[Vol. 7] Chapter 111: The Promise to Protect
A massive gray shadow loomed over the sky, and the entire Shadow Realm shook violently under the clash of two overwhelming forces. Despite managing to withstand the divine pressure, the little dragon girl’s efforts did not bring relief to Lucine. Instead, her expression changed instantly. She jumped to her feet, gripping her crimson spear tightly in urgency.
"No! Stop immediately! If you keep this up, It will notice that you have the [Dragon Emperor’s Ring] and might even attack without hesitation to steal it! What are you thinking?!"
"S-Sister Light...!"
"Tch… Shut up!!"
Without offering any explanation, the golden-haired girl only widened her eyes fiercely, her slitted golden pupils burned like flames. Faint, delicate golden scales shimmered into view across her skin, pulsing as she poured all of her magic into her small hands. The strain was unbearable, and soon, a trickle of pale golden blood dripped from the corner of her lips.
"You…! Arghhh! I can’t take this anymore! I knew it! No holder of the [Dragon Emperor’s Ring] has ever been normal! You damned golden dragons owe me for this!!!"
The usually composed and graceful vampire princess lost her patience completely. After a long hesitation, she finally made up her mind and raised her crimson spear high into the air!
Veins of blood-like energy surged across the weapon’s surface, instantly transforming it into a more exquisite and slender staff with bat-winged reversed blades at its tip, a unique scepter of the vampire clan.
With its tip aimed toward the sky, a blood-red radiance began to pulse from within, ready to be unleashed at any moment.
But, at that very instant...
“[Let there be light~]”
"WOOOM——!!!!"
A golden radiance, just as vast as the divine shadow itself, suddenly erupted from the distant sky!
It took the form of a magnificent girl, wrapped in flowing veils, her wings of pure light spreading wide behind her. Her presence was so immense that it stood on equal footing with the god.
Then, a holy spear crackling with divine lightning shot forth from her grasp, tearing through the sky like a blinding streak of light!
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!!"
The trajectory of the holy spear left behind a blazing, distorted trail of light, so intense that it was nearly impossible to look at directly.
The Divine Will, which had been fully focused on attacking the little dragon girl below, was caught completely off guard by this near-perfect ambush.
The hastily assembled defense shattered instantly, unable to withstand the devastating force.
The holy spear pierced straight through the immense shadow, ripping open a gaping hole in the darkness that had blotted out the stars and the three moons.
The reflected night sky cracked apart along the spear’s path. As the shadow was torn open, countless streams of gray energy were sent spiraling out of control, dispersing chaotically throughout the entire Shadow Realm.
The crushing divine pressure that had been weighing down on Xiao Guang rapidly weakened. Seizing this perfect opportunity, she let out a thunderous dragon roar and launched a full-force counterattack!
The golden flames instantly overpowered the gray fire, surging directly into the wound left by the holy spear.
The flames burned ferociously, consuming the silhouette of the god, as if a ravenous beast was tearing into its prey, devouring both flesh and blood!
“Whoosh!”
The entire Shadow Realm trembled violently, but at that moment, a streak of light shot out from within the darkness.
The God of Subversion and Paradox, realizing the situation had turned against it, did not hesitate to abandon part of its form that was entangled in the golden flames.
Without looking back, it took its core will and retreated from the battlefield, which had now become a losing fight.
The golden flames surged higher, quickly engulfing the abandoned fragment of its shadowy form.
As a result, the pure essence of divine power, once part of the god’s avatar, was refined and returned to Xiao Guang, replenishing the energy she had spent during the intense battle.
During this process, the golden-haired girl’s body was soon wrapped in a cocoon of golden light, as if undergoing some form of transformation.
Only now,completely stunned, Lucine and Lenka exchanged glances, gradually realizing what had just happened.
"A battle between gods... Another god actually interfered?" Lucine murmured in disbelief.
"That little dragon… Was she deliberately using herself as bait just now…?"
