Chapter 185: One's Own Will (66 Bonus 28)

"If you want me to tell you like this… then you can have your answer right now."

"They have been hating you all along, and He has been searching for you all along."

"Are you satisfied with this answer?"

The sanctuary fell silent.

Deathly silent, even.

Those noisy souls trembled, not daring to make even the slightest sound.

Although Lucille was still kneeling on the ground at this moment, looking quite calm on the surface.

They could feel the fury hidden within this fallen angel's chest.

The Sun God's warring angels had never been the easygoing sort.

They were the scorching spears of the sun that pierced through enemies!

At this moment, this former Archangel was being wantonly mocked, her last pretense torn apart, then slammed hard onto the ground.

Herbert certainly knew of Lucille's fury, able to feel the terrifying pressure gradually emanating from that body.

But, so what?

This is the Third Commandment Hall.

And I am the warden who controls this prison; you are the prisoner atoning here.

You are the challenger!

After a moment of silence, Herbert smiled, putting away his cold demeanor.

"Heh."

He smiled faintly and said lightly, "I'm a pretty straightforward speaker, don't take it to heart."

"Just… take it as me joking around, hahahaha."

He was still outputting.

As everyone knows, all those who call themselves "sharp-tongued but soft-hearted" are flamers looking for a legitimate excuse to roast people.

Because truly soft-hearted people couldn't bear to say such hurtful words.

"…"

And clearly Lucille took some internal damage upon hearing this, almost failing to keep herself in check.

She took a deep breath, and only after quite a while gradually calmed down, the pressure around her slowly dissipating.

"No…"

Lucille raised her head, looked at the youth before her, and sighed softly: "You're right."

"I truly was afraid of getting that answer."

"Also…"

The fallen angel took a deep breath, her four hands gripping tightly together until they trembled slightly, then she let out a feeble breath and sighed:

"Indeed, just as you said, I also wanted to get that kind of answer."

Lucille admitted it.

In her heart, there truly were such thoughts.

She hoped to get that kind of answer, so that the torment inside her could ease just a little.

"But… I do not regret the betrayal back then, and I truly do possess my own will."

She slowly opened her eyes, and with those terrifying eyes that would give anyone who saw them goosebumps all over, she gazed at the youth before her.

"No matter how many more times I go through it, I would betray Him again."

"Even if it means betraying a god, I would still choose my own path."

Just as she was reborn again and again, breaking free from her past body, and falling once more.

In truth, she had long understood that this fall did not come from the world's rules, nor was it a god's punishment.

It was decided by her own will.

Precisely because she chose betrayal, Lucille ended up walking toward that result.

Falling, again and again.

Going against the mission bestowed upon her at birth, making her own choice, walking down a completely opposite path.

"…"

And Herbert, watching her resolute appearance, blinked.

He wasn't frightened by those creepy eyes; instead, looking at her determined expression, he found it somewhat amusing and laughed.

Hmm?

Lucille, upon seeing Herbert's expression, slightly furrowed her brow: "Why are you laughing? Are you questioning my resolve?"

!!!

The souls trembled, grieving for Herbert.

They felt that soon there would be a new member of the choir…

"No, no, no, you misunderstand, I'm not mocking you."

But the youth waved his hand and laughed easily:

"I just want to tell you—there's nothing wrong with your thoughts, no need to be so serious, no need to make such a big resolution."

"What?"

The fallen angel's pupils contracted slightly,

Herbert shrugged and said earnestly: "Having one's own thoughts is a perfectly normal thing."

"I thought you were going to say something big—so it's just betraying a god, what's the big deal?"

He reached out and patted the fallen angel on the shoulder, laughing with easy familiarity:

"From the day you possessed a will of your own, you were no longer a soulless tool, but an independent individual."

"And for an individual to have Nie Nasha is perfectly normal."

"Whether it's betrayal or continued obedience, both are your own choices."

"You merely made a choice, that's all."

He spread his hands and said casually:

"So instead of obsessing over how your old man sees you, why not think more about what you should do next?"

"Since you've already chosen a path, why not carry it out?"

"What about that promise to give all evil a place to belong? You haven't done that either."

He looked at the thoughtful fallen angel and laughed:

"Rather than hiding here, I think what you should really do is think carefully about how to put the path you've chosen into practice."

The fallen angel was silent for a long time, and realized that she had been beating her head against a wall all along, wasting her time.

But the problem was, even though she understood this, what could she do now?

"But… how should I do it?"

*Slap! *

A light sound interrupted Lucille's train of thought, drawing her gaze to the youth before her.

"What a coincidence! I happen to have a plan right here!"

The white-haired youth beamed.

He said:

"I'm preparing to build a place where evil and justice, monsters and humans, where everyone can coexist in peace!"

"You… would you be interested in learning more?"

"Nasha."

【"Hmm?"】

After leaving the Sanctuary, Herbert asked the God of Harmony, who had been silent for a long time.

"Is Lucille an Epic-tier powerhouse?"

【"If you're only talking about now, yes."】

"…And in the past?"

【"A Saint."】

The God of Harmony recalled the fallen angel he had seen earlier and said with feeling:

【"Relying on the rank bestowed by the divine, she was unquestionably a Saint at her peak."】

【"Well, the weakest kind of Saint, the kind where even my human self could take on ten of them!"】

【"But now, though… heh heh."】

【"After casting off the false bestowal, she might be able to walk a path that belongs to her."】

【"When she steps into the Saint realm again, she might be stronger than before."】

"I see…"

Herbert sighed, shook his head, and didn't hold out much hope.

Nobody knew how many people were stuck at the step from Legend to Epic; getting her to recover from Epic back to Saint would certainly be no easy feat.

【"Speaking of which, I didn't expect you to want to pull her to your side the moment you met her…"】

"What's so unexpected about that?"

Herbert chuckled lightly and shook his head: "It's just drawing in every force that can be drawn in."

Sit down, basic operation.

【Voting station: monthly tickets! recommendation tickets!】

Extra chapter (28/125)

Although the total keeps growing, it's already past one-fifth!

Family, I beg for monthly tickets!

I really want to push for the top six in monthly votes for new books—

My back is killing me right now, I have a cold, and I'm still updating 12,000 words a day—I'd say that's pretty hard work, right?

I implore everyone to lend me a hand!

Thank you thank you thank you!

(Pout)



(End of chapter)