Free Web NovelLilian’s six-winged angelic avatar stood pure and ethereal, solemnly suspended above the southern sky of the town.
Dark-red clouds surged and rolled, dyeing billions of raindrops a deep crimson as they pressed down toward Lilian’s head.
She looked up, her expression calm.
In this world, every Demon King existed at the pinnacle of the Ninth Rank. Apart from the Heroes and the elusive gods themselves, there were almost no powers capable of matching them.
Even at the same rank, humans who lacked Authority could never be their equals.
Moreover, among the human race today, the total number of known and unknown Ninth Ranks combined did not even fill one hand.
Above the sea of blood-clouds, Elizabeth’s cold voice rang out.
“Lilian, this is a war between demons and humans. You may be a Saintess backed by a thousand-year-old Church, but in this battle, I will show you no mercy.”
As she spoke, thunder rolled through the clouds, and one after another, scarlet bolts of lightning struck down upon the town below.
The angel’s white wings unfurled, dissolving every crimson bolt that reached her.
The scene held in deadlock for a moment.
Then, a mocking voice came from behind Lilian. “Why waste words with them? Do you really think a human Saintess would ever feel goodwill toward demonkind? Heh. Let me test how much a Saintess of this age is really worth.”
At that instant, the clouds behind Lilian were split by a golden giant ruler that crashed down with immense force upon the six-winged angel’s image.
Boom!
Struck from both sides, the angel’s body trembled violently.
The mocking voice laughed again. “Your Holiness, if you want to change the situation, if you wish to protect those tiny ants below, you’d better first ask whether my Heavenly Measure will allow it! Hahahaha!”
Lilian spoke in a low, cold voice: “If the founder of the [Ghosts] could see what you’ve become—joining hands with demons—he’d tear open his coffin and crawl out of his grave. However much you despise this age, you shouldn’t ally with demons. To have come this far only to behave like petty villains—don’t you find it laughable?”
The laughter rang again. “Hehe, Saintess of humanity. Are you truly ignorant, or just pretending to be a fool? Or did following that damned Hero for years rot your brain, make you think peace can be won through reason?”
“So you’re declaring war, then?” Lilian clenched her hand into a fist and slowly opened it, covering her star-shaped pupils. At the same time, the six-winged angel’s wings that veiled its face spread wide.
A divine field of overwhelming power swept across the entire city.
Yet Lilian did not attack the Demon King or the hidden enemy in the clouds, nor did she divide her attention to annihilate the vampires below.
Instead, the angelic avatar raised its hand toward the fortress behind Elizabeth. Beneath the now unshielded fortress, a tangible hand of light extended from the void, attempting to seize the structure.
Inside the fortress, everything began to shake. Helcat, flustered, was herding the children onto the bronze waterwheel while glancing anxiously toward the far end of the track, trying to see what was happening outside.
From the clouds above, the mysterious figure laughed once more. “A mere human Saintess dares play such tricks? How bold. I’ll keep you entertained!”
From the convent, the children saw through the window an astonishing sight — a colossal golden ruler slowly piercing through the clouds. The front tip glimmered, and then the rest of its vast form emerged — a weapon of pure energy, hundreds of meters long.
As the first appeared, a second followed, then a third, a fourth — until seven golden rulers split through the cloud sea in total, arrayed in a straight line like a formation of hummingbirds ready to strike.
But these were not one-way projectiles — they were divine weapons capable of free control, executing cuts, lashes, and thrusts with perfect precision.
Amid the cloudbank, a golden figure sat cross-legged, one hand propping his cheek, the other curled into a fist. Slowly, his right hand extended, pointing toward the vampire fortress. With a flick of his finger—
One golden ruler vanished—
And the next instant appeared before the glowing hand that had grasped the fortress!
The ruler pierced through the spectral hand and halted just a breath away from the fortress walls.
The hand of light shattered and vanished. freewebnøvel.com
Lilian exhaled softly, ready to move and evade the remaining six rulers already locked onto her. But mindful of the city below, she chose instead to endure.
The six-winged angel was the highest-ranked celestial form ever recorded by the Church, known as the Seraphim of the Throne.
Since her childhood baptism in light, this angel had dwelled within her soul.
Its six wings served to cover the face, the feet, and for flight. In the beginning, she could only harness the power of two wings. Now, she could command four with ease—given another year or two, she might have mastered all six.
But right now, there was no such luxury.
And beside her loomed a Demon King, watching for the slightest distraction — one lapse, and he could appear behind her and pierce her heart.
“Honestly...” Lilian’s eyes fixed on the fortress. If her only opponent had been the Demon King, she might have seized the fortress already and rescued those trapped inside.
“Time’s running out. I’ll have to think of something else.” For the first time, her calm heart wavered.
...
The Blood Pool. freewёbnoνel.com
Vieya barely brushed the blood’s surface before her fingertips hissed and smoked white.
“Vieya... you can’t touch that blood...” Rania whispered. It was the tainted essence collected by the vampire queen from generations of bloodline queens, capable of suppressing both body and will.
“I’ve lost control of my limbs because of it.”
“You look quite comfortable soaking in it.”
Vieya muttered softly as she worked out ways to destroy the pool — smashing the basin, using the Tenth Authority’s levitation power to pull Rania out, or breaking the stone slabs to fill the pool and make a path.
“Got it! I’ll do what Sima Guang did — break the jar to save the kid. Big dummy, hold steady! I’m making a hole here so it doesn’t hurt anyone else. Be careful not to get swept out by the blood!”
“...Okay.” Rania’s voice was faint. Guilt filled her heart; she was uncharacteristically quiet, unable even to meet Vieya’s eyes.
Vieya steadied herself and took a deep breath.
Focus. Aim. Strike!
Crack!
A muffled boom echoed—
The entire blood pool exploded!
Vieya surged forward, snatching the weakened Rania into her arms and leaping clear of the collapsing center.
“Now we’re leaving this place — and settling things with °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° those vampires. Hold on tight.”
“Mm...” Rania murmured softly, obedient as a child, eyes downcast, unable to look at her rescuer.
