SHK CH 763 (Patreon)

Love was truly a powerful feeling.

Love, when wielded well, was an incredibly powerful concept. 

The wedding between Sol and Medea was being broadcast to the entire world and beyond. Cameras and flying screens all over Lustburg and in the border town, as well as in the neighboring country. 

Spies relayed the images to the leaders and dignitaries of the entire world. Angels, demons, beast kin, dwarves, elves, chimera, and humans. All of them were witnessing a love that transcended Hatred.

Even beyond the Mortal Realm, the wedding was being observed by the goddesses. Since the representatives of nearly all the goddesses were present one way or another on Lustburg, they were able to pierce through Luxuria’s shield and watch the wedding for themselves.

It was truly a beautiful moment. The culmination of much pain and suffering, all culminating in love and happiness.

At this moment, as Sol and Medea made their vows under the eyes of the world, a powerful current started to spread.

Divine light poured into the chapel, soft yet overwhelming, as though the Goddess herself had descended to bear witness. The walls seemed to shimmer, the air itself vibrating with a sacred resonance. Even those without a shred of faith felt their hearts stir as the presence of something vast and eternal brushed against their souls.

The nobles gasped, some falling to their knees. Soldiers, hardened and scarred, bowed their heads in silence. The light did not burn; it embraced, washing away resentment and doubt, if only for a fleeting moment.

Camelia stood at the altar, her veil lifting in the radiance. Though blind, her face tilted upward as if gazing at the heavens. A rare, genuine smile spread across her lips. So… even she acknowledges this union.

The light gathered above them, shaping into a blazing symbol: a phoenix rising, wings spread wide. It hung over the chapel, a visible testament to the world that something had happened. That this love was blessed by even the goddesses through Gabriel, her divine beast.

Sol felt the warmth wrap around him, a reminder of the oaths he now carried.

It was different from the sensation he made through the Lust type contract. Similar in many ways but less binding. Less restrictive.

It was a blessing in the truest sense of the world. A wish for greater prosperity and all the good things in the world.

Medea’s veil fluttered in the current of light, her mismatched eyes glowing faintly, red and gold reflecting the divine brilliance.

Her expression grew vacant. She initially thought that in such moments, her mind would be filled with memories of a long-forgotten past.

But as she was now, she could think about no one else but Sol.

His smile, his voice, his face. Her mind was being burned by his entire persona. A branding searing her very soul. Leaving a trace that would never vanish.

Camelia raised her staff, her voice steady and resonant, amplified by the divine current.

“Before the eyes of mortals and goddesses alike, this union is sealed. From this day forth, Sol Dragona Luxuria and Medea Asmodeus Luxuria are bound as one. If there is anyone who objects to this union, speak now—or forever hold your peace.”

Her words echoed into silence.

This was a challenge but also a chance. The last chance for anyone who might have been against this union to act.

No one moved. No one breathed too loudly. The nobles who had once whispered doubts stared straight ahead, their tongues heavy. Soldiers who might have scoffed at the union of man and witch lowered their eyes. Even the priests and dignitaries, representatives of other powers, remained still.

All waited, wondering who would dare to act.

High above, a portal opened, and divine power spread. The aura of the Snake of Lust, Asmodeus, reached Lustburg, further pushing anyone into silence.

***

The energy of Asmodeus and Gabriel was like a detonator.

Far from the capital, on a scarred battlefield where smoke still curled from the earth, Kali and La Befana stood amidst the broken remnants of a coven. 

Witches lay scattered, their bodies battered, their minds fractured. Some had lost limbs, others clawed at their faces in madness. Not a single one had perished—yet their hatred remained unbroken.

The limbless cursed with their tongues.

The mute cursed in their thoughts.

The broken-minded cursed in their hearts.

Hatred, deep and corrosive, radiated from every witch like a miasma.

La Befana’s eyes narrowed, her wrinkled lips tightening. “This isn’t natural. To loathe Medea, yes, that was expected… but this—” she gestured at the writhing forms “—this is something else. A hatred without end, without reason.”

Kali’s gaze sharpened, crimson eyes reflecting the bodies around them. “It’s as if something is feeding them. Fanning their malice into frenzy.”

They had expected some interference, but this was definitely not in the plan.

She turned towards the Capital, “Let’s go. Something is going wrong.”

***

Back in the capital’s prison, the captured beast men suddenly erupted.

