Substitute

“Hehehe.”

Stared at by those golden eyes like broad daylight, “Zenora” first changed from surprise to gloom, then, embracing her abdomen with her arms, her back slightly bent, her unrestrained laughter made her body tremble.

“I didn’t expect it. I thought my disguise was flawless, but I was still seen through by you, old man…”

“Zenora” laughed, shaking with mirth. When she looked up again, the color of her pupils had changed from golden to purplish-blue. Even with her identity exposed, there was no fear in her expression.

“Everything leaves a trace once it’s done. Although Zenora hasn’t been the Head Sister for long, this old man, despite his failing body, has an unexpectedly good memory.”

Hodmogh stood with his hands behind his back, his scarlet Archbishop’s robe making his figure appear incredibly tall and strong. This old man, who had reached the limits of a dragon’s lifespan, seemed to have returned to his youth at this moment.

“Lay out your entire plan. You cannot escape. Although this old man is not what he used to be, once a battle breaks out here, the Imperial City’s Royal Guards will immediately seal off this place. By then, even if you had three heads and six arms, you wouldn’t be able to fly away.”

The increase in age had caused Hodmogh’s blood energy to wane, but being an Archbishop who had believed in the Dragon God his entire life and held a high position, his High-tier magical cultivation often deterred enemies from acting rashly.

“It seems His Grace the Archbishop is very confident in his strength, otherwise he wouldn’t have let me specifically close the door, right?”

“Zenora’s” face was brimming with an incomprehensible smile. Her hands were behind her back, her body slightly leaning forward, her purplish-blue eyes always holding that repulsive mockery.

“I merely believe that family shame should not be aired publicly. Even if you occupy Zenora’s body, if things get out of hand, the reputation of the Dragon God Cult will also be affected. If you can wisely retreat and disclose everything you know, I might still be able to plead with the Royal Guards to spare your life.”

The white-haired old man was now fully alert. His decaying dragon blood was reactivating, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to gradually diminish as his dragon blood boiled.

“So, clever people are always outsmarted by their own cleverness.”

“Zenora” crossed her arms, sneering. The next second, her body suddenly blurred into an afterimage. Hodmogh abruptly turned, intending to gather magic power for a counterattack. However, the magic power surging within him was instantly cut off as if control had been severed.

His golden pupils sharply dilated. Then, the old man looked at his abdomen in disbelief. A jet-black saber, coated in dark lacquer, had pierced through his spine from behind.

His scorching dragon blood and red robe seemed to meld into one. “Zenora’s” languid voice echoed in his ear.

“Who told you that killing an old, sick dragon like you would cause any commotion?”

With that, “Zenora” mercilessly pulled out the jet-black saber. The dark blade already bore warm bloodstains. However, the blade seemed to possess a life of its own, not only easily piercing through dragon scales, but also devouring the lingering blood within mere seconds.

His spine broken, his abdomen pierced—such severe injuries would be nearly fatal even for a dragon. Moreover, Hodmogh was no longer a young dragon; his lifespan had long reached its limit.

This sneak attack was more like sending him to hell prematurely.

As a large amount of dragon blood drained away, his once brilliant golden eyes gradually dimmed. His powerless body fell to the ground, consciousness rapidly fading. Hodmogh, with his last shred of strength, struggled to lift his head and look at the Dragon God statue in the cathedral.

“Don’t think about making a commotion. What you thought of, I thought of too.”

A “Zenora” walked over, looking at the dying old dragon beside her. She raised her hand and pulled out the jet-black saber. Hodmogh, as if enduring unimaginable pain, used his last strength to raise his arm, grab “Zenora’s” hand, and fiercely look up, his eyes, filled with deathly golden light, staring at “Zenora,” his mouth opening to utter his last words.

His limbs twitched, but the contemptuous smirk on his face never ceased.

“When I closed the door, I already set up a barrier. Tonight, no matter how much commotion there is inside the cathedral, the outside world won’t hear a single sound. You…”

His eyelids felt heavy as if filled with lead. The old man struggled to open his mouth, but the sound that emerged was hoarse, heavy, and unpleasant.

“Zenora” knelt down, looking at the dying “living fossil.”

“Archbishop, don’t blame me. I originally wanted to spare your life. After all, your existence still greatly influences the situation of the Great Dragon Divine Dynasty. It’s just a pity you weren’t willing to fully support Duke Roniel. Therefore, as his allies, we had no choice but to eliminate you…”

As she spoke, the stained-glass window of the cathedral suddenly opened. Another shadowy figure, whose face was indistinct, darted in like a ghost.

“Zenora” turned to look at the presence hidden in the darkness, smiling calmly.

“You’re right on time for our agreed meeting…”

“Is it done?”

The dark figure nodded, then cast its gaze towards Hodmogh on the ground.

“Mhm, he’s almost dead. But then again, he did take care of this old dragon these past few days, and Miss, being kind-hearted, will allow him to die with clarity before he goes to hell~”

“Zenora” chuckled, seemingly completely unconcerned about personally killing a Dragon Tribe Archbishop.

“Don’t worry, Archbishop. After your death, we will ensure your image and influence continue to be propagated. No one will know that the true Archbishop died tonight, after all, you were the only one who could truly see through disguises.”

As she spoke, the shadowy figure, whose face was indistinct, gradually twisted and shifted from the shadows, until the candlelight illuminated his face. That face was identical to Hodmogh, lying on the ground.

“Depose the old Saintess, appoint a new Saintess—this is the first step of the plan. We must grasp both divine and royal power. We believe in you all~”

Under the gaze of the two disguised individuals, those golden eyes, once capable of rivaling the sun, completely extinguished. A legendary Dragon Tribe member had fallen, and what did his death portend for the future of the Dragon Tribe?

In the inn, Aurelia, who had just stopped to rest, preparing to enter the Imperial City tomorrow, suddenly instinctively looked out at the night sky.

Norin, the red dragoness beside her, asked with a confused expression.

“Your Highness, what’s wrong? Is something on your mind?”

Aurelia stared blankly out the window. The night sky of the Great Dragon Divine Dynasty was no different from that of the Academy of Revelation, but for some reason, at that very moment, she felt as if an extremely dim star had completely extinguished in her heart.

This inexplicable ominous feeling made her very uneasy.

Moreover, more importantly, along the way, she had tried to contact the Dragon God with her dragon soul, but unexpectedly, she, who had always received a response from past contacts, found that her attempts to communicate with her dragon soul these past few times had fallen on deaf ears.

Although the Dragon God loved to sleep in, even in slumber, as the Saintess most tightly bound to the Dragon God’s divine soul, she could clearly hear His snores. But these past few days, Aurelia heard no sound at all.

What exactly was going on? Lord Dragon God wasn’t in slumber, nor was he responding. Was he not in his divine realm? But he had to be in his divine realm.

Where else would the Dragon God inexplicably go?

The night sky outside the window was calm and unruffled, but beneath this calm, Aurelia could feel the surging undercurrents of countless malices.

She could foresee that tomorrow’s return-to-faith meeting would likely bring unexpected events.