Chapter 88

 The moment Pei Xi pushed open the stone door, before he could even clearly see what lay beyond, a hooked claw slashed toward his face.

His pupils contracted. His face rapidly metalized for defense. One hand seized the giant bird’s leg and slammed it forcefully to the ground.

Pei Xi steadied himself and looked around. This place might once have been a grand and spacious hall of worship, but now it was nearly reduced to ruins. A majestic statue lay toppled in the central pool, and a gigantic monster perched atop the collapsed statue.

The hall’s ceiling had cracked open. Beams of daylight slanted down, illuminating the jet-black body of the giant dragon and its dangerous red eyes.

Pei Xi involuntarily took a step back and clutched his forehead. Something felt wrong?

Suddenly, a splitting headache struck him, as though someone had forcibly shoved his head underwater. In his dazed mind, a continuous stream of images flashed by. Finally, he remembered. It was not supposed to be like this in the dream. He should have entered a holy sanctuary, where a merciful statue cradled the divine sword and summoned the final brave one to claim it…

“Divine sword… divine sword?”

He murmured. Yet before his eyes lay only ruins, a fallen statue, a shattered hall, and monsters, monster corpses.

The giant dragon crouched atop the statue, seemingly resting. Its red eyes shifted slightly. The rough eyelids moved slowly, as though it had spotted an interesting prey. Abruptly, it launched into the air.

Its massive black wings blocked out the daylight from the ceiling. The already ruined hall grew even dimmer. In the graying vision, Pei Xi noticed that the dragon’s right foreclaw seemed to gleam with a faint golden light.

Only when the enormous black dragon’s body nearly filled his entire field of view did Pei Xi look up and see clearly: the black dragon held a golden sword in its jaws!

The same longsword from his dream!

He almost instantly understood what had happened. He had arrived too late.

He should have claimed the sword before the giant dragon broke through the labyrinth. But now, this creature that looked exactly like the legendary demonic dragon had broken through ahead of all the challengers and taken the divine sword…

Pei Xi’s face twisted with unwillingness. Even his jaw trembled. Zhao Mei, Kyle, Roy, Lu Qi, and so many others who believed in him and helped him had carried him all the way to this point. How could he fail here!

The black dragon dove toward him from above with a deafening roar.

The youth’s arms immediately transformed into heavy swords. He leaped upward toward the massive black dragon, his gaze fixed tightly on its foreclaw.

His heavy sword struck the monster’s foreclaw as intended. Yet the pitch-black scales covering the claw completely resisted his blade. He could not inflict any meaningful damage!

Above him, the dragon’s ferocious head drew close. It opened its maw, and flames erupted, sweeping Pei Xi in a wave of scorching heat.

Fire countered Pei Xi’s metal ability. In the crisis of imminent death, a powerful force suddenly yanked him backward from behind.

Pei Xi fell flat on his back. Ignoring the sharp pain in his spine, he struggled to rise and saw scattered all around him a field of dying colorful butterflies.

“Pei Xi!”

Lu Qi’s anxious voice rang out above him. The girl pulled him up in one swift motion.

“Lu Qi, watch out!”

Pei Xi yanked Lu Qi toward himself and shielded her behind him. The black dragon had closed in again, its red eyes brimming with cruel killing intent.

He metalized his body once more, prepared to stand against impossible odds. Yet just as the fanged maw moved to swallow them both, the black dragon suddenly let out a pained roar, flapped its wings, and flew out of the ruined hall.

After the gigantic monster departed, Pei Xi finally saw the exceptionally pure white figure standing opposite him. She stood beside the fallen statue, radiating a sense of solitary coldness that clashed with the surroundings.

“Miss Bai Muqing?”

“Thank you. You saved us.”

Pei Xi quickly realized that Bai Muqing must have intervened to help them just now.

Suddenly, a question occurred to him. When had Bai Muqing arrived? She did not look as though she had only just reached this place.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Bai Muqing seemed even colder than when he had last seen her in the Blood Flower Aberrant Realm. Her presence felt as though she had completely merged into the silent, invisible air, carrying an indescribable exhaustion, much like the collapsed statue beside her.

Pei Xi wanted to say more, but suddenly screams came from above the hall. He frowned. Were there still ordinary people up there?

Whether to save them or to reclaim the divine sword that represented the legacy of the God of Hope, he had to go up and kill the black dragon.

