Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

There is still a chance to salvage the situation.

The ancient snake took a deep breath, clenched its fist, and scratched its palm with its nails, allowing golden-red blood to drip from between its fingers into the dissipating halo.

Driven by the power of creation and magic, the precious blood of the lamb, enveloping the sacred soul, forms a cocoon-like membrane, nurturing new life within the flesh.

With the ritual completed, Samael, feeling somewhat exhausted, relaxed a little and leaned weakly against the corner of the wall, waiting for dawn to arrive.

At that moment, in the dark corner, accompanied by rustling sounds, Gilles de Rais slowly awoke.

Without the influence of the Luoyan City creed, the chaotic and dark memories gradually became clear in his mind. When he saw the children's skeletons scattered all over the ground and Joan of Arc melting into the light, Gilles de Rais trembled, raised his hands, covered his cheeks, and knelt on the ground in pain, wailing.

"Lord, what have I done!"

He felt indignant about his faith, calling for the return of the saint, and even venturing into blasphemous territory for this purpose.

But how cruel and tragic it is that they themselves pushed that holiness blessed by the Lord into the abyss.

Just as the sinful fallen soul was weeping uncontrollably, a proud figure stepped forward, looked at the tormented soul with pity, and let out a soft sigh.

"Why don't you kill me?"

Gilles de Rais raised his head, looking toward the figure he had prayed for and resented, and asked in a trembling voice.

"Human sins should be judged by human laws; I have no interest in interfering."

Samael pondered for a moment, glanced back at the cocoon of light behind him, and sighed softly.

"Besides, she wouldn't want her comrades to die in front of her..."

Then, the ancient serpent paused, scrutinizing Gilles de Rais, who was confessing to it.

"What to do next, what choices to make, is up to you."

“I understand. When dawn breaks, I will take full responsibility for my crimes and go to Lance to face trial. This is what I deserve.”

Gilles de Rais nodded with a bitter smile, leaned against the wall, and swayed as he got up, like a clay doll that had lost its soul.

"She's still alive..."

Just as Gilles de Rais was about to step out of the stone chamber, a faint murmur came from behind him.

The fallen one's body trembled violently. After confirming the situation several times, his eyes lit up with wild joy. He nodded excitedly, suppressing the urge to turn away, and murmured hoarsely.

"Thank you for your kindness..."

His hunched body seemed to have been relieved of all its burdens; he straightened his back and strode towards the door.

The stone door was pushed open, and the faint morning light shone into the room.

Samael stood still, silently watching the figure walk towards the light, towards death, the calm in the vertical pupils unchanged.

Although his actions are pitiable, his crimes deserve to be punished.

Under the sunlight, that seemingly tall figure, which swept away the shadows, gradually disappeared from Samael's sight.

laugh……

At the same time, along with the rhythm of life, fine cracks spread across the red and black, light-like cocoon.

"Jeanne Darc, your God has come to take you away..."

Samael smiled faintly and recited a poem, then turned his head to look solemnly at the figure that had just emerged from its shell.

However, what met his eyes was a pair of pale gold vertical pupils that exuded a cold and murderous aura.

"God? That piece of bacon hanging on the cross? He can't even save himself, yet he claims to save everyone. It's so hypocritical it's disgusting!"

The witch, clad in jet-black armor and sporting short silver hair, arrogantly raised her smooth chin, glaring at the man before her with malice and disdain.

Under the flickering red and black flames, like the ashes scattered after all things in the world have been burned, the holy flag and holy sword grasped by the fair fingers and hands also turned into the color of darkness under the brutal invasion, standing in opposition to the light.

Samael stared at the vicious, vengeful witch before him, his mind going blank, his eyes wide with astonishment.

Wait, where's my big, white Joan of Arc?!

This isn't right! Why has it turned black?

Chapter Twenty-Two: I see you don't understand anything! (4.2k)

Samael was completely baffled by the sudden turn of events and instinctively stepped forward.

"Hey! That's enough! Seriously! If you dare come any closer, I'll burn you alive!?"

The nasty Black Witch opposite them jumped back instinctively like a startled rabbit. She quickly came to her senses, her pretty face tightening as she coldly snorted and waved her hand with disdain.

"Don't move, let me see..."

Samael explained helplessly, then raised his hand with a hint of concern to touch the witch's forehead.

"Tch, don't look at me like that. I'm not some little kid you need to take care of!"

But the witch strongly resisted this closeness and care from the gods, and immediately turned her head away, bending her fingers upwards.

Under the guidance of its consciousness, the surging and boundless ether spontaneously coalesced into obscure runes, which in the blink of an eye connected to form a red and black magic circle.

"Roar!"

Immediately afterwards, the magic circle in mid-air activated and began to operate. A giant beast, resembling a lizard, with black scales, two horns on its head, and tens of meters long, roared out of the magic circle and then swooped down.

Dragon offspring?!

Samael stared in astonishment at the rare species that had almost disappeared from the earth.

"stop!"

Facing the ferocious beast that pounced on her, the Black Witch casually raised her hand and gave an impatient snort.

Instantly, the giant dragon folded its wings and plummeted down, accompanied by a gust of wind that swept through the stone chamber. It reached out its claws and landed in front of the witch, like a cat or dog that had heard its master call, eagerly nudging its head closer.

"Idiot, you're drooling all over me! Don't get so close, or you'll get roasted!"

The Black Witch stood with her hands on her hips, scolding him, her eyebrows raised, her almond eyes wide open, threatening him fiercely.

"Woooo..."

The dragon whimpered pitifully, obediently maintaining a respectful distance, and listlessly drooped its head, like a dog abandoned by its owner.

Summoning and taming dragons—you can actually learn it all on your own? Are you kidding me?

Samael, who was standing nearby, was speechless at the sight.

