Volume 4 Chapter 266

Volume 4 + Chapter 266: The Final Blood Erosion

Elizabeth’s hand rested upon the Shadow of Gluttony as she once again activated the erosive function of the Blood Divine Authority.

Because this was nothing less than an act of courting death.

Even her consciousness began to fracture, what she saw before her no longer formed a continuous image, and her internal organs were almost being melted away by the aura of the Legendary Beast.

Yet she continued to activate the Blood Divine Authority, pressing forward with the erosion.

The radiance of her divine halo dimmed permanently.

“Yiyaaaaaaahhh!!”

The Shadow of Gluttony went berserk, carving out a brutal claw strike that split Elizabeth’s body cleanly in two, severing her at the waist.

Just as the monster was about to follow up with a vertical claw, intending to divide the Vampire Ancestor into four pieces, an incomparably swift figure burst forth from the Sea of Blood, that was…

A dolphin!

Just like the Blood Whale from before, this too was a construct Elizabeth had created from the Sea of Blood. However, compared to the heavier whale, the Blood Dolphin was clearly a speed-enhanced type.

Before the attack could land, it bit down on Elizabeth’s severed halves, plunged into the Sea of Blood, and caused the Shadow of Gluttony to lose its target.

Due to the erosion from the Blood Divine Authority, the black shadow on the Shadow of Gluttony’s body was forcibly peeling away further, gradually reverting from its fly-like state back into humanoid form.

It unleashed frenzied attacks in place, and wherever the black shadow touched the Sea of Blood, it vanished completely.

“Ugh… ah…”

As the Blood Dolphin resurfaced, Elizabeth reappeared upon the sea’s surface. She knelt on one knee, clutching her chest, vomiting murky black blood while rapidly healing her injuries with the remaining reserves of the Sea of Blood.

She glanced back at her divine halo and saw that little light remained, cracks covered it entirely, and it was already on the verge of collapse.

But the erosion inflicted upon the Shadow of Gluttony was still not enough. 

The Vampire Ancestor roughly calculated that she could only invoke the Blood Divine Authority one last time. After that, the divine halo would shatter, she would lose the Blood Divine Authority, and with it, the means to fight the Shadow of Gluttony. 

If she failed, then Beelzebub’s descent would become inevitable.

Elizabeth stood up, wiped the black blood from the corner of her mouth, and fixed her gaze coldly upon the Shadow of Gluttony.

“Gah! Gahhhhhh!!” 

Once the Shadow of Gluttony recovered, she let out a furious roar at Elizabeth. She, too, was enraged, the massive beastly shadow beneath her feet continued to expand, covering the entire space.

She seemed intent on going all out in her next attack, activating the Authority of Gluttony and using “devouring” itself to completely kill this troublesome enemy. 

So how was Elizabeth supposed to create an opening with the next strike? 

Use the Sea of Blood?

Release Divine-Era Blood Magic? 

Or rely on the Blood-Burning Body to engage head-on?

None of it would work.

No matter which option she chose, none could meet the conditions required to activate the Blood Divine Authority against the Shadow of Gluttony, especially now that the enemy was being serious. These methods could not deliver an effective blow.

Elizabeth needed to land an overwhelmingly powerful strike, one that would force the Shadow of Gluttony to stop moving entirely, in order to guarantee the absolute success of activating the Blood Divine Authority.

And such a method…

She had one.

Elizabeth possessed an extraordinarily powerful trump card, one she had almost never used in battle.

The reason was simple, ordinary opponents were nowhere near worthy of forcing her to use it.

Throughout the Vampire Ancestor’s entire life, the number of times she had employed it could be counted on one hand.

However, during her battle with Cynthia, she had released it more than once.

“Burn the world away.”

Elizabeth raised her hand. The Sea of Blood receded from the ground as if evaporating, transforming into invisible, high-temperature energy that converged into her palm, gradually taking shape.

Scorching flames enveloped her, and a crimson sword wrapped in fire was summoned forth.

She loudly released the weapon’s true name, 

“Demonic Sword! Laevateinn!”

“Yiyiyiyiyiyahhh!!”

Almost at the same instant, the Shadow of Gluttony also launched her attack. The colossal beastly shadow beneath her erupted like a rampaging monster, releasing chaotic black shadows that indiscriminately devoured and annihilated everything they touched.

“Burn it all, !”

Elizabeth swung the demonic sword and brought it down in a violent slash. The space-shaking strike crashed into the raging black shadows, and from the gash overflowed endless flames, engulfing the surrounding space entirely.

The blazing inferno actually burned away the black shadows. Within the fire, the sword aura carved open a direct path leading straight to the Shadow of Gluttony.

Boom!

The fiery sword strike descended like divine judgment, slamming into the Shadow of Gluttony’s body. The monster shuddered violently, as if it had crashed, its movements came to a complete halt.

Elizabeth seized this opportunity, crossed through the fiery corridor, appeared before the Shadow of Gluttony, and activated the final Blood Divine Authority.

“Erode!!”

“Uwaaaaaahhh!!”

The Shadow of Gluttony let out a scream of agony. Under the erosion of the Blood Divine Authority, the remaining black shadows were completely stripped away from her body, detached from Xia Yi, who reverted to her original form, a silver dragon girl.

The final erosion succeeded.

“At last… ugh…”

Elizabeth staggered backward several steps, feeling her mind on the verge of collapse, her brain nearly melting away.

Cracks spread across every corner of the divine halo. It lost all light and shattered with the sound of breaking glass, scattering across the ground.

She lost the divine halo, and with it, the Blood Divine Authority.

“No… I can’t die yet… my long-cherished wish…”

The Vampire Ancestor clenched her teeth and used the innate traits of her race to heal herself.

The battle against the Shadow of Gluttony had nearly exhausted the entire Sea of Blood.

However, there was still a tiny remaining reserve in the blood pool.

Breathing raggedly, Elizabeth continued to treat her wounds.

“It’s not over. Faith can still be gathered. A divine halo can be recreated… I will break free from the shackles of fate… I still have a chance…”

“No. You won’t have another chance.”

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.

Elizabeth raised her head and saw Xia Yi looking at her. On the back of Xia Yi’s hand, the holy sword sigil appeared, summoning the holy sword Gram.

“You…?!”

Elizabeth froze in shock.

Xia Yi was no longer in a near-death state.

She understood.

Xia Yi, who had been devoured by the Shadow of Gluttony, had become its vessel.

To ensure the vessel’s survival, the Shadow of Gluttony’s act of devouring life had also functioned as healing for the vessel itself, pulling her back from the brink of death.

Now that the Blood Divine Authority had successfully stripped away the Shadow of Gluttony, Xia Yi was freed from Beelzebub’s control and restored to full condition.

By contrast, Elizabeth’s side was dire, the Sea of Blood was unusable, the divine halo was gone, the Blood Divine Authority lost, her body overdrawn, and her magical power nearly depleted…

“Heh… hahaha!”

Elizabeth found herself laughing in bitter amusement.

“What a scheme. What a perfect scheme! Xia Yiyi, you actually used such a method to wear down my combat power? Then let me tell you this, even with such a reversal, I am still a god who has descended the mountain! Not a fourth-tier weakling like you, delusional enough to climb toward the summit, could…”

“Take action now, Joshua.”

[https://ko-fi.com/golden_dragon]