Chapter 141: Purification

“Hold her tight? Or else she might disappear somewhere?”

Mirexia’s beautiful eyes rippled.

The surface meaning of these words seemed to be just reminding her to hold her steady and not let her fall, since flying through the air with such a big person in her arms without a seatbelt was indeed unsafe.

But Mirexia felt there was a deeper meaning to these words.

Perhaps she was overthinking it.

The girl probably just wanted her to hold her tight and not let go, that’s all.

“Alright, I’ll hold you tight and won’t let go,” Mirexia knew now wasn’t the time to ponder other things. She tightened her embrace around the fragrant, jade-like girl with cherry blossom hair. The scent of white tea and lavender inexplicably calmed her heart.

Immediately after, Mirexia spread her strong, clawed dragon wings, and a pair of golden dragon horns grew from her head. At the same time, Vanessa retracted her [Flawless Holy Feathers], completely letting Mirexia bear her weight.

The moment the angelic wings were retracted, countless tentacles and black mist suddenly surged towards them.

Mirexia’s eyes narrowed slightly, a red line appearing in her deep blue, ocean-like eyes, as thunderous and soul-stirring.

[Dragon Eyes: Crimson Truth]

In the gaze of the mighty dragon eyes, all the attacks from the Sharag showed a trajectory. She just needed to avoid these red-marked paths to remain unscathed.

This was one of the great dragon skills, [Crimson Truth], which required a high compatibility with the soul armament.

Only specific individuals could master it, and it consumed an enormous amount of mana.

Every second it was active, it burned through mana rapidly, so this state couldn’t be maintained for long.

Mirexia’s [Soul Armament] and [Divine Blessing] had been sealed from the start, so her mana hadn’t been used for a long time, leaving her with a surplus.

Unlike Vanessa, who had cast a high-level light magic of the [Saint Envoy] and summoned the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] for a short while, her mana was almost depleted. She was now relying on mana potions to keep her mana from bottoming out.

Although [Divine Blessing] was powerful, it required a high amount of mana. Keeping it active prevented Vanessa’s mana from recovering, so they had to share a pair of wings to reduce consumption.

The current situation seemed favorable, with them having the upper hand, but in reality, it was quite the opposite. Vanessa keenly sensed that the situation was actually very unfavorable for them.

Her mana was almost exhausted, and she only had one mana potion left. If she couldn’t deal effective damage before the potion ran out, they would eventually fail due to mana depletion.

Even if Mirexia still had mana, without Vanessa’s healing magic, their chances of winning would significantly decrease.

Mirexia’s level was higher than Vanessa’s, and her mana capacity was also larger, so she had more mana left. Vanessa had Mirexia bear the mana burden while she slowly accumulated mana.

With this in mind, Vanessa took another sip of the mana potion.

Hmm, citrus flavor.

Vanessa had actually wanted to complain about this earlier. The alchemical potion market was highly competitive. As time went on, it had evolved from focusing solely on efficacy to also emphasizing taste.

For instance, a newly developed mana recovery potion not only required a renowned alchemist to develop and endorse it but also needed to develop specific flavors.

Flavors like peach, citrus, apple, and lime were no longer novel. Flavor blending had gradually become an essential part of alchemy.

Did Mirexia prefer citrus flavor?

Vanessa wondered silently.

But this citrus flavor felt a bit unusual, stronger, with a hint of a vaguely familiar floral scent.

Probably a new product, a mixed flavor or something.

Vanessa didn’t dwell on it.

Mirexia, holding the girl, dodged countless tentacles and venom in the air. Clearly, she had extensive flying experience, maneuvering and spinning with practiced ease.

Vanessa hadn’t flown much. Although she had some muscle memory, being held in someone’s arms with her vision constantly shifting was somewhat disorienting.

Unlike Vanessa’s angelic wings, Mirexia’s dragon wings were strong and powerful, vibrating the air and shattering the tentacles that came their way.

As the two approached, the Sharag’s reactions became increasingly erratic. Each of its small eyes released lasers aimed at the two in the air.

