Chapter 118 - EPISODE 118 – HOLY ANGEL (2)
Chapter 118 - EPISODE 118 – HOLY ANGEL (2)
Terms used in this chapter:
Orabeoni?– a term younger females use to call older males within their generation but is more formal and respectful than ‘oppa.’ Oppa is more casual and friendly.
Time had passed.
Four days after the battle on Snow Breeze Plain.
The Hell Gate was still present, and the Snow Breeze Plain was covered with the purple aura of hell.
The eastern forces gathered again.
A large army of 40,000 troops was created when the main forces who were defeated in Snow Breeze Plain were joined up with the troops who came from all over the eastern side.
“It’s all thanks to Blade Song and the sacrifice of his children.”
The missing Violent Avalanche did not return.
But they did not have the time to search for him. Great Storm gathered all of the wild gods in the east and sought for a way to destroy the Hell Gate.
“I don’t know much about it, but I think we can only attack it head-on.”
The other wild gods nodded at the words of Heavy Steps, a new wild god from the eastern side.
It was because of the information they had newly acquired.
“I’ve heard that if you leave the Hell Gate open for a long time, there’ll be more problems than just the increasing number of monsters.”
It was the Hell Gate’s nature to grow more and more as long as it remained open.
The only ones who could cross over the recently opened Hell Gate were low level monsters or demons without a name.
But as time passed for a day or two, the Hell Gate became larger and more serious, and higher beings were also able to descend to this world through the gate.
“The longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous it would be for us… And the worst could come.”
The faces of the other wild gods grew somber when Blue Whiskers spoke with a grave expression after he had heard about the Hell Gate from Lena.
“Until the afternoon of the 5th?day at the latest…we must close or destroy the Hell Gate.”
Blue Whiskers didn’t say the reason.
But there was no one among the wild gods who did not know the reason.
‘A mighty being will arrive.’
A being whom they would be helpless against even if they gathered the power of the entire east.
The eyes of the wild gods centered on Great Storm, who was considered the representative of the eastern wild gods.
Great Storm gently closed his eyes and spoke with a calm face.
“Tomorrow morning, we’ll attack the Hell Gate.”
The forces of the east were brought together in just four days, which was not enough time for those injured in the battle on Snow Breeze Plain to heal their wounds.
But they no longer had time, so they had to enter the decisive battle now.
All of the wild gods had nervous faces.
Even more so because it was the first time that a large number of wild gods were gathered to fight in this manner.
“Umm, by the way…”
A wild god sitting in the corner raised his hand.
He was a little boy with fox ears on his head, and as his appearance showed, the young boy – Murmur, was the youngest and weakest among the wild gods gathered here.
He slightly raised his hand and spoke with a faint voice, but it sounded strangely loud because it was so quiet around them.
All of the wild gods turned to Murmur, who flinched and stiffened as he hesitated before speaking.
“That…those two…have they arrived?”
Everyone’s gaze returned to Great Storm at the question Murmur threw as he hugged his fluffy tail.
Even though no one had said anything about it, all of them were actually curious about the two.
Those two.
The guardians of the wild lands who saved Violent Avalanche, Gentle Snow Breeze, and Blue Whiskers, and also fought in the crisis at Karaval.
However, few knew the truth.
They were a much-rumored existence for the wild gods.
“I heard that they destroyed Raptor Canyon…”
“Didn’t you say that they had already closed a Hell Gate once?”
“Do they really blow up anything?”
“I heard that nothing was left of the place.”
The mountain of Violent Avalanche collapsed, the fields of Gentle Snow Breeze were burned, and the topography of Raptor Canyon was completely changed.
Gentle Snow Breeze awkwardly smiled at the fact-based rumors, and Great Storm bitterly smiled.
Although it was sad that they were currently in a situation where the wild gods had to depend on two humans to protect and help them, he somehow understood them.
‘Because even I do too.’
Wouldn’t they do something if it’s those two?
That was probably why Murmur opened his mouth again.
“They must have arrived by now. They will also participate in the decisive battle tomorrow.”
