Chapter 17: The Second Angel (II)

The appearance of the second angel left almost everyone there with stunned expressions, especially those priests in indigo robes, who all wore looks of disbelief.
They could not believe that one person could summon two angels at once. After all, [Angel Descension] was a semi-public, advanced divine spell in the Church’s secret texts, its significance no less than that of a black mage’s forbidden spells. It was so precious that only powerful priests could cast it—yet no priest had ever been seen summoning two angels.
As an elder of the Church and the local bishop who had governed the sacred fortress of Arabel for over twenty years, Zoe Lir knew somewhat about some of the Church’s secrets.
He knew that angels’ power stemmed from sacred marks, which were a direct reflection of a person’s firmness in faith and their mastery of divine energy. Each sacred mark could “give birth” to an angel—a secret known only to the Church.
Angels were divided into upper, middle, and lower ranks, with the rank difference directly affecting their power. Newly born angels were usually of lower rank, and their abilities varied greatly depending on their position. Even angels of the same rank and category had different names. For example, the angel Zoe Lir summoned was of the rank of [Seraphim], but it was called [Chanter].
In doctrine, [Seraphim] represented “God’s authority,” and their abilities mostly involved mental damage to dark creatures—a type of damage that was almost impossible to resist with magic. As for the name [Chanter], it generally reflected the angel’s specific ability.
For instance, the sacred mark Father Andrew transmitted to Thos’s angel was that of a [Virtue Angel]. Angels of this category typically used physical attacks and represented “God’s courage.” The name [Powerful One] was the true indication of this Virtue Angel’s ability, signifying that it possessed combat skills surpassing those of ordinary Virtue Angels.
The divine spell [Angel Descension] originated during the time of King Sassen, a great leader in the early days of the empire. It was the only force capable of countering the black mages’ powerful forbidden spells. At that time, the spell had not yet been perfected, and the angels summoned were usually weak, at best resembling black magic’s artificial beasts—stiff in movement and devoid of intelligence.

Later, white magic mages who had made great breakthroughs in the spiritual realm had an idea to split their souls in half and merge them with angels. This attempt was extremely dangerous, but after many white magic mages sacrificed themselves, the Church confirmed the feasibility of this method. However, this was not the only key issue; more important was the power of angels. After all, white magic differs from black magic—it relies on faith that must be accumulated gradually. Without sacred power, no amount of magical energy can be used. The problem is that only priests with at least thirty years of service can command some power from angels. This leads to the Church’s second secret: “The Inheritance of Sacred Marks.” The power of holy light is highly unique, as it is a combination of light elements and faith, making it distinct from other elements. While the magical energy and associated elements of a black magic mage disappear upon his death, the sacred power of a powerful white magic mage generally does not vanish, as it is part of the mage’s soul. It can be considered a new entity, which is what the Church refers to as the “imitated soul” theory. After the death of such a white magic mage, this sacred power returns to a very special place in the Church—the ancient ruin known as “Sky City”—where it is stored as a reserve. Through a ritual, it is imparted to talented young people to continue accumulating and strengthening it. Periodically, the Church selects young people around twenty years old with exceptional talent and transfers this stored sacred power to them as the new force of the Church. However, the physical capacity of ordinary people cannot accommodate the power passed down through generations of white magic mages. If the sacred power exceeds what the body can handle, it can harm the body and even be life-threatening. Lower-level sacred marks may be manageable, but intermediate or higher-level marks are generally beyond ordinary people’s capacity. This has put the Church in a very awkward situation, prompting it to urgently seek talented children and train and teach them so they can master the power of sacred marks.

Generally speaking, the power contained in a mid-tier sacred mark is equivalent to that of a great mage. It’s quite difficult to expect a young person in their twenties to withstand such power. Therefore, those who can cast the divine spell “Angel’s Descent” are usually priests at the level of local bishops or above, typically over forty years old.

A case like Sos’s, capable of holding three sacred marks, has never occurred in hundreds of years—after all, humans are still humans at heart. As for Sos, he is no longer purely human. Due to Sloth, his mental strength and physical condition far exceed those of ordinary humans. Moreover, as Sloth awakens, his body gradually turns demonic, which is why he can bear the power of three sacred marks.

Of course, most of the sacred power contained in these three marks is used to resist Sloth’s dark forces. Usually, Sos only uses the power of one sacred mark to maintain balance within his body. If too much sacred power is used or restricted, Sloth’s dark forces will backlash, accelerating the demonization of his body, and black beast tattoos unique to apostles will appear on his skin.

Thus, Sos is undoubtedly the only person in the Church who can handle more than one sacred mark—there is no one else!

“The Number One in the Church”…
Is that rumor true?!
Rumors say this brat possesses terrifying dark forces within him, and to suppress them, he needs the power of three sacred marks. The sacred power held by the two elders of the Church, Saint Charles George and Andrew Ashworth, is extremely formidable, not to mention the power of the Pope’s own sacred mark…

Looking at the second angel that appeared, Zoe Lyle’s expression was complex. She finally understood why even Cardinal Naomi Metmenter, the archbishop, didn’t dare to provoke this brat too much. She reminded herself that if this brat wanted to leave, she should turn a blind eye and let him go…

The power of three sacred marks…
Zoe Lyle glanced at the newly appeared Seraphim with envy, then looked at Sos and said in a sour tone, “The strength of sacred power means nothing. You’ve only been studying the Church’s white magic for three years—how could you surpass me, who has been immersed in it for decades? Brat! —Eya!”

With his shout, the Seraphim behind him, whose features were slightly feminine—the Singer [Eya]—slowly closed her eyes. Her pure white wings folded slightly as she gently closed her eyes, her right hand resting on the harp in her arms as she played a pleasant and beautiful melody.

Immediately afterward, her lips parted slightly, and an indescribable voice filled the air. To the priests clad in indigo robes, it was undoubtedly a soothing melody, but for Thos, it was an extremely painful and grating sound.

“Damn it!” Under this melody, Thos felt his mind blur; he couldn’t concentrate on thinking, let alone cast magic. Even a Seraphim of the same rank, [The Almighty: Definitive], couldn’t resist this melody—indicating just how powerful that Seraphim’s abilities were.

However, it seemed this melody had little effect on the newly appeared Cherubim. He slowly spread his arms, and the Book of Wisdom floating in midair flipped its pages rapidly. A few seconds later, the book stopped flipping. Under Zoey Lir’s skeptical and incredulous gaze, the Cherubim [The Omniscient: Plangent] uttered two words with his tightly closed lips.

“Silence!”

In an instant, the melody played by Eya ceased… no, rather, that voice disappeared. Eya continued to play her melody, but strangely, no sound came out, along with her singing.

“What… what’s going on?” Zoey Lir was momentarily confused.

With his astonished expression, Plangent flipped a few more pages in the Book of Wisdom before uttering two words again.

“Disperse!”

With a crackling sound, the silver shackles binding Thos and the Seraphim Definitive began to break apart inch by inch. Before the priests could react, the freed Seraphim Definitive swung his spear and sword forcefully, causing most of that magnificent church to collapse.

Looking at the ruined church, Zoey Lir was filled with anger and frustration. Ignoring the special abilities of the Cherubim Plangent, she shouted urgently, “What are you doing? Attack! Attack! That brat dares to commit such blasphemy—he’s an enemy of the Church, a rebel!”

At Zoe Lill’s command, the priests in indigo robes reformed their formation and began chanting spells. Though they were somewhat concerned about Thos’s identity, this was still Arabel, and Zoe Lill was their bishop, their superior—her words were orders they dared not ignore.

Within seconds, dozens of beams of holy light, swift as lightning, shot toward Thos and the culprit behind the destruction of the local church—the Seraph Difinidi.

But at that moment, Zoe Lill clearly saw the Book of Wisdom in the Archangel’s hands flip through several pages, before a simple word was spoken:

“Holy Light Wall!”

With a whoosh, a barrier resembling transparent crystal appeared before Thos and the two angels, reflecting back the attacks from the priests in indigo robes. A loud crash followed, leaving the already crumbling local church in even worse condition.

“What are you doing?!” Zoe Lill stamped her foot in anger. But as she looked at the Archangel, she gradually understood the extraordinary power of this higher-ranking angel.

Archangels were angels representing “God’s wisdom.” Unlike Seraphim who excelled in combat, they could cast various forms of white magic. Moreover, any magic recorded in the Book of Wisdom could be cast without reciting spells—only by naming it.

If she wasn’t mistaken, this must be the sacred power of that legendary cardinal, Saint Charles George…

Wait—what was that man’s angel title again?…

The Omniscient!

Yes, the Omniscient—a sage who knew all white magic. That Book of Wisdom contained every white magic known to the Church, including the infamous forbidden spell that gave that man his fame: [Gate of Heaven], the only forbidden spell among the Church’s white magics…

Oh no. Truly befitting a higher-ranking angel—there was such a huge gap. Eya’s abilities were completely useless…

As if to confirm Zoe Lill’s thoughts, the Archangel Planfit flipped more pages in the Book of Wisdom before uttering two words again:

“Surrender your weapons!”

With a clinking sound, the priests in indigo robes all looked confused, then dropped their staffs. When they tried to pick them up again, Planfit slowly spoke one more sentence:

“Seal of Binding: Light Prison!”

As soon as the words were spoken, one after another cross-blades descended from the sky, surrounding those indigo-robed priests. Immediately afterward, electric sparks flashed across those cross-blades, and streams of lightning-like holy energy connected them all, trapping the priests inside like in a prison.

“What… what’s going on?” One of the priests stared at the lightning-like energies swirling around him, his expression filled with panic.

Feeling the holy power contained in those lightning-like energies, a deacon quickly shouted, “Don’t move! Everyone, stay still! If you don’t move, nothing will happen!”

His guess turned out to be correct. The Seraphim Plangent ignored those priests and focused on the Archangel Eria across from him. First, he used [Soul Chains] to restrict her movements, then enhanced the power of the Archangel Definitive with [Spirit Ascension] and [Power of the Sanctuary].

With a roar, blazing white holy flames ignited on Definitive’s materialized sword and spear. In contrast, Archangel Eria was not only silenced and unable to chant those soul-shattering spells but also restricted in her movements. She was quickly defeated by Definitive, her form dissipating. No wonder—after all, Archangels aren’t as skilled in close combat as Archangels.

But…

Is this the power of higher angels?

Zoe Lyle felt a bitter taste in her mouth. The reason she dared challenge Thoth was her confidence in Archangel Eria’s special abilities. And indeed, neither Thoth nor Archangel Definitive could withstand such mental assaults and were at a disadvantage for a while. But with the appearance of this Seraphim, the situation reversed within just a dozen seconds…

The Insightful One: Plangent—truly worthy of Saint Charles George’s sacred mark power!

In fact, not only Zoe Lyle but even Thoth himself was somewhat astonished by the power of the Insightful One Plangent. Although he had tried to summon it before, it was merely training within the Church, certainly not comparable to actual combat.

Staring at the Seraphim with tightly closed lips, the familiar name of Saint Charles George flashed through his mind once again. Thoth shook his head lightly, dismissing those inexplicable feelings, and sat back down in his intact chair in a seemingly lazy posture. He said to Zoe Lyle indifferently, “Is it time to end this farce? Bishop Zoe Lyle?!”

Glancing at the two angels closing in, Zoe Lir sighed reluctantly, then turned to Thors with a sneer and said, “Don’t get too proud, kid! Your actions constitute a crime! — Destroying a local church is also an act of disrespect toward God! Such behavior can definitely be considered rebellion!”
“So what?” With a mocking smile, Thors suddenly grew serious and said calmly, “Open the fortress gates! — I said from the start this isn’t an order, nor a request. You can consider it a threat!”
“Are you threatening a local archbishop? Even if you were once a cardinal, you have no right to interfere in the affairs of local churches. Even if it were the Inquisition… not to mention you’re no longer a cardinal now—you have no right to give me orders!”
“Is that so?” With a cold sneer, Thors stood up and walked toward Zoe Lir.
“What… what do you want?” Zoe Lir’s face showed signs of panic as he instinctively stepped back two steps, forcing himself to stay calm. “Not only do you want to destroy local churches, but you also intend to harm local bishops? I advise you to stop. If you dare do this, you won’t end up well…”
“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you,” Thors said with a mocking smile as he slowly approached Zoe Lir. “But I can teach you a lesson… well, I’d actually be quite happy to! — As for the Inquisition, maybe it won’t just be me who ends up there for trial, right? You, Bishop Zoe Lir? I believe that new cardinal must be quite displeased with you right now. It shouldn’t be hard for a cardinal to impeach a local bishop with solid evidence, right?” As he spoke, Thors raised his right hand and made a few gestures near Zoe Lir’s neck.
Although he knew the other party wouldn’t dare kill him, Zoe Lir still felt a chill down his spine. He swiftly swatted the other’s arm away, stared intently at him, and said through heavy breathing, “This is a threat…”
“Are you stupid? Haven’t I said it several times? Do you really think this is a request? Hey!”
Staring at Thors with intense anger, Zoe Lir lowered his head and thought for a moment. The cunning in his eyes vanished briefly as he said in a deep voice, “Fine! I’ll order the fortress gates to be opened, but whether to take in those imperial refugees will need to be decided by the people of the city!”
“Hm?”

“Surely you’re aware of this? There are over 20,000 Crusaders stationed near Arabel, plus 20,000 residents in the city. The existing food supply is only enough to feed these 40,000 people. If we also take in those imperial refugees… Hmph! There’s no reason to let the Lord’s people starve while we go to aid those pagans! — Of course, if you can convince the people in the city… Hmph!” With that, he glanced at Thors and spoke first, “This is the final limit. If you disagree, then we’ll have no choice but to leave it to the Inquisition to decide!”
To Zoe Lyle’s surprise, Thors agreed almost without hesitation.
Meanwhile, outside Arabel City, the new Cardinal Bon Hamsworth was trying to persuade the Crusaders not to drive the imperial refugees further north.
The cardinal’s status, which held little sway over Zoe Lyle, had a significant impact on these Crusader soldiers. After Bon Hamsworth revealed his identity, the soldiers hesitated slightly, as a cardinal was a higher-ranking figure than a local bishop.
On one side was the cardinal from the Holy See, and on the other, the local bishop who directly governed them. The Crusader soldiers were in a dilemma.
Just then, the gates of the sacred fortress of Arabel opened, and Local Bishop Zoe Lyle, with a grim expression, announced the results of his discussions with Thors.
This brought both shock and joy to Bon Hamsworth, and even the thousands of imperial refugees cheered.
“Hey, don’t get too happy just yet,” Thors said coldly as he approached Bon Hamsworth and saw his surprised expression. “Zoe Lyle only agreed to open the fortress gates. If you can’t convince the people in the city, those imperial refugees will still have to stay here! — You deal with this back-and-forth talk yourself!”
“What… what back-and-forth talk!” the newly appointed bishop muttered indignantly before curiously asking, “Could you reveal how you convinced him?”
Thors smiled coldly and clenched his right fist.
Bon Hamsworth’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You… you didn’t threaten him, did you? That’s insane! You’ll definitely be brought before the Inquisition for this!”

“When words fail to communicate, force is the most direct and best method!” He blurted out those words instinctively before remembering they were Agus’s original words. An icy expression covered his face as he said coldly, “Stop talking nonsense and go finish your part! — If you can’t persuade the people in the city, huh!”
“Don’t worry,” Father Bond said with a sheepish smile at Sos’s cold expression. Then, glancing at the imperial refugees with hopeful eyes, he sighed and said, “No matter who they are, as long as they still have a kind heart, they are the Lord’s people. What difference does it make between the Church and the Empire? For these helpless people, I’ll persuade them!” As he spoke, he glanced at Zoe Lir, whose face was dark, and whispered, “After doing such a thing, that guy definitely won’t let it go. Be careful. You’re no longer a cardinal now, and with such ‘evil deeds’ committed while carrying guilt, the cardinals in the Church won’t fail to notice…”
“Stop talking nonsense! — I don’t even care about that guy!”
Indeed, from a certain perspective, there was only one person in Sos’s eyes at that moment—Agus!
In the following half day, Father Bond Hamsworth led those thousands of imperial refugees into Fort Arabell, while Sos sat on a rock outside the city, closing his eyes to rest. It wasn’t until thunderous applause suddenly rose from inside the city that his tense expression eased slightly.
“Hmph, that guy does have some skills after all!” With a faint smile, Sos stood up and looked toward the distant north.
He thought about the immortal knights in black armor mentioned by Bella and Agi, the siblings… as well as Allen, Scott, and the others… and Dia…