Mirexia weaved through the laser rain effortlessly, as if she knew exactly where the beams would strike. Her massive dragon wings flapped, making it seem as if she was dancing a dreamy waltz with the pink-haired beauty in her arms.

The pained face on the demon became even more twisted. Its mouth slowly opened, spewing corrosive poison.

Mirexia feinted, ascending to bypass the poison, reaching a blind spot above the demon’s forehead.

This position was unique, only accessible to someone who could fly. It was a blind spot where the poison and the eyes on the head couldn’t reach, as if it was a natural weakness designed for this painless monster.

The two eyeballs on the pained face spun wildly, revealing a hideous and twisted expression, as if it greatly resisted anyone moving to this position, as if it was its Achilles’ heel.

In these eyes, besides madness, Vanessa saw a hint of human-like expression, suggesting the purple-robed man hadn’t completely lost his consciousness. Or perhaps, he had become a self-aware monster by borrowing the bodies of other believers.

How strange, why leave such an obvious weakness? It was as if to say that while the Sharag was a formal follower of Erunes, it was ultimately just a failed creation.

As for these believers, they were just materials used to create this failed product.

“Mr. Purple Robe, is that you? Can you hear me?” Vanessa spoke with a smile, first signaling to Mirexia to stay here, where the Sharag couldn’t reach them.

Mirexia flapped her dragon wings with just enough force to keep them in place, while watching Vanessa.

“You’ve been questioning my identity, haven’t you? I’ve thought about it and realized you’re right; I can’t provide solid evidence to prove my lineage as the goddess’s descendant.”

The twisted face seemed to not understand what Vanessa was up to, but it was surely nothing good.

“Now, I’ve come up with a great idea,” Vanessa pinched her chin lightly, smiling as she snapped her fingers. A cluster of colorful cherry blossom-colored glass flame ignited.

The moment the flame rose, Mirexia felt the temperature change drastically. The surrounding heat increased instantly, and even with her strong resistance to high temperatures, she felt her hair dampen with sweat, and her wings felt like they were about to scorch.

This was the Holy Fire of the Church, the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings]??

Mirexia had only heard of its fame in books and history classes. This was her first time seeing the legendary holy fire in person. It was said that this fire symbolized the goddess’s divine punishment on evil, and even a demon god would be burned to nothingness if touched by it.

“Identity can be faked, appearance can be faked, but this one thing can’t be faked, right~?” Vanessa smiled as she watched the horror and fear on the Sharag’s terrifying face.

These beasts had brought endless panic and disaster to the world. Now, it was her turn to give them the same feeling.

“You recognize it, so I suppose I don’t need to explain further,” Vanessa flicked the largest flame she could summon onto the Sharag’s forehead.

“?!”

The moment the small flame touched the Sharag’s forehead, it instantly spread across its entire body.

The five-meter-tall Sharag was immediately engulfed from head to toe in the colorful glass cherry blossom flame.

The twisted face on the Sharag’s mouth let out inhuman roars and wails, sounds that humans couldn’t understand or comprehend, chilling to the bone.

It instinctively wanted to counterattack but found itself already consumed by the holy fire, its strength completely devoured.

It was as if a sinner who had committed countless atrocities had been stripped of their power by the Goddess of Radiance.

It didn’t even have the strength to support its massive body anymore. Under the burning of the holy fire, the Sharag’s huge black body was purified like filth, and the black mist emanating from it was also burned away.

As it was being burned, amidst the crackling sounds, it seemed as if countless wailing souls were heard, not mournful, but with a sense of relief.

Under the watchful eyes of Vanessa and Mirexia, the Sharag’s massive body collapsed.

Before it could hit the ground and raise dust, its body was completely burned to nothingness by the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings].

Filth, completely purified.

The entire process seemed long, but it took less than five seconds for the Sharag to be completely purified.

“Virtue +1000 (Killed Erunes’s secondary follower).”

“Current Virtue: 6484.”

Mirexia stared in shock. A single flame of the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] had incinerated a secondary follower of the Demon Pillar??

