After Becoming an Evil Dragon, I Was Entangled by the Saintess - Chapter 22

“You all, die! Let your bl00d nourish my Lord’s servants and herald His coming!” The mage’s piercing roar echoed through the night sky.

He gasped for breath, collapsing to the ground as his Magic Power drained away. His left hand clutched the emblem hanging from his chest, his eyes like icy daggers.

The Gray Shadow slowly materialized from the darkness, its form unlike any creature of this world. It resembled the twisted creations of dark mages and sorcerers: a towering, emaciated giant devoid of muscle. Grayish masses swirled across its body, like muddy water flowing, or upon closer inspection, like countless writhing, malevolent eyes.

“Lord God above!” Ilti exclaimed in horror.

“Don’t look directly at it,” Veranse warned softly, approaching Ilti. “Prolonged exposure will corrupt you.”

The warnings were directed at Ilti and Flah. As for Veranse herself, she showed no fear of the monster, scrutinizing the Gray Shadow with brazen curiosity. She stepped toward Yulxi. “In the Creationist Society’s Divine Scriptures, this creature is a Familiar of the Evil God Kidra, a messenger of the Gods in the mortal realm. But the Holy See simply calls it the ‘Gray Demon.'”

“Not all believers can summon the Gray Demon. Only those who devoutly worship Kidra’s name and possess Magic Power as vast as the sea can draw it forth from the shadows. Once summoned, the Gray Demon cannot be directly observed or destroyed. Only the summoner, by reciting the proper incantation, can send it back.”

“Nothing is indestructible,” Yulxi said flatly.

Veranse chuckled softly. “The Holy See has a Divine Art potion specifically crafted to counter the Gray Demon, called ‘Holy Domain Purification.’ But we don’t have any on us right now, do we?”

“You’re staring at it,” Yulxi observed, her gaze fixed on Veranse’s beautiful face. There was no fear, no panic, only a strange, calm delight.

The Holy Maiden of Light might be mentally unstable, Yulxi thought, her mind momentarily drifting. But the Gray Shadow’s roar quickly snapped her back to focus.

She raised her silver sword, its blade reflecting a chilling light, crimson bl00d dripping from its tip. Yet Yulxi thrust the sword into the ground. Such monsters couldn’t be killed with magic, but was there truly no way to banish it? Yulxi refused to believe so.

“Lord Yulshi, why have you lowered your sword?” Veranse’s voice, clear and melodious as a spring, cut through the monster’s roars and the howling wind.

A snow-like chill approached, but Yulxi ignored it. Her gaze remained fixed on the monster before her, a mysterious power coalescing around her. The Fei’er Continent lacked Spirit Qi, possessing only abundant Magic Power. Yet the two shared a common origin—though achieving true unity required reaching the level of “Divine Power.”

The Incense Offerings and Source of Life channeled through the Dragon God Faith Network had granted her this Divine Power, allowing her to wield Dao Arts from the Primordial Realm. Her eyes grew cold and resolute as the wild wind intensified, dark clouds gathering rapidly in the night sky, streaks of lightning dancing across the horizon. Among the gods worshipped by humans on the Fei’er Continent was a deity of thunder and lightning, naturally leading to the development of lightning-based magic.

But the thunder Yulxi unleashed was no ordinary magic. Lightning pierced the darkness, striking the Gray Shadow like a thunderous halberd. The righteous thunder, meant to exorcise demons and avert calamity, instantly reduced the Gray Demon to ashes.

Ilti and Flah, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed, their doubts about Yulxi’s true identity resurfacing.

Wait, can Black Dragons even wield thunder magic?!

Unlike Ilti and Flah’s simple shock, the exhausted mage’s face twisted in terror, his eyes wide with fear. According to his knowledge, a divine emissary descending to the mortal realm could effortlessly destroy an entire city. Magic was powerless against it; the four elemental forces—fire, wind, earth, and water—could not harm it. It was the embodiment of divine will, an immutable symbol of the gods. Yet, in a single exchange, the Gray Demon had vanished without a trace. What kind of power was this? What was standing before him?!

“As expected of Lord Yulshi,” Veranse murmured, blinking reverently as she praised Yulxi.

Yulxi scoffed softly.

She reached for the sword embedded in the ground, but Veranse moved faster, seizing it first.

Her fingertip lightly traced the back of Veranse’s hand.

Veranse retrieved her sword and pierced the Fourth-Tier Mage through the chest.

Then came a flawlessly executed Sword of Judgment, as if she were the God of Light’s earthly avatar, Holy Light itself. The Judgment Sword hovered above the helpless mage’s head before falling without hesitation. The Holy Light enveloping the mage seemed to linger longer than before.

Ilti and Flah approached, supporting each other.

Flah asked, “Are you really not a Priest?”

Ilti’s expression was blank, her understanding shattered and reforming. Before Veranse could answer, she said, “A mage who’s also a Priest and a swordsman? It’s not that strange, is it? Some people are just masters of all trades.” By the end, she hissed, “Why couldn’t that genius be me?” Watching the mage’s body crumble into ash within the Holy Light, Ilti asked again, “What tier are you, exactly?”

Veranse smiled serenely. “Third-Tier.”

Ilti gazed at Veranse with worshipful eyes. Beside her, Flah scoffed, muttering, “Only one tier higher.”

Yulxi reminded them, “We’re here to rescue people.”

Flah slapped her forehead and immediately sprang to her feet. That’s right, her fellow Elves!

Flah took the lead, and Ilti abandoned her idle chatter, hurrying to catch up.

There was a tunnel beneath the house—the captured Elves must be imprisoned down there!

Veranse and Yulxi walked side by side. A gentle smile played on Veranse’s lips, her soft voice disarming. “Lord Yulshi, you’re quite different from other Great Dragons. As far as I know, only Blue Dragons, Bronze Dragons, and Cloud Dragons can unleash lightning. I’ve never heard of Black Dragons possessing such an ability.”

“Miss Vilanse, excessive curiosity can be dangerous,” Yulxi replied coolly.

Undeterred, Veranse closed the distance between them. “Isn’t that precisely what you wanted us to see? If you hadn’t intended it, who would ever know? These displays might be meant to conceal something else. I suspect many in the Red Maple Territory are growing restless, believing the Black Dragon’s existence to be nothing more than a myth—a mere rumor.”

Yulxi turned to look at Veranse, who leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “I am indeed different from you. The Black Dragon is no ordinary creature. Does that make you, the Holy Maiden of Light, any more conventional? The Sword of Judgment? Holy Light’s Judgment? Hah. What would people say if they knew the Holy Maiden had mastered Dark Magic and practiced the Dark Sacrifice?”

Veranse’s smile froze.

The Dark Sacrifice was a forbidden magic that drained others’ life force, converting it into the caster’s own power.

The so-called judgment and holy light were merely a facade.

But Veranse’s smile quickly returned. She drawled, “They wouldn’t believe it.” After a pause, she added with a hint of mock annoyance, “Lord Yulxi, you certainly pay me a great deal of attention. It’s almost overwhelming.”

“What are you two doing?” Ilti’s voice pierced the night’s silence. She glanced back, illuminated by the tunnel’s candlelight.

Veranse met Ilti’s gaze without blinking and fabricated smoothly, “Lord Yulxi was just asking what I’d like for dinner tomorrow.”

Yulxi: “……”

Flah, who was walking ahead, whipped around and declared with certainty, “You must want spicy shrimp!”