Chapter 416: Eternally United (6K Request for Subscription)

Herbert’s only current ultimate goal is to successfully resurrect Nenasha and bring her back to the mortal world.

To achieve this ultimate goal, he must complete several subordinate tasks.

One of them is to reestablish his own divine church.

Since he is not sealing his divinity for the first time, he does not need to start from scratch—only to revive the previously collapsed church is sufficient.

With a righteous cause and the banner of revival, it is far simpler than starting from nothing.

As for the composition of the divine church, Herbert has several preliminary ideas.

First, awaken more spirits from the Mist Mountains.

Rehire these “unemployed” former employees to form the foundation of the divine church.

Although some special spirits have long since struck out on their own, declared themselves kings, and have no intention of returning obediently—or are unwilling to submit.

But Herbert believes the vast majority of spirits long for Nenasha’s return.

On this point, challenges certainly exist, but the real resistance is expected to be minimal.

Moreover, he can use the Spirit Pool to directly recall spirits who were previously “deactivated,” allowing them to shine once more.

So far, he has only obtained one of the three fragments of the Spirit Pool; once the other fragments are gathered and fully restored, its power will surely surpass its former strength.

Second, he must also recruit new members, preferably experienced hands familiar with church operations.

His gaze turns toward the Mist Monastery, always seeking an opportunity to poach talent.

The original Herbert had ample talent but insufficient strength.

Though he harbored certain ideas, as a high-tier cultivator he was still insufficient to establish himself as a leader within the monastery.

Some cultivators foresaw his potential but remained inactive, waiting for his growth.

Now that he has truly attained legendary power, he can begin entertaining these thoughts and elevate them to the agenda.

How to poach talent under the abbot’s very eyes, however, is another matter entirely.

Finally, there is the small group of true followers that Herbert must cultivate from scratch.

Of these three aspects, this one has progressed the fastest—he has already identified several future candidates.

In the future, these three forces will form a brand-new divine church—uh, the Harmonious Church?

Herbert pondered this in his mind, then suddenly raised an eyebrow as he gazed at the excited, weeping spirits before him.

Wait, something feels off.

“…”

He thought for a moment, then quietly drew in a sharp breath and asked inwardly: “By the way, why are they all female?”

He examined them closely—the seventy spirits before him differed in appearance and race, yet shared one common trait.

They were all female monster girls.

No, seriously?

How did a all-female group end up here too?

“Nenasha, your divine realm shouldn’t have only female spirits, right?”

Herbert carefully recalled and realized that although rare, he had indeed encountered male spirits in the Mist Mountains before.

So why are all of them female this time?

In response to Herbert’s question, Nenasha replied calmly: 【“So? Don’t you like it?”】

“Huh?”

Herbert blinked, puzzled: “Like it? Uh… should I like it?”

【“I think you should like it.”】

【“You should prefer these female spirits over the male ones.”】

【“That’s why I’ve awakened only female spirits this time—the male ones are still being nurtured in the pool.”】

!!!

What do you mean by that?

Herbert widened his eyes and fiercely protested inwardly: “I don’t! Don’t make baseless accusations without evidence!”

I didn’t, I don’t, stop making things up.

“Defamation! This is blatant defamation! You’re slandering me!”

Nonsense!

Outrageous lies!

Herbert has always been upright and honorable—when did I ever have such dark thoughts?

Even if I did, when have I ever said so?

【“…Hmph.”】

After quietly listening to Herbert’s overreaction, Nenasha let out a light scoff and asked: 【“So… did I do well?”】

【“Also, if you keep yelling, next time I won’t do this.”】

“I… okay.”

Herbert, who had just passionately defended himself, fell silent, then slowly nodded: “...Very well, cough.”

“Well done.”

Five-star review, dear~

After their bickering, Herbert turned his gaze to the fragment of the Spirit Pool on the altar—its energy had been completely depleted.

Had he not trusted Nenasha, Herbert might have feared the Spirit Pool was ruined.

The Spirit Pool does not awaken spirits out of thin air—it consumes its own stored energy.

