Chapter 423: The Death of the Angel (62K — please subscribe)

The angel and Miss Xie Shen.

A creation and the incarnation of a deity.

Mortals assumed the angel had come to battle the deity, but anyone with even a rough sense of the gap between the two sides knew that was unrealistic.

From the very start, their strength was already on entirely different levels.

Even though the Miss Xie Shen before them was merely an incarnation whose power fell short, she still could not be brought down by a single, ordinary angel.

Even if their realms were equal, there remained a vast, heaven-and-earth gulf between them in combat technique.

The skills honed over countless eons had long since surpassed anything mortal minds could imagine.

No chance of victory.

No matter how one looked at it, the same — there was simply no chance of victory at all.

Yet the battle still erupted, catching them all off guard.

And it was the angel who struck first.

No words, and no fear.

Only a charge.

A charge without reason.

A charge beyond comprehension.

A foolish charge!

The pure-white angel made himself part of a holy lance and hurled it with all his might at the monster within the black fog.

Whoosh—

His speed surged once more, nearly becoming a streak of holy light — like a reverse meteor rising from the ground, rushing toward the vast shadow within the black fog.

"……"

The gods and the mighty watching this moment all fell silent.

What is he trying to do?

Slay a god?

Can he do it?

Can he really?

Everyone knew the gulf between these two, understood this was an impossible feat.

Yet the angel's fierce, all-or-nothing momentum stirred a faint illusion in the hearts of those watching.

It seemed it was not the angel who was at a disadvantage, but rather the deity at whom the blade was pointed.

And as one of the parties to the fight, the God of Sinful Desire merely furrowed his brow for a moment at first, then calmed.

"Heh."

He looked down at the angel charging toward him and waited for him to launch his attack.

"……A fool who doesn't know his own limits."

"Idiot."

In that moment, beyond contempt, a touch of irritation stirred in the God of Sinful Desire's heart.

Wait — is this right?

Had it really been so long since he'd shown the world how terrifying he was that people had forgotten what kind of Miss Xie Shen he was?!

Fine, that Divine Favored earlier dared to lay hands on him under the pretense of a god's descent — but now an angel dares to as well?

In the Church of the Gods' hierarchy, angels ranked below Divine Favored.

Even if they were stronger, angels still could not compare to Divine Favored.

Think about it — how could mass-produced creations ever measure up to rare, precious talents?

To deal with me, you don't send an entire angel legion — just a single, measly angel?

What kind of joke is that?

Me — I've really fallen on hard times, haven't I?

To be looked down on like this!

Still, because the one looking down on him was very likely the Sun God, even though he was displeased, the God of Sinful Desire kept his silence.

Who's looking down on me?

Oh, it's Him!

Then never mind — cough, cough — ahem, nothing at all.

Though both possessed high divine power, there was still a noticeable gap in raw strength between them.

The Sun God Ab Sita, as the ultimate big shot of justice and light, had few deities who could face Him head-on.

Someone like himself, daring to let his subordinates fight a duel against Him, was already considered quite spirited.

Most other evil gods took a different stance — upon learning that those wiping out their followers came from the Church of the Sun, they would shut their mouths on their own.

Either stepping out to smooth things over, or pretending not to know, acting as if nothing had ever happened.

They only felt it was bad luck, being tangled up with those lunatics of the Sun, and would not launch any grand, public revenge.

Why?

Was it because the Sun God was beautiful, kind-hearted, and well-liked, and everyone adored Him?

Of course not!

Then damn it, of course it was because they really couldn't win!!!

Couldn't win!

When the bloody reality was laid bare before their eyes, evil gods could become very understanding indeed.

To avoid provoking that violent, cruel sun as much as possible, most of the gods chose to lower their heads, refusing to look directly at that blazing, dazzling sunlight.

Miss Xie Shen had also been overcome by rage earlier; otherwise She would never have let Her subordinates carry out that token act of revenge, and would not have gotten entangled with the Church of the Sun.

