Chapter 1089 Moon Offering

The mage was inside the barrier now, so he did not get to see the goddess being chased away. In a tactical retreat due to her loss of power, Artemis ran for her life in shame and fury. A god might be defeated, but never scared into running away.

Her confused worshipers, some having a lack of faith in her abilities and identity, followed after her. Artemis did not stop running until she regained her powers, which happened after the lakes could not be seen.

Gripping her bow made the goddess feel the familiar power of gods, bestowed upon her by her king. She stared at her arrows, each brimming with power, accusing them of betraying her in a moment of need.

"Should we go back, my goddess?" asked Freud, the Chief of these hunters with a bow. Artemis did not mind him talking to her without a reason because unlike the rest of humans, this man had unwavering loyalty toward her.

"That strange man might still be there," said Artemis with a frown as she returned her bow to the divine realm. "His unusual presence and smell, along with the power to sever my connections to Devaheim, can only mean one thing."

Freud did not ask her what that thing was, as he could tell it was a matter of great secrecy. This trait also made the goddess appreciate this loyal dog for being smart enough not to antagonize her.

"You have been a devoted subject, Freud," said Artemis after a moment of thought. "Therefore, I can entrust you with this task. The fight ahead of us will not be easy. To strengthen my connection to the divine realm, I need the heart of a maiden with unparalleled beauty before the final battle."

"Heart of a maiden?" asked Freud with surprise before he smiled and nodded. "Do you mean a Moon Offering, dear goddess? I have a woman prepared just for that purpose back in the camp. However, it is far from here."

Artemis was slightly surprised that this man knew so much about her powers, but she did not show it. A Moon Offering was a sacrifice made by those who worshipped the moon and the Huntress Goddess. It was an ancient ritual that blessed those who followed Artemis.

"As I understood the situation in this tower, there is an ongoing war," said Artemis as she stared toward the island flying in the sky. "That feline I chased seems to be over there. Since he is a follower of this Demon King, then we can expect the war to be related to this."

"What do you mean, my goddess?"

"He will show himself if I kill his friends," said Artemis with a smile. "Until that time, you must capture that maiden and bring her to me. I will take that offering and bless you with immense strength."

"As you command, my goddess," said Freud as he bowed. "I shall begin my quest now. Please expect nothing but great results."

After that, the hunter disappeared, running into the distance. Several figures followed after him, while the rest remained by her side. Artemis looked at them, filled with doubts of her powers and identity, before she snapped her fingers.

Arrows appeared out of thin air before they struck the hunters, striking their hearts. These arrows were called Judgement, killing anyone who had doubts about her. Most of them fell, a few survived. Those who lacked faith died instantly, while those who remained stared at her without a change in their expression, despite the sudden death of their comrades.

"You have unwavering faith in me, even after witnessing what happened," said Artemis with a surprised smile. "Summon your mounts and take me to that island. I can sense that the final battle is about to begin."

***

Seven days have passed since Ramiel learned about the truth behind Lord Marshal. In those six days, he had to shake off countless scouts pursuing him. It seems that Lord Marshal knew Ramiel was going toward his daughter, so he made sure to dedicate an entire division to chase him.

Ramiel knew better than leading him toward that miserable woman who was already fleeing for her life. Thus, he killed anyone who chased him without mercy and ran through countless mazes in the mountains. On the sixth day, he finally felt like he was no longer being chased down.

"I can finally go and save her," said Ramiel, vowing to give her the life she deserved. Most of the people in Xeloria thought that he had feelings for her, but the half-demon felt no such thing. Instead, he felt loyalty for the one person who taught him how to be more than an executor.

At the moment, he was hiding in a cave atop a mountain, far from Xeloria. Although it would have taken him a day on foot to find the camp she was hiding inside, Marshal was relentless to find his daughter. He was willing to leave an entire division behind to chase Ramiel down.

The demon pulled a scarf to cover his gruff features, keeping away the cold. Snow covered the mountain top outside, which might have been the biggest factor in his success in shaking away his pursuers.

"This blizzard will not go down anytime soon," muttered Ramiel, but he knew that he should be grateful for that. Otherwise, his enemies would find him. "I have not eaten in a week… My head is growing dizzy."

Although he said that, Ramiel began to go down the mountain while covering his body with snow. As soon as the snow touched him, it would crawl over his body and become one with him, making the half-demon a white humanoid figure.

Ramiel had no food on him, and the hunger made his head spin. Most challengers would never grow hungry because they had their pouches. However, Lord Marshal took the one Ramiel had when he arrested him, and no one knew what he did with his belongings.

This also meant that Ramiel could not enter the tower's room and recover, which made him even weaker as he traveled on foot. However, he knew that she could never be safe as long as that sick bastard was alive.

As he was going down the mountain, the half-demon heard the sound of running water. He looked for the source and found an icy river flowing down the mountain, which he jumped into without a second thought. Despite the cold, it carried him downward, hopefully to a place close to Xeloria.

The war was still ongoing since Ramiel escaped a day before it started. However, the moment the war ends, Lord Marshal would comb the entire floor for his daughter and Ramiel. Although that man known as Alexie promised he would end the war, Ramiel doubted that.

The freezing water grew warmer at some point, making the frost covering his hardened skin melt. Ramiel opened his eyes and saw sunlight, which meant that he escaped the blizzard. Knowing that he was near Crestview City before entering the river, he knew it was a long time before he reached Xeloria.

After several hours in the river, Ramiel emerged while gasping. This was the limit of his stats, and if he stayed a second longer there, he would have suffocated to death. As he climbed out of the river, he could hear the sounds of crackling fire.

"A side character has appeared!" an annoying voice announced, making Ramiel flinch and turn to run away. "There is no need to run, half-demon! We have no interest in your head!"

Ramiel paused and turned toward the two people who had their camp near the river. One of them was a creature riding a bicycle, who had a mask covering his face and a book in his hand. As for the other, it was a cloaked figure tending to the bonfire.

"Even a side character has a role in this story," said the cloaked figure as he poked the logs of wood with a stick, letting the flames burn brighter. "We have been waiting for you, Ramiel Pureheart. A gut feeling told me that we would find you in this place."

lightsΝοvεl ƈοm "That gut feeling of yours is quite suspicious," said the half-demon with apprehension. "How do you know my name? Did Lord Marshal send you two?"

"Hahahaha! This halfwit thinks that we take commands from mortals!" said the masked man riding a bicycle as he flipped through his book. "We know everything about you, Side Character! We are here to share a piece of information."

"What information?" asked Ramiel with a frown as he prepared to attack at any moment. However, as if sensing his intentions, the cloaked man sat on the boulder before throwing the stick into the fire.

"A divine creature has appeared on the second floor," said the cloaked man while staring at the flames. "In ancient times, this goddess would be strengthened through something called Moon Offerings. The ritual includes killing a beauty during a full moon, which happens to be tonight."

"What do I do with that information?" asked the half-demon with confusion, but not letting his guard down.

"This goddess is called Artemis, Huntress Goddess of the Moon. Since I know what kind person she is, she will try to strengthen herself through a Moon Offering before the upcoming battle. The man who will be tasked with that is a hunter you know well."

"Freud?" muttered Ramiel with confusion, and the masked creature began laughing as he flipped through his book.

"I can see it, Seref! We are rewriting the story as we speak! This is amazing!" said the spirit as he rode on his bicycle, circling around the bonfire.

"You have an option of preventing the Moon Offering and saving the maiden, whom you have already been planning to save," said the cloaked figure as he pointed in a certain direction. "Take this direction an hour from here, and you will reach the camp. However, I cannot guarantee that you will get there in time before he finds her."