Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

A semi-transparent figure floated out of the scepter, put her hand on Ryuka's shoulder to encourage him, and not only did her tone become incredibly seductive, but her appearance also changed due to the influence of the witch's power.

Her golden robes were wrapped in purplish-black bandages, resembling a bodysuit that constricted her beautiful body. If they weren't semi-transparent, they would probably exude an alluring fragrance. Her eyes held a mixture of cruelty and lust as she stared intently at Shinadiel in the divine realm, as if she were a nemesis she hadn't seen in a thousand years.

Just as she said, Paruru, who was performing the summoning ritual, let out a curious "Huh?", surprised by the sudden increase in the concentration of spirits around her. She also finally noticed the quiet competition unfolding on Ryūka's side, revealing an incredulous expression: "You Merlin, you're not here? Merlin is here...?"

"This... is a divine realm like that of Lord Ancestral Spirit? Although it's small, only a small part of what he controlled, it's definitely true!"

Hearing Paruru's mutterings, Ryuka forced out a sentence through gritted teeth and shouted, "Paruru! Stop standing there! Didn't you come to help me? Tell the gathered spirits to stop watching the show!"

Paruru seemed to wake from a dream, and immediately began to murmur in an obscure language, but she quickly showed a troubled expression and said to Ryuka:

"They...they explained why they should help you, saying that although you have authority, your power is not enough to make them submit...Most of these spirits are local natural spirits, unlike other young spirits. Although they do not have the ability to control a region, they have a certain level of intelligence and can make choices and think like humans..."

"Why?" Ryuu couldn't help but chuckle. He understood why Yu had said that the spirit tablets for certain mountains and rivers were more difficult to obtain, and that it was even necessary to have one's followers take on the roles. They were practically like people, knowing exactly what to do with what they were offered!

"Because I have conquered this land! Tell them! If they do not obey me! I will level the forests and mountains! I will dam the rivers! I will let humans settle and occupy this place! Is that reason enough?!"

Under the influence of the witch's power, Ryuka became somewhat tyrannical. The divine kingdom's power, far exceeding his own, filled him with resentment and anger. This emotion perfectly aligned with the witch's power, just like that time in the filthy brothel of the nobles in Sochi City. Ryuka gradually felt his emotions spiraling out of control, yet his power was growing wildly!

"That's right~ That's exactly it~ That's the conqueror~ Little master~ Well done~"

While Paruru couldn't see, Yu whispered in Ryūka's ear, chuckling, seemingly quite pleased with his performance. This made Ryūka's eyes narrow, and he roared at Paruru, who was still stunned by his tyrannical remark:

"Hurry! Tell them exactly as I said! I can rally humans to carve roads and build houses in the mountains and forests! I have the power to flatten mountains and build dams! Whether I'm there or not, these earth spirits will eventually decline under human expansion, replaced by souls and spirits that accompany humans! But if they submit to me, I will cherish nature as I would my own people! Otherwise!!!"

"I...I understand..."

Despite being a shaman who believed in nature, Paruru felt a bad premonition as she watched the black aura gradually rising from Ryūka's body. In a fit of fear, she relayed Ryūka's words verbatim to the earth spirits.

"Oh no... some of them have completely left..."

Paruru's voice sounded somewhat dejected, as if she felt guilty for hurting Ling's feelings, but Ryuka chuckled in the distance.

"But some people chose to accept me, didn't they?"

Invisible points of light converged from all directions, like drops of water forming a river, which then transformed into a jade ribbon, circling around Liu Xia again and again. The wind whispered, the leaves sang, and the mountains seemed to tremble, as if praising the conqueror born from among them…

Looking at this shocking scene, Paruru couldn't help but mutter to herself, "How could this be... what she just said was so hurtful..."

"Sometimes, just being good friends isn't enough; you have to show some courage..."

Ryuu grinned. He remembered that Paruru had said there were many kinds of spirits, some born naturally and others born from living beings, so their habits would naturally be different. For example, spirits of thought and spirits of soul were more likely to submit to him, and he didn't need to win the support of all spirits; more than half would be enough!

With the spirit's blessing, Ryuga felt as if he had wings. The sluggishness and dullness caused by the divine kingdom disappeared, replaced by unparalleled freedom and comfort, as if every wisp of air and every inch of ground beneath his feet was helping him. He raised the scepter in his hand, which was surrounded by the golden power of the witch, the followers, and white spiritual energy, and with a roar, slammed it hard onto Shinatiel's sphere of light!

Boom! Cracks appeared in the light sphere beneath the hammer blade, and purplish-black demonic energy spread deep inside like a venomous snake. Yu's expression also became excited and ferocious.

