Chapter 453: The Demon Manipulator (45K Subscription Request)

The battlefield’s situation shifted in an instant, everything happening too fast for anyone to react.

Within a few breaths, the once-desperate situation burst into new life.

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

But what awaited him was not true death, nor eternal damnation.

But rebirth.

The former angel was gone.

Now, he was different from the angelic image of past legends.

Blood-stained white hair spilled from the helmet’s gaps, whipped wildly by the rushing wind of flight, streaming freely behind him.

Merely his appearance, his very aura, was utterly transformed.

The halo above his head vanished; his white feathers turned into crimson wings; his once-noble battle armor was drenched in blood, now gleaming with a monstrous ferocity.

Merely gazing upon this figure sent a sharp, icy killing intent coursing through the air!

He seemed to have fallen, choosing a path opposite to his former one.

Yet he was not like a fallen angel—he bore none of that corrupted aura.

His piercing killing intent nearly overwhelmed all else, yet it could not fully mask the unhidden arrogance radiating from him.

This arrogance was not directed at weaker mortals, but bluntly aimed at the heavens.

It was arrogance toward the gods!

The crimson “monster” sneered, seated atop the dragon, raising his lance once more to charge at the god.

Charge!

…

“Hss…”

Someone watched this scene through the crystal ball, murmuring in confusion, lost in thought.

“Is this… a Blood Angel?”

They speculated, then quickly dismissed it.

“No, not a Blood Angel—his killing intent is clear, but he carries no trace of madness.”

The gods were puzzled; the strong were bewildered.

The flawless white angel fell from the clouds; in his place rose a crimson knight born from the angel’s blood.

No.

Was he still the same angel?

“Rather, could this form even be called an angel anymore?”

They frowned, deep in thought.

“Just what is he…?”

Everyone’s heart held the answer.

That figure was no angel.

Angels, creations of the gods, had reverence for their creators etched into their souls from the moment of their birth.

Whether toward their own god, other gods, or even enemy gods, this never changed—and could never be changed.

It was an unalterable core belief, a true mental imprint.

Once the crimson figure showed disdain and arrogance toward the gods, he was no longer an angel.

He was a new kind of life.

One who disrespected the gods, even dared to raise his blade toward the heavens.

No…

Such a life sounded strangely familiar.

Mortal.

Past examples had repeatedly proven one thing.

Among the mortals the gods saw as food, slaves, or lambs, some special individuals always emerged.

They were weak yet arrogant—tiny ants who believed they would one day stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods.

They were clever yet could not hide their folly—mere mortals who dared to defy the gods.

In a daze, they could no longer tell.

Was this a new life born from the corpse of an angel?

Or a proud mortal who had taken up the fallen angel’s unfinished duty?

But the truth did not matter.

For at this very moment, the dragon rider… was actually fighting the demon god’s avatar!

And even gaining the upper hand!

…

“You wretched worm.”

The gaping wound torn in the Sinful Desire God’s body had already been swiftly sealed by new flesh growth; for mortals, both sides had recovered most of their injuries within moments.

Gods were hard to kill, especially such incarnations carrying only a fragment of will—endowed with unimaginable resilience.

Not to mention, the Sinful Desire God was a master of flesh manipulation.

Creating hundreds of avatars with different forms and races was trivial to Him; rapid regeneration was mere child’s play.

“You… dare defy me? Heh.”

He felt no anger, watching the pair of man and dragon, and couldn’t help but sneer.

Pfft, ha, hahahaha!

How utterly foolish!

After suffering the sudden blow, the Sinful Desire God had shed most of his contempt—he no longer underestimated this pair.

Their strength was certainly not weak, but their compatibility with His avatar was so poor that He almost pitied them.

His winged serpent avatar was specifically crafted to prey upon this dragon, endowed with innate abilities to hunt it—the true predator.

As for the revived crimson angel, there was no need to mention him—his aura had already plummeted to Legendary level, utterly unworthy of fear.

Though their earlier combined ambush had inflicted real damage, their actual power remained within the Epic range.

Nothing to fear.

Thus, confident of victory, He extended His olive branch once more.

This time, He included even the dragon within the scope of His offer.

“I give you one final chance.”

The Sun God’s prolonged silence had made the Sinful Desire God increasingly complacent, his actions growing bolder.

“Become my servants.”

“I shall grant you true rebirth!”

“Otherwise, I shall show you what true hell truly is!”

“I shall devour your flesh, bind your souls, and make you suffer torment in my presence for thousands of years.”

“You still don’t… foolishness!”

Before the Sinful Desire God finished speaking, the other side had already responded.

The crimson knight and the dragon with crimson scales charged forward in silence.

Charge!

Charge!!

Charge!!!

Faced with the god’s temptation and threats, the mortal chose defiance without hesitation.

Only resistance—resistance to the end.

“Since you two fools want to die so badly, I’ll oblige.”

The Sinful Desire God lost patience and prepared to swiftly kill and devour them.

But after their clash, His expression changed drastically—he let out a startled cry.

“What!!?”

Not just Him—nearly everyone watching the battlefield involuntarily gasped in disbelief.

“This is!”

“How is this possible?”

“Good heavens!”

Merely such fearless bravery would not have moved the Sinful Desire God.

What truly stunned Him, stunned everyone present, stunned all who watched—was their coordination.

Herbert and Valentina’s coordination reached a level of perfection that left all in awe.

In the instant of collision, foul black mist surged violently; the Sinful Desire God’s serpent tail, like a venomous whip, silently lashed out from behind Herbert through the thick fog.

Ambush.

