Chapter 15: Crimson Angel
Chapter 15: Crimson Angel
The count shouted, “Halt!”
The soldiers who had been advancing toward me immediately stopped.
He glared at me and roared angrily, “Kid, were you the one who killed my son?”
I glanced at the surrounding soldiers before looking back at him. With a cold sneer, I replied, “You must be Count Bai Sikai. If that’s the case, then yes—I crushed him to death.”
Count Bai Sikai was so furious that he laughed.
“You knew who I was, yet you still dared to kill my only son? Today I will bury you with him.”
I smiled coldly.
“Spoil the child, blame the father. You should be grateful that I killed that scumbag son of yours. I erased a stain from your family.”
Count Bai Sikai let out a mournful cry.
In the next instant, he vanished from where he stood and reappeared beside me, his spear thrust forward. The qi around the weapon produced sharp popping sounds in the air.
His strength was indeed close to that of a Light Knight.
Although he lacked the calm elegance of the Duke, he was far more ruthless.
I knew that if I confronted Count Bai Sikai head-on, I would survive only one time out of ten. And even if I somehow defeated him, I would still be surrounded by soldiers.
In a split second, I made my decision.
I would defend.
I dodged to the right at high speed to avoid his spear thrust. Although I evaded the weapon, my arm burned with searing pain as the qi surrounding the spear grazed it.
If an ordinary person had taken that blow, their arm would likely have been crippled.
Using the brief moment I had gained, I began chanting.
“Darkness condense within thy soul. To fall is to be freed. Awaken—powers that sleep within my blood.”
This time the transformation proceeded far more smoothly.
A black aura erupted from my body as I instantly transformed into a two-winged Fallen Angel. I unsheathed Black Sable and blocked the spear that shot toward me.
Count Bai Sikai staggered in shock.
“You’re a Fallen Angel of the Demon Clan!”
I laughed coldly.
“That’s right. If you’re afraid, then leave now. I might spare your life.”
Count Bai Sikai narrowed his eyes.
“Being a Fallen Angel changes nothing. Don’t forget—I was once a Dragon Knight. You will not leave here alive.”
I burst into mocking laughter.
“You’re nothing but a shadow of your former glory. Where is your dragon now? You know the outcome of this battle better than I do. A Dragon Knight without a dragon cannot rival a Fallen Angel.”
A sinister smile suddenly appeared on Count Bai Sikai’s face.
He retreated abruptly and shouted, “Attack!”
I was startled.
Even though I understood that he intended to exhaust me using his soldiers, these minor fighters should not have been able to withstand even one of my strikes.
Count Bai Sikai ordered his guards to surround me and attack.
Although he had brought only three hundred personal guards, every one of them was highly skilled. They had been personally selected by him over the years, and even the weakest among them was at least mid-tier in strength.
Something felt wrong as soon as the battle began.
A single slash of my sword killed only five soldiers and wounded a few others. The attack was far less effective than I expected.
They continued to charge in relentless waves.
Like ocean tides crashing against a rock, they attacked without pause.
All the while, Count Bai Sikai stood at the side, calmly watching his soldiers die.
I unleashed Hurricane repeatedly. Every time the attack struck the ground, explosions erupted around the battlefield.
The attack was impossible to block, and the number of casualties increased with each strike.
Beating my wings, I rose into the air and began chanting again.
“With my soul as the sacrifice, O great God of Darkness, lend me thy Fire of Hell. Use its infinite demonic power to exterminate all beings before me—Black Fire!”
This was a fifth-level Black Magic spell that rained black flames upon its targets.
Once ignited, the flames were nearly impossible to extinguish and would continue burning until the victim died.
Strangely, the bracelet Teacher Zhuang had given me did not amplify this spell.
Count Bai Sikai finally made his move.
He leapt into the air, his spear splitting into countless shadows that blotted out the sunlight. Yin Jian qi burst outward in every direction, extinguishing most of the black flames.
In that moment, he demonstrated both strength and cunning.
Not only did he neutralize my attack, he also forced me back into the encirclement.
Just as I tried to break through toward him, a soldier stepped in front of me and blocked my path.
Fury ignited within me.
