[Vol. 9] Chapter 71: You’re Awake
Veranica was, of course, completely unharmed. The golden light that the priestess had released at the last moment still clung tightly to her body like a thin film, blocking the black flames and their destructive power completely.
Although that light had now dimmed a little, Violet could sense its condition through her own magic. Naturally, she wouldn’t wait until its energy ran out before stepping in to save someone.
However, because of the stimulation from that same fiery energy, the divine weapon [World Burner] had now appeared on its own in the ice demon girl’s hand. The flame-like red patterns on the gun’s body pulsed rhythmically, shining with a brilliance stronger than ever before.
Earlier, it was thanks to both the priestess’s shield and this divine weapon working together that Veranica was able to survive the black flames in the center without harm.
“…Thanks. No matter what, I’ll remember that you saved my life.”
Veranica turned her head to meet the priestess’s eyes. She nodded with gratitude, then looked thoughtfully at the flaming spear in her hand and fell silent again for a moment.
In truth, although the group leader possessed [World Burner], her strength was still far from enough to fully control its power. Even summoning it and using it once for a real attack would cost her a huge amount of energy and focus.
She had long known that.
That was why the weapon normally remained asleep within her body in the form of a tattoo, only appearing when she truly needed it as a last resort. But this time, [World Burner] had not been called out by her. It had awakened on its own, reacting to the extreme danger to protect its owner.
If even a divine weapon like this was so alarmed by that black flame that it forcefully emerged and fought back, that meant the two powers must at least be on a similar level.
But it was a divine weapon! So what exactly had targeted her? What was that black fire really…?
After hesitating for a long while, she finally spoke up.
“Miss Violet, as the Fire God is said to be the source of all flames, shouldn’t Their fire be the strongest in this world? How can there be another kind of fire that matches it?”
The black-haired girl smiled slightly, as if amused but not denying it.
“First of all, you’re not the Fire God. And a Law-type Divine Weapon is different from an Primordial Artifact Divine Weapon. A law weapon can only show its full power in the hands of its true master. Without the support of the god who created it, it only represents part of the Law of Flame. How could it claim to be the strongest fire in existence?”
She smiled faintly, as if remembering something.
“It’s like the divine weapons bestowed upon chosen heroes under the name of the Holy Empire’s Goddess. They’re powerful, yes—but the user is just as important. Not everyone who wields them can call themselves a ‘Hero.’”
Seeing the two girls looking like they wanted to speak but held back, the priestess didn’t mind and continued calmly.
“Secondly, the true nature of the Laws is far more complicated than you think. Even if the real Fire God descended, They couldn’t claim to control every fire in the world. For example, I once met a god who represented Blazing Flame and Explosion, and His authority didn’t belong to the Fire God’s domain at all.”
“Besides that, there are flames even more unique and powerful than ordinary fire. Those beings can form their own divine identities, existing separately from the Fire God. That means their essence is based on a different concept and power, only using the form of fire as a vessel. So while they might be slightly affected when facing the Law of Fire, they could never be completely overpowered or controlled by it.”
Hearing this kind of deep knowledge that clearly belonged only to the level of gods, the two young girls, who had only just begun to touch such concepts, listened half in confusion and half in awe. Still, they didn’t dare to waste this rare chance to learn something priceless.
Veranica quickly asked, “So that black flame, its true nature is something different from fire itself, right? Miss Violet, do you know what it really is?”
The priestess nodded slightly, then soon shook her head.
“I have some guesses, but it involves certain secrets that I can’t speak of too freely. Since you’re interested, why don’t we hear what our new ‘guest’ has to say about it~”
As she spoke, Violet turned her gaze toward not far away, where a golden-haired beast had already returned, carrying a dizzy, spinning young woman in its mouth…”
“Little Fang.”
No further explanation was needed. The golden beast, Yazi, immediately understood, striding forward in large steps before casually tossing the woman onto the ground.
The woman, of course, was none other than the female commander who had earlier led mercenaries and two major gangs to surround and attack them.
As one of the sons of the Ancient Dragon, Yazi naturally possessed power equal to that of a top mythical creature. After forming a contract with Violet and spending a long time absorbing divine energy within her Divine Realm, he had now surpassed his past limits, reaching true demigod level strength.
Those mercenaries, no matter how “skilled” they were compared to normal people, were nothing in front of him. Catching their leader was as easy as lifting a hand.
But compared to her earlier proud, commanding look, the once-dominant “female general” now looked utterly pitiful.
Her face was covered in dirt, a huge bump bulged on her head, and her fancy armor, clearly a fine-quality piece, was torn to shreds by the golden beast’s teeth. Even the sword at her waist was missing. Her body was covered in saliva, making her look truly miserable.
When the three girls turned to look at her with slightly strange expressions, Yazi didn’t seem embarrassed at all. In his deep, rumbling voice, he explained:
[My lord, I did not bully this mortal on purpose. She simply lacked strength and courage, got scared, ran blindly, tripped, and knocked herself out.]
The priestess sighed helplessly and nodded.
“Alright, alright, I know you’re not that childish. What about the others with her?”
[We fought briefly. As you ordered, I injured a few fools who didn’t know their place. The rest got scared and ran off, leaving this one behind.]
“Hmm… at least they had the sense to retreat. Fine then, good work.”
[I dare not take credit. It was nothing at all.]
Indeed, with Yazi’s power, wiping out all those dozens of mercenaries would’ve been easy. Hurting but not killing them actually showed restraint. It seemed that ever since following the priestess, his once bloodthirsty nature had softened a little.
After giving her “third pet” a few words of casual praise, Violet waved her hand, casting a healing spell on the fainted woman.
The woman groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Rubbing her sore head, she blinked in confusion, glanced around, and froze when she saw three girls and a big golden beast all staring down at her with expressions that said, ‘Oh good, you’re awake.’
“Wah!”
She jumped up in shock, panicked and flustered, her words tumbling out in fear.
“Y-you—you guys! What do you want from me?! That big dog, don’t tell me it’s yours?!”