"And who might you be?" asked an ethereal voice in Sera's ear, as if someone whispered it from beside her.

However, she didn't glance towards the voice's origin. It was obvious Amaterasu had used some trick, so her golden-green eyes stayed focused on the seated primordial goddess as she answered her question.

"My name is Seraphine, but you might better know me by another title. I'm the Last Angel, as you probably guessed, Amaterasu, the Queen of the Sun."

Sera bowed her head while introducing herself, and she even lifted the edges of her skirt. While this gesture conveyed respect, she made sure not to bow too low and accidentally make herself look lesser.

The goddess narrowed her eyes, causing the bright suns to focus their heat on Sera's face. Beads of sweat ran down her neck, but the Angel stayed motionless under the powerful gaze.

After a few seconds, Amaterasu nodded to herself, and glanced back towards Wukong...

"What do you want, Monkey!"

Wukong giggled, the motion causing him to bop up and down. Above him, the willow branch from which he hung, cracked loudly, and he fell on his face.

"Uh..." he groaned while jumping back to his feet. "Why're you so mean, Ama? You said you wanted to live in peace, but we both know until these Marks are on our souls and while the Chinese and Hindu Pantheons exist, we'll never achieve true freedom!"

The Monkey then took a step and appeared beside Sera. He placed her arm around her shoulders while grinning at Amaterasu's bright form.

"That's why I brought Ms. Angel here! She can remove our Marks and we'll only need to help her destroy the other Factions! It's a win-win!"

Amaterasu narrowed her eyes and fixed her gaze on Wukong...

"I told you, I gave up fighting. My family is dead, killed by my own foolish decisions. I just want everyone to leave me alone, so I don't care what your agenda is, you stupid Monkey. Take that newborn Angel and do whatever you desire until it doesn't involve me!"

Wukong's face fell, clearly annoyed by the insult and the rejection of his proposal. Sera felt uncomfortable and couldn't think much as the Monkey's arm became unnaturally heavy on her shoulder.

Behind them, Bea prepared to defend Sera, since it seemed the Ethereals were preparing to fight. However, before anyone could've done something they would regret, a Xinya's firm voice resounded in the meadow.

"Do you really believe that staying here will achieve you peace? That doing nothing and not taking sides will keep this tranquility you try to protect? I thought time made people wiser, but it seems you're an exception!"

The primordial goddess's eyes landed on Xinya. Her gaze was enough to melt the skin of Xinya's face, yet the Asian woman didn't flinch or whimper. The beads of sweat evaporated from her face as she continued talking.

"You know nothing. Neither of you!... The real threat isn't the Factions. They're just an immediate issue... The actual threat. The person who orchestrated your escape and who now waits in the shadows, awaiting his opportunity to kill us all... That's who you should worry about!"

Amaterasu's interest finally piqued. With one hand, she pushed herself off of the green grassy ground and stood up straight.

While sitting, nobody realized how tall the woman really was. She stood way above two meters, about a head taller than Wukong, but still smaller than Astrid or Valerie. Her whitish-gold dress gently swayed as she took a few steps closer to Sera's group.

She stopped a few meters away, staring down at Xinya. Amaterasu's eyes didn't burn her face anymore, which caused the skin and muscle to gradually regenerate.

"And who's this mysterious threat?" She asked in a curious yet doubtful tone.

"It's a man named Victor. An Ethereal such as yourself, albeit he's much more cunning and possibly more powerful than either of you."

This got both Ethereal's attention. However, they didn't quite believe Xinya's words. With strength comes arrogance, and with age comes experience. Both Wukong and Amaterasu had plenty of both, which gave them immense pride.

"I doubt that. There hasn't been nearly enough time for any truly powerful Ethereal to appear. It's been what? Thrity years since you discovered Evolution?" said Wukong, while trying to keep his hatred under control.

"Don't underestimate humans, you dumb Monkey. They're great at adapting. Just look at these three. Every single was is an exceptional talent... Either way, since Realm Gates could open anytime, anywhere, this Victor could've traveled to some other Realm, where time passes differently...

"He could've spent thousands of years gaining experience, while only a decade passed here on Earth. I also doubt his strength, but underestimating your opponent is a sure way to die. I wouldn't want to end up like Yggdrasil or Jörmungandr."

As she spoke, Amaterasu's gaze moved to Bea's chest. It pierced through the physical reality and directly watched the magnificent woman's soul.

"Rude," said Bea, while crossing her arms before her chest. Everybody ignored her, and finally Sera entered the conversation too.

"I'll be honest. We don't know exactly how powerful Victor is. He never showcased his strength in combat, but judging by his son's abilities... I'm certain he would win against either of you, because he wouldn't fight fairly..."

"Victor won't engage in combat if victory isn't certain," said Xinya, continuing Sera's speech. "He's patient and will wait for the perfect moment to strike. We won't see his attack coming until it's too late."

