The Exiled Lord: My Maid is a Battle Goddess-Chapter 97: The consequences of arrogance

"Heh." Arlya rolled her eyes charmingly. "You can’t possibly comprehend the power of a dragon scion. Aside from Divine Chosen magic, I can master every conventional spell. And I’ve absorbed three dragon souls. What exactly are you going to use to fight me?"

"First-Tier Dragon Roar—Flame Dragon Breath!"

"First-Tier Magic—Gale!"

With a wave of her hand, the colossal dragon phantom behind her spewed out a torrent of blazing fire. Empowered by Gale, the dragonflame swept horizontally across the battlefield. Wherever it passed, the land turned to scorched earth. Explosions like rolling thunder echoed through the warped space.

"I’ll take it from here," Rosalia said seriously. "I know you want to contract her. You won’t go all out."

"But don’t take it too far either. She saved my life."

"Leave it to me."

Phield emptied his mind and let Rosalia take control.

His body suddenly felt lighter. Instead of retreating, Phield advanced, swinging his greatsword fiercely. "Divine Skill—Endless Severance!"

A heart-pounding wave of sword energy carved a shocking arc through the air, layer upon layer, colliding with the dragonflame. The two completely different forces devoured and repelled each other, erupting in deafening thunderous blasts.

"Interesting." Arlya smiled faintly, her tone dripping with disdain. "But not enough. I’m not even using seventy percent of my strength."

At first, she had been curious about Phield.

A man wielding such power—it simply didn’t make sense.

She wanted to probe just how strong he truly was.

But now, she was disappointed.

With only seventy percent of her power, she already seemed capable of crushing him.

"Hmph, insect. Let me show you the power of a dragon." Divine power surged from Arlya as the dragonflame of the True Dragon Projection intensified once more.

Frenzied dragonfire blotted out the sky.

"Boom!"

There was no suspense. An overwhelming force slammed into Phield, blasting him backward. Pain exploded across his body, making him bare his teeth. "Rosalia, teach her a proper lesson. She’s not holding back at all."

Rosalia’s confident voice echoed in his ears. "Of course. Endless Severance was only charging just now."

"Divine Skill—Endless Severance!"

After the third activation, thirteen enormous arcs of sword energy erupted. Rosalia’s divine skill was extraordinarily special—by burning her own life force, she could use it continuously. And after slaying dragons earlier, she had gained an immense surge of vitality. Life force was the one thing she currently had in abundance.

"You dare counterattack again!"

Arlya said that aloud, but she hastily layered two enhancement spells on herself before unleashing Flame Dragon Breath once more.

Dragon breath and sword energy clashed again, chaotic forces nearly overturning the swamp.

"What is going on? A skill with such enormous consumption—how can it be used repeatedly?" Arlya was secretly alarmed. "I cannot lose to a human."

This time, she held nothing back. Divine power poured out relentlessly.

The sword energy shattered. The dragonflame surged forward, about to overwhelm everything. Countless blood-red threads burst from the Greatsword of Gluttony, forming a massive shield that blocked the dragonfire. Even so, Phield was sent flying again.

"Huh, I’ve noticed something," Rosalia said in surprise. "When we fight together, our divine power consumption drops significantly. But are you alright? Since I’m using your body, the Greatsword of Gluttony can’t heal you."

"I’m fine." Phield staggered to his feet.

Rosalia truly lived up to her role as a royal guard—durable, high damage output, and capable of possessing him to protect him.

"Alright, alright. I don’t want to kill you anyway. It’s not too late to surrender. Stop fantasizing about contracting me. You’re not worthy." Arlya had lost interest in continuing. She gave Phield a way out.

Surrender? What a joke. Our confidence was overflowing.

Rosalia’s divine power was immense. The life force gained from dragon-slaying was inexhaustible—truly inexhaustible!

Seeing Arlya’s mocking expression, Phield’s temper flared. "Don’t think you’re so impressive just because you’ve got a dragon soul hanging behind you. Why should I be afraid of you?"

"A woman as arrogant as you—I’ll beat you eight times a day from now on. You’ll have to call me big brother, and you’ll speak to me gently. Got it?"

Arlya flew into a rage. Call him big brother? Speak gently? Even though her mission was to protect living beings, no one had ever dared speak to her like that.

"Go to hell! First-Tier Dragon Roar—Flame Dragon Breath!"

"You dare pit a dragon roar against a divine skill? First-Tier Divine Skill—Endless Severance!"

In the world of Divine Chosen, magic and dragon roars meant nothing before divine skills!

"Boom!"

This time, Arlya did not see dragonfire intertwining with sword energy.

Because the nearly endless barrage of layered sword waves shattered the dragonflame outright—and smashed her dragon soul projection in the process.

"Damn it! I underestimated him."

Arlya’s pupils trembled violently. That domineering skill stacked with each use—every release stronger than the last.

The world spun. Arlya was blasted away like a kite with its string cut, crashing headfirst into a pile of jagged rocks.

"So painful."

Her limbs trembled as she barely pushed herself up, disbelief written all over her face.

"A human body with a dragon soul is still not a true dragon. Even with a dragon soul, you’re fundamentally only first-tier," Phield sneered, delighted at her stunned expression. "Even if you were a real dragon, you’d still only be first-tier right now."

A classic case of knowledge exceeding practical ability. Arlya might be the reincarnation of a dragon, but at present she inhabited a human body.

The chains of the greatsword could no longer wait. They shot forward and bound Arlya, hoisting her up once more.

"Have you submitted?"

