CHAPTER 304: CHAPTER304-THE DEMIGOD SEAT

The clash between Alice and Ally was at the brink of ignition.

And then—without warning—a fierce, torrential exchange erupted between them.

Alice moved with agile precision, weaving through the moonlight and storm conjured by her opponent while unleashing powerful long-range counterattacks of her own. Ally, in contrast, focused more on controlling the battlefield, creating a domain infused with lunar radiance to suppress Alice’s movements.

In just a short span of time, Ally had clearly seized the advantage in this duel.

Even so, Alice refused to falter. She could only attack while darting from one position to another, never able to stand her ground for long, but neither could Ally inflict any actual damage on her.

And so, unexpectedly, the battle between the two began to stagnate.

After several rounds of intense exchanges, Ally was the first to dissolve her domain.

"I’m done. I’m done. A fight like this really isn’t interesting."

Alice lowered her weapon, halting her assault as well.

No winner was decided that day—but if one absolutely had to be chosen, Alice would probably have taken the victory in the end. The reason was simple: Ally’s domain required far more energy to maintain than Alice’s evasive fighting style. In truth, their duel had devolved into a battle of attrition, and that meant Ally was the one likely to run dry first.

"Let’s just say you win this time," Ally remarked, absentmindedly licking her palm.

If neither side could deal any real damage to the other, there was no point in dragging it out.

Besides, Ally’s real purpose was never to win—it was to gauge Alice’s strength. And after what she had just seen, she was certain: Alice was more than capable of helping her with the task at hand.

Alice broke the silence first.

"So, what exactly do you need my help with?"

Ally’s feline ears twitched slightly as she replied:

"It’s like this, meow... It’s not really a troublesome matter, and to be precise, it doesn’t directly concern me.

Just now, Her Excellency Luna, the Moon Goddess, sent me a message. She said there’s still an unclaimed demigod seat, and that this seat is particularly well-suited to you.

She’s asked me to take you to undergo the trial for it."

Alice blinked in surprise.

She could faintly hear something in Ally’s tone—a tiny hint of envy, perhaps even dissatisfaction. It was like the feeling of watching one’s own god favor someone else instead.

But for Alice, the real point of interest was the seat itself.

Why would Moon Goddess Luna prepare a demigod seat for her?

She was a devotee of Crossbridge, not Luna. Ally, on the other hand, was Luna’s devoted follower. By all logic, if a demigod seat was available, it should be offered to Ally first, not her.

Alice’s mind swirled with questions, though she refrained from voicing them aloud. After a moment’s quiet thought, she nodded slightly.

"I understand. But before anything else, please allow me to seek the approval of Crossbridge."

As it happened, Daniel—Crossbridge’s current incarnation—was not far away. He had been observing the entire duel between the two women from the shadows.

In the last cycle, Daniel had spoken with Milla about matters like this and had brought up similar questions.

It was through Milla that he first learned of the connection between Crossbridge and Luna. Though her words had been deliberately vague, her attitude alone had been enough for Daniel to conclude there must be some kind of relationship between them.

Could it be that in a past era, he and Luna had crossed paths? And from the sound of it, they might have had a rather good relationship at that.

The more he thought about it, the more it reminded him of an unsettling truth: whether in the past or the future, this world seemed to operate under a set of mysterious rules.

So... what exactly had happened before?

How many timelines, how many eras had he existed in?

Daniel sighed in quiet frustration. Despite all his efforts to grow stronger, to absorb every scrap of knowledge he could, despite his conversations with beings of incredible power—he still felt as if he knew less and less. The more truths he uncovered, the greater the depths of the unknown became.

It was as though he had stepped into a paradoxical spiral: the more he learned, the more his ignorance expanded.

Fortunately, Daniel now possessed the God Rank Skill that allowed him to record the state of time and space itself.

Whether he used Time Stream himself or another being altered the timeline, Daniel would be able to sense it immediately.

Of course, he could only detect it—not necessarily undo it. After all, any existence capable of rewriting time was bound to be extremely powerful.

From four thousand years ago to Luna’s own era... his traces seemed to be everywhere.

Was it possible... that he had existed in every era?

Daniel scratched his head, a headache forming, when suddenly Alice’s prayer reached him.

She reported the situation in full. After a brief moment of thought, Daniel told her to go.

On Alice’s side, receiving this reply made her nod without hesitation.

"My Lord has given His consent. I can go with you."

Ally didn’t even blink; it was the answer she had expected all along.

"I knew Crossbridge wouldn’t forbid it. In fact, I only just learned myself that Luna and Crossbridge have a very good relationship."

Then, as though remembering something, Ally pulled out her communicator.

At the same time, Daniel received a message on his own end.

"Daniel, you’re alright, yes?"

"I’m fine. No need to worry."

Receiving that reassurance, Ally immediately lifted her voice in prayer to the Moon Goddess.

"He’s safe, meow!"

Daniel’s gaze grew thoughtful as he watched her.

He could still clearly recall the first time he’d met Ally—right before he was about to hunt down a fallen Hill Giant. She had appeared then, seemingly out of nowhere.

At the time, Daniel had assumed it was the work of the gods—that a deity had already foreseen his every action.

But looking back now, he suspected that his guess back then might have been wrong.

Now, he could faintly sense the truth: Ally’s sudden appearance had probably been due to arrangements he himself had made... thousands of years ago, perhaps even further back.

"We can set out now," Ally said at last.

"A demigod-rank seat shouldn’t be too difficult for you to claim.

Still, it’s frustrating, you know? I’m not even a demigod myself...

Luna must really take the phrase ’love me, love my friends’ to heart when it comes to Crossbridge."

Her voice was tinged with a faint, half-playful complaint, yet her actions were resolute. She was a loyal devotee, after all, and duty came before feelings.

With her leading the way, Alice followed closely, setting out in search of the demigod seat.

Under normal circumstances, most god-seats were stored deep within underground labyrinths. Only by passing a series of rigorous trials could one earn the right to claim such a seat.

And in matters like this, not even Daniel could help—not directly, at least.

Of course, if he wished, he could still choose to lend her his power...