The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"On behalf of the association, I would like to welcome everyone from Hope Town."

This surprised him; could it be someone he knew?

Just as Ye Xiao was unsure and about to take a look, the other person's next words decisively dispelled his doubts.

“I, Freya Arendl, will serve as the chief priestess for this grand event.”

It's unbelievable, it's someone I know.

Ye Xiao didn't believe she could just happen to run into a girl with the same voice and name here.

"And I invite you all to join me on the path to godhood."

Chapter Forty-Four: Flesh and Blood, Suffering and Weakness

Freya is going to become a god?

Ye Xiao was filled with doubt. If his soul hadn't also been split in two, his current shock would have definitely affected Ella's prayer.

Fortunately, two minds can be used for two purposes. Although Ella was studying through Ye Xiao's eyes, she still tried her best not to think about this matter together.

Is Freya such a cunning and scheming girl?

Ye Xiao thought about all sorts of things, but she never connected this girl with her firm beliefs, stubborn personality, and gentle and kind nature with the mastermind behind all of this.

You might say this girl suddenly went mad... but all along the way, the alchemy of flesh and blood, the reversal of life and death, the metal puppets with their own consciousness, Hope Town... it's all clearly premeditated and planned.

But Ye Xiao found it hard to believe that it wasn't true.

He could accept that the greedy witch, the dull maid, or even the succubus from the Paradise Pavilion was the mastermind, because they all had some suspicious aspects.

But Freya... that stubborn girl in Elysium who said she would sacrifice herself to save his life, was that all an act?

Could it be that I really misjudged this time...?

Ye Xiao was completely baffled.

But if you really want to say it, it can't be considered completely unexpected.

Freya's sudden disappearance before the invitation, and the strange scene witnessed in that small house last night...

It seems that this was the outcome that was originally expected.

However, there are too many mysteries floating on the surface, and it is impossible to fully understand them based on the current information alone.

Should we ask Greta? But if that guy's master really is related to the Engineering Society, will she tell the truth or a lie?

Countless chaotic clues and events enveloped Ye Xiao like a net, and as these scenes unfolded, it seemed there was always something he should have paid attention to but hadn't noticed.

Below the tower, Freya continued speaking.

“All of you here were born innocent. Yet, because you have no divine protection, you have lost everything you should have had.”

"Some are born with disabilities, some are plagued by illness; some are separated from their wives and children due to poverty, some struggle to survive only to encounter misfortune; some are oppressed by nobles and lose all their property, some are displaced by wars instigated by their elders..."

"You, me, and everyone here, what is a future that others can easily reach is a dream that we can hardly attain no matter how hard we try."

After he finished speaking, the audience remained completely silent.

To be honest, Freya's icy, aloof voice isn't really suitable for pyramid schemes; it's more appropriate for her to be a high and mighty empress issuing commands.

But this rhetoric is pretty good; Ella can use it if she ever wants to start something new in the future.

Ye Xiao offered his comments.

Since the incident had already happened and he couldn't figure it out, he simply sat down and had some fun, or as he put it, "let's have some fun."

With this shift in mindset, Ye Xiao began to feel a strange sense of anticipation about what would happen after becoming a god.

"Therefore, we have arrived here."

"This is called hope, a paradise that we, who should be struggling in hell, have created."

"This place, which carries your hopes for the future, will also become my divine kingdom."

"Gentlemen, stay here and join in the glorious evolution—your diseases will be cured, the shadow of death will no longer loom, and you will share strength and wisdom. I will lead you to pursue the perfection of life."

"Everyone, cast aside your mortal bodies and reunite with your loved ones here."

"Everyone, let us shed our physical bodies and remain forever young and strong."

"There will be no more oppression and war, no more poverty and hunger."

"Transcend the frail body and embrace true evolution!"

As Freya uttered her only words, spoken in a high-pitched tone, Ye Xiao felt the earth tremble in a daze.

Everyone present knelt down without prior arrangement, except for Ye Xiao, who quickly sat down on the ground.

A deep, resonant chime emanated from the tower, and invisible ripples seemed to stir the space around it.

Thousands of clouds gathered in the boundless sky, swirling and churning to gradually form a huge vortex centered on the tower.

"Boom, boom, boom"

Ye Xiao couldn't help but raise his head.

