The story of the black silk female knight

Moreover, when Valensa discovered that her domain was harming others and tried to retract it back into her body, she found that she couldn't do it at all... Perhaps she was too nervous, or perhaps Rika's experience was outdated; in any case, the method she had planned to retract the domain was completely useless.

Fortunately, powerful beings of the Shining Rank have a high resistance to the devouring of domains, and Valensa did not resist. Rika and Sila promptly beat Valensa up, knocking her unconscious, before the terrifying domain was finally withdrawn into Valensa's body.

At this moment, the lighthouse-level priestess who was the first to succumb and faint had her clothes melt away like ice, and her body had become translucent, looking no different from a ghost. If Valensa's domain had been withdrawn any later, this priestess might have truly been completely devoured.

Afterwards, the clergy who were accidentally injured received careful treatment. Valencia also apologized to everyone after waking up. She even worked as a cook and maid in the Church of the Sun for three days, using carefully prepared food to show her sincerity in apologizing.

The clergy who were mistakenly injured quickly forgave Valensa, or rather, they never really blamed her in the first place.

Because Lika had already said beforehand that Valensa was testing the area for the first time, and there were too many unknown factors that could lead to danger. It was their own curiosity that prevented them from going to watch, so they couldn't blame Valensa for the danger they encountered.

The members of the Church of the Sun have always had a harmonious relationship, and the injured had little reason to blame Valensa. Valensa still sincerely apologized, and the matter was naturally resolved quickly.

Having learned from her first failure, Valensa was extra cautious during her second test in the field.

To avoid accidentally harming her own people again, Valencia simply didn't test her domain inside the Church of the Sun for the second time, thus avoiding being watched by a large crowd.

She chose to conduct the test in a deserted forest near the capital, with several powerful members of the Church of the Sun, including Rika and Sila, present to prevent any further accidents.

After making all the preparations, Valensa didn't strike any fancy poses this time. She simply focused on reciting a sentence in a low voice, following Lika's instructions:

"Expand the domain."

The boundless ocean and the all-consuming abyssal vortex reappeared, swallowing everything within a radius of approximately 500 meters centered on Valenza.

The flowers, trees, and wild animals caught in the throes of the forest were completely swallowed up without even a ripple.

A few monsters that were somewhat capable of fighting struggled and thrashed on the surface of the water for a few seconds, but that was all. They became still and sank into the water and disappeared completely.

Chapter 25 Restricted Skills

Apart from Rika and Sila, who were among the few Radiant-rank powerhouses, everything covered by Valensa's Domain quickly disappeared, swallowed up by the abyssal vortex in the ocean.

In fact, even Rika and Sila were constantly losing energy. However, since the energy within the bodies of Radiant-rank experts was abundant and they had a certain degree of resistance, they seemed to be fine for the time being.

The purpose of this test was to examine the power of Valensa's Domain, so even though they felt the energy draining from their bodies, Rika and the others didn't call for a stop.

It has been proven that those at the Radiant Rank are indeed far more powerful than those below that Rank.

Previously, in the underground training grounds of the Church of the Sun, Valensa had only been using her domain for a few minutes when those Lighthouse-level clergy couldn't hold on any longer. Their energy was drained, and they were almost devoured.

Meanwhile, Lika and the other Radiant Clerics stayed in Valensa's Domain for over an hour before feeling noticeably tired due to energy depletion, yawning constantly and wanting to sleep.

"That's almost it."

Shera then signaled to Valensa to reclaim the territory.

"Ok."

Valensa readily agreed and, following the new method she had devised before coming here for training, attempted to control the domain back into her body.

This time it didn't go smoothly either. The domain seems to be a very playful child. It's very easy to unfold it and let it out to get some fresh air, but it's not so easy to get it to obediently go home.

Fortunately, having learned from the previous loss of control, Valensa had several ideas in advance... If one method didn't work, she would use multiple methods together.

After more than ten attempts over five or six minutes, Valensa managed to regain control of the domain on her own, despite some difficulty, and didn't have to get beaten up like last time.

But when the domain was reclaimed, the changes around them left everyone speechless.

