Chapter 61
The rebels who ambushed the Imperial City and the monsters summoned from the Chaos Realm launched a continuous attack, turning the Imperial City into a scene of utter chaos.
However, the worsening situation began to improve a bit.
Ludmilla suddenly took down all the monsters that had appeared.
Following that, the Imperial Army, led by the Royal Knights, counterattacked and suppressed the rebels. Although skirmishes continued in the city, they began to gradually die down.
“Look at the fire spreading! There must be many citizens who haven’t evacuated yet…!”
Finally, a turnaround was achieved.
But there was no time to relax.
Thick black smoke covered the sky.
On the ground, a fierce fire ruthlessly burned down many streets.
Elizaveta, who escaped the Imperial Palace with the help of the Royal Knights, gulped as she looked at the city, now transformed into a sea of flames. Countless people must have been swept away by the inferno.
“Hieeeek…!”
“Oh, it’s a total sea of flames!”
The Luinongs, who were trailing the princess, screamed upon witnessing the devastation.
The hot air swept through, startling the Luinongs, who quickly hid behind Elizaveta.
“Can’t you all ask the God to bring rain?”
“That… that’s impossible! Maybe if all the Luinongs gathered, but with just us, it’s tough!”
To put out this sea of flames, an enormous amount of mystery was needed.
Currently, there were only five Luinongs, including Rue.
Five little ones couldn’t hope to do anything.
Elizaveta bit her lip at the pessimistic response from the tiny fairies. It felt incredibly pathetic that she couldn’t do anything while citizens trapped in the flames were dying in agony.
‘Damn Goddess! Where are you sneering from, eavesdropping?! Respond before you throw your precious little fairies into the fire!’
Amidst her regret and self-disgust, Elizaveta thought of the divine status that had used her body without permission.
The Goddess of the Luinongs.
The annoying woman who had carelessly exposed her true feelings about Edanant.
Staring at the trembling Luinongs, she shouted in desperation, hoping for a miracle. And, responding to her strong appeal, a voice echoed in her mind.
– Wh, what are you doing…! How dare you threaten a Goddess as a mere human?!
To think of throwing the recently independent little fairies into the sea of flames, Broyan responded to Elizaveta in stunned disbelief.
Elizaveta yelled back.
‘I need a downpour to extinguish the flames instantly! Is that possible?’
– Of course, it’s possible, but…
‘Then I’m counting on you! You used my body last time. Consider this payment for that!’
– Alright, I got it!
Broyan, surrendering with a comment that was close to reluctant, let out a frustrated voice and then entered Elizaveta’s body.
Her blue eyes transformed into a violet hue.
The Luinongs gasped in shock.
“Th, the God?!”
“The God has come…!”
The benevolent Creator Deity descended.
Instinctively sensing the Goddess’s arrival, the Luinongs leaped with joy. Broyan smiled gently at the little fairies and raised her arms.
Whoosh-!
A brilliant light shone down.
It resembled the crystal brilliance that illuminated the Fairies’ Paradise.
The light spread like a lighthouse brightening the dark night sea.
In due time, the radiance of Broyan soared into the sky, conjuring strong dark clouds, and the suffocating smoke in the Imperial City was soon enveloped by them.
“H-Your Highness the Princess!”
“Suddenly, Lady Elizaveta has activated the power of the sacred…!”
The Knights surrounding them expressed bewilderment as they gazed at Elizaveta’s holy stature radiating pure white light.
It was surely a blessing.
Then does that mean the Third Princess was a user of the blessing?
No.
They had never heard such a thing before.
Noticing that something was off, the knights hurried to stop Elizaveta. However, their steps faltered as the sound of raindrops began to patter down.
“It’s raining!”
“Haha! It suddenly started pouring! It’s the Earth Mother’s grace!”
The cumulonimbus clouds that formed in the sky began to unleash rain.
It was unlike a simple shower.
The raindrops fell with ferocious intensity, quickly soaking the streets of the Imperial City engulfed in flames.
In a life-and-death situation cloaked in fire and smoke, hope began to shine. Citizens facing death reached their arms high into the pouring rain, shedding tears of relief.
‘Not bad for a damn useless Goddess, huh?’
– Shut up. I won’t help you again. I absolutely despise people with lousy temper, like you.
Broyan furrowed her brows at Elizaveta’s taunting voice.
