Saintess? Not Anymore! I'd Rather be a Destroyer-Chapter 368 - 305: Aura

[Iris, wait!] Jenus called out.

She turned back, a soft chuckle escaping her lips as her presence radiated oppressive elegance. "Oh, it’s you, Jenus," she said, amused.

[Where’s my sister?!] he demanded, his voice harsh and strained.

"Oh, Aja?" Iris tilted her head, a faint smile curling her lips. "She’s fine. I just had to punish her... she tried to interfere with my plans." Her voice remained airy and sweet, but it chilled the air like ice. "You won’t be able to speak to her for a while. I just don’t like her tone when she talks to me. But don’t worry—I won’t kill her. She’s far too important for that."

She gave a light giggle, and with a playful wave, she whispered, "Alright, bye bye."

And just like that, she vanished. Her departure sucked away the suffocating pressure that had been weighing on everyone. The air lightened, the sense of deatg faded—though the unease lingered.

Aurianna blinked, trying to process the conversation. "Hmm... I wonder what that world question was about," she mumbled aloud, still dazed.

"She’s definitely up to something," Leila replied, crossing her arms. "But honestly, I could care less."

Jenus remained silent for a moment before Aurianna turned to him with narrowed eyes. "Wait... Jenus, what do you mean by sister?"

"The System is actually two entities," Leila answered for him, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "If I remember right, his sister manages the other Gemaris."

A small screen flickered to life before them. [Yes, she manages the black and purple, yellow, green, violet, red, and brown Gemaris. Basically, the worst of the thirteen.]

Aurianna let out a low whistle. "Sounds tough... Oh well. I’m sure she’ll be back soon, so don’t worry, System!" she said, patting the air beside her, as though Jenus was physically there. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

To someone watching, it would look like she was talking to nothing.

Leila stepped closer to the others, who were slowly waking up, their bodies sluggish, breaths shaky. "Are you all okay?" she asked gently.

Suddenly, Carol grabbed Leila’s arm. Hard. It wasn’t just fear—it was terror. Her fingers trembled, her entire body shaking. Leila froze. This... this was the first time she’d ever seen Carol like this.

"What ....the... hell was that... thing?" Carol whispered, her voice breaking.

"It’s Iris. Why?" Aurianna asked, tilting her head, confused by the reaction.

Leila frowned. "Wait. Aurianna... I don’t think they saw Iris the way we did." She carefully removed Carol’s trembling hand and held it in her own. "Carol... what did she look like to you?"

Before Carol could respond, a gust of wind swept through the area, and Neil appeared in a flash of grey light, his face pale with alarm. "I rushed here the moment I sensed that dreadful energy! What the hell is going on?!"

He scanned the group, his grey eyes flicking from one to another. "Aurianna. Who came here just now?!"

Aurianna scratched her head nervously. "Iris... our big sister. We called her, but I didn’t think she’d actually show up."

Neil froze but Carol spoke, "That monster... is your sister? The one you’ve been talking about? What the hell is she? A god? A deity? That... darkness... it felt like I was dying just standing near it!"

Kleizorn and Elizabeth teleported in not long after, both looking visibly shaken. Even they had sensed Iris’s presence—and that was saying something.

"Give me a moment," Neil muttered, placing a hand gently on Carol’s head. A soft pulse of blue light surged from his palm, branching out to touch Kleizorn, Elizabeth, Leila, and Aurianna.

A sharp jolt of energy ran through them as the image from Carol’s mind was shared.

Pure darkness. An abyss. Countless souls writhing in eternal agony, their screams echoing in an endless void. These were all around Iris, and yet she remained... beautiful. Eerily so. Her face was unreal, enchanting—but her death skull eyes said otherwise.

Just looking into her eyes was like being stabbed with a scythe as death would be breathing down your neck. Her mere presence used the concept of hope. And as she looked at you, you felt like your lungs would stop working—that your heart would simply forget to beat.

Aurianna stumbled back, stunned. "I... I see. So that’s... how she appeared to you..."

"In our eyes, she looked... normal," Leila said, shaken. "Strange, but normal."

"But she loves us, so... no worries, I guess," she added with a nervous chuckle.

Carol turned sharply, her voice trembling with disbelief. "How is something like that even capable of love?!"

"Love?" Leila gave a small, bitter laugh. "It’s more like... obsession. We’re her only family. The only connection she has left."

Carol’s frown deepened. "I see..."

"So that’s what the new Black Gemaris looks like..." Neil muttered, still shaken. "She might be even worse than her mother."

"Hey! That’s our big sister you’re talking about!" Aurianna huffed, folding her arms in displeasure.

Neil shot her a look, unimpressed. "Aurianna, let’s be realistic here. That was just a projection of her—and it sent all the Domain Rulers into a frenzy. If she had actually come in person, I doubt even you would have the ability to stand."

"She’s killing all the Regals across every dimension and multiverse," Aurianna said with a shrug. "So technically, she’s being super helpful."

Leila frowned and placed a gentle hand on Aurianna’s shoulder. "Auri... if she wipes them all out, there won’t be anyone left for us to fight."

The realization hit Aurianna like a slap. Her mouth dropped open. "Oh fuck. You’re right!" she gasped, slapping her forehead dramatically.

"Wait, wait, girls—did you say multiverse?" Kleizorn interjected, his brow furrowing.

"Yeah? Why?" Aurianna asked, tilting her head innocently.

"Aurianna, dear..." Elizabeth began, her tone grave. "Out of trillions of beings across time and space, only one—maybe two at most—ever gain the ability to cross the multiverse."

Neil leaned forward, his face tight with concern. "What’s worse is... my former master had that power. And now she does too? No... wait, I remember... the Purple Gemaris had a beast with multiverse travelling capabilities as well. This... this makes sense now."

"You’re overthinking it," Aurianna replied, unconcerned, waving his thoughts away.

"This isn’t a small matter, Aurianna," Neil snapped. "It’s a massive, cosmic threat!"

"To be fair, Neil," Leila said with a small shrug, "we don’t really understand the full weight of what’s happening."

"Exactly. You don’t," Carol spoke up, her voice calm but firm. "If she’s attacking other multiverses, it’s only a matter of time before someone retaliates—maybe even come and kidnap you two and use you as leverage against her."

"Let them come!" Aurianna grinned wildly, her eyes sparkling. "I want to fight!"

’This idiot,’ all four thought at once, exchanging knowing glances as they stared at Aurianna, who was practically bouncing with excitement.

Meanwhile, Leila’s gaze softened as she turned to Hadina, Boara, Kisho, Dokgil, and the others, many of whom were still reeling from Iris’s oppressive aura.

"Are you guys alright?" she asked gently.

Christopher clutched his head, his whole body trembling. "Scary... scary... scary..." he mumbled over and over, eyes wide and unfocused. The others around him looked just as rattled.

Kiana and Elena, who had fainted during the encounter, were now groggily waking up—only to cry out and flinch as they remembered the feeling of Iris’s aura pressing down on them like a mountain.

"They’ll be okay after some rest," Shuwi said, trying to sound composed despite her pale complexion and clenched hands.