Rudolph said in wonder:

"He's not a dark crow. If he goes in there, he's likely asking for trouble. I hope he's okay."

"Not necessarily." The Emperor shook his head, "But now, there are a few more variables to consider."

...

[Location: A corner of the Fallen Shadow Nether Realm]

The monochrome ground twitched, as if experiencing indigestion, spitting out "foreign objects" from beneath.

The first to land was a little swan.

She landed hard on her backside and rubbed it for a while due to the pain.

Alice followed closely behind. With excellent balance, she was able to adjust her stance before landing, touching down smoothly.

Next, the ground began to wriggle violently.

After a few spasms, it let out an unbearable wail.

The Fallen Shadow Nether Realm furiously tossed Louis and Grace high into the air.

In mid-air, Louis caught Grace, holding her so they both landed steadily.

As soon as they touched the ground, he set her down.

He frowned, raised his head, and said.

The first thing he saw was the black sun shining in the sky of the Fallen Shadow Nether Realm.

Louis pulled the corner of his mouth and said:

"Look, Olivia, your father is watching over you."

Without a word, the little swan stepped forward and gave Louis a punch.

Louis, unable to hold back, came forward and landed two punches on the little swan's head.

The two of them messed around for a while before stopping.

With a face full of annoyance, Louis said:

"Can anyone tell me what's going on here? Why did the Fallen Shadow Nether Realm open without any warning?"

If Beatrice hadn't said that the Emperor had already cleared this area, making it safe, he wouldn't have dared come here just like this.

After all, Beatrice mentioned that there was a curse here that could turn people into chaotic evil shadow creatures.

However, he soon noticed that this world was filled with a subtle but profound aura everywhere.

This aura flowed into his body continuously, as if it had found its home.

As this power seeped in, Louis noticed that the Sin Dragon Armament power within him also began to surge.

For a moment, he felt much more invigorated under this nourishing power.

It was like finding himself in a hot spring in the midst of a heavy snowfall.

He enjoyed it so much he nearly cried out.

With a heavy expression, Alice said:

"Do you feel it, Louis? That feeling of dead, oppressive power corroding your body."

Louis glanced back at Alice, finding she had quietly ignited her blood flame.

Louis wore a strange face, not wanting to say anything.

He didn't sense the special power that Beatrice and Alice spoke of, the one able to corrode his body.

Suddenly, Alice lifted her head and said:

"Louis, your face..."

"Hmm?"

Louis took a mirror from his dimensional bag and glanced at it.

Then he was surprised to find that the Sin Dragon Armament marks within him had already appeared as faint traces.

Alice exclaimed:

"You're already relying on the Sin Dragon Armament to resist this power?"

"It seems you're the type who isn't good at dealing with curses."

Louis, struggling to suppress the comfort that nearly made him cry out, said seriously:

"Yes, you're right. I need to adapt."

—If not, it's too comfortable; I can barely keep a straight face.

He first looked at the little swan:

"Olivia, does this curse affect you?"

The little swan shrugged:

"No, it's not even as severe as the curse I already have."

Understanding this, he then looked at Grace and said:

"Grace, are you alright?"

Grace tilted her head and said:

"Mr. Caesar, I haven't felt any invasion from external forces."

Louis nodded.

Indeed.

That's truly how it is.

Though currently inactive, the Blessing of Glory within Grace is genuine.

This power would shield her from the curse of the Fallen Shadow Nether Realm.

The Blessing of the God of Glory and Justice isn't given out casually to anyone.

It's a rewarding power, feedback for following the teachings of the God of Glory and Justice.

Of course, to contain this power also requires the recipient to have their own potential.

This is why Louis is having her study in the Battle Nuns specialty.

The potential to bear such a blessing and actions that practice the divine teachings, this is the path for the Holy Sons and Daughters of the Church of Glory.

It's not because she received the Blessing of Glory that she became a Saint.

It's because she lived by the divine teachings and had the potential to be a Saint, that she is a Saint.

Louis even heard legends of some historical figures who, though not believers, still received the divine blessing.

Because their words and deeds inherently proclaimed to the world that the divine teachings were not false.

Thinking about this, Louis said:

"Grace, bestow a prayer upon Alice."

Grace didn't ask why; she simply held the cross resting at her chest and cast a [Purification Spell] on Alice.

This is a level 0 Divine Art available to Priests.

Its effect is to form a constant spell that clears impurities.

Just right for Grace, who has just become a priest.

In an instant, Alice felt the oppressive force on her body dissipate.

Grace looked toward Olivia.

Olivia, being a curious one, allowed her to try.

But strangely enough, she had no reaction.

The little swan said:

"As expected, it's useless on me."

The curse on her had lasted for many years, and she herself had found the way to lift it.

She had tried all conventional means of dispelling curses available in the market long before.

Finally, Grace looked toward Louis.

After a moment of thought, Louis said:

"Don't use a persistent divine spell, use a one-time divine spell."

"I want to verify a hypothesis."

Grace nodded and cast a level 0 divine spell [Minor Healing] on Louis's arm.

In the next moment, Louis's expression twitched slightly.

Because he felt a slight pain; his skin seemed to redden a bit, but soon returned to normal.

Louis felt like cursing.

Grace's divine spell was effective.

However, in a hard-to-endure manner, this divine spell would harm his body slightly before beginning to heal him.

It was just like being poisoned by holy magic.

Alice remarked:

"Look at you, Louis, even getting hurt by the Blessing of the God of Glory."

"You're truly wicked; why not give your Gold Coins to me? Maybe you can redeem yourself!"

Louis snorted:

"Don't even think about it."

"Besides, my being affected is because I have demonic blood in me."

Alice, of course, knew this but couldn't resist teasing Louis.

She clicked her tongue in amazement.

Is this the legendary blessing of the Saint?

Though merely a level 0 divine spell, it could still perform brilliantly in such a curse-filled extreme environment.

With that, Alice grabbed Grace's hand suddenly:

"Little Grace, join my adventurer group!"

"Huh?"

"Be good, listen, let big sister take you flying, high into the sky."

"But..."

"Caesar is also in my adventurer group."

Alice smiled like a sly vixen and presented her ultimate argument.

Grace was a bit swayed:

"Will I be able to help Mr. Caesar in the adventurer group?"

Alice decisively said:

"Of course, at least in the short term, that's certainly the case."

Louis replied grumpily:

"I'll only be in the adventurer group when I'm acting as Caesar."

Alice snorted:

"Just say if Little Grace can help you or not."

"You foresaw today's situation and brought Grace in at the last moment, didn't you?"

Louis didn't speak and silently took out a helmet from his dimensional bag and put it on:

"Hello, I am Caesar."

Clearly, he admitted to it.

Grace's eyes sparkled as she looked at Louis.

Obviously, being able to help Louis made her very happy.

But her sincere gaze made Louis feel a bit guilty.

Luckily, he never undertook tasks without preparation.

"Grace, take these things with you."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.