Chapter 424: Monster Tamer (45K — Please Subscribe)

The situation on the battlefield shifted with every breath, everything happening so fast it left no time to react.

Within a few breaths, a spark of life burst forth from what had been a hopeless situation.

The servant of the gods had its wings broken and was cast down from the clouds.

But what awaited it was neither true annihilation nor an eternity of damnation.

It was rebirth.

The angel of the past was gone.

Now, it was utterly unlike the image of angels told in legends of old.

Bloodstained white hair spilled from the gaps in its helmet, scattered by the fierce wind of flight, streaming wildly behind it.

Setting aside its appearance, its very aura had already changed completely.

The halo atop its head had vanished without a trace, the white feathers on its back had become crimson blood-wings, and the resplendent war armor had been soaked in blood, taking on a sinister, flickering new form.

Simply gazing upon that figure was enough to feel a piercing, razor-sharp killing intent!

It seemed to have fallen, choosing a path in opposition.

Yet it differed from a fallen angel — there was none of that air of corruption about it.

The fierce killing intent nearly overwhelmed everything, but it could not entirely conceal the unvarnished arrogance that clung to its being.

That arrogance was not aimed at the mortals weaker than itself, but pointed, naked and bare, at the heavens themselves.

It was arrogance toward the gods!

The crimson "monster" of a figure sneered, sat astride the giant dragon's back, raised its long spear, and charged once more against the gods.

Charge!

……

"Hsss…"

Someone watched this scene within the crystal orb, murmuring in confusion, lost in thought.

"Is this… a blood angel?"

They offered the guess, then quickly dismissed it.

"No, not a blood angel. Its killing intent is obvious, but there's none of that madness about it."

The gods were puzzled; the mighty were bewildered.

The flawless, pure-white angel had fallen from the clouds, replaced by a crimson knight bathed in an angel's blood.

No.

Was it still the same angel?

"Better to ask — in its present state, can it truly still be called an angel?"

They knit their brows, thinking.

"What on earth is it…"

Everyone could arrive at an answer in their heart.

That figure was no angel.

Angels were creations of the gods, and from the moment of their birth, their reverence for the gods was branded deep into the depths of their souls.

Whether toward the god they served, or other gods, or even enemy gods — this would never change, nor could it be altered.

It was an unalterable foundation of thought, a true brand upon the mind.

And once that blood-colored figure displayed contempt and arrogance toward the gods, it had, in truth, ceased to be an angel.

It was an entirely new kind of life.

One that did not revere the gods, and even dared, in reckless overreach, to point its blade at the heavens above.

No…

Such a life… seemed faintly familiar to the ear.

Mortals.

Past examples had proven one thing, again and again.

Among those mortals the gods regarded as fodder, as servants, as lambs, special individuals would always be born.

They were weak, yet proud; ant-like weaklings who somehow believed that one day they could stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods.

They were clever, yet could not conceal their own foolishness; as mortals, they dared to show the gods no reverence.

In a daze, they could no longer tell.

Was this a new life born from the angel's corpse?

Or an arrogant mortal who had taken up the angel's unfinished duty?

And the truth, in fact, did not matter.

Because at this very moment, that dragon knight… had actually truly crossed blades with Miss Xie Shen's avatar!

And was even, faintly, gaining the upper hand!

……

"You despicable worm."

The great hole torn in the God of Sinful Desire's body by the dragon spear had already rapidly filled with fresh flesh-grubs; for beings at their level, such wounds were mostly healed in the blink of an eye.

Gods were hard to kill — especially an avatar like this, which merely housed a fragment of will and possessed a tenacity for life beyond imagination.

Not to mention that the God of Sinful Desire was itself a master of flesh and blood manipulation.

Creating over a hundred avatars of different shapes and races was a trivial matter for it, let alone something as basic as high-speed regeneration.

"You… actually dare to rebel against me? Heh heh."

It was not angry; gazing at the man-and-dragon pair, it could not help but let out a contemptuous laugh.

Pfft— hahaha, hahahahaha!

What utter foolishness!

After suffering that sudden, grievous wound, Miss Xie Shen had already set aside most of her contempt, no longer underestimating the pair before her.

Their strength was by no means weak, but their affinity with this avatar of hers was simply too poor — it made her feel a touch of pity for them.

This Winged Serpent avatar of hers had been created specifically to prey upon that great dragon, possessing the special ability to devour it — a true, bona fide natural enemy.

And the reviving Blood-Colored Angel hardly needed mentioning; his aura had already dropped to the Legendary tier, utterly nothing to fear.