She had only read about the holy fire’s power in books, and written descriptions were often pale compared to the visual impact before her.

This was the destructive power of the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings]?

“Phew...” The girl in her arms sighed in relief. Her mana was completely depleted now. After eliminating the biggest threat, the exhaustion from mana depletion set in. Vanessa was truly worn out, her tense nerves relaxing all at once. Without much thought, she leaned casually into Mirexia’s embrace.

Mirexia was momentarily stunned, noticing that sweat had dampened the girl’s snow-white neck and alluring collarbone, her skin tinged with a seductive peach hue.

Since Vinny was leaning on her shoulder, she could directly feel the girl’s scorching body temperature and the sweat that was now indistinguishable from whose.

Mirexia silently averted her gaze.

“Virtue +200.”

“Current Virtue: 6684.”

Huh?

Vanessa, resting against Mirexia, was suddenly surprised.

Why did her virtue increase again?? She really hadn’t done anything this time??

Could it be that just being with Mirexia, she could gain virtue by simply breathing??

Vanessa looked up at Mirexia, who was holding her, and noticed that the latter wasn’t looking at her but had turned her gaze elsewhere.

Additionally, a faint blush was visible on the golden-haired girl’s cheeks.

Hehe~

She was secretly paying attention to her but pretending nothing had happened.

Her childhood friend was as adorable as ever~

Indeed, Princess Mirexia was the type who could passively increase virtue just by existing.

With this thought, Vanessa felt a bit mischievous and decided to tease her, smiling as she gave Mirexia a playful look.

“Erunes’s followers have been dealt with. Does Princess Mirexia still plan to hold me tight?”

“Oh, I don’t mean anything by it. I’m just saying, if you find it comfortable to hold me, you don’t have to let go. I don’t mind,” Vanessa added, feeling Mirexia’s body tremble.

“Virtue +100.”

“Current Virtue: 6784.”

With this, Mirexia, given her personality, would definitely not continue holding her, no matter how much she wanted to.

“Do you have the strength to stand?” Mirexia naturally denied Vanessa’s words, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to look into her eyes.

“Hmm~ That depends on you, Princess Mirexia. I’ll fully cooperate with your thoughts. If you find me comfortable to hold and want to keep holding me, then I won’t have the strength. If you think I’m heavy and don’t want to hold me anymore, then put me down,” Vanessa said, batting her eyes flirtatiously at Mirexia.

Alright, she was saying all this on purpose, just to tease Mirexia and scrape up some more virtue.

“Virtue +300.”

“Current Virtue: 7084.”

Princess Mirexia, you’re truly my lucky star~

Watching her virtue rise, Vanessa was overjoyed.

“Stop messing around,” Mirexia gently set Vanessa down, then took out a handkerchief to wipe her face, seemingly to wipe sweat but actually to hide her current embarrassment.

The difference in personality before and after Vanessa’s transformation was too vast, making Mirexia wonder if they were two completely different people.

No wonder Vinny had never been exposed; her acting was so good that she could fully play two roles. Anyone who saw them wouldn’t connect the two, let alone think they were the same person. The difference was too great.

It felt like if it was an act, it couldn’t be this convincing. It must be his true nature. Could this be Vinny’s real personality??

Had the notorious, overbearing young master in the capital always been an act??

Mirexia couldn’t tell which was Vinny’s true personality anymore.

As for Mirexia’s reaction, Vanessa wasn’t surprised. Knowing her childhood friend’s stubborn personality, even if she wanted to keep holding her, she would have to let her go.

After all, continuing to hold her would mean admitting it was really comfortable, and Mirexia would never admit such an embarrassing thing.

For a moment, the atmosphere fell silent, whether because both were exhausted or for some other reason.

“Princess Mirexia, I know you have many questions for me, but before I explain, could you promise me a small request?” Vanessa leaned forward slightly, her smile turning polite.

“I promise,” Mirexia didn’t hesitate much, already guessing what Vinny wanted to ask.

“I knew I could count on you. Yes, this request, I mentioned it before.”

“Please keep what happened to me today a secret, Princess Mirexia.”