****
"Think clearly. Who is your bigger enemy? The person who actually trapped you here? Or I, who had no choice but to help him?" The man asked the Goddess of Nature, still trying to convince her.
He knew just how much malice and anger that woman had collected throughout the years. That's why he didn't want to free her if possible. Instead, he had placed his hopes on Lira. Unfortunately, that only resulted in disappointment and he had no choice but to take help from this woman!
He knew how dangerous it was to convince the woman but there was no other way for him right now!
The Goddess of Nature didn't answer. She still kept fiercely struggling to break the shackles to free herself without help!
"No matter how much you try, you can't break the Chains that easily. Even though the chains aren't getting support from the formation that I gave him, these chains were still created with his own comprehension. Even without an energy source, it's not easy for you to break them without external help."
As the two giants talked with each other, Lira only stood in the back in silence. She couldn't believe that even an existence like that man was scared of the woman who was shackled here!
The Goddess of Nature still didn't answer. Her silence was like a refusal for the man. However, the man didn't give up! He didn't come so far to get a rejection!
"Even without my help, you should be able to break the shackles in a few years at most. However, do you think you have that much time?" the man asked, trying a different approach.
As he talked, his aura and his composure was something that no mortal could possess. It was as if he was a person who could talk to the Goddess of Nature on an equal footing!
The Goddess of Nature was already an existence that was beyond anyone's reach, however, currently that man didn't appear much different! He was no ordinary existence either, despite having a much weaker aura than the Goddess of Nature!
"You've also seen the condition he was in! Isn't it the perfect time for you to have revenge?" He reminded the Goddess to push her even further into agreeing with him. "If you don't take this opportunity right now, it can only lead to a disaster for you! You're doing nothing more than giving him an opportunity to succeed. And when he does... You don't have an opportunity again!"
"Can you really afford to waste time like that when such a heavenly opportunity is waiting before you?!" he asked while his voice became louder.
Despite speaking with such authority, the man didn't get closer to the Goddess of Nature! It was unclear if he was still scared of the Goddess of Nature or he was just worried about getting caught by the shackles as well.
"He is your real enemy!" he further stated. "He is behind all your suffering! I only played a minor role, and not because I wanted to! For that, I've suffered enough already! If you still don't want to work together, then I can only leave you behind and think of other ways for myself. However, after I leave, I hope you won't regret i!"
The man turned back into a speck of soul. He was already very injured and couldn't stay out for long. He returned inside Lira's body, exhausted.
"You can leave," he told Lira.
"Are you sure? So we came all this way for nothing?" Lira frowned.
"Or you can go and free her and watch her kill you!" The man's voice echoed in Lira's head. "Even I won't dare free her without making her promise that she won't hurt me!"
"Fine!"
Lira turned around and gave up as well.
"Wait!" Lira was about to leave the room when she heard the Goddess of Nature, telling her to stop. "I will work with you! Free me!"
"It looks like she can't hold back anymore! If her hate for me is like a droplet of water, her hatred for him is like the entire sea! To have her revenge, she will definitely work with me!" The man's laughter echoed in Lira's head. "Go and break the chains!"
"Are you sure I can break them? They look quite strong." Lira somewhat hesitated. The chains that were made from the comprehension of a god weren't easy to deal with! The shackles could even hold back a god, after all!
"Don't worry. Without the support of the energy formation, the Shackles can't draw much power. They can only spend everything they have in holding back that demoness. Take advantage of it and break the chains! The more chains you break, the weaker they'll get!"
"Moreover, as you break the chains, you might be able to receive some unexpected regards in the form of that guy's comprehension."
The man was quite pleased now that the Goddess of Nature had agreed to work with him. Everything went smoother than he expected.
'With the help of the Goddess of Nature, my path ahead will definitely be much smoother," the man thought. "Same can't be said for him...'
Lira brought a Sword out of her storage. Even though the Sword wasn't on the same level as the Sword of Ulien that Gabriel possessed, it was still a treasure that was cherished by many!
Holding the Sword firmly, Lira stepped closer to the first shackle!
****
Outside the Tomb of Gods, Gabriel held the entrance key firmly in his hand. He had convinced himself that he needed the Heavenly Stones, at least four of them, to create a similar formation in the Garden of Legacy to see if he could uncover any secrets that way!
He stepped closer to the tomb entrance.
****
The Goddess of Nature watched Lira get closer to the shackles. She didn't even remember how long it had been since the last time her heart beat so fast. After she was trapped here for so long, she had become more and more lifeless. With time, she even started losing hope of ever being free.
There was never a time when she didn't think about what the outside world must have become like while she was trapped.
Her heart was already closed for everything but hate. However, now that she was so close to freedom, her heart couldn't help but thump! She eagerly waited for the Shackles to break so that she could once again be free and leave this hell!
"Looks like this trip really wasn't a waste. With her, I'll definitely get back at him! It's time for the gods to return!" Lira clenched her teeth as she raised her sword high before bringing it slashing down with full force!