At this moment, the Black Witch stepped forward, pressed down on the dragon's head, flipped herself onto the beast's back, and then raised her chin, looking down at Samael in the corner with a hint of smugness and provocation.

"Hmph, being around a hypocrite like you makes even the air around us nauseous! Heh, give up, I'm not playing any games of prayer and repentance with you. Just rot away here slowly!"

Those pale gold vertical pupils opened and closed slightly, overflowing with the pleasure and triumph of denying their former beliefs.

Then, the witch patted the dragon's head and rode the dragon toward the sky.

"return……"

However, just as the dragon emerged from the stone chamber, a casual murmur came from behind.

The dragon, which was about to take flight, immediately trembled violently, retracted its head, turned around, and scurried over to the figure in the corner, eagerly and joyfully rubbing its head against the outstretched fingers.

"Idiot, the person who controls you is right here! What do you want with him? Let's go!"

Seeing her mount so affectionately toward the piece of cured meat, the Black Witch immediately glared at it and drove it away.

However, the words that had been treated as law just moments before seemed to have no effect now, and the dragon remained motionless in place.

"You stinking lizard, how dare you betray me! I'm furious! If you don't leave now, believe me, I'll roast you right here!"

The ignored witch angrily summoned her blackened banner and holy sword, ready to severely punish the traitorous dragon.

But the dragon remained unmoved by the threat, instead rolling to the side and throwing the witch off its back.

"Aaaaaah, Fafnir, you've betrayed us, haven't you? You're dead!"

The witch was so angry that she jumped up and down, and with her holy sword and banner, she unleashed a powerful but zero-damage physical attack on the air.

"Oh, so your name is Fafnir. That's a nice name."

Samael, standing in the corner, gently stroked the dragon's drooping head, nodding with a smile. At the same time, his gaze swept over the snake-like features that appeared in the witch's pupils as she became emotional, and he seemed to have something in mind.

If my senses are correct, Fafnir's genes should come from Fafnir, the dragon in Norse mythology that guards treasure, the same one he killed to rewrite Sigurd's fate for an extra meal.

Clearly, his divine blood had inadvertently granted the newly born Joan of Arc the power to manipulate and control dragons.

She even obtained the dragon factor of the evil dragon Fafnir, and then summoned and created another Fafnir that obeyed her commands.

Tsk, "Dragon Witch," that title is truly well-deserved.

Fate, oh fate...

Samael shook his head slightly, muttering to himself with a sense of deep emotion.

"You treacherous, stinking lizard, if you don't get over here soon, I'll chop you into eight pieces, skewer you, and roast you! And I'll smear salt all over your wounds! Then pour chili oil on them! I'll show you what cruelty is!"

The Dragon Witch, who was locked in a fierce battle with Fafnir, stood before the newly born black dragon, threatening it with utter malice.

However, as she talked, Samael got a little hungry.

The ancient snake secretly rubbed its lower abdomen, watching the man and dragon glaring at each other, and couldn't help but chuckle.

What this dragon witch probably doesn't know is that in the world of dragons, the purity of bloodline is a powerful binding force.

Not to mention, he is the divine son of Tiamat, the mother of evil dragons, and has unparalleled power to control the dragon race.

More importantly, the powers wielded by this Black Jeanne d'Arc all originate from him.

My own orders definitely have a higher priority than this so-called Dragon Witch.

"Damn it! What are you laughing at!"

Just as Samael was secretly pleased, the sullen Black Joan of Arc blushed and turned to glare fiercely at someone.

"I do not have it……"

The ancient snake spread its hands, its face full of innocence.

"You were definitely laughing! You didn't stop!"

Jeanne Alter, her brow furrowed in anger, was filled with rage.

Samael was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Interoperability?

A faint light flickered in the ancient snake's eyes as it thoughtfully stroked its chin.

"Tell me, was it you who did this?! Let me tell you, I've been putting up with you for a long time! You bastard!"

Seeing the man ignoring her and lost in thought, the Dragon Witch was instantly enraged. She stepped forward aggressively to confront him, raising her fair right hand high.

"Snapped!"

However, before Jeanne d'Arc Alter could strike with her pretentious gesture, a hand was already rubbing her head.

This feeling... isn't so bad...

The once ferocious dragon witch seemed to have been tamed, her eyes momentarily dazed.

At this moment, the ancient snake casually stroked itself while trying to piece together the relevant clues through some unseen connection. Its brow furrowed and relaxed, and its eyes gradually revealed its understanding. A helpless sigh flowed from its lips.

To be precise, the Joan of Arc before us can only be considered half of a Joan of Arc.

As an ancient demon god, that octopus's mental pollution was no joke. Even with the Holy Banner as her shield, Joan of Arc could not completely resist the pervasive whispers of the ancient god.

In addition, there was the relentless seduction by a certain demon, as well as the manipulation of her negative emotions and the upheaval of her beliefs that shattered her worldview...

Okay, that's not the point.

In short, her soul was inevitably tainted with a touch of madness, and the darkness that had accumulated in her heart, as well as the dissatisfaction and anger she had harbored over her previous experiences, were also unleashed.

Under normal circumstances, if left unchecked, it could potentially lead to a split personality.

But the saintess of Orleans, in a desperate situation, chose to make a "sacrifice" and summon the gods to descend.

Even though Samael rushed to the rescue at top speed, he could not prevent Joan of Arc from meeting her end, burning out her life and disintegrating her body.

The restless soul, caught in the contradictions and conflicts between will and faith, is also uncontrollably split in two.

The dark side, bearing all the anger and resentment, remained in the dregs of the body, abandoned by the inviolable purity and faith.

Having retained all that is beautiful and pure at its core, it has shed all its burdens and returned to heaven in glory because of its sublime virtue.