112 - The Butler Dismissed by the Saintess Couldn’t Possibly Be the Demon Dragon Princess

Chapter 112: Absolute Overpower "How can this be?" The knight's face turned ashen, his eyes widening in sheer shock at the scene unfolding before him. In his memory, not even Lady Saint Aelia's original Light Binding technique could absorb someone else's power. Yet, here was some unknown kid who had managed to achieve what he considered an inferior version of the technique. As time passed, he felt his strength slowly dissipating. He was convinced that if he allowed the chains to keep their contact with his Sacred Sword any longer, he would soon be reduced to nothingness. In a desperate attempt, he withdrew his Sacred Sword from the chains. However, at that very moment, Silver-haired Lilian let out a cold chuckle, her finger making a slight motion. "Do you think you can escape?" Upon her words, the black chains surged forth as if coming to life, wrapping themselves around the knight's Sacred Sword. To his horror, the knight watched as his Sacred Sword began to crumble, eventually disintegrating into white lights that were completely devoured by the black chains. "This—this is impossible." The knight found himself suspended mid-air by Lilian's chains, terror and despair painted across his face. It dawned on him that he had antagonized an entity far beyond what he could handle. Years of pride as a knight vanished in an instant, replaced by the shame of a defeated soul and the guilt of failing to protect the people. His strength was considerable—among the top ten in the Holy City—yet the only one who could unequivocally suppress him like this was Lady Saint Aelia. But the Holy City was in peril; infected beasts attacked relentlessly, and this assault was ongoing. Before receiving intelligence about an intruder within the city, he had been outside, purging beasts alongside every capable knight. With all the elite knights occupied outside the Holy City, and Lady Saint Aelia tending to the wounded in the chapel, it was clear no one could save him imminently. "Which hand did you use to raise the torch?" "Was it your left or your right hand?" Lilian's voice rang out, laced with malign curiosity as if this detail was immensely significant to her. "Never mind, since you can't remember, might as well chop them both off." Her voice, cold as the winter wind, swept past the knight. She raised her delicate hand, and the dark chains, having consumed the Sacred Sword, coiled around the knight's arms like serpents. The knight's silver armor might as well have been paper against those chains, yielding with alarming ease, and the air echoed with the sound of metal giving way. "Is this really the end for me?" With closed eyes, the knight despaired internally, realizing that there was nothing left he could do to resist. The disparity in strength was too vast, an insurmountable chasm that mere courage could never bridge. To her, he was nothing more than a feeble plaything— a notion more sarcastically apt than merely calling him powerless. "At the very least, I must relay this information to Lady Aelia." A resolute expression flared on his face, indicating his final resolve. With a sudden reopening of his eyes and gritted teeth, the last remnants of his blood force surged, eventually converging on the insignia of the Sacred Knights on his chest. "With my blood, I ignite the light," he roared, and the insignia ignited, emitting a blinding white light. Lilian's pupils contracted, sensing a thread of danger from the impending action—not from the action itself, but from the person who might be drawn by it. She commanded the black chains to constrict instantly, but it was too late. A dazzling pillar of white light surged skyward, exploding midair into an enormous cross of light, with the sacred words "Aelia" glowing at its center. "Wretch! Pest! Initially, I only intended to cripple your hands, but now you're courting death. So be it—die you shall." A massive black chain shot forth from Lilian's hand like an arrow, rocketing toward the knight's chest. As the black chain barreled toward him, the knight shut his eyes, sensing the formidable essence emanating from it, fully aware that its impact would undoubtedly pierce through him. Nonetheless, he had found peace, knowing that delivering this message at the twilight of his life would suffice. He imagined Lady Aelia would arrive in time, vanquishing the infected with her unparalleled prowess. This belief stemmed from the unshakable faith in Aelia's might; after all, the Sacred Knights held on to a simple creed: "Where the Holy Light shines, Lady Aelia is invincible." No one had ever truly witnessed Aelia's full strength, yet no one dared to question the truth of that creed. As the knight prepared for the end, a golden barrier materialized before him, halting the chain's deadly advance. "Stop right there." A serene and sanctified voice echoed around him, as a strikingly beautiful woman with peach-pink hair and clad in a white saintly robe appeared by the knight's side. Silver-haired Lilian was unsurprised by Aelia's arrival. Her understanding of Aelia's capabilities made her well aware that her opponent possessed an ability to teleport instantly. The once cacophonous street fell silent upon Aelia's appearance, her gentle and sacred light purifying everything around her. Lilian narrowed her eyes, a mischievous grin playing on her lips as if unfazed by Aelia’s entrance. "You've arrived, Aelia." Aelia's gaze was calm and profound. She peered into Lilian's eyes as she slowly asked, "You're not Lilian. Who are you?" Lilian merely chuckled, her black chains retracting and weaving around her like sentient beings. "Who am I? What an intriguing question." "Perhaps you could say I am a different version of her, inheriting all her memories and emotions." "A different version of her? Then why do I sense traces of myself in you?" Aelia seemed to comprehend something, her expression softening. "It seems I was mistaken. Lilian was undergoing more than just a change in temperament."