“Oooh.”
“Can we meet them?”
Murmur asked as the wild gods were relieved, but Gentle Snow Breeze shook her head. She stroked the still young Murmur’s head.
“The two have to do something very important from now on. It’s their last preparations that are necessary before we head to the decisive battle.”
“Umm…then we shouldn’t bother them?”
“You’re right. Let’s talk to them after the decisive battle. Because we will win.”
At the words of Gentle Snow Breeze, Murmur widely opened his eyes and answered with a wide smile.
“That’s right! Because we will win!”
A child’s smile would always bring hope.
His smile spread over to the wild gods, and Great Storm met eyes with Gentle Snow Breeze and leaned back for a while.
‘But what in the world is their preparation?’
He thought that they had already prepared this and that before they came here in the first place.
‘I’ll know later.’
He didn’t have the opportunity to properly talk to them until now.
If it was necessary, he would have to talk to the two first tonight or tomorrow morning.
‘The guardians of the wild lands.’
What would the difference be between the first fight in the Snow Breeze Plain and now?
How would the presence or absence of two people affect it?
Great Storm pictured the faces of Jude and Cordelia in his head.
***
“Unniiiiie!”
“Red Wiiiiind!”
Red Wind and Cordelia hugged each other as they turned around in circles – or to be exact, Red Wind turned around in circles while hugging Cordelia.
‘I’m the older sister.’
But Red Wind was much taller than her.
In any case, the Red Wind who Cordelia liked had hugged her, and after almost turning around ten times, Red Wind looked at Jude.
“It’s nice to see oppa too.”
“Umm, yes.”
He could feel the difference in treatment, but he couldn’t help it.
‘However…is the situation better than I thought?’
Red Wind had a good expression.
She was obviously forcing herself to cheer up, which meant that they were not in a desperate situation for her to be able to do that.
Cordelia then asked.
“Red Wind, what about your father, Red Gale?”
“He’s preparing for the fight tomorrow. He’s with Sun Song-orabeoni.”
“Ora…beoni?”
“Yes, Sun Song-orabeoni. He’s big, strong, and nice.”
As Red Wind spoke with a broad smile, Cordelia frowned at once and looked at Jude.
‘What do we do? It’s like she dumped Lucas.’
‘…Shouldn’t we listen to Lucas’ opinion too?’
Whether he was really dumped or not.
At any rate, Red Wind’s potential romance story was not what mattered now.
‘That’s mean! This is about Red Wind!’
‘No, because we have a decisive fight tomorrow, remember?’
‘Jude is cold-hearted…memo.’
‘You don’t even have a notebook.’
‘I’m taking notes in my head, okay?’
‘Oh, really? Are you for real? In your head?’
‘Ummm…o-only for important things.’
The eye-to-eye conversation between the two had already reached the realm of telepathy.
Red Wind watched the two facing each other and found their ever-changing expressions to be interesting.
“By the way, unnie, Lena is waiting.”
Lena was both a holy angel and a powerful wizard.
She already had a brief conversation with them last night through communication magic.
‘She said that she’ll begin the preparations.’
It was the ritual for Cordelia’s Ancestral Regression.
Jude and Cordelia exchanged glances again and smiled.
But Red Wind opened her mouth again.
“Unnie.”
“Yes?”
“You look very tired. So is Jude-oppa.”
Now that she saw it, Cordelia had a haggard face.
Furthermore, Jude also had dark circles under his eyes, and even if he didn’t have it, the fair complexion of his face had lost its color, making him look completely pale.
What in the world happened to them before they got here?
No, what did the two of them do?
“There were…a lot of things.”
“It was really hard…”
Their journey over the past four days.
The time needed to make Cordelia’s idea a reality.
Red Wind tilted her head as Jude and Cordelia both muttered with a look of liberation.
“Unnie?”
“Sorry, I’ll tell you about it later. Let’s go to Lena first.”
“Yes. I won’t ask!”
Red Wind cheerfully replied as always and began to take the lead, and Jude and Cordelia hurried along.