Lu Qi’s colorful butterflies were linked to her own spirit. To save Pei Xi, more than half of them had turned to ash in the flames. She was already exhausted, but to go up and stop the black dragon, she forced herself to rally, showing the same lively smile as always and struggling to gather the butterflies together again.

Suddenly, Lu Qi felt her body lighten. She and Pei Xi began to float upward.

As Lu Qi rose, she looked down. Bai Muqing still stood in place. She had sent the others up but remained motionless herself.

Lu Qi was puzzled. The entire hall had been destroyed beyond repair. Flames were spreading. It would not be long before the hall collapsed completely.

Why was she still staying there?

Bai Muqing stood by the edge of the turbid pool. For the first time, her usually vacant white pupils focused, as though gazing at her own reflection, or perhaps at a deeper corner where a faint light glimmered.

Within 【Divine Domain】, nothing could hide.

That person had taught her how to unleash the power of 【Divine Domain】. Yet at this moment, she wished that person had never taught her.

“God of Hope above… what exactly is Your will?”

Abruptly, she recalled that afternoon many years ago. The black-haired girl in a white dress had walked beside her into the church for the Saintess selection. The extreme contrast of black and white in her soul had made it impossible for Bai Muqing to look away.

Bai Muqing stood in silence for a long time before finally turning and leaving.

✧✧✧✧✧

Using an item she carried, Lu Qi carefully bandaged an injured person. She also took a moment to observe her surroundings.

She had not expected so many people above the labyrinth. It made her head spin. She had never seen an Aberrant Realm divided into upper and lower layers before?

Strangely, there were quite a few human corpses here, but also many monster corpses. The scattered crowd seemed to be discussing something.

“Pei Xi, it looks like someone fought here and took down a lot of-”

“Lu Qi, help me!”

The black dragon had been circling in the air. Its red eyes once again noticed a tiny human on the ground.

Pei Xi expressionlessly dispatched another bird monster that approached him. Now his eyes held only the monster high above. Kill it. Reclaim the sword. He could not fail the expectations placed on him again!

The Cloud Soarers team was already falling behind in this ability competition. Even the divine sword had been snatched by a monster first. This powerlessness made him extremely frustrated, even irritable. The black dragon’s figure was unbearably glaring.

Lu Qi blinked. She felt somewhat at a loss but had no choice but to follow Pei Xi’s rhythm. As teammates, they should coordinate seamlessly.

Yet it always seemed to be her accommodating him… Lu Qi thought about it, then shook her head hard. Pei Xi had risked his life to protect her. Thinking this way was too strange, was it not?

Lu Qi took a deep breath and, as always, cooperated with Pei Xi. Her ability had recovered somewhat. The butterflies lifted Pei Xi upward.

The black dragon seemed to sense the human’s laughable killing intent. It bared its teeth, flapped its black wings, and suddenly dove toward the ground.

Pei Xi’s gaze sharpened. He stepped off the butterflies and leaped. He dispelled the metal defense covering his body and concentrated the metalization ability entirely into his right arm, pushing it to the absolute limit!

The black dragon appeared to be preparing another burst of flame. Its red eyes glared, only to find this tiny human moving at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of it, slashing toward its right claw.

A heaven-shaking roar echoed through the entire Aberrant Realm. Below, the people hiding shrank back further, looking up in terror.

The black-scaled claw was severed. The five claws loosened. The golden sword the black dragon had seized fell from midair.

A spark of brilliance flashed through Pei Xi’s blue eyes. As long as Lu Qi’s butterflies carried him one more stretch, he could grab the divine sword!

However, the supporting butterflies did not swarm up to lift him as he expected. On the ground, Lu Qi’s hands trembled as she controlled them. The butterflies were too weak to fly high anymore. Not far away, a boy with a gentle smile and glasses walked over. 

“You have come this far. That's quite impressive.”

Yu Tianming pushed up his glasses. His ability could not only amplify the powers of others but also weaken them.

He smiled and patted Lu Qi on the shoulder. “Unfortunately, the protagonists of this story are not you.”

Lu Qi bit her lip. A tall figure walked past her side. His deep golden eyes did not spare her a single glance.

“Sykes…”

Lu Qi angrily called out the Crown Prince’s name directly.

