The gratitude banquet was held shortly after the starry night sky replaced the evening light. All the members of the Divine Association were present at that grand event where no differences were at issue. They were just a group with the same goal and gathered to celebrate their victory with gratitude.

Everyone was dressed in attractive and stunning attire. The dashing gentlemen and the dazzling ladies gathered inside the lively Celestial Palace’s grand hall.

“It truly bothers me… those lecherous eyes.” Xero gulped his wine in one go while grumbling.

“Ho? Do you mean those ladies? It’s natural because they see you as a cute little boy, albeit naughty and rebellious.” Nell grinned as she pointed her palm at the group of ladies who were watching Xero.

“…” Xero just didn’t want to rectify anything. He mentioned those men who often steal glances at the ladies in his group. He didn’t want to say it because it would only cause misunderstanding.

Fortunately, the presence of the Earth Mother and God King put those men at bay and still behaved well. So, he couldn’t do anything.

“We have already discussed the situation in your world, and we will send several high-rank Gods to help you save your world from the accursed invasion.” Ileus opened his palm when announcing the decision.

“Thank you for your good intentions, but which high-rank God are you referring to?” Lifa shook her glass elegantly.

“Let me introduce them to you.” Ileus then introduced the five high-rank Gods behind him.

“I see… Let me ask you one thing then.” Lifa put down her glass and looked at the five Gods. There was a little pause for the question.

Those five Gods looked strong, but they were far from the Ancient Demon God’s power and incomparable to Gaia’s real value, not in the slightest.

“Are you willing to leave your Heaven and die in our world?” Lifa asked bluntly.

It shocked the five high-ranking Gods, and the surrounding deities also wondered.

“Sigh…” Lifa shook her head. She could see the slight hesitation of the five Gods. “God King, I appreciate your good intentions, but we don’t need your help to save our world from the accursed invasion. Needless to say, they will die in the first decisive clash. They stood no chance of surviving.”

“Why do you say that so confidently? They are incredibly strong.” Ileus pursed his lips with dissatisfaction. He didn’t know why his subordinates hesitated before discussing it.

“Unlike your world, ours only has a total of thirty-three divine beings in history. They are all extraordinarily strong, beyond the Ancient Gods. It takes tremendous effort and a miracle to ascend to divinity in our world.

Even so, less than a quarter of us survived the decisive clashes and still lost the war. In addition to the accursed hordes, there are also two high-rank Ruvoid Gods, the strongest two, capable of destroying the star and planet. They are far stronger than the ones who ravaged this Heaven Realm a while ago.

I’m sorry to say this… Even though you’re the one who went to our world, there’s no guarantee you’ll survive the first decisive clash either, God King. So, save your workforce for rearranging and improving your world into something amazing. We want to see paradise on our next visit.” Lifa spoke the bitter facts with a relaxed expression.

She smiled faintly at the end of her words as if it were just casual talk. Actually, she just didn’t like that half-baked intention.

“I-I see… Even so, please tell us if you need anything.” Ileus was taken a little back.

He couldn’t send many strong workforces, but the five high-rank Gods weren’t even considered? No one knew the true terror of the mentioned two Ruvoid Gods, but it seemed much more than a dreadful nightmare.

“Sure~ But we may be causing you a lot of trouble in the near future. Now is the time for us to return to the Earth Realm. The Fate Goddess will meet us tomorrow, so she will intercede between us. Does that sound good?” Lifa glanced at all concerned parties.

“All right.” Ileus nodded in agreement.

After that, Lifa invited her entire group to leave the banquet hall. They had already enjoyed their time there for an hour and shouldn’t linger there for long.

“You and the Divine Association have a lot of work for the Heaven Realm. Not to mention forming a new Council. If you need help, please come down to the Earth Realm. I might be able to help you with some advice.” Gaia got up from her seat.

“Haha, don’t kick me out if I just came to vent or grumble, then.” Ileus laughed lightly.

“Fufu~ Well then, I shall take my leave.” Gaia nodded slightly and left the banquet hall.

“…” Fortuna gave an eye signal to the God King. She then dragged Darkness away to catch up with Elysia’s group.

“Hey, wait. I still want to get my heavenly ale.” Darkness tried to resist, but Fortuna kept dragging her along. She then grabbed the nearby jug of ale and left with it.

“Sorry to end our banquet so soon.” Elysia apologized in case someone was dissatisfied.

“No need to apologize, Elysia. I should also return to Earth since business here is over.” Gaia replied with a tender smile.

“We could continue the fun at Erina’s birthday party. To be honest, the earlier banquet wasn’t much fun.” Vanessa put her hands together. She knew no one objected.

