As previously mentioned, the dragon-serpent was the embodiment of the earth's ley lines. The beast born from the shattered Heraneion—this emerald dragon—was the crystallized spirit of Naples' dragon vein.
The dragon was the dragon vein.
If this creature were slain, the surrounding spiritual energy throughout Naples would likely collapse. Without that spiritual lifeblood, the land would become barren. Animals would perish. Trees would wither. Life would vanish.
For the magical associations that guarded this place, and for the ordinary people who lived here, such an outcome would be catastrophic.
Liliana's heart dropped into her stomach.
The tremors had stopped, but the underground shrine remained unstable, on the verge of collapse. Su Mo, without hesitation, wrapped an arm around Liliana's waist and leapt skyward, soaring through the massive hole that had been blasted into the ceiling. The tempest wings behind him roared to life, carrying them effortlessly into the air.
"Your Majesty…" Liliana whispered, cheeks flushed at being held so closely. It was her first time being embraced by a man. But this wasn't the time for maidenly shyness—Su Mo had only done it to get her out of the crumbling ruins.
More important than that—
Floating in the skies ahead of them was the massive emerald dragon, gliding effortlessly. Its long neck made its head resemble a snake's, though its overall shape was akin to a Western dragon with slight regional distinctions.
As soon as Su Mo and Liliana noticed the dragon, the dragon noticed them in turn. Its emerald eyes hesitated. Perhaps it understood that this man had been the one to shatter the Heraneion. Su Mo exuded no killing intent, no hostility. He wasn't acting like an enemy—and he was cradling a familiar presence in his arms.
The emerald dragon beat its wings gently and approached them.
"What's going on?" Liliana blinked, surprised at how friendly the dragon seemed. "Did it… mistake me for an ally?"
It wasn't far-fetched. After all, the dragon was born from a divine relic of the earth goddess. To see the witches who guarded such relics as companions made perfect sense.
"We'll know soon enough," Su Mo replied as he guided them closer.
The dragon's gaze was wary but not aggressive. Liliana, emboldened by Su Mo's support, gracefully leapt onto its back. The dragon did not resist—in fact, it seemed to welcome her.
Even for Liliana, a grand knight, riding a dragon was a first. She was, after all, still just a sixteen-year-old girl. Her face lit up with childlike joy as she surveyed the scenery from this new vantage point. She quickly looked back at Su Mo, clearly hoping he would join her.
But just as Su Mo stepped forward to mount the dragon—
Whoosh!
The emerald dragon flapped its wings lightly, veering away just before Su Mo could climb aboard.
It was friendly toward Liliana, the witch born of the earth's blessing. But it remained extremely wary of Su Mo—the one who had shattered its birthplace.
"Betrayed already?" Su Mo muttered in disbelief. He didn't even bother hiding his exasperation. You were literally handed the sword that destroyed your pillar by this very girl. And now you treat her as a friend and me as the villain? Are you stupid?
"Maybe it's just… really afraid of you?" Liliana said weakly, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all.
She gently patted the dragon's scales, coaxing it softly, trying to persuade it to accept Su Mo. Unfortunately, no matter how she tried, the emerald dragon stubbornly shook its head.
It clearly wanted nothing to do with the man who had sliced the Heraneion into rubble.
Su Mo finally sighed and raised a hand. "There's no need to force it. You're free to do as you please."
While he was mildly interested in dragon-riding, his true objective remained the heretic god. If this dragon didn't want him on its back, then so be it—it had just nominated itself for a different role.
As Su Mo turned his attention elsewhere, Liliana paled slightly. She gave the dragon beneath her a withering look.
Do you have any idea what you just turned down?! That was a godslayer's protection, you fool!
But the emerald dragon, newly born and no smarter than a child, had no way of understanding her panic. Seeing that Su Mo wasn't pursuing it further, the dragon joyfully spread its wings and shot off like a child running free for the first time.
It flew for a good minute, soaring over Naples, basking in its newfound freedom.
Then—
A sudden flash of lightning tore across the eastern sky.
BOOM!
The thunder followed closely, and Liliana's gaze snapped eastward, toward the looming peak of Mount Vesuvius.
There, amidst the lightning, a human figure began to take shape.
