Chapter 88-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
The moment Percy opened the stone door, before he could even get a clear view of the scene behind it, a sharp claw with a hook swept towards his face.
His pupils constricted, and his face quickly transmuted into metal for defense. He seized the opportunity to grab the giant bird's leg with one hand and slammed it forcefully onto the ground.
Percy steadied himself and looked around. This place might have once been a grand and spacious temple, but now it was practically a ruin. A magnificent statue lay toppled in the central pool, and a gigantic monster was coiled on top of the fallen statue.
The temple's dome was shattered, and daylight streamed in, illuminating the giant dragon's entirely black body and dangerous red eyes.
Percy couldn't help but take a step back, clutching his forehead. Something felt wrong.
Suddenly, his head throbbed with a splitting pain, as if he were being forcibly pushed underwater. A continuous stream of images flashed through his dazed mind—finally, he remembered. It wasn't like this in his dreams. He was supposed to enter a holy sanctuary, where a merciful statue held a divine sword, summoning the final hero to receive it...
"The divine sword, the divine sword?"
He muttered, but before him was only a scene of desolation: a toppled statue, a shattered temple, and monsters, monster corpses.
The giant dragon was coiled on the statue, seemingly resting. Its red eyes shifted slightly, its rough eyelids moving slowly, as if it had spotted prey of interest. It suddenly leaped into the air.
The massive black wings blocked the daylight from the dome, and the nearly ruined temple grew even dimmer. In the dim light, Percy noticed a faint golden gleam on the giant dragon's right front claw.
It wasn't until the black dragon's enormous body had almost completely blotted out his vision that Percy looked up and saw it clearly: the black dragon was holding a golden sword in its beak!
The same longsword from his dreams!
He almost immediately realized what had happened. He was too late.
He was supposed to have obtained that sword before the giant dragon broke through the maze. But now, this creature, which looked so much like the demon dragons of legend, had broken through the maze before all the other challengers and taken the divine sword...
A trace of unwilling distortion twisted Percy's face, even his jaw trembled. Zhao Mei, Caleb, Roy, Lucy, and so many others who had believed in and helped him, who had supported him all the way to this place—how could he fail at the last step!
The black dragon dove towards him from above, letting out a deafening roar.
The young man's arms immediately transformed into greatswords. He leaped towards the massive black dragon, his eyes fixed on its front claw.
His greatsword struck the monster's front claw as intended, but the black scales covering the claws completely prevented his blade from breaking through the dragon's flesh. He couldn't inflict any meaningful damage on it at all!
Above him, the black dragon's vicious head drew near. It opened its mouth, and flames erupted, the heat wave engulfing Percy.
The flames suppressed Percy's metal ability. In the face of imminent death, a powerful force suddenly came from behind, yanking him back sharply.
Percy fell on his back. He ignored the searing pain and tried to struggle up, only to find a scatter of dying, colorful butterflies beneath him.
"Percy!"
Lucy's anxious voice sounded from above as the girl pulled him to his feet.
"Lucy, be careful!"
Percy pulled Lucy towards him, shielding her behind him. The black dragon was already closing in on them again, its red eyes filled with cruel killing intent.
He once again transmuted his body into metal, preparing to make a futile stand. However, just as the maw full of sharp teeth was about to devour them, the black dragon suddenly roared in pain and flew out of the ruined temple.
After the giant monster left, Percy finally saw a strikingly pure white figure on the other side. She stood beside the toppled statue, exuding a sense of lonely coldness that was completely out of place with the surroundings.
"Miss Bai Muqing?"
"Thank you, you saved us."
Percy quickly realized that it must have been Bai Muqing who had just intervened.
Suddenly, a question occurred to Percy. When did Bai Muqing arrive? She didn't look like she had just gotten here.
He didn't know if it was his imagination, but Bai Muqing seemed colder than when he had last seen her in the Crimson Demonic Domain, as if she had completely merged into the silent, formless air. There was also an indescribable weariness about her, just like the collapsed statue beside her.
Percy wanted to say more, but he suddenly heard people screaming from above the temple. He frowned. Were there still ordinary people active up there?
