Saintess? Not Anymore! I'd Rather be a Destroyer-Chapter 365 - 302: Can I ask something

"They sure did," Carom said nonchalantly, licking her lips. "I wanted to eat them, honestly. But Kiana said no. Such a pity..."

"Kiana, you did well," Aurianna said quickly, snapping her fingers in approval and flashing her a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, Master Aurianna!" Kiana beamed, her eyes misting over with joy at the praise.

Aurianna groaned and scratched her cheeks, which were still burning with embarrassment. "Ugh... how humiliating..."

Leila walked over and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "It’s normal to lose your temper, sister."

"Normal?!" Boara shouted from the back, clearly still shaken. "She nearly killed us! That’s not ’normal,’ that’s a catastrophe!"

"I’m sorry, Boara," Aurianna said with a guilty expression.

"You should be! You’ve got to get a handle on your anger!" Boara snapped, still visibly rattled.

Aurianna’s gaze darkened, her tone low and cold. "I couldn’t stand the thought of letting that bastard live. It’s not fair."

Leila tilted her head and gave a small shrug. "Six years isn’t that long."

"But in six years," Aurianna countered, her eyes narrowing, "who knows what he’ll do? If he hides among the Church of Paige, it’ll be a struggle to root him out. And if that happens..." She paused, her voice like steel. "Then I’ll declare war on them. No matter what it takes. Well that was my plan anyway."

Leila’s eyes gleamed with something between admiration and concern. "That’s my sister... So this is why, back then, you wanted to get stronger. So you could make a contract with Kisho. You were already thinking of building a force of your own, weren’t you?"

Aurianna smirked. "Of course. Kisho is incredibly powerful. If I’m going to stand a chance, I need beings like him on my side. Anyone in this space with that kind of power—I’ll make them mine. I’ll build an army that could challenge the whole world if I wanted to. Chi, chi, chi!"

Her laughter echoed with confidence, and the others glanced at each other uneasily.

Leila studied her for a moment. "Are you calm now?"

"Yes," Aurianna replied with a sinister smile curling at the edges of her lips. "I can’t wait to find him again. Or maybe I won’t kill him. Death would be mercy. Him... and those so-called heroes." Her tone turned cold and gleeful. "I think I’ll break them—slowly—until they beg me for death. That would be more satisfying."

Aurianna’s eyes flicked across their faces, her voice soft. "Are you all... scared of me now?"

Kiana stepped forward without hesitation. "Master, seriously—who wouldn’t be afraid of you?"

Aurianna laughed lightly and gave Kiana a sweet smile. "Well, Kiana dear, you’re different."

The compliment made Kiana blink, her face flushing with a faint pink hue. She looked away quickly, trying to maintain her composure.

Hadina, watching from the side, narrowed her eyes slightly. Her tentacles twitched.

"Master, why are you calling her dear? Am I no longer your wife?" Hadina asked, her large eyes shimmering with pain as her tentacles gently held Aurianna. Her pout deepened as she pressed her forehead against Aurianna’s cheek, clearly fishing for reassurance.

Aurianna sighed heavily, already feeling the headache coming. "Hadina, how many times must I say this? A contract is not a marriage."

"It is!" Hadina snapped, puffing up indignantly. "And I shall be the first wife! ...But I suppose I’ll allow a few concubines." She turned her head with a dramatic huff.

Aurianna gave her a blank stare. ’She’s not listening.’

"Also, Hadina... could you put me down now?" Aurianna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course!" Hadina chirped, instantly unraveling her tentacles from around Aurianna and placing her gently on the ground like a treasured doll.

Just then, Kiana cleared her throat. "Can I ask something?"

"Go ahead, Kiana," Aurianna said, brushing off the dust from her clothes as she looked up.

"You seem to really hate your brother... and the Church of Paige. Why’s that?"

Aurianna blinked. "Ah, right. You weren’t there when I gave everyone with my mark those memories. I keep forgetting who got what." She paused, folding her arms with a more serious expression. "Well... would you really like to know?"

"If you want to tell us," Batholem said gently, stepping forward. "We’ll listen."

Aurianna’s gaze shifted toward a quiet figure at the edge of the group. "Then ask Peter. He’s the one with time magic."

Peter looked up, blinking. "Me?"

"Time magic? Like Eva’s?" Carol asked curiously.

"Yes, something similar," Aurianna answered before Peter could. "But Eva’s is far more refined. Peter’s is just a low version."

Peter sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Honestly... I couldn’t see your time, Aurianna. Your fate was... twisted. Unreadable."

"But you saw through others, didn’t you?" Aurianna asked, already appearing at Peter’s side with a mischievous smirk. "Not my face exactly, but you know what they did to me."

Peter didn’t flinch. "Of course. I knew you’d find out. Eventually."

"Then say it," Aurianna murmured.

Peter hesitated, then spoke plainly. "The Church of Paige... they’re using their Saintesses as fuel. Offering them to the country of Sandeoh to use their blood to create weapons—ones that can slay beings far stronger than the users themselves."

"Bingo." Aurianna grinned darkly, her eyes glinting. "They threw away their precious Saintess. Let her rot under the weight of her own blood. My mother turned her eyes away. My father pretended not to see. After all, beauty only gets you so far... especially when you lack strength. So I made a choice."

She looked each of them in the eye as she continued, her voice filled with quiet rage. "I changed my fate. Changed the entire flow of time. And even got a warning from the High God himself." She gave a dry laugh. "Not like I gave a damn."

Silence settled over the group.

"So yes... this time I will have my revenge. I’ll kill them. Is that enough for you? Or are you all suddenly at a loss for words?" she asked, her voice calm.

Peter shrugged. "I couldn’t care less. The Church of Paige has never been righteous. And for what it’s worth, my Church of Time is supporting you."

"Good." Aurianna’s expression softened just slightly. "And tell me, Peter... is everyone in your church done receiving their marks?"

"Not yet," Peter replied. "We’ve got a lot of members."

"Hm? Seems like you haven’t gotten yours yet." Aurianna leaned closer, tilting her head. "Are you afraid of me?"

Peter chuckled nervously. "It’d be a lie if I said I wasn’t. After all, receiving your mark means I can never go against you. That’s a terrifying thought—losing your free will."