My Goddess is Good at Pretending

Chapter 345: The Runaway Realm Core

Gaia shared a little detail of her reasoning. She was the core-type entity, and Lifa was the seed plant-type entity. She didn’t know Lifa’s causes, but she was the delicious prey for many entities.

Thus, her true body had to remain in the safest place. Her submission by leaving her true body under Elysia’s care was already a big move to show her loyalty and trust.

"Nah, you’re afraid of facing our wrath because of the previous friendly fire. We almost died in that rainbow ocean, you know." Elena rolled her eyes and poked Gaia’s bracelet.

"Ugh..." That was half true, but Gaia was too embarrassed to admit it. She initially wanted to make Elysia’s family wait until she was close to death before they could recruit her, but the situation had changed dramatically.

"Hmm... I guess it’s okay from now on. You’ll be safe under our care. Nobody can bully you anymore. If you can transform... show us your true self. Ely will be happy." Ai nodded in understanding and lay down next to Elysia.

"We won’t let you suffer alone. If someone targets you, we’ll beat them up and make them pay. Only we can bully you." Elena patted Gaia’s bracelet. She kissed Elysia’s forehead and lay down to sleep.

She didn’t expect Elysia to fall asleep shortly after checking on their people through Miko. It was quite a long day, after all.

"Why with that last sentence..." Gaia was grateful for that statement, but Elena was still a bully.

However, Elysia also said something similar to her after her vow. She would remain safe and could develop further to a higher rank within Elysia’s family.

She also already recognized Elysia as her master. Elysia also bound her with a mysterious, profound soul bond. However, Elysia could only be her second master because she still had her first master, the one who created her.

No one objected to that because Elysia also hoped to meet the Earth’s Creator God and the higher entity who came to make a deal with her that day.

Gaia heaved a subtle sigh of relief and smiled inside the bracelet. She would look forward to the future.

It would take two more days for her avatars to complete their tasks before Earth’s nature spirits could migrate completely.

As for now, she might get a truly peaceful sleep because she was in the safest possible place under the protection of the strongest entities on Earth. The day when she didn’t have to think about responsibility arrived.

---

"Master Ely just took over to check our situation?" Yuuki came closer and whispered softly to Miko.

"Yes, mama just asked me to share my vision. We talked about a lot of things just now. Sylvi, you can come out now." Miko opened a large blanket, revealing the injured demon girl.

"Phew, sorry for the trouble." Sylvia stroked her bandaged arm.

"Don’t be so reckless next time. Your arm has just been reattached. Don’t move much." Yuuki sighed.

"Mm, I’ve been very careful, but those immortal corrupted monsters are difficult to deal with. I don’t want to see master worried because of this." Sylvia smiled self-deprecatingly.

"It was an unexpected accident. Many participants have also returned with injuries, waiting for the exit next week. Some are satisfied with their huge profits on this opportunity, and some have lost." Xentia tried to comfort Sylvia.

"You do realize mama will find out everything sooner or later, right?" Miko put her hand to her cheek.

"Yeah, I know. She can be like a worrywart mother." Sylvia replied with a tender smile.

"Alright then... I must perform the purification ceremony to cleanse the corruption and expel evil entities from the safe zone’s surroundings." Miko looked up at the distant dark sky.

A high-level battle occurred between the Goddesses and the immortal monsters in the core region. The Goddess group led by Lifa was ambushed when they were hunting for the realm core.

The battle made the surrounding monsters panic and scatter everywhere. Participants who failed to face the sudden horde ended up with serious injuries and were forced to return to the safe zone.

Even the strongest guest participant, the vampire progenitor, also suffered serious injuries.

"This is the realm of demons, but why do we receive the harm just for being here?" Skyla lay down, looking at the dark sky and the battle behind thick clouds in the distance.

Dozens of thunder and golden lights could occasionally indicate an intense battle between the Sacred Sakura’s Goddesses and the immortal monsters in the core region.

"That’s because of the corruption. How do you feel after facing the weakened immortal monsters from the upper world?" Miko came out of the camp.

"This is a great experience to broaden my horizon, Saintess Miko. My encounters cannot be described in words, but I can say that I feel so close to immortality. It is already within my reach!" Klaus laughed even though he was being treated in a patient’s bed for serious injuries.

"Immortality is not only about being strong but also about longevity and breaking out of the limits of mortality. Don’t fall in the process. Go through the challenges and progress steadily, and you will get there one day." Miko shared a bit of wisdom, knowing there were many impatient ones.

"You enlightened us, Saintess Miko. Once we recover, we’ll venture deeper to face the challenges and seek our opportunities." The old sage clenched his fist with radiant determination.

