“Master~”
Amid Gabriella’s repeated, coquettish pleas, Isabella suddenly came to her senses.
From the very beginning, she had felt boundless guilt toward Gabriella.
She had once hated Gabriella; hated this accomplice of the human invaders, loathed the title “Silver-White Sword Empress.”
Yet, in the face of gradually awakening memories, that hatred… surprisingly surged back in an instant.
Grievance and unwillingness brewed once more.
She tried to suppress those uncontrollable emotions, but her power flared and spiraled out of control again.
At that moment, it was Gabriella who comforted her.
That day,
she had merely recalled a few scenes of being slain by the holy sword; just a handful of painful images had nearly made her unable to contain the erupting [Shadow].
She was about to force it back down when Gabriella appeared.
You must be disgusting, right? Terrifying, right?
An existence even more savage and cruel than the old me; an Evil God that makes the entire world tremble.
Yet
Gabriella wasn’t afraid at all.
Instead, she walked straight toward her.
…
In that moment, while Gabriella panted beneath her again and again, Isabella nearly lost herself once more.
When she finally snapped back, the hatred had already transformed into a desire to dominate; and then into an even more twisted love.
Even the part of her that was the Evil God had gradually begun to adore Gabriella.
When she woke up the next morning, she felt it was the most relaxed and satisfied she had felt in recent memory.
Gabriella had untied the knot in her heart.
But she didn’t know how to repay her.
Listen to her advice?
Give her more authority and status?
Or simply cook for her; with Liya and Elsa’s help; and try her best.
It was incredibly enjoyable.
Watching Gabriella eat the food she made herself; even knowing it couldn’t truly please her refined maid’s palate or conquer the instincts honed over years of service…
Still, the moment her heartfelt effort was digested bit by bit inside Gabriella’s body, Isabella felt the same sincerity in return.
Love turned out to be far more complicated than she’d imagined, yet also far simpler.
Yes~
Gabriella loves me, so I should respond to her love.
Isabella’s left eye transformed into the Evil God’s cross-star.
A few strands of deep violet appeared among her golden hair, accentuating her ghostly, demonic charm even further.
“Let’s defeat Simona together.”
“Master, Master~♡”
Gabriella, thoroughly caressed, let out an enraptured moan.
Her slightly parted cherry lips exhaled utter submission and profound love for the Evil God; her dark eyes overflowed with insatiable longing; the instant the Demon King touched her corrupted patterns.
She’s been granted power by Master.
That feeling again.
Everything is so clear and simple; being empowered by Master is such a blessing…
The familiar sensation.
Of love.
Eliminating her master’s enemies is only natural.
Yes, I’m the Evil God’s [Apostle] now; I’ve already been stained her color, so I should act exactly like an apostle would~
Gabriella gazed at Isabella, begging for affection:
“Master, this time I want a [Gift] too~”
“After the battle.”
“But…”
A playful glint flickered in Gabriella’s pupils; the look she gave Holy Queen Simona was equally teasing.
“Master, Simona is my friend. I want her to become just like Tina~”
“Mmm~ I approve of my wife’s idea.”
BOOM—!!
The holy sword in Gabriella’s hand began to morph.
The silver-white hue vanished completely, replaced by a gigantic claw woven from writhing shadows; like a colossal beast baring a mere fraction of its terrifying presence.
With a light flick of her wrist, the claw slammed down, carving a shocking crater into the ground.
Both walls of the Black Stone Mountains pass cracked; massive boulders rumbled downward, unable to bear the strain any longer.
“Gabriella?!”
Holy Queen Simona had not expected such a decisive strike; and this attack clearly wasn’t meant to kill her.
She wants to take me alive?
Does Gabriella still have some humanity left?
No… she’s only following the Evil God’s orders. She has no self-awareness right now.
“Cough, cough…”
Simona stood atop the cliff face, gazing a hundred meters below at the figure emerging from the cloud of dust; the monster that had sprouted jet-black wings.
The former Silver-White Sword Empress, Gabriella.
She had attacked because of the Evil God’s command.
Dark magic also lingered within Simona’s own body.
Once, a maid named Liya had brainwashed and dominated her.
Horns and a tail had grown; she had been a single step away from complete corruption, from losing any chance of ever returning to humanity again.
The training she endured while fallen still echoed in her ears, making her cheeks flush with shame even now.
It was a humiliation and brand she bore as both a human and as Holy Queen.
Yet it also let her understand Gabriella’s suffering perfectly.
The sensation of being dominated by the Evil God must be far more humiliating than being controlled by Liya!
Gabriella was surely fighting inside; desperately wanting to break free and help her, yet unable to disobey the Evil God’s commands, forced to wield the dark power within her body.
“Gabriella, I told you; I will save you.”
Golden light coiled around Holy Queen Simona, forming a radiant barrier that made her silhouette almost invisible.
If it were the old her, she would probably have lost already.
But the Simona who had endured eight years of harsh training and painful trials was no longer the weak girl who could only serve as the Silver-White Sword Empress’s assistant.
She had always followed Gabriella; some had even called her a mere shadow.
She never minded; she gave silently, all for this very day.
She was no burden; she could surpass Gabriella and protect her.
The Evil God had not fully awakened yet.
Her personal guards would find it difficult to fight freely in this terrain and battle.
And now, she had found a way to save Gabriella.
That [weapon] once buried beneath the Sacred Tree was waiting in the fortress, fully charged.
As long as Simona was here, she could purify the curse afflicting Gabriella.
“O sacred flames, bless me.”
Orange-red firelight flared in Simona’s pupils.
Golden stripes appeared on her arms, stretching to her shoulders and neck like magical brands left by the sun itself.
A wave of heat spread with golden flames; her already-flowing long hair danced with streams of molten-gold light.
Her body rose gently into the air.
She looked down upon the Evil God and Gabriella, radiating the terrifying pressure of a sovereign, and declared in a voice heavy with divine authority:
“I am Holy Queen Simona.”
“The sacred flames shall purify all evil.”
The blazing power coiled around the sword in her right hand condensed into an even sharper, heavier blade; transforming into a massive, holy greatsword.
Her white skirt fluttered lightly around her; like a divine war goddess illuminating the world.