[Back in the present time]

"The biggest mistake I made in my life was trusting her."

Gabriel gently touched his chest, as if he could still remember the stab wound that killed him. The sword not only hurt his physical body but also his soul.

"Did she also attack you that day?"

Even though Alion knew how Karyk was reborn, however, even he didn't know just how the battle between Karyk and the other side ended that day. To hear Gabriel say such a thing, he felt it had a lot to do with the Goddess of Light.

"She's the person who killed me," Gabriel replied. "She came just as I was about to cast a World Level Spell. I thought she was there to help me, but she was just there to stop me from casting that spell and hurting her interests..."

"That wasn't the only time she lied to me either." Gabriel's fists tightened the more he thought about it.

Through Alion and Gabriel's conversation, even Jia found out some inexplicable secrets that she had never heard. "The Goddess of Light? How could it be? Wasn't she your friend? I heard only she didn't participate in the weakening of this world's barrier from inside."

"She didn't participate in the weakening of the barrier?" Gabriel asked in return. "If you really think that, then you're quite naive. Let alone working with them, she was the one who planned this entire thing!"

Gabriel's voice was filled with anger. Fortunately, he could still control his emotions and didn't let even the slightest of his killing intent leak.

****

[Thousand years ago]

Karyk was on his knees. A sword passed through his chest once more. His legs were already bleeding. He was already injured before the battle, but thanks to a direct attack at his heart in such close proximity, he couldn't even move anymore.

A woman stood before him, looking down. "What happened to the so-called God of Death? You don't look so good, do you?"

Karyk glared at the Goddess of Light. The woman had such vicious expressions on her face that she never revealed in the past.

In the past, she had always pretended to be nice, yet her current expressions made her look much different. It was as if her old self was just an act and she was finally revealing her true self.

"Let me guess what you're thinking." The woman placed her fingers under Karyk's chin, raising his head slightly. "You want to kill me at any cost. Am I right? Unfortunately, the Sword that I used made you unable to even move."

"You must also be wondering why I have a sword like that." An amused smirk spread across the face of the Goddess of Light.

She brought her face closer to Karyk's ears and gently whispered, "It's the reward from them that I received for creating that small opening in the barrier to help them enter. However, this isn't the only reward. I really should thank you, my dear old friend."

As she finished speaking, her lips touched Karyk's cheeks as she gave him a light kiss. "It's all because of you that I have an opportunity to become even stronger. I really should thank you!"

"You planned it... from the start..."

Karyk wanted to crush the neck of the woman before him. Unfortunately, the Goddess of Light was right. He couldn't even move a single finger. Even speaking was proving to be hard. What was worse was that he felt that his spiritual strength was also sealed.

"Oh? It looks like you guessed some things. Anyhow, since you're about to die, I'll let you have all your answers so that your soul can rest in peace after you die!" The young woman stood straight, stepping back.

She raised her right hand, showing a red stone. The stone was the same as the Stone of Destiny that Karyk had received from her!

The Goddess of Light played with the red stone in her hand, as if it was just a small toy for her.

"You're right. Everything I did was for this moment. I started planning it as soon as I found two Stones of Destiny. In the place I found these stones, I also found out about the existence of the other world. Unfortunately, with my strength, it was impossible to go there even if I struggled for a thousand years."

"So you used me," Karyk finished the women's line of thought. He couldn't help but feel like laughing at his own foolishness. Because he wanted to save his sister at any cost, he didn't even think about the possibility that it was all part of such an elaborate scheme!

"Hey, don't be so harsh with your words." The Goddess of Light chuckled. "What if others misunderstand your words?"

"It's better to say that I borrowed your strength," she further added. "I needed to find a way to enter the other world. Unfortunately, I wasn't strong like you. I couldn't pass through chaotic space and time to get there. So I had to find other ways and what better way to enter that place than to be invited by them personally?'

"So that's why you gave me the Stone of Destiny... You knew I would have to go to that place to gain enough spirit energy for my sister's recovery!"

Even though Karyk already guessed this much, However, to hear it directly, he felt even more like a fool!

"That's right. I wanted to find a way to give you the stone so you could go there and create a mess! I know your abilities the best after all," the Goddess of Light laughed. "However, who would've thought that you would give me an even better opportunity!"

"As I was about to come to you with the information of the stone to put my plan in motion, I heard the news that you sealed the Goddess of Nature. At that time, I knew I could use that to my advantage!"

"You used it as an excuse to make me believe that the other gods were scared and then suggested that I seal my army so I could make a deal for the stone with them!" Karyk exclaimed.

As time passed, his body condition only deteriorated. Even for the Goddess of Light, it was shocking that he still wasn't dead. However, she believed it was just a matter of time.

She didn't realize that while Karyk was receiving his answers, he was also doing another thing simultaneously... A thing that was never done or even attempted before!

"That's right." The Goddess of Light agreed. "The stone was with me already at that time. I just borrowed their name to make myself look like a good person who was just there with the information. I was there to 'help' you after all!"

"I had to make you seal your army to make you even weaker so there couldn't be any variables in my future plans!"