Yet now that things had escalated to this point, She felt it was about enough.

Although She didn't know why the Sun God was unusually quiet this time, if things kept going, She estimated it really would provoke Him into acting.

Miss Xie Shen had no desire to fight that fellow.

There was no need to corrupt that giant dragon — as long as this angel could be killed, a withdrawal would be perfectly justified… Hmm!?

!!!

An intense sense of crisis cut off all of the God of Depravity's thoughts, and Her consciousness snapped back to reality in an instant.

Danger?

Where?

Ab Sita has descended too!?

The pupils of the winged serpent contracted; every face on its scales and feathers froze, all looking toward the approaching crisis at once.

No, that's not right!

It's actually him!?

Forced to gaze upon the "danger" before Her eyes.

That pure-white angel!?

That one made me feel uneasy?

Miss Xie Shen was utterly confused, unable to understand why the other party would give Her such a feeling.

But She knew this was very wrong.

At this moment, the cunning, cautious evil god knew what She ought to do.

Thus, everyone watching this place saw a scene they had never anticipated.

The fact that the angel struck first was already shocking enough.

And what was even more outrageous was the deity's reaction.

The lofty evil god actually did respond at the very last moment — She chose to dodge on Her own initiative!

At the final instant, the deity twisted Her body aside.

She twisted Her body aside…

The deity chose to yield proactively!?

What?

The winged serpent avatar of Miss Xie Shen let out a furious roar that mingled with the thunder in the clouds, shaking heaven and earth.

"How dare you!?"

Even though She had sensed the danger at the last moment and dodged decisively, the holy lance still left a mark on Her body.

A massive wound several meters long!

Purple blood sprayed from the wound at the tip of the winged serpent's tail, scattering across the sky like a rain of blood.

Even gods can bleed.

Let alone an avatar of a deity.

They are indeed powerful, but never truly invincible.

At this moment, no one knew how many people burst into an uproar, crying out in shock.

"Angel, my lord!"

Seeing this, Radiant Shengcheng erupted into astonishing cheers, celebrating the angel's victory.

They excitedly waved their fists, wishing they could rush up and take that angel's place.

Angel!

Angel, my lord!

But even in an atmosphere of jubilation as vast as the ocean, a portion of the people still did not lose their reason, remaining calm.

They knew clearly that this was only the beginning; the matter was far from over.

Flora was one of them.

Miss the Demon knew that the "angel's" true identity was Herbert, and understood that he had received aid from a powerful being, and that with that aid he could remain completely unscathed before the evil god.

But the question was…

How did he do it?

How on earth did he wound an epic-tier deity's avatar?

And this question was also the doubt in the hearts of many others.

Soon, they found the answer.

After landing one strike, the angel did not pause, and without the slightest hesitation immediately launched a second attack.

After swiftly turning around, he raised his lance once more and charged at the evil god again.

It was precisely this brief pause that let people notice the detail.

It was the holy lance!

A single drop of divine blood clung to that holy lance.

The blood of Depravity — even if it was merely the blood of an avatar — was enough to affect an epic-tier weapon and render a legendary armament completely ruined.

Yet before the divine blood could corrode the spear tip, it was directly purified by the holy light it radiated.

The long spear in that angel's hand was no ordinary weapon.

It was a divine artifact!

That was actually a divine artifact!!!

But, which one from the Lieri Sect was it?

They had not found any divine artifact in their memories matching the holy lance before them!

Herbert grinned at the God of Lust, feeling the exhilaration in his heart, and thought cheerfully: "That old coot really didn't lie to me—his cane really is powerful!"

And if Herbert had known that the seemingly ordinary "cane" was actually the scepter symbolizing the identity of the Lieri Pope, he would probably have praised it a few more times.

But right now, he only felt that this cane really hurt when it stabbed people!

Not bad~

A real man should stab more people!

Stab with the fury of a tiger! Stab with the speed of a thousand miles a day! Stab as if a lifetime had passed!

