Everyone in the plaza stared at Maven with rapt attention, disturbed by deathly black aura radiating from both her body and the staff in her hands. Even Maven herself looked around uneasily as the king’s little gift ripped her magic from her body.

《Henna, I need your help here! This staff is totally about to blow……》

However the King had done this, it was almost a miracle the staff managed to contain all the power currently jammed within it. At fifteen years old, her magic capacity exceeded her three-year-old self more than a dozen times over - meaning that the staff was currently packed with enough power to blow the entire capital to smithereens. Not noticing the potential disaster his little scheme had brought right to his doorstep, the King just smirked as the crowd began to doubt the Saintess.

“What is this?! Why in the world would the Saintess be radiating such an ominous power??” The King shouted in mock surprise, putting on a show for the people below. “The Holy Staff amplifies all attributes and spells…… This was something meant to allow the light of our kingdom to shine brighter than ever before, but why do you have the Darkness and Death attributes, Saintess??”

*Gasp*

Everyone’s mouth dropped open in surprise as the King confirmed their fears. It was unbelievable that their beloved Saintess possessed the evil Darkness and Death attributes, but they could see the truth with their own eyes. Only the vile demon race could even possess such a gloomy power. The Death attribute especially, as it was anathema to the living. No living human had ever possessed it, though demon half-breeds could possess the power of darkness.

“The Saintess lied to us!” Someone shouted angrily from the crowd, planted there by the King. “Traitor!! She might even be one of those dirty demons! She could even be a slave to the Dark God Henna herself!”

That voice resounded loudly through the entire plaza, ensuring every citizen and noble could hear those damning words. The accusation also sent the crowd into a panic and caused Maven’s face to pale. She could feel their faith in her being shaken, right in her soul, due to her divinity. Unfortunately, Maven’s body remained locked in place due to the King’s tricks, so she could do little to allay anyone’s fears right now.

《Brace yourself Maven! All that magic is about to burst out of there…… I’ll make sure nobody gets hurt, but there’s no stopping this runaway train now.》 Henna said hurriedly.

《What do you mean? Why can’t you stop this?? Stupid goddess, why are you always so useless when it matters?》 Maven replied frantically.

The King looked down at Maven triumphantly, pleased that he’d soon be free of this thorn in his side. Public perception was definitely swinging in his direction. Unfortunately for the King, he didn’t get much time to enjoy his victory. Rather, just as he was about to put the final nail in Maven’s coffin, the gems adorning the the staff began to explode one by one.

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

Despite each gem being no larger than a marble, they erupted with all the force of a raging volcano. Huge billows of black mist shot out as the transparent gems shattered one by one, obscuring the vision of everyone present in an ever-growing cloud of darkness. Once the very last gem, at the tip of the staff, shattered into dust, the entire capital was mired in the dusky powers of darkness and death.

“What?!” The King shouted with a shocked gasp at the unexpected turn of events. Just as he was about to finish knocking the Saintess from her pedestal and completely turn the people against her, an unbelievably dense flood of magic just came out of nowhere and robbed everyone of their vision. Not only that, but the cold and ominous power locked the people in place - miring them in what felt like thick syrup. This left the people only able to grope around powerlessly in the dark.

《Henna! Do something about this!! At this rate, the entire capital is going to turn on me……》 Maven prompted her divine companion with impatience. Not only was the people’s faith in her dropping precipitously, but they were also becoming progressively more and more terrified of Maven and her magic as it trapped them in its grip.

《Ummm…… Ummm…… What to do…… What to do…》 Henna said contemplatively, tapping her forehead lightly in thought.

《Henna!!!》 Maven shouted at the blase attitude of the goddess.

《I got it, I got it…… You just want to keep the people from turning you, right? I’ve got the perfect plan for that!》 Henna replied while puffing her chest confidently.

《Less bragging, more doing!》

《No need to yell…》 Henna said with a pout.

As the only person in the capital who could see through the magical haze, Maven watched as Henna floated up to the sky. After rising about one hundred meters in the air, Henna somehow changed into a magical girl outfit, fully equipped with a frilly dress and adorable wand, before striking a silly pose and sending a wink Maven’s way.

“Haaaaaa!!”

With a cute yell full of fighting spirit, Henna gathered the ocean’s worth of magic into her staff. It was quite the sight. Dozens of streams of pitch black energy writhing and swirling as they flew through the air, sucking up the darkness and death magic that obscured the vision of the entire capital.

*Gasp*

The citizens, nobles, and even the king himself all just gaped at the sight of an adorable little ghost girl lightly manipulating the monstrous amount of magic Maven had released as if it were child’s play. Not only could this ghost wield that dark magic like her hands and feet, but she also radiated an overwhelmingly divine aura.

《Hehehehe……… All this magic, what’s a girl to do? This is the most power I’ve had at my fingertips in ages. I feel like goddess again!》 Henna raved as she danced in the sky, intoxicated with the magic she had to play with.

《What’re you doing?! You’re totally visible right now! Stop that already! Everyone’s staring at you… so stop absorbing all that magic like a kid in a candy store! How am I going to explain this?!》 Maven moaned at the current situation.

Having her dark magic revealed was enough, but this was a million times worse. This idiotic and childish Goddess of Darkness chose to take this opportunity to reveal herself to the world.