Chapter 195: The Returned of The Demon God

Hearing Ophelia’s words, Ard and Eva suddenly felt a chill run down their spines, while the others simply stood there, dazed.

"What do you mean? Tell us, now!" Eva demanded.

"My goal... meeting Malekh... was to kill him and seal his soul within my own body... not because I wanted to be intimate with him... that is what I meant by being reunited... because of your mistake... for 3,000 years he was imprisoned there... he grew to hate everything... not just you... but the world itself... he intends to destroy it all," Ophelia answered, her voice faltering as her speech became erratic.

"So... you actually wanted to end the mistake we made by imprisoning him 3,000 years ago?" Ard asked.

"Yes... that’s right... I was going to bring him out... kill him... and keep his soul inside me to restrain him... it was the only thing I could do because I love him, and I didn’t want the one I love to destroy the world... surely you understand... what it feels like to stop the person you love from destroying everything and bring them back to who they were... Ashton... Esmeralda... or should I say Azroth and Evelina... it’s all the same," Ophelia whispered breathlessly.

Ard and Eva were stunned, because they realized exactly what Ophelia was saying. When Esmeralda had died, Ashton had spiraled into a rage, becoming Azroth, and Evelina had fought desperately to stop him and bring him back as Ashton. Their tears stopped, and the two of them stepped forward. They knelt on either side of Ophelia; Ard took her right hand, and Eva took her left.

"Hey... what are you doing... hurry and seal me... I don’t want Malekh to take me over... hurry," Ophelia pleaded.

"Rest now, Ophelia. Leave the rest to us. We are all parts of Ordione," Ard said.

"That’s right, Ophelia... don’t be afraid. We can definitely handle Malekh. Let him take you over, because we will surely meet him at the gates of hell anyway," Eva said.

"But... I... Malekh," Ophelia’s voice trailed off.

Hearing what Ard and Eva said, Ophelia fell silent for a moment. Tears began to flow, turning red as they mixed with her blood, but then she seemed to realize something. A peaceful smile spread across her face, and her hands weakly gripped theirs.

"Thank you... Ashton... Esmeralda... forgive me... now I can rest. Let me return... to you... because in truth, I am a part of you... the true soul of Ordione," Ophelia said with a smile.

"We understand," Ard said.

"Please tell Bedryt thank you for reminding me... goodbye... Ard... Eva. Please defeat Malekh... defeat him... I love him... but our paths are just too different... please... please," Ophelia whispered.

Then Ophelia went still. Her hands slipped from Ard and Eva’s and fell limp to the ground. Ard and Eva could feel the weight of the sadness and suffering she had endured, and they finally shed tears for the enemy lying before them. They, too, had lived through what Ophelia and Malekh experienced—reincarnating nine times over just because they couldn’t find each other, enduring all the misery that had haunted them for three thousand years.

Moments later, Ophelia’s body was engulfed in a brilliant light. Ard and Eva stood and stepped back. Her glowing soul emerged from her body and floated toward them. She took their hands one last time, her expression serene and peaceful, and Ard and Eva nodded together. Ophelia’s soul then dissolved, flowing into both of their bodies, causing them to glow intensely as they became far more powerful than ever before.

Ard and Eva looked at each other, then took each other’s hands as they stared down at Ophelia’s stiff corpse lying before them.

"Ard... Eva!"

The two of them turned to see Alicia, Milia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Pyria, Mirea, Claudia, Ainsley, Geoffrey, Irwin, and Adeline running toward them. The group stopped, looking down at the fallen Ophelia.

"Finally," Geoffrey said.

"We... we won," Milia added.

"Not yet," Eva countered.

"She’s right. The war is over, but there is still one more deciding battle left," Ard said.

"Huh... what do you mean by that?" Mirea asked.

Before Ard or Eva could answer, dark clouds rolled in above them and lightning struck. Everyone looked up to see the clouds swirling like a massive vortex in the sky. As the others watched in awe, Ard and Eva turned to face them.

"Get back... this is our business... a debt we’ve owed for three thousand years," Eva said.