Stab with an open heart! Stab with a soul bursting with joy!

Following the power of the holy lance, Herbert in a godlike state charged once more at the Winged Serpent.

Charge! Charge! Char—

And by now, the God of Lust's wounds had already healed, and the god had calmed down entirely.

"……"

He first cast a wary glance at the "holy lance," able to sense the special ability attached to it—at least a mid-grade divine artifact or higher!

Then, fixing the angel with a chilling gaze, he split open his grotesque great maw and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Servant of Ab Sita, you will regret what you just did."

Can a child holding a weapon really surpass an adult?

Not necessarily.

Although the angel's divine artifact would cause the God of Lust some trouble, it was only some trouble.

If he really had to deal with it carefully, the other side still would not be his match.

And what answered the God of Lust was……

A spear tip thrusting toward his face!

A cold flash arrived first, then the spear shot forth like a dragon!

Hah!

You overgrown worm, hold still!

None of your lip!

Let this monk stab you once more!

Take this spear from me—

……

……

"……"

At the Four Seasons Goddesses' tea party, they all watched this scene together.

At this moment, even many goddesses who had previously shown little interest in this matter raised their eyes and looked at the figure in the crystal ball.

They watched as the angel, with a frail body, launched one fearless charge after another against a god.

That not-very-tall figure was somehow brimming with solemn grandeur and passionate fervor.

Like a tragic hero from an epic tale, charging at a mountain-like great beast.

"This little fellow is very brave. I really hope my children could be this bold." The Goddess of Spring Buds sighed, thinking of her own creations.

Although the angel form was common, not every god favored angels as their chosen form of creation—many gods had their own unique exclusive creations.

For instance, the Goddess of Spring Buds had chosen flower fairies as her messengers, each one born from a rare flower.

Those fellows were notoriously timid—even the strongest among them, who possessed power above Legendary rank, still could not change their innate disposition; when trouble came, they would definitely burrow into the flower body to hide first.

"A fine warrior. Ab Sita has always been able to nurture such fearless warriors—truly enviable." The Goddess of Autumn Harvest remarked with equal feeling.

The Sun God has never lacked warriors.

Even though most of those warriors died in endless battles, new ones would soon be born.

"……Sigh."

The Goddess of the Moon narrowed her eyes slightly, shook her head, and lamented: "He is indeed a fine seedling, but……"

The Goddess of Winter, holding a cat, spoke up unusually at this moment, her voice cool yet not cold, saying lightly: "What a pity."

At these words, everyone fell silent.

Even the Goddess of Midsummer, who had previously held a disdainful attitude toward the "foolish angel," shook her head slightly and sighed softly: "Truly a pity."

Yes, a pity.

Mortals might still be hoping for a miracle.

But the gods had long since reached their answer.

Even though the pure-white angel wielded a divine artifact and possessed a will that feared no death, the vast gulf between them could not be bridged.

The ending could not be changed.

The battle within the black fog did not last long.

When the last clash and roar subsided, a figure fell from the black fog.

Whoosh—

The pure-white angel plummeted from the sky.

When the angel fell from the black fog and appeared before the world again, it had become an entirely different sight.

The pure-white angel was stained with crimson blood.

His wings had been broken, and his battle armor was covered in dense cracks of every size, along with hideous marks corroded by divine blood.

His helmet was more than half destroyed, and the exposed face had already been stained and corroded by purple divine blood, making it impossible to discern his original features.

As creations that serve at the side of the gods, angels' true forms may not suit mortal aesthetics, but they must surely possess an exceedingly beautiful image.

And now, the angel had his wings broken and his face destroyed, like a white dove with its spine bitten through, never to soar again.

Watching that falling figure, the cheers in the Radiant Shengcheng cut off abruptly, as if choked by the grim reality, and the entire city instantly fell into silence.

Deathly stillness.

"No, no, no, no…"

"No!"

"Miss Angel…"

"This can't be real!"

The believers went from shock at first, to disbelief, and finally to anguish.

