The Final Angel Hunt

Yaxiu and the others stared blankly at the scene, unable to process what was happening. Rose... was the Prime Angel? Granted, it would not have been strange no matter who the Prime Angel turned out to be, since it could possess anyone in the Country of All Stars—but how could it be Rose?! She was clearly, clearly... Right then, Yaxiu recalled the conjectures about the Prime Angel in Heath’s notes: "Because it is non-human, its nascent worldview is bound to differ from ordinary people, making it unable to integrate into society." "Because it cannot integrate into society, it is bound to be antisocial, appearing cold and ruthless." "Because it needs to survive, it will most likely commit murder and other crimes." Because it was non-human, the Prime Angel's nascent worldview would indeed differ from normal people, but she would not necessarily be unable to integrate into society. As an intelligent Prime Angel, she would certainly try to learn how to "be human"—such as following the instructions of textbooks, doing whatever the textbooks said! Although she could integrate into society, she remained antisocial to her core, acting cold and ruthless, stopping at nothing to achieve her goals, not caring in the least even if she had to do dirty work for her employers! And the longer she lived, the more accustomed the people around her grew to her peculiar way of thinking, until it became second nature and no longer surprised anyone! Looking back now, Rose had been full of inconsistencies all along—taking things dead seriously where she shouldn’t, and not caring at all where she should. Yet Yaxiu truly could never have connected her with the Prime Angel; after all, none of them were particularly normal either. In a contest of eccentricity, Rose wouldn't even have placed first. More importantly, Rose was the very first person Yaxiu had met upon arriving in the Country of All Stars. The moment he opened his eyes, Rose provided him with a beginner's guide; when he knew nothing, Rose offered attentive service; she had even helped track down Harvey and Igola. Yaxiu and the others hadn't excluded her when discussing the Prime Angel, yet she had never hindered their actions, fulfilling her duties as an assistant to perfection... She was the first friend Yaxiu had made in All Stars... How could she be the Prime Angel? From the very beginning, the answer Yaxiu sought had been right before his eyes. But this was too theatrical, wasn't it? Why had Rose been by Heath's side? The Prime Angel could descend upon anyone, appear anywhere, and do anything—why him of all people? He suddenly recalled the words Rose had once spoken to him: "You are special." That was it. Yaxiu Heath was special because he was a feeler of the Four Pillar Gods. He was the bait, and Rose was the fish. The Four Pillar Gods, seemingly idle all along, had completed their final arrangement from the very start. In this Angel Hunt, the Divine Lords, the Four Pillar Gods, and even the Prime Angel itself—all the higher beings were locked in a game of chess, while they were merely pawns swept along by fate— "Wonderful." Weixi slowly stood up, staring intently at the Supreme Holy Grail at Rose's chest, her eyes blazing with raw desire and delight. She gripped Yaxiu’s arm tightly, saying with boundless jubilation, "We won!" Yaxiu looked at her. Weixi could no longer contain her excitement, clinging to Yaxiu’s arm and bouncing up and down: "That is the Holy Grail the Divine Lords covet! The Prime Angel's ultimate legacy! Drink it, and one can wield the supreme scepter and ascend the vacant throne of heaven! Hahahaha! Those Divine Lords schemed back and forth, painstakingly accumulating and plotting for thousands of years, only to hand the prize to us on a silver platter! I'm dying of laughter!" The Spectre Prophet laughed until she was breathless. Turning her head to see that Yaxiu still had no reaction, she sighed and said, "I know, I know. You'd never let me drink even a single drop. But it doesn't matter! Even if you're the one to become supreme, that works too. I just love stories where the weak snatch the spoils of the strong! Nothing makes my blood pump harder than robbing someone of what they love most. "It just so happens, Yaxiu, that you possess the Soul Kingdom of Heaven as well. Drink this Holy Grail, and your path from demigod to Divine Lord to supreme