Sykes looked at the golden sword falling through the air. A cold, mocking smile curved his lips. So this was the secret that those fanatical followers of the God of Hope had hidden for five hundred years?

The golden sword left behind by the God of Hope, something even the royal family and the church had never been able to find, was finally about to fall into his hands today.

As long as he possessed it, he would become the empire’s most legitimate incarnation of the God of Hope, the destined savior, not a tyrannical, despised monster.

Sykes reached his hand toward the sky. Suddenly, he recalled how someone had once arrogantly claimed they could grant him fair redemption. The smile in his eyes became a little more genuine. How ridiculous.

He needed no one’s salvation. He only needed to stand at the pinnacle of this world. Who would then have the right to cast him into hell?

The next moment, Sykes’s expression suddenly changed. A bird monster snatched the falling longsword in its beak. The black dragon, having lost one claw, regained its balance in the sky, dove down, and bit the bird monster, seizing the golden sword in its own mouth once more.

Just as the black dragon was about to soar high again, Pei Xi, who had fortunately landed on a tall tree, snapped off two thick branches and hurled them one after another toward the demonic dragon’s eyes.

The demonic dragon, now blinded, roared in agony. The golden sword it had clenched in its jaws slipped and fell into its stomach. The demonic dragon circled frantically and powerlessly in the sky before finally crashing down, right onto the cracked dome of the labyrinth hall.

Everyone knew the opportunity had arrived.

The golden sword hidden within this labyrinth needed no explanation. It was the treasure left by the God of Hope, symbolizing divine recognition.

And now, the divine sword was inside the demonic dragon’s body.

The demonic dragon seemed to be in torment from swallowing the sword of the gods. It writhed on the ground, roaring in pain. Flames continuously spewed from its mouth, igniting roaring fires all around that made approaching impossible.

Even Sykes hesitated for a moment.

Pei Xi leaped down from the tree. Even if the flames consumed him, he had to charge in. Zhao Mei had endured such agony just to bring him to this point.

The fire spread even further. The already injured and exhausted people once again fled outward, only to discover in despair that beyond the area cleared by the black-clothed ability user, other monsters circled everywhere.

The people could only turn back helplessly. At first they saw several young ability users advancing toward the flames. Soon, someone sharp-eyed spotted a figure in black light armor standing atop the writhing demonic dragon at the very center of the inferno.

“…Zhao Mei.”

Pei Xi rushed into the encirclement of flames. He stared blankly at the friend who had appeared once more.

Zhao Mei was no longer clad in a black robe. The youth’s figure was tall and slender. He crouched atop the demonic dragon, gently stroking its rough black scales as though offering soothing comfort.

Those green eyes looked over, still brimming with gentle light. In the reflection of the fire, they appeared even warmer.

Just like the gaze Zhao Mei had given when he voluntarily accepted the stake as a “traitor” not long ago. Just like the warmth in his voice under the moonlight a few days earlier, when he said he was willing to bear any duty too glorious and burdensome for Pei Xi.

Pei Xi’s tense face finally showed a trace of a smile. Even the burning pain of the flames seemed to lessen. No, it was not an illusion. Flowing water on the ground was soothing the fire.

Zhao Mei had already steadied the demonic dragon for him. Pei Xi quickened his pace toward the most trustworthy friend.

But one figure moved faster.

[T/N- if you are confused why same monster translated as "black dragon" & " demonic dragon" , because black dragon (黑龙) is what it is from narrator pov, but from pei xi pov it became demonic dragon(魔龙) , basically pei xi think of himself as God of hope so naturally his opponent should be legendary demonic dragon.]

Sykes disliked wearing defensive gear. His originally clean white shirt had been scorched black by the flames and torn in several places, exposing his fair skin. Yet Sykes seemed completely unaware.

He would allow no one to steal his prey.

He removed his black gloves. An extremely powerful shockwave scattered the flames before him. Suddenly, someone tripped his advancing steps.

“Sykes, your opponent is me!”

Pei Xi could not possibly stand by and watch Sykes attack Zhao Mei. Ignoring his own injuries, he once again engaged Sykes in combat.

The youth sitting atop the demonic dragon tilted his head slightly, as though puzzled, watching the two fighting not far away.

