?


    "Bal, it''s all over now, stop."


    As Renji uttered that name, the High Priest''s body suddenly trembled. The almost entirely lost rationality seemed to return a bit in that moment, and a glimmer of rity reappeared in her blood-filled eyes.


    But it was just a glimmer.


    Soon after, rationality faded from the High Priest again, reced by an even more intense hatred. In fact, from the moment Renji had disappeared to head towards the restricted area, Bal''s heart had already cooled. It wasplete despair when she no longer felt the presence of the cursed Skull Gem.


    All her ns for revenge, the curse she had schemed for centuries, were still so frail before "that person" - the great Emperor, the Emperor she once admired and aspired to.


    "it is over?"


    "No"


    "Not yet. It''s not over yet!"


    ''How could... How could it end like this!''


    The power of Tainted Miasmaes from negative emotions, and Renji''s appearance pushed Bal''s inner Miasma to its peak. Loads of filthy ck mire began to ooze out from the High Priest''s eyes, mouth, and nose, soon covering her entire body, growing more and more.


    In just a few blinks, the ck mire hadpletely covered Bal''s body, obliterating any trace of the High Priest''s former appearance. A few breathster, the mire kept surging, eventually transforming Bal into a giant filthy crawling creature,posed entirely of mud and standing eight or nine stories tall.


    The final form of Bal abandoned even ''her'' "beauty," bing a tool of hatred and controlled by Miasma. This monstrous crawling creature, with its heavy body of mud, had only two soulless ck voids for eyes and a whimpering, howling oval mouth.


    For this colossal creature, the entire world seemed to narrow down to just one person below.


    That was the young man on the ground.


    Nova, being her dutiful self, immediately stepped in front of the crawling creature to protect Renji behind her. However, this time, the young man held back Nova, who was about to charge.


    Previously, hecked the strength to participate in such a level of fight, so he could only hide behind Nova, watching his former "cards" fight each other.


    But now.


    Renji was grateful to Miyuki, because, at least, she had given him a chance to end this himself.


    "Nova, could I borrow you for a moment?"


    Nova was initially taken aback, but quickly realized that thinking wasn''t what she needed to do. What she needed to do was


    "Nova is always willing to be your sword, no matter when."


    Watching Nova''s sincere, burning purple eyes, void of any distractions, and filled with honest feelings towards him, Renji knew no more words were needed. Against the backdrop of the colossal filthy crawling creature towering dozens of meters high, Renji ced his hand on Nova''s chest. At the same time, the gray-brown "crown" icon in his skill bar lit up again. The Touch of Miasma was activated once more, and this time,


    *Buzz!*


    A zing inferno instantly filled Renji''s entire field of vision. Unlike the "empty shell" elf, this time, the object of the Touch of Miasma was the very real Nova.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Renji felt a strange link connecting him intimately with Nova, as if the Touch of Miasma opened a door to the deepest parts of her heart.


    In that moment, he knew everything about Nova – every inch of her skin, every strand of her red hair, even every tiny pore.


    For Nova, she felt as if all of her was exposed to Renji. It was like standing naked under a spotlight before her master, yet she harbored no feelings of shyness or difort.


    On the contrary.


    Nova closed her eyes, rxingpletely as Renji touched her, soon floating up weightlessly, her limbs hanging down. This signified her surrendering all control of her body to the young man before her, the one she trusted the most, longed to be with, and loved the most.


    If there was any unease in Nova, it was her concern about whether her body would please him. She hoped not to be despised by him and wondered how she could further adapt herself to his liking.


    However, these concerns disappeared the next moment, as Renji withdrew his hand and Nova involuntarily let out a soft moan. Her body vanished, reced by swirling red Miasma mist around Renji.


    This time, the equipment "materialized" from Nova through the Touch of Miasma didn''t appear in Renji''s hand.


    Instead, it formed behind him.


    Behind Renji, all the Miasma power from Nova began to converge crazily, and the outlines of a pair of wings slowly emerged.


    Although the wings were not yet fully formed, their massive size, only befitting a "dragonkind," and their sharply angled contours indicated their aggressive and intimidating nature.


    As scorching mes followed, igniting on the wings, it undoubtedly gave the dragon wings their final soul. The terrifying high temperature distorted the surrounding air.


    This was the equipment bestowed to Renji by Nova under the Touch of Miasma.


    A pair of.


    Crimson Lotus Wings.


    ......


    "Hmm not bad…" Renji remarked, stepping out of the red Miasma mist.


    He had never felt such explosive power in his body before, like a roaring furnace of energy burning inside, driving every organ to its maximum capacity. Even his breath seemed to scorch the surrounding air.


    The source of all this power, naturally, came from the wings on his back. The mes of the Crimson Lotus spread through the wings to his entire body, painting him with a red tattoo-like pattern. The flowing lines of me across his chest, arms, and back, reminiscent of moltenva, were intimidating at just a nce.


    Renji nced at his attribute panel. His previously barely D+ attributes had leapt to an S level in both "Strength" and "Agility."


    "Physique" and "Stamina" were a bit lower, only reaching A+ level, and unfortunately, "Special Ability" remained at a meager D- level.


    After all, Nova''s profession was a Vanguard, and the "Wings of Crimson Lotus" that she had mainly enhanced his strength and agility.