Anguished at the angel's defeat, and anguished at their own helplessness.

Those who remained in the city were mostly the sick and wounded; they no longer had the strength to fight.

"Why isn't anyone going to help Miss Angel!!?"

"Where are the people!!?"

"Where are the Shengcheng's guards?! Why aren't they moving out!!"

Why?

Yes, why?

"…"

The Shengcheng's Guard Captain, listening to those questions and feeling the angry gazes, silently clenched his fists, turned his head to look at the highest point of the Shengcheng, his eyes filled with incomprehension.

He did not understand.

"Your Holiness the Pope, why?"

Before, it wasn't that no one wanted to rush forward to help Miss Angel — the followers of the Sun God did not fear death, and in the eyes of zealots there was no one at all beyond the god they worshipped.

They were all willing to fight shoulder to shoulder with the angel, to stand against the god together with him.

And the reason the angel had to fight alone was only one… they had been pinned down by someone, forcibly held inside the city.

And that person was the pinnacle of the Sun Church — the Lieri Sect Pope!

It was His Holiness the Pope himself who gave the order that no one was to leave the city, that they must watch helplessly as the angel fought the god.

Your Holiness the Pope, why must you sit and watch Miss Angel fight alone?

Why can we only watch him sacrifice himself!!?

And in the highest temple, the aged saint raised his head.

"…"

His eyes shifted slightly, reflecting that helplessly falling figure.

"He…"

The old man's brows knit tightly, and ripples of emotion stirred in his heart.

Why?

Pope Ivansen stared at that figure, silently muttering in his heart: "Why hasn't he used the power I gave him yet?"

The Lieri Sect Pope believed he had given Herbert enough power — divine artifacts, blessings, strength… aside from personally fighting in his place, every possible assistance had been given.

As long as Herbert could use this power reasonably according to plan, he absolutely should have performed better, and should even have been able to defeat Miss Xie Shen's incarnation.

But now…

Why?

"Child, what on earth are you waiting for?"

…

"What!!?"

Valentina's eyes went wide; watching that miserable falling figure, her heart nearly stopped beating.

What happened?

Was that Herbert?

Her mind began to scramble, a flush of blood rose in her eyes, and her body began to tremble slightly.

Herbert Herbert Herbert Herbert… Herbert is in danger!

!!!

Although Kreti was still shocked in her heart, she keenly sensed that something was wrong with Valentina's state, and hurriedly tried to pull Flora into hiding.

And at the very instant Valentina was about to erupt, an anxious call suddenly came from the broken mirror.

"Valentina!"

"Herbert says he needs your help!"

Valentina:!!!

Before the relaying Lucalia could finish her call, the mansion's front door had already been smashed open.

Along with it, the entire wall densely covered in rune barriers was punched straight through by the frantic Valentina.

Because the sage had said:

【Just smash right through!】

【It's faster this way!】

…

The angel ultimately did not fall to the ground.

Because not long after beginning to fall, his body was wrapped by a snake tail extending out from the black fog.

The greater part of the winged serpent's body was hidden within the black fog, preventing the outside world from observing its specific condition.

But judging from the snake tail covered in wounds that had no time to heal, the battle just now might not have been a completely one-sided slaughter.

To kill the angel, Miss Xie Shen had likely also expended considerable effort.

And Miss Xie Shen seizing the angel at this moment was not to continue humiliating him.

"Servant of Ab Sita, speak your name."

Miss Xie Shen's serpentine gaze watched the angel on his last breath and said slowly, "I acknowledge your will."

The bewitching whisper echoed across the entire sky, falling into the ears of countless people.

"I have decided to grant you one chance."

"Become my slave."

"I shall grant you a new life."

The God of Sinful Desire actually extended an olive branch to this angel in front of everyone.

Very arrogant, and very mad!

But watching this scene, no one felt there was anything wrong with it.

