“You have lost everything. Do you still intend to continue opposing me?
I told you, you could join us.
This is your final chance.”
The girl’s voice carried no emotion whatsoever, as if it were not produced by any creature Gabriella recognized.
It was merely information transmitted through the vibration of a mass of flesh—ethereal, delicate, and pitiable, yet it filled her with a powerful inner revulsion.
The girl’s appearance was somewhat blurred.
Gabriella forced herself to stay calm.
She should not be swayed by the emotions of this place.
Instead, she needed to analyze and search for information.
In this world of memories, the location felt exactly like the Demon Domain at that time!
The black soil underfoot was the clearest proof.
But unlike the current Demon Domain, towering crimson giant trees rose all around.
The trees were entirely scarlet, their translucent veins flowing with thread-like strands of black energy.
Their branches seemed to connect to the sky, the complex network of limbs forming a crimson dome that served as the starry vault overhead.
These must be the [Evil Trees]. A warm, inexplicable sense of familiarity washed over her.
The cyan-blue figure floating in the sky above felt even more familiar to Gabriella.
It was a beautiful girl wearing a divine white-and-cyan dress, surrounded by numerous floating white diamond- and rectangle-shaped blocks that seemed to be her means of attack.
She had lovely cyan-blue hair and deep-colored pupils the shade of the ocean, or perhaps the core of a ten-thousand-foot glacier—cold enough to pierce the bone.
Though she had no memory of her at all, Gabriella’s mouth spoke the name before she could stop it:
“[Heavenly God] Cress. I will kill you with my own hands.”
The memory ended there. By the time Gabriella came back to herself, she had already returned to reality.
She found herself breathing hard without realizing it, an inexplicable rage rising in her chest.
It felt as though that so-called Heavenly God had taken everything from her.
However, because the memory was incomplete, the hatred lasted only a brief moment.
All that remained was a faint thread of anger, as if it were tugging at her thoughts and pulling her toward even more distant memories.
Still, this was all the crystal could show from a single absorption.
“Lady Gabriella?”
Saintess Loli’s voice came from beside her.
Gabriella turned her head and realized Loli was holding both of her hands, eyes full of concern.
“I’m fine, Loli.”
“But just now, Master Gabriella, you looked angry.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Mm.”
Loli nodded. Since her master had said so, there was no need to press further.
At that moment, the disguise on the Saintess vanished in a flash of golden light. In its place appeared a mischievous little demon.
She had silver-white hair just like Gabriella’s, charming and eye-catching.
Her petite, adorable body was lovable.
She wore the exact same style of maid outfit as Gabriella, the straps designed with comfortable fabric to allow her demon wings to spread freely.
Her smooth back peeked out from beneath her long hair.
The pair of horns on her head—very similar to Gabriella’s—became visible once her true appearance was revealed.
After Gabriella’s fall, she had not hesitated for even a second before submitting to the power of shadow.
“Master Gabriella, are my horns cute?”
Loli’s voice carried a hint of shyness.
“They’re cute~ Loli is an adorable girl. Next time, don’t change back into your human appearance so casually. It’s better to stay like this.”
“Mm…!”
Loli’s face flushed red, and her small wings drooped gently.
Suddenly, as if recalling some sad memory, her voice grew very small: “If I don’t… there won’t be another chance…”
Gabriella didn’t understand what the silly Loli was talking about for a moment.
“Loli? Are you okay?”
Loli looked as though she had something on her mind. She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out.
Then she showed a relieved smile. “I’m fine, Master Gabriella~ By the way, I want to take you somewhere. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Mm.”
Gabriella nodded in agreement.
Golden light enveloped Loli once more, returning her to human form.
The two of them descended the stairs and left the gloomy tower.
The maid outfits still looked a little out of place…?
According to Philina’s information, the knights were currently in a rather active state.
They were prepared to fight the demon race at any moment and were even holding numerous arena matches to boost morale.
As they walked along the streets, Gabriella began observing the houses and roads inside the castle walls.
It was rare for humans to assemble an army of this scale. The fighting spirit was high.
They headed toward the center of the entire castle without drawing the attention of the sentries.
When the soldiers saw the Saintess returning, they all bowed their heads in respect.
In the past, to resist the demon invasion, humans had built three towering stone walls around the castle.
At the very center stood a stone fortress dozens of meters tall that looked like a stronghold from the outside.
Reinforced load-bearing pillars around it made the grand building appear even more imposing.
Many high-ranking church officials and their attendants lived inside the fortress.
Stepping into the fortress felt like entering a solid, safe stronghold—interconnected corridors, sturdy pillars, orderly defensive structures, and patrolling knights.
Some people cast curious glances at Gabriella and the Saintess as they walked the streets, clearly wondering why the two of them were wearing maid outfits.
At that moment, several knights hurried over from all directions.
They wore crimson armor and appeared to be knights from Flame Lock. Without a word, as if following orders, they surrounded Gabriella and Loli.
“Oh?” Saintess Loli noticed their complete lack of respect. She tilted her head and looked at all the Flame Lock knights with a terrifying gaze.
“Saintess Lady, the Flame Saint wishes to see you.”
“Let her come find me herself.”
The moment those words left her mouth, Gabriella could feel the knights trembling slightly.
The Flame Lock knights did not reply. They seemed to possess the confidence to defy even the Saintess.
Gabriella sighed. These humans really were a foolish bunch.
Although they were stronger than ordinary knights and all possessed marquis-level strength, the gap between them and a Saintess—who was half a step into emperor level—was far too wide.
The Saintess’s power even surpassed that of the Four Saints. Not even the heavenly oracle envoys could easily handle Loli.
The other watching knights remained indifferent.
It was as if they had already received orders from someone and simply stood by while the Flame Lock knights surrounded the Saintess.
“Lady Flame Saint is doing this to protect you, Saintess Lady. She says your condition is extremely dangerous and you might die.”
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