After around ten minutes…
Lena stood on a hill that was somewhat remote from the main camp where the 40,000 troops were gathered.
The sight of the sunset spreading as she looked west with her back facing them was like a painting.
“Wow…”
Having completely returned to a holy angel after recovering from Demon Syndrome, Lena looked different from before.
A real angel.
A being who could only be expressed that way.
Her dull blonde hair had regained its golden luster, and her fair-skinned face seemed to glow.
And a pair of wings.
It was white like snow, and when mixed with the light of the sunset, it gave off a warm yet faint glow.
“Lena!”
“Cordelia.”
Lena gently smiled and turned around, and Cordelia ran before hugging her.
“Are you fine now?”
“It’s thanks to the two of you.”
She was able to cure her Demon Syndrome because Jude and Cordelia brought her to the sacred place.
“Hehehe, that’s a relief.”
Lena smiled at Cordelia’s clear smile before she looked at Jude.
“Jude.”
“It’s nice to see you again.”
“Me too. I’ve arranged all the preparations we talked about.”
The ritual for Ancestral Regression.
Lena had already done it twice.
One was for herself and the other was for Landius.
And at this moment, her third Ancestral Regression ritual was prepared for Cordelia.
“I was a little surprised.”
She was surprised at the fact that Jude and Cordelia had already collected all the materials necessary for the Ancestral Regression ritual rather than the fact that angelic blood flows in Cordelia.
“We studied in preparation for it a bit thoroughly.”
Cordelia smiled as she still clung to Lena and looked up the hill.
There were several small circles on the magic circle that Lena drew, which were the places where the offerings for the Ancestral Regression would be placed.
‘Ancient Crest, Frozen Time.’
Jude laid down the materials they had collected while traveling so far. Then he saw an empty bowl in the last spot.
The empty bowl was a container for something.
That something was the key material for Ancestral Regression.
“Doing the Ancestral Regression would not make you into a powerful angel right away.”
“Yes, I’ll be starting at the ninth rank, right? There’s also the maximum rank that would be determined by one’s inherited blood and individual aptitude. Of course, it’s not completely fixed, but it’s possible to go up a higher rank due to various opportunities or one’s efforts.”
“Cordelia, you…”
“Because I also use the power of a witch, it needs to be balanced with the power of the angel. I can only use one of the two at a time, either the angel or the witch. It’s too dangerous to combine the two right away. To be precise, the angel’s power is lacking.”
Lena blinked her eyes when Cordelia listed the information she knew, which was unlike Cordelia, but she soon smiled.
“That’s impressive. I guess you really studied it thoroughly.”
The Ancestral Regression wasn’t actually something that one could study in preparation if they wanted to, but not for Jude and Cordelia.
For the two, the Ancestral Regression to become an angel was a review, and not a preparatory study.
“Okay, then let’s begin now.”
The decisive battle was tomorrow morning.
Cordelia would need time to adjust in being an angel, so they had to proceed with the ritual as soon as possible.
“Are you ready to become an angel?”
“Yes.”
Cordelia blushed as she answered the question that was a little cringy. She hurriedly took off her coat.
She was wearing a thin one-piece dress, and after removing the rabbit headband and tail, she headed to the center of the magic circle while Jude stood back and took a deep breath.
Jude had originally intended to carry out the ritual himself from beginning to end, but Lena was here now.
It was better to leave it to an expert and just step back.
“Thanks in advance.”
“No problem, Jude. Don’t worry about it.”
Lena giggled a little before quickly correcting her expression to a serious one. After she wounded her wrist and filled the bowl with her angelic blood, she began the ritual.
“Blood is the medium of the soul.”
So she used her blood.
Her blood remembered it.
The magic circle shined.
A white light rose and enveloped Cordelia.
“It’s something that doesn’t disappear but just sleeps.”
The soul was connected through one’s blood.
The memories of one’s ancestors were imprinted in one’s soul.
The light got stronger.
The white light gradually turned red.
He had seen this sight many times in the game. But reality was different.
The light that began from the magic circle stretched out into the sky.