Hmph,
What a waste of divine power.
To think she’d waste such divine power on humans who followed the Earth Mother.
Yet, despite her grumbling, Broyan smiled at the delighted Luinongs. For the sake of those cute little ones, nothing was too much to give.
*
The rain began to pour.
With loud thunder, thick raindrops fell, dousing the flames.
Damn it…!
Of all times, it had to be a torrential downpour.
The rapidly spreading sea of flames could have engulfed the Empire’s Imperial Palace.
The disaster god’s priests, who narrowly escaped from the Imperial City, gazed in despair at the dark clouds. Their efforts so far had been partially thwarted by the sudden downpour.
“This isn’t just ordinary dark clouds. Clearly… someone created this artificially.”
An old man whose face had nearly melted away from the scorching flames looked down at his drenched palm with cold raindrops.
Who could have conjured such a deluge?
It was impossible with a typical blessing. A miracle like creating a torrential downpour across a wide area in an instant was something only a Creator Deity or a Disaster God could manage.
“Let’s head back.”
“Yes, Commander.”
The Valtarian Empire would never give up on revenge. They would undoubtedly dispatch pursuit forces.
At this rate, everyone would die.
They had to join up with Ariel’s subordinates soon.
The priests and priest-knights who had attacked the Imperial City were all members of the Commander’s forces. The vampires who worshipped the God of Fresh Blood were replenishing their strength by drinking blood.
The vampires should have restored some power by now.
If they could get help from the dark sorcerous vampires, they’d be able to escape the Valtarian Empire safely.
‘Countless subordinates bravely perished in battle! And the Commander is only thinking of how to survive…!’
What was there left to regret?
What had happened to Ariel?
What had become of the other priests isolated in the Imperial City?
The Commander felt miserable as he stepped back toward the hideout alongside his brethren.
“Where are you planning to go after causing such a ruckus?”
A woman with dazzling silver hair, shining like white gold, urgently grabbed the retreating group. It was as if she had been waiting and using teleportation magic just before their escape.
In pure white vestments.
With glass-like clear eyes shining brightly.
And a platinum rosary adorning her snow-white neck.
It was unmistakable.
It was the First Saintess of the Holy Kingdom.
Faced with the saintess under such dire circumstances, the priests of the Disaster God swallowed their screams and stepped back.
“Saintess Zebeline…!”
“Ah, to think I’d have to rush to the Imperial City to catch such lowly pests. My travel expenses as a saintess aren’t cheap, you know.”
Tap Tap.
Zebeline adjusted her clothes as she spoke.
Dust covered her from the run she had taken from the Marquisate of Hohenberg to the Imperial City.
“I tried to keep my dignity and avoid running as much as possible… but you all have made quite a mess here. How embarrassing it would be if word got out that the noble and pitiful saintess was forced to run at full speed because of you?”
Sighing, Zebeline began to complain in a chatty manner.
She exuded a casual demeanor.
The priests of the Disaster God subtly drew sharp daggers, preparing their attack spells.
However, the ambush failed before it could even be attempted. A brilliant lightning bolt suddenly struck from the sky.
Zzzt—!!
ZAAAAP—!!!
Electricity crackled, causing the priests led by the Commander to collapse, their movements frozen. Without an ounce of hesitation, Zebeline unleashed the lightning, looking down on them with cold eyes.
There was no way to resist.
They couldn’t even scream in their final moments.
Even the blessing of the Disaster God that had been their last hope failed to activate.
Having incapacitated all the remnants of the Disaster God who had escaped the Imperial City, Zebeline grasped her rosary and made the sign of the cross. She intended to offer prayers for the victims killed by the bugs before her.
“You’re the ones behind the attack on the Holy Kingdom, aren’t you? The Grace and the Cardinals are probably seething in anger… Hmm, I can’t possibly send the ones captured in the Empire back to the Holy Kingdom as they are.”
Zebeline made a sorrowful expression.
Pouting her lips, she continued to ponder.
Finally, the saintess of the White Dragon seemed to come to a decision and snapped her fingers.
Snap!
As soon as the cheerful sound rang, a massive bolt of lightning struck down. The priests of the Disaster God felt their bodies begin to burn with intense agony and rolled their eyes back.
But they did not die.
She had only used enough power to ensure they wouldn’t die.
Zebeline relentlessly rained down lightning on the priests of the Disaster God as if torturing them.