"She’s right. Please, move as far back as you can. Don’t worry, we will definitely win and come back," Ard said with a smile.

Hearing the conviction in their voices and seeing the certainty on their faces, Alicia, Milia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Pyria, Mirea, Claudia, Ainsley, Geoffrey, Irwin, and Adeline were left speechless. They all stepped forward and pulled Ard and Eva into a tight embrace.

"You have to come back," Alicia said, holding both of their hands.

"That’s right. We still have an empire to run," Mirea added.

"Promise you’ll return. If you don’t, I’m going to be furious," Beatrice chimed in.

"Fine, I understand. I’ll watch from a distance, but please promise me you’ll come back," Rosalind said.

"Big brother Ard... big sister Eva... I love you both," Adeline said, hugging them tightly.

"I believe in you... Ard... Eva... from the very beginning until now, I’ve always been sure you’d come back," Claudia said.

"I’ll be waiting far back, and I’ll be keeping an eye on you," Milia added.

"Me too... I’ll be waiting for you. Fight hard," Pyria said.

"Bro... Eva... give it your all. I know you can do this," Geoffrey said.

"Yeah... he’s right. We’ll be supporting you from the back with our prayers," Ainsley added.

Irwin didn’t say a word; he simply nodded, his face still heavy with the grief of losing Irina. After their final hugs, they immediately retreated with their familiars. Ard and Eva turned around, gripping Exgrandal and Exelion in their hands while holding onto each other.

"Well... it’s just like 3,000 years ago, isn’t it?" Ard said, looking up at the sky.

"Yep... exactly the same," Eva replied, her eyes fixed upward.

"We have to come back, Eva... we’re going to be together forever," Ard said seriously.

"Yes... we’ll definitely return, together," Eva replied with equal weight.

"I love you... just like when we were on Earth... 3,000 years ago and 1,000 years ago," Ard said.

"Hey... save that for when we’re finished here... but you’re right. I love you too—then, now, and forever," Eva replied.

Suddenly, Ophelia’s corpse stood up. Black clouds, like living shadows, began to descend slowly, twisting into tendrils that swirled like a tornado as they reached toward the ground. Ard and Eva tightened the grip on their swords. The tendrils began to pour into Ophelia’s helpless body. Then, "thump... thump," a sound like a massive, booming heartbeat echoed through the air. A sudden burst of black light illuminated Ophelia’s form, encasing her within a giant sphere of shadow that floated into the sky.

A crack of thunder shattered the silence, and a torrential rain began to drench the earth. Ard and Eva kept their eyes fixed on the giant, glowing black sphere before them. Through the haze, they could see Ophelia’s body transforming into that of a powerful man. His long hair grew even longer, and a pair of massive, curved horns sprouted from his head. His lower half seemed to morph into the hindquarters of a bison, while horns also emerged from his elbows. Swirling tattoos covered his muscular frame, and his skin turned a dull gray. Finally, massive black dragon wings erupted from his back. He opened his eyes, and "swoosh," the sphere of shadow vanished.

The mighty figure of Malekh now stood before Ard and Eva, his size as immense as the goddess Ophelia’s true form had been. Malekh looked around, appearing dazed, and raised a hand to touch his chest.

"Ophelia... where are you? I should have merged with you upon your death," Malekh said, sounding confused.

"Hey... look over here."

Malekh looked down. His red eyes suddenly widened as he saw Ard and Eva far below him, looking tiny by comparison. But then his attention shifted to Exgrandal and Exelion, which the two were holding. A cynical smile spread across his face. He shrank himself down to human size and stood directly in front of them.

"Ashton... Esmeralda... it’s been a long time," Malekh greeted them with a sneer.

"Yeah... 3,000 years is a long time," Ard replied.

"If you’re here and I’ve taken over Ophelia’s body without her soul, that means you’re the ones who killed her," Malekh countered.

"Spot on. Even after being locked away for so long, you’re still sharp," Eva said.

"Good. This way, I can destroy both of you and this world together. Let’s begin," Malekh replied with a wide grin, bracing himself to attack. Ard and Eva did the same. The final battle was about to begin.