The light broke into fragments and danced in harmony with the night that came, creating a beautiful trail of light in the night sky.
“From heaven to earth.”
The present went into the past.
It followed the path that lead it into one.
In the pillar of light that engulfed Cordelia, he could see a faint silhouette inside.
That of a beautiful girl.
And in addition to that.
Snow white wings.
Heavenly ring (halo).
Things that symbolized a heavenly being.
“Now, you will reach it.”
Thus, she would completely inherit it.
The Ancient Crest broke.
The Frozen Time melted.
Lena’s blood became light and scattered, and the pillar of light grew stronger. It turned redder and redder and then exploded at some point.
An explosion of light.
What that color meant.
And what that light meant.
The color of Cordelia. The color of her soul.
The attribute of Cordelia. The power that symbolized her.
There was no sound, but the beautiful and colorful explosion of light filled the night sky.
There was a commotion in the main camp located far away, and even the wild gods were surprised at the mysterious sight before them.
And Jude.
He didn’t hide his ecstatic feeling as he faced the mysterious sight.
The girl in front of him.
The white wings of light wrapped around her exposed body with flawless skin.
Jude held his breath.
And at that moment, the girl opened her eyes. She faced Jude with her blue eyes.
She looked pure and innocent.
But soon, Cordelia’s playfulness revealed itself. Her canines glistened as she beautifully smiled.
“What do you think?”
Jude promptly replied to Cordelia’s question that was somewhat pompous.
“Beautiful.”
“No, not that one.”
Cordelia’s face turned red at his words, and Jude cleared his throat and said with a very serious face.
“Very beautiful.”
“Hey!”
What are you saying?
Are you making fun of me now?
Jude laughed. And Cordelia said the answer she wanted to hear.
“I got stronger.”
Cordelia literally transcended a human being at this moment.
In the first place, an angel was a superior race when compared to a human.
Even the lowest rank – rank 9, was incomparable to an ordinary human.
Especially the mana.
“1.5 times?”
“Perhaps.”
The base value of her mana had increased.
If she added her witch’s power, her mana would explosively increase.
“It will be perfect.”
If the allure of the fallen angel was added to the pure and innocent Cordelia.
Jude nodded his head with a pleased look, and Cordelia nodded in quite a different meaning.
‘It’s not far.’
The moment she would show her true power as a human disaster.
If she could even become a witch, she would be able to use her ‘7 Prohibited Magic’ that was Cordelia’s exclusive trademark.
“Perfect.”
“Yes, it’s perfect.”
The two nodded as they misunderstood each other after a long time, but soon became in harmony with each other as they moved.
Jude quickly brought out the clothes that Cordelia would wear, and Cordelia covered herself with her wings as she properly dressed herself.
However.
“Um, Mr. Jude.”
“Yes?”
“What…is this?”
“Cat set. It’s better than the rabbit set.”
It was a black cat headband and tail.
A set item that greatly increased not only one’s agility but also their flexibility.
“Excuse me, Mr. Jude?”
“You’ll become stronger.”
Cordelia narrowed her eyes, but soon finished wearing it as if she was being generous to him.
And Lena smiled at the sight of Jude and Cordelia.
‘Interesting.’
Ancestral Regression was not something normal.
It was a matter of throwing away one’s self and becoming a new person.
But the two of them were calm.
They were very composed.
‘And.’
What is this?
They were in a situation where a decisive battle was in front of them, and the tragedy of Paragon might be repeated, but a smile still came out of her.
She actually knew the reason. So Lena said to the two who were bickering.
“Shall we do the final arrangements?”
What Jude and Cordelia had prepared for the past four days.
And what Lena herself had prepared.
The last one to wrap it all up.
“Here it is.”
Jude brought out the Heavenly Judgment, and Cordelia took it. She handed it to Lena.
Heavenly Judgment could only be unsealed by an angel.
It was a divine weapon that was forged by Auriel, the Archangel of Judgment.
Cordelia and Lena exuded a divine power.
The night sky was filled with light once again.