Chapter 1318: 76. Make a Move

The night wind blew into the room.

It carried with it a flower petal from somewhere unknown.

It was still spring, yet that petal was shriveled in shape and dull in color, as though it were already about to wither.

And right now, it was not only the flower that was about to wither.

A certain pitiful yellow-haired man was already about to become just like that petal......and wither.

"Make a move."

The first one who could no longer hold back......was An.

As the most attentive maid, how could she possibly tolerate Young Master being humiliated like this right in front of her?

What was more, all along, she had been the most steadfast member of the "dragon-slaying" faction among the women. From the very beginning, she had never cared whether this dragon actually harbored wicked intentions toward Young Master or not.

In her eyes, as long as someone got close to Young Master, they were vermin that had to be eliminated!

Companion or lover, it was all the same!"

An took a deep breath.

The patterns of the soft armor that had nearly fused with her skin pulsed along with her breathing. Her fingers moved slightly, and several magic stones infused with immense magical power crumbled into fragments in her hand.

The intricate patterns rapidly lit up. An lightly stepped on the floor, and an invisible ripple spread outward with her at its center!

Crack, crack.

In an instant, cracks actually appeared across the barrier Hamreign had set up inside the room, and then it shattered outright!

"Anti-Origin Armor?"

Hamreign's golden eyes flickered slightly. Her gaze fell upon the close-fitting soft armor covering An's body, and an intrigued curve appeared at the corner of her lips.

But as though deliberately provoking them, she twisted her waist and exerted even more force!

"Die! Evil dragon!"

An was furious.

She gripped the weapon tightly with both hands. The instant the barrier completely vanished, her scythe slashed straight through.

The metal condensed from Divine Favor of Steel hummed. It was the purest sound of sharpness. Under extreme compression of mass, the entire edge of the enormous scythe had already turned a scorching molten-gold color. Countless metallic fragments circled around her body, and amid the fluttering hem of her skirt came a savage crushing force like that of a demonic beast!

However.

Hamreign merely extended one finger and lightly tapped forward.

Compared to the enormous scythe in An's hands, that finger looked so frail, so slender, as though it could be severed and crushed out of existence in an instant.

But in reality, that finger was like a mountain. The enormous scythe came down carrying unimaginable might, yet it was effortlessly......stopped by that single finger.

There was no clash of steel, no burst of sparks.

An only felt as though her strike had sunk into a bottomless sea. Even the full force she exerted, further amplified by the armor, gave her not the slightest feedback.

"Anti-Origin Armor? This really is something nostalgic."

Hamreign raised her eyes. Although she was physically beneath An, her gaze nevertheless revealed a trace of condescension and disdain:

"Unfortunately, from beginning to end, this thing was nothing more than a failed defective product. Even when it was complete in that era, it never once defeated......an Origin-Rank."

"......I know."

Faced with this realization that was nearly enough to drive someone to despair, An's expression did not change in the slightest.

She had already anticipated this scene. She had never imagined that her attack alone would be enough to make the Calamity before her suffer.

Her memories contained information about the dragon race. Although by a thousand years ago the dragons had already all but vanished from the world, it was still enough for her to understand just how powerful that race had been.

But her objective had never been to defeat Hamreign.

It was to break the restriction, and......draw her attention away.

"Night has fallen......sleep......sleep......"

At some point, darkness had enveloped Hamreign's surroundings.

Only a single bright moon hung high overhead.

The moonlight was cold and clear, casting down its radiance, yet illuminating nothing.

Hidden within the night, the young woman softly hummed a melody like an eerie song calling back the dead.

Soundless silence arrived along with the eerie song. Every sound in the surroundings had already vanished, and everything had been swallowed by the night, leaving only Hamreign behind.

She felt a rule shaped by supreme Authority envelop her—

Those who make a sound, die.

At night, one should naturally sleep.

But even she could not achieve absolute silence.

The sound of breathing, the sound of a heartbeat, the sound of blood flowing.

No one could achieve absolute silence, and so......

Within the darkness, countless bloody eyes suddenly turned ferocious. Horrifying whispers carrying the meaning of destruction surged toward Hamreign from every direction......

"A scion of the moon, huh."

Hamreign raised her eyes. Under the young woman's astonished gaze, she actually spoke voluntarily.

The rule was triggered, and death should have arrived. Tide-like distorted shadows surged over from every direction......

Yet they struck nothing.

Hamreign was still there, still on that purple bed. If this darkness were dispersed, one could even see that she was still sitting atop Muen, continuing to bring him pleasure and pain......

And yet those distorted shadows......or rather, the triggered taboo itself, was actually unable to locate her.

Even the young woman hidden within the night could still see her with her own eyes, yet within her perception, this Calamity had suddenly disappeared.

It was as though......

The medium through which she could be perceived had been severed.

"A fragment of the Authority of the Silent Moon......and you've already fused with it to this extent. From a human perspective, you're already outstanding enough."

Hamreign raised her hand and grasped at the air.

"But in the end, you're still far too young, and your realm is still not high enough. Until you can completely master this Authority, you're still nowhere near enough to deal with me."

Creak.

The bright moon was caught within Hamreign's palm and crushed apart little by little.

The curtain woven from the night also collapsed bit by bit.

Light returned to Hamreign's world, illuminating her indifferent yet equally relaxed profile.

"So that's how it is. Avoiding the influence of the rule by severing the medium, is it? I've learned something."

Anna froze slightly, then softly sighed.

Only when directly facing this Calamity could one truly feel that terrifying pressure.

But of course, she would not admit defeat so easily.

Muen was still suffering. As the most attentive senior, how could she possibly......not feel heartache?

"Night has fallen......please close your eyes."

Within Hamreign's vision, the world once again fell into darkness.

This time, however, there were no scarlet gazes, nor were there any mad whispers.

There was only pure darkness.

It sealed off all her sight, as well as her perception.

Anna was very clever. After understanding the method Hamreign had used just now to deal with her attack, she immediately turned it around and used it herself, severing the medium through which Hamreign perceived the outside world.

Although she could not do it as casually or thoroughly as this Calamity, it was still useful enough.

"Goddess......"

And beyond the darkness was the holiest light.

At some point, Liya had already crawled out from beneath the bed. She clasped her hands together and knelt on the floor, offering her purest faith to the deity in that distant place.

"Great Goddess, please bestow your blessing upon me."

Wooo——

A solemn horn resounded, and in the far reaches of endless space, majestic hymns proclaimed the Goddess's great deeds!

"Grant me light, to purify filth."

"Grant me holiness, to sweep away heresy."

"Grant me a sharp blade, to punish evil."

"Holy! Holy!"

In an instant, an illusory doorway opened wide, and unimaginable light surged out from within!