I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means

In the desert oasis,

the War God's shadow summoned by Fess dissipated completely shortly after it appeared, unnoticed by the people in the oasis camp.

The previous battle's commotion was blocked by Lis's Space Cage, but the disturbance caused by the War God's shadow was far too great.

Lis's Space Cage had no effect at all, and the aftermath of the shadow's dissipation "created" a new canyon in the desert.

Although it would probably be covered by the shifting sands soon, the traces left behind were overly exaggerated.

The entire caravan was awakened by the deafening noise, and they stood trembling in fear as they looked at the gorge extending into the distance.

If Blais hadn't calmed them down in time, some might have attempted to flee.

Blais also forced himself to remain calm; the aftermath of that strike could have completely engulfed him, leaving him with no thoughts of resistance.

While he was comforting the rest of the caravan, he couldn't find any trace of Lis.

This made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Whether Lis had gone to investigate the sudden attack or was involved in the fight that caused it, it wasn't something Blais had to confront.

Having been at the Golden Rank for many years and full of experience, Blais was now quite pragmatic.

He couldn't understand why this trading journey to the Turte Oasis had encountered so many unexpected events.

Misfortune had befallen him?

Blais felt somewhat depressed and thought about spending some money to receive a priest's blessing from the Church of the Gods next time they reached an oasis city.

...

On the other side, Fess collapsed powerlessly to the ground, her face pale, her chest heaving like an old bellows.

Even using her trump card, Fess had given it her all.

This was a special item given by her elders; although it was of Legendary Rank, if used by a Divine Officer who worships the War God, it could even summon the War God's shadow.

This was one of the trump cards of the War God Church; otherwise, their Slaughter Knights would not be so special, acting alone unlike the knight orders of other Churches.

However, such a method also had many flaws, especially for Golden Rank Slaughter Knights who could not control such power.

Even Legendary Rank Slaughter Knights could barely wield this power, with only the Saint of the War God Church or the War God's Son able to fully harness the War God's shadow.

But at that level, it was unclear whether it was their consciousness controlling the War God's shadow or the War God's will descending upon them.

Fess wasted no time, taking out a pale crystal from her storage ring and crushing it directly.

Surging magic power erupted instantly, the space fluctuations enveloping Fess's body, and moments later her figure disappeared from the spot.

Hundreds of miles away, a space rift suddenly split open in the previously tranquil sky, and Fess emerged, collapsing heavily onto the sand dune.

"Ha... ha..."

Fess gasped for breath, a hint of relief on her face after narrowly escaping with her life.

This time, she had really messed up!

She had used her two most important trump cards, feeling pained about the loss, but had no other means of escape.

Thinking of Lis, a deep hatred rose in Fess's heart, mixed with dread and fear.

Who was this person?

Why had she never heard of them?

Their strength was overwhelming; facing Lis, she felt like she was confronting the Legendary Crown of the Church, with no chance of resisting.

But Fess was certain that Lis had not broken through the boundary and was still at the Golden Rank, like her.

"I can't return to the Church..."

Struggling to sit up, Fess felt a headache coming on.

Her act of commanding the desert bandits to slaughter ordinary people was something the War God Church would never allow. She had intended to cover it up, making the caravan believe it was just a simple raid.

The best approach would have been for the desert bandits to kill everyone in the caravan, making them vanish into the desert like that Sand Tribe in the oasis.

But Taya's arrival forced Fess to silence them, and she hadn't expected someone like Lis to be in the caravan.

The War God's shadow had not only helped Fess break free from Lis's Space Cage but also unleashed a terrifying attack.

Fess had no strength left to check if Lis was hit, but she felt someone as powerful as Lis wouldn't be easily killed.

Lis, knowing the War God Church well, would clearly understand that Fess had violated the taboos.

Lis only needed to inform any War God Church chapel of the matter, and Fess would face endless pursuit by the Church.

She could only take one step at a time...

Fess stood up, planning to find a place to heal her injuries first.

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared behind her, striking the back of her head with a swift blow.

Fess had no time to react; her vision darkened, and she lost consciousness.

Seeing this, Lis gripped Fess's slender neck tightly with his right hand, magic power surging from his palm into her head.

Moments later, the magic array patterns formed in Fess's mind, plunging her into a long sleep.

Once the sleep magic had taken effect, Lis sighed in relief and casually tossed Fess to the ground beside him.