The Chimera was not a spirit; though it grew stronger than peers through the pool’s waters, its demand on the pool was minimal.

It consumed less than three-tenths of the entire pool’s reserves.

This time, Herbert drained the remaining seven-tenths.

Seven-tenths of energy awakened seventy spirits—so under normal conditions, could it awaken a hundred at once?

Of course, he knew the math wasn’t that simple, and such energy was never easily accumulated.

“How long until it fully recovers?”

【“A hundred years~”】

Nenasha replied matter-of-factly, her voice brimming with delight.

【“Though it takes a little longer, at least the result is guaranteed.”】

Herbert: ???

Are you kidding me?

Where am I supposed to wait a hundred years?

“...You’re not joking, are you?”

【“Joking?”】

She paused, then sounded slightly offended: 【“What do you mean? Do you think I’d lie to you about this?”】

“Yes.”

Herbert nodded firmly: “I’m certain you’d make such a pointless joke on this very matter.”

Why was Herbert so certain?

Because his personality closely resembles Nenasha’s.

And judging by himself, Herbert knew he would do exactly this.

So she would too!

Because I trust myself, I trust you.

【“Herbert, you think that of me?! In your eyes, am I really such a god?”】

Nenasha cried out: 【“Aren’t I supposed to be the gentle, kind, honest, thoughtful, generous, beautiful great evil god in your heart!!?”】

Herbert: ?

Don’t you hear what you’re saying?

Do those qualities even match “evil god”?

Though Nenasha’s outburst was absurd, Herbert finally relaxed.

He was now certain—only someone joking could speak such abstract nonsense.

So he stopped responding, simply listening quietly to Nenasha’s “lament.”

Go on, keep performing.

I’ll just sit here and watch.

I won’t play along—let’s see how you carry off this solo act.

【“How could you think that of me? How could you distrust me so? You’re so selfish! You…” oh, cough.】

After shouting for a while and seeing Herbert ignore her, Nenasha coughed and took the opportunity to back down.

Pretending nothing had happened, she complained: 【“You’re so boring, you won’t even play along! Your personality is terrible!”】

“Hmph.”

Herbert snorted: “Enough nonsense. If we’re talking about terrible personalities, we’re equally matched.”

We’re both the same—your nature is known to me, mine to you.

There’s no need to rank who’s worse, is there?

Two people in the same bed don’t sleep differently—who knows whom better?

We’re all foxes a thousand years old—don’t try to play ghost stories with me.

We were all trained by the same master; none of us can break each other’s moves.

【“Well, true…”】

Miss Xie Shen carefully considered it and readily accepted Herbert’s point of view.

Yes.

We’re all equally newborn—stop comparing who’s more newborn.

【“Forget it, congratulations! You got it right! I was just joking with you~”】

It smiled, brushed off the earlier incident, and chuckled: 【“It doesn’t take a hundred years—it takes two hundred!”】

Two hundred!

Time didn’t shorten—it doubled!

But Herbert remained unmoved, speaking flatly: “Yes, yes, yes, terrifying, such a long, long time… So, what’s the real answer?”

【“That’s the real answer.”】

Nena Sha grinned and stopped playing around, explaining:

【“Under its original state, filling the pool completely would take at least two hundred years… even without any outside interference.”】

That was precisely why Herbert had been less optimistic—the pool’s accumulation would inevitably encounter variables.

If someone diverted or drained the water midway, the time needed to refill it would stretch dramatically.

【“But now that I control it, it has fully revived! The time has been drastically shortened—it no longer takes a hundred years!”】

Nena Sha hummed proudly twice, then added:

【“Of course, even under current conditions, restoring it to the point where another summoning is possible still requires at least one month… I’m not joking.”】

Reducing the time from two hundred years to one month is no small improvement.

Once a month?

That’s acceptable.

Though he had already accepted it mentally, Herbert pressed further: “Is there a way to speed up the recovery?”

【“There is.”】

Nena Sha stopped fooling around and replied immediately:

【“If you obtain the remaining two fragments and restore it to full integrity, the Spirit Pool can begin an internal cycle—its recovery speed will increase dramatically.”】

Under normal circumstances, the Spirit Pool in a divine realm never required recovery time.

