YOURE HERE, YGGDRASILL

To Eves surprise, the Helas Shrine was unusually quiet today.

Although religious institutions like these have always exuded a solemn atmosphere, they should still have their fair share of believers visiting and praying, as well as clerics bustling about.

Yet, today the shrine is almost empty

Even the rows of seats for believers in the shrine have been removed, leaving the entire hall empty and barren.

What caught her eye was only the statue of the Goddess of Death and a petite figure standing in front of it. This individual was wearing what appeared to be a black ceremonial robe similar to that of the Death Goddess, with her back facing Ev as she gazed at the gemstone nestled in the right hand of Helas statue.

It was the female priestess often referred to by the Dark-Dwarves as their Shrinelord.

Eves heart skipped a beat, prompting her to voluntarily dispel the high-level concealment spell she had cast upon herself.

In the vacant hall of the shrine, the only audible sound was the echo of Evs footsteps as she entered the premises, with her shoes gracefully treading along the black stone tiles

Upon hearing the sound of Evs footsteps, the Shrinelord, with her hands positioned behind her back, gradually turned around and locked eyes directly with Ev.

Youre here, Yggdrasill.

Her voice exuded a calm and gentle tone, without a hint of surprise, as if she had known Ev for a long time, and her manner of speech resembled that of someone meeting an old friend they hadnt seen in a very long time.

Upon hearing how the dwarven priestess addressed her, Ev sensed an intense surge of energy within her, as if her very essence was on the brink of eruption.

The dormant divine power within her body awakened involuntarily, and she could hardly resist the urge to unleash her power and cast a spell, tearing the person who had boldly spoken her name into smithereens

However, after realizing where she currently was, Ev reluctantly suppressed her impulse and redirected her gaze towards the face of the priestess.

However, she was slightly taken aback when she clearly saw the current appearance of the dwarven priestess.

Dark Dwarves typically have dark skin tones, as well as grayish-black hair and eyes. The impression Ev had while observing this priestess through the players perspective was similar to that of a typical female dwarf

However, the Shrinelords appearance now was significantly different from what Ev had seen before.

Her usual grayish-black hair has now turned completely black, and her originally dark skintone has become fairer, resembling that of a human. Furthermore, her pair of dark ashen eyes have transformed into a pair of crimson pupils, resembling the unfathomable depths of the sea.

Although she still somewhat possessed the dwarven priestess facial features, her overall appearance and demeanor now gave the impression of an entirely different individual.

Standing there by herself, the petite priestess exudes an indescribable aura of majesty and mystery, involuntarily evoking a sense of reverence to anyone who happens to lay their eyes upon her

Divine possession!

Eves pupils partly contracted.

However, she reacted quickly, and her mind immediately made an educated guess, with about eighty to ninety percent certainty, regarding the true identity of the person possessing the priestess.

Ev then gracefully executed a standard elven greeting gesture before stating,

When I discovered that the divine energy within this shrine had been exhausted, my initial assumption was that the worshippers had summoned an Envoy from the Netherworld. However, it turned out to be Your Majesty, the Goddess of Death herself, who had manifested

Upon hearing Eves words, the dwarven priestess showed no signs of surprise. She merely stretched out her hands and shook her head before releasing a soft sigh.

Ive merely borrowed the body and power of a believer of mine to manifest a temporal possession. It cant compare to Your Excellency directly shaping an avatar as your physical incarnation.

After speaking, the priestess gently waved her hand, and suddenly numerous bones appeared out of thin air on the ground of the temple, forming an imposing skeletal throne, upon which she lightly sat.

However, the grand and imposing throne appeared out of place in contrast to the small stature of the Dwarves. When the other party sat upon it, her legs ended up dangling in the air, creating a slightly amusing sight resembling a child sitting on an oversized adults chair

Upon seeing this scene, something stirred within Eves heart.

At the same time, several plants emerged from the ground behind her, transforming into a vibrant throne made of vines, upon which she also sat down.

Observing the unmistakable divine power of Nature surrounding Ev, the priestess raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.

She then glanced at Ev, wearing a half-smile upon her lips, with her cold voice carrying a subtle hint of amusement.