will be completely smooth, without a single bottleneck! You will become a sorcery supreme towering above all living beings, and even the insolent Divine Lords will have to bow to you! "From then on, down to the Knowledge Sea and up to the six Kingdoms of Heaven, from the Void Realm to reality, it will all be territory under your rule! Your will shall be the destiny of all living things; your preferences, the faith of all creation! "Weren't you worried about how to handle your relationships with Sword Princess and the Witch? When that time comes, never mind just those two—whoever catches your eye will have to love you and accommodate you unconditionally, because making you happy will be their greatest reason for existing! "Is there someone you want to resurrect? For a sorcery supreme, that's a trivial matter hardly worth mentioning! Hell will throw its gates wide open for you; bringing someone back is effortless, and even turning back time isn't out of the question! "And the Country of All Stars! Didn't you want to save All Stars? Now you finally have the power to protect it!" "So..." Weixi's smile gradually faded. "Don't tell me you still want to save the Prime Angel?" Feili and Niya looked at Yaxiu without a word. The Prime Angel was tied not only to the allocation of the supreme scepter, but also to the survival of All Stars. If anyone else drank from the Supreme Holy Grail, All Stars definitely could not be saved. But if it was Yaxiu... "Fifth Imaginary Wing, Sixth Imaginary Wing," Yaxiu murmured softly. "Even if I fully coalesce a Seventh Imaginary Wing, I couldn't possibly jump straight to the supreme rank. By the time I could stage a comeback, everything would already be too late." "Hey!" Weixi stepped in front of him, saying earnestly, "You should know there's nothing in this for me. Even if you become supreme, you'd never let me off the hook. Purely as a sorcerer, I just don't want you to throw away this kind of meteoric rise. "Igola, Harvey, aren't you his friends? Say something!" "I've said my piece in the past," Igola replied calmly. "He never listens to me." Harvey said, "Weixi, the persuasion you just gave actually holds very little temptation for Yaxiu." Weixi couldn't understand. "Aren't they just women? If you want, I can capture a few identical ones for you later, alright? Or if worse comes to worse, I can transform into their likenesses to give you a one-hundred-percent authentic experience, okay? What are women compared to the supreme scepter?" Yaxiu shook his head and pushed her aside with a chuckle. "Thanks. I never expected there'd come a day when you genuinely cared about me. It really is true—as long as you stay alive, you'll see miracles." "That 'thanks' isn't what I wanted to hear!" Weixi looked up at the ceiling and sighed deeply. "Can't you just be a good boy and say yes to me, Master?" "Actually, I haven't refused yet." Yaxiu looked at the Holy Grail precipitating from Rose's chest. He reached out and touched it, but his fingers passed straight through its phantom image. It seemed that unless Rose was killed outright, stopping the Holy Grail from precipitating was impossible. He crouched down and gazed at Rose. "Rose, tell me, do you want to live?" Weixi quickly chimed in: "Right! Rose doesn't care about anything, and she didn't interfere with us joining the Angel Hunt either. She might have grown sick of living long ago and has been waiting for someone to inherit her legacy! Rather than letting the Divine Lords who imprisoned her have it, she'd clearly rather you obtain the Supreme Holy Grail, Yaxiu!" Yaxiu paid Weixi no heed, but the flickering in his eyes was enough to show he had not made up his mind. If Rose truly did not care about her own life or death, nor about the fate of the Supreme Holy Grail, then there was indeed no need for Yaxiu to force a rescue. Even if he couldn't reach the supreme rank in a single leap, drinking the Holy Grail would at least dramatically boost his strength; when the time came to negotiate with the Divine Lord of Stars, he might even be able to preserve All Stars. On the other hand, if Rose escaped, everyone would survive—yet helping her escape might be far more difficult and dangerous than drinking from the Holy Grail. There was no unequivocally good or bad choice here, so Yaxiu needed Rose to decide what the best choice was at this very moment. Rose’s eyes