Chapter 2: The Saint’s Secret

“Quick!! We must not let that alien bastard harm the Saint Lady!!!”

Ling Che, the guarding general of Yuhai City, shouted in a low, hoarse voice.

With source power swirling around him, he dashed to the very front like an arrow released from a string.

His mind held only one thought: protect the Saint.

Ling Che could not bear to imagine what the human world would become without Saint Luoxue.

Thirty-two years ago, in 2068, humanity was pushed to the brink of survival by countless alien races that suddenly descended upon the globe. The population dropped from eight billion to two billion, and living space was squeezed to just twenty percent of its original size.

Had it not been for the divine miracle of the Holy Snow Lotus appearing, which bestowed upon humanity the Source to fight the aliens, the human race might have ceased to exist.

And so, the Saint, born from the Holy Snow Lotus, became the Human Alliance’s greatest pillar, the faith of all mankind, and an existence that had to be protected.

What if they lost the Saint? Perhaps that would mean humanity would lose the ability to wield the Source. Then, facing the aliens’ terrifying strengths, extinction would be inevitable.

‘Saint Lady, please be safe!’ Ling Che prayed frantically in his heart.

At the same time, he bit his lips in fury.

Even if he burned his soul, how could an alien of Veteba’s level have broken through the defense line so easily?

Zhang Xuanze! Can’t you even guard a base properly?

****

Soon, Ling Che arrived at the core area of the base with dozens of elite reinforcements.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Ling Che raised his hand abruptly. The guards behind him released their source power in unison, taking the most vigilant combat positions.

Then Ling Che, with his power fully unleashed, charged into the room first.

“Saint Lady! I’ve come to protect you!! You damn alien, don’t you dare, huh?”

???

What?

The next second, everyone froze.

The bloody scene they had imagined, the tragic vision they feared, did not appear.

The room remained quiet and gentle.

Soft, misty light spilled into every corner, and the air still carried a faint, elegant trace of the Saint’s presence. There was no smoke or blood, only an eerie peace.

The white figure they had worried about was sitting quietly on the bed, hugging a small teddy bear. She was wrapped in pure white gauze, her long snowy hair spread like a waterfall, still radiating that sacred, heart-stopping beauty.

She looked fragile, but also carried a hint of unease and fear.

It made you want to step forward, pull her into your arms, and comfort her.

On the other side, what truly made everyone’s pupils shrink was the figure in the center of the room.

It was the alien man who had been burning his soul and charging recklessly just moments before.

Veteba, the master of the Imperial Desert.

But now, this man, who had been roaring with power only minutes ago, lay face-up on the cold floor.

The wild white flames and powerful magic that had once surged around him had completely dissipated.

There were no wounds on his body, and no signs of battle in the room, but Veteba’s eyes, once blazing with madness, held no trace of life. His life force was completely severed, and even his soul’s vibrations had vanished without a trace.

He… was dead?

“This? Huh?”

Ling Che was utterly baffled. The long blade in his hand dissolved into light and returned to his body.

The general’s face now showed only stunned disbelief. The guards behind him exchanged confused glances, unable to understand the situation.

They had thought the intruder might have harmed the Saint, or at least taken her hostage to negotiate.

But in the end?

He just died like that?

Could it be that the Saint’s power had burst out on its own in a moment of crisis? But the Alliance had studied her for two whole years and never found any sign that she could actively use her power.

As far as they knew, the Saint could grant power to others but had no combat ability herself.

After a brief silence, Ling Che snapped back to his senses.

Now was not the time to dwell on that.

All his confusion was replaced by deeper guilt and fear.

He immediately knelt on one knee. The guards and servants behind him followed suit, dropping to one knee in a synchronized motion.

“I’m terribly sorry, Saint Lady! I’ve alarmed you!”

Ling Che’s voice trembled with barely concealed emotion.

In his eyes, no matter how the enemy had died, he was still at fault for letting an alien come close to the Saint in Yuhai City.

However, the expected rebuke never came.

A soft, gentle voice drifted from the bed, like the warmest sunlight in winter, instantly calming everyone’s anxiety.

“… I’m fine. Please don’t be like this.”

As these words reached his ears, Ling Che slowly looked up and saw the beautiful young woman.

Luoxue tilted her head slightly, still wearing her blindfold. Her voice was as light as a breeze that could be blown away, tinged with a faint trace of fear and unease, but no trace of anger.

Gently, she raised a hand in a soothing gesture.

“Um… you don’t need to worry. I’m not hurt.”

“Thanks to all of you for blocking him so hard and exhausting his power. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have collapsed the moment he arrived, with his soul power completely drained.”

“I should be the one thanking you. Without you, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

Her gentle words struck Ling Che and the others, and a flood of warmth surged through them. They trembled with emotion.

They had failed their duty, letting an alien ruffian rush right before the Saint. But the Saint didn’t scold them at all. Instead, she offered them an excuse…

She was clearly trying to stay calm, pusing down her own fear, yet she still tried to comfort those who had failed.

How gentle…

This was the Saint sent by the gods…

The very existence they, the blessed ones, needed to protect with their lives.

