The fallen girl, the one pierced by the spear.
The bewildered Hero, the unlucky mother.
Valo no longer had the luxury to think about why she suddenly had the inspiration to throw herself in front of the blade for Finney.
‘Just call it an overflow of maternal love.’
Right now, she felt like a fly pinned to a wall by a bamboo skewer under the scorching sun, sizzling as she burned.
Her vision blurred, her body grew weak, and a sense of confusion, tension, and panic washed over her.
It felt as if her life force was draining away from her consciousness like water leaking from a broken wooden bucket.
Until… the [Nurturing Panel] and the strategy guide for the Holy Relic appeared in her spinning vision.
Only then did she realize that her unintentional act from earlier that evening had luckily saved her life.
[The Phoenix Feather Robe has maintained your minimum vital signs.]
[Favorability: 10%]
[Level 1: Locks minimum vital signs for the wearer (Note: This effect will fail if another attack is received)]
‘I knew Farewell Teardrops was the strongest miracle!’
[Chi Luan is incredibly confused: Little sister, what on earth happened? Your elder sister’s knowledge is limited — how can I not understand any of this?]
Valo, whose body was hanging off the wall, couldn’t even squeeze out a bitter smile.
‘It’s only right that you don’t understand, because competitive gaming doesn’t require vision — I didn’t understand it myself until just now.’
She had thought that in the game’s Finney Route, the Holy Relic known as the Eye of the Goddess could not be obtained by any character other than Finney.
That was why she hadn’t been worried when Finney mentioned using the Eye of the Goddess to verify her inner thoughts.
But looking at it now, she had committed the sin of arrogance.
In this parallel world where she had traveled as the Villainous Loli Demon King… there was no such thing as a “daughter’s starting route.” Anything was possible.
Reality was not a game, and facts were not data. It was perfectly reasonable for the Eye of the Goddess, which belonged to the side of good, to temporarily recognize Anqi as its master in order to eliminate her.
Valo could only respond to the Phoenix Feather Robe in her mind: ‘Anqi saw all our secrets through the Eye of the Goddess.’
‘Fortunately, I was one step ahead and took a spear for Finney. Don’t I look impressive?’
[Chi Luan has fallen into a state of chaos: Why is the fate of us mother and two daughters so bitter? It’s so unfair! My little sister hasn’t committed a single evil act since her change of heart, so why must she be judged by the Saintess?]
‘Why don’t you go say that to Anqi’s Holy Spear?’
[Favorability: 15%]
Valo, losing consciousness, could no longer keep up with the Phoenix Feather Robe’s words.
As the robe sensed her condition worsening, its attention shifted back to her along with the increase in strategy progress.
[Chi Luan has noticed that you are dying.]
[Your performance in risking your life to save your daughter has gained Chi Luan’s approval: Little sister, we are family, no need for formalities. Your elder sister will use her ultimate skill to save you!]
[Favorability: 20%]
The previously locked entries and buffs in the Nurturing Panel began to unlock one after another.
[Level 2: Completely restores the target’s physiological state]
This was the Phoenix Feather Robe’s second skill, a revival — the very reason Valo had targeted the robe for her strategy.
As long as her physical body was still considered human, she could be resurrected once with full health.
This kind of buff was authoritative for someone like her, who lived in constant fear of being executed for justice by a Finney with a maxed-out Justice Value.
However, now that she actually had the buff, Valo didn’t want to use it immediately.
[Chi Luan urges you not to hesitate: Although this is a one-time skill, little Finney would definitely choose for you to use it right now!]
‘I said no!’
‘What’s the rush? Don’t be so hasty.’
Wanting to chug a health potion as soon as your HP is low is a novice move. A true master excels at dancing on the edge of a knife.
In her line of sight, Valo could already feel the abnormal atmosphere between Anqi and Finney. If Anqi really intended to lure the mother and daughter here just to kill them, then…
Why hadn’t she finished Valo off yet?
Anqi, who had just struck with such speed and precision, didn’t seem like the type of villain who would die from talking too much.