I pushed my Mad Demonic Power to its limit and attacked soldier after soldier.
Every enemy who crossed my path was reduced to mangled flesh.
Within an hour, the road was covered in corpses and severed limbs.
All three hundred guards were dead.
Not a single one survived.
If I had faced such a battle of attrition before my training, I would have died long ago. But after advancing my Demonic Arts to the fourth tier, I had barely managed to endure it.
Still, the battle had drained most of my strength.
I could only remain standing by leaning on Black Sable.
Glaring at Count Bai Sikai, I sneered.
“You’re despicable. You sacrificed all your subordinates just to exhaust me.”
Count Bai Sikai replied calmly, “What’s wrong with using attrition? As long as I win in the end, the method doesn’t matter. Brothers, rest well in hell. I will avenge you soon.”
His spear transformed into a streak of lightning as he lunged toward me.
Although I was exhausted, I raised Black Sable to block.
The weapon stopped his spear, but his qi grazed my shoulder.
I staggered backward as he landed.
He looked at me with surprise.
“Brat, your body is quite tough. Are you some new breed of Fallen Angel? Regardless, you only awakened recently. Even without my dragon, you cannot defeat me in a fair fight. Die!”
He spoke the truth.
His spear technique was on a completely different level.
The spear flickered in and out like lightning, and the qi surrounding it was razor sharp.
Even with my durable body, I dared not face those attacks directly.
After several exchanges, my body was covered in wounds.
If this continued, there was only one possible outcome.
Death.
Count Bai Sikai suddenly stopped attacking.
“Brat, I admit you are tough. But now your life ends.”
He pointed his spear toward the sky.
Powerful silver qi surged from his body like countless serpents, filling the air around him.
“Take my hidden technique—Yin Jian Snake Wild Dance!”
He leapt into the air as his spear transformed into countless snake-like streaks, covering the sky as they lunged toward me.
Before he completed the attack, I gathered the last of my strength and shot into the air using my wings.
I poured every ounce of power into Black Sable.
“Violent Dance of the Mad Dragon!”
Just as Count Bai Sikai released his technique, I spun forward behind my blade, transforming into a storm of fangs and claws like a black dragon.
The two attacks collided violently.
A massive shockwave blasted across a thirty-meter radius beneath us.
Moments later, I plummeted from the sky like a meteor and crashed into the ground, forming a deep crater.
Count Bai Sikai landed six meters away, his face pale.
Although my strike had injured him, he was far better off than I was.
Supporting himself with his spear, he said bitterly,
“You suffered six of my strikes. You should already be dead… Ah?”
He suddenly saw me crawling out of the crater.
Indeed, my body had been struck six times. Blood covered me from head to toe.
The only reason I survived was the powerful defense inherited from the Behemoth Tribe, which prevented his qi from penetrating my body.
My wounds were deep enough that bone could be seen in places.
But I was still alive.
Count Bai Sikai instinctively stepped back.
He had never imagined that someone could survive such heavy blows.
Not even a Fallen Angel.
Black Sable lay somewhere in the distance.
Every inch of my body throbbed with pain, yet I refused to collapse.
My mind remained clear despite the injuries.
That clarity was one of the reasons Fallen Angels could rival Dragon Knights.
Even a dying Fallen Angel could reverse a battle against a careless Dragon Knight.
Count Bai Sikai clearly realized this as well and retreated several steps while watching me cautiously.
In truth, I had almost no strength left.
I stood there motionless, trying desperately to gather even a fragment of power.
After observing me for a moment, Count Bai Sikai suddenly realized something.
He rushed forward and smashed my back with the shaft of his spear.
My body flew forward until it slammed into a tree beside the road.
The small amount of energy I had gathered was completely scattered.
The qi in my meridians became chaotic, and blood streamed from my mouth.
My body had reached its limit.
Count Bai Sikai approached while laughing.
“I thought you had some trick left. Turns out you’re nothing more than an arrow at the end of its flight. Die!”
He thrust his spear toward my head.
Even with my strong defense, that strike would kill me.
At the brink of death, I pushed my body to its limit and rolled aside with the last of my strength.
