My Goddess is Good at Pretending

Chapter 584: Impromptu Night Visit

As the moon climbed high into the midnight sky, casting a silver glow over the imperial capital city, Liu Kang made his way toward the Hero Party’s temporary residence in the Imperial Palace.

He wasn’t just a member of the Hero party. He was a man with a purpose, and he hid a secret agenda hidden beneath his cold and calculated demeanor. His true nature was shrouded in darkness. He was no hero, despite the title bestowed upon him by the Glorious God. He was a villain in disguise, playing the long game, biding his time as a double agent.

But tonight, someone else caught his plans and planned to do something about it.

As he reached a secluded alley, he knew someone still followed him. He couldn’t get away from her. No matter what he did and wherever he went, her aura kept following him. That person didn’t even try to hide her holy aura.

"I’m here. Come out." Liu Kang stopped, and his hand instinctively tightened around his hidden daggers.

From the shadows, a figure emerged. She was a graceful lady dressed in flowing white and red robes. Her presence was serene yet powerful. Her long, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her eyes, glowing faintly with celestial purplish-blue light, locked onto his eyes with calm intensity. It was the sacred shrine priestess.

Liu Kang had no idea what the shrine priestess aimed for, but he knew she was powerful beyond measure, hidden beneath her fake 0th Rank mortal cover.

Miko stepped forward. Her movements were graceful, yet the tension in the air between her and the fake hero was palpable. She spoke her mind out with a calm but firm voice. "Water Devil... I’ve come to warn you."

Liu Kang narrowed his eyes slightly, but remained silent, letting her speak.

Several things crossed his mind, but the only thing that made sense was the incident involving Priestess Jovee. That charm demoness did something behind the scenes, and as a result, this sacred shrine priestess came to him.

If he couldn’t handle this matter properly, he would suffer for sure as he knew that the sacred shrine priestess held an extremely important status in the Elysion Church or the higher faction behind it.

"You think your actions have gone unnoticed, but the Gods see all. You may wear the mask of a hero, the warrior of humanity, but beneath it, your heart is that of a deceiver, a villain hiding in plain sight." Miko walked past Liu Kang and stopped behind him.

"..." Liu Kang’s face remained impassive, though inwardly, he felt a flicker of uneasiness. The sacred shrine priestess’ divine-like aura terrified him, but he suppressed it well to put up a tough front.

He had been meticulous to ensure no one would discover his true nature until the time was right. Yet here she stood, the sacred shrine priestess, confronting him as if she had known everything.

Miko’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight as she walked away. "Do not act upon whatever dark plans you’ve been hiding. It’s not that we don’t know, but we let you be. Don’t make any big scene that will make us label you as a great evil, or you will summon the divine punishment to yourself and the demons that bestowed you demonic powers."

Liu Kang tensed a bit, but he smirked afterward, though there was little humor in his expression. "You’re threatening me, sacred shrine priestess? I thought someone of your status would avoid such basic tactics. And what exactly do you think I’m planning?"

Miko remained silent for a moment and then looked back. Her gaze pierced through the fake hero as if she could see straight into his soul. "You may think you’re clever, hiding your true intentions behind the facade, but I can see the darkness in your heart. You’ve been gathering power, manipulating various forces, waiting for the right moment to strike. But know this... if you act as a great evil, if you reveal your true self as enemy, you will face us. And we won’t ever show mercy."

Her words hung in the air, the threat was clear. Liu Kang could feel the intensity of her conviction, and he knew she wasn’t bluffing. The sacred shrine priestess wasn’t one to take lightly. She might be a guardian of the realm blessed by a higher God, and if she truly believed he posed a threat to the balance, she would stop at nothing to destroy him.

However, if he interpreted it from between the lines, it was as if she warned him so he would tone down his actions to remain below the limits of tolerance. If he stood out too much and raised his rank as the great evil or whatever she mentioned, it would spell his doom, but if he played it properly, the sacred shrine priestess and the forces behind her would let him be.

