Augustus had lost any ability to resist, so he could only watch helplessly as the celestial staff came down toward him. As it made contact, his eyes turned into two white beams of light that shot up into the sky. Like shooting stars, they flew up and disappeared.
As Alex looked at the two rays of light, he thought about what had happened.
"Are you looking for your people, Augustus?" he wondered aloud. "It doesn't matter. By the time the eight-winged master arrives, I'll be ready for him. I'll defeat him, too."
Then he looked at his golden cores and smiled bitterly. The golden core stage was still a world away from the nascent level, and he had weakened himself to fight Augustus. Even though the sacrifice had helped him to defeat his opponent, he had still suffered a substantial loss. He knew that his damaged seventh golden core would be very complicated to repair.
Although he had obtained a few powerful artifacts, they were just material objects. It was more important to have the strength of his own golden core.
"You're injured?" Maya asked as she moved with light steps toward Alex. She took out a handkerchief and handed it to him so that he could wipe away the blood from his nosebleed.
Alex had used up a golden core for her. He had also killed Augustus, and Maya was both touched and impressed.
"I'm fine," he said as he smiled and grabbed Maya's hand. "As long as you're here, I'll stop anyone or anything that tries to harm you."
Maya looked at his determined face and felt a trace of warmth in her heart for him.
Alex looked around and was shocked when he saw the ruined cathedral. He reached out his hand, picked up the undamaged golden chest, and threw it into his magic storage space. Then he turned around and noticed Wilfred.
Wilfred hadn't expected Alex to defeat Augustus so completely. When he noticed Alex looking at him, he turned himself into a mass of black gas, which zig-zagged crazily through the air in a desperate attempt to escape.
"Do you really think I'm going to let you run?" Antoine shouted, about to go on the attack.
Then he halted when he saw the celestial staff in Alex's hand. It turned into an ice crystal dagger, which chased after the gas cloud that was Wilfred. The dagger pierced the dark cloud. A shrill scream preceded the cloud exploding into countless pieces, which then fell to the ground.
Wilfred's soul had been in the center of the cloud, wrapped around his golden core. When the dagger had stabbed through that core, it had exploded along with his soul.
With the celestial staff reformed, Alex looped his arm around Maya's waist again and nodded at Antoine and Evan. Then he and Maya drifted away.
Antoine looked at Evan, frowning with concern. "I'm afraid that there's no longer anyone in this world who can stop him."
Evan had a similar look on his face. "It's fortunate that he's not from around here. That takes the pressure off us a bit."
Antoine nodded. "Yes, you're right. We're lucky about that."
The world would be shocked to discover that Alex had killed Augustus. After all his previous escapades, the news about this event would travel quickly.
Leaving the rest of the world to catch up on the news, Alex quietly brought Maya back to Lion Ridge.
His parents, Flora and Gideon, were happily chatting with each other.
Flora was the one who first spotted Alex and Maya as they descended from the sky.
"My goodness!" she exclaimed.
"Hi, Mom and Dad," Alex said as he landed on the Lion Ridge, looking at his parents with a smile.
"Welcome back, Alex," his mom said. Then she looked at Maya curiously and asked, "Who have you brought with you?"
Maya exuded an extraordinary energy that piqued his parents' curiosity.
Flora was eager to find out the woman's identity, so she asked directly, "Are you my son's girlfriend?"
Maya was unsure how to answer that one, and she flushed and cast a nervous glance at Alex.
Alex's parents looked ordinary enough, although Maya knew Gideon was also a warrior. His power wasn't as strong as Alex's, but he was still quite powerful.
Flora took Maya's hand and guided her to a chair to sit down. She then looked at Alex curiously. "The two of you are certainly dressed interestingly."
Alex smiled awkwardly and said, "It's a long story."
Flora glanced at him and then smiled at Maya. "Since Alex hasn't introduced us, what's your name? You look lovely in that outfit."
"I'm Maya," she said. "I'm from the Sea Star System."
Flora looked at her, and then she looked at Alex, wondering why her son had brought this woman to meet them. She also wondered if everyone from Maya's galaxy was so beautiful, because Maya was absolutely stunning.
Alex smiled and nodded.
Gideon was surprised. "You're an alien?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"She's not an alien," Alex said. "She's human, like us. It's just that she grew up in the immortal world."
He tried to explain how it all fitted together. Gideon and Flora listened intently and took in what they could, but it was a lot of information to assimilate. It was hard for them to believe that there were so many mysteries in the universe that they didn't know about or understand. Flora was astounded to think that the Earth she lived on was actually so small, and that the universe was so big and the world so magical. She was blown away that her son knew so much and held so much power.
But she was still confused about where Maya fit in. "You mean that Maya is an immortal of the Star Sea System? And that there are also many ordinary people like us there?"
Alex smiled and nodded. "That's right; she's an immortal."
Flora said excitedly, "I can't believe I'm going to have an immortal from another galaxy as my daughter-in-law."
Alex put his palm to his forehead in dismay.
Gideon intervened and spoke the words that Alex had been thinking. "Flora, stop it. Why would you assume that?"
"At that age, we were married, and Alex was already on the way," Flora said. "I just want my talented son to be happy."
Alex frowned. "Mom, please stop," he said, looking at Maya. Her face had turned beetroot red.
"It's not just me!" Flora protested. "I also know your father's waiting for you to give us a few grandchildren to spoil rotten."
Alex was helpless in the face of his mother's determination, so he quickly changed the subject. "Mom, I came back to pass on my skills to you and Dad, so that you can build a sect on Earth." Flora looked very confused once again.