Slaying the Angel

Senluo had ushered in its rainy season. Heavy black clouds surged across the sky like a tide, thick forked lightning darting between them as deafening thunder trampled the earth. Yaxiu and the others had felt an ill omen when they set out. Diya and Weixi each unleashed a wonder to shatter the weather phenomenon, but the torrential storm still arrived as destined. Highly corrosive, black, oily drops of rain reshaped the earth like chisels, while howling gales swept rotting mud and stone into the sky. Heaven and earth lost all distinction; the entire world had turned into a foul quagmire. Only that beam of silver light piercing the night remained like a beacon, holding up this tottering world. Felix and Daedalose both flew behind Yaxiu. Their Sanctuaries were insufficient to withstand this biome-extinction-level weather phenomenon, forcing them to shelter beneath a demigod's wings. Though it was never explicitly spoken aloud, the two Sanctuary sorcerers usually stuck close to Yaxiu. Beyond Yaxiu's proficiency in healing and protection, it was mostly because... the others had no interest in babysitting the weak. To say nothing of Weixi, whom no one could picture protecting another person, Weise was not well acquainted with either of them and naturally wouldn't pay them any mind. When Diya grew tense, her emotions easily destabilized, leaving her only able to care for herself. While Sonia was on good terms with them, her combat style was to press forward relentlessly, slaying any foe in her path; once she caught the thrill of the slaughter, how could she spare a thought for anyone else? Thinking it through, only Yaxiu, who held down the center and oversaw the whole situation, could shield them. Thus, their flying formation was usually the Sword Princess and the Witch in the vanguard, the Silver Lantern and Weixi flanking them on both sides, and Yaxiu with the two of them in the middle. Felix was gazing at Yaxiu's spectral wings. In truth, a sorcerer's wings didn't flap heavily in flight; the more superb one's flight mastery, the more graceful one's flying posture. Yaxiu was undoubtedly the only flight master in the party capable of matching Weixi stride for stride—even the Sword Princess was slightly inferior to him. When he flew, it was like a monarch inspecting his dominion, air currents bustling around him in escort from front to rear. The turning point in Yaxiu's soaring flight skills had been his acquisition of the supreme tail feather. With an extra tail, his maneuvering had become nimbler and swifter, and adjusting his center of gravity midair became far easier. In a flash, he had left the other operators behind and caught up with the Spectre Prophet, who possessed a millennium of combat and slaughter experience. The Sword Princess and the Witch had enviously declared that they wanted to get a tail too. Although Yaxiu hadn't voiced an opinion, Felix knew he would gladly welcome it, given how much he loved the photo set of her nine-tailed fox cosplay. Because of this, the spectral wing of Yaxiu's that drew Felix's attention most was precisely that supreme tail feather swaying back and forth. No matter how many times she looked at it, it was breathtakingly beautiful. Every plume rippled with shifting, variegated hues; the only flaw was a streak of starlight teardrop in its center—the trail of starlight the Divine Lord of Stars had left on Yaxiu... just as Yaxiu had left a vibrant sword mark on the Divine Lord of Stars. Felix stole a glance at Daedalose beside her and reached out to touch the supreme tail feather. As if sensing her naughty intentions, the supreme tail feather nimbly flicked to the other side, and Felix had to use both hands to catch it. To the touch, it didn't feel like an ordinary spectral wing hovering between illusion and reality; it was fluffy and soft, as though Yaxiu truly possessed a tail. Traveling was always the time Felix looked forward to most. Only then did she get the chance to playfully stroke Yaxiu's tail. Furthermore, eavesdropping over the past few days had revealed that none of the others realized the sheer joy of the supreme tail feather. At the thought that this was the sole treasure trove on Yaxiu unexplored by his lovers, a secret known to her alone, Felix felt an inexplicable sense of pride, petting it all the more enthusiastically. Just then, Daedalose suddenly hummed a tune. Felix instantly let go, and sure enough, Weixi cast a sidelong glance back at them. Once Weixi turned away, Felix resumed her chase with the supreme tail feather, which naturally ended with the supreme tail feather being kneaded until it went limp. "We're almost there," Yaxiu suddenly said. "The Silent Spiral is right ahead." The surrounding wind and rain were gradually dying down. The closer they drew to the pillar of silver light propping up heaven and earth, the more normal the weather and