Chapter 16: The Ascent of Ael and the Battle for Liuli

Ael found herself lying on the floor. To her surprise, the floor was slowly rising!

“Ah, I was careless just now…”

She scrambled to her feet, realizing she stood on a gradually ascending suspended staircase.

How could there be a suspended staircase beneath the deep pit?

Could it have been built by the Angelic Church?

Ael glanced back.

In the very center of the suspended staircase, she saw—

“What in the world is this??”

***

Meanwhile, on the ground above—

Leon’s sword severed the stake, sending the terrified believers scattering.

The bound Liuli fell, landing precisely on the gigantic light sword, which then carried her to Leon’s side.

Naya quickly untied Liuli’s ropes.

“We’re here to save you,” Naya explained. “I’m Naya, and this is Leon.”

“My name is Liuli Starseeker.”

“You…? You dare speak your mage surname?”

“One cannot lie before God,” Liuli replied calmly.

“You…? Do you believe Mercury is the true God?”

“My master and my master’s father both believe. Liuli must believe too.”

“By the way, why are you saving me?”

“Why are we saving you?” Naya glanced at Leon, their eyes exchanging a silent message: ‘This girl’s reaction is rather strange…’

“Rothschild offered you to the Angelic Church. They were going to burn you alive!”

“I voluntarily asked them to burn me.”

“Do you truly wish to die?” Leon asked.

“Living is suffering; it’s better to die,” Liuli responded, her face devoid of emotion.

Leon remained silent, picking up the torch the Archbishop had dropped.

“Leon? What are you doing?”

Naya watched as Leon brought the torch closer to Liuli.

Before the flame even touched her, Liuli recoiled in pain.

Then, Leon uttered words that Liuli would remember for the rest of her life: “If you are burned alive, it will be ten thousand times more painful than this. Do you still wish to die?”

Liuli fell silent, her eyes resembling those of a wounded kitten.

“Alright, it’s time for us to rescue Ael.”

No sooner had he spoken than the collapsing wall exploded outwards!

The Archbishop soared into the air—

What?!

After such an attack, he was still alive?

“Fools who stand against God!” the Archbishop bellowed, revealing himself to the believers in the form of a six-winged angel.

He held aloft his hard-covered holy book, which, it turned out, had shielded him at the critical moment, now split in two.

“This is the power of faith! At the crucial instant, it transformed into an impenetrable shield, blocking the blade of evil! And—” The Archbishop pointed to his wings. “—this is Mercury’s divine miracle!”

This—this was a miracle! A true angel!

The flame of faith in the believers’ hearts was once again ignited.

“Rebuild the stake! Burn that girl! Mercury is about to ascend!”

“Ooooh!” The believers at the forefront surged forward in a frenzy.

Leon brandished his sword, pointing it at them, and the believers halted, daring not to take another step.

“Don’t even think about touching a single hair on her head again!”

“Do not hinder Mercury’s flight to Heaven!” The Archbishop flapped his wings and lunged at Leon.

“All you do is talk about flying, flying, flying—aren’t you tired of it? A god who targets a young girl should just crawl back to hell!”

Leon raised his sword to meet him. In the eyes of the believers, the black-clad, black-haired Leon stood in stark contrast to the angelic Archbishop. This was a battle between angel and devil!

The Archbishop used two wings to cover his upper body, two to cover his lower body, and two for flight.

The greatsword struck his wings as if hitting steel, sending sparks flying.

‘This guy… he’s not on the same level as the Twelve Imperial Angels.’

“Leon! The holy sword’s duration is almost up!” Naya urgently reminded him.

“Divine Retribution—!!” The Archbishop unfurled all six of his wings.

Countless feathers shot towards them with the speed of arrows.

Leon blocked with his sword.

The feathers struck the greatsword like a torrential downpour.

‘Could he truly defeat him within the limited time?’

“Burn her! Quickly—!!”

The believers at the forefront slowly closed in on Naya and Liuli.

“You… don’t even think about coming closer!” Naya, mimicking Leon, raised her staff and pointed it at the believers.

However, her petite figure didn’t seem to possess much deterrent power; even Liuli was taller than her.

“Very well then—In Aio’s name! Blade of Light!”

Her staff instantly transformed into a sword of pure light.

The instant the light sword materialized truly startled them.

“If you wish to die, then come closer! Touch this light, and you will perish!”

Ultimately, they were just superstitious commoners who mistook Aio’s divine miracle for mere magic.

For a moment, they all cowered, no one daring to charge forward first.

“Are you risking your lives for me?” Liuli asked Naya.

“I will support all of Leon’s decisions,” Naya replied.

“I changed my surname for self-preservation, but my family are also mages. If—if you had encountered Aio instead of Rothschild, your fate would never have been like this!”

Now, Liuli had encountered Leon.

Would her destiny truly change?

The feather rain ceased, and the Archbishop once again folded his wings to protect himself.

This was the moment Leon had been waiting for!

The greatsword struck the Archbishop with a single powerful blow. He spun, delivering a second strike to the exact same spot, then a third with a rotating motion. All hit the same position!

Like a whirlwind, he unleashed four, five, six, seven consecutive strikes! His defenses were breached!?

Then, with a final, decisive blow, the Archbishop was cleaved at the waist and sent crashing to the ground, shattering the very floor!

Greatsword Art: Whirlwind Slash.

The holy sword’s duration had just expired.

“The Angelic Lord… defeated…?” All the believers were stunned into silence.

“Mer… cury…” With his dying breath, the Archbishop stretched his hand towards the deep pit, expending his last reserves of strength.

Something seemed to be rising!

The suspended staircase from the deep pit gradually approached the surface.

That… thing, slowly revealed its head—