The spear stabbed into the ground where my head had been.
Count Bai Sikai continued his assault.
Strike after strike aimed at my vital points.
My body could barely respond to my mind.
I avoided the fatal blows by sheer instinct, but deep wounds continued to open across my body.
Count Bai Sikai sneered.
“You little hybrid is quite durable. Let’s see how long you last. Today you will die by dismemberment. I’ll carve your flesh piece by piece!”
Those words echoed in my ears.
My body began to burn with rage.
I could never tolerate being called a hybrid.
Did a hybrid not deserve to live?
With a deafening roar, I kicked off the ground and shot backward seven meters.
My black wings spread wide.
Flames of hatred burned in my eyes.
The black pupils of my Fallen Angel form suddenly turned crimson.
The red color spread through my hair and into the feathers of my wings.
I was no longer a Fallen Angel.
I had become a Crimson Angel.
The wounds across my body began healing at astonishing speed.
Even I did not know that berserk transformation was possible while in Fallen Angel form.
Fallen Angels were supposed to remain perfectly rational.
Yet Count Bai Sikai’s words had awakened the deepest fury within me.
Count Bai Sikai stared in horror.
“You… what kind of monster are you?”
My voice was colder than ten thousand shards of black ice.
“You despicable human… die.”
My body turned into a flash of lightning as I charged.
Count Bai Sikai raised his spear to block.
But the weapon shattered into dust under my overwhelming power.
I passed through him in an instant.
When I stopped thirty-three meters behind him, Count Bai Sikai’s body exploded into a rain of blood.
I remained barely conscious.
I knew I could not stay here.
Picking up Black Sable, I fled at full speed.
My velocity was unbelievable. The scenery blurred past my ears with a rushing wind.
No obstacle could slow me for even a moment.
After a long time, the berserk fury gradually faded.
My strength drained away.
While still flying through the air, my body finally gave out.
Before I could hit the ground, darkness swallowed my consciousness.
……
I woke to an intense pain spreading through my entire body. I soon discovered that I could not even move a single finger.
The battle with Count Bai Sikai remained vivid in my mind. I clearly remembered how my wounds had healed when I transformed into a Crimson Angel. What worried me now was the condition of my internal injuries.
All of my meridian channels were completely blocked. Some of them had even shifted out of place, sending waves of abnormal pain throughout my body. I could barely move without enduring agonizing discomfort.
Transforming placed an enormous burden on my body. Undergoing two transformations at once only increased the strain. Although I had successfully killed Count Bai Sikai, it came at the cost of severe damage to my body.
After enduring the pain for a while, I managed to take out an Inedia Pill and push it into my mouth. Then I closed my eyes and quietly circulated my qi, attempting to dredge my blocked meridians.
It did not help much.
My magical power and qi were completely disordered. Every time I tried to circulate my energy, it became stuck within my meridian channels.
Not only that, the amount of energy I possessed was pitifully small.
Fear crept into my heart.
Will my life end like this?
No.
No, it wouldn’t.
I still had my dream to accomplish. How could I waste away here?
For some reason, I turned my head.
Under the pure white moonlight, I could see Black Sable lying nearby.
Using both my arms and legs, I began crawling toward it with great difficulty.
My dearest friend—if I must die, then I will die with you in my hand.
Before I had even crawled twice, the intense pain caused me to faint.
When I woke up, I continued crawling.
The distance was short—less than ten meters—but I fainted six times before reaching it.
At last, I collapsed onto Black Sable.
A satisfied smile appeared on my face.
Then I fainted for the seventh time.
A cold presence slowly flowed into my chest, soothing the despair in my heart.
When I opened my eyes again, I realized I was still lying on Black Sable. A freezing aura was emanating from it.
Hope returned.
Using my consciousness, I guided that icy energy toward my dantian.
I hoped to clear my meridian channels using Black Sable’s power.
However, its strength was weak. Clearing even a single channel required an extremely long time.
Seven days and seven nights passed before I managed to clear one tiny meridian channel in my dantian.
My dark magic absorbed the remaining traces of energy and began producing more dark power.
Given the severity of my injuries, I knew recovery would not be quick.
