On the high platform, Leticia's body swayed slightly.
That brilliant sea of light, woven from four colors of divine radiance, was slowly receding back into her body like an ebbing tide.
As the light faded, it revealed her cheeks, which were pale to the point of being translucent and devoid of any color.
Those pure black eyes, which seemed capable of swallowing stars, dimmed at this moment, revealing a trace of rare, bone-deep exhaustion.
Reshaping the souls of thousands of warriors simultaneously and establishing a divine circulation network with herself as the core—this consumption was far greater than crushing a Chaos fleet head-on.
Inside the hangar, there was dead silence.
Thousands of reborn warriors, whether Primarch Sisters or mortal soldiers, were still immersed in the shock of that ocean-like divine grace; they knelt on one knee, offering silent reverence to their Goddess in the most pious posture.
Because of this, Leticia's momentary weakness appeared particularly jarring.
"Sister!"
Two figures erupted from the phalanx at almost the same moment.
A streak of pink-purple light, fast as lightning, with a posture as elegant as a fleeting glimpse, was none other than Fogremia.
For the first time, a crack of emotion called "panic" appeared on her flawless, pretty face, and her slender fingers reached out impatiently, wanting to support that teetering divinity.
Another dark red figure was more direct and violent.
Angronia's body was like a cannonball leaving the barrel, and the alloy deck beneath her feet let out a groan of unbearable strain as she kicked off.
There was no grace in her movements, only the purest, most anxious instinct to protect.
However, a small figure was faster than them both.
Before anyone could react, that golden, slender shadow had already lunged in front of Leticia like a fledgling bird returning to the woods.
"Sister!"
Terrania's exclamation was laced with tears.
She was too small and too frail to fully support Leticia's body.
But she still used all her strength, bracing her small shoulders firmly against Leticia's waist and abdomen to keep her from falling.
She looked up, her exquisite little face filled with heartache and panic, and her eyes, bright as flowing gold, quickly filled with moisture.
"Sister... you're in pain..."
Leticia looked down at the little girl in her arms who was about to cry, the softest part of her heart touched, and a warm smile appeared on her pale lips.
"I'm fine, Nia."
She wanted to raise her hand to stroke Terrania's hair, but found her arm unresponsive.
Terrania clearly noticed this too.
She looked at Leticia's limply hanging hand, and a flash of unprecedented, unquestionable determination crossed her golden eyes.
Mimicking the way Leticia had blessed everyone just moments before, she reached out her small, warm palm and, carefully yet with absolute firmness, pressed it against the back of Leticia's cold hand.
"Mine..."
The little girl bit her lip and, in a voice that was almost a whisper, said the words she most wanted to say at that moment.
"...for you."
The next instant, a stream of golden warmth, pure to the extreme and unlike anything Leticia had ever felt, surged from their touching palms!
This power was warm, heavy, and filled with the most primal pulse of life.
It was not like the active "repair" and "healing" of Leticia's [Vitality] authority; it was more like a higher-dimensional "return to origin" and "completion."
It was like the newborn sun, radiating brilliant light without a trace of heat.
It was also like the first heartbeat at the beginning of creation, full of infinite possibilities.
This indescribably pure golden energy surged into Leticia's parched sea of authority, causing no rejection; instead, like a source lost for billions of years, it merged perfectly with the four powers of [Divine Charm], [Battle Intent], [Intellect], and [Vitality].
Leticia's body jolted violently.
But what shook her was not the return of power.
It was that through the contact of their palms, she had touched Terrania's soul for the first time, so clearly and without any barriers.
What kind of world was that?
Pure, translucent, like a piece of raw, uncut golden crystal.
Yet at the core of this crystal, Leticia "heard" silent weeping.
She felt the fear of abandonment that was almost overflowing from the depths of Terrania's soul; she felt that fledgling-like absolute dependence, regarding her as the entire world; and she felt even more the heart-wrenching worry and pain that arose from seeing her weakness.
"So... you have been afraid all along..."
Leticia's heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.
At the same time, Terrania also felt Leticia's soul.
If her soul was a piece of pure crystal, then Leticia's soul was a deep, boundless sea of stars gently enveloping this crystal.
In this sea, she could not feel any negative emotions.
She only felt a will to protect that was as vast as the universe, yet infinitely gentle.
She felt that Leticia regarded her as the most precious treasure, and felt the determination to defy the entire world for her sake.
All her unease, all her fear, melted away like snow under the wrapping of this sea of stars.
So, Sister's heart... has always been mine.
So, I am Sister's whole world.
An unprecedented, immense sense of security and happiness filled Terrania's small body.
For the first time, that little face, which always carried a hint of timidity, bloomed with a brilliant, unadulterated smile.
And this pure joy and love was fed back to Leticia without reservation through the soul link.
Leticia felt as if her soul had been completely illuminated by this smile.
A strange, unprecedented flutter quietly sprouted in the depths of her heart.
It was not mere possessiveness or affection for family.
It was an indescribable impulse... to merge the other into her own flesh and blood, to be forever intertwined with this pure soul.
It was the seed of love, breaking through the soil in this exchange of divine energy.
Leticia turned her hand over to grasp Terrania's small hand, fingers interlocking.
She could feel her own power recovering at an astonishing speed, while the temperature of Terrania's palm was slowly dropping.
She could not let this little girl give any more for her.
Leticia slowly straightened her body, and those dimmed eyes reignited with the brilliance of billions of stars being born and dying.
She applied a gentle force, pulling Terrania, who was unsteady from the energy consumption, into her arms.
Then, amidst Fogremia's complex gaze, mixed with envy and relief.
Under Angronia's beast-like, straightforward, and slightly puzzled gaze.
In the witness of Valeria and thousands of fanatical and reverent warriors.
Leticia bent down, ignoring all etiquette, and ignoring the dignity a deity should have.
She scooped up the sleepy, golden-haired little girl in her arms, letting her curl up in her warm embrace like a kitten.
Immediately after, she lowered her head.
On that jade-smooth forehead, she pressed a kiss that was incomparably gentle, yet incomparably cherished.
As if branding an eternal mark, belonging solely to herself, onto her most sacred work of art.
The entire hangar was silent to the extreme.
All the soldiers held their breath, witnessing this scene, filled with divinity and love, that was worthy of being recorded in history.
However, just at the moment when this warmth and tranquility was about to reach its peak.
Boom—!!!
The entire genesis ship, without any warning, shook violently!
That violent impact was as if a meteorite that had shattered the void shield had smashed hard against the hull, causing everyone to stagger.
Immediately after—
Buzz—buzz—buzz—!!!
The heart-rending crimson alarm, representing the highest threat level, resounded through every corner of the warship like the wailing of hell!
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