Whether it was to save people or to reclaim the divine sword that represented the relic of the God of Hope, he had to go up and kill the black dragon.
Lucy's colorful butterflies were connected to her own spirit. To save Percy, more than half of them had been turned to ash in the flames. She was already exhausted, but in order to go up and stop the black dragon, she forced herself to muster her spirits, putting on the same vibrant smile as always, and tried to gather her colorful butterflies together again.
Suddenly, Lucy felt her body lighten. She and Percy were floating up.
As her body floated upwards, Lucy looked down. Bai Muqing was still standing in the same spot. She had sent others up but hadn't moved herself.
Lucy was puzzled. The entire temple was in ruins, and flames were spreading. It probably wouldn't be long before the temple completely collapsed.
Why was she still lingering there?
Bai Muqing stood by the edge of the murky pool. Her usually vacant white pupils had focus for the first time, as if looking at her own reflection, or perhaps into a deeper, faintly glowing corner.
Within her [Divine Domain], nothing could hide.
That person had taught her how to unleash the power of [Divine Domain], but at this moment, she wished she had never been taught.
"God of Hope above... what is your will?"
Suddenly, she recalled that afternoon many years ago. The girl in the black hair and white dress had walked with her into the church for the Saintess selection. The meeting of two souls of extreme black and white had made it impossible for her to look away.
Bai Muqing stood in silence for a long time before finally turning to leave.
Using a tool from her kit, Lucy was carefully bandaging an injured person. She took a moment to observe her surroundings.
She hadn't expected there to be so many people above the maze. This completely confused Lucy. She had never seen a Demonic Domain with upper and lower levels.
Strangely, there were many human corpses here, but also a considerable number of monster corpses. People were gathered together in scattered groups, seemingly discussing something.
"Percy, it looks like someone has fought here and taken down a lot of—"
"Lucy, give me a hand!"
The black dragon had been circling in the air, its red eyes once again noticing a tiny human on the ground.
Percy expressionlessly dealt with another bird monster that approached him. Now, his eyes only saw the monster high in the sky. Take it down, reclaim the sword. He couldn't let everyone down again!
The Cloud-Soaring Squad was already lagging behind in this ability tournament, and even the divine sword had been snatched by a monster first. This feeling of powerlessness made him extremely frustrated, even agitated. The sight of the black dragon was incredibly jarring.
Lucy blinked, feeling a little lost. But she had to follow Percy's rhythm. As teammates, they were supposed to be perfectly coordinated.
But, it seemed like she was always the one coordinating with him... As Lucy thought this, she shook her head vigorously. Percy was someone who would risk his life to protect her. It was too strange of her to think that.
Lucy took a deep breath and, as always, coordinated with Percy. Her ability had recovered somewhat, and the butterflies lifted Percy upwards.
The black dragon seemed to sense the human's laughable killing intent. It bared its teeth, and with a beat of its black wings, it dove towards the ground.
Percy's eyes sharpened. He leaped off the butterflies, releasing the metal defense on his body and concentrating his transmutation ability into his right arm, pushing his power to its absolute limit!
The black dragon seemed to be about to breathe fire again. Its red eyes widened as it realized this tiny human was incredibly fast, closing the distance in the blink of an eye and striking at its right claw.
A heaven-shaking roar echoed throughout the Demonic Domain. The people hiding below cowered even more, looking up at the sky in fear.
The black-scaled claw was chopped off. The five talons went limp, and the golden sword gripped by the black dragon fell from mid-air.
A glint of excitement flashed in Percy's blue eyes. If only Lucy's butterflies could carry him one more time, he could grab the divine sword!
However, the supporting butterflies didn't flock to lift him as he had imagined. On the ground, Lucy's hands, controlling the butterflies, trembled. The butterflies were too weak to fly any higher. Not far away, a boy with a gentle smile and glasses walked over.
"You've all done very well to get this far."
Yu Tianming pushed up his glasses. His ability could not only amplify others' abilities but also weaken them.
He smiled and patted Lucy's shoulder. "Unfortunately, you're not the main characters of this story."