“However, not everyone can see us there. Only Erina.” Nell reminded everyone of the upcoming situation.

“That’s pretty good. I remember Erina will prepare a special place for us.” Sylvia patted her chin,

“Mm, all night fun!” Xentia pumped her hands like she couldn’t wait to see what the birthday party was like.

“Let’s hope we don’t arrive too late.” Lynn clasped her hands in prayer.

“Shall we go now?” Elena drew a conclusion. When everyone gave confirmation, she asked Gaia something. “Can you revoke the Earth’s barrier? We’ll be teleporting there in an instant.”

“Hm, sure. Give me a few seconds.” Gaia closed her eyes and pressed two fingers to her forehead. She revoked the Earth’s barrier from a distance.

“…” Xero looked back to stare at the heavenly sky. He would probably visit here again in the future. He also wanted to go to this world’s hell for a tour and sightseeing.

“You’ll be right back?” Fortuna came approaching in a bit of a hurry.

“We will return to Earth Realm. We still have some business to do there.” Lifa turned around.

“Then we’ll see you tomorrow morning. See you later.” Fortuna waved her hand to send Earth Mother and Elysia’s group away.

“Eh, us? Did you count me too? That’s no good, Fortuna. I need to return to my Darkness Realm first to-” Darkness spoke her reasoning. Yet, her voice shrunk, and she couldn’t finish her sentence as Fortuna glared at her intimidatingly.

“Fufu, you often force your will on others. It’s not good for a long-run relationship. Let Darkness finish her business before you ask her for help. That way, you will have a nice friend, even though she is the opposite of your nature and divinity.” Elena gave a piece of thoughtful advice.

“Can you hear that? Yeah, that’s the truth. Treat me well, and I shall help you if my mood is good.” Darkness put her hands on her waist. She felt great when defended by the benevolent Golden Goddess from another world. Unlike this world’s version of the Golden Goddess, sometimes really irritating.

“Uuh, alright. You can do whatever you need to do then. Shoo, shoo… Don’t blame me if you miss the great event.” Fortuna replied with a shooing hand gesture.

“Hehe, that’s impossible. I’ll come to Earth in time. It’s also not too difficult to find Elysia’s whereabouts. Elysia, everyone, be careful on your way back. I might join you to help with your affairs on Earth the day after tomorrow.” Darkness waved her hand.

“Mm, see you later.” Elysia reached her hand to Elena and Rhea. She then created a golden magic circle to cover everyone.

*Poof*

Elysia’s entire group instantly disappeared from the vicinity. They teleported to the location where Erina was.

It was nearly eight o’clock in the evening, and Erina had tried to delay her birthday party a bit because she still hadn’t seen Elysia’s presence. However, she couldn’t do it anymore because everyone had already arrived.

Because the party was held in Tokyo, many famous people came to wish her a happy birthday.

Some strong and important people also came from faraway lands. However, their arrival also congratulated Erina and her father on their recovery from the tragedy a few days ago.

“Erina-sama, we can’t keep everyone waiting any longer. Kenji-sama is already waiting for you on stage. Everyone is waiting for you.” Mio whispered close to Erina’s ear.

“Ellie hasn’t come yet, huh… Did something happen to her?” Erina heaved a subtle sigh as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had made sure that she looked perfect, and this event should make her smile happily.

However, she felt something was missing if Elysia couldn’t attend her birthday party. Although, she couldn’t blame Elysia for something that was beyond their control occurred. She was worried that something had happened to Elysia and could not attend.

Erina then stood up and left her room, accompanied by Mio. Her arrival in the hall immediately became everyone’s spotlight because she appeared beautifully charming, like a lovely princess from a fairy tale.

“…” Erina offered her hand to Mio, and she was guided down the stairs. She checked every corner of the hall but couldn’t find her friend anywhere. Because of that, she could only heave a subtle sigh.

‘Hi, Erina~ Did you miss me? This should be an event that makes you happy, but why do you look a little sad? Come on, give us a sweet smile~’ A familiar pleasant voice suddenly came to Erina’s mind.

It was telepathy. Erina suddenly opened her eyes and tried to feel Elysia’s presence. She looked at a certain place on the second floor and found a long black-haired lovely girl in a purplish-blue evening dress.

Elysia waved her hand with a tender smile. She then pressed her finger to her lips. ‘No one can see us but you. So, please enjoy your party, and we will be here. Happy twentieth birthday~’

It was like a cheerful firework that suddenly exploded in Erina’s emotions. The one she wanted to see the most was already there, in the place she had prepared. She just didn’t know it.

Not to mention, she discovered that not only was Elysia there, but Elysia’s friends from the Guardian of Dream were also present!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.