- How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

"Praise the Saintess, praise the Goddess!" As Vanessa was resurrected and transformed into a six-winged form, the previously silent scene erupted into fervor. Shouts of excitement cascaded one after the other, wave after wave. It wasn't just a glimmer of hope in the midst of despair; everyone within the academy, whose injuries were healed by the radiant particles from Vanessa's wings, added to the jubilation. "Look! Some people said I was exaggerating before, and now? Where's that person? Step out, huh?? The shimmering particles falling from her feathers can heal flesh and bone instantly—no advanced healing spell could achieve that! What isn't divine about this?" someone argued defiantly. "Your Holiness, did you hear the prayers of your believers?" Loyal devotees of the church wept with joy. "The Goddess still loves humanity, loves us as always!" Just then, an abrupt black wind swept in, causing everyone to instinctively shield their eyes. Thunder roared amidst the clouds as if it intended to shatter the firmament. This was the wrathful roar of the Demon God Pillar. 'Vanessa' shielded herself with her wings, casting a protective glow that formed a robust barrier of light, safeguarding the people below. This sight resembled the Goddess unfurling her wings to protect her believers from being encroached upon by the Demon God Pillar. "So beautiful, truly beautiful!..." exclaimed an art instructor from the safety of a shelter, witnessing the spectacle as he converted to being a devout follower of the Radiant Goddess. "I must capture this marvel on canvas afterward! It's so breathtaking that not completing this painting would be my life's regret!" The artist stared intensely at the scene, desperately imprinting the moment and feelings, as if a blink would leave him lamenting forever. Not only was he struck with awe, but thousands who beheld this vision were as well. For many students and instructors at Kareliman Academy, their faith in the Radiant Goddess was superficial, treating her more as a symbol of humanity than a deity. Yet, witnessing such a grand miracle made it hard not to be moved and firmly ground their beliefs. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Terilis Continent?" 'Vanessa' sighed softly, reaching out as if to caress the familiar mountains and rivers. "And likewise, it's been a long time, old 'friend' of the Valeris family. After all these years, you haven't changed a bit." She gazed with a gentle smile at the tentacles and the great shadow behind the Six-Star Portal. Implying perhaps, 'After all these years, you've made no progress.' "Well, if you think your outfit is fashionable, that's your business, I have no objections, but..." Between the hands of the six-winged angel ignited a multi-colored fire with a cherry-colored core. In stark contrast to Vanessa’s divine flame, Selena’s Divine Anointed Blaze burned intensely, harboring the power to destroy the heavens. Compared to this, Vanessa's holy fire was merely a flicker, whereas Selena's was the real Divine Anointed Blaze. "You bullied my adorable descendant, sought to destroy the seal of the Divine Authority in the Pinnacle of Order, intending to plunge Terilis Continent into chaos, and harm all beings—I can't just stand by." It seemed as though the incomprehensible roar of the Demon God Pillar was comprehensible only to 'Vanessa.' Similarly, her voice reached only Eulneus. The response was a surge of swirling clouds and flickering lightning. 'Vanessa' understood this was the Demon God Pillar shouting her name in sheer fury. Selena Valeris. "Eulneus, it’s surprising you still remember me. Should I say, it's my honor?" said Selena, wearing a confident smile while possessing Vanessa's form. "This domain is not your demonic realm; the rules of Terilis limit you incessantly. You've only emerged with a single tentacle here. I might not be able to kill you, but 'inviting' you back is a breeze, so please, return, unless you’d like me to escort you with some undignified actions." Falling lightning struck the light barrier formed by her wings, to which Eulneus responded. "Why insist? Ignoring such advice only embarrasses both sides," Selena commented, raising her palm to unleash her Divine Anointed Blaze. Unlike Vanessa's close-combat holy flame, Selena's blaze erupted like a fiery dragon, directly assaulting Eulneus's tentacle. Yet, being the Demon God Pillar, Eulneus’s tentacle was coated in a bluish-green radiance, its scales gleaming as it collided head-on with the Divine Anointed Blaze. The high-dimensional field around his tentacle was incinerated instantly by the holy fire, leaving nothing but charred remnants. Even before the sanctified angel’s fire, a Demon God Pillar could be wounded, or even fall. However, the difference was that the Demon God Pillar could endure far longer, whereas those loyal to powerful demonic entities and demons themselves would be silently roasted, acknowledging approval. But Eulneus had no intention of retreating. Having waited so long, seizing this rare opportunity, he wouldn't relinquish it. He believed that even if Selena manifested, she wouldn’t be stable. Once she couldn’t hold on and retreated, victory would be his. His goal was endurance. Should he withstand the burning of the Divine Anointed Blaze, triumph would be his. Indeed, Selena’s temporary manifestation couldn’t last long; Eulneus was not mistaken. However... Selena didn't appear anxious, as if success was assured. Eulneus wasn’t deceived by her facade. Among the Demon God Pillars, he had dealt most frequently with the Valeris family, deeply understanding the craftiness of its descendants—seasoned actors, just like their ancestor. Having fallen for their tricks multiple times, he was determined not to repeat history. Eulneus resisted the searing of the Divine Anointed Blaze. Due to his massive form, the holy fire couldn’t consume him quickly, though the air resonated with his furious roars and the sizzling of burning scales. The Demon God Pillar stretched its tendril toward Selena, attempting