As the last trace of divine energy merged into Xiao Guang’s body, she slowly opened her eyes and wiped away the faint trail of blood on her lips.
Even after facing a god in a battle to the death, her expression remained as calm and composed as ever, as if nothing had changed at all.
"I don’t like dealing with complicated, roundabout things unless it’s absolutely necessary. But as you can see, this way was much faster, wasn’t it?"
“…Ha, you really are something else.”
The blood-red scepter reverted to its original spear form as the young vampire princess looked up. She hadn’t even had the chance to use some of her hidden trump cards.
Her gaze shifted toward the golden light, the figure that had briefly illuminated the entire sky but now vanished just as quietly as it had appeared.
Then, she turned her attention back to the little dragon girl.
"It seems your identity is even more complicated than I expected. Even for a dragon, gaining the protection of a god in this era isn’t something that can be done just by saying a few prayers."
Lucine stood up.
The pillar of light that had surrounded the altar faded along with the God of Subversion and Paradox, who had fled after being wounded.
With that, the Church of Truth’s ritual was now completely ruined.
Dressed in an elegant gown, the young vampire princess unfurled her bat-like wings and took to the air.
Under the glow of the three moons in the Shadow Realm, she studied the two girls below with keen interest.
"You’re an interesting little one… Don't worry, I’ll fulfill my promise soon. But for now, I have some follow-up matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first. Oh, and little dragon. Can you tell me your name?"
"Xiao… Just call me Light."
"Light? That’s a nickname, isn’t it? Heh, I see… You still don’t fully trust me. But that’s fine, we'll meet again, at the gathering place of miracles… Sainz. I look forward to your arrival, my adorable little ones~"
Leaving behind those cryptic words, Lucine smiled, nodded slightly, and waved farewell to the two little girls.
Then, with a swift flap of her wings, she soared into the night and quickly vanished beyond the eternal twilight of the Shadow Realm.
"Sainz…?"
"Eh? Sister Lucine is from Sainz? No wonder she’s so strong…"
Watching the direction Lucine had disappeared into, Xiao Guang frowned slightly, a hint of confusion in her expression.
Meanwhile, Lenka, who clearly recognized the name, didn’t dwell on it for long. Instead, she quickly turned her attention to Xiao Guang, curiously looking her up and down, clearly more intrigued by something else that had caught her interest.
"Hey, Sister Light… did you just grow taller? I feel like you're a little bit taller than before… almost the same height as me now."
At some point, the little dragon girl had fully evolved from a childlike form to a petite girl physique. She tilted her head at Lenka’s comment but didn’t answer directly.
"Are you trying to say that I used to be tiny and short but still acted all high and mighty on purpose?"
"Eh!? No, no, no, no…!"
"Aww, don’t be mad~ Being small is cute too! I actually like it a lot~"
Of course, Miss Lenka didn’t have the guts to say that out loud in front of Xiao Guang.
The voice instead came from a black-haired girl who had just landed gracefully from the sky, retracting the snow-white wings behind her.
When Violet appeared, the serious expression Xiao Guang had been forcing quickly softened. She walked up to Violet and affectionately nuzzled her cheek against the back of her hand, much like a kitten.
"Thank you for saving me, sister."
In front of a certain dragonkin hybrid or something, the priestess knew Xiao Guang didn't want to reveal too many secrets, so she cooperated with her by speaking vaguely.
"There’s no need for thanks between us. But you were being a little too reckless just now. Even if you were after the goods the God of Subversion and Paradox had gathered, you didn’t have to use yourself as bait. What if something had gone wrong?"
The little one simply shook her head stubbornly.
"Risk and opportunity always go hand in hand. Right now, I’m still too weak, too immature. I want to grow stronger as fast as I can, to become someone who doesn’t need my sister’s protection and can stand on my own. And then…"
The last part was spoken so softly that even Lenka, who was right next to her, couldn’t hear it.
However, it clearly reached the ears of its true intended recipient, bringing a faint, almost imperceptible smile to the young girl's face.
"…I can protect you."