Monster Lord: The Goblin Offers the Saintess to Me at the Start

"Just a few more hours, and I can completely refine the 'Blood Piercing' ability, completing my advancement!!"

"The moment the refinement is complete, I will break through!"

"If I reach the Silver Rank, I can easily take on that Blood Clan and his minions alone!"

The hardest part had already been overcome, so there was nothing much to worry about now.

Sivis was in a good mood.

However, as his gaze shifted, Sivis froze.

He was lying flat on the ground, placed there by Vikalina, and could slightly turn his head to look around.

Vikalina had gone to investigate the source of the noise, and Sivis followed her with his eyes. At that moment, he saw a scene he never expected.

Sivis wasn't in a critically injured or near-death state; he was just in a chaotic condition due to the interaction and absorption of two divine powers, which prevented him from controlling his body.

But he could feel that he had no external injuries, only internal injuries caused by the clash of divine powers.

Most of these internal injuries had been healed by Vikalina's somewhat clumsy healing spells.

The new wounds that had appeared when he woke up were also repaired by Vikalina's Healing Magi, despite her awkward and repeated failures.

Sivis felt in excellent condition!

When he first woke up, the Vikalina he saw had been in a gentle and calm state.

Until now, as Sivis watched the female knight who had moved to the side, he realized he might have misunderstood something...

It wasn't because of his lucky familiarity with the underground system of Minnet City that they had narrowly escaped danger; nor was it that the most difficult part had been easily passed, ensuring their safety from then on.

Sivis indeed had no injuries, but the issue was in what he saw—

When Vikalina faced him, the front of her body had little blood or dirt, and her armor was only slightly damaged, making her look relatively well.

However, the scene behind her was drastically different, with her covered in filth and her body riddled with wounds from Blood Servants' bites. The gashes were oozing blood, looking exceedingly gruesome.

Many of the wounds were emitting a crimson smoke and dark purple spots, clearly the effects of curses and toxins working together.

The female knight was in a critically injured and near-death state!

The fact that she could still stand was nothing short of miraculous.

If it weren't for Vikalina being a long-standing successor of the Church, the inheritor of the Holy Flame Lance, possessing exceptional holy light talents and a high aptitude for cultivation, her physique far surpassing that of an ordinary person...

She would have died here long ago, or been turned into a Blood Servant!

No, that's not right...

Even considering all these factors, the fact that Vikalina could still force herself to move was still incredibly exaggerated!

"If this were in a game, players would probably rage at how unrealistic the character design is."

Sivis was utterly astonished.

He didn't know what was keeping Vikalina from falling.

Sivis was even more confused.

Why did Vikalina have such injuries? Weren't wounds on a warrior's back considered a disgrace?

He vaguely recalled the scenes his leaking mental energy had perceived while he was unconscious.

In those scenes, Vikalina tightly held him, cradling him in her arms, keeping him safe from any harm.

She continuously unleashed bursts of flame from her knight's lance, fighting off the monsters around them.

But in the confined terrain, monsters could surge from any direction at any moment.

When Vikalina had no way to avoid them, she would extend her arms to let the monsters tear at her, protecting Sivis from harm.

This way, through repeated escapes, dashes, and constant attacks from behind, the scene he had woken up to was created—

Sivis was almost unscathed, while Vikalina, who had appeared relatively fine in front of him, was actually on the brink of death.

Sivis fell silent.

Now, he understood what was driving the female knight's actions...

"Was it... for me?"

Sivis's face was blank. He didn't break down into tears or become overly emotional like the protagonists in a romance novel upon realizing the extent of her sacrifice.

But he was stunned.

He didn't understand... why Vikalina would do this?

For the maid Reina, Sivis could understand the girl's loyalty.

Reina's life had been without hope. Sivis treated her fairly, kindly, and equally, but he also knew that if he hadn't chosen her, Reina would have been just another ordinary girl in this cruel world, likely to be used and discarded by the nobles.

In a sense, Sivis had changed her life.

"Though I don't expect Reina to give everything for me, I can understand her actions."

"Vikalina... you had a future."

"You could have relied on yourself to forge a path to save the world."

Sivis couldn't comprehend.

Vikalina had a strong charisma that could make players willingly support her; she wouldn't easily submit to anyone completely.

