Chapter 76: Chapter 76: New Forbidden Land
Chapter 76 — New Forbidden Land
Ice.
That was all that remained just in front of entrance to the Forest of Darkness, where Noah and his team had once stood.
But not just any ice—This was Absolute Zero Ice.
An existence so cold it could freeze even an S-rank being solid.
For an SS-rank like Solaris, it shouldn’t have mattered.
But when the full concentrated force of such an attack hits head-on—
even an SS-rank feels it.
And Solaris had taken it directly.
Now, she stood in the frozen wasteland.
Her clothes were torn and stiff with frost.
Parts of her skin had frozen too, though the icy patches were gradually breaking away, revealing healing flesh underneath.
But Solaris didn’t care about her injuries.
Her eyes were wide, not from pain—
but from horror.
Because she could feel something fundamental within her—
diminished.
Her affinity for light. Once at SS-rank...
Now?
A-rank.
Solaris’s body shuddered violently. Her knees nearly buckled under the shock.
"W-What...? How is this possible?" she whispered, her voice cracking.
She couldn’t understand.
She refused to understand.
"Was it him? Noah Weaverheart? Did he—downgrade my affinity? But how?!"
Questions raced wildly in her mind, but no answers came.
And indeed, there were none.
There was no record, no history of someone being able to downgrade an affinity. Let alone doing it with sword energy.
Even though Solaris could sense that sword energy had pierced her being, she simply couldn’t connect it to her current reality.
If only she knew...
Noah hadn’t just wanted to downgrade her affinity.
He had tried to cut it off completely.
Fortunately—or unfortunately for Noah—an SS-rank being was no pushover.
And he was still only A-rank.
Solaris gathered herself, trying to regain her composure.
She looked around at the frozen wasteland.
She could feel it.
This land—this place would remain forever.
A forbidden zone where anyone below S-rank would die instantly.
Even an S-rank wouldn’t last long.
Solaris shivered.
She raised her head to the heavens and whispered:
"My dear goddess...is this the monster our Blessed One is destined to fight?"
"This Noah...is no longer a child."
She shook her head slowly.
"No child can create a forbidden land."
Solaris finally understood the scale of the threat Noah represented.
She had underestimated him—severely.
Even after receiving the Goddess’s direct blessings.
Juts because she was an SS rank being.
Today had been a brutal wake-up call.
If they continued to underestimate Noah,
then chaos and catastrophe would descend upon them.
Her eyes hardened.
Her light affinity had been downgraded.
But that wasn’t her only affinity.
And... she could still reclaim it.
There were still a few SS-rank Affinity Evolution Potions locked within the Church’s treasury.
Solaris clenched her fists.
"I can’t wait anymore," she muttered.
"I must take control of the human domain—rapidly."
Her eyes burned with cold fury.
The Castria Royal Family... must fall.
...
Meanwhile—
In the endless whiteness of the White Realm, Noah and his team materialized.
Elizabeth, having been here before, was unfazed.
But Eric and Yuki?
They stared around, awestruck, until their eyes fell upon—
Her.
A woman with white hair and matching white eyes.
Sitting calmly in the air, looking at them with a serene gaze.
Elira.
Even if they’d never met her in person,
the stories, the reputation—
everyone at the Academy knew of Elira.
"Uh... Noah?" Eric whispered nervously.
"Did we... make a mistake during teleportation?"
Yuki said nothing, but the terror in her posture was obvious.
Elizabeth smirked at her reaction.
"Really? Scared by this? And you had the guts to threaten me before? Tsk."
As Yuki opened her mouth to retort—
Elira’s voice echoed around them.
Calm. Cool. Unbothered.
"Has my realm become your personal gathering ground, dear disciple?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"If you needed a place, you could have just asked.
I’d create one just for you."
The words struck them like a thunderbolt.
Disciple?!
Create a realm just for him?!
What the actual hell?!
Elizabeth stared at Elira, envy flashing across her face.
’If only I were strong enough’ she thought bitterly.
’I would have given my love a whole world even...’
Yuki stood frozen, her mind scrambling to catch up.
But one thing became very clear:
Elira was a threat.
A threat to steal her Noah.
Meanwhile, Eric cursed under his breath.
"Damn player... even the Dean? This is madness."
Elira noticed it all—Elizabeth’s envy, Yuki’s frown, Eric’s reaction—and smiled, deeply amused.
"I’m sorry, Elira," Noah said, stretching his neck.
"I didn’t want to barge in like this, but I had no choice."
Elira raised an eyebrow.
"What happened?"
"Well, just the Saintess Solaris showing up and trying to kill us," Noah replied casually, as if mentioning a trip to the market.
He smirked.
"But you know me. I can’t just accept being bullied."
"So... I left her a gift before teleporting."
"I bet she liked it," Noah added, his grin widening.
Elira’s expression darkened.
"You said the Saintess tried to kill you?" she repeated, her voice heavy.
The realm trembled as if reacting to her growing fury.
Her white eyes glowed fiercely as she stood up.
"She dared...?"
When Elira spoke again, her voice was no longer human—
it was a chorus of countless beings.
The space itself shook.
"Wait for me—!" she started
But Noah interrupted firmly, "Don’t."
Elira froze.
She looked at him, frowning.
"Why?"
"She tried to kill you, Noah," she insisted.
Noticeably, she never once mentioned Yuki, Elizabeth, or Eric—as if their lives didn’t even register.
Noah sighed.
"I told you, remember? Let me have my protagonist era."
"And what’s more protagonist than escaping a stronger foe,
only to return later and crush them?"
He stepped closer and gently embraced her.
"Don’t worry," he whispered.
"I’m fine. She didn’t even touch me."
"If anything—I had the last laugh."
"So just sit back, relax—and watch what your man can do."
Elira stayed silent for a moment.
Gradually, the realm stilled.
She sighed.
She hated it.
She wanted to pamper him endlessly—
to protect him from even the slightest harm.
But Noah didn’t want that.
And she wouldn’t force him.
So she nodded.
"Fine."
But Noah saw the unwillingness flickering in her gaze.
And he smirked internally.
Because the Saintess?
The Saintess would be his.
Imagine the Goddess’s face when she realized her precious Saintess had been taken from her—
not by death—
but by loyalty.
By love.
Noah leaned in, whispering sensually into Elira’s ear:
"I can’t let you kill what’s going to be mine, right, my dear Master?"
Elira froze, stunned—before a sly, understanding smile curved her lips.
So that’s what this was about.
She smirked—
A mirror image of Noah’s own evil grin.
"You should have said so earlier, dear disciple," she purred.
"Now... how about I help you capture her?"
They shared the same wicked grin.
A dangerous, conspiratorial spark passed between them.
In the background, Yuki, Elizabeth, and Eric shuddered.
The way Noah and Elira smiled together—
it was downright evil.
’What... are they planning?!’ they wondered, fearfully.
Eric shook his head, muttering under his breath.
"Seriously. Even the Dean is infected... Noah’s evil grin is contagious."
Elizabeth and Yuki glanced at each other—
and then, almost naturally...
They both grinned.
The same devilish grin as Noah.
—End of Chapter 76—