Lucy bit her lip as a tall figure walked past her, his deep golden eyes not sparing her a single glance.
"Sykes..."
Lucy called out the Crown Prince's name in anger.
Sykes looked at the golden sword falling from mid-air, a cold, mocking smile on his lips. So this was the secret hidden by that fanatical cult of the God of Hope five hundred years ago?
The golden sword left behind by the God of Hope, which even the Royal Family and the Sei Curia could never find, was finally going to fall into his hands today.
Once he possessed it, he would be the empire's most legitimate incarnation of the God of Hope, the destined savior, not a tyrannical, despised... monster.
Sykes reached a hand towards the sky. He suddenly remembered someone who had once audaciously claimed they could grant him just salvation. The smile in his eyes became a little more genuine—how ridiculous.
He didn't need anyone's salvation. As long as he stood at the pinnacle of this world, who would have the right to cast him into hell!
The next moment, Sykes's expression suddenly changed. A bird monster had snatched the falling longsword. The one-clawed black dragon regained its balance in the sky, dove down, and bit the bird monster, catching the golden sword in its mouth.
Seeing the black dragon about to fly high again, Percy, who had luckily landed on a tall tree nearby, broke off two thick branches and threw them consecutively at the giant dragon's eyes!
The blinded black dragon roared in pain. The golden sword in its mouth actually fell into its stomach. The black dragon circled a few times in the sky, agitated and powerless, before finally descending—landing right on the shattered dome of the temple maze.
Everyone knew, the opportunity had come!
The golden sword hidden in this maze was self-evident. It was the treasure left by the God of Hope, representing the god's approval!
And now, the divine sword was inside the black dragon.
The black dragon, as if from swallowing the divine blade, writhed on the ground, roaring in agony. Flames continuously spewed from its mouth, igniting a raging fire around it, making it impossible for anyone to approach.
Even Sykes hesitated for a moment.
Percy leaped down from the tree. Even if he were to be consumed by flames, he had to rush in—Zhao Mei had endured similar pain to get him this far!
The fire spread, and the originally injured and exhausted people began to flee outwards again, only to discover in despair that beyond the area cleared by the black-clothed ability user, other monsters were circling.
People could only turn back helplessly. They first saw a few young ability users striding forward into the flames. Soon, someone with sharp eyes noticed that in the center of the inferno, on top of the coiled black dragon, a figure in black clothes and silver armor had appeared.
"...Zhao Mei."
Percy rushed into the ring of fire. He stared blankly at his friend, who had appeared once more.
Zhao Mei was no longer in a black robe. The young man's figure was slender. He was crouching on the giant dragon's body, stroking its rough black scales in what seemed like a gentle appeasement.
Those green eyes looked over, still brimming with a gentle light, made even warmer by the reflection of the flames.
Just like the look in Zhao Mei's eyes not long ago when he had voluntarily become a "traitor" to face execution by fire, and like the warmth of that moonlit night days ago when he said he was willing to bear any glorious duty that became too heavy for him.
A faint smile finally appeared on Percy's tense face. Even the burning pain of the flames seemed to lessen... No, it wasn't his imagination. There was water flowing on the ground, mitigating the fire.
Zhao Mei had already subdued the black dragon for him. So Percy quickened his pace, walking towards his most trusted friend.
However, another figure was faster than him.
Sykes disliked wearing defensive gear. His originally clean white shirt was now scorched black by the flames and torn in several places, revealing his fair skin, but Sykes was completely oblivious.
He would not allow anyone to steal his prey.
His black gloves were removed. A powerful impact scattered the flames before him. Suddenly, someone tripped him up.
"Sykes, your opponent is me!"
Percy, of course, couldn't just watch as Sykes went after Zhao Mei. He ignored his own injuries and once again engaged Sykes in combat.
The young man sitting on the black dragon tilted his head, seemingly a little puzzled, as he watched the two fighting not far away.
The black dragon lay obediently on the ground. The young man gently stroked its rough scales again, and a refreshing stream of water flowed through the cracks in the scales, making the black dragon feel extremely comfortable.
