The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

Attilicia, who clearly had a chance to escape, suddenly threw away the Alchemy Dagger as if she had gone mad and let out a pained howl.

This immediately drew the curious gazes of a group of Drow.

For a moment, they did not know whether to watch the Matriarch beat the young Red Dragon or to first see why this Celestial Faction Drow had suddenly gone mad.

"Hold her down!" It was the ever-calm and composed Drow, Alianna, who noticed the Alchemy Dagger that had fallen to the ground.

But just as Alianna and a few Drow priests rushed towards the suddenly frenzied Attilicia,

Heaven, it seemed, had heard Attilicia's wishes from the depths of the cosmos.

Suddenly, the southern sky lit up with that blinding Pillar of Destruction.

The Drow instinctively looked towards the dazzling light source, immediately crying out in pain as tears flowed uncontrollably from their eyes.

All they managed to see was the hellish Flame Tsunami rushing towards them like a city-burning inferno, and their eyes, unable to adapt to the intense light, were briefly blinded.

After a few seconds, when their blurry vision finally cleared, the terrible shockwave had already struck, scattering the Drow as if an invisible force had struck them.

The lucky ones were caught by the swaying spiderwebs.

Two unfortunate Drow fell from the towering Spider Temple, disappearing into the dark shadows with screams in the blink of an eye.

But at this moment, no Drow could spare a thought for the casualties.

Seeing the terrifying force of the explosion sweeping towards them, they knew most of them were likely to be roasted alive!

Divine grace is as vast as the sea, divine might as punishing as prison.

There was no escape, no refuge.

Just as all the Drow were engulfed in fear and Despair, they saw their savior.

"Lady Flavia!" a Drow exclaimed.

She was back!

Alianna and the other Drow feigned concern as they approached, praising their Matriarch, who was also one of the councilors of Drogsin: A true Drow never looks back at explosions.

After Lady Flavia, whose gait seemed somewhat awkward, passed by them, the Drow were all dumbfounded.

They saw that Lady Flavia, who had looked dignified and stately from the front, now had the back of her robes charred, revealing her buttocks, which were roasted to a bloody, blackened mess.

THUD!

In the face of impending doom, Lady Flavia tossed aside all concerns for appearances and knelt in the center of the Temple, directly before the statue of Rose, crying out to the heavens,

"My Lord Rose!

"The destructive divine power of the Chromatic Dragon Queen is upon us!

"The Spider Temple of Drogsin in Elariya is about to be leveled to the ground!

"I implore you to bestow divine grace, to protect us, your devout followers!

"I beg of you! My Lord Rose!"

Seeing their Matriarch in such a panic invoking divine protection, the Drow behind her immediately fell to their knees, joining in the prayers for divine favor,

"We beg of you! My Lord Rose!"

Looking at this absurd scene before her, Alianna, who stood apart from the group of Drow begging for divine intervention, suddenly began to laugh inexplicably.

So, the seemingly invincible and mighty Lady Flavia was merely an arrogant, mercenary Drow who only schemed against the weak. She was, in essence, just an ordinary Drow, albeit one stronger than Alianna herself. Yet, when faced with such an unbeatable enemy, her cowardly and incompetent nature was finally exposed.

Is this truly the person I have admired for so many years?

What is there to admire about such a worthless creature?

Sed Ponga?

With her thoughts clearer than ever, Alianna suddenly recalled the surname of that divinely-favored Dragon that had self-destructed outside the city.

Does that mean it was a child of the Crimson Calamity?

Alianna's gaze immediately fell upon the 'Celestial Faction Drow,' who, with lifeless eyes, was silently awaiting the arrival of destruction and death.

And if Flavia's guess was correct, does that mean this person right here could be the Crimson Calamity's mate?

And likewise... the father of... that Red Dragon outside the city?

Alianna's eyes widened, her gaze flickering between Lady Flavia, the 'Celestial Faction Drow,' and the Alchemy Dagger on the ground, which, though now ignored, emitted a faint magical glow.

In that moment, she saw her chance for survival.

So, as the Flame Tsunami that had engulfed half the city district approached, Alianna quietly moved closer to the frenzied Attilicia, as if to steady a sacrificial offering. She then knelt, seemingly joining the other Drow in their prayers, but discreetly picked up the Alchemy Dagger.

A muffled BOOM.

Just as the fire was about to engulf the Spider Temple completely, Lady Flavia's prayers to her goddess miraculously worked!

The miracle of the Spider Queen Rose—who almost never directly communicated with, and disdained any interaction with, ordinary Drow—descended!

A sudden, dark radiance appearing outside the Spider Temple halted the advance of the sea of flames.

At the same time, the eyes of the once-silent statue of the Spider Queen Rose lit up with a dim, resentful, and indignant gaze. This gaze pierced straight through the Destruction Flame that had consumed nearly half of Spider Nest City, fixing on the figure of the Red Dragon, David, the instigator, as if to etch his image into her memory.

Just as Lady Flavia and the Drow were about to breathe a collective sigh of relief at having survived the ordeal, Lady Flavia was suddenly enveloped as if by an invisible hand. Her body began to twist, blood spurting from her as she was constricted.

She had been directly claimed by the Spider Queen Rose as the sacrificial offering needed to maintain the link to Her divine power.