Chapter 21: The Dragon’s Awakening and a Desperate Stand

With a sickening thud, Gern’s back was pierced through, and dark energy surged into her body. Her pupils constricted, and she collapsed to the ground.

Feeling the intense pain racking her body, coupled with the corrosive invasion of chaotic power, Gern let out a bitter laugh.

‘Was she truly unable to escape this fate after all? Yet, this life wasn’t so bad; she had been given the chance to choose her own path.’

The woman with the violet eyes loomed larger and larger. Gern slowly closed her eyes, ready to unleash the power within her and detonate herself, taking the woman with her. Even if it couldn’t truly harm her, it would at least make her suffer.

However, the next moment, she felt a radiant glow emanating from the precious orb within her.

Gern’s body was instantly enveloped in white light. The dark energy within her was swiftly dispelled by this power, her bones throughout her body began to shrink, and a long, silver dragon tail sprouted from her back.

“Eh?!”

To her astonishment, she found that her body had not only recovered, but the power within her felt incredibly abundant.

Matia Fio, who had been standing before Gern, slowly widened her blood-red eyes. She suspected her eyes were deceiving her. At her level, she could easily sense that Gern was just an ordinary human. This current situation defied her understanding. She had never encountered a dragon that could assume human form. Only the legendary God-King from a thousand years ago was said to possess such an ability. ‘Could this person before her be the reincarnation of the God-King?’

The more Matia Fio pondered, the more preposterous it seemed. She had already begun to condense a ball of dark energy in her hand, intending to subdue this person first and then figure things out.

However, Gern, in her previous life, had also been a member of the Chaos Divine Cult and had even served under Matia Fio, so she knew at a glance what Matia Fio intended.

Gern swiftly conjured a magic shield. While struggling to her feet, she also retrieved a Holy Light scroll from her chest pendant and pressed it against her body. Her defenses were, without a doubt, at their absolute maximum.

The black light from Matia Fio’s hand quickly shot towards Gern. The magic shield was soon shattered, but then the Holy Light scroll took effect, blocking the corrosive dark energy. However, Holy Light scrolls were consumables, and Gern could not rely solely on it to withstand the relentless invasion of chaotic power. Thus, she once again concealed herself in the darkness.

Matia Fio, having lost her target, frowned slightly. The characteristics of Netherworld Steps were indeed extraordinary; even as a sixth-tier expert, it would take some effort to locate Gern. So, she decided against conventional methods and directly aimed her attack at Eliza. Gern could be invisible, but Eliza could not. Given Gern’s apparent concern for the girl earlier, Matia Fio surmised she wouldn’t want to see her harmed.

A dense surge of dark energy shot directly towards Eliza. In the nick of time, Gern finally revealed herself and, embracing Eliza, narrowly evaded the attack. She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. Had she been even a fraction of a second slower, she would have been tainted by the dark energy and turned into a pawn of the Heretic God Cult.

“Alright, the game ends here,” Matia Fio declared. “You truly impress me, little one. I wonder if you can withstand this next strike of mine?”

Matia Fio was clearly furious. She raised a single hand, and a long blade, forged entirely of dark energy, descended straight down. The terrifying speed made evasion impossible. The instant Gern saw her unleash this move, she drew a precious sword that Lilia had given her. She channeled every ounce of her strength into the sword, raising it to block.

With a resounding crash, the magical runes on the sword flared to their maximum. Yet, it only held for a single second before the entire blade shattered instantly. The terrifying force directly impacted Gern’s body. She felt as though her body had been cleaved in two.

Blood flowed incessantly. Just as Gern’s consciousness began to waver, the silver dragon, which had remained dormant in her dantian, suddenly emitted streaks of white light. Gern’s body rapidly healed back to its original state, though the power within her was nearly depleted.

Matia Fio watched the scene unfold before her, utterly disbelieving. ‘This person was clearly a mere low-tier practitioner, not even reaching the third tier. Where did she get so many life-saving abilities?’ The more Gern defied expectations, the more excited Matia Fio became. ‘To be this formidable without even receiving the blessing of the Great Chaos God!’ she thought. ‘She would be unbelievably powerful after accepting it! Once she matures, that damn Theoviga Academy would be utterly annihilated!’

Matia Fio grew increasingly excited with each thought. She slowly approached Gern, once again condensing chaotic power in her hand. This time, she had no intention of letting Gern escape. Walls of dark energy instantly materialized around Gern, trapping her within.

As Matia Fio’s hand drew closer and closer, a golden gleam flashed in Gern’s golden eyes.

Boom~

An arm pierced through the woman’s chest. Matia Fio lowered her gaze to the somewhat familiar arm, then looked up at Gern. Just moments ago, while concealed, Gern had already seized control of the Chaos Godchild. Matia Fio had been too preoccupied to pay attention to the Chaos Godchild at the time, which had given Gern an opportune moment.

Yet, Matia Fio’s face showed no pain, but rather an increasing madness.

“Oh, excellent, truly excellent!” Matia Fio cackled. “You are perfectly suited to be our Bishop! Come, fully accept the divine blessing!”

The next moment, the woman’s finger pressed against Gern’s brow. A torrent of violent power instantly surged into Gern’s body. She swayed, and a hint of blood-red appeared in her pale golden eyes. Gern fought to maintain her consciousness, already prepared to self-destruct.

However, what she had anticipated—the chaotic power corroding her body—did not occur. After the chaotic power entered Gern’s body, it was as if an animal had charged into a swamp, unable to advance even an inch. The precious orb suspended within her body flared with brilliant light. The chaotic energy, upon encountering this power, was like prey meeting its natural predator, and was dispelled without a trace.

Gern was momentarily stunned. Only now did she realize that the precious orb which had transformed her into a dragon girl seemed to possess more than just one function. She wasn’t entirely sure of the exact reason yet, but she knew she wouldn’t be corrupted by chaotic power. However, she still didn’t know how many times the orb could help her resist. The orb was noticeably dimmer than before, so she still needed to avoid contact with chaotic power as much as possible.

But now, Gern had nowhere to flee. She was surrounded by walls constructed entirely of chaotic power, and the power within her was nearly depleted. She could only watch helplessly as Matia Fio drew closer. The woman’s exquisitely beautiful face appeared in her vision. This face was as breathtakingly beautiful as ever. Gern gazed into Matia Fio’s blood-red eyes, a hint of mockery flashing in her own.

“You see? I can’t be infected by chaotic power. Instead of wasting your effort, why don’t you just kill me?”

Matia Fio chuckled softly at her words. She pinched Gern’s chin, her blood-red eyes narrowing slightly. “Little sister, you possess great research value. Perhaps once we thoroughly understand the power within you, we can completely break free from the suppression of Holy Light.”

At these words, Gern’s heart tightened.

The next moment, the entire mountain suddenly began to shake, and a sliver of light shone in from outside.