Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 906 - 843: The Secret of Darkness
Right beneath Triton’s watchful eyes, the layers of conflict spread like a salt-scorched wasteland. A slender Angel knelt amidst a mound of silvery white, violently striking at something buried within the pile. In the black sludge, creatures continuously emerged, lunging towards the Angel, but before the mucus clinging to their bodies could even be shed, rays and missiles terminated their fleeting lives.
Triton gazed down at the rhythmic scene before him. The Broken Angel appeared fully absorbed in battling the Corrupted Angel, ignoring his presence—just as he chose to observe idly, his confidence in the Angels’ confrontation brimming with satisfaction.
[You cannot defeat him. You and I both know this.]
[The Suppression Program is operating smoothly. Your mental intrusions are useless against me, Ancient God.]
The sound of writhing tendrils echoed like rising waves, only to subside shortly after.
[I am uninterested in inorganic matter, lonely little one. Your computational power has long predicted the outcome, hasn’t it? In the skies above, you’ve deployed a layer of mechanical particles beyond my control, forming a realm that intercepts solar energy—all energy, in fact. Holy Light is an external force, and you’ve leveraged it to ban the Power of Holy Light. By enveloping the planet’s energy systems under the heavenly network, you have created a dominion akin to my Divine Realm. Yet even as you control all the energy and material resources, the capabilities of machines end there. Skipping eras and circumventing the suppression of Holy Light—whichever entity you have made a pact with, it is sheer folly for it to attempt overturning destiny with mere future-dwellers like you.]
The Corrupted Angel writhed free from the mechanical wreckage, shaking off loose gears and wires from its outer shell. A laser beam swept forth as Dorothy seized the moment, accelerating into close range. Her twisting waist delivered a direct punch towards the Corrupted Angel’s side, as her other hand morphed swiftly into a white gun barrel, ready to unleash a round.
[Combat Simulation. Punch success rate: 33%; Gunfire success rate: 72%; Zero-distance magnetic storm success rate: 99.36%. Movement feasible.]
[The materialistic world of the future—a misguided apocalypse where the quality of souls scarcely remains. Broken Angel, King of the Era, your future is one that will be negated. Using rules to negate the past will, in turn, strangle the faith-driven present, along with the absurd future you hope to dictate.]
[Suppression is mutual, King of the Era.]
The punch was caught. The gun barrel locked in the grasp of a hand. Metallic wings began to transform as a third glowing arm emerged from the Corrupted Angel’s chest, gripping Dorothy’s throat tightly. Holy flames engulfed the Broken Angel’s body as divinity, like a waking giant, began to manifest its strength. The Honorary Halo unfolded anew, and this time, the Angel of Light commanded energy attuned to the mechanical beings specifically.
[Logic... logic error. The source of Holy Light’s power was clearly severed.]
The Broken Angel’s body shrunk within the flames, its metallic casing melting, like a moth vanishing in the fire.
[Holy Light—a powerful idealistic energy. The strength of the mind rivals that of steel and iron. You thought you obscured their light, but they are fire itself. Born within flames, beings whose lifeblood flows in currents of electricity—they cannot grasp the soul. Without an inner essence, you will never replace humanity.]
[Die, along with your glass-like fragile humanity.]
A divine judgment descended. The Creator bidding farewell to humanity’s creations. She fell into a heap of discarded materials, the light thrown down like a staircase to be dismantled, descending into darkness.
"No," the Broken Angel exclaimed loudly. "William said I am perfect." She swung her flaming, scorched iron wings and soared once again toward the lofty Inquisitor.
"William gave me his heart, and I shall use that heart to defeat you!"
The punch was caught once more. Her five fingers shattered. Fragments of disassembled machinery restructured into a spherical orb, adhering to flesh and blood, its edges growing a drill that fiercely dug into flesh.
Holy flames continued to scorch the doctor-sculpted face. Dorothy laughed as the indicator lights in her eyes dimmed, turning to micro particles amidst the ashes. In the final scene, the mechanical orb clung to the Corrupted Angel’s skin, burrowing relentlessly deeper.
"William’s heart, combined with all of me, will defeat us. Angel, before you are converted. Otherwise, victory is ours."
The slumbering Triton watched as Dorothy fell, vanishing into the black sludge. His gaze shifted. What significance lay in this final seed? Even at its peak, the Broken Angel could not defeat the Corrupted Angel. What could be accomplished by the scattered remnants?
Triton noticed something within the metallic orb—a glimmering ring, the Andrè Ring.
Triton sensed it, tendrils beginning to move, lunging toward the struggling Corrupted Angel.
[My Angel, destroy that orb! Hurry!!!] 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
Under instruction, the Corrupted Angel relinquished its indifference toward the mechanical orb. Breaking apart this simple device would take no time at all. Its shell was easily shattered, and the Power of Holy Light neared the point of obliterating the ring.
An ancient Divine Power emanated from the Andrè Ring.
[The transaction must not be interrupted.]
The final member of the Literary Society trio.
The journalist stood atop the high slope of the Cursed Graveyard. Rusted gears clicked and clanked in the sky, chains piercing his limbs, his head, and his soul, whose flames burned fiercely. In the shadows, the Liches lent their support.
"Mr. Raymond, conduct a secret transaction with me."
"Adhere to the covenant with the Dark One."
"I present to you the final moments of the Crusaders’ leader, and the true story behind the fall of the Four Angels."
"The Scourge of Holy Light."