“Saint Lady…”

Ling Che’s throat tightened, his voice choked with emotion. Guilt and reverence intertwined in his heart. He bowed his head deeply and spoke with fervent devotion.

“Thank you for your mercy. I, Ling Che, vow that such a thing will never happen again! Even if I have to give my life, I will protect you no matter what!”

The other guards and servants were equally moved. They bowed their heads, their eyes full of reverence and devotion, repeating similar sentiments.

For a moment, the entire room was filled with admiration and gratitude for the Saint. The atmosphere was warm and devout.

Yet, in the midst of this fanatical emotion, one figure stood out.

It was an old man standing at the back of the guard formation.

He was Mochen, the butler assigned to Luoxue by the alliance.

Mochen, who had rushed from the command room, did not kneel like the others, nor did he show any trace of reverence or zeal. He merely stood there quietly, his eyes fixed on Veteba’s corpse on the floor, his pupils contracting slightly.

But when his gaze fell upon that shockingly beautiful girl, Mochen’s throat unconsciously rolled as he swallowed hard.

Unlike the others, deep in his eyes lurked a bone-deep dread and terror.

To others, Luoxue was a gentle, kind, fragile, and helpless Saint.

But in Mochen’s eyes… she was something else entirely.

Even now, the scene from two years ago remained burned into his memory.

Two years ago, in the underground closed testing ground of the northern fortress, Sibea.

Inside that heavily guarded facility, where only high-ranking researchers and a few top officials were allowed, Mochen witnessed a sight he would never forget.

The Holy Snow Lotus, which had sheltered humanity for thirty years, slowly bloomed in the midst of dense source power.

Within the dazzling light, a slender young girl began to take shape.

White hair, white dress, skin as pale as snow, a face of such beauty that it seemed otherworldly.

A miracle? The Saint descending? Or a deity coming to earth?

It should have been an uplifting moment.

But the next second, the excitement on Mochen’s and everyone else’s faces was replaced by sheer terror and panic.

Because what followed was horrifying beyond belief.

The girl’s movements were bizarre in the extreme. Her neck twisted at an angle impossible for any human. Her joints bent backward. Her bones made faint, dreadful grinding sounds. Every movement was stiff and cold, as if she had no normal human awareness, more like an unknown creature that had just gained a body and didn’t yet know how to control its limbs.

A suffocating, eerie atmosphere spread. The source power froze. Flowers in the testing ground closed quietly. Spirit beasts and pets curled trembling into corners.

The temperature inside the testing ground seemed to drop to freezing. A dark, oppressive aura spread like a tide, crushing everyone’s breath. Many researchers turned pale, their legs weak, on the verge of collapsing.

A holy sight? But the atmosphere was maddeningly oppressive.

At that moment, Mochen clearly felt that what resided in that beautiful shell… might not be a saintly soul.

It was something indescribable, something aberrant.

After a while, under everyone’s tense gaze, the girl’s twisted movements gradually ceased, as if she had finally forced control over the human body.

She slowly raised her head and looked at everyone present.

Her heterochromatic eyes, one gold and one red, were hollow and cold. They held no emotion, no warmth, as she calmly surveyed the crowd.

Not like seeing her own kind or her followers, but like looking at a swarm of ants, a collection of meaningless dust.

Then, a faint, emotionless voice echoed through the silent testing ground.

“The goddess… is already dead?”

Just one sentence made every alliance official and scientist present go cold, the hairs on their necks standing up. The oppressive feeling, the piercing cold, was worse than facing death itself…

Goddess? What goddess?

What… is she?

****

Recalling those scenes, Mochen instinctively broke into a cold sweat.

Veteba had definitely not died from his soul power running out… It was Luoxue. She had done something to him.

With that thought, Mochen’s gaze fell once more on that holy figure on the bed. The girl was still gently soothing the others, her pure smile beautiful and intoxicating.

But in Mochen’s eyes, that angelic smile seemed strangely ominous.

He silently stepped back, and then another step, hiding himself completely among the others. He dared not stare any longer, dared not show any unusual movement.

The being in this room might look like an angel, but it was definitely not one.

Even if it was, it was an angel corrupted by filth.

Mochen had doubts, but he dared not voice them.

He feared that speaking up would displease the presence before him.

After all, no matter how strange she was… humanity had no choice but to rely on her now. There was no other option. Even if she was some unspeakable monster, humanity had to coexist with her.

It seemed shutting off the surveillance earlier had been the right call.

Just as Mochen took a deep breath and completely abandoned any thought of questioning her strangeness, a pleasant yet spine-chilling female voice came out of nowhere.

“Thank you, butler.”

At that instant, Mochen’s entire body trembled, and cold sweat trickled down.

Even though the white-haired girl was wearing a blindfold, Mochen felt as if countless invisible giant eyes were glaring at him from every direction.

Under that gaze, he could hide nothing… not a single thought or intention.

Swallowing hard, Mochen forced a smile at the existence disguised as the Saint.

“You’re… you’re welcome, Miss Luoxue.”

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