Unless she was under the influence of some magic or potion that caused her to fall into a state similar to that of a Guardian, losing her self-awareness, her mind would not be twisted.

Now, Vikalina's sacrifices for him were repeatedly shattering his preconceptions. First, she had risked becoming an enemy of the Church to protect him, choosing him over the many civilians.

Not long ago, Vikalina, despite her severe injuries, charged through a group of Blood Servants to come to Sivis's aid.

Just now, she had endured countless attacks while he was asleep, only her powerful physical body keeping her from collapsing. But with such a severe blood plague infection and injuries, Vikalina had already entered a countdown to death.

"She even used the Healing Magi on me."

"But I didn't have any significant injuries at all..."

Sivis's expression grew more complex.

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just checked. It's not that the Blood Servants have come back, and the route you provided was indeed correct. Although the Silver Blood Clan set up many monsters near where we arrived, it became easier to handle once we shook them off."

Vikalina was in a good mood; she felt that Sivis was safe.

As for her own injuries, the female knight didn't mention them at all.

It wasn't that she was deliberately trying to avoid worrying Sivis; in her mind, all she could think about was protecting this person who could change the world in the future. There was no room for considering her own safety.

Sivis was silent for a few seconds.

For some reason, he had been able to remain calm and analytical just a moment ago, but seeing the female knight in this state now...

His heart suddenly stirred.

He felt the beauty of the female knight's qualities — who wouldn't want a loyal, beautiful, and reassuring guardian like her by their side?

At the same time, he had to admit that under such intense emotional pressure from Vikalina, he was struggling to maintain his composure.

Sivis's originally calm demeanor vanished instantly. He no longer thought about breaking through in a few hours, easily defeating the Blood Clan, acquiring an Extraordinary Soul, and unlocking the Blood Shackles to drastically increase the strength of his territory.

He didn't think about anything, just—

Sivis fell silent, focusing on channeling the energy within his body to accelerate the absorption of "blood piercing."

He absolutely could not accept Vikalina dying here.

There were only a few hours left until his breakthrough, but Sivis dared not take the risk. Vikalina had to hold on!

Even without the Blood Clan's pursuit, the female knight was in grave danger!

Initially, Sivis thought he was wasting his time. The divine power within him was far beyond what a Bronze-Rank mental force could control.

But with intense concentration, it actually worked!

Sivis's expression brightened.

He felt the Evil God's divine power becoming slightly more active. The energy of the Blood Clan, formed by "blood piercing," transformed into a faint dark red wave, continuously merging into Sivis's mental sea.

As a result, the intense energy fluctuations near Sivis's body caused a significant rise in the temperature around him.

Seeing this, Vikalina, who had been relatively calm, hurriedly stepped forward. "What's happening? Are you alright?"

The female knight asked with some tension.

Despite being on the brink of death, her expression hadn't changed at all.

Sivis simply shook his head slightly, his expression serious. "I'm fine, don't worry. We'll be out of here soon. I swear it by my name, Sivis."

"Is it that serious?" For some reason, when Sivis's name was spoken.

The female knight paused.

Then she smiled playfully. "What's the point of swearing by your own name?"

She felt like she had forgotten something, but because they were in a dangerous situation, she spoke with a playful tone, trying to ease the tension.

Sivis shook his head.

The name Sivis he mentioned was not the Sivis of this world, but his original name—Sivis from Earth.

The characters and the name in this world were the same, but they were actually two different things...

Just like in the dream, when the giant bat called out that name... it was the name of another [Sivis].

Wait, why would the dream call out my name?

Sivis was a bit puzzled.

...

Just as the two were talking, a sound came from nearby again.

This time, Vikalina didn't need to check. Along with the sound, a nauseating, overwhelming stench of blood surged through the air, so foul it even overpowered the smell of the sewers.

The next second, a series of crackling sounds followed.

Vikalina's face changed abruptly as a brick wall behind Sivis shattered violently.

Fortunately, the place where Sivis was lying was a fair distance from the wall, so he wasn't hit by the debris.

But from within the shattered bricks.

A series of bone-chilling, eerie sounds grew louder and more intense!

Finally...

Swish!

A Blood Servant, claws outstretched, lunged forward with a fierce attack.