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"Get the hell away from me!" Aurianna yelled. The rose on her neck bloomed, surprising the demon. A pink cross appeared in her eyes, and a beam of pink light blasted from her hand, instantly killing the demon woman.
[Congrats on awakening, my child. I hope you enjoy my lovely gift, Aurianna Vanluad. You'll certainly enjoy it. I am Paige, your goddess.] A woman with floating pink hair appeared around Aurianna, giving her a peck on the head with a seemingly gentle yet cruel smile before disappearing.
"She has the cross rose! Kill her! She's a Saintess!" a nearby demon shouted, having witnessed Aurianna receiving the blessing.
"Chi, chi, chi, it seems the goddess chose me, but she's truly wicked to give me this power only after all my friends were slaughtered in cold blood before my eyes. I couldn't do anything, and now you're giving me this power. Why? Why not sooner?" Aurianna wondered, tears streaming down her face as her wounds quickly healed.
[Now repeat after me, Saintess.] Paige commanded, appearing behind Aurianna and guiding her hand toward the approaching horde of demon warriors.
"For daring to kill my people, I shall not spare you demons!" Aurianna yelled in rage. The cross in her eyes shone brightly as she stretched out her arms. "I summon thee, Judgment!" she cried, repeating Paige's words. Hundreds of magic circles appeared in the sky, raining down light explosions on the demons.
"What? A Saintess?" other demons far away fighting became alert, sensing the familiar presence.
"She has finally awakened," a tall man in a thick cloak said, his two large horns and glowing emerald green eyes standing out.
"You lose, demon king. Now retreat. I will give you this chance; otherwise, all of your people shall be slaughtered," King Girsal stated arrogantly, standing opposite the demon king outside of the country on an empty land but all that was around them was destroyed.
"You bastard, she's your daughter!" the demon king spat furiously.
"And you think I care? Doing all this to save one girl and destroying my plans. You haven't learned anything, have you?" King Girsal scoffed with a displeased tone.
"I can't beat him, and I've lost too much mana. Many of my people are injured. We have to retreat, dammit!" the demon king mumbled before taking to the skies. "Retreat!" he yelled, his voice booming through the whole country. The demons ceased their attacks and began to withdraw.
"We're just leaving like this? But the Saintess is right there!" one demon man protested.
"It's not worth it! She has killed too many of our people! Do you want to die here, idiot?" a female demon grabbed the male demon by the collar, staring at him with teary eyes, making him feel guilty.
He reluctantly looked at Aurianna and the masses of dead demon bodies around her, gritting his teeth before dashing off with the others.
"I feel so tired," Aurianna mumbled before collapsing and losing consciousness.
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"Aurianna, Aurianna," Wein called out worriedly, staring at Aurianna as she lay on her bed.
"Sister Wein, what happened?" Aurianna muttered, slowly opening her eyes. "Ahh, my head," she grumbled, rubbing her aching temples.
"Just rest, dear sister," Wein comforted her, gently rubbing her head. Aurianna sighed and fell asleep once more.
"Are her memories erased?" Lauren asked, looking at her daughter with a stern expression.
"Yes, they have been. But why, Mother?" Wein asked nervously.
"Your father's wishes," Lauren said coldly before leaving the room.
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"So, Your Majesty, will she be used in the Human Chimera Project?" Chu asked, standing before King Girsal in his office.
"Well, the old Saintess died shortly after awakening, so we need a new Saintess to replace her," King Girsal said with an evil grin.
"Won't the people find this attack suspicious, though?" Chu asked.
"That's why I sent most of our knights to kill just a few demons, intentionally leaving our country slightly undefended. That will be my excuse since they know the strength of the demons," King Girsal chuckled, pouring himself a glass of wine before drinking it.
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"People of Sandeph, do not lose hope! The tragedy that happened today shall never be repeated! The demons caught us off guard and came to slaughter our people! They deserve no forgiveness! They have dared to wage a strategy war against us, so we will slaughter them for this!" Queen Amber declared furiously, her image displayed throughout the kingdom. The people erupted into roars and cheers. All at the Royal Family podium grinned, except for Aurianna, who didn't understand what was going on.
"How could the demons be so cruel as to slaughter innocent people?" Aurianna wondered, gripping her dress tightly. "Isn't this against the rules of the God of War and the God of Death?" she trembled, her mind racing.
"Why do they bear so much hatred? What did humans do to them that us so wrong? Aren't they meant to be inferior?" Aurianna wondered, her nails digging into her palms. "Demons, I won't forgive you for this!" she declared coldly.