Chapter 542: Rebirth

The center of the battlefield where he stood was utterly devastated.

The surrounding buildings, roads, and statues had all been razed flat.

Craters from high-impact force, claw marks tearing the ground, flames still burning as they scattered.

A Mistral, composed of translucent magic with a human outline and densely packed blood vessels inside, stood rigid in place.

"What?"

Rod's face was blank with confusion.

He had no idea what Mistral was accusing him of.

"Vile bug! A hound with nothing but lecherous thoughts in its head! Backstabbing piece of shit! I knew you outsiders couldn't be trusted — you can only rely on yourself!"

"."

He sighed, "What is it now, my lord Mistral? I did exactly as you said — I didn't trigger the blood-bursting power."

This high-ranking mage had an excellent reputation in life, especially for founding the Weave.

Although Asmodeus had now fled.

The threat from the other plane still remained — one could even say it was right at their doorstep.

In the forest alone, three people including himself had been marked by 【Ke Yin】.

According to Mistral, the Weave could isolate the influence of other planes.

Rod personally held a believing attitude toward this matter.

If she could successfully ascend to godhood, she would be a deity founded upon the spiritual power of the continent.

This had a clear distinction from the chaotic energy of the other plane.

Preventing contamination from another energy system was also a way to keep her personal divine power from being polluted.

"But you triggered another paralyzing power! This power requires a strong constitution to resist — since Asmodeus fled, where would I have a constitution? I'm completely unable to move right now! And this form must rapidly replenish energy… wuu wuu wuu…"

She even started crying.

"You did it on purpose, ambushed me on purpose… Just like everyone else, you want to plot against my life! Wuu wuu wuu, Mama, I'm going to be killed by someone again…"

Rod covered his forehead.

Did the effect of 【Paralyzing Claw Strike】 also activate…

"Alright, alright, I'll give it to you now…"

"…Really? You're not going to hurt me?"

"I never intended to hurt you, stop crying. You're about to become a god — why are you still acting like a human girl?"

The unfinished human body, composed of magic and blood vessels, still did not move at all.

But the crying just kept pouring endlessly into Rod's ears, directly annoying him to no end.

"You said this state must rapidly replenish energy — how long can you still hold on?"

"Probably… ah-woo, about five more minutes."

"Isn't that basically you about to die… Five minutes isn't enough for me alone, I'll have to call the succubus over to help."

"No! If a third person finds out that I, a great goddess, am rebuilding my body with this kind of thing — what if I have no believers in the future? What if my believers later think I'm too unorthodox and switch their faith to someone else?! What if they secretly gather, choose to betray, and kill me?!"

Rod crushed a magic ring of 【Liomon's Hermit's Cabin】.

The magic organized matter, rapidly forming a spherical cabin that wrapped him and the unfinished human body within it.

As for the three ladies watching on the sidelines.

Rod simply lied, saying the matter was rather secretive and could not be shown to outsiders.

The two mages, Lily and Sharon, did not suspect anything — after all, that unfinished human body was somewhat unorthodox, and it had also grievously wounded Asmodeus.

They even took the initiative to help Rod cast spells to prevent scrying and divination.

Rod stripped off his clothes as he spoke, revealing a sturdy body:

"You choose — either die like this, or let a third person know."

"I'd rather die like this!!! Such enormous risk! You will definitely threaten me because of this! I refuse to have my body sacrificed by someone else again!"

"."

Unlike the mature, gentle appearance seen in the magical network space.

Perhaps because of the paralysis, this Mistral's brain didn't seem to be working properly right now.

Crying and whimpering like an idiot.

Or perhaps she herself was far more immature than imagined…

True enough.

It was said that in life she had been a mage utterly immersed in magical research and development, stepping out to meet others only a handful of times, and most of her interactions were completed through message-sending spells.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this worldly inexperience that she, a top-tier ninth-rank combatant, was ambushed and killed.

"Actually, there are three other options — neither dying nor letting a third person know."

Rod coaxed patiently.

He raised an eyebrow, sizing up the unfinished human body composed of blood vessels and magic.

It was clearly an indistinct human body whose gender couldn't even be made out right now…

But for some reason.

He always had this urge to try it out…

Saying things like five minutes being too long, or using hands not working — those were all lies.

【Second Heart】's function was powerful, its control terrifyingly strong — what was a mere second?

"Tell me quickly!"

"Simple… as long as you take over the succubus's job, that's it. Sigh, I don't want to touch you in your current state either — too ugly… but for the continent, for reality not to be eroded by the other plane, what's the harm in sacrificing just me…"

"Mm."

He didn't think it over for long.

Mystra sent a message: "It's possible, but you have to promise me — after this is done, you'll forget it completely, you won't use it to blackmail me, and you won't scheme to kill me."

"I promise. By the way, where do I go in?"

The moment Rod's second heart activated, he looked up at once.

Then he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the waist of that human form.

The feel of it was strange — like embracing a solid lump of air.

There was a faint elasticity, and the temperature was around twenty degrees.

"—Suit yourself. It's all the same anyway; the flesh hasn't started growing yet."

"Can those blood vessels of yours move? Wrap them around. You've got maybe a few minutes before your body collapses."

"About two minutes."

"Time's a little tight. Please squeeze harder with your blood vessels, my lord. Yes, just like that."

Two minutes later.

The effect of the 【Dewdrop of Creation】 was pushed to the absolute limit.

Mystra's body visibly grew more solid at a speed the naked eye could follow.

If before it had still felt like a clump of air, now at the very least it felt like flowing water to the touch.

Perhaps because the flesh had not yet formed, Mystra showed no reaction.

Another stretch of time passed.

The magical vessels began secreting a silvery life-substance, weaving itself into muscle fibers like a spider's web.

Bones grew from the magic, giving off a crystalline clinking sound.

By this point the body had the fleshy feel of real flesh, but the visual effect — like looking at a transparent anatomical chart of a human specimen — nearly made Rod's vision go black.

Mystra, meanwhile, was affected to a certain degree.

Her hands clenched into fists, her toes curled against the ground, and through the sending spell she kept gasping for breath.

Another round of 【Dewdrop of Creation】.

Blood, complete bones, complete organs — translucent skin faintly visible.

The magical blood vessels gradually sank into the newly formed flesh, only faintly visible beneath the skin, and the pores began to seep out excess magical embers.

It looked a little like the transparent flesh of a Star Spirit.

Mystra's figure was already complete; a beautiful face that held both scrutiny and wariness was fully formed.

She stared at Rod in a daze, unwilling and lost, blinking muzzily.

Between gasps, the eyes above the three teardrop moles in a row gained a good deal more suspicion and shamed anger.

But Rod paid it no mind, playing the fool to the end.

Heaving a great sigh.

As the 【Dewdrop of Creation】 merged into the heart, and the first heartbeat came.

The flesh became fully corporeal.

The near-perfect woman's body beaded a fine sweat that caught the light, streaming down a slender waist one could span with a single hand.

Perfect teardrop breasts.

Lifted proudly.

Trembling all over without cease.

She could no longer stand, and was caught by Rod and pressed up against the wall.

Mystra's eyes, which held swirls of magic, showed a trace of bafflement and pleasure.

Even though she seemed to have noticed something, she still didn't cry stop.

Rod said nothing.

On the panel.

【Paradox Motive】 kept activating, madly converting desire into the body's primal essence.

(End of chapter)