stared vacantly upward, her paper-white face devoid of expression, her lips not twitching in the slightest. The coordinated casting of five Divine Lords was enough to bind every physical function of her body. Seeing this, Weixi breathed a sigh of relief. Since Rose couldn't answer, they could take it as her having no desire to live. Actually, Weixi found herself rather strange—Yaxiu was the one who would become supreme, so why was she getting so worked up? Right at that moment, Weixi saw Rose's hand move, very weakly curling around Yaxiu’s finger. Like a newborn infant who understood nothing and could do nothing, she could only follow her instinct and grasp an adult's finger, conveying her simple thought: *I want you to show me this world.* "Weixi," Yaxiu said, standing up. "The Prime Angel is in our hands. Do you have a plan now?" Weixi folded her arms and turned her head away. "Dear Weixi—" "I'm thinking!" Weixi snapped crossly. "Theoretically speaking, even if they deploy world secret realms, they can't maintain the lockdown indefinitely. World secret realms have upkeep costs too. And even if they're the five most powerful sorcerers of all time, a rushed coordination is bound to be flawed, not to mention that each of them harbors their own ulterior motives... As long as we can stall, we might see a turn of events. It's not even impossible for the canopy to collapse on its own!" "Igola, head to the driver's cabin and take control of the Canaan!" Yaxiu said immediately, "At the next stop, have all passengers disembark, and then we'll stay on the train and keep running. It'll take considerable time for the demons to reach us, and they aren't necessarily faster than a high-speed train. We might be able to avoid battle and peacefully ride out the final Angel Hunt!" "Our journey isn't over yet!" *Thump!* It was that familiar, jarring shock to the soul once more. Because it was the second time in a short span, everyone realized instantly—Hell was descending again! They turned their heads and, sure enough, saw the layers of Hell plunging down one after another in the distance. Sacrificing a legendary sorcerer was required every time Hell was summoned; what on earth were the demons doing? What were the Divine Lords trying to do? Yet what happened next still caught everyone off guard. Countless blood flies surged out from the first layer of Hell, eroding the four layers above it! From the second layer of Hell, thick, dense spiderwebs spread out in an instant, almost sealing off the other four layers completely! From the third layer of Hell, countless pitch-black giant pythons slithered out, coiling and climbing up and down the layers of Hell! From the fourth layer of Hell, vast amounts of paint overflowed. Miracles could hardly avoid being smeared; smeared with new colors, the miracles seemed to develop self-awareness, ceasing their attacks on the fourth layer of Hell and even helping it strike in other directions! The miracles emerging from the first four layers of Hell were shockingly attacking and warring against one another! Though the fifth layer of Hell didn't attack the other layers, it directly spread an enormous astral net, draping over the entirety of All Stars from top to bottom! The moment the astral net swept past the group, it also drew out their imaginary wings. Then, mysterious chains descended, completely shattering the imaginary wings of Yaxiu, Igola, Harvey, and Weixi! "Ugh!" The intense pain in his soul forced a grunt from Yaxiu as he fell to his knees. "What... what's going on..." "Yaxiu?!" Feili quickly helped him up. "How could you—I'm clearly still linked to you!" Feili’s demon transformation had never been canceled, and the demonic wings on her back were still intact even now. Logically, with Yaxiu linked to Feili, he shouldn't have been targeted by the mysterious chains, yet his imaginary wings had still been crushed. "Because demons are the only ones truly immune to the mysterious chains from beginning to end." Weixi sucked in a breath of cold air, accepting Niya’s support to stand up. "Sorcerers merely receive a demon's protection, like phantoms hiding in shadows... That astral net just now was equivalent to global illumination, leaving no phantom with a place to hide and snapping the imaginary wings of all sorcerers!" "That's a minor matter," Weixi said, turning her gaze outside. "Why are the Divine Lords