“Teresa?!”
Leanna and the others were all startled by Teresa’s decision.
But Merrick was not swayed by her willingness to sacrifice herself, nor did he choose to spare Leanna and the others.
“So, you all share such deep bonds. But unfortunately, anyone who dares show disrespect to the Preston Family must pay the price in blood.”
He snapped his fingers, and the pressure of a Demigod descended suddenly upon the girls.
In an instant, they were forced to the ground, their bones creaking painfully.
Then, he pointed his index finger, and a beam of Light of Judgement shot from his fingertip, aiming straight at the girls’ foreheads.
“No!”
Teresa cried out, trying to shield them with her own body, but at that very moment, the Sun Mark on the back of her hand grew scorching hot!
Just as the golden light was about to engulf her, a pillar of purest, pitch-black light containing boundless majesty crashed down from the heavens, as precise and merciless as Divine Punishment, striking Merrick head-on!
And before Teresa, a slender black silhouette appeared.
With just a casual wave of her hand, she dispelled the Light of Judgement completely.
Merrick was blasted backwards, the magic swirling around him unraveling as if encountering its nemesis, scattering in an instant.
He barely managed to stabilize himself, both shocked and enraged:
“Who are you?! How dare—”
A cold, clear voice cut him off, not loud, yet echoing straight into the depths of everyone’s soul: “On my land, to lay a hand on my people—did you ask my permission?”
Only then did Merrick notice the woman who stood before Teresa.
She wore a long black dress, teardrop earrings glinting, her posture still elegant as ever.
But her gaze, once cold and indifferent, now bore a divine detachment that looked down upon all living things.
For reasons unknown, the moment he saw her, Merrick felt as if he was facing a true Goddess.
“Who are you?!”
Isavel did not answer his question. Her voice was icy as she retorted, “You dare lay hands on them. Do you not know the identities of these young women?”
“So what if I do? Anyone who challenges the Preston Family deserves death, no matter who they are!”
Though Merrick was shaken that this woman could repel him, pride and the fury of being disregarded drove him to retaliate.
“I don’t know who you are, but I’ll give you some advice—if you meddle in this matter, your end won’t be any better than theirs.”
“Is that so? Then I’d like to see what power you have to threaten me.”
“Looks like hiding away was a mistake. The world seems to have forgotten the terror of the Preston, the Deity’s Descendants.”
Merrick sneered, the magic that had dissipated around him surging wildly again. The power of a Demigod pressed down, rendering the surrounding forest lifeless.
The sky darkened, and he rose into the air, his hands drawing down the lightning from the clouds above, until it seemed that only the sound of thunder remained in the world.
In this moment, he looked just like the God of Thunder himself!
“It’s about time for the Preston Family to return to the world. And you—will be the first stepping stone for our resurgence!”
As soon as he finished, his hands clapped together, fusing two bolts of lightning into one.
The lightning became a Lightning Spear, which shot toward Isavel at a speed beyond sight!
Boom—!
The Lightning Spear struck Isavel directly, causing an explosion so tremendous that countless trees toppled in its wake.
Leanna and the others were caught in the blast, thrown off their feet in utter disarray.
“Lady Isavel!”
When the explosion finally faded, they looked anxiously toward where Isavel had stood.
Though Isavel usually treated them cruelly and they sometimes wished misfortune upon her, at this moment, the Saintess was their only ally.
If she lost to Merrick, then surely they would all die.
But Teresa was not very worried about Isavel, still unable to recover from the shock of her appearance.
In the sky, Merrick snorted. That Lightning Spear was one of his signature killing moves; to this day, few had ever survived it.
So, that person…
Just as this thought flashed through his mind, his pupils contracted and his hair stood on end.
In the aftermath of the lightning explosion, as the dust settled, Isavel stood gracefully in her black dress, holding the Lightning Spear in her hand.
“A Goddess? Hmph. You know nothing of a god’s power.”
With a faintly mocking tone, Isavel’s right hand tightened ever so slightly, and the Lightning Spear shattered like glass.
Though he was shocked to the core, Merrick’s pride as a Deity’s Descendant would not let him endure such mockery.
He summoned up all the Divine Grace within him, transforming the sky into an unimaginably huge sun.
Forbidden Spell—Blessing of the Sun!
“Descend!”
But facing such a terrifying spell, Isavel simply lifted her slender finger and pointed gently at the sun in the sky.
“Disperse.”
At her word, the sun vanished instantly, dissipating like a cloud of smoke.
“To steal a sliver of light and claim yourself the sun? How laughable.”
Thump, thump, thump—
Merrick’s heart raced with terror, cold sweat soaking his forehead and back. He couldn’t comprehend the strength of the woman before him.
He was a Demigod, a true powerhouse at the pinnacle of The Mortal World!
Why? Why could she so easily destroy his ultimate move?
Had the world changed so drastically in the few years since the Preston Family withdrew from the world?!
No—impossible!
The Preston Family will always be the strongest clan in the Mortal World.
After all, they are the Deity’s Descendants!
At this thought, he began to burn his own magic, falling into utter madness.
“In the name of the Ancestor of Preston, I will pass judgement—”
“Noisy.”
Before he could finish, Isavel impatiently waved her hand, vast magic condensing into a giant palm that slammed Merrick heavily into the ground.
Perhaps feeling the overwhelming difference between them, the Divine Grace in his body fell silent, as if a servant kneeling before its king, refusing to respond to him any further.
“No… Impossible… Who… who are you really…”
His faith and pride shattered, all that remained in Merrick was boundless terror.
Isavel approached him, still refusing to answer his question.
A villainous Saintess must have the air of a villain.
“The bloodline you’re so proud of—filthy and inferior in my eyes.”
After this mocking remark, she didn’t even bother to look at the now-limp Merrick again.
“Get lost. Tell the Duke of the Preston Family that Teresa belongs to me, Isavel. If you dare reach out again, I won’t mind making this world… lose one more so-called ‘Deity’s Descendant family’.”
Off to the side, Yuri, having seen Merrick’s defeat, was already kneeling on the ground, forehead pressed to the earth, trembling so much that he dared not utter a single word.
Then, Isavel turned, her gaze sweeping over the stunned Order of Knights’ girls, finally settling on Teresa, whose lips were pressed together and whose eyes were filled with complex emotion.
“Remember this—this is the weight that my tools should carry. The Preston Family? Nothing but a handful of dust.”
As her words faded, black light flashed, and she disappeared as quietly as she had come, leaving behind an endless sense of awe that lingered in everyone’s hearts.
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