The Divinity of Nature should I address you as Your Excellency Yggdrasill or simply Ev?

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Eves nerves couldnt help but twitch slightly.

However, she quickly regained her composure and smiled faintly as she responded, Ev is fine. My current name is Ev YggdrasillYour Majesty Hela.

After she spoke, a faint fluctuation of aura emanated from within her, and Eves entire appearance changed once again. She discarded her disguise and unveiled her true form, transitioning directly from the guise of Godwarden Zero into her original look!

The sight of Ev, with her unique platinum hair, purple eyes, and the divine robe embellished with symbols representing nature, life, and elves, along with the floral crown nestled upon her head, left the dwarven priestess with a myriad of emotions.

Yggdrasill, you have changed after allIndeed, youre still her, yet at the same time, youre not her anymore. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that youre the successor of the World Tree

After speaking, the priestess let out a rueful sigh, and a trace of divine power surged from within her petite body, causing the dwarven priestess appearance to change once again

Suddenly, her height rapidly increased, transforming her from her previous petite form into a fully-sized humanoid woman with black hair and crimson eyes. She wore a black divine robe adorned with symbols of the Grim Reaper on her body

Her new appearance was exactly the same as the statue of the Goddess of Death placed in the hall!

At this moment, there was no longer any doubt within Eves mind.

Its definitely Hela, the Goddess of Death and Ruler of the Underworld!

Despite outwardly displaying a calm demeanor, Eves mind was engulfed in turmoil, overwhelmed by a multitude of doubts and concerns

Hela, the Goddess of Death, who usually resided in the Netherworld, unexpectedly borrowed the body of a believer to manifest her divine descent!

It was evident that the other party had been waiting for her and knew that she would eventually come to visit her shrine.

However how did Hela know?

When did she discover Eves true identity, and how did she know that Ev would come to visit her?

Noto be more precise, Evs original plan was to pose as a Godwarden in order to establish communication with Helas followers and create a positive impression and goodwill beforehand. However, what she didnt expect was to encounter Hela herself!

Moreover it was clear that the other party had been here for a while, waiting for her arrival specifically!

Helas first sentence, Youre here upon meeting her had already expressed almost everything

Fortunately, it seemed that Hela didnt harbor any hostility towards her.

Observing Evs suddenly fall into awkward silence, the Goddess of Death released a faint sigh and spoke softly,

Dont worry, YggdraYour Majesty Ev Currently, I am the only one who knows about your return, and I have no intention of revealing it to anyone. You shouldve also known that I am not on the same side as those gods in the heavenly realm.

Upon hearing these words, Ev experienced a slight sense of relief, although some of her lingering apprehension still remained unresolved.

Your Majesty Hela, at what point did you become aware of my resurrection? she asked.

Hela slightly raised an eyebrow and replied,

Probably when the mana levels in Saiges once again started to replenish. At that moment, I had a few doubts, but with the support of my followers, I encountered some of your elves. From that point onward, my certainty grew to about eighty to ninety percent.

Hela begin to harbor doubts from the moment the mana within the mortal realm replenished?

Eves heart skipped a beat as she suddenly began to think of more of this matter

Since the Goddess of Death began to doubt it, did the other gods perhaps think the same thing as well?

As if reading her mind Hela added, However, the rest of the gods are probably still oblivious of it and I only became aware of it sinceit was I who had secretly assisted in casting the self-preservation spell that the World Tree had used upon itself before its fall. I immediately noticed the changes in that spell as soon as they occurred. Hence, after observing your territory for a while, I eventually learned about your resurrection.

The Goddess of Death secretly assisted in casting the self-preservation spell that protected the body of the World Tree?

Upon learning of this news, waves surged within Eves mind.

Wait does this mean that Hela was already a secret ally of her predecessor!?

Seeing Eves astonished expression, Hela continued,

Actually, even if you hadnt come to find me and hadnt dealt with Hodurs group of unruly servants, I would have gone to the Elven Forest to find you myself. But now that youre here, the situation has become even more favorable.

Having said that, Hela then lifted her chin and playfully gazed at Ev, before asking,

So how about it? Was my soul-storing gemstone useful to you?

Ev: