Chapter 16: The Second Angel (I)

Ever since the newly appointed archbishop, Bon Hamsworth, brought Bella and her brother Agi into the border city of Arabel, Thos had been keeping an eye on it.
To say he was keeping an eye on it was an exaggeration—he was merely observing from a mountain pass not far from Arabel, to see if Bon Hamsworth could, as he claimed, persuade the local bishop, Zoe Lill, to open the city gates and shelter those imperial refugees. After all, with so many refugees around and the city’s defenses so strict, it would be extremely difficult to pass through without conflict.
After all, this place fell under the jurisdiction of Cardinal Neomi Metmenta, the archbishop in charge. Unfortunately, Thos had once clashed with this archbishop, so passing by unnoticed was undoubtedly the best option.
Yet after waiting three full days, there was still no sign of movement at the border city of Arabel.
“What’s that idiot up to?” Thos grew impatient.
As he stood high above, gazing at Arabel, he suddenly noticed signs of movement among the city’s crusaders, which puzzled him.
At first, he thought his presence had been discovered, as he wasn’t yet fully familiar with all aspects of white magic. But after roughly estimating the number of those crusaders, he dismissed that idea.
Indeed, there were probably about five hundred crusaders. If that local priest thought he could use them to deal with Thos, it only proved he was a complete fool—ignorant and foolish.
But if his goal was something else…
“Tch, that idiot!”
Actually, Thos had no interest in meddling in local church affairs. He never considered himself a savior destined to save the world, nor did he believe, as the Church taught, that those with great power had an obligation to save and help those in need. For him, the main purpose of gaining power was revenge—killing Argus.
What did the fate of those strangers have to do with him? He never saw himself as a pious cleric. Unfortunately, the name the old pope had given him—Volmon, meaning “passion”—seemed to have had no effect at all.
Still, with such attitudes, Thos waited near Arabel for three days. Of course, he wasn’t even interested in whether that earnest, foolish priest could persuade local bishop Zoe Lill. He was simply curious why idiots with such naive ideas still hadn’t disappeared.

All Sos wanted to see was that brother and sister return to their original place—yes, they should return to their parents’ arms and live a simple and happy life day after day under their care.
Indeed, Sos had no interest in the fate of those imperial refugees; he merely wanted to see the smiles on that brother and sister’s faces, as well as that sense of familiarity buried deep in his heart…
“It really shouldn’t have been that idiot who took those two kids with him… Tch!” Shaking his head, Sos headed toward Arabel.
He was well aware that if he stayed out of it and sneaked through the fortress, Father Zoe Lir might tolerate his passage out of sheer indifference. But if he entered openly, the label of “sinner” attached to him would likely attract a crowd to capture him and send him back to Salonia.
The worst-case scenario would be triggering a conflict…
Seemingly thinking of something, Sos, standing at the southern gate of Arabel Fortress, shook his head irritably and strode forward.
It had to be said that Sos’s Inquisitor uniform was far too eye-catching. Before he could even approach the gate, dozens of Crusaders stationed there surrounded him.
However, Sos was clearly very experienced in dealing with such situations. He stepped forward slightly, his expression unchanged, and snapped at the Crusader soldiers, “What do you want?—Move aside! I have important business to see Zoe Lir!”
“Zoe Lir…” Seeing Sos address the local bishop of Arabel in such a condescending tone, the Crusader soldiers were stunned and filled with doubt. Upon closer inspection of his uniform, especially the black cross emblem, their shock became even more evident.
“‘Dark Justice’? This boy is an Inquisitor?” The Crusaders whispered to each other, looking highly hesitant.
“Still not moving aside!” Sos snapped angrily.
Fearing his growing impatience, the Crusaders were startled and stepped aside, saluting, “Yes, sir!—Go ahead, sir!”
Thus, Sos easily entered Arabel. After all, the Inquisitors belonged to the Church’s dark side. Over the past three years, many people had heard of their existence but pretended not to know, as they were an agency secretly established by the Church to handle dirty tasks. Ordinary people tried to avoid them at all costs, never wanting any contact with them.

But things weren’t so optimistic once he entered the city. Arabel was Salonia’s foremost giant city fortress, and its local church was naturally incomparable to those in other regions. As soon as he entered, Thos saw many priests in indigo-colored church robes smiling as they interacted with the city’s residents. One purpose was to praise the Lord’s glory, dispel the confusion in people’s hearts, strengthen their faith, and bind them firmly to Salonia, this mighty ship. The other purpose was to maintain order—though by “maintain order,” it didn’t refer to petty crimes like theft or drunken trouble, but rather to checking for any dark creatures that might have infiltrated the city. After all, the Crusaders were merely soldiers, ordinary people who couldn’t detect dark creatures sneaking in. In front of these priests dedicated to detecting dark creatures, Thos was like a beacon of light in the darkness—no, more like a lighthouse, the Lighthouse of Thros. Before he even reached the city center, dozens of indigo-robed priests had followed him. Not wanting to provoke unnecessary conflict, he had to use teleportation to move through the streets, which put those priests in a difficult situation. After all, during the Empire era, teleportation and flame flash had almost become Thos’s signature spells. With his rapidly improving strength and powerful magic support, both spells could now be cast instantly, far beyond the reach of those indigo-robed priests. The priests in indigo robes had no choice but to contact the city gates, strengthening their defenses and reaching out to other priests in the city to capture this “heretic” carrying dark powers. But they never expected this “heretic” to boldly head toward the church in the city center. Delighted by this self-inflicted trap, the priests rushed toward the local church. By the time Thos stepped through the church’s threshold, he was already surrounded by over a hundred priests in indigo robes. Faced with this situation, Thos said calmly, “Move aside. I want to see Zoe Lir!” “See the bishop?” The priests were stunned. One of them eyed Thos suspiciously and asked with a frown, “Are you a Inquisitor? Why do you have such a strong reaction to dark energy? As far as I know, Inquisitors don’t practice dark powers. Who exactly are you?” Thos glanced at him and realized he was a deacon. He replied indifferently, “I have a mission. Stop talking and move aside!”

“This is the local church of Arabel. Please show some identification, sir! If you refuse, we will have reason to doubt your identity. Until it is confirmed, we will arrest you on charges of impersonating an Inquisitor!”
Arrest me? Thors was slightly stunned. After all, he had been the one arresting others these past two years—when had it become someone else’s turn to arrest him?
Glancing at the priests, Thors frowned and snarled, “Vormon Klaest—have Zoe Lir brought to me!”
“Vorm… Vormon?” The priests stared in shock. After all, that name had been quite famous in the past two years. Not only was he one of the twelve cardinals of the Church, but he also headed the Inquisition and the Tribunal of Darkness. Such a position was not something to be trifled with. But sadly, that was in the past…
“You must be Vormon Klaest!” As expected, the priests instinctively took a defensive stance. Then, the earlier priest frowned and said, “We never expected you to come to Arabel! By the Pope’s orders, anyone who sees you has the right to capture you and send you back to Salonia to face judgment by the Supreme Inquisition! Please do not resist!”
“Nonsense!” With a frown, Thors growled. Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew around him, which quickly turned into a storm. A powerful holy energy swept through like a tempest, knocking the indigo-robed priests off their feet and forcing them to retreat.
“I want to see Zoe Lir. Can you stop me?!” With a cold laugh, Thors strode into the church as if no one else were there, completely ignoring the priests.
Disdain—pure disdain!
Blasphemy—pure blasphemy!
The priests were filled with rage, but the gap in strength was too vast. Even just the aura emanating from him was beyond their reach. Trying to capture Thors was simply absurd. They could only watch helplessly as he walked through the church’s council chamber, right up to local bishop Zoe Lir…
The power of those three holy marks was truly formidable. But…
Archbishop Metment was right—this brat was simply too arrogant and disrespectful!

Suppressing her inner dissatisfaction, Zoe Lill narrowed her eyes and forced a smile, chuckling and saying, “Hehe, that was just a joke. I’m well aware of the rumors about you, my lord. How would I dare insult LordClestest? Ha ha, please, have a seat! — Hey, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and prepare some good black tea for LordClestest!”
“Uh… yes!” One of the servants nodded in surprise. Before he could turn away, Thors waved his right hand and said indifferently, “No need!” Then, ignoring everyone else, he walked over to a chair and sat down, staring at Zoe Lill for a while before frowning and asking, “Where is Bon Hamsworth?”
Zoe Lill was extremely annoyed that the old man from the Church was standing while that brat arrogantly took a seat. But upon hearing his words, she was slightly shocked. Tentatively, she asked, “Bon Hamsworth? Who is that?”
“Slam!” Thors slammed his hand on the armrest of the chair, glaring at Zoe Lill and saying, “Stop acting stupid! — The new cardinal, Bon Hamsworth. How dare you say you’ve never seen him?”
Enduring his rude behavior, Zoe Lill’s anger grew stronger. She took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, “Oh, that man. Yes, he did come to Arabel a few days ago. He said he was going to the Empire… Vandel, to negotiate with Vandel’s black magicians. So, after resting in Arabel for one night, he set off.”
“Hmph, is that so?” Thors sneered disdainfully and said lightly, “But why have I heard that guy is still around Arabel? With those imperial refugees… Oh dear, could it be he’s very dissatisfied with you, Bishop Zoe Lill?”

A flash of anger appeared in Zoe Lir’s eyes as she glanced outside the hall, then changed the subject with a smile. “It’s actually like this… Archbishop Bon Hamsworth is simply too rude. You don’t know, but as soon as he arrived here, he ordered me to open the border gates and let those imperial refugees into the city. As the leader of the Holy Inquisitors, you know best that in these past two years, some of our people in Salonia have been tempted by demonic forces, and Salonia has been severely affected. Not to mention the Empire, which has become a swamp of darkness. There might even be dark creatures lurking among those refugees. If we let them into the city, wouldn’t that contaminate this sacred place?—We must never tolerate dark forces! Sometimes, ‘dark justice’ is necessary. I’m sure you understand that?”
“Disrespecting him is disrespecting the Pope.”
“Uh, it can’t be put that way,” Zoe Lir interrupted Thors, saying with a sheepish smile, “I certainly didn’t mean to disrespect Archbishop Bon Hamsworth. It’s just… As you know, Lord Klerest, there’s always been a rule among the various dioceses of the Church—that even cardinals shouldn’t rashly interfere in other dioceses’ affairs. That man is simply too unreasonable. I’m just trying to maintain good relations between the dioceses. I’m sure you understand, Lord Klerest?—To be honest, I admire people with your outstanding talents greatly… By the way, you also want to go to the Empire through Arabell, right? No problem. I’ll arrange it for you. Please rest here for one night. Tomorrow, I’ll gather those priests, and you can leave during that time without anyone noticing…”
“Oh? You plan to cover for me? How kind!” Thors smiled mockingly before turning serious and sneering, “I’ve never needed anyone to worry about my affairs… Zoe Lir, open the city gates!”
“Lord?” Zoe Lir’s gaze sharpened, and her tone grew colder as she said in a deep voice, “Does Lord Klerest mean he also plans to interfere in Arabell’s internal affairs? I advise you to back off. I can arrange for you to pass secretly…”
Recalling the helpless expressions on Bella and Agina’s faces from time to time, Thors mocked himself in his heart before saying coldly, “I’ll say it again, Zoe Lir—open the city gates!—This isn’t an order, nor a request. Consider it a threat!”

“You really go too far!” Zoe Lir’s anger surged instantly, and she said angrily, “Even though you were once a cardinal, I have dedicated decades to the Church. In terms of seniority, I am your superior. I treated you with kindness and respect…”
“Respect?” Sos sneered lightly. “Such insincere words are truly laughable! I don’t see any respect in your eyes at all. It seems like you’re saying, ‘Ah, this brat is such a hassle—just get rid of him quickly!’ Is that it?”
“Damn it!” Zoe Lir’s face turned ashen after Sos exposed her thoughts. She said in a deep voice, “Since you refuse to understand, don’t blame me! By order of His Holiness the Pope, I am here to arrest the criminal Volmon Klaest and deliver him to the highest religious tribunal in Salonia for judgment…”
“Heh, so it’s finally revealed?” Sos smiled disdainfully as he watched the priests pouring in from outside the hall.
“Hmph! It’s your own fault!” Zoe Lir snorted coldly, narrowing her eyes slightly. She said in a deep voice, “I advise you not to resist. If you turn against the Church, then it will be…”
“Turn against the Church? Well, that would indeed be troublesome,” Sos said casually, shrugging his shoulders. He placed his legs on another chair and then looked at Zoe Lir, saying lightly, “Can you represent the Church?”
“Huh?” Zoe Lir, still furious, was momentarily stunned, not understanding the meaning of Sos’s question. After thinking for a moment, she said in a deep voice, “Represent the Church? But as a clergyman, I have the right to obey the Pope’s orders and arrest you!”
She didn’t dare say yes—after all, how could a mere local bishop represent the entire Church?
“That’s good enough! Teaching you guys a lesson doesn’t count as turning against the Church!” With that, Sos looked around, taking in the magnificent decorations in the hall. He sneered and said, “Speaking of which, this is the most splendid local church I’ve ever seen! For a clergyman to live in such luxury is truly shameful!”
“You!” Zoe Lir, already losing patience at being mocked by a teenage brat, waved her hand and ordered, “Go, capture him!”
The priests rushed forward, but soon, a storm-like surge of sacred power pushed them back one by one. When they looked at Sos again, he was still in his lazy posture, seemingly not having moved at all.