As long as faithful souls were offered, it could continuously transform new spirits, bolstering the divine realm’s strength.

“The remaining two?”

Herbert frowned slightly, then nodded: “I understand. I’ll arrange it later—but not yet.”

Of the three controllers of the Spirit Pools, the Chimera has already been eliminated; the other two are no easy foes.

The Spirit Legion needs no mention—their strength already surpasses the Chimera, and they can form battle arrays, greatly increasing their danger.

Though Valentina has advanced to Shi Shi, she is not invincible—she still risks being overwhelmed if surrounded.

Even if we must confront them head-on, Valentina needs more time to adapt to her Shi Shi power—and to bring the other monster girls along.

Don’t make a sound until you roar.

If we strike, we must not test the waters—alerting them only raises their vigilance and adds uncertainty.

If we strike, we must strike all at once, aiming to eliminate them in one blow.

All in!

When it’s time to go all in, you go all in!

Win, and you’ll be sipping tea with maidens.

Lose, and you’ll be the maiden.

The other, the construct automaton, though weakest among the three—even Sophieya couldn’t forcibly detain it.

Yet its strangeness is the greatest.

The flesh spreading and growing within its body gave Herbert a deeply unpleasant feeling.

Twisted flesh grew and spread from within the mechanical structure.

It corroded the metal, replacing it with flesh.

It felt as if the machine had been corrupted by flesh…

In his past life, Herbert never believed in intuition—such mystical nonsense.

But in this life, his spiritual intuition has always been sharp.

“I should consult Sfan Ni more about this flesh issue—or have her see it firsthand.”

He had mentioned the flesh-corrupted automaton to Sfan Ni briefly before, but without physical reference, the Dark Elf couldn’t make further deductions.

Now, with the ability to link the Law Abbey and Ellda via teleportation, bringing Sfan Ni to witness it firsthand is far easier.

【“Hmm~ But I suggest you prepare a bit more. After all, the Spirit Pool is already sufficient for now.”】

Nena Sha didn’t urge him—instead, she advised him to prepare more.

Given Nena Sha’s status, she was the one most eager for Herbert to take risks.

If Nena Sha were merely an ordinary evil god seeking revival, she’d want Herbert to risk his life gathering materials for her restoration.

Whether he gathered the materials quickly or died en route and she took over his body—both were better outcomes for her.

But Nena Sha gave it up.

At some point, she had completely stopped thinking about those things.

Instead, she repeatedly emphasized to Herbert: 【“My dear ally, I don’t want you to take risks.”】

A ridiculous scene.

An evil god urging a mortal to be cautious and steady, while the mortal stubbornly charges toward death.

In the end, the god convinced the mortal—Herbert accepted Nena Sha’s suggestion.

“Fine. I’ll listen to you.”

【“Mm-hmm, so good, so good~”】

Nena Sha soothed him like a child, making Herbert roll his eyes.

“Don’t give me that.”

Tsk.

Whoever you are, get out of Nena Sha’s body right now!

【“Hehe~”】

Miss Xie Shen chuckled merrily, stopped teasing, and said:

【“By the way, if you feel you have enough spirits, you can switch to another summoning method.”】

“What method?” Herbert was curious.

What?

Are there other ways?

Answer: Yes, brother—there are!

【“Sacrifice quantity for higher quality.”】

【“If you consume enough soul crystals, I can even awaken a Legendary-level spirit!”】

According to Nena Sha, this time, to secure free labor, she had used vast soul crystals—but only summoned spirits up to Gao Jie level.

But if those soul crystals were all fused into one, there was a chance to awaken a Legendary-level spirit!

“Hmm?”

After hearing this, Herbert’s mind had only one thought—huh, isn’t this a guaranteed pull?

Or rather, a direct exchange?

In his view, summoning spirits was like gacha—unpredictable what spirit you’d get, what abilities, personality, or race they had, full of uncertainty.

This second method fixed the summoned spirit’s rank—forcing a Legendary spirit.

In games, the guarantee gives you a consolation prize after pulling enough times.

