Axel

Chapter 421: A Small Reward from the Lady of the Black Moon

Added 2025-05-04 15:01:02 +0000 UTC

Anururu suddenly halted in his tracks!

The Flame Evil God Anururu had been forced to the borders of the Black Phoenix Dynasty by Antonio, Cresto, and several other Saint ranks from the Fars Empire, yet he refused to take another step forward. Charlot Mecklenburg, observing this, had been hoping to drive the menace into enemy territory, causing chaos for the Black Phoenix Dynasty. Ideally, their Saints would join forces to eliminate the Evil God.

Witnessing this hesitation, Charlot wondered, "Could it be that the Black Phoenix Dynasty has some formidable means that even an Evil God fears?"

Soon after, Charlot witnessed a scene unlike any he had ever imagined in his life.

No matter how fiercely the flames of Anururu's incarnation burned, the night ahead remained impenetrably dense and unyielding. From the darkness emerged a petite, delicate figure—a lady whose presence was as enigmatic as it was overwhelming.

No words could describe her beauty; every attempt at depiction paled in comparison. Artists' brushes, no matter how masterful, could never capture her essence.

Charlot, having previously faced both Evil and Righteous Gods, was experienced in such encounters. He leapt to the ground, dropping to one knee in the most respectful and devout posture he could muster. Emptying his mind, he filled his thoughts with only praises for the Lady of the Black Moon.

Golden Ram Herolf, witnessing Charlot’s actions, also knelt on one knee. However, he was far less perceptive than Charlot and could not suppress his inner curiosity: "So, this is the Lady of the Black Moon, the deity presiding over this era?"

Antonio, Cresto, the Black Dragon, Choudrou, Aspuros, and Regulus all descended to the ground, kneeling as well. Before a Righteous God, no one dared to remain standing.

The Flame Evil God Anururu let out a sudden, furious roar. His flames gathered into a towering inferno, spiraling into a whirlwind of fire. The sheer ferocity of his power was befitting of his reputation as one of the thirty-six Great Evil Gods of the New Continent.

Yet the Lady of the Black Moon did nothing. She did not engage in combat. She merely raised a hand and pointed lightly.

Antonio was suddenly lifted into the air by an unseen force, a soft whisper brushing against his ears: "My loyal knight, slay this Evil God for me."

All hesitation left Antonio in an instant. He raised his Dragon-Slaying Staff, which trembled before shifting form, transforming into a black knight’s lance.

Though Antonio had modified his combat techniques to suit the Dragon-Slaying Staff, his true expertise had always been with the knight's lance. Now, under the Lady’s blessing, his weapon had reverted to its optimal form. Energy surged through Antonio, his strength continuously rising. With a mighty shout, he charged toward the Flame Evil God Anururu.

Each strike Antonio unleashed carried an innate understanding of its impact. He could sense exactly how much damage each blow would inflict on Anururu and could discern the flaws in the Evil God’s retaliations with uncanny precision.

Previously, even with Cresto’s assistance, Antonio had barely been able to hold off the Evil God. Now, bolstered by the Lady of the Black Moon’s power, Antonio was shrouded in mist and fought on even footing with Anururu’s fiery incarnation.

The Lady of the Black Moon sat atop a mountain peak, resting her chin on her hand as she observed the battle with evident interest.

Cresto and the others dared not profane the Righteous God by stealing even a glance at her. Charlot, however, could not resist gazing at her divine figure. Simultaneously, he frantically piled praises in his mind, basking in the rapid enhancement of his spiritual essence.

Charlot’s previous encounters with Evil Gods had already elevated his spirituality to a level comparable to that of high-level Transcendents, accelerating his cultivation at an extraordinary pace. Direct contact with Righteous Gods had further amplified these benefits. Though the growth eventually plateaued, it always left behind a small, permanent increase in spiritual essence.

The spiritual enhancement from his last encounter with the Serpent of Fate had begun to fade. Now, with the Lady of the Black Moon before him, Charlot was determined to absorb as much “divine aura” as possible.

Charlot even thought he heard the sound of a system notification. As the blood energy of his Blood Glory burned within him, he quietly advanced to the seventeenth rank from the sixteenth.

However, moments later, tears streamed down Charlot's face. No matter how hard he tried, he could no longer clearly see the Lady of the Black Moon. Overwhelmed, he quickly lowered his head, suppressing all inappropriate thoughts. This isn't some web novel scenario, he reminded himself. Even the most indulgent of heroines wouldn’t tolerate blasphemy against a deity.

To focus, Charlot recalled mythical legends: how the Black Moon Lady guided the Yellow Emperor in crafting the compass to disperse Chiyou’s fog; how the divine black moon descended to impart wisdom to the ancestors of the Sherlock Dynasty, helping them establish their magical empire; how, during the dynasty’s decline, an irreverent poem led to its downfall at the hands of the Fars Empire under Axel.

Truly, unless one has faced a Righteous God in person, they cannot fathom how taxing such an experience is.

Charlot felt as though he were walking a tightrope, terrified that any misstep might invoke the Lady’s wrath and lead to his utter annihilation.

Compared to this, even ruling as an emperor in a war-torn era seemed far less perilous.

Sweat poured down Charlot's face as he struggled to maintain his composure...

Just as his mind faltered under the strain of relentless flattery, a soft laugh echoed near his ear. The Blood Vortex within his left leg trembled, granting him three new Swiftstep Technique runes.

Charlot collapsed onto the ground, overwhelmed.

This is too much...

He regretted overextending himself. He should have simply devoted his thoughts to sincere worship rather than trying to impress. Still, this gamble had yielded immense rewards.

Not only had Charlot advanced a rank, but his mastery of the Swiftstep Technique had dramatically improved. Combined with his red and blue Black Vipers, he could now stack the technique twelvefold, attaining an unmatched level of speed below the Saint rank.

Yes, this is very much like me, Charlot mused with a faint smile.