The current situation made a bad premonition in Valo’s heart become clear: specifically, Anqi’s subsequent attitude toward Finney…
This development, this situation.
‘Could it be that things are heading toward the most troublesome scenario from the Finney Route!?’
…
On the other side.
The off-target Holy Spear grazed the edge of the Colosseum’s stone pillar, transforming into a golden meteor as it flew into the distance.
Finney, who had been pushed to the ground by Valo, saw the tragic sight of her mother pinned to the wall by another Holy Spear the moment she stood up!
The Hero was so frantic to go to the rescue that she didn’t even fully understand what had happened!
However, her steps were abruptly blocked by Anqi’s calm words the moment she moved!
“Sigh, Finney, it’s not like I didn’t have expectations for you. I expected that after I exposed Lady Varo’s secret identity, you would immediately listen to my advice and fulfill the mission of your status.”
the Saintess’s voice didn’t hold a hint of tension. It was as if she were having a tea party with a close friend, using the most cheerful tone to speak of the most dangerous things!
“But after seeing your performance just now with my own eyes… I am very disappointed, Finney.”
The exhausted Valo knew very well: despite Anqi’s normal appearance, this Saintess was actually completely deranged when it came to “Holy Justice.”
In the game, only in the route where Anqi was the daughter would she defend the Villainous Demon King because she “understood her mother’s difficulties and knew her mother’s pain.”
In any other route, as long as Anqi didn’t know the protagonist’s identity, she was a kind and cheerful girl.
But once the protagonist’s identity as the Villainous Demon King was discovered by Anqi…
You just had to watch; she would become terrifyingly silent and resolute.
And here it was.
“Finney, aren’t you the Hero? Aren’t you the commander of the Subjugation Team? Aren’t you the hero who first broke into the Demon King’s Castle and told us you had already slain the evil Demon King II!?”
As the Saintess spoke, her body began to twist, and she gripped her own arms with a hideous expression!
“Then why, why, why, why! Why did you deceive us and harbor the Demon King? You even packaged this evil member of the Demon Clan as your mother!”
Anqi’s pure white wings snapped open! There wasn’t a single trace of impurity on them.
They were blindingly white, terrifyingly white, hideously white.
“Are you still the Hero? Do you still remember your oath and responsibility to the Church?”
Golden hair fell across her cheeks, and her golden eyes were holy yet dangerous.
Finally, the girl tilted her head, looked at Finney, and asked.
“Have you fallen, Phoenix?”
Looking at the female Hero who stood there in a daze, not even knowing where to put her hands, the Saintess gradually regained her previous calm.
She let out a deep sigh, as if she were making a difficult decision that violated her principles.
“But Finney, we are teammates after all. I have seen your performance in punishing the Demon King’s minions during the Subjugation Team’s activities.”
“All of this has made me decide to believe in you one last time — to believe that you were only misled and deceived by the cunning Demon King because of your kindness.”
Her wings vibrated, and Saintess Anqi floated into the air with a whoosh.
Valo’s worst premonition was gradually coming true, but she couldn’t stop the script from progressing.
“I am giving you one last chance as the Saintess of the Hidden Sea Church, Finney.”
The golden Holy Spear in Anqi’s hand pointed heartlessly toward Valo’s direction. “The evil Demon King seems to still have one breath left.”
“If you still hold your position as the Hero, then… prove it to me.”
The boomerang had come back around.
Family or duty.
A mother or the Hero.
In the Finney Route of [Valorant], the judgment script where the Hero daughter judges the Demon King mother… began under these circumstances that gave Valo such a headache.
In this part of the game’s script, all the favorability previously built up with the Hero daughter and Finney’s [Justice Value] would affect Finney’s next decision.
However… in the [Nurturing Panel] in Valo’s vision, Finney’s Justice Value was still at 50%, and she didn’t feel like she had built up enough favorability with this Hero daughter.
The best proof of this was that the girl in her sight did not immediately move against her!
Yet, she did not refute Anqi’s order either.
Instead, she fell into a state of bewilderment.