Chapter 153

The girl’s life was stained. Oberta had a significant share in that stain. It was clear that he was a vile creature who deserved to be torn apart.

However, when comparing the depth of her hatred, her resentment towards the Hilrae Church was incomparably greater than that towards Oberta.

Yanid spread her wings and flew through the sky, heading towards the Hilrae Church’s secret laboratory disguised as an ordinary shop in the capital.

-What on earth happened to you?

Oberta asked, puzzled by her larger and stronger wings. She didn’t answer. It wasn’t worth it.

Though the saint’s attitude towards the deity was unbelievably disrespectful, neither found the situation awkward.

They weren’t a believer and a god, but merely partners in a transaction. Yanid didn’t trust Oberta in the slightest.

She didn’t believe in him as a god, nor as a human. She labeled everything he said as “untrustworthy” from the start.

This was a purely profit-driven transaction. She didn’t bother to explain what had happened to her. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes. The juice of some fruit-like substance entering her mouth, permeating her body, transforming her into this strong being.

‘……’

Regardless, she had received help. Unlike humans, Yanid’s body continued to absorb information from her surroundings even while unconscious, allowing her to grasp the situation upon waking.

The girl knew how to repay hatred with hatred, but she didn’t know how to return a favor. So, she decided to handle what she knew first.

Soon, a building came into view. Her dragon eyes filled with intense killing intent, making even Oberta feel suffocated. Yanid’s murderous aura flowed through her magical power.

There was no need to spare anyone. Because they were all accomplices.

After the experiments on her succeeded, the Hilrae Church had no reason to keep other test subjects. They had already succeeded in creating a Dragon Chimera, and there was no second Dragon Heart.

So, for a long time, Yanid had been the sole test subject in that lab. She was the only prisoner in a jail full of guards.

There was no one in the same situation to talk to. The only voices she heard were those of her tormentors.

Right.

That bitch.

-Why, why are you suddenly looking at me like that?

“After I kill everyone who tormented me, you’ll die too.”

-……

“Wait for it.”

The enraged dragon landed on the ground. Spotting a tree nearby, she grabbed it in an instant. Uprooting the massive tree, she infused it with magical power and swung it. Dragons aren’t human. They don’t obsess over swords or blades like humans do.

The Dragon Heart continuously absorbed and refined the surrounding magical energy. Even after enveloping the entire tree in magic, her power didn’t diminish; instead, it kept growing.

Dragons and humans. The end might not be so different. But the starting point is much higher for dragons. The baseline itself is different.

Crash!

The tree smashed through the roof and collapsed. In an instant, it split the shop building in two.

No matter how sturdy the walls and floors were, they couldn’t withstand the blow. The enraged dragon saw nothing but destruction, bringing ruin with a single strike.

“Cough…”

Screams echoed from beneath the collapsed ceiling. In those screams, terrified believers called out to their god. The goddess Hilrae couldn’t respond. Or rather, even if she did, it wouldn’t have mattered.

-O, Oberta…

The power emanating from the being that had landed on the ground clearly contained a portion of the Evil God’s divine power. Yanid didn’t need it, but she deliberately mixed divine power into her own energy and released it.

The test subject had returned as a servant of the Evil God. This truly horrified the goddess. The bigger problem was that there was no force left to confront her now.

The Holy Knights had been annihilated. A few who were away on missions remained, but they couldn’t get here immediately. And even if they did, it was doubtful they could make a difference against her.

Now, only the saint remained, but that was even more impossible. Losing the saint would mean the complete collapse of the Church’s military power.

The lab director, Elwin, crushed under heavy debris, coughed up blood and stared at Yanid. He wanted to retreat but couldn’t. Overcome with fear, he screamed.

“H-how… are you still alive…?”

“Did you wish for me to die?”

The girl reached out and grabbed his white neck. She squeezed, whispering hatefully as she carried out her revenge.

“I did.”

-Wait, Oberta.

A voice came from the choked neck. Of course, it wasn’t Elwin’s.

The goddess had borrowed her body to speak. Not to Yanid, but to the Evil God Oberta.

-Reducing my power now isn’t a good idea. Now is the time to join hands against a common enemy. We can coexist even if we oppose each other, but the Death God won’t allow that. He won’t leave any of us alive. You should know that.

The target was wrong. Yanid didn’t even scoff.

Obera thought a few words might be worth listening to. But Yanid was beyond her control now. If she was determined to kill, what could be done?

Crack!

And just like that, the neck snapped. As easily as twisting a chicken’s neck.

The girl glared at the goddess Hilrae. Only then did the goddess realize that Yanid wasn’t under Oberta’s control. She had been deceived by the Evil God. Oberta had no authority over Yanid.

-Oh no…

And the same went for Hilrae. The mark she had once placed on Yanid was completely shattered.

The goddess couldn’t even bring herself to speak to Yanid and fled. The thick hatred in her eyes made it clear. This was not a grudge that could be reconciled.

“Goddess…! Why…?”

Though they had clearly heard the goddess’s voice, she didn’t save them.

The researchers buried under the rubble, devout followers of Hilrae, fell into despair. Those with weaker faith even shouted towards Yanid.

“Evil God! I, I will become your follower!”

“I will renounce the goddess who didn’t save us and become your follower. Just spare my life…”

But once again, the target was wrong. The goddess’s mistake was repeated by her followers. Believing in Oberta? Was that a reason for Yanid to spare them?

Regardless, she killed them one by one. Only in their dying moments did they realize that this test subject had no connection to the Evil God. In truth, it wasn’t a late realization.

Even if they had pleaded with Yanid, their deaths wouldn’t have changed. They had gone too far to seek forgiveness. Both they and this girl.

Soon, the screams turned to silence. No one survived.

The girl stared blankly at her blood-dripping hands. Despite committing so many murders, she felt nothing. It was like swatting flies, even feeling somewhat satisfying.

But somewhere deep inside, she felt empty. Why? The girl soon found the reason.

“One person is missing.”

There should be one more person in this pile of corpses. She had visited the lab so many times that she even remembered the name. Armata. The Archbishop of the Hilrae Church’s Grantera diocese.

He should be here too. The girl silently looked at Oberta.

“Where is he?”

-……?

The Evil God didn’t understand. What was she asking about?

The girl stared at her, then suddenly extended her claws. Her pupils narrowed vertically. A growl mixed into her voice.

“Tell me.”

-Calm down a bit, and tell me who you’re looking for first.

“Armata.”

-Armata…? Should I be thankful you at least named someone you know…?

If she had suddenly grabbed someone random, like Rubelt, a small merchant from Larpentia, even the Evil God wouldn’t have an answer. She didn’t know every person in the world, after all.

Was it really the right choice to make this girl a saint? Doubts began to creep in. It was questionable whether she would have the desired effect.

But there was no choice. The Evil God was desperate enough to resort to such measures. The losses were too great, and recovering through normal means would take too long, so she had to gather faith through deceit.

-He’s in the Imperial Palace. The place we were just at.

The girl nodded slightly and took off. She thought she should have killed him first before coming here.

The Evil God followed her with an uneasy expression. She couldn’t believe she was playing the role of a madwoman’s lackey. Just a day ago, no, even a few hours ago, she couldn’t have imagined this situation. The Evil God sighed.

At least Hilrae would suffer far greater losses than she would.

That alone was some consolation.