

Eden cursed in his heart.

Before the devils could make their move, he chanted the Ancient Language as fast as possible,

"Boru, Ausus."

The Ancient Language of Purification of Evil Spirits fell, causing the Holy Light to ripple forth, the powerful aftermath surging towards the devils.

While the devils were still barely resisting the command of their true names, hesitating whether to act, Eden unexpectedly took the lead.

Caught off-guard, the Holy Light expelled the devils directly from the mortals' bodies. A burning pain swept over them, pushing the devils back dozens of meters as they let out piteous howls.

"Is this the power of the Holy Chorus of the Third Rank?"

Eden felt a surprise delight.

He often used this move against devils, but it never had such power before. Now, he managed to defeat two devils in one go without them being able to fight back.

"Damn it."

Lodzmer cursed.

Hiding in the shadows, he raised his hand, undecided.

Two devils... an Enchanting Demon and a Fear Demon, both powerful lieutenants under him. Now, should he sacrifice them to confirm whether this Eden is truly God's Messenger?

Because of the Stone Pendant, which required a special ceremony, Lodzmer had not recognized that Eden was the bearer of it. Otherwise, he would not have hesitated and would have exerted all his efforts to eradicate Eden.

While Lodzmer hesitated.

"Priest! Priest! Get away!"

The urgent voice of Arsia echoed from afar in the campsite,

"Granny Cassandra, she has found a devil here!"

The sudden voice disrupted Lodzmer's thoughts.

"Tsk, damn it, they've set up a ritual to detect devils."

Lodzmer realized something, and muttered while clutching his hair,

"I must leave for now and seek another opportunity later."