Immediately afterward, a terrifying will, vast as the ocean, instantly filled the space.
Unlike Koyanskaya of Light, her first impression was one of greater ‘primitiveness’ and ‘wildness’.
The beautiful eyes fixed on Issei held no interest in amusement, only the coldness of a predator examining its prey.
Beast of Cherishment…
No, to be precise, she is not the Beast of Cherishment who toys with humans, but the Beast of Cherishment who punishes humans.
As the true form of the Beast of Cherishment manifested, a subtle wail faintly permeated the air—the silent curse of animals that had been abused, slaughtered, and abandoned by humans over tens of thousands of years.
If Issei’s first reaction upon seeing Koyanskaya of Light was to be drawn in by her beauty and charm, then seeing this entirely opposite side of her now, he only felt a deep, soul-stirring dread, as if facing a top-tier predator of the opposite sex.
“To be so weak, yet possess the courage to face me directly…
Very good.” Finally, the Beast of Cherishment spoke slowly.
Her pair of golden, beastly eyes watched the young man indifferently, and soon, a cruel smile curled her lips.
“I hope you can amuse me for a little while longer, human!” As her voice fell, she abruptly stretched out her hand toward Issei.
[A surge of magical power originating from the Beast almost instantly assaulted you like a mountain.
Facing this terrifying magical power from the Beast of Cherishment, you did not choose to resist head-on, but quietly activated Empathy Magecraft.] [A wisp of your psychic energy probed into her spiritual world.
In that instant, a torrent of resentment gathered from millions of living beings surged toward you.] [The Beast of Cherishment sneered.
In her view, your action was no different from suicide; she wouldn’t even need to lift a finger, as the resentment of the departed spirits would be enough to devour you.] [But what she didn’t anticipate was that after more than two months of purification, more and more departed spirits in this land had come to acknowledge your existence.
Not only did the resentment of these beings fail to attack you, but they allowed your will to penetrate their spiritual world.] [The Beast of Cherishment seemed to realize the danger you posed.
An unprecedented killing intent arose in her heart, and a monstrous surge of magical power released from her body.
She raised her sharp claws and mercilessly swung them down toward you.] However, just then, behind Issei, a surge of magical power, in no way inferior to that of the Beast of Cherishment, erupted.
If the Beast of Cherishment exuded cruelty and coldness, the woman behind Issei was filled with an aura of nobility and elegance.
“To use such a heavy hand against a child, you truly are a low-level creature that only knows how to use claws and teeth, relying on instinct to cause destruction everywhere.” Behind him, Koyanskaya parted her cherry lips, her voice sweet yet laced with venom.
A modern Revolver had materialized in her hand without him noticing.
Bang!
A magical bullet burst forth from the Revolver, colliding violently with the sharp claw.
Dark was shaken backward half a step by the bullet’s magical power, while Koyanskaya took the opportunity to embrace the young man, using the force to lightly flip backward, opening up several meters of distance.
“Are you truly going to become my enemy for the sake of a human?!” The Beast of Cherishment suddenly lifted her head, her golden beautiful eyes filled with the fury of betrayal.
“Your enemy?
I think you might have misunderstood something.” A bright and charming smile appeared on Koyanskaya’s face, though there was no warmth in it: “We were never allies to begin with.
After all, how dare a ‘half-body’ that only acts on instinct compare herself to me?” “This child is mine.
Before laying a hand on him, shouldn’t you at least ask me first?
Or does your brain lack even the most basic social etiquette?” That contemptuous tone, full of sarcasm and disdain, made the Beast of Cherishment’s expression grow even colder.
She stared intently at Issei, and then quickly fixed her gaze on the other self, the ‘half-body’ standing before her.
A terrifying sound, like the low growl of a wild beast, emanated from her throat.
“You will regret your choice today, my fake!” [The Beast of Cherishment was completely enraged.
She stopped defending, suddenly took a breath, and released her immense magical power.
A cold air, seemingly capable of freezing all things, erupted centered around her.] [Facing this catastrophe-like offensive, Koyanskaya also became serious.
This was the first time you truly witnessed her power.] [The clouds in the sky seemed to be torn apart, and a massive, red-flashing Satellite Weapon quietly appeared.
Dozens of crimson laser sights instantly locked onto the Beast of Cherishment.] [The next second, a Beam of Destruction descended from the sky, violently colliding with the Icebound Storm that swept across the land.