It hummed, hearing the young man's words, so quiet they were almost inaudible.
"Sorry, there's something I have to do."
The next moment, the quietly coiled black dragon began to howl in pain again, a sharp agony coming from its abdomen—a pillar of water shooting up from the underground temple had pierced through it.
At the same time, a massive amount of water gushing from underground extinguished the surrounding flames. The panicked people witnessed a curtain of water, as if falling from the sky, smoothing out the raging fire.
The black dragon straightened its tall body from the intense pain, roaring at the sky. It beat its wings but was too weak to fly.
But everyone saw the young man on the giant dragon's body.
"...Zhao Mei?"
Percy and Sykes stopped fighting almost simultaneously. Percy looked up at the black-haired, green-eyed young man slowly standing up on the black dragon.
He called his name, but with a hint of disbelieving suspicion, as if he had a premonition of what was about to happen.
On the black dragon's back, a golden sword, as if summoned, broke through its body. With each of the black dragon's heart-wrenching roars, the gleaming golden blade stood straight and tall upon the dragon.
The young person in black clothes and light armor stood just behind the golden sword and casually grasped its hilt.
Percy's pupils trembled. The metal on his hands subconsciously dissipated. He dragged his feet, slowly walking towards the black dragon and the young man.
What was Zhao Mei trying to do? Was he going to draw the sword? Why did all of this seem so incomprehensible?
Faster than him was Sykes.
The golden-haired, golden-eyed prince, with lightning-like speed, leaped from the ground onto the black dragon's body—he was going to kill this person who dared to usurp his place as the Godsent!
His golden eyes, filled with killing intent, faltered for a moment as he got closer to that calm face.
Long strands of hair brushed against Sykes's smoke-stained face. For the first time, he opened his golden eyes so wide.
The young person, as if unable to bear the heat, pulled at their head, and a cascade of long, shiny black hair fell down.
That face was still unfamiliar. The green eyes looked at him with neither joy nor sorrow, like a true divine statue.
In that single moment of daze, a stream of water wrapped around his waist, and Sykes was pulled off the black dragon's body.
In the Crown Prince's incredulous golden eyes was reflected the image of the young person gripping the hilt, pulling the golden sword out of the giant dragon's body, and raising it high.
Whether it was the young ability users destined to become famous figures in the future, or the ordinary people struggling to survive, many years later, they still could not forget this miraculous scene.
Many people couldn't see the young person's face clearly, but that iconic long hair was recognized by almost everyone in the lower district.
First, one person hesitantly called out the word "Saintess."
After the young person drew the golden sword, the black dragon lost its last breath and collapsed completely. She leaped lightly from the massive corpse, and the flames still burning on both sides flickered with her steps.
The gray sky shattered, revealing the warm sunlight of the human world—the Demonic Domain was destroyed.
The demon dragon, the sword-wielding youth, the agent of the God of Hope saving people from fire and water...
By the time Percy fully came to his senses, everyone around him was shouting two words—
"Saintess!"
"Saintess!"
Upper district, Sei Curia.
Wen Jian had just finished dealing with the matters that had been giving him a headache recently. He pulled out a file from his desk—one about Ye Zheng.
Were her recent actions really a coincidence? Especially being kidnapped by that Sierra, which provoked her into revealing what happened all those years ago...
There was nothing much to investigate about Ye Zheng's background. The Ye family, as a minor noble family, had all their assets out in the open.
But Wen Jian had been exceptionally suspicious lately, to a degree that even he felt was unnecessary.
However, after he finished reading this file, especially the part about Ye Zheng's maternal family.
Wen Jian expressionlessly slammed the file on the ground, gritting his teeth. "It must be her!"
"She actually, actually..."
Wen Jian laughed with a twisted expression, glad that Ye Zheng was not yet a significant power, just a figurehead Saintess with no real authority. He could still easily crush her!
Just then, a member of the Sei Curia ran in hastily and told him even more unbelievable news.
At the same time, outside the world of the manga, what would be updated was the most controversial, most discussed, and most mainstream-breaking chapter of King of the Demonic Domain.
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