Though their joint sneak attack just now had inflicted real damage upon her, the strength they displayed still lay within the Epic range.

Utterly nothing to fear.

Thus, certain of victory, she once more extended her olive branch.

This time, she did not even spare the great dragon, drawing it into the scope of her invitation as well.

"I am giving you one last chance."

The Sun God's long silence from start to finish made Miss Xie Shen increasingly relaxed, her actions growing ever more brazen.

"Become my servants."

"I shall grant you true rebirth!"

"Otherwise, I shall let you know what true hell truly is!"

"I will devour your flesh and blood, bind your souls, and make you endure millennia of torment within my domain."

"You still won't… Foolish!"

Miss Xie Shen's invitation had not yet been finished when the other side had already given their answer.

The crimson knight and the great dragon with crimson scales charged at her without a word.

Charge!

Charge!!

Charge!!!

Faced with a god's temptation and threats, the mortals chose resistance without the slightest hesitation.

Resist — resist to the very end.

"Since you two fools are so eager to die, I'll send you on your way."

Miss Xie Shen lost her patience, preparing to swiftly kill and devour them.

But once the two sides clashed, Miss Xie Shen's expression changed drastically, and she could not help but cry out in startled disbelief.

"What!?"

Not only her, but virtually everyone watching the battlefield unconsciously let out a puzzled exclamation.

"This is—!"

"How is this possible?"

"Oh heavens!"

Mere bravery and fearlessness alone would not have moved Miss Xie Shen.

What truly shocked her, everyone present, and everyone watching — was the coordination between them.

The coordination between Herbert and Valentina had reached a level of perfection that astonished everyone.

The instant the two sides engaged, the foul-smelling black fog suddenly churned violently; Miss Xie Shen's serpent tail, like a venom-soaked whip, lashed out soundlessly from the thick fog behind Herbert.

Sneak attack.

Though she was full of disdain for Herbert and the others, in combat she held no contempt whatsoever — the tip of her tail secreted a venom specially targeted at great dragons.

Wherever the mucus on the serpent tail passed, the air hissed with the sound of corrosion.

Hiss!

Yet, the instant the serpent tail was about to coil around the great dragon, the scales on Valentina's neck suddenly bristled — a warning reflex forged through years of battle.

And Herbert reacted almost at the same instant, thrusting the dragon lance in his hands forward and stabbing viciously at the Winged Serpent's skull.

Whoosh—

Valentina's left wing slammed down hard; the gust it kicked up deflected the ambush tail by half a meter, and her thick tail carved a blood-colored arc through the air, slicing the serpent tail clean off like a crescent moon!

At the same moment, the ancient runes on the shaft of the dragon lance Herbert thrust out burst with silver light, holy power surging wildly, forcing even Miss Xie Shen to set aside her contempt and defend.

Valentina's claws raked at the Winged Serpent in a cross; a flash of cold light, and its scales were torn apart, ripping off a great bloody gouge and exposing the organs within.

That was not all — the great dragon's chest heaved violently, and a scorching breath was unleashed with zero wind-up, spraying straight at the freshly torn chest.

He……tui!

And Herbert did not stop after throwing the dragon lance; he drew the scepter tucked at his waist, using it as a sword, holy light surging across his whole body, and swung hard toward the front.

A blade of light blazing with golden radiance likewise flew toward Miss Xie Shen's wound.

Sa— cred! Slash!

Dragon breath and sword-light, the two beams converged in midair and surged violently into the Winged Serpent's chest.

BOOM!!!

"No!"

Only now did Miss Xie Shen finally let loose her first furious roar.

"Damn it!!!"

The Winged Serpent tried to dodge, but it was already far too late.

The wound exploded with a thunderous blast; purple-black blood poured down like a rainstorm, and the severed serpent tail plunged into the black fog, crashing toward the ground.

And Herbert had already fled far away with Valentina by this point, already beginning to wheel about, preparing to launch another attack.

"You — you!"

In the black mist, the winged serpent roared in fury, craving to devour Herbert alive.

All spectators, gazing at the flawless coordination in the air, fell silent.

"In battle against a god, have mortals gained the upper hand in technique? Mortals remain unharmed, while Miss Xie Shen suffered heavy?"

"Am I still dreaming? What kind of dream am I having?!"

"Can this really be done by mortals?"

Everyone watching the scene, including the gods, gasped in awe.

At the instant the dragon, knight, and Miss Xie Shen made contact, they each performed six or more actions simultaneously!