Just then! The sleeping Hinatil suddenly opened her eyes, her beautiful eyes filled with anger and disbelief, her pretty face twisted with rage because the divine kingdom had been desecrated!

"Heretical bastard!!!"

With a furious growl, a powerful burst of holy energy erupted, shaking the entire forest like a tidal wave! Ryusha was pushed far away, while Paruru tumbled several times on the ground. At the same time, on the other side of the forest, Tavis, sensing something amiss, instantly dropped his lunch, drew his longsword, and rushed over.

"You really are a heretic... Ottus actually appointed a heretic as governor, huh, no wonder it's a country tainted by witches..."

Hinatil landed on the ground, her hands gripping the papal scepter, her body trembling from heavy breathing. The silver poison in her body hadn't been completely cleared, which seemed to be making her very uncomfortable, not to mention that a trace of purplish-black demonic energy had also invaded her body!

Her white high-heeled boots were spread apart on the ground, but her knees involuntarily twitched inward. The bishop used her scepter to support her somewhat unsteady body, and slowly raised her face from her cascading black hair, revealing an angry eye. When she saw a crack appear on the scepter that had been bestowed upon her, her golden pupils trembled twice.

"Good morning, Your Excellency. You're quite grumpy when you wake up!"

Ryūka, gripping a short-handled scepter resembling a warhammer, slowly rose from the ground and sneered at Sinatiel:

“I’m here to avenge Atina! And where did you take Luminova? She’s not at Sochi Cathedral! How did you get that information from her?!”

Although Luminova is usually clumsy and verbally expresses strong aversion to heresy, aside from her penchant for causing trouble, she is kind to the children and the people of the town. Even with former slaves who are indifferent to the Church, Luminova insists on using church charity to influence them rather than expelling or eliminating them. She only intervenes when someone commits a crime or uses foul language, and even then, it's just a reprimand or lecture.

Therefore, Ryusha doesn't quite believe that she would actively help Hinatil and commit acts of violence against Linhu Town. Especially regarding Atina, Luminova has no reason to know about her heretical abilities.

But Hinatil didn't want to pay attention to Ryusha; her eyes swept over the faces of the three people in front of her.

"The heretical shamans of the north, the filthy dark elf hybrids, the hosts of heretical demonic beings..."

Finally, her gaze lingered beside Ryūka, as if she could vaguely see a wisp of demonic energy. She murmured to herself, "A witch...? Heh, I've finally caught Ottus red-handed. Teacher Carmela will be so proud of me..."

Hinatil's reaction sent a chill down Ryūka's spine. Her murmur was so faint that the others seemed not to hear it. Ryūka couldn't help but glance at the floating Yu beside him, his heart sinking at its purplish-black form.

But Ryusha quickly pretended nothing was wrong, turning her attention back to Hinatil with a cold smile. Now she was all alone, no longer under the control of the Holy See's Star Power, and was also plagued by poison and demonic energy, yet she still spoke so arrogantly.

"You're over twenty years old, and you're still trying to win your teacher's approval? You don't usually act like a little girl who's done something wrong, getting spanked by that old saintess, do you?"

Ryusha's words did not enrage Hinatil. She simply smiled coldly, stomped her high-heeled boots hard on the ground, and charged towards Ryusha like a white meteor!

Boom! The expansion of the scepter unleashed a violent impact! Hinatil's stunningly beautiful yet cold face appeared before Ryusha, exuding an unstoppable majesty even though it was tainted by poison and demonic energy!

"You want to see Luminova? Then come with me to the Holy City! And your little girlfriend who's hiding in the heretical ruins, she'll be caught there and put on trial sooner or later!"

His strength far surpasses that of a Grand Master! Even surpasses Olivia!

But with the help of the spirit here, Ryuka was not afraid at all. As a great knight, Tavis even drew his sword to help. Although Paruru was confused about the situation, she chanted shamanic incantations and enveloped the two of them with the blessing of the ancestral spirit!

On one side, there were purple-black, gold, and spiritual lights; on the other, there was holy white light. The battle raged fiercely, shaking the mountains and forests. Birds vanished, beasts scattered, and even towering trees snapped in half from the aftershocks! Soon, Tavis and Paruru were no longer able to intervene and could only watch as Ryūka and Hinatil fought...

The two fought for over a thousand rounds. As the sunlight gradually shifted, Hinatil began to show signs of pain. The poison and demonic energy in her body began to surge, causing her movements to gradually weaken.

Great opportunity! What a pity, even though they have great legs... Kneel down before me!