Here, you spend resources to directly exchange for a higher-tier gacha ticket.

“Can you even do this?”

But more than this questionable—whether shady or generous—operation, Herbert was stunned by the extent of what Nena Sha could accomplish.

Merging countless spirits into one, forging an entirely new soul.

Such a feat…

【“I can.”】

Nena Sha sensed Herbert’s thoughts, smiled calmly, and whispered: 【“Herbert, don’t forget.”】

【“I am a god.”】

God.

As Herbert grew more familiar with Nena Sha, he sometimes forgot her true identity.

Nena Sha is a god—and likely not an ordinary one.

She shows no reverence for any other god; to her, all gods are just small fry.

If she merely talked big, it wouldn’t matter—anyone could boast like that.

Herbert could claim he’s the chosen of the Sun God himself!

But Nenasha seems… truly capable of it.

Even in her current severely wounded state, she has already stolen the Sun God’s authority, causing the world to tremble.

What if Nenasha continues to recover? How far could she go then?

Herbert sometimes preferred not to think too much.

He was not afraid of the dangers that might come in the future—he had already prepared himself mentally the day he became Nenasha’s ally.

He was just… slightly uneasy.

When Nenasha’s power fully returns, will she change?

Will she become someone he no longer recognizes?

At some point, he had become this sentimental.

【“I will not change.”】

“Huh!!?”

As if hearing the mortal’s inner worries, the deity spoke gently.

【“I promise you, no matter what happens, I will not change—I will remain the same one you know.”】

The deity promised the mortal she would never change.

Yet hearing this sincere promise, the mortal fell silent.

“…”

The more Nenasha assured him, the more uneasy Herbert felt.

He had never hated his intuition so much.

He always felt Nenasha was setting forbidden flags—like “after the war we’ll marry,” “when I return I’ll marry you,” “once I earn enough money I’ll quit”…

Is this fate, predetermined?

【“I won’t change, so you don’t need to worry anymore…”】

“Tch.”

Herbert, rarely cursing, muttered a few curses under his breath.

To hell with fate.

“Nenasha!”

【“Huh!?”】

Nenasha was startled, unsure why Herbert had suddenly become so agitated.

Herbert offered no explanation, but said directly:

“You won’t leave me, and I won’t leave you.”

He was not expressing hope—he was declaring a fact: “We will never be separated!”

Nenasha was baffled.

【“Huh? What’s gotten into you…”】

She didn’t understand why Herbert had reacted so strongly.

And Herbert, as if this promise weren’t enough, added: “Even death cannot part us!”

Death flag, huh?

You’re making me uneasy, huh?

Fine, I’ll say it too.

Let’s see what this damned fate will do!

【“…Pfft-ha-ha.”】

Nenasha didn’t know what Herbert was fighting against, but she felt his thoughts—he was defiant, fiercely so.

He had shed his sentimentality and returned to the arrogant persona she knew.

She was genuinely pleased by this change.

【“I’m glad you said that—but… before you say it, why not grow stronger first~?”】

She teased playfully: 【“Legends aren’t weak, true—but still not strong enough~”】

If you want to protect me, go train harder!

Perhaps one day you’ll truly achieve your goal, become stronger than me, and protect me.

I believe you can do it.

But it will take time.

So until that day comes, let me protect you first.

“Foolish demon, dare not be so arrogant! When I ascend to Shi Shi, I shall cut you down!”

Herbert was dissatisfied with Nenasha’s words, muttering incessantly.

He had barely struggled into Legend, yet already fantasized about becoming Shi Shi.

【“Shi Shi? Even among Shi Shi there are differences—some Shi Shi are still quite weak~”】

“No, I’m already Shi Shi.”

Liukaliya twitched her lips, glanced nervously at Valentina curled up asleep beside her, and carefully compared their strengths.

Hard power? She couldn’t win.

Soft power? Still couldn’t win.

Couldn’t win—truly couldn’t win.

Total defeat!

The Mirror Demon Lady muttered bitterly: “How can the gap be this huge?”

“And when will Herbert come back already!!?”

“Just take her away!”

(End of Chapter)