After Max went on the tour, Neo began explaining to the Guardians of Creation about a new problem.

  

  "In any case, even if Yahweh hadn't revealed himself yet, I would have summoned you here. Because recently, in the Realm of Magic, a new disease has begun to spread - one unlike anything we've ever witnessed before."

  Her words landed like physical blows; each syllable heavy with grim significance. "This plague... it causes anyone with energy manipulation abilities to lose themselves completely. They descend into madness so profoundly they might slaughter their own family and friends without hesitation. And our greatest fear?" She paused, letting the dreadful implication hang in the air. "That it will spread to the gods themselves."

  Amber snorted derisively, crossing her arms in open defiance

  . "Hold on just a damn minute - we're not some kind of miracle doctor! You're the ones who are supposed to handle this crap. We help with the New Empire business, not some random magical plague that's got nothing to do with us!"

  Neo's eyes narrowed dangerously, her patience visibly fraying. "Do you honestly think we haven't tried to help already?" she snapped, her voice rising. "They refuse our assistance outright - claim we're 'not the ones meant to deal with this.' Ever since Yahweh murder, they've looked at us with nothing but contempt. This request came specifically for the Guardians of Creation..." Her gaze shifted meaningfully to Emily. "And they were quite explicit about wanting the Goddess of Life to attempt a cure."

  Emily shifted uncomfortably under the sudden attention, her fingers twisting together nervously. "I... I don't even know if my powers would work here," she admitted softly. "My abilities heal physical and mental wounds, but what you're describing... this only affects energy manipulators. It doesn't seem connected to body or mind in the usual ways."

  "You weren't listening!" Neo exploded, slamming her fist down with enough force to make the table shudder. "They lose all sense of self! They can't distinguish friends from foes - they just destroy everything in their path! Yes, their energy turns black, but their entire being warps beyond recognition!" She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "It's like the disease corrupts them on a fundamental level."

  Thomas nodded grimly, his expression dark. "She's right. This infection sounds dangerously potent. If what she says about corruption is accurate, then the potential implications are"

  A sudden, thunderous pounding at the door cut through his words like a gunshot. Neo's head snapped up, fury flashing across her features - she'd given explicit orders against interruptions. "Stop that right now!" she bellowed. "I'm in the middle of an important meeting!"

  The hammering continued unabated. With an irritated flick of her wrist, Neo sent the door flying open to reveal a pair of guards doubled over and gasping for breath. "What," she hissed through clenched teeth, "could possibly be so important?"

  "Two... two gods..." one guard managed between ragged breaths, "they've gone completely mad! They're tearing through the eastern quarter!"

  Neo's eyes narrowed. "Are they connected to the New Empire?"

  "We... we don't know..." the other guard panted. "But others who tried to stop them... they turned mad too! Their energy went black as pitch, and they started attacking everyone!"

  A slow, humorless smile spread across Neo's face. "See?" she murmured, the word dripping with bitter satisfaction. "I told you this disease was more dangerous than it appeared." Her gaze swept over the Guardians. "Now it's your problem to solve. Emily - try to heal them. If you can't..." Her smile vanished. "Kill them."

  Thomas immediately grasped the severity of the situation. "These things sound lethal," he said carefully. "You're not coming to assist?"

  Neo barked out a laugh. "Help you? If something happens to me, this entire realm comes crashing down with me."

  Without another word, Thomas turned to Emily and Amber. "Let's move. We'll head to the city first - Emily, be ready with your power the moment we arrive." As they turned to leave, he added quietly, "And prepare yourselves. This won't be pretty."

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The scene that greeted them in the eastern quarter was one of utter devastation. Three figures stood amidst the wreckage - one a towering goddess whose very presence radiated power, flanked by two lesser gods. All three were wreathed in that same inky black aura, their eyes glowing with unnatural light.

  Before the Guardians could act, a small figure came barreling toward them - a child, her face streaked with tears. "That's my mother!" she sobbed, pointing a shaking finger at one of the corrupted figures. "She... she tried to protect me, and then she became like them! Please, you have to help her!"

  Emily immediately knelt, her gentle hands resting on the girl's shoulders. "We'll do everything we can,"

  "You need to get somewhere safe first"

  As Emily led the child away, the little girl turned back with desperate eyes. "You promise you'll save her!"

  Emily's throat tightened. "I promise,".

  Amber cracked her knuckles, eyeing their opponents with grim determination. "Alright, what's the plane?"

  Thomas summand his sword in his hand, its edge gleaming dangerously. " I recognize her, she is The Goddess of Water - she's the real threat. Amber, you handle the two gods. Emily, once the girl's safe, support us from range . And when one of them is defeated, try to heal them."

  High above, the corrupted Goddess of Water threw back her head and laughed - a sound like shattering glass. "Ahhh, the legendary Guardians of Creation!" she crowed, her voice warped and layered with something... else. "How fortuitous you've arrived! Though I do wish you'd let me finish killing that irritating child first."

