"If that''s the case, I need your help. I want to escape from her soul contract," Lawrend responded.


    "Oh..! Is that why you smell like her? You made a soul contract with her? Really?"


    Phoenix stared at him with her avian eyes full of curiosity. It was the first time she encountered someone that had made a soul contract with the Goddess.


    "I needed her help to save my daughter. I want to defeat her. She doesn''t make me feel safe."


    "You''re quite the father, aren''t you? But I still won''t help you."


    Phoenix shook her head.


    "Why? I inherited the purest Ignis Bloodline!"


    Lawrend couldn''t help but shout at her in anger. She led him to believe that she was his hope when she was just humoring him. It was frustrating, to say the least.


    "The purest? Boy, I''m the First Ancestor for a reason. You have a 100% chance to be a Heaven Mage with the purest Ignis Bloodline, but yours still wouldn''t be able topare with mine. Try it. Close your eyes and sense our bloodline connection."


    Lawrend stared at her doubtfully.


    A few secondster, he closed his eyes and sensed his bloodline connection with her. His heart beat slowly, and he sensed something in front of him that gave him a feeling of warmth and a faint feeling of subservience.


    He opened his eyes and stared at her in confusion.


    "Why?"


    "The Ignis Bloodline you have is missing a single part. When you get it, your blood will return to the color of red, and it will be the most beautiful blood in existence."


    A slight sense of pride could be heard in Phoenix''s voice. She seemed to take pride in the beauty of her own blood.


    "What will it mean if I get it?"


    "You will have the chance to touch upon the Divine Mage level. Unfortunately, I wasn''t talented enough to reach that level. It is my greatest regret to be bested by that old man."


    "Old man? Who? I''ve met so many."


    "Those old men you have met will not be able topare to him. *Sigh* Let''s stop talking about depressing things. If you want to get my help to defeat the Goddess, you need to show me a guarantee of your sess."


    Lawrend lowered his head and thought about what he could show her.


    "Isn''t my All-Element magic enough?"


    "The Goddess is a God for a reason. You are just a mortal before her presence."


    Lawrend understood what she was trying to say. He could still clearly remember when the Goddess held his wrist. He felt like he couldn''t control his fate, and his life was in her hands.


    It was a horrible feeling that still filled his soul with fear. If she used her magic, he wondered what would happen to him. Would he be able to resist, or would he even be aware that she used her magic before his death?


    Those questions haunted Lawrend to this day.


    Before he could realize it, his back was soaked with sweat. He was terrified of the Goddess.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Hehehe. The Ignis n actually doesn''t hate the demons, but I needed to show on the surface that we hate the demons so we can avoid the wrath of the Goddess. I''m curious about your future. If you cane back after this ordeal, I will help you."


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "Go! I will be waiting!"


    Lawrend''s body suddenly became weightless. He was thrown out of the stone chamber and flew backward at a speed that caused everything to turn into a blur. He easily reached the exit andnded with his two feet.


    "W-What?"


    The Third Ancestor was waiting for him, and he jumped in fright when Lawrend suddenly appeared at the exit.


    "The First Ancestor kicked m-me out…" Lawrend exined to him while holding his head in nausea.


    The sudden eleration and deceleration made him feel close to vomiting. He was a powerful Earth Mage, but that speed was still beyond what he was capable of.


    "Are you okay? I received her orders to protect you for now."


    "What do you mean?"


    Lawrend finally regained a stable train of thought. He realized that the Third Ancestor was talking about what Phoenix said before she threw him out.


    "The Spring and Zephyr ns are mobilizing four Heaven Mages each. They cited the reason to be your appearance. They want to ''help'' us purge demons."


    The Third Ancestor forced a smile on his face. His head ached just thinking about the problems he would have to deal with in the future. The two of the three great ns mobilizing their Heaven Mages wasn''t a joke.


    The Third Ancestor theorized that they were using this as an excuse to try and invade the n.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Are you serious?" Lawrend solemnly asked.


    He just experienced a Heaven Mage attack. He wasn''t ready to receive the attacks of eight of them. He would definitely die if he was caught with his pants down.


    "We have been expecting this. The Spring and Zephyr ns have been making trades and agreements behind our backs for centuries now. Your appearance merely elerated their attack."


    "How can I trust you? We just fought."


    Lawrend was skeptical about this Third Ancestor''s goodwill. There was no way he would willingly help him after what happened between them. They had fought to the death; any of them could''ve died if they had been careless.


    "Hahahahaha! You''re making meugh. I''m the First Ancestor''s favorite descendant. I wasn''t actually angry from the start. Otherwise, I would have touched your maids and children already," the Third Ancestorughed loudly as if he had just heard the funniest joke in his life.


    "That''s still suspicious."


    "Fine. I will give you this."


    The Third Ancestor threw a small gem to him. It looked uninteresting at first nce, but it would keep the attention of whoever looked at it due to its intrinsic beauty. The elegant and symmetric cuts on its surface further made it valuable.


    "It is simr to what I gave you back then, but this one can protect you against a Heaven Mage spell."