Chapter 634: Hunting Down the Light
"You take Luna and get out of here, I'll hold Them off!"
Loren flapped his wings and soared into the air, using the Dusk Crow's ability to contend with the God of Light and Fire. He successfully devoured the intense radiance radiating from the God of Light and Fire, allowing Laila to regain her sight.
"I will never abandon you!"
This time, Laila was unusually resolute. Even in the face of the God of Light and Fire, she showed not a shred of fear.
"Take Luna and go! Now!"
Loren continued to insist, his tone bordering on a direct command.
Laila looked at Loren, then glanced at Luna, and finally made her decision.
"I'll come back to help you right away!"
With that, Laila grabbed her outfit and made a throwing motion, then she flew off with Luna in tow.
𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Loren hadn't expected her Arcane Ability to be used that way, but this wasn't the time to think about it.
"Little Amy, long time no see."
Loren drew his twin blades, and the Dusk Crow's ability continued to manifest, devouring the light around him. He actually managed to hold his ground against the deity.
He knew very well that relying solely on a Mythical Creature couldn't contend with a god's authority, yet an eerie balance had somehow been achieved.
"Could it be that this isn't really the God of Light and Fire?"
A thought struck Loren. If the being before him truly was the God of Light and Fire, They would have already charged in to annihilate him instantly. There was no way They'd be locked in a standoff like this.
Moreover, the real God of Light and Fire would never have spared Luna's life. No matter how strong Luna was, she was no match for the God of Light and Fire.
"A territory belonging to the God of Night and Thunder, a God of Light and Fire operating with bound hands, deliberately sparing Luna's life...
"You're the Moon card, aren't you?"
After a rapid chain of reasoning, Loren quickly figured out what was really going on.
The Moon card was in the territory of the God of Night and Thunder, though Loren didn't know its exact location.
And Luna had shown up here because she'd received word of the Moon card and came searching for it.
The Moon card's effect was simple: it created the thing its target feared most.
As for what Luna feared most, it was naturally the God of Light and Fire.
The Moon card's judgment method was quite unique. Luna feared the God of Light and Fire that had killed Loren. She didn't know much about the God of Light and Fire, but the one summoned by the Moon card would be the genuine God of Light and Fire.
They would possess the memories of the God of Light and Fire, even if the real God of Light and Fire might differ somewhat from the one Luna feared.
However, the strength of the summon was tied to the Moon card's user. If what got summoned was an existence like the God of Light and Fire, it would be very powerful, but it definitely couldn't match the real God of Light and Fire, nor would it hold any authority.
Once the target died, the Moon card's summon would also vanish.
But that wasn't the most critical part. The most critical part was that They knew They were a summon of the Moon card.
They knew they were summons, but they also didn't actually understand the Moon card's effects, which gave the Moon card's user plenty of room to maneuver.
Summons wouldn't be loyal to the Moon card's user, so the user needed to find ways to deceive the summon and make it fight for them.
But the God of Light and Fire was different. As a student of the Perpetual Observer, They knew exactly how the Moon card worked.
So They also knew Their own weakness and would do everything possible to avoid it.
"Let me guess. The Moon card's user is dead, so there's no one to supply you with energy now. Every bit of energy you use is one bit less. Am I right?"
The God of Light and Fire remained silent, but the fact that They still hadn't made a move already said plenty.
"Knowing your personality, you'd do everything you could to survive. That's why you don't dare kill Luna."
If the summon had an extremely self-serving personality, then not wanting to kill the target was also a possibility. But that was an extremely rare case, and it required them to know the Moon card's specific effects.
With these thoughts, Loren felt completely at ease.
"Your next move is to turn around and run, isn't it?"
Sure enough, Loren was right. The moment he finished speaking, the God of Light and Fire began to put distance between Them and Loren, even going so far as to extinguish the light on Their body, since that light also consumed energy.
In that case, Loren didn't need to use the Dusk Crow's ability anymore. As long as he could catch up, he could kill Them.
"The Moon card is the key. After the Moon card's user died, you probably took the Moon card for yourself."
Loren continued his verbal harassment. The God of Light and Fire also knew that Loren knew these things, and him saying it out loud was a form of intimidation.
If he used the Moon card against the God of Light and Fire, what They would most likely see was Loren himself. The gods targeted him specifically because of their fear of him.
Loren switched to the Dawn Magpie's ability instead. As the God of Light and Fire dimmed, Loren began to shine. He actually looked more like a god now than the God of Light and Fire did.
Even a fake God of Light and Fire had plenty of tricks up Their sleeve, so although Loren was mocking Them verbally, he was taking Them very seriously in his heart.
If he actually caught Them, Loren wouldn't waste a single word.
The Dawn Magpie's speed was fast enough, but the God of Light and Fire had the authority of light. Loren couldn't catch up to Them for quite a while.
Loren could only wait for Their energy to run out and for Them to stop on Their own.
"Stop right there, I'll cut you down, you dumb piece of shit!"
Loren roared while flying.
The God of Light and Fire had killed him once before, so it was impossible for him not to hold a grudge. And since he couldn't go after the real God of Light and Fire for revenge, taking out his anger on this imposter was just as good.
But in the end, Loren was disappointed. The God of Light and Fire suddenly accelerated and vanished over the horizon.
"What a pity..."
Loren had lost Them, but he wasn't too discouraged. To preserve his current state, the God of Light and Fire would have to find somewhere to hide.
If They really wanted to cause trouble, it wouldn't be a quiet affair. And none of that was the most critical part. The most critical part was Laila.
Loren hoped Laila had taken the opportunity to place a mark on the God of Light and Fire.
But even if there was no mark, it didn't matter. Loren didn't think the God of Light and Fire would just sit there waiting to die.
Before dying, They would definitely make a desperate struggle, and that would be Loren's opportunity.
Although Loren hadn't chased for long, his speed was fast, and he'd already covered a considerable distance.
Just as Loren was heading back, he collided head-on with Laila.
And he meant literally collided. She was flying toward him at extreme speed, and Loren caught her in mid-air in time, spinning a few times to disperse the momentum before the two of them landed steadily together.
"Is Luna alright?"
After confirming the situation, Loren wasn't as worried anymore. The God of Light and Fire wouldn't have gone for the kill on Luna.
But They still had struck her down hard, and that was a grudge Loren absolutely had to settle.
"Luna's fine. Why did the God of Light and Fire leave?"
"Oh, They're a fake. They took one look at me and ran. The Moon card is on Them."
"It's out in space now. I just placed a mark on Them."