As a forest near the royal capital, this place was originally a very good environment, with lush flowers, leaves and grass, and many wild animals lived here, as well as a few weak and relatively docile monsters.

Now everything is gone. All that exists within a radius of several hundred meters has vanished, leaving only a desolate, gray-black land.

Even the land was different from before... Valensa, who had already learned a few spells from Friggia, could clearly feel that the land beneath her feet was now extremely desolate. The once rich and abundant earth and water elements had all disappeared, leaving no trace of life.

If planted on such land, even the most resilient plants would have no chance of surviving.

Valensa had only seen similar land in one other place—the Barren Ridge.

It's even worse than the land in the Barren Ridge... At least in many parts of the Barren Ridge, some resilient mushrooms and cacti can still grow, but the land that was swallowed by Valensa's domain can't even grow those mushrooms and cacti.

"...It's residue."

Everyone else was just as surprised as Valensa, but Sila, whose true form was the tentacle princess, the pet of the sun goddess, seemed to recognize the condition of the ground beneath her feet.

She grabbed a handful of those sand-like, grayish-black particles, rubbed them a few times, and then examined them carefully before revealing a very complicated expression.

"Residue?"

Valensa and the others cast curious glances at Sera.

"...Hmm, residue."

Xila pondered for a moment before sighing and saying:

"Before I came to this planet, I had the honor of serving as a pet to Her Majesty the Goddess... Although I was one of the less favored of Her Majesty the Goddess's many pets, it was, after all, a divine kingdom that gathered information from the entire universe."

In our universe, there are more than just one or two planets that have been invaded by the Abyss Evil God... Those planets that failed to resist the Abyss Evil God eventually turned into this grayish-black color.

This substance, which has been devoured by the Abyss Evil God but still exists, is residue... It is waste that has had its essence completely plundered by the Abyss Evil God, roughly similar to biological excrement.

If Valensa's mother hadn't been taken by Valensa's father, this planet might very well be what we're standing on right now.

"what?"

Upon hearing Sylvia's words, Fran, who had also grabbed a handful of grayish-black particles to examine them closely, immediately frowned, threw them away, and rubbed her hands together with a look of disgust before floating into the air.

"So, we've been standing on Valensa's shit the whole time? How disgusting~~"

"That's not it!"

Valensa immediately retorted, embarrassed and annoyed, and rushed over to tickle Fran.

The two of them playfully teased each other, which immediately lightened the somewhat dull atmosphere... The Abyss Spirit Evil God was indeed a terrifying existence, but it was no problem for their own people.

The group quickly began discussing the test results and making plans for the next test.

Given the devastating environmental damage caused by the Valenza Territory, subsequent tests were not conducted within Fran territory... The group set up the tests at sea.

Unlike land, which leaves behind remnants after being swallowed, once seawater is engulfed by Valenza's domain, nothing remains.

Each time Valensa reclaims her territory on the sea, she sees a semi-circular crater, hundreds of meters in radius, appear in the seawater with herself as the center, which is then filled by the surrounding seawater.

Countless marine creatures and monsters sacrificed their lives for the test. Thanks to them, Valensa was finally able to control her domain freely after more than ten tests, and she also basically understood the effects of her domain.

Valensa's domain is like a black hole to inanimate objects; anything that enters it is swallowed up, leaving nothing but debris.

Living beings, on the other hand, have a certain resistance to being devoured. The strength of this resistance is closely related to the life form's own strength... But if you really want to move freely within the domain, it's best to be at the Radiant Rank. Currently, no creature below the Radiant Rank has lasted more than 10 minutes.

What's interesting is that the clothes a person wears and the weapons they carry are not directly swallowed up like other inanimate objects. Instead, they can fight alongside their owner and even buy time for them.

Simply put, if someone is swallowed up by Valensa's domain, their clothes and weapons will disappear first, and then their body will be gone.

Valensa speculated that all living beings possess a biofield that allows their equipment and body to be assessed as a whole.

Overall, this domain is very useful for easily defeating weaker opponents, but it's not as effective as the advantageous terrain created by monster lords' domains when fighting against powerful opponents of the Shining Rank. Aside from continuously absorbing the opponent's energy, it doesn't provide any attribute bonuses.

Furthermore, this field has a fatal flaw... it cannot control its power, nor can it distinguish between enemies and allies... If this field were deployed within a city, Valencia herself might cause more destruction and casualties than the enemies she defeats.

Therefore, after discussions among Rika and others, and after consulting with the headquarters of the Church of the Sun, Valensa's domain was changed to a restricted skill.

This is a special measure taken by the Church of the Sun against certain dangerous abilities or existences.

The nuclear-powered giant-type flesh-and-blood monster invented by Suzuran was deemed a forbidden existence by Saint Velenkasa.

The so-called forbidden beings are those that cannot appear on the land where the followers of the Sun Goddess live, for no reason whatsoever. Once discovered, they must be destroyed, and their users or creators will be captured and punished by the Holy Knights.

The restrictions for Valensa's territory are slightly more lenient.

Most of the necromancy, black magic, and human alchemy listed as forbidden arts are also classified as restricted.

Those who possess these abilities can live normally on the land protected by the Sun Goddess, but they cannot use the restricted abilities at will. Each time they use them, they must apply to the Sun Church in advance, and they can only use them after the application is approved.

If it is used under special circumstances and one has no choice but to use it, then one has to write a very troublesome report afterward and undergo various investigations by the paladins... Once it is determined that a restricted-level ability was used under unnecessary circumstances, one will still be punished.

Given the destructive power of Valensa's domain, it's reasonable for it to be classified as a restricted ability, and Valensa didn't show any dissatisfaction... In any case, even if it weren't restricted, she wouldn't dare to freely expand her domain in human settlements such as cities or towns.

Moreover, this restriction only applies to lands protected by the Sun Goddess; in places like the Barren Ridge, it is not enforced and can be used freely to deal with wild beasts.

After mastering the domain's capabilities and controlling them at will, Valensa began intensive combat training to adapt to the power she gained after her breakthrough.

At first, Fran and Rika took turns training Valensa, but without using their ultimate moves, Valensa and the Six Flower Floating Cannons' combined attack was too fierce, almost equivalent to the combined attack of a Radiant Warrior and a Radiant Spellcaster. Fran and Rika were both struggling to withstand it.

Even seasoned paladins like Lika and Fran found it difficult, let alone the other support-oriented high priests in the Royal Cathedral.

In a life-or-death battle, these veteran Radiant-rank powerhouses would all have a few signature moves that could render Valensa incapacitated in one strike. However, in normal, high-intensity sparring, no one could really last long against Valensa.

As Valensa's control over her power became more and more proficient, she was even able to fight Fran and Rika simultaneously in a sparring match without being at a disadvantage.

Such a record inevitably made Valensa a little arrogant... so she confidently challenged Sera.

It's not about challenging Sila's apparent status as the Star Priest, but about challenging Sila's true form... the Moon-level Tentacle Princess, the pet of the Sun Goddess.

As a result, Valensa was dealt with terribly.

As a Moon-level powerhouse, Sila's main body is much stronger than Valensa in all attributes except for speed, which is almost caught up by Valensa. In terms of physical fitness, she can basically crush Valensa.

Tentacle Princess is known as a witch slayer, fearless of most magic. And Sylvanas, as the pet of the Sun Goddess, is immune to all of Valensa's divine magical damage… Dealing with the arrogant Valensa was a piece of cake for her.

And so, after intensive basic knowledge training, mastering the Six Flowers Noble Phantasm, taking control of her own domain, undergoing high-intensity combat training, and being severely punished by the tentacles for her overconfidence... Valensa's nearly two-month-long special training finally came to an end, and she could reappear in the outside world as a new Radiant Paladin of the Church of the Sun.

According to the plan, Valensa should have started making money with Princess E's undead army last month, but now it has been delayed for a long time, and even the War Academy has already started its summer vacation.

A few days ago, when Tia visited Valensa at the Church of the Sun, she told her that Princess Elses was now quite proficient at using Frostmourne, and Lily of the Valley had already turned the giant flesh-and-blood stitched monster from the blueprints into reality. They were just waiting for Valensa to return so they could start doing something big.