using Hell to fight among themselves this time...?" Soon, however, everyone witnessed the reason—or rather, the fruit—of the Divine Lords' internecine struggle. From the first layer of Hell flowed a river of blood; from the second, a spiderweb was spun; from the third, a subterranean tunnel extended; and from the fourth, a cloud drifted out. Yaxiu and the others could only watch helplessly as the river of blood flowed toward them, the spiderweb wove its way over, the tunnel was dug right to them, and the cloud flew closer! The geographic advantage of being across more than half the country was completely obliterated in a matter of seconds! No wonder they were fighting one another—on one hand, they needed to attack the other Divine Lords to trigger their own movement miracles, and on the other, they wanted to take the opportunity to sabotage the movement miracles of their rivals! "As the blood moon rises, Yejian descends." From the surging river of blood emerged the young boy Yejian and the Coffin Princess, Tiramisu. "Within the web, Yinzhi knows fate." The pinkish-purple-haired girl Yinzhi and the white-haired burly man Amilo swung over on the web. "Between good and evil lies no divide; all fall into Longyuan." The stern, solemn Longyuan and his follower, a young sorcerer, emerged from the tunnel. "In the cycle of fantasy, sorrow turns sweet and Lehuai ruins joy." Aboard the cloud, the orange-haired young man Lehuai leaped down holding the Curse Elf sorceress. The demons spread their wings and landed atop the high-speed train. Exchanging glances, Lehuai spread his hands. "The Holy Grail hasn't condensed yet. We're early." "In the meantime, that gives me just enough time to..." Longyuan crooked a finger at them, "...teach you all a lesson." "I certainly don't mind a little pre-meal workout," Yinzhi said with a smile. "Though it'd be bad if someone snuck a bite behind our backs, wouldn't it... Miss Demon down below?" Inside the train carriage, Yaxiu instinctively took Feili’s hand. Feili’s sorcery aura was too obvious; she had no way to conceal it. Yinzhi and the others would never let Feili swoop in for an easy prize. If Feili refused to come out, she would be the first target they ganged up on. Feili shook her head. "You've already proven I didn't fall for the wrong person. Now it's my turn. "In the middle of saving the world, the male lead falls for the female lead's bravery—that is the script I wrote for you." Feili smiled with her eyes and pursed her lips. "And after that, they're going to see the sunlight and take a stroll down the street. Don't you forget it!" Spreading her wings, Feili flew out through the ceiling, facing the four demons head-on for the first time atop a train racing at 350 kilometers per hour. Seeing Feili’s face, some of the demons looked understanding, while others seemed puzzled. Longyuan suddenly kicked through the ceiling, sending the young sorcerer behind him down below. "If people aren't allowed to sneak a bite, then you send a wingless rat down to steal and snatch?" Yinzhi remarked languidly. "How resourceful... Amilo." "I shall present you with the Prime Angel's vessel shortly." Amilo smashed through the ceiling as well and leaped down. "Euryale, just keep them from succeeding," Lehuai said casually. The Curse Elf sorceress nodded and kicked straight through a window, entering the carriage. "Tiramisu, I want to see death," the young boy Yejian stated in a crisp voice. The Coffin Princess inclined her head slightly. "As you wish." Inside the carriage, Yaxiu, Igola, Harvey, Niya, and Weixi watched the enemies appearing from the aisle entrance. They took a step back, taking the initiative to clear a path toward Rose for the uninvited guests. "After you." Yet Tiramisu and the other three didn't even look toward Rose. Instead, they kept a detached, vigilant watch on Yaxiu and his companions. They neither fought among themselves nor approached Rose, closing in on Yaxiu and the others step by step in unspoken accord, having silently forged an alliance of offense and defense. "Proper attitude." Shaking a pair of swords from his sleeves, Yaxiu shrugged. "Legendary sorcerers really aren't easy to trick. "Since there's no way to do this the easy way, our only choice is..." Yaxiu’s expression grew cold. Raising his swords, he faced the four of them and said, word by word: "Kill the legendaries first."