Chapter 20: A Fateful Encounter and a Desperate Gambit

A corner of Gern’s mouth twitched; it seemed the unfolding events were beyond her ability to intervene. She turned, intending to flee, but with a fluid movement, the woman blocked her path.

“Little brother, where are you off to?”

Gern swallowed hard, memories of her past life surfacing one by one. She knew perfectly well just how terrifying this woman was. Her name was Matia Fio, one of the bishops of the Chaos Divine Cult. In her prime, she had reached the Eighth-tier; even now, she possessed Sixth-tier strength.

Originally, she had planned to use the power of the Chaos Godchild to defeat Matia, but that plan was now unfeasible. With her current strength, confronting this woman was undoubtedly a futile endeavor.

Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, retreat was paramount. Gern immediately deployed her Netherworld Steps, vanishing into the shadows.

Seeing this, Matia’s eyebrow arched slightly. She was somewhat surprised; she hadn’t detected any chaotic energy from the person before her.

“Strange,” she mused, “how is it that you can use our cult’s movement technique?”

Matia was growing intrigued by Gern. Had she secretly learned their cult’s cultivation technique, or was she a traitor from the Heretic God Cult? A morbid gleam flickered in Matia’s eyes as she unleashed the chaotic energy from her body, attempting to pinpoint Gern’s hidden location.

To her astonishment, however, Gern’s Netherworld Steps had reached a level even she couldn’t perceive, which only intensified her shock.

“How fascinating, how fascinating. Little one, just how many more surprises do you hold? I’m growing increasingly curious.”

Hidden in the darkness, Gern saw the woman’s expression, and every hair on her body stood on end. In her previous life, she had been tormented by Matia countless times. Whenever that expression graced Matia’s face, it signaled the unleashing of her destructive desires.

Gern immediately widened the distance, stealthily retreating towards the corridor entrance where Eliza lay. After the fierce battle between both sides, no other living Heretic God Cultists remained here. Any that did were incapacitated, stripped of their fighting ability.

On the Academy’s side, thanks to the protection of the Holy Light Charms, most were merely injured and unconscious. A few others, having lost their combat effectiveness, could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

Inside Gern’s pendant were some healing salves left by Lilia, along with several Holy Light healing scrolls. She planned to treat some of these individuals first. In times like these, every bit of strength gained meant a greater chance of victory.

However, when she arrived and saw Eliza lying on the ground, her body thoroughly corrupted by dark energy, Gern’s heart was sharply pierced with pain. Eliza was, after all, her teacher, having imparted some knowledge of the Dragon race to her, and Gern felt a deep sense of gratitude. Yet, stepping forward to help now would expose her, which was clearly not a wise choice.

But Matia, as a bishop of the Chaos Divine Cult, was likely no less skilled in the Netherworld Steps than Gern herself. Even if Gern tried to stall for time, she wouldn’t win. In fact, she would likely be dragged down and perish.

Gern gritted her teeth. With no winning strategy in sight, she decided to follow her heart’s impulse. She stepped forward and gently helped the fading Eliza to her feet.

Eliza slowly opened her eyes. Her once golden draconic pupils were now half-blood red, an unnerving sight.

Gern knew all too well what Eliza was facing. If not stopped, she would soon be completely consumed by chaotic energy.

“Hold on,” Gern urged.

As she spoke, Gern retrieved a Holy Light healing scroll from her pendant. While it couldn’t entirely eradicate the heretic god corruption, it could at least buy Eliza some precious time. Eliza was an Academy genius; surely, the Academy wouldn’t abandon her.

“You…”

Eliza struggled to maintain consciousness, her hand gripping Gern’s arm.

“Are you… corrupting me too…?”

Gern remained silent. With a forceful motion of one hand, she pressed the Holy Light scroll directly onto Eliza’s body. In that instant, a burst of golden light erupted. Much of the dark energy in Eliza’s eyes dissipated, yet lingering traces continued to corrode her.

The scroll’s power far exceeded Gern’s expectations; it was likely a top-tier healing scroll.

Eliza finally regained some semblance of consciousness. She gazed at Gern, her draconic eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment. She couldn’t understand why Gern, clearly a lackey of the Heretic God Cult, would turn around and save her.

The next moment, she noticed the pale blue pendant on Gern’s chest. Its appearance seemed familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before. But her mind was a whirlwind of confusion, and she couldn’t recall where she had seen it.

Her pupils dilated as Matia’s rapidly approaching figure was reflected in her eyes. She wanted to warn Gern of the movement behind her, but suddenly felt her body being lifted, and the surrounding scenery rapidly receded.

Gern had already sensed the movement behind them and, scooping up Eliza, swiftly dodged. With a deafening roar, a massive cloud of dust erupted from the spot where they had just stood. Matia slowly rose, her blood-red eyes fixed on the two of them.

“Kid, you’re quite fast, aren’t you? You must have perfected the Netherworld Steps. There aren’t many in the Cult who can achieve mastery at your age.”

“I’ve taken a liking to you. Join our Divine Cult, and I’ll personally cultivate you.”

Gern spat. Join the Chaos Divine Cult? Not in her wildest dreams. She once again deployed her Netherworld Steps, concealing herself in the darkness. However, Eliza, whom she held, remained visible.

She needed to find a way to hide Eliza, but Matia was closing in rapidly behind them. Though her Netherworld Steps had reached mastery, Gern’s current cultivation was only at the peak Second-tier. In terms of stamina consumption, she couldn’t hope to compete with Matia.

Just then, in this critical moment, Gern spotted the Chaos Godchild standing frozen in place. Matia, perhaps not wanting the Chaos Divine Cult’s plans to be ruined, hadn’t commanded the Chaos Godchild to attack Gern.

A preposterous idea surfaced in Gern’s mind: if Matia could seize control of the Chaos Godchild from her, then could she, in turn, seize control from Matia? Even for a single instant would suffice. She only needed a moment’s respite to hide Eliza.

Deciding to act immediately, Gern formed a hand seal with one hand. A faint light gathered at her fingertips, then shot directly towards the Chaos Godchild’s forehead.

Matia also noticed Gern’s action. Finally shedding her playful demeanor, she gathered dark energy in her hand and launched a strike towards the center of Gern’s back. With a sickening squelch, Gern’s back was pierced through, and dark energy surged into her body. Her pupils contracted, and she collapsed to the ground.

Eliza was thrown clear, and she saw Gern’s pierced back. At that moment, Eliza’s emotions were complex beyond measure. Was there despair? Perhaps. More than that, there was a sigh for her own impending fate. Her consciousness wouldn’t last much longer; her vision grew increasingly blurry.

Whether it was an illusion or not, she thought she saw a flash of silver on Gern’s body, like the scales of a silver dragon. Then, her consciousness completely faded.