Her chest rose and fell violently. Disheveled and furious, she spat. "Hmph. A noble dragon will never submit. Insect—ptui!"

"Still acting tough?" Phield snapped his fingers, annoyed. Then he coughed lightly. "Rosalia, give her some Nightfall Domain flavor."

"Just knock her on the head a little."

"You’re far too gentle."

Rosalia stepped forward and delivered a firm "knock."

"No! This is too humiliating!" Arlya struggled desperately as her head was tapped. It didn’t hurt, but she clenched her silver teeth. "Impossible. How can a human defeat me?"

Phield felt his anger ease slightly.

"Waaah, let me go! Or I’ll disperse my dragon soul! Then we’ll all be finished!" Arlya threatened through tears. "Scum!"

Phield narrowed his eyes. "Still arrogant? Rosalia, tickle her."

The powerful physique of a Divine Chosen healed injuries quickly, but normal sensations remained—like being ticklish.

"Hahaha—!"

Arlya laughed so hard she nearly lost her breath.

"Who’s the puppy now?" Phield crossed his arms. "Surrender or not?"

"Stop... please... I’ll contract with you. Three days! How about that?" Arlya relented helplessly.

"What did I say earlier? Call me big brother," Phield said sternly.

Her cold, elegant face was filled with unwillingness. Crying, she pleaded, "Please stop. If the black dragon returns from hunting, we’ll all die. I surrender unconditionally, alright?"

Phield nodded. There—problem solved.

"Who said I still wanted to contract you?" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

He stood proudly with hands on his hips.

"Waaah... being tickled makes me feel like I’m going to pee. A human body is too weak." Arlya’s pretty face flushed bright red. "Big brother, I was wrong. Please contract me... sixty days."

"Why are you adding a time limit?" Phield frowned. "Wait—you can set a time limit?"

"It’s my special contract..."

"And this is the bottom line. Otherwise I’d rather we all die... woof." Arlya’s gaze was resolute as divine power surged again. She truly looked ready to explode.

Only after a Divine Chosen dispersed their divine artifact did they truly stake their life.

Phield understood the destructive power of artifact dissolution. There was no need to push it. Besides, he didn’t want Arlya to die—even if she refused to contract him for a single day.

"Fine. I’ll let it go this time. Stop looking down on humans in the future." Phield relaxed, feeling much lighter.

"So earning a Divine Chosen’s recognition isn’t something so casual." He sighed, looking at the Greatsword of Gluttony in his hand. "When greed clouds a person, it’s easy to go too far—especially when wielding power that isn’t truly your own."

He lifted his head at a forty-five-degree angle, gazing at the sky.

"Violence should be used against enemies, but not against those who are neutral or friendly."

Rosalia’s wicked laughter echoed in his ear. "You’re not wrong. But it’s not entirely your fault. The Greatsword of Gluttony naturally affects your sanity. You must be cautious with all corrupted Divine Chosen—their artifacts likely have even stronger influence over the mind."

It really was like the One Ring.

Phield burst out laughing crudely. "Haha, honestly I was just rambling a bit to sound profound."

"Idiot." Rosalia nearly laughed herself to death, shooting him a playful glare. "As expected of my lord."

"Alright, enough fooling around."

After taking a few deep breaths, Phield regained his usual composure and rationality.

Arlya let out a long breath and turned away to wipe the tears from her face. "My mission is to prevent dragons from destroying the world. Think carefully. It’s better not to contract me."

"Whether we contract or not has no necessary connection to saving the world, does it?" Phield was puzzled. "And I can help you."

"I’m about to leave Morning Breeze Province. If I go, you’ll be wasting your only contract slot. If I don’t, the consequences will be terrifying."

She was surprisingly considerate.

"I must find the resting place of ancient dragons and gather their knowledge. And I must go alone. Anyone else would be killed by the dragon soul guardians."

"Of course that’s fine, Miss Arlya. Since you’ve joined Nightfall Domain and contributed for me, I’ll also do everything I can to help you in the future. Nightfall Domain will fight alongside you." Phield made an OK gesture. "I still hope to contract you, even if only for sixty days. Of course, you can leave at any time—even now."

"Mm..."

For some reason, hearing that made Arlya feel a little happy. She felt less resistant toward Phield.

"The mark is on my back." Arlya hugged her chest and pulled open her dress, revealing the goddess’s mark on her snow-white back. The Divine Chosen sigil shone with domineering brilliance. Overwhelming dragon might surged outward, condensing into a sacred goddess phantom.

A strand of divine power then linked to Phield’s body.

On his lord panel, Arlya’s name appeared.

Name: Arlya Akatorosh (Contract: 60 Days)

Level: First Tier (Dragon God’s Chosen)

Class: Dragon Scion

Divine Skill: True Dragon Projection (Manifests a deified dragon phantom that replicates and greatly amplifies the user’s abilities, assisting in combat)

Divine Artifact: Akatorosh’s Dragon Soul (Grants potential to master all dragon roars, conventional magic, and martial techniques. By devouring other dragons’ souls, it acquires their knowledge and inheritance, wielding various incredible powers)

Divine Artifacts (Non-native): Bow of Daylight (First Tier), Bone Dragon Spear (First Tier), Emerald Quiver (First Tier)

Legion Skills: None

Territory Buffs: None

Lord Buffs: None

"Damn... she really wasn’t lying." Cold sweat broke out on Phield’s forehead. Arlya truly had divine artifacts gifted by others—three of them. "Since when did divine artifacts become so cheap? Simps are terrifying."