Under Molly's begging, Marvin hesitated for a bit, before finally nodding slowly.
He knew he wouldn't be able to keep concealing Griffin's death from her.
That girl's fate was bound to be complicated. He wondered if Faniya would be willing to remove the curse on Molly.
Marvin glanced at the public square. Clearly, the ritual was reaching its most important part.
Both the Lich and the Moon Goddess were focused on the array. They didn't have time to pay attention to other matters right now.
Marvin inwardly sighed before silently taking out Griffin's body from the Origami space.
The corpse looked like a solid statue, still in a half-kneeling posture.
He looked exactly like before.
Molly struggled free from Marvin's embrace and opened her eyes wide as she looked at Griffin.
"You are my Guardian, you need to keep protecting me, right?"
"Uncle Griffin, you said that to me, you can't go back against your oath."
"Wake up. Molly is afraid, something bad is going to happen!" the little girl muttered in pain.
Marvin and Hathaway glanced at each other. They both felt sympathetic toward the girl.
Molly had displayed some unusual abilities before, such as seeing through Marvin's Stealth.
What was the bad thing that she was talking about?
Hathaway didn't say anything. She watched Molly, but the longer she looked, the more doubts appeared in her mind.
She simply couldn't see through that girl. Just like with Bandel, Hathaway could feel a very powerful force within the girl's body.
But her aura was extremely weak. She could die anytime under the curse's suppression.
Those careless mumbles of hers seemed magical.
Marvin took a deep breath and slowly approached, taking Molly's hand. "Rest assured, although Mister Griffin already died, I'll protect you," Marvin said sincerely.
Griffin was a man worth respecting. Marvin would definitely protect the girl he left behind. Even if it was just because of that previous kindness, Marvin would find a way to remove her curse.
"Eh?"
Who would have thought that Molly would react strongly to that sentence?
She turned, wiping the blood flowing from her eyes, and gave Marvin a serious look. "You want to protect me?"
Marvin nodded.
"I am willing."
"Then you want to become my Guardian like Uncle Griffin?" the little girl pressed.
Marvin froze. Guardian, what? The Guardian class? He was a Ranger, a Ruler of the Night, not a Knight-type class.
'Maybe she has read too many of those knight novels…' Marvin sweated.
But he couldn't reject the little girl, so he still nodded.
"I am willing."
Hathaway frowned at this. She looked at Marvin strangely, apparently wanting to say something, but not able to get any words out.
She could feel that Molly was unusual and also knew Marvin's way of thinking.
But this atmosphere, these words... Why did it all feel like an oath ceremony?
Molly smiled happily.
She took a tight hold on Marvin's hand.
At that time, Marvin felt a burning sensation in his palm!
He let go reflexively and checked his hand, but didn't find anything unusual.
"Is there something wrong?" Molly had a pitiful expression.
Marvin looked thoughtfully at his palm, and then took the child's hand once again.
"It's nothing."
'Did I imagine it?'
He checked his interface but didn't notice any change there.
But the feeling of that burning hot pain seemed so real.
'Am I starting to hallucinate after enduring so much pressure in the Crimson Wasteland? No way, right?'
Marvin chuckled at himself.
The ritual had already reached its final stages.
The Moon Goddess' radiance was now blindingly bright, and the Wilderness God began to howl in grief.
As everyone's attention was drawn back to him, what was left of him started melting!
He had gone from a stone statue to a blood-ball thing, and now, only drops of blood remained from the Wilderness God!
Each drop of blood was Ancient Divine blood, full of supreme power!
Faniya's expression was becoming more serious.
All her power was used to suppress the Wilderness God, and with Bandel managing the array, the Ancient Divine Blood was ignited and brought to the other end.
Miss Silvermoon's entire body started igniting!
The silver flame flaring up was breathtaking!
The Divine Vessel had been condensed!
The Divine Fire had successfully been ignited!
The Lich's soul fires were flickering, seemingly overjoyed!
His efforts over the years hadn't been for nothing.
After using so much energy and so many sacrifices, even turning an Ancient God into one of the sacrifices, Miss Silvermoon's body had finished recovering!
That shattered arm had also regrown.
But her eyes were still closed.
There was only one step left.
Her soul!
When Miss Silvermoon died, her soul had been smashed by the Wilderness God's Dark Spear, dispersing throughout the Universe.
This was the most troublesome part of resurrecting someone.
But Bandel had prepared for so many years, so how could he possibly neglect to address this?
The Life and Death ritual then reached the last step!
Soul Fragment Gathering!
Miss Silvermoon's body rose up slowly and a strange, dark vortex took shape around her body.
"Luna, come back…"
The whirlpool started rotating wildly at the Lich's call.
At that instant, all the powerful existences in the Universe sensed that ruthless swirling power!
Faded soul fragments flowed toward Miss Silvermoon's body like a river toward the sea.
And the biggest fragment surprisingly came from the Underworld!
But at that time, a large hand suddenly stretched out, broke through the boundaries between the planes, and pulled that soul fragment back.
"Who dares to forcibly snatch a soul from the Underworld?" a voice shouted vigorously.
Bandel felt anxious!
He didn't expect that the most important soul fragment was actually in the Underworld. Miss Silvermoon's resurrection had attracted the attention of an Underworld Sovereign!
He simply couldn't fight against that fierce existence.
But although he had no other way, there was someone else here who could intervene!
A bright moon rose up between the boundaries, and with a soft movement, that large hand was easily pushed away!
Under the vortex's pull, the last soul fragment returned to Miss Silvermoon's body!
Bandel was overjoyed! He flew in front of Miss Silvermoon.
His main body had been revealed, an unsightly skeleton. His body only contained his soul, and no organs!
He held Miss Silvermoon's body and slowly descended.
"Luna… Luna…" He tenderly whispered his lover's name.
She opened her eyes.