The silence that had lingered within the cells shattered as they began thrashing violently, clawing at the walls, at themselves, at each other. Some bit into their own flesh, others slammed their heads against the iron bars until blood ran down their faces.

Milia, stationed nearby, narrowed her eyes. What she saw was not desperation. It was pure hatred bordering on absolute malice. The prisoners screamed Sol’s name, spitting it like venom, cursing him with every breath.

Hatred, raw and unfiltered, filled the air. Malice so dense it felt almost tangible, thick enough to choke on.

“Restrain them!” Milia’s command rang sharp. Shadows surged from her feet, wrapping around the convulsing figures, binding limbs and silencing jaws. 

But even as their bodies stilled, their eyes blazed with unyielding loathing, as if they no longer cursed with their tongues alone, but with their very souls.

A chill ran through her spine. Something was wrong—terribly wrong.

***

“One thousand years ago, a cursed witch fell in Love with a Blessed Prince.” A feminine voice sounded. 

“Yet that prince knew no Love. Only conquest and betrayal. That betrayal led to sadness and Hatred. The Hatred of thousands of powerful witches and even the Hatred of the snake Demigod, Asmodeus.”

“Countless witches died, countless people perished, and Hatred continued to grow unimpeded.” The voice continued. 

“One thousand years later, a Blessed Prince fell in Love with a cursed and broken witch whose heart was filled with Hatred and Bitterness. He washed away the Hatred in her heart and filled it with Love. It’s a Dream come true.”

Laughter from the woman echoed. “Now, under the eyes of the World, while fighting against a Curse given by Fate, the two main characters of this beautiful story stand. Professing their Loves to each other.”

High above in the sky, space twisted, and a roar sounded.

The body of a giant snake that was trying to enter was split, crimson blood with a streak of gold splashed, and a bloody rain formed.

The portal Asmodeus opened as he tried to enter the Mortal Realm was fragmented, and soon new crimson portals opened.

One leading not into the Mortal Realm.  

Nor even in the Astral Realm.

But rather in the Divine Realm!

Far away, in the accursed land of Gluttony Foss, a vixen approached one of the many rifts tearing open the skies. Her steps were unhurried, each one echoing with quiet confidence, as if the world itself bent to make way for her.

Behind her, nine black tails swayed in rhythm, glistening faintly under the blood-red light of the portals. A tenth tail, incomplete yet undeniable, flickered into being, proof of her ascension, of power long denied but never lost.

Her eyes shone with a deep and beautiful gold. Her smile never wavered. It was the smile of someone who had waited far too long

When she spoke, her voice stretched beyond the wasteland, beyond kingdoms and borders. It slithered into the ears of mortals, echoed in the hearts of nobles, and resounded even in the souls of demigods.

“I am Su Daji… now a mortal, once a goddess. I was cast down, forced into shadow by my own father. But no longer.”

Her tenth tail was nearly complete; the portal trembled under her presence.

“Using the power of Love and Hatred, today, I return. Not as a fallen relic, not as a forgotten name. I return as the one who will reclaim her Divine Throne.”

The heavens answered her words. Dark clouds surged across the skies, swallowing the sun in a single breath. 

Thunder cracked like the roar of a beast, each strike rattling the foundations of kingdoms. 

Winds howled through cities and forests alike, carrying with them an unnatural chill that made even the bravest shiver.

The thunder struck her continuously. From afar, this looked like a punishment from heaven. But it was in fact a test and a reward.

All around her, new golden portals tried to open to no avail. Su Daji laughed louder, her gaze unworried. 

The world welcomed the birth of a new god. This was a moment that could not be stopped. 

“Poor sisters! You cannot stop me. Bound by the rules of this world, you are unable to enter the Heart of the Universe.” 

She cackled like a madwoman.

Bones cracked, flesh dissolved, and yet her laughter only grew louder, echoing like a curse across the heavens.

At last, her body reached its absolute limit.

From the ruin of her mortal shell, something greater took form. Her outline burned with shifting light, half radiant gold, half seething crimson. Her voice rang clear, carrying both tenderness and venom in every word.

“Today, Su Daji dies… and in her place, the Goddess of Love and Hatred, Euphoria is reborn!”

Crimson rifts tore wider, bleeding across creation, while golden brilliance flared in defiance. The realms of the divine groaned under the weight of her birth.

“From this moment, the age of mortals ends. Behold! The return of the golden age of gods!”

(AN: I have been setting this moment since forever. I hope this was worth the buildup. If you wish to refresh your memory, read CH 721 and CH 732.)