Wing strike, tail lash, lance thrust, claw swipe, breath attack, Sacred Slash…

They not only dodged the serpent's hidden tail ambush within the black mist, but executed a perfect counterattack!

They had never seen such fluid coordination—six actions completed in the blink of an eye, offense and defense shifting as naturally as breathing, truly divine artistry.

If mere speed alone were insufficient, what truly stunned them was the flawless synergy between the two.

Throughout the entire exchange, neither hindered the other; instead, they complemented each other perfectly.

This was not a rapport forged through countless repetitions, but a true oneness.

In fact, the spectators' praise of "oneness" was not hyperbole.

Herbert and Valentina's current state could rightly be called one soul in two bodies.

Their souls merged, understanding each other's intent without words, reducing communication delay to absolute zero.

They no longer needed to tell each other what to do—they simply did it.

This was not a miracle born of "love and friendship."

Nor was it special aid granted by the Lieri Pope.

Yes, even now, Herbert had not used any power bestowed upon him by the Lieri Pope—he had relied solely on his own innate talent to channel Valentina's power.

Yes, it was an innate talent.

Herbert's legendary innate talent!

At the moment one ascends to legendary status, all new legendaries awaken their own legendary innate talent.

Yet as a Holy Knight, Herbert's awakened ability was not the conventional one of summoning celestial beings.

Perhaps due to Nie Nasha, or perhaps because he had interacted too much with monster girls,

Herbert's awakened ability was a rather useless one to others—【Control Monsters】.

Like a Druid commanding animals or a mermaid controlling sea fish, he gained a unique ability similar to 【Control Wild Animals】, 【Control Marine Life】, or 【Dominate Legendary Demons】.

Moreover, this ability did not mean full control over monsters, but rather "borrowing" their power through their bond with him.

Only when a monster fully lowered its guard and trusted him completely could he fully wield its power.

Any trace of distrust would weaken the ability, causing it to fall short.

And this was nearly impossible.

Even legendary or epic-level Druids could not guarantee such deep bonds with all their animal companions.

Only through an extremely strict contract, binding both parties never to betray or harm each other, might such a bond be possible.

Not to mention how difficult it was to even find a monster willing to be so controlled.

But…

These difficulties were insurmountable for others—but for Herbert, they were no problem at all.

Not a single one!

Are suitable monsters hard to find?

Not hard at all!

I just look around my home—there are legendaries and epic-level monsters everywhere, and they're all ultra-rare "shiny Pokémon"!

Would a legendary Holy Knight feel embarrassed by the title 【Monster Controller】?

Not at all!

As for emotion… that's even less of an issue.

Those who worry about it simply lack sincerity.

Lack sincerity, and you'll never receive sincerity in return.

I, Herbert, have always treated others with honesty, exchanging true heart for true heart.

If my emotions are sincere enough, how could the monster girls refuse my request to borrow their power or briefly control their bodies?

Of course not a problem!

So in a sense, for Herbert, this still relied on the power of "love and friendship" between him and the monster girls.

"... Good."

After a moment of shock, Miss Xie Shen regained composure, her flesh rapidly regenerating.

"To reach this point, you've truly surprised me."

"But… hah."

Miss Xie Shen spat a mocking whisper: "Where are your companions? Why do they stand idly by as you face death? Have you never wondered?"

"Or do you truly believe only the two of you are enough to kill me?"

Faced with Miss Xie Shen's seduction and division, Herbert fell silent.

Were the two of them enough?

Of course not.

Herbert knew well: though their combined strength could hold their own, it was still insufficient.

Their damage output was inadequate—they could not utterly annihilate Miss Xie Shen's avatar.

Moreover, even if he truly could rely on Valentina's help to destroy the Embodiment of Lust, those Trapped in Illusion among the Sun Believers would still suffer heavy casualties.

"So…"

Herbert looked at the God of Lust, the corners of his lips beneath the helmet curving slightly upward, and finally spoke the first words of the entire battle.

His tone was quite playful, and he asked in a low, drawn-out voice: "Who exactly told you that I was fighting alone?"

……

At the same time.

The Sun Believers immersed in the Illusion were still pressing deeper into the tomb, attempting to sweep away the remaining forces of Miss Xie Shen's church in one stroke.

Just as they continued their triumphant advance, everyone suddenly froze.

"Hmm?"

Just now, a rather impolite curse had abruptly reached their ears.

("Hey!!!")

("Can you hear me? You bunch of cowards!")

???

"Who's speaking!?"

(End of chapter)