Though He despised Herbert and his companions, He never underestimated them in battle—the tail tip secreted a poison specifically lethal to dragons.

Where the serpent’s slime passed, the air hissed with corrosion.

Hss!

Yet, just as the serpent’s tail was about to coil around the dragon, Valentina’s neck scales suddenly bristled—this was a warning signal forged through years of battle.

Herbert reacted almost simultaneously, thrusting his dragon spear forward with all his strength, driving it straight into the winged serpent’s skull.

Swoosh—

Valentina slammed her left wing downward, the shockwave flinging the ambush tail half a meter away; the thick tail sliced through the air in a crimson arc, cleanly severing the serpent’s tail like a crescent moon.

At the same moment, ancient runes along Herbert’s spear blazed with silver light, surging with holy power, forcing the God of Lust to abandon its disdain and defend itself.

Valentina crossed her claws and raked the winged serpent; a flash of cold light tore through its scales, ripping open a massive gash that exposed its internal organs.

Before that wound could heal, the dragon’s chest heaved violently—its scorching breath ignited in zero frame, blasting straight into the freshly torn chest.

He… tui!

Herbert did not pause after hurling the spear—he drew the staff strapped at his waist, wielding it like a sword, holy light exploding from his entire body as he swung it forward with full force.

A blade of golden light followed the same path, streaking toward the god’s wound.

Divine! Sacred! Slash!

The dragon’s breath and the holy blade converged in midair, raging into the winged serpent’s chest.

BOOM!!!

“No!”

Only now did the God of Lust let out its first roar of fury.

“Damn it!!!”

The winged serpent tried to dodge, but it was far too late.

The wound erupted violently; purple-black blood rained down like a storm, the severed tail plummeting into the black mist and crashing toward the ground.

Meanwhile, Herbert and Valentina had already retreated far away, even turning back to prepare for another attack.

“You—you!”

From within the black mist, the winged serpent’s furious hiss burned with a desire to devour Herbert alive.

All onlookers, gazing at the flawless coordination in the sky, fell silent.

“Did mortals just gain the upper hand in technique against a god? Mortals emerged unscathed, while the demon god suffered grievous wounds?”

“Am I still dreaming? What kind of nightmare am I having?!”

“Could mortals possibly achieve this?”

Everyone watching—gods included—uttered exclamations of awe.

In the instant the dragon, knight, and demon god clashed, they executed six or more actions simultaneously!

Wing slam, tail lash, spear thrust, claw strike, breath attack, Divine Sacred Slash…

They not only dodged the serpent’s hidden tail ambush, but delivered a flawless counterattack!

They had never witnessed such seamless coordination—six actions completed in the blink of an eye, offense and defense shifting as naturally as breathing, truly a divine stroke.

Even if their speed alone were astonishing, 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 mere synergy forged through countless drills—it was as if they were truly one being.

In fact, the spectators’ praise of “as one being” was no exaggeration.

Herbert and Valentina’s current state could rightly be called soul-unified.

Their souls merged, understanding each other’s intentions without a word, reducing communication delay to absolute zero.

They no longer needed to tell each other what to do—they simply acted in perfect unison.

This was not a miracle born of “love and friendship.”

Nor was it special aid granted by the Sun Pope.

Yes, even now, Herbert had not used any power bestowed upon him by the Sun Pope—he had merely activated his own innate talent to channel Valentina’s strength.

That’s right—his innate talent.

The legendary innate talent unique to Herbert!

Upon ascending to legendary status, every newly minted legendary awakens their own legendary innate talent.

Yet as a paladin, Herbert’s awakened ability was not the conventional one—summoning celestial beings.

Perhaps due to Nienasha, or perhaps because he had dealt with so many monster girls,

Herbert’s awakened ability was one most would consider useless—【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】.

But this ability did not grant full control over monsters—it allowed him to “borrow” their power through their bond with him.

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

Any trace of distrust would severely weaken the power, causing significant loss.

And that was nearly impossible.

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

Only by signing an extremely strict contract—binding both parties never to betray or harm each other—could such a bond be remotely possible.

And even then, finding a monster willing to be so controlled was exceedingly rare.

But…

These obstacles were impossible for others—but for Herbert, they were no obstacles at all.

Not one!

Is it hard to find a suitable monster?

Not hard at all!

I just look around my home—there are legendaries and epics everywhere, and they’re all ultra-rare “glow-pokemon”!

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

Not at all!

As for emotional bonds… 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 genuine enough, how could the monster girls refuse my request to borrow their power or 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, the God of Lust regained composure; its flesh and blood rapidly regenerated.

“You’ve surprised me greatly, reaching this point.”

“But… heh.”

The demon god spat a mocking whisper: “Where are your companions? Why do they stand idle while you fight to the death? Have you never wondered?”

“Or do you truly believe just the two of you are enough to kill me?”

Faced with the demon god’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 still fell short.

Their damage output was insufficient to utterly annihilate the demon god’s avatar.

Even if he could destroy the God of Lust’s avatar with Valentina’s aid, the Sun worshippers trapped in the illusion would still suffer devastating harm.

“So…”

Herbert looked at the God of Lust, and beneath his helmet, his lips curled slightly—he spoke his first words of the entire battle.

His tone was sly, quiet: “Who told you I was fighting alone?”

…

At the same moment.

The Sun worshippers lost in the illusion continued deeper into the tomb, attempting to eradicate the last remnants of the demon cult.

As they pressed forward triumphantly, everyone suddenly froze.

“Huh?”

Just now, a harsh, unmistakable shout rang in their ears.

(“Hey!!!”)

(“Can you hear me? You cowards!”)

???

“Who’s talking?!”

(End of Chapter)