Lily hung her head and pressed her right hand to her chest, trying to calm her rapid breathing. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

She was sure that the encounter – or chase – would have been the most thrilling of her entire hunter's career. She has slain all sorts of beasts and monsters, but never thought of fighting the Firedemons, and has survived.

It represents the impression of a "demon", a powerful enemy with a reputation for being in the El Continent. Its image is described in fairy tales, its power is written in chivalric novels, and the destruction it has caused in the archives of history. Historically, every time the Fire Demon has succeeded in descending on the El, whether it's because of some unlucky guy or some megalomaniac who wants to control the other, it has carved indelible scars and numerous casualties on the continent.

She remembered the sacrifices Misara and Eskar had made to cover the team, sighed, and then looked up, cautiously taking in what was in front of her.

She hadn't seen anything like it anywhere. Beneath your feet is a wide, circular platform that floats in the void and stretches out in the eye. It's crystal clear, it looks sturdy, but it's soft to step on.

Beneath the platform is like an endless starry sky, and countless starlights flicker, slowly changing positions. A brilliant ribbon of light swept through the starry sky, like a silver-white river. The mercenary looked up, and the sky was a flawless circular dome that covered the entire upper half of the platform, making it difficult to see how far away. It emits a pure, soft light that illuminates all around without obscuring the starry sky beneath your feet.

The space was silent, and there was no living life in sight except her. She clenched her right hand, the familiar greatsword still in her hand, making her feel a little relieved.

She recalled what Yuffie had said, repeating the thought in her mind—"I want to meet someone who can help us defeat the Firefiend and relieve the Breeze Forest crisis." ”

The scene has changed. The galaxy began to flow, and many stars converged and merged upwards into the platform, building a path full of starlight. A slightly brighter light casts from the sky, mirroring the stars, showing Lily the way forward.

The mercenary strode forward. The surroundings seemed to grow brighter, and the stars below them faded. When she took another step, without warning, it became a completely different place.

It was a vast plain, with verdant blades of grass swaying gently and containing endless vitality. The soft, unblinding sunlight fills the grassland, the air is filled with a wonderful fragrance, and there is a faint chant accompanied by a breeze.

The pure white marble paved road stretched from her feet, and at the end was a magnificent and holy pure white palace, not far from her, a dozen meters away. The exterior walls of the palace are covered with delicate reliefs, and Lily has taken a general look, and most of them are carved scenes of people resisting tyranny or justice triumphing, which is spectacular and simple.

Instinctively, she approached the palace. Two spheres about a dozen centimeters in diameter, emitting a soft golden light, flew to her side, humming softly, and then led her into the hall and into a hall in the middle.

There, she saw Yuffie and Lynn, and soon after, the rest of them were also directed to the place. She had said hello to everyone briefly, but she was still vaguely vigilant. There were so many things that were unexpected or incomprehensible that she couldn't be completely reassured.

"What kind of place is this?" She asked Yuffie.

"It should be the Heavenly Mountain of the Outer Realm." The girl replied, "If the abyss is a symbol of evil, here is the gathering of good." ”

"—exactly."

A broad male voice came from the front, and Lily turned her head to see a man in a white robe standing at the other entrance to the hall. He walked along the white-stone paved path, standing beside the mercenary and the others.

Lily looked the man up and down. His countenance was not handsome, perhaps more generous, but it made the mercenary feel extraordinarily comfortable. Except for the plain white robe and brown cloth boots, there was nothing on the man's body. He didn't have a compelling momentum, nor did he feel too much power, but Lily was sure that he was not a mortal.

"Welcome to my realm." As if seeing the confusion of Lily and the others, the man took the initiative to speak, "I am Leonos, the agent of Protodis. ”

"Ah, you are, the Lord of Light, the deity of the Cult of St. Leon?" The biggest reaction to this was actually Amberly, who scrambled to dig pastries and preserves out of her pocket, "...... Would you like to try the dim sum I made? ”

The mercenary frowned, wanting to slap Amberly's hand away, but she didn't think it was polite to do so in front of the gods, and just glared hard at the Elna.

"If there is a Lord of Light that the Church believes, it is indeed me." Leonos smiled and took a piece of pastry and replied calmly, completely without the expected majesty, "But I am not really a 'god', but a substitute who has accepted the theocracy of the Lord of Light, nothing more. ”

Bell looked around with his mouth wide open, in fact, the Belon people hadn't closed their mouths since Lily saw him here, "Oh my God, how much does it cost to build a palace like this?" ”

"The appearance of the outer realm is determined from within, and I have shaped the form of this place to honor those who have accomplished great things." The man smiled and shook his head, "No human power or any precious materials were used. ”

That's pretty good, if only she could be like Leonos in the future—or a surrogate. Lily thought to herself.

Yuffie thought for a moment and asked softly, "So, are the other gods, like Eddar and Mar, the same?" ”

"That's right." Leonos nodded, "We are not 'gods', just 'oracles' with their rights and duties. ”

"Shall we talk about that later?" Lily was confused and couldn't help but interject, "Your Excellency, Lord of Light, can you help us kill that Flame Demon?" ”

"I can't shoot directly at the Fire Demon." What she didn't expect was that the man refused the request, "The world of the last epoch was destroyed because of the excessive interference of the gods. Even if the Firefiend is evil, as a balanced guardian, I can't judge anyone based on my own likes and dislikes. He paused, continuing to answer Lily's question, "But I can give you—some help, to be precise, to give you a chance to defeat the Firefiend. ”

"That's no problem!" The mercenary agreed, "But what do you do?" ”

"I will guide you to recover a sealed memory and your true identity." The man replied.