The only option was to remain calm and slowly clear the blocked channels with the little energy I possessed.
I spent an entire month dredging my meridians.
Although I had recovered less than twenty percent of my meridian channels, I could finally move without pain. As long as I avoided using qi, my body would not suffer that agonizing torment again.
During that month, I lost a noticeable amount of weight.
It was almost time for school to resume, so I could not remain here any longer.
I found a mountain stream and washed the dirt from my body. Afterward, I changed into a fresh set of clothes from my backpack and began my journey back to the academy.
This experience made my thirst for power stronger than ever.
I swore that one day I would become strong enough to control the Crimson Angel transformation. If I could freely become a Four-Winged Crimson Angel, no one on the continent would be able to oppose me.
Even though I had partially recovered, walking was still difficult.
A journey that normally took one day required four days for me to complete.
At last, Sky City Academy appeared before my eyes again.
Leaning on Black Sable for support, I slowly dragged myself inside.
After passing the school gate, I went straight to Teacher Zhuang’s office.
When I arrived, the office was empty.
I sat down on the steps and carefully circulated the two small streams of energy within my body—the little Mad God Qi and dark magical power I had recovered—guiding them through six blocked meridian channels.
As the energy circulated, my body gradually felt more comfortable.
In the afternoon, Teacher Zhuang finally returned.
When she saw me nearly collapsing on the steps, she was shocked.
She quickly supported me and asked anxiously, “Lei Xiang, what happened to you?”
I looked at her weakly.
“Sister… let’s talk inside.”
She nodded and hurriedly opened the office door while supporting me.
Once I sat down in a chair, I felt slightly better.
Teacher Zhuang asked worriedly, “Brother, what happened? When you didn’t return on time, I knew something must have happened. Tell me quickly.”
I sighed softly.
“I was too impatient while training and suffered qi deviation. If not for sheer luck, I might never have returned to see you again.”
I had prepared this excuse beforehand. My current condition was similar to qi deviation.
Teacher Zhuang immediately panicked.
She grabbed my wrist and checked my pulse.
When I saw her brows knit together, I knew she could not help my condition.
After a moment she released my hand.
“Your meridian channels are extremely disordered. Even with my power, I cannot clearly determine your condition.”
I shook my head.
“Sister, don’t worry about me. I’ll slowly clear my meridians myself. The speed has already improved compared to the beginning.”
Teacher Zhuang nodded.
“I’ll ask the vice principal to examine you. There must be a way to treat this.”
Before I could respond, she hurried out.
Her concern warmed my heart.
I was no longer a lonely half-human, half-demon, half-beast hybrid with no one to care about me.
Soon afterward, Teacher Zhuang returned with the vice principal.
The moment he saw me, he exploded in anger.
“You brat! Do you think training is something you can rush? You ignored the fundamentals and look at the result! Let me see.”
He grabbed my wrist and checked my pulse.
After a moment, he released my hand.
“You mainly cultivate dark magic, and I’ve never seen qi like yours before. Seventy percent of your meridian channels are blocked. I’m surprised you even managed to walk back alive.”
He sighed.
“I can’t fix this either. You’ll have to rely on yourself.”
He thought for a moment before continuing.
“I’ll prepare a meditation room for you. Teacher Zhuang will bring you food every day while you recover. If you have questions, come ask me or Xiao Zhuang.”
He then turned to Teacher Zhuang.
“Don’t tell anyone about Lei Xiang’s condition. I’ll report this personally to the principal. Lei Xiang, you’re the academy’s hope. Recover as quickly as possible.”
I nodded.
“Thank you, Vice Principal. I will be more careful with my training.”
He sighed again.
“You’re a good kid, very determined. But power cannot be gained overnight. Cultivation must proceed step by step.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Come with me while the campus is quiet. I’ll take you somewhere you can rest.”
I followed him to his residence.
It was a small one-story building meant for a single person. He led me to the basement.
“This place has good ventilation,” he said. “It’s simple, but suitable for recovery. Injuries caused by qi deviation require peace and quiet. That’s why I didn’t send you to the hospital. Xiao Zhuang will bring you food every day.”