Unfortunately, he was also treated in a patient bed due to serious injuries.

Miko couldn’t help but lightly poke his injury with her Gohei to remind him about the pain. "Think about your recovery first. Our healers won’t heal you more than necessary."

"Oow! Understood." The enlightened sage wonced in pain, but he received the reminder.

Miko held Gohei in her left hand and Kagura Verity in her right hand. She proceeded to the central area in the safe zone, attracting everyone’s attention. Yuuki and Xentia were also nearby, guarding her.

Miko closed her eyes and began to perform her sacred purification ritual. She moved like a graceful dance with both hands moving in harmony.

The Mythical-tier holy catalyst began to emit the divine golden light of purification, and the wooden wand spread it like ripples in all directions.

The corruption gradually vanished every time the bell rang, and the corrupted monsters around the safe zone immediately fled in fear.

Once the purification was over, Miko opened her eyes again and walked back to the camp, ignoring the awe-inspiring gazes of the surrounding people.

"Priestess Miko is so dazzling..." Bai Yuchen couldn’t even blink his eyes because he had to burn his master’s brilliance into memory.

"Don’t stare at our master with such disrespect. We need to recover quickly and explore this secret realm again. We only have one week left. Those treasures and opportunities are still waiting for us." The nearby senior smacked Bai Yuchen’s head.

"O-oh, okay. I’ll recover within minutes." Bai Yuchen rubbed his head and immediately returned to meditation.

After returning to camp, Miko sat in the Xentia’s seat, checking the virtual monitors.

Xentia returned to Miko’s side with curiosity. "Who are you looking for, Miko?"

"My saintess friends. They haven’t returned to the safe zone. Not even once. Feng Xue too. I hope they are safe." Miko looked up, expressing her worry.

"Understood. I will dispatch more units to scan the entire realm once to look for surviving participants." Xentia nodded and sent her command to all units.

Some distance south of the safe zone, Mingyue and her group hid in a remote shelter among the ruins.

"Saintess Mingyue is undergoing an awakening despite being quite seriously injured. Continue to guard her until she finishes her epiphany. I will lead those monsters away." The bald elder peeked out in cold sweat.

"Activate the purification talisman and be careful when you return. Don’t lead them here, or we’ll all be finished." The other elder tapped his comrade on the shoulder.

"Alright. I still want to live longer. Wish me luck." The bald elder gave a thumbs up and shot out.

He shouted out loud and tried to provoke the corrupted monsters lurking outside before fleeing with his thousand steps towards the north.

Horrifying monster roars and other goosebump-inducing noises could be heard in the distance. The bald elder’s fate was unknown, but he never returned even though two hours had passed.

"He is missing in action, but his life token is still intact. He is still alive and hiding somewhere. This shelter will be safe for a little longer. We need to return to the safe zone." The nearby servant clasped her hands in prayer.

"..." The nearby masked young man squinted his eyes as he stared into the distance. He wished to challenge more monsters and seek more opportunities, but he had to guard the princess of their clan.

He could only sigh because Mingyue was still his little sister. Many things have happened in their clan. That was the beginning of their steps to reform the Feng Clan. So, no one was allowed to harm Mingyue, let alone take her life, or they couldn’t imagine the consequences because she was the only one who bridged a good relationship with Sacred Sakura.

Several other groups that survived the corrupted monster horde were also hiding in temporary hiding places while recovering themselves.

Their objective was to survive and return to the safe zone before they could re-explore the realm to hunt for more opportunities.

At the center of all the chaos, the Goddesses did their best to eradicate the immortal monsters in the core region. They were caught in a trap formation released by the desperate realm core.

"This won’t end with just beating. You’ll pay dearly soon, damn realm core." Fortuna spat out a mouthful of blood after slaying an immortal monster.

"I almost caught it. I managed to put a marker on it. It can’t escape from us for long. Our trap was rigged, and their ambush caused so much harm to the other groups. Let’s clean up the mess quickly." Lifa pulled out her divine spear from the dead gigantic demon’s head.

"Eew, I want to take a shower. These corruption and demonic liquid, I’ve been stained... My purification isn’t enough. I want to see Ely and Miko immediately." Nell complained while trying to clean herself.

"Let’s get this done. We have to capture the realm core today." Rhea floated down from the sky.

The battle was almost over, but their primary target had fled far away.

"This is the last one. Where did that thing go?" Zera swung Celestia and kicked the dead immortal monster away.

"We no longer have traps. It’s location... locked on. Are you ready for a frontal assault?" Lifa showed her virtual radar to everyone.

The Goddesses looked at each other and nodded. After that, they entered the void as they would ambush the realm core in a frontal assault.