The Evil God Summoned by the Saintess

Chapter 343: Chapter 341: This Time, Miss Hilia Has to Save the World~

Nighttime, inside the inn where the Divine Magic Academy’s tournament delegation was resting.

"Kneel!"

Ashburn ruthlessly kicked Adrian in the knee, forcing him to kneel, not giving anyone else a chance to speak, making him kneel first before saying anything else.

Hilia was startled by the scene before her.

She hastily said, "Your Excellency Ashburn, there’s no need for this, it’s not good for Chairman Adrian."

Ashburn replied indifferently, "There’s nothing wrong about it. A man who has failed in his duties, causing the Mage League to be postponed multiple times or even suspended, and plunging the Northern Alliance into a demon crisis—killing him on the spot wouldn’t even ease my anger."

"Uh... that’s a bit much..."

For Hilia, Adrian had only revoked her qualification to compete—it wasn’t worth going as far as killing him.

Of course, however serious it was for the Northern Alliance had nothing to do with Hilia.

Ashburn kicked Adrian again, "Aren’t you going to apologize to Miss Xilia?"

The oppressive Tier Six aura bore down on Adrian, forcing him to bow to Hilia. He bit his lip, his fists clenching and unclenching, and after a moment, he finally lowered his head and said, "I’m sorry, Miss Xilia. I abused my authority as chairman and unilaterally canceled your qualification to participate. That was my fault, and I offer you my deepest apology. Please forgive my actions."

Ashburn said coldly, "Just an apology?"

Adrian hesitated for a long time before painfully taking out a box from his coat.

"This is a Pure Magic Crystal of 98% purity. Please accept it as compensation."

"Uh, that’s too valuable. I can’t accept it."

Hilia shook her head.

An Advanced Magic Crystal or something of similar value would be enough—a Pure Magic Crystal, and a 98% pure one at that, was simply too much for Hilia.

She knew that the Pure Magic Crystal she used now was only about 50% pure, and even then, it was a repeatedly-used "mine card."

"Take it, Miss Xilia. It’s not just an apology gift for canceling your qualification, but also a token of gratitude."

Beside her, Nikodemos said, "Accept it, Hilia. What you’ve done lately is worth at least this Pure Magic Crystal."

"Very well then. Thank you, Your Excellency Ashburn, and Your Excellency Sathipheni." Hilia reluctantly accepted the gift box, even finding Adrian less displeasing to look at.

Nikodemos said, "Your Excellency Ashburn, rather than dwelling on Adrian’s punishment, I suggest we focus on resolving the Abyss Gate first. I learned from the Holy Master that the Abyss Gate was one of the culprits behind the Era of Calamity five hundred years ago. If we allow the Abyss Gate to keep releasing demons, who knows if another calamity will strike."

Ashburn nodded. "Exactly. We’ve come with great sincerity, wanting to learn all we can about the Abyss Gate from you, and find out whether we can enter and eliminate it at the root."

Hilia said, "You mustn’t go. You’ll die."

Sathipheni nodded as well. "Of course we would not act so recklessly."

Ashburn said, "We have already notified the public, via the League Committee, that Hilia’s competition eligibility is restored. However, with the Abyss Gate and the sect problem unresolved, I’m afraid the matches cannot resume any time soon."

Sathipheni said, "Miss Xilia, Mr. Nikodemos, would you please explain the detailed situation concerning the Abyss Gate?"

Hilia looked at Nikodemos.

Nikodemos nodded. "Tell them, Hilia. Let them know just how serious the Abyss Gate is."

"Alright."

Hilia nodded and slowly began to recount the information regarding the Abyss and the Abyss Gate.

Such knowledge, for most people, likely only existed in the archives of the Holy Court.

In fact, perhaps there were not even detailed records in the Holy Court, since the last time the Abyss Gate was opened, it was by the Divine King, and the Era of Calamity itself resulted in the loss of large amounts of data.

The Holy Court was created by the Divine King and the Gods. He altered large portions of history, so naturally records regarding the Abyss Gate would have been modified as well.

That is to say, even the intelligence Nikodemos received by contacting the Holy Master was less extensive than what Hilia learned from Rose.

And since Nikodemos only knew what others had told him, he simply stayed silent and listened to Hilia.

After they finished listening to Hilia’s account of the Abyss and the Abyss Gate, Sathipheni exclaimed, "Miss Xilia, your scholarly knowledge is truly profound."

"All of this is knowledge granted me by the Gods." Hilia replied modestly, with a reserved smile.

The others smiled slightly, not taking her words seriously, assuming she was merely being humble.

Ashburn frowned. "So we must continuously use Purification Skill to destroy the Abyss Gate? And the process takes an entire month?"

Hilia said, "I once saw in an ancient tome mention of a special Purification Skill aimed specifically at the Abyss. This Purification Skill is derived from the Holy Court’s Purification Skill, developed by modifying the original. According to the description, it may be possible to destroy the Abyss Gate in only half a day."

Ashburn’s eyes lit up. He hurriedly asked, "Miss Xilia, do you remember that Purification Skill? Could you teach it to us?"

"Ahem," Nikodemos coughed lightly. "Your Excellency Ashburn, it’s getting late. Please take your leave. The diplomatic delegation from the Ista Empire and several other countries will arrive in Kost City tomorrow. If you have further questions, please address them to the Ista Empire’s delegation."

Hilia said, "I’m very sorry, Your Excellencies, but for now I cannot provide it. I need time to carefully recall how to practice that Purification Skill and determine whether it’s usable. Perhaps after negotiations between the Northern Alliance and Ista’s diplomats are concluded, I will have mastered it."

The implication being: let the countries negotiate first, and only after will she use that mysterious Purification Skill to resolve the Abyss Gate issue.

Of course, the Northern Alliance could also choose not to rely on her help and try to use Purification Skill continuously for a month to cleanse the Abyss Gate.

But if they delay for a whole month, who knows what could happen.

Judging from Hilia’s description of the Abyss Gate, Kost City’s situation is unlikely to improve during this time.

In fact, whether or not Hilia provides purifying assistance, diplomatic negotiations are still necessary. Once all nations realize the danger the Abyss Gate poses, it becomes more than a sect incident—it is a crisis threatening the entire continent.

What was once just an internal affair for the Northern Alliance will, in the latter case, give the other empires a legitimate reason to send troops.

The other empires can afford to wait, but the Northern Alliance cannot.

Ashburn stood, hauled the still-kneeling Adrian upright, then looked deep into Hilia’s eyes and said, "I understand. Tomorrow we will prioritize receiving the Ista diplomatic delegation. I hope Miss Xilia can master the Purification Skill soon. When the time comes, please help us destroy the Abyss Gate and save the Starfall Continent."

With that, he and Sathipheni took Adrian and left.

Watching them go, Nikodemos turned to Hilia, "Don’t feel too much pressure. Mr. Blake will be coming with the diplomatic delegation tomorrow. The Academy is behind you—do what you must without worry."