climate became. Felix looked down at the ground and noticed that some small silver blades of grass had sprouted on the blighted, barren wasteland. Though Felix had never seen silver plants before, compared to the rest of Senluo, this was truly the most vibrant zone. A single silver lantern, piercing the dark night. A crushing sense of inferiority suddenly overwhelmed Felix's spirits; she didn't even feel like stroking the tail anymore. It wasn't that she didn't know how remarkable Yaxiu's lovers were—the disparity in rank alone was a chasm that a mere Sanctuary sorcerer like her could never cross in a lifetime. Yet during these past few months of daily companionship, Felix had seen the ordinary human side of the operators, and over time, she had forgotten that awe. Only now, beholding this silver lantern that held the power to destroy or redeem the world on a whim, did Felix see from her own shadow just how insignificant she remained. Weixi was a thousand-year-old demigod who had wandered through three lifetimes. Weise had once destroyed a kingdom and now sought to resurrect an entire world. Diya was the empress presiding over the Gospel Country. Only Sonia was a student like herself, but Sonia had risen with blazing brilliance. And what about her? She hadn't even managed to avenge herself on her father. Over the past two months, their sorcery progress had advanced by leaps and bounds. And you? You didn't even dare step onto the unformed Ladder of Dreams, stopping short at the Sanctuary rank. The gap between you was growing wider and wider, and there was nothing you could do. You could only look away, refusing to face the truth, pouring your energy into taking photos... And even in that, you fell short of them: you only dared send him your most beautiful moments, while they were willing to offer him their very selves at their most beautiful. Now they were preparing to go to the Gospel Country—the Witch's home ground, and a civilized world. Days of roughing it out in the wilderness like this were coming to an end. They would no longer be confined to tents; awaiting them were spacious baths, soft, luxurious beds, and an opulent life in the lap of luxury. When that time came, there would be plenty of people attending to Yaxiu. Naturally, there would be no need for a Sanctuary sorcerer from the Four Pillar Cult of the Stars. Shouldn't you feel relieved? You despise people with messy romantic lives so much, and you're a Sanctuary sorcerer—the power of a Sanctuary sorcerer is meant to bring calamity or blessing to all living beings, not to brew drinks or study recipes... Aren't you terrified of arranged marriages? Don't you hate serving others most of all? Then why are you unhappy? Unable to let go, yet unable to claim it... cowardly, just like your father. Felix suddenly felt an itch on her cheek and realized the supreme tail feather was gently caressing her face. She looked toward Yaxiu up ahead. Yaxiu hadn't turned back at all, but the tail feather kept wagging before her, as if saying, "Hurry and play with me." Felix let out a soft chuckle, helpless affection welling in her eyes. Reaching out, she caught the tail feather, pulled it close, and rubbed it against her cheek, as if wishing to capture his scent— Thud! With a distant, muffled boom like thunder, Yaxiu's head burst like a watermelon. Everything above his neck vanished. Felix stared blankly at the sight, her mind crashing entirely, leaving only a tearing, heart-wrenching agony that surged through her whole body in an instant— Square-Round Cicada: Cicada Dormancy! With a flash of silver light, Yaxiu was restored to his state of a split second before, completely unharmed from head to toe. Beside him, Weise held the Silver Scripture, atop which a plump golden cicada emerged—none other than one of the most outrageous sorcery spirits in the country of Senluo: the Square-Round Cicada, capable of shifting time forward and backward! With the Silver Scripture's empowerment, the Square-Round Cicada could barely reach the realm of a god, but using it on a demigod was still stretched thin. After all, mortals were like drops of water, while demigods were like gemstones. The Square-Round Cicada could shift a droplet back and forth by three seconds, but when dealing with a heavy gemstone, using its utmost strength could shift it for only a fraction of an instant. Indeed, only by using the Square-Round Cicada the very instant injury was sustained could the damage be averted. Yet even for such a minor effect, activating it once left the Square-Round Cicada drooping, clearly rendering it unusable multiple times within a single battle. Still, working even once was enough to turn the tide! In truth, even if Yaxiu's head was blown apart, he wouldn't die. A demigod soul body possessed no fatal weaknesses; a lost heart or head could both be regenerated. It was just that without a head for