Goddess's Yuri harem: Chosing the Empress is hard
Chapter 39: The tomb of Dark Magic - Part 2

Chapter 39: 39: The tomb of Dark Magic - Part 2

The group finally reached the heart of the ruined temple—a vast, dimly lit chamber where an eerie altar stood at its center.

The altar was surrounded by what appeared to be the remnants of a ritual: blackened candles melted down to stubs, strange symbols drawn in blood, and a foul-smelling liquid pooling around the base.

The atmosphere was thick with the acrid stench of dark magic, making it difficult to breathe.

Carol wrinkled her nose and grimaced.

"What is this place? Were they preparing for a ritual, or...?"

Auriel shook her head, her golden eyes narrowing as she scanned the altar and the runes etched into the floor.

"No. This isn’t the preparation stage. The ritual has already been completed"

She said firmly, her voice echoing in the chamber"

Carol turned to Auriel, alarmed.

"What? Are you saying—"

"I’m saying that the dark magic here is too strong. Whatever they summoned—or attempted to summon—is gone, but the remnants of that energy are still pulsing through this place."

Duchess Amara crossed her arms, looking thoughtful as she examined the altar.

"If that’s the case, then why leave the ritual items behind? This looks deliberate, like a trap."

Auriel raised a hand, gesturing for everyone to stay back.

"Whatever the reason, don’t touch anything. The residual magic here is dangerous. One wrong move could trigger something."

Just as Auriel finished her warning, a low growl echoed through the chamber, followed by the shuffle of footsteps. The air grew colder, and the shadows in the room seemed to stretch unnaturally.

"They’re coming!"

Carol shouted, drawing her dagger as the sound of groaning grew louder.

From the darkness, figures began to emerge—twisted, decayed forms of humans whose bodies were riddled with black veins. Their eyes glowed faintly, and their movements were jerky and uncoordinated. Yet there was something disturbingly purposeful in the way they advanced toward Auriel.

"Help us..."

One of them rasped, its voice raw and broken.

"Goddess...save us..."

Another zombie staggered forward, its hands outstretched.

"Purify us...make us whole again..."

Auriel’s heart clenched at their desperate pleas. These weren’t mindless creatures driven solely by instinct; they were humans, corrupted by the dark magic of the ritual.

They still had enough awareness to know what had happened to them—and enough hope to beg for salvation.

The horde surged toward Auriel, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of despair.

"Goddess, grant us a miracle!"

"Save us!"

"Please, I don’t want to die like this!"

Auriel stood frozen, the weight of their pleas crushing her. She was a goddess—wasn’t it her duty to help them? To grant them the miracle they were begging for?

Her hands trembled as she began to gather divine energy, the golden light of her magic shimmering faintly around her.

If she unleashed her full power, she could purify them—she could return them to their original forms.

But doing so would mean exposing her divine essence to the world, risking her existence as a goddess in the mortal realm.

"I can’t just stand here and do nothing."

Auriel whispered to herself, her resolve hardening.

But before she could release her magic, a sharp voice cut through her thoughts.

"Goddess Auriel, stop!"

Carol shouted, her voice filled with urgency.

Auriel snapped out of her trance, turning to see Carol fending off one of the zombies with her dagger. Her friend’s eyes blazed with determination.

"This is not your mission. Please, don’t do something we cannot protect you from. !"

Carol yelled.

"If you try to purify them individually, you’ll exhaust yourself and lose your mind as well! You’ll lose everything!"

Auriel hesitated, her mind racing. Carol was right—there were too many of them, and the risk was too great. But the sight of the zombies, their broken bodies reaching out to her in desperation, was almost too much to bear.

"We have to think strategically! You’re not abandoning them, but you can’t save everyone at the cost of yourself! Moreover, you need to complete your task.

Carol shouted, slashing at another zombie.

Auriel clenched her fists, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She couldn’t let her emotions cloud her judgment.

"Everyone, get behind me!"

Auriel commanded, her voice ringing with authority.