  With a casual wave of her hand, she summoned a tsunami of black water that threatened to engulf the entire district. Thomas barely managed to intercept it, his blade flashing as he cleaved the wave in two. "You're not stronger than me," he growled.

  The goddess grinned,. "Oh, I don't need to be stronger. I just need you to see the truth." Her voice dropped to a whisper that somehow carried across the battlefield. "This power isn't a curse - it's liberation. No hive mind. No servitude. Just... me."

  The sheer force of the attack forced Thomas to change tactics - with a mighty leap, he took the fight skyward, drawing her away from the vulnerable city below.

  Meanwhile, Amber squared off against the remaining two corrupted gods. "Alright, let's see what you're made of," she muttered, rolling her shoulders. With a whisper of "Half-Fate," she unleashed a volley of shimmering arrows that struck true - only for her opponents to rise again, seemingly unharmed.

  "Persistent bastards, aren't you?" Amber growled. With a dramatic flourish, she summoned her Reversal Hammer -. "One solid hit from this baby," she warned, hefting the massive weapon, "and your fate's mine to rewrite"."

  The hammer came down with devastating force, flattening one of the corrupted gods into the cobblestones. "Emily! Now's your chance!"

  Emily's hands glowed with verdant energy as she rushed forward - but this time, something different happened. Instead of the usual soft light, emerald gauntlets materialized around her hands, crackling with barely contained power. When the corrupted god suddenly lunged at her, instinct took over - she delivered a punch with all her might, and to her horror, the being simply... disintegrated.

  "I... I can't heal them!" Emily cried, staring at her hands in shock. "My powers don't work on whatever this is!"

  When Amber realized they couldn't be healed, she didn't hesitate. With a brutal efficiency, she dispatched the remaining corrupted god. "Well, that was easier than expected," she remarked, though her voice lacked its usual bravado. She glanced around. "Where's Thomas?"

  "Took the fight up to the sky ," Emily said grimly, pointing to the swirling mass of dark clouds overhead where flashes of light betrayed the ongoing battle.

  High above the city, Thomas danced between the Goddess of Water's attacks, analyzing her every move. "There has to be a way to cure this," he muttered, more to himself than to her.

  The goddess laughed, a sound that sent chills down his spine. "You misunderstand, dear Thomas," she crooned. "I don't need curing. You do."

  With a snap of her fingers, she encased him in prison of swirling black water. "This is my Emotional Tide," she said, her voice calm as the liquid seeped into his pores. "It rewrites your very being to align with my will. Now, Thomas... won't you embrace the truth with me?"

  , Thomas closed his eyes and saw all the possible futures. No matter which path he followed, the Water Goddess remained corrupted. There was no salvation for her.

  . "I understand now. No matter what we try, we can't heal you."

  His sword flashed black as the void itself, and with a series of lightning-fast strikes, he reduced the goddess to pieces. Not like what happened with Sophia — she didn’t disappear, but she simply fell apart, raining down on the city below in grotesque chunks.

  Back on the ground, the little girl was waiting, her eyes red from crying. "Where's my mom?" she demanded, her voice trembling. "You promised you'd save her!"

  Emily knelt, her heart breaking as she pulled the child into an embrace. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, "We tried everything... but there was no cure".

  "But you promised! You promised me you would save my mom!" At the same time, tears kept streaming down the little girl's face.

  The Goddess of Life said, "We are sorry."

  They returned to the palace.

  where Neo awaited their report. "We couldn't heal them," Thomas admitted, his voice heavy with defeat. "Whatever this corruption is, it's irreversible."

  Neo's fingers drummed impatiently on the arm of her throne. "How did this disease even reach our realm in the first place?"

  Emily spoke up, her voice quiet but firm. "When I tried to heal one of them, I... I could sense their mind was still there. Aware. But they wanted to destroy everything. It was like the disease was whispering to them, twisting their thoughts."

  Thomas nodded in agreement. "The Goddess of Water spoke coherently too. She believed this corruption was a gift. Something fundamentally changed them."

  With a dismissive wave, Neo made her decision. "Fine. Return to Earth. If you can't cure this, I suppose there's no reason for you to go to the Realm of Magic. If they can't handle it, we'll call for you."

  As the Guardians made their way through the palace corridors, they nearly collided with the Goddess of History, who was hurrying in the opposite direction. Thomas caught her arm. "Wait - that demigod boy Neo sent to you. Where is he?"

  The goddess blinked, as if surprised by the question. "Oh, him? He ran off almost immediately. Haven't seen him since."

  Emily's face paled. "We need to find him!"

  Amber rolled her eyes. "Not our problem if he couldn't follow simple instructions."

  But Thomas placed a reassuring hand on Emily's shoulder. "He's here somewhere in the palace. We'll track him down."

  This is my Twitter, if you want to follow me you can go to @KuraiSeiji.