Above the capital's plaza in Rivenland, a quarter of the "Sky Curtain" had been breached amidst the struggle between protagonists and antagonists.
The power summoned by the Ancient One from the abyss, now unrestrained by the Sky Curtain, surged more violently, converging with Christine's body.
As a result, Christine's demonic aura intensified significantly, and her eyes took on an increasingly ferocious and malevolent appearance.
She abruptly turned her head and gazed distantly at Alan. Then, in a voice ancient and indistinguishable between male and female, she spoke:
"There is a scent about you that I find particularly detestable."
"Your power seems closely aligned with a certain deity. Your face, too, is repugnant to me!"
"Fortunately, you are not her! Otherwise, I would have already been defeated and annihilated by now!"
It was clear that Christine was under the control of the Ancient One. Alan, hearing the voice and observing her cold, merciless demeanor, felt a stir of recognition within him.
He had a strong suspicion about the identity of the being speaking through Christine.
As the Almighty God, even though a new deity, Alan possessed vast knowledge, especially after acquiring the "Wisdom" divine power, which granted him access to many of the world's secrets.
If his knowledge as a mortal could be likened to a single drop of water, then as the Almighty God, it was akin to an ocean.
With the enhancement of the "Wisdom" and "Enhancement" divine powers, Alan had delved into numerous mysteries of the world, including many secrets unknown to others, as well as the names of various Ancient Ones.
He quickly gleaned some information from the residual will of this malevolent Ancient One.
This particular Ancient One was likely the Goddess of Night, Nyx, one of the primordial deities.
She symbolized aspects such as daylight, dreams, death, sleep, fate, suffering, aging, and toil.
She had survived the previous war of the Ancient Ones, but her divine power had been fragmented by other deities.
When Alan ascended to the Divine Realm, the Goddess of Night sensed his power and realized her own weakness.
Since "light" and "night" are inherently opposing forces, she chose a different path and ventured into the Abyss of the Demon World.
Once ashamed to associate with the beings of the demon world, she was now willing to align with them to regain her lost power and defeat Alan, a symbol of "light."
She was prepared to pay any price to avoid living like a puppet.
"The Ancient One Nyx, who had taken possession of Moon Goddess Sect's Saint Christine, spoke with a tone of disdain and mockery.
She offered Alan a grim choice, proposing he submit to her as a vassal or puppet in exchange for his life, with the condition that his bloodline be altered, as she detested anything associated with light.
Alan paused momentarily at her words. "So, you're a resurrected dark god who has taken over the beautiful body of this Moon Goddess Sect Saint," he mused. "Let me guess, are you a deity of lust?"
He asked this with a smile, intentionally provoking her. Nyx, speaking through Christine, let out an indifferent sneer.
Her face twisted into a rigid, amused smile. "Don't dare to compare such beings with me!" she said with contempt. "Yet, I must admit, your confidence in my presence is admirable... and it stirs an irresistible urge in me to tear you apart and destroy you."
"I have given you a chance to live," she continued. "You would be grateful to me if you accepted my offer. But alas, you refuse to submit to me."
With those words, the next moment, "Christine" transformed her "blood mist cloak" into a weapon and launched it towards the distant Alan.
The massive crescent-shaped blades, like moon scythes, struck several individuals at the edge of the plaza who were praying to and summoning deities.
Some of these individuals were protagonists, while others were not. Caught off guard by the sudden onslaught of the blood-colored moon blades, they had no chance to react and were instantly slain.
Their bodies were bisected at the waist. From the point of severance, both their upper and lower halves disintegrated into pools of blood and gore, which were then absorbed by the blood-colored moon blades.
Tracing a beautiful arc in the air, the blades returned to the figure now known as "Christine," becoming part of her energy.
"Ah, delicious!" Christine exclaimed, suddenly opening her mouth to reveal shark-like, razor-sharp teeth.
The next moment, her blood-red dress dripped a string of blood droplets that fell into a glass cup beside her.
Lifting the goblet, Christine drank the collected blood in one gulp. She then carelessly tossed the cup aside, letting a drop of blood fall from the corner of her mouth.
The current appearance of Christine bore no resemblance to the saintly image of the Moon Goddess Sect's Saint.
Instead, she exuded an aura of wickedness, madness, and terror. Her once silver-luminous hair now hung loose, imbued with a sinister blood-red glow.
The dignified demeanor of the Saint was gone, replaced by a strikingly eerie presence.
In the distance, Queen Agatha was attempting to repair the "Sky Curtain."
Her purple magical energy surged, transforming into patterns that soared into the sky to mend the breach in the barrier.
However, the continuous influx of energy from the Abyss of the Demon World in the east persistently ruptured the Sky Curtain, leaving Agatha feeling weary and drained.
Below, Alan had opened the portal to Beaconburg, and his paladins launched a concerted attack.
Their combined assault struck "Christine," tearing a large hole in her blood-red dress. Seizing the moment, Alan swiftly acted, condensing holy light in his hand into myriad rays that showered down upon the distant Christine.
He immobilized her limbs in the instant she attempted to counter the paladins.
The energy then targeted Christine's head. Alan suspected that the Ancient One controlling her had primarily taken over her brain.
The next moment, Alan's holy light successfully struck Christine's head. The power he unleashed in this attack exceeded the lord-tier, soaring directly to the 4-star king-tier level.
Caught off guard, "Christine" was pinned down by the rain of light, and a blood-colored spiritual entity, representing her consciousness, was forcibly extracted from the back of her head.
In the air, a chaotic amalgamation of blood-red and black forms wavered and coalesced, seemingly forming a face that merged with the surrounding darkness.
As Alan had suspected, it was the Ancient One known as the "Goddess of Night" Nyx who had taken control of Christine's consciousness.
A voice, more inhuman than ever, echoed across the sky. "What have you done?!" it screamed.
"How dare you do this to me? You insignificant ant!" The screeching voice tore through the air, causing discomfort and fear among the onlookers.
Many people who had already distanced themselves from the scene, upon glancing back and witnessing the spectacle in the sky, were stunned.
They too succumbed to unconsciousness, overwhelmed by the shrill screeching.
Yet, Alan remained steadfast, his figure small compared to the entity in the sky, but his radiance never diminished.
The next moment, he realized something was amiss. He had been in the plaza of Valer, Rivenland, but now it seemed as though the world around him had transformed.
He found himself plunged into an endless night sky, surrounded by nothing but darkness, stars, and the void.
Alan paused, focusing on the enormous face emerging from the darkness. He understood that he had been transported into a special realm by the "Goddess of Night" Nyx.
Her derisive laughter and mocking murmurs filled the air, enough to shatter the sanity of any ordinary person.
Alan's eyes sparkled brilliantly. Standing still with his hands clasped behind his back, he smiled calmly and said, "Interesting. You don't really believe... that you have control over me, do you?"
"Next, I will show you something..." Alan's voice was steady, his body radiating a brilliant golden light, "Who is the real insignificant ant!"