In a moment of sensory deception, Ryuka swiftly circled around to below Hinatil and swung his scepter down hard at her knee!

Thud! Thud! The crisp sound of bones breaking rang out from the enormous impact! Hinatil's left leg bent into an unnatural shape, her face contorted in pain, but she couldn't scream at all!

But with a fearless attitude, she also injured Ryūka's shoulder, forcing him back with her holy energy. She then fell heavily to the ground, but quickly used her scepter to prop herself up. She stood on one foot, bent over, panting heavily, desperately trying not to cry out.

"She's really a tough nut to crack~ I'd love to try every kind of torture on her~ Hehe~"

Ryuu, clutching his shoulder, got up from the ground and fell silent, listening to Yu's encouraging words beside him. He looked at Hinatil, not daring to relax for a moment. Often, when you're in dire straits, that's when the enemy uses their trump card.

"God, please forgive me... your incompetent follower... Teacher Carmela, I have failed your expectations... Heretic demon, perish with me!"

Sure enough, a resolute glint appeared in Hinatil's eyes, and the holy energy within her surged into the scepter with unstoppable force! This caused the crack on the scepter to visibly magnify!

Is it coming?! Is it a self-destruction? Ryuka showed a hint of caution and was just about to create some distance when Yu suddenly shouted:

"Don't be fooled! That's a transfer and shelter! She's being teleported to the nearest shelter!"

Before Ryūka could react, Sinatiel, bathed in light, revealed a mocking smile:

"See you at the Sochi Cathedral, you demon host, or rather, Ottus's lackey. What if you dare attack the cathedral..."

Having said that, she vanished in a burst of light! Meanwhile, in the cathedral of Sochi, a beam of white light suddenly appeared from the sky above the altar, piercing through the dome and reaching the ground. The cathedral bells tolled twelve times, causing Rocco and Joel, who were still arguing about what had happened earlier, to change their expressions.

"All clergy, prepare for battle! Fighting priests and nuns, follow me!"

"Paladins! Prepare your weapons! Fortify the church doors! Don't overlook any possible entrance!"

The two rushed into the church. Beneath the altar, Hinatil's dying figure emerged from the dust. The scepter in her hand was cracked and slowly turned to dust...

"Give this to Lady Carmela..."

With her last ounce of strength, Hinatil grasped the dust that the scepter had turned into and condensed it into a cube containing runes using holy magic.

“Divine Decree Code…”

Rocco stared in surprise at the cube, a means of communication within the Vatican that could not be opened by anyone except designated clergy, and was difficult to destroy even with far superior power.

Joel, on the other hand, tested it by touching below Hinatil's nose with his hand:

"He's still breathing! Quickly, take His Holiness the Bishop to the underground chamber! Let all the healing priests come and treat him!"

A group of priests and nuns rushed over, while Joel stepped back from the crowd, looking helplessly at Rocco, who was horrified and didn't know what had happened or what to do.

If only Rocco had listened to his advice back then and purchased a communication crystal ball from the Sochi Cathedral, things would have been much better. But the Vatican viewed magical technology as heresy even more than magicians, and therefore strongly opposed it.

"Unfortunately, Your Grace, let alone sending intelligence, we're barely able to protect ourselves..."

He turned his gaze outside the church. In the wake of the commotion, Megan and Hafran had mobilized a large number of city guards, completely surrounding the Sochi Cathedral. If it weren't for concerns about casualties and the fear of word getting out of a public attack on the cathedral, they probably would have already taken action…

Hetia, having snapped out of her daze, seemed to receive some instruction and rushed to the scene:

Where is Melanie?

"Didn't we serve our master together last night? She's in a worse state; she probably hasn't even gotten out of bed yet..."

Megan made a circle with her index finger and thumb on one hand, and inserted the index finger of her other hand back and forth inside, saying with a hint of helplessness.

"Megan, go and call her here quickly! Have her engage the magician in a magical interference attack! Ryusha said that, regardless of whether the other party has magical communication capabilities, we must block all information flow through the cathedral!"

Megan looked puzzled: "What did Master say? When?"

"Don't worry about that for now!"

Hetia gritted her teeth, staring intently at the Sochi Cathedral, and fell silent.

Meanwhile, from the forest east of Linhu Town, a delicate and melancholic melody drifted out.

"Damn it! Seriously! How could we let her get away! She must have moved to the Sochi Cathedral! Ryūsha! We have to go back and raze that place to the ground!"

"I'm not willing to accept this," Yu said unwillingly. Liu Xia slowly stood up, dusted herself off, and said:

“That won’t do. The cathedral is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we use siege equipment, the news will be impossible to keep quiet. Once it gets out, the Holy City’s punitive army will be more than we can handle.”

