Chapter 577: Rejecting Salvation

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

A gust of wind blew past Laeticia’s face, and moments after that, silence reigned. She looked up, and her gaze locked with that of the angel that had just arrived in front of her.

Like other angels, this angel emitted a holy aura with a blinding glow. His armor was as impeccable as his physique.

Kimaris looked down and studied the girl before him through his blindfold. “You are the last of the Lord’s purest believers.”

“Yes. I’m Laeticia,” Laeticia replied, getting back to her feet. She did not take her eyes of the angel, though, as doing so was against the teaching indoctrinated into her.

Laeticia was clad in her snow-white Saintess armor, and her golden braids were disheveled today. Her hair fluttered in the gentle breeze caused by the beating of Kimaris’s wings, making her defiant. It was as though Laeticia and Kimaris were beings of equal standing.

Kimaris was not offended by this. He raised his longsword and said, “O, the Lord’s beloved mortal, thou have been granted His mercy. Close thy eyes, and be at peace; thou shalt receive Salvation and go gently.”

“No; I refuse.”

Kimaris’s piercing gaze landed on Laeticia. “Do you understand the weight of thy words? It is heresy to reject Salvation; thou art turning thy back on God!”

Laeticia tightened her grip on the Scripture necklace that she had put on.

“I accept and practice God’s words, and have done so since I was born. I have been nothing but pious to Him and His teachings, even now. This is why… I can see that none of you angels practice what He teaches, neither do you practice what you preach,” she replied.

“If thou speaketh about this war, then thou art wrong. We descended to enact His will and restore light to this world,” Kimaris replied.

“Maybe. You arrived bathed in rays of celestial lights, warmly welcomed by our worship. You are the intermediary between the gods and humans; you guide us and judge those that stray,” Laeticia said. “However, none of you genuinely care for the flock you herd! You care so little; you can’t even look us in the eye! You are so distressed by the current state of mankind that you can’t bring yourself to look, yet you did nothing to help us. Isn’t your refusal to help us an act of apathy?” [1]

Kimaris’s face contorted in fury, as he had nothing to refute Laeticia’s accusations with. “Enough! Thou art only a mortal, yet thou art putting foul words in the Lord’s mouth! On what basis do you claim exclusive insight into the will of our Highest Lord?!”

“No, the question is: do any of you understand His words?” Laeticia retorted, looking at the wings of light in the sky, watching the mirage begin to darken. ‘It will soon fade away like an illusion,’ she realized. ‘It will take with it its warm, white glow that soothes the anguish in the hearts of men…’

Laeticia gripped the Scripture necklace harder and said, “I will not die today as you’ve requested, because this life is for the protection of something I believe in. I already found something deserving of my devotion!”

Laeticia pulled hard at the Scripture necklace, which had been around her neck since birth, yanking it off her neck. Suddenly, the necklace burst into flames — black flames.

The black fire began to consume her silver-white gauntlet before moving to her arm, her shoulder, and then her entire body. The black fire completely covered Laeticia, burning her holy-white armor to a crisp. The holy flag in Laeticia’s left hand was also covered in black flames.

When the black fire dissipated, Laeticia’s hair was no longer golden; it had turned black. She opened her eyes and gazed at the stunned angel with a pair of sharp, golden pupils, whose glow eclipsed that of the Holy Light.

Laeticia’s aura had completely changed, as well. She no longer seemed kind and gentle; instead, she looked elated that she did not have to hold back her bloodlust.

Laeticia suddenly burst out laughing, maniacally.

Kimaris’s eyes widened. He had never seen a holy woman turn to the dark side, but that was not the only reason he was surprised. What startled him the most was how this aura perfectly fit Laeticia. It seemed as though this was who she was meant to be all along.

Kimaris could sense a dangerous power wafting out of Laeticia. He instantly concluded that her power now rivaled his own.

Angels were not cowards, though, so Kimaris pulled his sword and charged at the Fallen Saintess, shouting, “The punishment for rejecting Salvation is death!”

Laeticia sneered coldly. “Your path ends here!”

She swung her battle flag almost effortlessly, meeting the angel’s sword head-on. Kimaris was sent flying, and Laeticia only took a few steps backward.

When Laeticia recovered her footing, her expression was one of ecstasy. “So, this is the power I always felt close to? Oh, the pleasure that this pulsing through my veins brings me! The bliss it brings!”

Baiyi did not take Laeticia in because her body was one that he greatly admired, neither was it because she looked good in black pantyhose. Baiyi took her under his wing because he drew power from her, too, like Mia. She also showed a natural affinity to the Void.

