"Ahhh! You! You bastard!"
A voice thick with hatred and agony echoed from afar. Noah turned toward the sound to see Arianna staggering through the rubble, her steps unsteady, blood streaming from countless wounds. Though she hadn’t taken a direct hit, the shockwave from the collapse had hurled her hundreds of meters away. Even her ritually reinforced body felt like it might shatter at any moment.
Her morning injuries had barely healed before this new devastation tore through her. For a fleeting second, Arianna felt like a patched-up ragdoll—beyond repair.
The bitterness of near-victory curdled into seething fury toward its destroyer. When her eyes landed on Noah—radiant and ethereal at the crater’s center—she froze. Then, her hatred flared even hotter.
*How could I be taken down by… a traffic accident… with someone this absurdly pretty and innocent-looking?!*
Somewhere along the way, Arianna’s rage had veered off course.
"Die, you detestable cow of a bastard!"
As if her fury had solidified, deep violet-black flames erupted around Arianna. Like a burning abyss, they defied distance, surging toward Noah within the Sacred Domain’s protection.
Forged from humanity’s darkest, most ravenous desires, these Abyssal Flames devoured all defenses. Nothing endured their unceasing burn.
"Sacred Domain: Expansion."
Noah merely murmured the incantation. The reversed Sacred Domain surged outward, swallowing the entire crater and surrounding ruins.
"What?!"
The life-draining, desire-fueled Abyssal Flames vanished instantly. Before Arianna could process her shock, the corrupted greataxe in her hands shed its dark power, warping into an ordinary, grotesque weapon. The demonic runes etched across her skin faded too, leaving only her ritually enhanced—but now mundane—physique.
"What did you do to me?!" Arianna roared at Noah, who glanced at her once before looking away, disappointment flickering in her eyes.
*"Reversed Sacred Domain: Mana-Sealed Zone."* Within this purified space, no mystical or demonic energy could exist. Had Arianna tried to cast a spell, she’d have found not even a trace of mana at her fingertips.
Noah’s original Sacred Domain excelled against physical attacks but faltered against high-tier magic. By reversing it, she’d rewritten the rules within its bounds. The trade-off? Exposing her own body to direct assault. But against magic-reliant foes, her Dragonkind physique could easily crush "children" like this one.
"I’d heard of an Abyssal Bishop," Noah pouted, her fluffy white tail swaying slightly. "I expected a fun opponent. Instead, just a dull vessel. How disappointing~. If Crenina lost to someone like you, she truly lacks skill~."
"You… what did you say?!"
Though confused by "dull vessel," Arianna’s fury drowned out all else. Gripping her axe, she charged blindly.
"Hmm? But you *are* just a dull vessel. Hollow rage. Endless modifications have erased who you were." Noah’s voice stayed calm. "You’re a lost spirit now. To face me, you must first know what you fight for."
"Silence! My existence belongs only to the Lord! Nothing else matters!"
Arianna’s body trembled with rage. Ignoring her broken form, she lunged.
Noah sighed. No further words came.
Truthfully, "Corrupted" Arianna stood at the same tier as Silva, the Dragon Demon. Yet Noah found her duller than Silva—not even worth toying with.
*To fight, you must know why you fight.*
Moonlight pierced the clouds. A full moon hung pristine in a cloudless sky, stars glittering around its luminous disc.
*The moon? But it’s 3 PM!*
Arianna’s eyes widened. Before her, Noah stood arms raised, her sapphire eyes holding only divine certainty—a goddess surveying creation.
Azure moonlight poured down like a waterfall. Vast, pure energy anchored to Noah, flooding the corrupted earth. It scoured the polluted ley lines while replenishing her power.
A blade of radiant azure light, dozens of meters long, coalesced in Noah’s hands. It solidified slowly under Arianna’s dazed gaze—tangible as steel.
"Well~," Noah chirped, snapping back to her usual bubbly, busty self. She winked playfully. "Best finish this quickly and return to the Demon Lord for my reward~."
The colossal light-sword descended toward Arianna’s face.
"Ancient Magic: Moonlight Secret Sword!"
A wave of pure mana slashed forth—a tidal wave of unstoppable force. It carved across half the town, halting only when it scarred the distant mountainside.
The dying cult ritual fell utterly silent.
Noah’s strike had targeted the ritual’s core ley line. Arianna just happened to stand in its path.
*Why use a nuke to swat a fly?* Such magic was overkill for an opponent like her.
As smoke cleared, the town lay split like a clock’s face—a deep fissure radiating from the center. Ruined houses, long abandoned, vanished under the moonlight like sacrificial offerings.