Carol and Duchess Amara obeyed immediately, retreating to stand behind Auriel as the goddess raised her staff. Golden light began to radiate from her, growing brighter and brighter until it filled the entire chamber.

"Forgive me. Perhaps, your next life would treat you better."

Auriel murmured, her voice filled with sorrow as she unleashed her magic.

A wave of divine energy swept through the room, its warmth pushing back the cold darkness. The zombies froze in place, their glowing eyes widening in shock as the purification spell washed over them.

One by one, their bodies disintegrated into particles of light, their corrupted forms finally freed from the grip of dark magic. The chamber grew silent once more as the last of the zombies vanished, leaving only faint traces of golden light in their wake.

Auriel lowered her staff, her shoulders slumping as exhaustion began to take hold.

Carol approached her cautiously, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Goddess Auriel...are you okay?"

The goddess nodded, though her expression was strained.

"I’m fine. But those poor souls..."

"They’re at peace now. You did what you could, Goddess Auriel. They’re free from their suffering"

Duchess Amara said softly, her usual playful tone replaced with a rare moment of sincerity.

Auriel closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath. She knew they were right, but the weight of her decision still lingered heavily in her heart.

After a moment, she straightened up, her resolve returning.

"We need to keep moving. Whatever caused this ritual...it’s still out there. We have to stop it."

The group nodded in agreement, their expressions grim as they prepared to delve deeper into the temple, unaware of the even greater dangers that awaited them and of the eyes looking at them from afar.

"Unfortunately, your journey is of no use anymore. This temple has already been cleared of anything useful. But I do hope you have a fun time exploring it."

The woman in the shadows whispered before she disappeared into smoke.

______

"Chief God, please take a look at this. What do you think about this?"

"No, Chief God! Please look at this. Tell us what this bill is about."

"Chief God—"

"Chief God—"

"You darn mother! How dare you—!"

The Chief God rubbed her forehead as all these voices assaulted her ears. She felt like her head would split open from the constant complaints and demands around her.

She was usually patient and didn’t mind being called upon like this, but it was a different case when her daughter was involved in the mix.

"Chief God—"

"I hear you, and I’ll deal with this mess later. For now, can someone go and get Kana to keep quiet? Her voice is giving me a headache, and I can’t concentrate. Damn it! My head feels like it’s splitting open."

The Chief God complained, her tone sharper than usual. Her head had been aching for some time, and she couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason.

As much as she wanted to blame it on stress and move on, she knew that wasn’t the case. Something else was causing her to lose her mind.

Seeing her irritation, the other gods quickly exchanged uneasy glances before looking away, careful not to attract her attention.

"I’ll go and check on Goddess Kana right now."

Her secretary seized the opportunity to avoid her wrath and headed toward the goddess’s room. The Chief God sighed in relief, glad for a moment’s reprieve so she could return to her work.

But the uneasy feeling that something was wrong struck her when her secretary didn’t return promptly. In fact, she was taking far too long, and the Chief God’s worry began to grow.

"Ugh, someone go and check on my secretary and daughter. Just what is going on here?"

She asked, rubbing her temples as the dull ache in her head intensified. Just as one of the gods prepared to leave and investigate, the secretary finally returned, her face pale as a ghost.

"C-Chief God! Please, forgive me. I didn’t mean to—I mean, your daughter...Goddess Kana is..."

The secretary stammered, her words fumbling in a way that only deepened the Chief God’s irritation.

"Spit it out!" the Chief God snapped, barely keeping her temper in check.

The secretary flinched, her lips trembling as she tried to gather her courage to speak. The Chief God’s patience was wearing thin, and she could feel that whatever the secretary was trying to say wasn’t going to bode well.

The Chief God’s eyes narrowed as she leaned forward, her voice sharp.

"Speak up already. What happened to Kana?"

The secretary trembled, her words barely audible.

"C-Chief God, Goddess Kana... she’s gone. She has disappeared without a trace."

The room fell silent, the weight of the revelation sinking in before yelling began. It was a tiring day for the Chief God.