The primordial goddess nodded in understanding, while struggling to keep her hurt pride under control. In Amaterasu's eyes, all three of them looked like children, barely taking their first steps along the arduous road of Evolution.

She kept reminding herself that none of them knew the extant of an Ethereal's power. They weren't trustworthy to make judgements about an enemy and compare it to their own strength.

"I understand why you want my help, but you still haven't explained why I need yours. I'm certain that Victor can be reasoned with. Certainly he'll leave me alone if I don't bother him."

Xinya and Sera glanced at each other, their faces revealing the same expression, which seemed to say: 'Is she this naïve?'. On the other hand, Bea didn't shy away from making her opinion obvious.

"You're truly a dumbass if you believe that," she began while taking a step closer towards the tall woman. "Let me paint you a picture... Victor will wait until we take care of the Factions, then at our weakest he'll sweep in and try killing us all!"

The World Tree's face twisted in anger as she pointed straight between Amaterasu's burning eyes.

"You think he'll stop after all the current threats are destroyed? Now why the fuck would he leave potential threats living in peace, when he can simply kill you too!"

Amaterasu also took a step closer, her eyes burning brighter. However, while the grass burned to ashes around Bea, the World Tree didn't even flinch or look bothered.

A layer of green energy covered her body, defending her from the constant barrage of extreme heat. Sera and Xinya needed to take a few steps back, while Wukong just giggled and watched the showdown with excitement.

"Do you've a problem with me?" asked the primordial goddess in an annoyed tone.

"I hate people like you," answered Bea. "I hate those who are strong yet choose to do nothing with their power... Oh, you're sad because your family died in the Pocket Realm? Bo-fucking-ho! There isn't a single person on this fucking planet who hasn't lost someone, so grow the fuck up!"

They both became silent for a moment, but eventually Bea continued her tirade...

"You won't have peace. Not here, in this Realm... You can either leave and try to find someone who can remove that Mark from your soul... or stay here and fight until nobody is left to disturb your peace. Your choice!"

The Queen of the Sun's face twisted into a wicked grin, as her eyes burned with pure rage. She took a step towards Bea so fast it seemed like she teleported.

Her hand closed down on Bea's throat as she lifted her up into the air. Flames danced along the World Tree's body, but even the melting pain wasn't enough to make her scream.

"You upstart little whore. How dare you insult me and my family!" she shouted and increased the heat with which the fire burned all over Bea's skin.

"I'm quite jealous of you, dumb twig. You'll get to meet my family sooner than me... Give them my regards!"

With that, she punched through Bea's chest and burned her corpse to ashes. As the fires died down, silence reigned over the meadow.

Amaterasu took a deep, calming breath, but soon her anger reignited as light laughter mixed with the distinct sound of clapping. She turned around and saw the magnificent woman she had just killed, standing beside the Angel.

"Sorry, your Majesty, but it seems you've lost this exchange!"

The Queen of the Sun tilted her head in confusion, but soon a powerful moved across her entire body. With a trembling hand, she reached up into her white hair and plucked out the light blue flower, which laid roots inside her body.

"Your temper got the better of you, and you didn't even realize when the Tree of Soul took root inside you. I give you maybe ten seconds before it fully eats away at your soul."

Suddenly, the primordial goddess's entire body burst into flames, yet a moment later she fell to her knees while tendrils of smoke rose from her whimpering body.

"That won't work, Ms. Goddess," said Bea with a cruel smile. "The roots aren't just in your physical form... they're within your soul. If you try burning them away, you might damage and destroy yourself! The only way you can survive is through my will!"

Bea's cruel smile turned into a wide grin as she kneeled before Amaterasu's dying body and reached out her hand.

"I'll ask you a second time... Do you want to fight, or will you accept death? While it's true Victor doesn't need potential threats, I actually agree with him in this regard. If you aren't with us, you might as well be our enemy!"

The World Tree's smile waned as her expression turned serious. Amaterasu desperately glanced around until her burning eyes landed on Wukong. It seemed to beg for help, but the Monkey stayed motionless, and didn't disrupt Bea's negotiation.

Amaterasu's body weakened as the Tree of Soul roots sucked the life out of her soul. Her vision turned blurry as Bea spoke one last time.

"It's time to choose Amaterasu. Live and fight or die without ever meeting your family again!"

Indeed, with the destruction of one's soul, the Afterlife would remain out of reach. She would never meet all those she had lost.

"Cruel... bitch..." whispered Amaterasu and took Bea's outstretched hand.

A sudden pain coursed through the primordial goddess's body, and a wave of blood landed all over the ground, as Bea commanded all the roots to leave Amaterasu.

The World Tree leaned in beside the goddess and whispered into her ear...

"Good choice, asshole!"