Valensa was also quite eager for this... After breaking through to the Radiant Rank herself, she was more confident in her previous plan.

But there are two things to do before heading to the underground ruins of the Wasteland.

Although the controversy surrounding the secret treasures that arose after the dungeon raid was properly resolved by the Church of the Sun, many details remain unknown or have become topics of discussion, requiring Valensa to personally provide an explanation. For this reason, the King specifically ordered Valensa to visit the palace after her recovery.

In addition to meeting the king at the palace for questioning, Valensa also needs to go to the Adventurers' Guild and the Gourmet Association.

After all, Valensa saved many people from the Adventurers' Guild and the Gourmet Association in the dungeon, so it wouldn't be right for these two organizations not to give her some reward, right?

However, after visiting the Gourmet Association and the Adventurers' Guild in turn, Valensa realized that she had been judging others by her own standards.

The Gourmet Association and the Adventurers' Guild had already prepared a thank you gift or reward for her, just waiting for her to recover before she could collect it.

The Food Association first upgraded Valensa's Gold-level membership to Diamond-level membership, second only to the Big Three, and then rewarded her with a large amount of food points, enough to exchange for three to five top-grade ingredients used to make special pheromone solvents.

In addition, one of the three giants, the hunter, personally promised that he owed Valensa a favor, and that whenever Valensa needed help in the future, the hunter would help her free of charge to the best of his ability.

The Adventurers' Guild is not as generous as the Gourmet Association, but the rewards are still quite substantial.

First, there's the cash reward of 5 gold coins... Considering Valensa's achievements and the Adventurers' Guild's wealth, this amount isn't actually that much.

However, many members of the Adventurers' Guild have died this time, including the guild leader, and they need to spend a lot of money on compensation. They simply don't have any more cash to spare.

Although you get a lot of loot after conquering the dungeon, it takes time to turn that loot into money.

In addition to the cash reward, the Adventurers' Guild's other expression of gratitude to Valensa was a promise made through a formal contract:

Within a century, Valensa will be exempt from all intermediary fees and will have priority when accepting quests from the guild as an adventurer or posting quests as a client.

If Valensa were to die within a century, her children or other immediate family members would also be entitled to inherit this right until the contract expires a century later.

Overall, the rewards from the Gourmet Association and the Adventurers' Guild were quite generous, and Valensa was quite satisfied... Although the Adventurers' Guild's promise was somewhat meaningless to her, she didn't say much about it.

After visiting the headquarters of the Gourmet Association and the Adventurers' Guild in the capital, Valensa went back to Melina's place for a good bath and had Melina help her dress up and tidy herself up before going to the Fran Palace to meet His Majesty the King.

Valenza had only waited for less than 20 minutes in front of the palace gates when the guard who had been in charge of reporting her returned and led her to a side hall of the palace.

Unlike the main hall where the king discussed important military and national affairs with his ministers, this side hall was generally used by the king to receive others in a private capacity. Those who could meet the king in this side hall were basically the high-ranking nobles and key ministers of the Kingdom of France.

Valensa had been here once before, mainly accompanying Princess Elses. This was the first time she had been summoned by the king in this side hall.

Moreover, Valensa met not only the King this time, but also the Crown Prince.

When Valensa entered the side hall, the Crown Prince was fiddling with something with great interest... Valensa recognized the object; it was one of her collection of automatic rifles.

In the dungeon, when the situation was urgent, Valensa distributed all of her collection of over a hundred different firearms to the adventurers to fight off the monsters. In the end, many of them were never recovered, so it's not surprising that an automatic rifle ended up in the palace.

Valensa was not surprised at all, and walked into the hall with a calm expression, giving a knightly salute:

"Greetings, Your Majesty and Your Highness."

"No gift."

The king politely waived the formalities and offered Valensa a seat, but did not directly inquire about the underground city. Instead, he first inquired about Valensa's health.

"I heard that you were seriously injured in the battle of the dungeon, Valensa, and remained unconscious for many days even after receiving divine healing. Have you recovered now?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."