Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest

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The gates creaked open, and two guards approached.

“One of you, step forward. Our Champion is coming. Prepare yourselves—grab a weapon!”

They offered a selection of rusty arms.

Elayne reached for a sword, her calm, sorrowful eyes meeting theirs.

“I haven’t wielded a sword in ten years.”

Gripping the hilt, she stepped forward.

“I’ll go first.”

“Fine, go ahead. Lord Blazer instructed us to send you in first anyway.”

As the gate shut behind her, Elayne walked into the center of the arena. Her bare feet sank into the white sand, her heightened senses absorbing its texture.

“Who is that zombie?”

“For a filthy zombie, she’s got a pretty face.”

“I agree—she’s certainly unique.”

“What a strange aura. She gives off a disgusting vibe.”

“Have the seats not been cleansed? Why are there mushrooms everywhere?”

Amid the crowd, Elayne glanced toward the elevated seats encircling the arena, where the truly powerful sat. The moment her gaze met one of them, a jolt surged through her body—a paralyzing pressure.

She had locked eyes with a woman of pale skin, long white hair, and gray eyes. Dressed in a mourning gown and veiled in white, her beauty was haunting. Powerful guards flanked her, and her icy stare froze Elayne in place.

“That must be the White Ghost Princess, daughter of the King of the Nether Ghost Castle. Her aura is ominous… yet she’s surrounded by guards. Is she still too weak to defend herself?”

Another gaze struck her. Elayne turned to see a young man with purple hair, black horns, and blue skin. His golden eyes glowed as he smiled at her.

“That creep must be the youngest son of the Great Lord of the Black Spectral Dragon Palace. So he’s a dragon? He doesn’t look like one—probably using some method to take human form.”

Elayne’s nerves tightened. Their attention was fixed on her.

The dragon’s leering smile was the worst. Surrounded by female zombies dressed like belly dancers, he ogled her with lust.

“It’s a shame that beautiful one is being sacrificed. Is there no way I can buy her?”

“Sorry, my lord. She was designed specifically to be killed by the Champion.”

“Hoo…”

She overheard him speaking to a tall, red-skinned, four-armed Asura servant dressed in a butler’s uniform.

“Ugh… I’ll ignore him.”

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, the main event! Once lovers in life, now forced to fight to the death! One became our great Champion, trained personally by me. The other was cast into the pit for ten years! Husband and wife!”

“…?”

Elayne’s eyes widened. She knew who the Champion was.

RUMBLE!

Heavy footsteps echoed across the arena. A massive figure approached.

The metallic door flew open, revealing a towering shadow emerging from the underground passage—a three-meter-tall skeleton with black bones, a flaming red skull, and blazing wings. Red armor clung to his frame.

“Mark!”

She had feared this moment. Now that it was real, dread consumed her—yet so did joy. Even under these horrific circumstances, she was finally seeing him again.

“Mark! It’s me! Mark!”

Elayne ran toward him. His eyes, ablaze and empty, stared back.

“Master… must serve… master… kill… kill you…”

“M-Mark?”

He raised his flaming sword.

CRASH!

The blade struck the ground, unleashing a fiery slash that exploded against the wall behind Elayne.

BOOM!

A nether energy barrier shielded the audience.

Elayne stared at Mark. His inner voice was gone.

He was hollow.

A puppet. A tool. No longer himself.

“Mark… MARK! It’s me! Elayne! I love you! Please wake up!”

She cried out, but Mark stepped forward. Flames spread across the sand, burning her foot.

“Ugh!”

She leapt back just in time as he charged, his body blazing like a meteor. Blazer’s laughter rang out.

“Gyahahaha! You fool! Ten years! Did you really think he’d remember you? I boiled his soul until every memory of you vanished—scattered like dust!”

“…?!”

Elayne’s face twisted in horror and despair.

“Hehehe! HAHAHAHA! YES! That’s the face I wanted to see!”

“Memories cannot be erased.”

“…Hm?”

Elayne’s expression shifted. Calm returned.

“They’re a fundamental part of who we are. Mark’s soul remains intact. No matter how much you torture him, deep down, my Mark is still there.”

“KILL… KILL!”

Mark roared, opening his skeletal jaws and unleashing a beam of flames.

Elayne stood her ground and swung her sword.

Her Aura erupted.

FLAAASH!

“Ngh?! What… What is this?!”

Blazer screamed as Elayne radiated an immense energy—Nature, Lifeforce, and Spiritual Essence interwoven with Ghostly, Yin, and Nether energies. Predominantly green and gold, it stunned the crowd.

Infusing her sword with this power, Elayne unleashed her technique.

A flame of glitching pixels and digital particles split Mark’s attack.

RUMBLE!

Mark staggered, a deep slash carved across his skull and armor.

He roared and charged again.

“Don’t worry, honey… I’ll save you, no matter what.”

Black tears streamed down Elayne’s face as she smiled and met his blade. Their swords clashed, shaking the arena.

Sailor and the others watched in awe.

“H-How?! Where is she getting this much power?!” Sailor gasped. “Wait…”

Someone was missing.

“Little Hope…! Where is she?! Wasn’t she just with us?!”

“She went to complete the plan~!” Dorothy sang. “And now it’s our time to act~!”

As she spoke, Elayne dodged another strike, touching the ground and spreading dark blue moss and black mushrooms.

“{Farming Terrain Expansion: Netherworld Garden}”

Moss and fungi erupted across the arena, climbing over nobles and undead alike, draining their energy.

Screams and chaos followed.

“W-What’s the meaning of this?! What are YOU doing?!”

Blazer raged, glaring at Elayne—the source of the disaster.

“Oh dear, we’re just getting started. Little Hope should be ready by now.”

“Hm?!”

FLAAASH!

From the dark pit, an explosion of blue, green, and golden light burst forth.

The millions of mushroom colonies and moss Elayne cultivated over ten years began to converge, forming a crystallized core.

At the same time, Elayne opened her chest, revealing a glowing green crystal. Moss and mushrooms grew inside her body.

“S-She turned herself into a damn flowerpot?!”

Drawing power from her modified body, her surroundings, and Little Hope’s efforts, Elayne stood tall.

“Gardenia, it’s time to wake up.”

Her counterattack had begun.

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