Kimaris was smart; he did not consider the attack just now a fluke. He knew that he no longer stood a chance against Laeticia, and he still had his role as a commander to fulfill. It would do no good for him to die here, and die he would if he continued to fight her, knowing that his power was weaker than an Archangel’s.

Without further ado, Kimaris turned around and began to flee, but unfortunately for him, Laeticia had expected that. “All that is wicked has gathered here,” she said, chanting an incantation. “Roar, o fury of mine — Le Grondement de la Haine!”

Without a loud shout, Laeticia swung her battle flag, creating an arc of black flames, which sped towards the fleeing angel. In seconds, Kimaris was hit, and before he could cry out, the black flames began to consume him. A part of the black flames became solid black spikes that pierced Kimaris’s body like tofu.

“Hmph. What a boring fight,” Laeticia snorted. When she spotted Nydore rushing towards her, she frowned.

“L-Laeticia? Are you okay? Why are you dressed entirely in black?” Nydore asked, visibly concerned.

The believers stopped attacking when the gigantic pair of wings were revealed, so Nydore had time to watch Laeticia’s battle. She was worried about her friend, though, so she dashed over. However, Nydore did not expect to see Laeticia like this; she was taken aback by the frown that Laeticia had directed her way.

Laeticia snorted and turned away. Suddenly, she turned back around and shoved Nydore against a wall, holding her hands to prevent her from escaping.

“L-L-Laeticia?!?” Nydore stuttered in panic. “W-w-what’s gotten into you? Do you hate me?”

Laeticia leaned in real close until their lips were an inch away from each other. “Listen, bumpkin. My name is Jeanne! Remember that, you useless bumpkin!” Laeticia hissed.

Nydore stifled a sob. She had rushed over to help Laeticia, but her good deed was not paid in kind. Tears welled in Nydore’s eyes as she struggled to hold back a sniffle.

“Hmph! So useless. What are you crying for? The war is still on!” Laeticia frowned and wiped the tears streaking down Nydore’s cheeks. “Do you plan to get on to it or not? Bring me to the city wall already! I’m bored and hungry for more!”

“Oh, you’re r-r-right. We’re still in the m-m-middle of the war,” Nydore tearfully stuttered.

Without thinking, she held Laeticia’s hand — something she did often, out of habit — but quickly realized that she should not have; after all, this Laeticia was not the girl she once knew. Nydore feared that Laeticia would hate her even more because of this intimate gesture.

Nydore quickly let go of Laeticia, but the Fallen Saintess hand grabbed hers right back. “What the hell are we wasting time for?!” Laeticia snapped.

At that moment, Nydore realized something, but she only nodded firmly. “Right!”

“What do you think my lovely student will make of this when he returns?” The Archmage whispered to the Soul Armature Practitioner, both of whom had been watching Laeticia from the shadows. “We’re probably a teensy bit responsible for this, right? We did not do anything to stop it from happening, after all…”

“To be honest, I think he will flip out. His second elect just fell to the dark side! But then again, he might love it. Okay; I don’t know if he would like her better this way.”

“Hmm…” The Archmage sighed, lost in thought. “Say, do you remember if he preferred Jeanne d’Arc better or Jeanne Alter, back when he loved wasting his time on that garbage mobile game?”

The Soul Armature Practitioner rubbed his chin thoughtfully for some time, but he soon shook his head sideways. “I can’t tell. In the end, he maxed out the levels and skills of both. Five stars and everything, so I don’t know.”

“Pffftttttt! Nope; I’ve never had any student that goes by the name ‘Hope’! He’s not my protégé!” The Archmage suddenly said, visibly bitter. It was as though he had just gotten upset because of someone’s success.

At the northern gate, the Warrior Walker studied Laeticia, who had just arrived, with interest. However, she did not waste time on other things, saying, “Please, help us cover that side of the defense line.”

“Hmph! Don’t you look down on me; I can cover this whole part without your help. You — a woman long past her prime — ought to stand aside and twiddle her thumbs,” Laeticia said, sneering. Without waiting for a reply, she swung her arm, and a sea of fiery black flames roasted every invader close to the northern gate. The black flames were Void Flames — the very flames that Baiyi used — so the golden armor worn by the believers could not withstand it.

The Warrior Walker’s face darkened at the blatant disrespect. However, when she saw how much destruction that Laeticia could unleash, a thought suddenly struck her. Although Laeticia had been rude, she was only telling the Warrior Walker and the other gate guards to take a break.