This action was no longer a problem, because Ella had also raised her head.

Ella looked up because everyone in the temple square also looked up.

Above the imperial city, a similarly overwhelming cloud vortex was slowly forming.

Like a giant thunderstorm cloud before an approaching typhoon, its majestic size, as large as a mountain, slowly descended as if to crush the entire Vallond.

The sky and earth changed color, and a gale howled. In the center of the black hole-like cloud vortex, a town built on a mountaintop slowly emerged upside down.

At first, Ella couldn't figure out what the town full of pointed buildings was, until she noticed the crowd of people near a towering building in the city center and realized that it looked like Hope Town.

What Ye Xiao saw through the sky above Hope Town was the majestic imperial city slowly descending with the clouds. He could even see the crowded Holy Temple Square in the West District and the tiny white dot of the Holy Maiden.

At this moment, the two bodies seemed to meet through the vortex of clouds in the sky, and the two cities, one above the other, were like vertical mirror images, connected by the clouds that tore through space and time.

Damn it.

Ella was completely bewildered, but thankfully she shouldn't need to continue chanting at this point.

"The blood sacrifice of two thousand dark cultists can bring forth a newborn god." A slightly aged voice sounded from behind her.

Ella slowly turned her head and saw High Priest Evans holding a ceremonial staff, his eyes revealing the same madness that Ye Xiao had seen in the eyes of the Templar Knight that night.

"Lady Havil, do you think that the blood sacrifice of a million people can create a god?"

Ella immediately tried to turn around, but was shocked to find that her entire body was unable to move. She lowered her gaze and then found a huge magic circle under her feet.

Of course, this wasn't exclusive to her. Centered on her, the ground of the entire sanctuary square rippled like a pond after a rain, with giant magic circles appearing one after another.

Everyone present, regardless of their abilities, social status, or whether they were nobles, priests, commoners, or players, was frozen in place at that moment, unable to move an inch.

If you look closely, you'll notice that the skin beneath their clothes gradually begins to gleam with a metallic sheen.

“I’ve been setting up these magic arrays for sixteen years,” Evans said slowly as he walked to Ella’s side. “I started preparing from the moment I decided to raise Freya.”

“I am very curious, High Priest. Why did you betray my Lord?” Ella asked softly.

“I’m curious too.” Evans walked up to the motionless Ella, looking at the silk blindfold covering the girl’s eyes, his gaze seemingly trying to pierce through the thin cloth. “Lady Havil, what exactly are you?”

Chapter 45 Countdown

For Ella, breaking free from constraints is actually quite easy if she wants to.

The magic array on the ground contained nascent divine laws, which would crush mortals who had not yet transcended, but meant nothing to Ella, who was already a god.

However, if she were to unleash the power of the evil god, the millions of spectators present would witness that this newly crowned Holy Maiden of Light is actually an evil god.

This is really a headache...

Despite her inner turmoil, Ella remained composed in the face of the High Priest's question, replying, "I am just an ordinary person who believes in the Holy Light."

Seeing the calm expression on the girl's half-revealed face, High Priest Evans bowed and said, "It's fine if you don't want to tell me, there's no need to worry. The only thing is that the magic circle under your feet doesn't have the effect of blood sacrifice. Please forgive my sudden actions, but if possible, I still hope that we can leave each other alone."

Ella didn't reply; her mind was racing, trying to find a way out of the situation as quickly as possible.

Evans is clearly not a talkative villain; his conversation with Ella must have had a specific purpose.

Seeing that millions of people in the square are simply unable to move without any other unusual occurrences, it is conceivable that the blood sacrifice has not yet officially begun.

It's clear that Evans is stalling for time, trying to delay or neutralize Ella's interference as much as possible.

Several enormous magic arrays covering the plaza slowly activated, forming a circular barrier that completely enveloped the entire sanctuary.

Maintaining a magic array of this size must require a massive source of magic power, and although Evans is of extraordinary status, he is far from meeting this requirement.

If it was driven by burying a large number of magic crystals, then the other people in the Sanctuary should have been completely unaware of it all these years.

Thinking of this, Ye Xiao, who was on the other side, raised his head.

At this moment, everyone around him prostrated themselves on the ground in utmost respect, offering their reverence to the new god who was about to be born.