Liu Kang sighed as he understood that the sacred shrine priestess couldn’t be deceived. He then replied with a shard gaze and firm tone. "You may think you know me, sacred shrine priestess, but you don’t. You know nothing of my plans, or why I do what I do. I’m not some simple villain you can snuff out with a flick of your divine light. If you truly want to stop me, you’ll have to do more than just threaten me."

Miko met the fake hero’s gaze. Her resolve was as strong as ever, and then she looked ahead and walked away, leaving behind the last reminder. "Then so be it. But remember this, you’ve been warned. If we hear even a whisper of your evil deeds, we will come for you. And when we do, there will be no escape."

"It’s strange. You hate the demons. If you already know everything, why did you go all this way just to warn me? It’s not like you care about me or anything." Liu Kang frowned as he felt it was so incomprehensible to understand the sacred shrine priestess’ intention.

"Even the demons deserve salvation. Although you have bullied my Priestess Jovee, we still wish to see how the summoned heroes fight against the Demon King. You will raise a death flag over your next plan, and we don’t want to see that." Miko left her last reminder and then vanished into light particles.

"..." Liu Kang was silent for a while. The encounter with the sacred shrine priestess was truly unexpected.

After he released his suppressed feeling, he trembled and immediately clutched his arms. The sacred shrine priestess was akin to the divine presence, and her aura just now made even the demonic powers within him tremble with fear.

"I need to re-plan my agenda. Damn, so my previous guess was correct. The Elysion Church and even the sacred shrine priestess are aware of Priestess Jovee’s identity, and I messed myself up..." Liu Kang put his hand to his forehead. He broke into a cold sweat when he realized that he was fucked up just because he tried to hit Priestess Jovee up.

Fortunately, the opposing force chose to let him go, but he had to behave and avoid arousing their attention. If he did, then they would most likely hunt him down.

After pondering about it once again, Liu Kang vanished into the shadows as he had to handle several things first before returning to the Hero Party.

Meanwhile, Yuusha Mashiro and his comrades went to visit the sacred shrine priestess. Because Liu Kang had yet to return, they left without him.

The place where the Elysion Church’s group stayed was a first-class hotel closest to the Imperial Palace, and the entire top floor was booked only for the Elysion Church.

"Will he heed my warning, my disciples?" Miko stood on the roof of the building, staring at Liu Kang’s fleeing shadow.

"He would never dare to risk his life with the gamble. You already kindly warned him, master. He will re-plan his scheme and behave so he doesn’t arouse our attention." Gabriella replied with a hint of wonder.

"Master, why did you go that far to warn him? We can just punish him if he committed great sins. Even the other young heroes don’t receive this kind of treatment when they do anything wrong." Jophiel asked it directly as she couldn’t understand her master’s intentions.

The other disciples nodded as they were also eager to hear their master’s answer.

"Regardless of his aim, we wish to see the live tale of the summoned heroes against the Demon King. He shouldn’t ruin the story with his own personal agenda. He can do whatever he wishes to do after that, but he must be aware that the Elysion Church is here." Miko heaved a subtle sigh and shook her head.

"I see... do we need to monitor him further, master?" Gabriella nodded in understanding, feeling enlightened. There was nothing complicated, the fake hero only received a chance to redeem himself.

"No need. Leave him alone for now." Miko raised her hand and turned around. "We got some guests. Let’s go back to greet them."

"Understood." The ten disciples replied in unison. And then, their master brought them back to the hotel.

At that time, Myra and Daemyx simply received the Hero’s Party’s unannounced visit and left the guests in the waiting room.

Despite the cold treatment and being left alone, some maids soon arrived and served some quality pastries and tea for the guests.

Mashiro and his comrades could only take it for granted. Since the sacred shrine priestess wasn’t present, then they had to wait, and they could do nothing about it.