The Malignant Thing
When they noticed the astonishment on Danilo's face as he looked at Nzinga Otchali, everyone was taken aback — especially by the deadly glare she threw at him.
Looking at the two beings who shouldn't even be there — especially together — they all had the same thought.
— So, you two were probably chosen by the Old One? — the man asked.
It was another rhetorical question, but even so, Nzinga nodded.
— Today is my coming-of-age ceremony, and the Primordial blessed me. But during the ceremony, someone interfered... and we fell here! — Nzinga said, indignantly.
— Okay, so you were chosen by the Old One? — the man arched an eyebrow. — For him to choose you, you must have something special, because he's very selective. And judging by your attire, he must've liked you enough to send such a weak opponent. — He pointed at Danilo as he spoke.
— True — said the woman with deer antlers on her head. — The Father must be really optimistic about you. But my question is... why on earth did you, my child, agree to take part in this? — she asked, looking at Danilo with a maternal expression. — Didn't your elders teach you the consequences of taking part in the Chosen's Trial? The disparity between you two is enormous. Were you coerced? Threatened?
Her voice was sweet and soothing, filled with genuine concern that struck deep.
Even after receiving the Heart-Calming Blessing, everything Danilo had experienced since arriving in the Divine Domain exploded inside him —
his weak talent, his inability to protect his family, the hunt and torture he suffered at the hands of the Amazon Bitch, and the agony of the dragon's blood.
All of it crushed him from within.
Then he began to cry. Loudly. He screamed.
He cried like a child.
After all, he was nothing but a twenty-year-old boy.
Among everyone there, no one judged him — except Nzinga.
She looked at him with disdain, finding the human trash truly pathetic... but then calmed down.
— Then why did you decide to participate? — the deer-woman asked again.
— I... I didn't decide to participate — he replied, head lowered, body weary.
— What do you mean? How did you not decide? Didn't you receive an invitation? — asked the human woman.
— Invitation? — Danilo laughed bitterly. — Yeah, I did. Supposedly to the Land of Opportunity... but next thing I knew, I was thrown into an arena, forced to survive against this bitch! — he said, pointing at Nzinga, full of resentment.
— You dare call me a bitch, you filthy worm?! — Nzinga shouted, furious, restrained in the arms of the crow woman.
While Nzinga struggled in the crow woman's arms, Danilo glared at her with hatred and frustration.
Never in his life had he been humiliated and tortured like that.
He despised his own impotence — the weakness that made everyone treat him like garbage.
His whole life had been that way, thanks to the influence of the Afonso family.
But now, even within the Divine Domain, it was the same damn thing — only crueler.
Damn it... why is he so weak? Why is the damned sky so unfair? Why?! Why, damn it?!
He thought, glaring at the Amazon Bitch.
Suddenly, the sky darkened.
The air grew heavy, and a terrifying, sinister aura spread through the place.
Everyone grew tense.
Danilo and Nzinga froze in fear.
Moments later, a wave of peace emerged, contrasting the dark aura.
Then, the two forces began to clash — a battle of dominion.
It lasted for a while, until two objects, moving at insane speed from opposite directions, stopped right in front of Danilo.
Two artifacts, each radiating an overwhelming aura.
A sensation Danilo never thought possible.
To the left — a feeling of calm, something sacred.
Yet somehow, even that sacred aura felt faintly oppressive.
To the right — the opposite: something dark, tyrannical, and truly oppressive.
It was the hilt of a blade.
Except for Danilo and Nzinga, everyone present was utterly shocked — and somewhat frightened.
— How...? How is this possible? — the deer woman asked, disbelief in her voice.
— The Caotic Refinement Vessel... and the First Blade... both chose the same person — murmured the man, handsome yet visibly shaken. — And the person they chose... is the sacrifice of the Old One's ritual.
Then, before everyone's eyes, the gourd vanished.
But the sword's hilt remained floating before Danilo, as if waiting for him to willingly grasp it.
Danilo felt the aura it emanated, and instead of excitement, doubt and fear crept into his heart.
Power is good — and in the novels and anime he loved most, the protagonist always had an uncontrollable, dark power.
But stories are just stories.
Reality is something else entirely.
Dark powers always bring disaster... and he knew he wasn't resilient enough to resist corruption.
But then, he looked around.
The weakest being there — that Amazon bitch — had treated him like trash.
She had decapitated him, stabbed him — over and over again.
And the worst part was... he hadn't even had the strength to fight back.
The dead dragon... its roar alone made him lose consciousness.
And the blood that gushed out when it died had been enough to kill him.
Enough to kill him.
The blood alone had killed him!
A damn blood!
He was so pathetic that he'd died from a dead creature's blood.
Even if it was dragon's blood... it was still just blood!
He looked around again.
He was floating amid beings who saw him as nothing but an amusing ant — one they could annihilate with a single breath.
You know what...? Fuck it!
He thought.
The consequences would be terrible...
But being treated like an ant and killed by anyone's whim — just for some damned ritual or amusement...
was unacceptable.
He had suffered once — and he wouldn't let it happen again.
He thought of his family.
If one of his sisters had come in his place — or his mother — he couldn't even imagine it.
It would have destroyed them.
So, with determination, he raised his hand to grab the sword's hilt.
But midway, his hand froze in the air — as if time itself had stopped just for him.
— What are you doing? — asked the Dragon Lady, dressed in white.
Her curvy, voluptuous body, her pearl-like skin shimmering under the light of divine flames, and the indescribable beauty surrounding her...
None of it could hide the shock on her face.
💬 Author's Message
Hey everyone! ✨
I just wanted to drop by and thank all of you for following the story!
If the number of Power Stones reaches 5, I'll release the next chapter tomorrow (instead of in two days).
But if we hit 10 Power Stones, I'll drop two chapters tomorrow, back-to-back! 💥
The same goes for comments — with 5 comments, you get one extra chapter; with 10 comments, two extra chapters!
Power Stones are really important because they help the story gain more visibility on the platform.
I don't want to appeal to patriotism or anything like that — but I truly believe that those who feel this story has potential can help it grow.
Each Power Stone you give helps not only with visibility, but also allows me to earn more from the story — and the more support it gets, the more chapters I can release for you! ❤️
Thank you so much to everyone who believes in this story — your support means everything!