Freya, dressed in a magnificent white gown resembling a wedding dress, floated slowly in mid-air. With her arms slightly outstretched and her neck tilted back, she seemed to be absorbing star-like particles falling from the sky as she made her declaration.

These particles came from the top of that tower, where the spire now shone like a strange blue sun.

The connection between the two cities in this way, which breaks through spatial boundaries, cannot be merely for the sake of spectacular scenery; there must be a purpose behind it.

If I'm not mistaken, the magic circle in the Cathedral Square probably relies on this tower to supply magic power.

Just as Ye Xiao came up with a plan, the system timely issued a task:

[Quest triggered: Hopeful Paradise]

[Mission Briefing: You have arrived in Hope Town, where you will witness the birth of a new god, but also the demise of millions of lives. As a traveler from another world, what choice will you make?]

[Task Difficulty: Extremely Difficult]

[Task Rewards: 3500 Gold Coins, 3000 Universal Points]

[Branch 1 - Preventing the Descent of God: The Crown of Mammon, Sin Society Reputation *2000, Sanctuary Reputation *1000, Loren Reputation *2000, Hope's Town Reputation *10000]

[Branch 2 - Assisting the Descent of Gods: The Fruit of Evolution, Hope Town Reputation*5000, Sin Society Reputation*500, -Sanctuary Reputation*3000, -Loren Reputation*2000]

[Countdown to Divine Descent: 9:56]

Goodness, there are even branches.

It seems that any path with a reward will be considered a mission, even if choosing that path will result in the deaths of millions. Ye Xiao couldn't help but think that it was no wonder that most of the top players in his previous life were rather cold-blooded.

However, the Society of Original Sin is quite interesting. It's the only one that gives positive reputation no matter what you choose, and I don't know why.

Without a doubt, after briefly reviewing the mission, Ye Xiao chose the path of "preventing the divine descent" without hesitation.

Li Cheng, Nia, and the others are still in the Holy Temple Square, so Ye Xiao cannot choose the option of sacrificing them with blood.

He bent over slightly, trying to bend his waist as low as possible to avoid the crowd. Fortunately, these devout residents of Hope Town were all huddled on the ground like dehydrated crayfish, not even glancing at him.

The system also thoughtfully gave Ye Xiao a countdown, so that he wouldn't be too anxious about not knowing when the divine descent would happen.

That's good. You know, if Ye Xiao were still taking a detour and a divine descent happened, that would be incredibly abstract.

To avoid Freya, who was chanting sutras right at the main entrance of the tower, Ye Xiao went to great lengths to take a long detour before finally reaching the side of the tower.

After all, Ye Xiaoguang sensed the exaggerated magical power constantly gathering around Freya, so he had no confidence in defeating Freya in her current SP form, which was anyone's guess.

【9: 04】

Unfortunately, there were also some alchemical guards on the side, their bodies made of metal armor. Although they were also in a prone position, their bodies blocked the side door.

Come to think of it, if you could just walk up and kick the magic circle, then this mission wouldn't be labeled as "extremely difficult".

Ye Xiao sighed, touched the hilt of the knife at his waist, and slowly stepped forward.

Just then, a loud roar pierced his eardrums, and the sudden surge of wind pressure made Ye Xiao instinctively put his hands on his body and take a few steps back.

A colossal beast with flapping metal wings slowly landed on the ground. Its head was that of a ferocious lion with a ring of golden mane. Its powerful limbs were end-to-end with steel claws that flashed with cold light, and its slender tail was covered with segments of carapace, with a sharp black needle at the tip.

"Roar!!!"

The manticore roared at Ye Xiao, who was near the side door, raising a cloud of dust. At the same time, several alchemical guards who were prostrate on the ground stood up, holding their halberds, and lined up in neat rows, with the tips of their halberds pointing directly at Ye Xiao.

No wonder those who dared to solo high-difficulty missions in their past lives were usually assassins.

Ye Xiao popped a bottle of stamina-enhancing potion into his mouth. He thought that he should learn some stealth skills when he got back, otherwise, who could stand this kind of situation every mission?

Seeing the intruders poised to pounce, the alchemical guard immediately warned, "Back off, human! The abode of the gods lies ahead..."