Chapter 97: Goddess of the Night & Moon Assassin
"Oh Goddess of the Night, please heed your loyal servant’s call..."
"Please lower your gaze upon Nova Roma once again..."
Selene’s voice echoed through the devastated plain, her tone both solemn and pious.
The moment the final word left her lips, the remaining deadly energy was stirred.
It seemed to serve as fuel, attracting the attention of a distant being.
An oppressive aura suddenly descended upon the Goblin Mountains.
Although its target was Selene rather than Aurelius, he still felt a chill run down his spine.
He felt an invisible gaze sweep over him, as though closely examining him.
The gaze was indifferent, ruthless, and... strangely divine.
Although he had never encountered it before, Aurelius instinctively recognized it.
’A God!’
This word inexplicably emerged in his mind.
Selene’s prayer only further confirmed that suspicion.
The being she had managed to summon was a God!
More precisely, one of the Seven Righteous Gods—the Goddess of the Night.
Although such a being would obviously not pay attention to a mere Rank 1 Awakener, it was obvious that part of her consciousness had fixed its gaze onto the Goblin Mountains.
Sensing its aura, countless thoughts arose within Aurelius’ mind.
Would the Goddess of the Night be able to detect something strange about him?
Perhaps she would discover his true identity and even the Player Panel?
By that point, what would she do? Kill him on the spot or use him as an experimental subject?
Aurelius subconsciously trembled as he imagined what fate awaited him if his true identity was revealed.
Fortunately, he seemed to be overthinking.
After a brief moment, the Goddess of the Night turned her gaze away from him, her entire focus shifting toward Selene.
Whether it was because the Player Panel could conceal all his abnormalities or the Goddess of the Night was simply not strong enough to detect them, she had failed to find anything strange about him.
Aurelius quietly breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
However, he didn’t have much time to dwell on these thoughts.
Selene’s goal had become abundantly clear.
She was currently undergoing her Advancement Ritual!
From the very beginning, her goal had been the advancement to Rank 2.
Whether it was the death of the Goblin Warlock or the descent of the Goddess of the Night, everything had been done to achieve that goal.
Just as she had done with Aurelius, the Goddess did not stare at Selene for long.
Only a moment later, her gaze moved away, and the divine aura faded.
But this time, she had left behind a gift.
A gentle moonlight spread throughout the plain, acting as a silver veil and encasing Selene completely.
Just by watching the cocoon of light around her, Aurelius felt his tense nerves relax.
The light possessed the ability to negate all negative emotions. But its effects did not end there.
It also provided great benefits to one’s physical condition.
Much to Aurelius’ surprise, his exhausted physical and mental energy began to recover at a terrifying rate.
Within moments, he had regained nearly half of his combat prowess. And his recovery showed no signs of stopping.
But just as he thought that he would recover completely, the light suddenly vanished.
The silver cocoon burst apart.
Selene walked from inside, her figure appearing in the plain once again.
She was now completely different. Both in appearance and aura.
Several silver strands had appeared along her pitch-black hair, while her pupils remained dark but had gained a silver hue.
The most important change was in her aura.
It had become both more unfathomable and serene.
One could very well mistake her for a high-Rank Awakener, but could as well mistake her for an ordinary person.
Both of these states coexisted within the same person, making it impossible to discern her true depths.
Fortunately, Aurelius faced no such issue.
The interface hovering above her head had already told him everything he needed to know.
[Selene Novaltis—Level 21 Moon Assassin]
Moon Assassin.
A trace of surprise flashed across Aurelius’ face as he read that name.
He had originally expected that Selene’s Class would be more deeply connected to both Moon and the divine. Something akin to a Moon Priest.
This was partly because of the Goddess of the Night’s influence, and partly because of the Moon Favored Class during her transformation.
But soon, Aurelius realized he might have misunderstood.
Selene’s earlier state had only been temporary.
Her Main Class had remained that of an Assassin.
Although it had mutated due to her own peculiarities—and perhaps the influence of the Moonlight Necklace—she still remained an Assassin.
Seeing that Selene had advanced without an issue, Aurelius smiled faintly.
He was happy to see his companion grow stronger, especially since that advancement was obviously far from ordinary.
With a smile, Aurelius intended to approach the female Assassin—now a Moon Assassin—and congratulate her on her success.
But just then, his expression suddenly changed.
Alarm bells rang within his heart.
Instinctively, Aurelius activated the Solar Armor, weaving an armor of Sacred Flames around his torso.
At the same time, the Sea God’s Trident materialized in his hand, ready to strike at the slightest movement.
But as he turned around and looked at the source of the sudden change, he couldn’t help but grow speechless.
Although the other party was not a body made of blood and flesh but one formed from silver light, its mere outline was enough for Aurelius to recognize it.
He showed no mercy.
After blocking its attack with the Solar Armor, he thrust the Sea God’s Trident into its head, forcefully shattering the Moonlight Phantom.
Then, he turned to Selene, who had been manipulating the surrounding moonlight all this while.
"Haven’t you grown tired of ambushing me?" he couldn’t help but rub his forehead, his face full of complaints.
"Is this the time to play such pranks? What if I hadn’t recovered?"
"Do you really wish to kill me?"
His tone was harsh. He wasn’t joking this time, but was truly scolding Selene.
Initially, the female Assassin had planned to stick out her tongue and dismiss it just like she had done many times before.
But the seriousness in his voice made her embarrassed. Especially when she knew that he was in the right.
"You... you’re right. It’s my fault," she hurriedly admitted.
"It’s just that I was too excited to have successfully advanced."
"I just wanted to try out my new abilities. I had no harm," she tried to justify herself in a rare moment of self-awareness.
Aurelius did not believe her words.
This was far from the first time this woman’s competitive spirit had flared up. She seemed intent on defeating him every time she got more powerful and her confidence surged.
Even so, he was wiser than to voice his true thoughts aloud.
Everything had gone well tonight.
He had obtained the Sea God’s Trident and a powerful skill as a result of the Synthesis.
Selene had managed to kill the Rank 3 Goblin Warlock, using him as fuel to attract the Goddess’s attention and thus complete her Advancement Ritual.
Both had benefited greatly from tonight’s events.
There was no need to sour their mood at this point.
Aurelius shook his head inwardly.
"Although the Goblin Warlock’s aura lingers near the plain and no monsters remain in the plain, some might have heard the noise and rushed toward this place."
"There is no reason to stay here and risk our lives unnecessarily," Aurelius said.
He raised his head and looked at the horizon.
His gaze seemed capable of piercing through the mountains and forest, reaching a distant land.
"Moreover, the goblins’ leader is dead. The Epic Relic that caused everything has also disappeared."
"It’s likely that the situation of the northern border will change again."