to entangle the fire-wielder, but the tentacle's tip was completely scorched, unable to rival the speed of the Divine Anointed Blaze. Though Eulneus struggled against Selena, and she couldn't swiftly obliterate his tentacle, the scene was locked in stalemate. Yet, Eulneus's goal wasn't to defeat Selena. As she noted, Terilis didn't welcome the Demon God Pillar, and its rules imposed severe limitations. Only a fraction of his strength could be exerted here with merely a tentacle emerging on the continent. For him, outlasting Selena was easier than defeating her. He was confident she couldn’t maintain her presence long. Indeed, he sensed Selena's instability and that the current burn of the Divine Anointed Blaze was insufficient to fully consume his tentacle. He had won. This time, he would retrieve what was his and reclaim the supreme deity's throne. The Demon God Pillar’s roaring echoed through the clouds, mingling spatial ripples with flashes of thunder. In such a high-stakes battle, spectators were the most vulnerable. Fortunately, Selena had preemptively shielded the people below with her luminous barrier against the resultant shockwaves from the enraged Demon God Pillar. The Divine Anointed Blaze illuminated every expression below, rekindling hope in everyone. Yet, crucially, the Divine Anointed Blaze ceased. Selena, maintaining her raised hand, pulled back her strength just as Eulneus’s tentacle hadn't completely lost its ability to act. Observing the silent cherry-haired angel, Eulneus realized he had triumphed. Selena had depleted her energy upon manifestation. The millennia-long contest between Valeris and him concluded in his victory. All that remained was to sabotage the Pinnacle of Order. But why did that woman still wear that overly confident smile? As if the outcome was already certain? It must be another one of those performances by the Valeris woman. Useless. This woman in front of him, knowing she was about to fail, still wore the expression of victory. Didn't she realize that maintaining the pretense was pointless? "Well then, until next time, Mr. Eulneus. Though I'd like to say 'never again,' I know that's impossible, so I hope I see you again next time," Selena waved at Eulneus, her lips curled in a teasing smile. Eulneus seemed to realize something, turning his gaze toward the Six-Star Portal. Not only Eulneus, but the spectators also realized Selena had an ulterior motive. As their sight shifted to the gate the Demon God Pillar had opened in Terilis Continent, they discovered that the portal brimming with multicolored, shimmering glaze was almost consumed by the Divine Anointed Blaze. Indeed, Selena never intended to target Eulneus directly, nor did she expect to incinerate his tentacle. She projected the appearance of confrontation, leading everyone to believe she aimed to go head-to-head with Eulneus, while in reality, as her holy fire swept over his scales, its tail shifted, targeting the upper portion of the tentacle's portal. Being in a blind spot, Eulneus failed to notice it, and even the spectators’ attention remained on Eulneus’s tentacle, ignoring the gradual incineration of the Six-Star Portal by the Divine Anointed Blaze. The omnivorous Divine Anointed Blaze could set even the Demon God Pillar alight, let alone an energy construct like the Six-Star Portal. Under Eulneus's grudging gaze, his meticulously crafted 'ticket' to Terilis Continent was swiftly incinerated and closed, along with his boundless ambition. Subjected to a fierce burn from the Divine Anointed Blaze, not only did he fail to achieve his goal, but he also suffered complete loss—an undeniable defeat. The Pinnacle of Order, the lost Divine Authority, and the position of the Most High God were matters no longer for Eulneus to ponder. With the symbolic Six-Star Portal of the Demon God Pillar closing, his immediate concern was retracting his tentacle quickly to avoid losing it. While losing a limb was trivial for a Demon God Pillar and would regenerate swiftly within his domain, it would still consume some of his power. As nearly a third of the scorched tentacle retracted back through the portal, tranquility returned. Yet, it wasn’t quite over. On a sky stained with impurity, Selena stood, high above. Her pristine six wings eclipsed the sun as the angelic maiden clasped her hands, closed her eyes, and parted her lips. In the gaze of the people, she sang a sacred hymn of haunting beauty, unfamiliar yet otherworldly. The voice, akin to a siskin emerging from the valley, resonated through the sky. The melodious sound seemed to repair the war-torn landscape and withered soil. The once-dead sky seemed to rejuvenate, the dark clouds parted by a gaping rift, streaming apart to reveal the vitality of the earth beneath, healed under the saintly chant. The starlight and particles cast by her six wings fell upon the sacrificial circle, upon the students enslaved as the Demon God Pillar’s minions. The hardened, horn-like skin on them began to recede, their demonic traits vanishing, gradually restoring their human complexions before they collapsed, exhausted, to the ground. "What is that!?" "Her Holiness, she has transformed the controlled students back into humans!?" "Is this the Goddess's redemption?" "Praise the Goddess!!!" With hearts filled with awe and gratitude, people knelt as one, fervently offering their worship. As the sacred chant reached its final stanza, the cherry-haired angel opened her eyes, casting one last glance at the crowd below. With a flutter of her wings, she soared skyward, becoming a streak of light that descended into St. Selena’s Chapel. "Oh dear, little Vanessa, what do I do? I regret it now," Selena sighed suddenly in a tone of remorse, having landed in the sacred chapel. ‘What is it, Lady Selena?’ Vanessa, whose body had been possessed by Selena, watched as if a spirit from the side, puzzled by what could cause Selena regret. Despite the immense relief from the crisis being averted, Vanessa, in her current state, couldn’t quite express it physically. Thanks to her esteemed ancestor, she thought with gratitude.