Even the residents of Radiant Shengcheng, who were seething with rage and hatred enough to split their eyes, were still only angry at Miss Xie Shen's sacrilege, without questioning whether She had the ability to do so.

Sinful Desire is a deity; She has that qualification.

Moreover, She is a notorious evil god—whatever unreasonable thing She does is reasonable.

In one sentence: because She is an evil god!

And the only response to Sinful Desire's invitation was a glob of blood-flecked spit.

Pah.

The angel laboriously raised his hand and gestured toward Her with a motion whose meaning no one could read.

However, there was no need to understand the specific meaning to grasp the will expressed by the angel.

Contempt.

"Is that so? So this is your answer…"

The God of Sinful Desire shook Her head at the sight and said indifferently, "Since you remain obstinate, then perish along with your faith."

The snake tail slowly tightened, making the angel's armor creak and crack.

Creak, crack…

Although the angel's refusal left a slight trace of regret in the God of Sinful Desire's heart, She actually felt more relieved.

"Phew! Looks like She really has a problem."

She had already done all this, yet the Sun God still showed no response.

She did not know for what reason, but He had actually only sent a single angel to fight her.

And that was it?

"Ab Sita's condition… heh heh, might be worse than I thought."

Although rumors about the Sun God's condition being off had always circulated, none of the gods dared to make a move to test it.

Although some clues had now been unexpectedly probed out, the God of Sinful Desire no longer intended to continue.

Quit while ahead.

Additionally, the effort She had specifically expended to modify this avatar to counter that giant dragon had been wasted for nothing.

That giant dragon had actually been hiding out of cowardice the whole time.

This winged serpent avatar had been specially modified against the giant dragon, born from the moment of its creation to prey upon giant dragons.

But since it chose to hide, there was no need to waste effort searching.

The farce should end.

However, just as the winged serpent was about to kill the angel completely, a tremendous roar from Radiant Shengcheng caught Her attention.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A fiery-red figure burst out from the holy city.

That humanoid figure ignored the streets, crashing through who knows how many buildings, and finally smashed straight through the city wall, shattering the holy city's barrier along with it into pieces.

Boom!

After leaving the city, Valentina did not pause at all, leaping straight up and transforming into her true form as she charged toward the sky.

Whoosh—

To preserve speed, she kept her dragon body limited to around twenty meters, charging toward the falling angel at maximum velocity.

Her crimson wings spread out like massive blades, directly severing the winged serpent's snake tail before it could retract.

Whoosh—

"Herbert!!!"

And at the instant of being rescued, the angel who had only had a breath left the previous second immediately regained his vigor, grabbing hold of the scales on the crimson giant dragon's back.

The giant dragon arrived in an instant, then with speed and agility disproportionate to its size, rapidly carried the angel far away.

Sinful Desire watched the scene unfold in a flash without surprise, instead grinning broadly.

"So it was playing dead after all? Heh heh, doesn't matter."

"Since you've all come, that's perfect—die together."

"Become my slaves together— what!?"

What cut off the deity's words in an instant was a crimson dragon lance that pierced through the clouds.

That dragon lance was faster than the Holy Lance!

In an instant it tore across the sky, its astonishing speed as if shrinking the distance between the two to nothing.

Hiss!

Its speed undiminished, it pierced straight through Miss Xie Shen's avatar body!

A huge hollow was left on the Winged Serpent's body.

Everything happened so fast that no one had time to react.

One second ago, Miss Xie Shen still held the absolute advantage.

The next second, a great hole had been opened in Miss Xie Shen's body!

What on earth happened?

Then, they saw it.

The angel, already thoroughly soaked in blood, sat upon the giant dragon's back, withdrawing the motion of the dragon lance he had just thrown.

And behind him, from the broken stumps of his pure-white wings, a pair of blood-crimson wings had grown, spreading out with a sudden sweep.

At this moment.

The pure-white angel symbolizing divinity had utterly fallen.

The angel was dead.

But at the same time…

The blood-crimson dragon knight, representing mortals, had risen!

(End of this chapter)