thinking, a demigod virtually lost all combat capability. "Huh?" In the shadows of the distant sky, a winged-helmet archer bearing a greatbow appeared. With no arrow on the string and no quiver on his back, he drew the empty bowstring once more. An arrow of flowing gold materialized naturally upon the string, aiming from afar at Yaxiu, who had just narrowly escaped death. "A time jump? Then I'll finish you off for good with the Instant Light Gloom-Cleaving Arrow—" Right at that moment, the winged-helmet archer realized the red-haired Sword Princess had vanished from his vision, ripples of space expanding where she had stood. Shocked, he retreated swiftly, but in the space of a single breath, the ripples had already reached his front, and the red-haired Sword Princess descended right before him. Wonder: Flashing Ripples. This was Sonia's new wonder combining "Flashing Assault" and "Wave Trace." Though it sacrificed the instantaneous speed of Flashing Assault, it vastly extended its casting range—anyplace within sight could be reached with a single thought! The Sword Princess raised her brows to reveal a pair of ruby eyes boiling with murderous intent. Drawing her sword, she brought forth a monstrous sea of blood, the cleaving sword light slicing across the whole of Senluo! Faced with close combat against a swordsmanship demigod, the winged-helmet archer showed no panic, for he was not alone either. Clang! A werewolf covered in war crests appeared abruptly before the Sword Princess, brandishing a round shield to form an absolute barrier that blotted out the sky, blocking the blood-sea sword light in its entirety! "We are Principalities under the Lord of the Endless Abyss," the werewolf said coldly. "We now formally declare to you—" Twang. As an extremely piercing sound of snapped thread rang out, the werewolf noticed the threads extending from the Witch's ten fingers had been severed by the absolute barrier. Wait, when had her threads been cast? The werewolf turned his head and saw the winged-helmet archer plunging straight down, an expression of serenity on his face as though lost in a sweet dream. Unique Wonder: Warm Winter! A control wonder that used ice and snow to manifest the mind, making the target feel as though they were lying under quilts on a winter's day, wanting only to slumber lazily without being able to wake themselves! Most marvelous of all, it didn't even require physical contact; as long as the target perceived the concept of 'winter,' it took effect! Diya had woven her threads out of ice and snow, fulfilling Warm Winter's activation requirement of a snowscape medium. It could be launched silently across great distances, proving irresistible even to a winged-helmet archer with four Hell Wings! Simultaneously, the sound of a water drop falling into a sea of blood echoed clearly in everyone's minds. The blood-sea sword light blocked by the werewolf's shield transformed into blood-red ripples, silently diffusing along space. Wonder: Water Moon Shatters Lake! The blood-sea sword light slashed out by the Sword Princess was merely the first wave of attack. When the blood sea subsided, the rising water moon marked the second wave, as spatial ripples condensed from countless sword lights swept over the enemy like a tidal wave! The shield barrier the werewolf erected could indeed blot out the sky, but it could not sever the world after all. Before the winged-helmet archer hit the ground, the infinitely spreading blood-red ripples had already bypassed the shield barrier, torn through his final protective barrier, and whipped up blood-red surges within his soul body! Splat! This winged-helmet archer, an angel under the Lord of the Endless Abyss who hadn't even had the chance to state his name, saw his soul body blow apart completely into a burst of blood. A radiant rain of golden divine blood trickled down, pattering to nourish the silver grass on the ground. June 21, 1669. Senluo's rainy season; the six countries entered summer. The Six Countries Era, which had lasted for 1,668 years, had ended half a year ago when the Divine Lord of Stars became the God of Gods and King of Kings. The separation between heaven and earth, which had lasted for 1,668 years, had ended two months ago when Sword Law and Star Law descended into the mortal realm to walk the earth. And the pastoral age of 1,668 years where divine warfare did not touch mortal dust... would also enter a new stage as the earth was once more stained with angel's divine blood. A five-winged demigod had fallen to the mortal realm! The werewolf angel turned to look at the Sword Princess gripping her sharp blade, the Witch drawing threads from her fingers, the Silver Lantern holding her lantern and scripture, and Weixi coalescing a halberd of flame. By sheer momentum, he finished the second half of his proclamation: "...Surrender at once, and your lives may be spared."