I Was The Hero, But I Woke Up as a Phoenix Princess! – Chapter 904

chapter 145 Dark Swordsman (Part 1)
“You made me so disheveled… it’s all your fault!”
Verafia’s pure white face puffed up in annoyance. Earlier, when Igert was wielding his spear to slay the dragon, the resulting shockwave had almost sent her tumbling down. If it weren’t for Ophi, who had recovered her magic and opened her dragon wings to shield her, Verafia wouldn’t have landed so easily in front of them.
Because of Igert’s actions, which embarrassed her, Verafia was naturally filled with resentment, and her gorgeous golden eyes looked at the young man with displeasure.
Seizing the opportunity, Verafia scanned Igert’s body carefully, which somewhat relieved her. Despite facing the dragon’s attack directly, the fellow’s injuries were not serious.
Even the black dragon blood splattered on him during the dragon hunt, which contained a corrosive aura, might cause damage to platinum or crystal. However, for Igert, who was just a step away from the Sacred Domain, his protective magic was enough to resist the erosion of dragon blood.
As for Fuya… she was a spirit bird born into the Sacred Domain, so it was naturally not a problem for her.
Her golden eyes lifted slightly. Seeing that they were unharmed, Verafia pouted her delicate lips again with dissatisfaction:
“And why did you, Igert, kill it all by yourself… This makes the young lady look like she did nothing and needs you to protect her!”
“Protecting you is my duty,”
Igert said. The girl’s gorgeous golden eyes rippled with a soft, bright luster, like shimmering gems, adorning her vision, causing Igert to involuntarily smile.
He of course knew that this girl wasn’t really complaining, but rather was in a mix of moods between acting spoiled and being self-conscious. Thus, he walked closer to her, his magic wiping away the stained blood. Her dazzling golden hair touched his palm, caressing downwards.
“Veer could of course easily kill such a dragon, but you are a young lady, how could Veer let you risk yourself… Please forgive my presumption.”
While rubbing the girl’s little head, Igert couldn’t help but flatter her.
“Harrumph, you know that’s all that matters!”
Verafia had only intended to act a little spoiled, to have Igert coax her. She never expected him to flatter her so openly, causing Verafia’s snowy face to flush. She quickly lifted her delicate face and said with feigned arrogance:
“However, since you’ve said so, harrumph, then the young lady won’t hold your offense against you and will forgive you!”
Before Verafia could finish speaking, the Ice Dragon Girl beside her, with beautiful frost-blue eyes like jewels, covered her mouth with her small white hand and let out a soft chuckle. This made the girl’s little face blush again, feeling extremely embarrassed. She glared at her with her big golden eyes.
“Ahem, anyway, this young lady doesn’t mind letting you have that dragon. By the way, is this the Immortal Tree where the Life Goddess resides?”
Quickly changing the subject, Verafia slightly raised her golden eyes and looked around. Just as Fuya had said, this was a giant tree transformed from the Life Goddess, but there was no aura of life present. Decay and corruption occupied her entire field of vision.
“Yes. The abyss’s sea soaks it, and perhaps this tree is also riddled with decay.”
Igert nodded. “Also, the Midilna we just encountered was not a physical entity, but was born from the ocean condensed from the abyss… just as you and Little Fei said before, it was merely an imprint of Midilna left in this world.”
Midilna was an immortal dragon… however, in this world eroded by the abyss, only that insignificant trace remained, and it was even reshaped by the abyss’s power.
Verafia nodded and was about to speak when her golden eyes suddenly narrowed, and her head turned. In the boundless gloom ahead, heavy footsteps sounded.
“There’s someone else here?”
The girl instinctively gripped the staff in her hand, her golden eyes showing disbelief.
She hadn’t been in this space for long, but it was enough for Verafia’s mental power to scan a radius of a thousand meters… yet, it wasn’t until the footsteps sounded that she suddenly realized that there were other life forms in this world besides them.
After all, although Verafia was still only a Star, as a former goddess, her mental strength was by no means inferior to any Sacred Domain.
Ophi and Fuya, two Sacred-level existences, reacted just like her, turning their heads in disbelief.
“Just as you see, the so-called immortal dragons, the immortal deities… what are they but mortals and dust?”
A low, deep voice came from afar. It was a familiar tone, causing Verafia’s golden eyes to narrow. “All decay returns to the same essence. This is the substance of the abyss.”
The girl’s slender fingertips subconsciously clenched her staff and raised it. He was a swordsman, his entire body draped in a pitch-black robe, concealing two terrifying greatswords. However, as he walked, the greatswords scraped against the ground, sounding particularly harsh in the silent space, weighing heavily on their hearts.
Behind the swordsman, the decaying giant trees collapsed. Dense, pitch-black filth stained their vision, as if, with his every step, all space and color were swallowed by invisible darkness, transforming into chaotic existence.
As if wherever he went, the abyss descended.
“It’s you, Hodrea!”
Verafia saw the swordsman’s face and his iconic pitch-black greatswords – the former disciple of the “Sword Saint,” now a swordsman who had fallen into the abyss, reappeared before them.
“You’ve indeed come,” the swordsman said, without drawing the greatswords behind him. His deep pupils swept over the girl as he spoke in a calm voice.
Unlike his composure, Verafia was full of vigilance. Her skirt fluttered, and the magic in her raised staff surged, ready to unleash an attack at any moment.
“Dark Swordsman” Hodrea… In fact, this was a name they had encountered as early as the Peka Kingdom. However, they hadn’t had much direct interaction with him.
The last time was when Verafia was still in her younger child form, and this dark swordsman had appeared before them along with Dylan, an envoy from the abyss.
Verafia knew that Hodrea had come to the world of elves with a purpose. She had asked Serathis to search for his whereabouts but had found nothing… until he reappeared before them in this world eroded by the abyss.
“It’s you!”
Ophi exclaimed in surprise, her glorious eyes like sapphires filled with disbelief. “The dragon that attacked us just now, was that also your doing?”
Hodrea glanced at the girl and said, “Immortal Demonic Dragon… Hmph, it has already merged with the abyss. Its existence is a reflection of the abyss, how could I possibly disturb it?”
“Dragon lady, perhaps it was merely your appearance that disturbed the dragon’s past memories of existing in this world.”
Verafia took a step forward and asked directly, “Hodrea, why are you here?”