Golden hair like sunlight. White robes and a cape that clearly did not belong to the modern world.
The moment Liliana saw the figure, she immediately recognized what it was.
A heretic god.
She tensed up instinctively, her right hand reaching for the hilt of her beloved sword—II Maestro.
Her fingers grabbed at empty air.
"…Oh no."
She had left her sword with Su Mo.
She was so screwed.
She suddenly remembered—her II Maestro, her beloved sword, was still with Su Mo. He hadn't returned it to her yet. Which meant… she was expected to face a heretic god without a weapon?
She might as well surrender now.
Trying to keep her composure, Liliana mustered her courage and looked up at the unknown deity floating above the volcano's crater. "May I ask where you hail from, noble god? Would you be willing to share your name?"
Lacking any immediate clairvoyant insight into this god's identity, she decided to ask directly. Su Mo wasn't with her right now, but he would arrive soon enough. If she could at least learn this heretic god's name ahead of time, it might help Su Mo defeat him more swiftly once he arrived.
Whether the god would even answer her—she wasn't sure. But heretic gods were often prideful. Even if they didn't fully reveal their names, they might hint at clues tied to their myths.
Just as Liliana was thinking that, the god hovering above the volcanic peak flashed her a bright, confident smile.
"I was just wondering how to formally introduce myself," he said cheerfully. "Your question makes it easier."
"My name is Perseus. Remember it well."
Perseus—the famed hero of Greek myth who slew the serpent-haired Gorgon, Medusa. His name and legend were widely known. A slayer of serpents, a subject of worship. This was the very symbol of the Steel Hero God—a god born of myth, representing patriarchal ascendance through conquering the Earth Mother's children.
The moment he revealed his name, Perseus's gaze drifted from Liliana to the emerald dragon nearby. His divine eyes burned with battle lust.
"GEYAAAA—!"
The dragon beneath Liliana let out a deafening roar, wild and defiant. It was the cry of a beast facing its mortal enemy—fully prepared to fight to the death.
"Hahahaha! Slaying dragon-serpents is the very calling of a hero!" Perseus laughed heartily. "And with an audience present, the stage is perfect!"
A massive blade appeared in Perseus's hand, its edge over a meter long.
"Wait!" Liliana shouted, panic in her voice as she realized what he intended. "This dragon is a manifestation of Naples' leyline essence. If you kill it, the land itself will wither!"
"For the sake of the people here, I beg you—please don't draw your blade!"
Surely, as a hero god, he should care for the lives of innocents?
Perseus chuckled at her naive plea and shook his head.
"To achieve heroic greatness, some sacrifices are unavoidable."
Liliana tried to argue again, but then Perseus's eyes turned sharp and cruel.
"You don't intend to oppose me, do you?"
The pressure of his rogue divine presence left Liliana momentarily speechless.
He ignored her and turned his full focus to the emerald dragon. Then, like a falling star, he lunged forward and slashed.
The blade came down like a hot knife through butter—cleanly slicing through the dragon's wing. Before anyone could react, in less than a tenth of a second, the sword cut deep into the dragon's neck.
It wasn't a complete decapitation, limited by the blade's size, but it cut so deep that bone was visible—down to the spine.
Liliana could only stare, stunned into silence.
This divine beast, which even mages and knights would struggle to confront, had been mortally wounded within three seconds.
Even by god-slaying standards, this was absurdly fast. This heretic god—Perseus—was no ordinary deity. He was dangerous.
And if nothing was done, the dragon would die.
Just as panic gripped her heart, a familiar voice echoed across the sky—a voice that immediately calmed her trembling heart.
It was Su Mo.
"Picking on beasts and girls right after descending from the heavens… And you still call yourself a hero?" he said casually.
At some point, Su Mo had arrived and intercepted Perseus's killing blow. He now stood calmly, blade drawn, casually conversing with the hereetic god as if they were mere acquaintances.
"Your Majesty…!" Liliana let out a relieved gasp.
Now she understood why people called god-slayers Kings.
Because in the face of heretic gods—the greatest calamities of the world—they were the only ones who could stand against them.
She recalled her earlier conversations with Erica about addressing Su Mo as King… and now, the silver-haired knightess couldn't help but consider whether she should pledge loyalty to him too.
The only question was—would her King accept her?