“As expected of a former cardinal!” Zoe Lir snorted coldly, clapping her hands a few times before giving a glance. Immediately, the priests formed a formation and began chanting unknown spells.
At first, Thos wasn’t too concerned, but soon he felt additional silver chains appearing around him.
“Sacred chains?” Thos glanced at them indifferently and tried to break free, only to find he couldn’t at first, which surprised him. What worried him even more was that symbols unique to hexagram magic arrays suddenly appeared on the floor of the hall.
“Can’t figure it out? Don’t underestimate the local church!” Zoe Lir said with a cold smile, narrowing her eyes slightly. “A grand ritual magic array empowered by the holy strength of sixty-four deacon-level priests—even you… Hmph!”
“Wow, I didn’t realize you were prepared in advance.”
“After all, your strength is indeed formidable…”
“Hah!” With a scornful laugh, Thos took a deep breath and strained hard. With cracks echoing, the silver chains binding him gradually shattered. But strangely, the next moment, they returned to their original intact state, and the restraining force even increased.
What’s going on? Why can’t I break free?
Glancing at Zoe Lir’s cold smirk and then at the priests maintaining the magic array with their holy power, Thos frowned and shouted, “Definitide!”
“Hmm!” A powerful force surged from Thos’s body, forming the image of a Seraphim holding a spear and a sword in both hands. His massive size even damaged the church’s structure.
Mid-tier angel, Seraphim: [Pavas—Mighty One: Definitide]!
“My church… Damn it… Using divine magic here!” Zoe Lir snorted coldly, clasping her hands together. To Thos’s astonished eyes, she prayed, “Come, angel of the Lord!”
The holy power emanating from her also coalesced into an angelic figure after swirling for a while. The difference was that this angel didn’t hold weapons but instead cradled a harp.
As the angel opened its lips, a wonderful melody rang out. Suddenly, Thos felt a sharp pain in his mind, along with a bewildering sense of confusion he couldn’t control. Even Pavas was affected, its physical form becoming extremely unstable.
Mid-tier angel, Cherubim: [Valters—Singer: Eya]!
“Attack!”

Before Thors could react, the chanting of the priests grew louder. Those prayer-like voices turned into chains that tightly bound Pavaus, whose body was already in an unstable state.
“How is that possible?” Thors’ expression finally showed some disturbance—not because the bishop here could also wield divine magic, but because he was surprised that those priests could even restrain Pavaus.
Seeing Thors’ astonished look, Zoe Lir said arrogantly, “Surprised? Hmph! Don’t forget where we are—this is the sacred fortress of Arabel!”
Only then did Thors recall that this was the place where Saint Charles George had cast the holy light banishment spell. Due to that spell, the Gate of Heaven, Arabel still retained the power of its holy light.
Glancing at his wrist, Thors smiled slyly. “So that’s how it is. Hehehe, no wonder Sloth didn’t cause trouble this time!—So, I can use more than one sacred mark’s power here?” As he spoke, another surge of powerful holy energy emerged from his body. Under Zoe Lir’s incredulous gaze, another angel form took shape—the second angel after the Archangel of Power, the Angel of Wisdom, holding the Book of Wisdom…
Higher Angel, Angel of Wisdom: [Cherub—The Knower: Plangfit]!