The entire world seemed to turn into a pure white void…] [The great battle between the two did not result in a clear winner, but the Beast of Cherishment ultimately chose to temporarily retreat.
However, you knew that after today, she had likely fixed her sights on you completely, as the look in her eyes before leaving was filled with cold hostility.] [Perhaps in her view, you were the one who influenced Koyanskaya?] Watching the figure of the Beast of Cherishment disappear from sight, Issei finally withdrew his gaze and turned his attention to the woman beside him.
“Are you alright?” Koyanskaya let out a soft snort: “She is merely a savage creature dominated by hatred and without a name; she poses no real threat to me.” When she reached this point, her tone carried a hint of pride.
Unlike that savage Beast of Cherishment, she possessed her own name!
Pausing slightly, she continued: “However, you need to be careful lately…
Since that fellow has fixed her eyes on you, she might try to make a move against you next.” The young man nodded obediently and smiled: “I will be careful, thank you.” “That was the first time I saw you fight.
You’re truly amazing…” That genuine look of admiration and yearning caused Koyanskaya to freeze for a moment.
After a long pause, she recovered, slightly turned her head, assumed a nonchalant expression, and said faintly: “Of course.
After all, I am a Beast.” “Next, I will teach you more advanced Age of Gods Sorcery.
You need stronger self-defense capabilities.” Three days passed without notice.
Perhaps due to the threat of the Beast of Cherishment, or for some other reason, Koyanskaya now spent more time with Issei, and her clothing style gradually began to align with Issei’s aesthetic preferences.
The elegant dress, white with gold trim, was perfectly tailored, just barely covering her thighs.
Consequently, during their training sessions, Issei’s gaze was often drawn to her snow-white, plump long legs and the hint of creamy white in the Absolute Territory beneath her skirt.
Furthermore, Koyanskaya’s charm had gradually increased.
Her already enchanting and beautiful face was now lightly made up, and her red lips were coated with a vibrant and tempting lipstick, looking full and lustrous, as if enticing the young man to steal a kiss and taste the fragrance of the perfect union of lips and lipstick.
Could it be…
that as her power increased, her ‘Charm’ attribute also grew?
Issei couldn’t help but wonder this sometimes.
Besides that, there was one other thing he found strange…
Almost every night, as soon as he touched the bed, he would fall asleep instantly, and he couldn’t be woken up in the middle of the night no matter what.
At first, he thought it was due to exhaustion from purifying resentment daily and having to take Koyanskaya’s Age of Gods Sorcery lessons, until one morning, he faintly detected a subtle, delicate, and alluring moist fragrance on his bedding.
If it were a wet dream, it naturally wouldn’t have such a scent, so he immediately locked onto the woman in the adjacent tent.
He just didn’t know what exactly she was doing on his side every night.
Although he was concerned, if he asked directly, she wouldn’t just refuse to answer, but she would likely become angry and embarrassed…
Thinking this, Issei could only pretend not to know for the time being.
Once he was able to’stay up late’ someday, perhaps he would find out what she was doing every night…
[Time flew by; another month passed without realizing it.
Your relationship became increasingly intimate, and she gradually transitioned from her initial shyness toward you to becoming bold and proactive.] [The romance did not affect your cultivation; instead, it filled you with motivation.
During this period, the Beast of Cherishment did not come looking for you again, so Koyanskaya allowed you to stroll within a certain range.] [Early this morning, she went out to a more distant place to absorb resentment, while you took a walk in the hazy morning mist.] [Just then, you faintly heard the sound of a small bridge and flowing water in the hazy white mist.
You couldn’t help but feel curious: In this area that had become scorched earth, devoid of any living beings, how could there still be a river?] As you approached, you vaguely saw a black-haired man in ancient robes within the white mist.
He sat on a smooth bluestone, the hem of his slightly oversized Taoist robe damp with dew, holding a simple fishing rod.
The line hung straight into the water…
and there was no bait at the end of the line.
He seemed to notice your presence, turning his head slightly and examining you with surprise.
“I didn’t expect a ‘person’ to exist in this area where all life has been extinguished.” Issei’s heart stirred.
He looked at the fishing rod in the man’s hand, then his gaze lingered on the man for a moment, subconsciously asking, “You are…” Even before the other party spoke, a name had already appeared in his mind…
Taigong Wang!