The demonic dragon obediently lay flat on the ground. The youth gently brushed over its rough scales again. Cool streams of water flowed through the gaps in the scales, making the demonic dragon feel extremely comfortable.

It hummed softly, hearing the youth’s voice so light it was almost inaudible.

“Sorry. There are things I must do.”

The next moment, the quietly coiled demonic dragon let out another agonized howl. Sharp pain erupted from its abdomen. A pillar of water shooting straight up from the underground hall pierced through its belly.

At the same time, a massive surge of water erupted from below, extinguishing the surrounding flames. The panicked people witnessed a curtain of water descending from the sky, calming the raging inferno.

The demonic dragon straightened its massive body in violent pain and threw its head back in a long roar. It flapped its wings but could no longer fly.

Yet everyone saw the youth atop the gigantic dragon.

“…Zhao Mei?”

Pei Xi and Sykes almost simultaneously stopped fighting. Pei Xi looked up at the black-haired, green-eyed youth slowly standing on the demonic dragon’s back.

He called his name, but his voice carried a trace of disbelief and foreboding, as though he had already sensed what was about to happen next.

On the demonic dragon’s back, the golden sword burst out of its body as though summoned. Amid the demonic dragon’s heart-rending roars, the radiant golden blade stood straight and tall atop the creature.

The youth in black light armor stood right behind the golden sword. He casually grasped the hilt.

Pei Xi’s pupils trembled. The metalization on his hands unconsciously released. He dragged his steps slowly toward the demonic dragon and the youth.

What was Zhao Mei trying to do? Was he going to draw the sword? Why did all of this feel so incomprehensible to him?

Sykes was faster.

The golden-haired, golden-eyed prince moved with lightning speed. He leaped from the ground all the way onto the demonic dragon’s body. He would kill this audacious fool who dared try to replace him as the chosen one.

The golden eyes filled with killing intent drew close to that calm face. Then they suddenly lost focus.

Long strands of hair brushed across Sykes’s soot-stained face. For the first time, he opened his golden eyes so wide.

The youth seemed unable to bear the heat. He reached up and pulled. A cascade of long, glossy black hair poured down.

That face remained unfamiliar. The green eyes looked at him without sorrow or joy, like a true divine statue.

In that momentary daze, water coiled around Sykes’s waist and yanked him down from the black dragon’s body.

In the Crown Prince’s incredulous golden pupils reflected the figure of the youth gripping the hilt, drawing the golden sword from the demonic dragon’s body, and raising it high.

Whether it was the young ability users destined to become renowned figures in the future or the ordinary people struggling to survive, many years later, they would still be unable to forget this scene that could only be called a miracle.

Many could not clearly see the youth’s face, but that signature long hair was unmistakable to almost everyone in the lower district.

First one person hesitantly called out the words “Saintess.”

After the youth drew the golden sword, the demonic dragon lost its last breath and collapsed completely. She lightly jumped down from the massive corpse. The flames still burning on both sides flickered with every step she took.

The gray sky cracked open, revealing the warm sunlight of the mortal world. The Aberrant Realm had been shattered.

The demonic dragon, the sword-wielding youth, the agent of the God of Hope who saved people from fire and water.

By the time Pei Xi fully reacted, everyone around him was shouting two words.

“Saintess!”

“Saintess!”

✧✧✧✧✧

Upper district, church headquarters.

Wen Jian had just finished dealing with the matters that had recently left him exasperated. He pulled a file from his desk, about Ye Zheng.

Were her recent actions truly just coincidence? Especially after being kidnapped by that Sela, which had provoked her into revealing details from back then.

There was nothing worth investigating about Ye Zheng’s background. The Ye family was a minor noble house; their affairs were all out in the open.

But lately Wen Jian had become overly suspicious, to the point that even he felt it was unnecessary. Yet after reading through the file, especially the parts concerning Ye Zheng’s maternal family.

Wen Jian expressionlessly slammed the file onto the floor. He gritted his teeth and hissed, “It must be her!”

“She actually… she actually…”

Wen Jian let out a twisted laugh. He was fortunate that Ye Zheng had not yet gained real power. She was still just a powerless mascot Saintess. He could easily crush her.

Until a church staff member rushed in frantically and told him an even more unbelievable piece of news.

At the same time, outside the manga world, the most controversial, most discussed, and most viral chapter update of 《Throne of the Aberrant Realm》 was about to drop.