"What are you afraid of~" Yu gave Liu Xia a rare wink, floating around him. "War, all-out war, blood and slaughter will make you stronger. And those delicate nuns and Xinatiel, don't you want to do something about it? Have you forgotten how powerful you were when you put pressure on those lowly spirits?"

Ryūka remained calm as he looked at the 'Royal' figure beside him, who was covered in purplish-black, and said softly:

"It seems you weren't wronged to lose a thousand years ago."

Yu's pupils contracted, then blossomed into a radiant smile: "What are you talking about, my little master?"

"You are not Yu." Liu Xia looked at her, recalling everything that had just happened, and coldly said to the 'Yu' in front of her:

"If I'm not mistaken, should I call you 'Cruel Witch,' Bell?"

Chapter 10 The Witch's Trail and the Changes of the Past Few Months

The 'Royal' before her maintained his smile, though a hint of danger flickered in his eyes. Under Ryuka's gaze, she giggled.

"What a perceptive little guy!"

"Yu, how is she?"

Who knows?

Ryuka's eyes darkened. According to the rules of power among gods, it was likely that when he used the power of the witch, the witch rifts in the Hall of Consciousness formed a link with Yu, leading to the current situation.

Before her now stood the witch from a thousand years ago, the legendary cruel ruler. Ryuka was incredibly nervous, but struggled to remain calm. After Bell acknowledged his identity, he simply stood beside her, his mind a chaotic mess, filled with a torrent of frenzied emotions.

Is she a spirit of the dead? Or an evil god? Did she remain in the world after being slain by Kranar, or did she awaken after a long slumber like Chloe?

Ryuka tried her best to gather her thoughts and asked the cruel witch, "So, you didn't die back then, or did you just wake up?"

"Death? Hehehe~ That's quite an interesting description..."

Yu laughed heartily, showing no intention of answering Ryūka's question. Instead, he sarcastically asked Ryūka:

"How is it? My lovely descendant's body feels quite comfortable, doesn't it? You and my power are a perfect match, why don't you just become my familiar?"

Although it was an intangible hand, the way 'Yu' lifted her chin seemed to emanate endless pleasure, and Ryuka could even see the flow of magic within it. He took a half step back, realizing that this Primordial Witch was nothing like Kania; she was more dangerous, more twisted, her words filled with deception and manipulation of others, a kind of arrogance that exuded self-importance…

His retreating action elicited a hint of disdain from 'Yu'. The purplish-black demonic energy on her body was slowly fading away, seemingly indicating that the witch within was leaving this spiritual body.

"You're not the only one I can choose from. You'll regret this, little one~"

It seems that Bell has only temporarily taken over Yu's spirit body and has not truly revived. Perhaps, like Chloe now, her true consciousness is still in another space, and she only came into contact with herself through the use of power.

Seeing that Yu had returned to normal and seemed completely unaware of what had happened, Liu Xia couldn't help but feel worried.

Why myself?

There are many descendants of witches, not just those in Kania and the Otus royal family; there should be witch descendants all over the continent. But why did this cruel witch appear beside me… perhaps it's because of the Leader's Certificate…

"What's wrong? Where's that woman from the Vatican? What happened?"

Ryūka recounted what had just happened to the Imperial General. She wasn't surprised, but instead fell into silence and deep thought, before finally speaking:

"It seems you can no longer use the witch's power. I don't want to be controlled by someone else..."

"Without using the witch's power?" Ryuka grumbled, somewhat annoyed. She hadn't actively used the witch's corrupting power in a long time, but the latent effects were still there. Whether it was regaining power during moments of pleasure or being easily influenced by her surroundings to develop a violent mindset, it was all too difficult to avoid! Unless she became a reclusive ascetic!

"Don't you have any ideas? Your existence must be as ancient as hers, right?"

Yu rolled his eyes: "I already said, my memories are incomplete... Oh right! Wasn't there also an ancient being?"

Ryuka suddenly realized that "御" referred to Chloe. As a deity left over from that era, Chloe's attitude towards her was quite good; perhaps Chloe knew about the cruel witch and could thus find a way to block her.

It seems I should get started on my promise to help her build a temple.

Of course, there's another matter: dealing with the Papacy. Although he's completely sealed off Sochi Cathedral, the Papacy behind it will always be a threat. Ultimately, it's because he, as a regional lord, isn't strong enough. If he were to build Sochi Province into a powerful, independent kingdom, then even if the Papacy's holy city far away wanted to conquer him, it would have to think twice about whether it's feasible…