“This place is already excellent,” I replied. “I’ll work hard to restore my body as soon as possible.”
“Don’t rush your recovery. Wait until about fifty or sixty percent of your meridian channels are restored before returning to class.”
He sighed.
“You’ll probably spend this semester recovering. The principal and I had originally planned to recruit you into the Sky Dragon Team… but that’s no longer possible.”
Regret filled his face.
After he left, I lay on the bed and rested.
The vice principal truly treated me well.
If not for Count Bai Sikai, I would probably have already reunited with Zi Xue and cleared up our misunderstanding.
Shaking away those thoughts, I began circulating my two energies again, slowly continuing the recovery process.
…
Two months later, my condition had improved significantly.
Most of my meridian channels had reopened, and only a few still required repair. My strength had recovered to roughly sixty percent.
As usual, Teacher Zhuang brought my meal.
“Sister,” I said, “my injuries have improved a lot. Please inform the principal that I want to return to class. It’s already been two months since school started.”
Teacher Zhuang smiled.
“Are you really better?”
I nodded seriously.
“My strength has recovered to about sixty percent.”
She checked my pulse again.
“Such strong power—even at sixty percent? It seems your qi deviation wasn’t entirely bad. When you fully recover, your strength will reach an entirely new level.”
In truth, both my Demonic Arts and Mad God Qi had advanced by one tier. The greatest improvement came from my Demonic Arts, which had broken through a difficult bottleneck.
Even with only sixty percent of my strength restored, I was stronger than when I fought Li Wa during the tournament.
“Perhaps it was luck,” I said. “During the qi deviation, my qi advanced to the next level.”
Teacher Zhuang laughed.
“If qi deviation always produced such results, I’d experience it myself.”
I smiled bitterly.
“Do you think qi deviation is pleasant? If I hadn’t been lucky, I might not even be alive right now.”
She chuckled.
“In that case, forget it. I’ll inform the vice principal.”
Then she added with a smile,
“By the way, Zi Xue has been asking me every day if you’ve returned. I avoided mentioning you so it wouldn’t affect your recovery. From the way she looked for you, it seems the misunderstanding was resolved long ago.”
My heart skipped a beat.
After Teacher Zhuang left, I tried to continue cultivating, but thoughts of Zi Xue kept distracting me.
…
The next day, the vice principal finally allowed me to return to class.
When I entered the classroom, the entire room erupted in surprise.
After returning to my seat, Hoxin leaned over.
“Lei Xiang, brother, where did you disappear to? You came back two months late!”
I smiled wryly.
“It’s a long story. I’ll explain when we have time.”
Because of my challenge against Li Wa earlier, I had become somewhat famous within the academy.
After the first class ended, students surrounded me with endless questions—especially the girls.
In the end, I had to put on a cold expression to scare them away.
Just as I finally relaxed, the classroom door burst open.
Everyone turned to look.
Zi Xue stood in the doorway.
Her face looked pale, and she had grown thinner. Seeing her haggard appearance made my heart ache.
I rushed toward her.
She ran toward me as well and threw herself into my arms, crying.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, too overwhelmed to speak.
We stood there embracing each other until Teacher Zhuang coughed lightly.
Embarrassed, we separated.
Zi Xue’s face was red as she whispered, “Meet me in the cafeteria after school.”
Then she turned and ran away.
Teacher Zhuang leaned close and whispered,
“Brother, be careful at school. There are rules about relationships. Zi Xue is a good girl. Treasure her.”
I nodded absentmindedly and returned to my seat.
The rest of the day passed in a blur.
When classes ended, I rushed to the cafeteria.
Soon, two purple-haired beauties appeared.
Zi Xue and her sister Zi Yan.
“Zi Xue—”
Before I could continue, Zi Yan coughed.
“Be careful. We’re still at school.”
I frowned.
“Why did you come with her?”
Zi Yan immediately became angry.
“Why? Can’t I come with my sister?”
I ignored her and turned to Zi Xue.
“About what happened before—”
Zi Xue pressed her small hand against my lips.
“It was my fault. I misunderstood you. Now I understand everything. Can you forgive me?”
Her head lowered.
“Of course,” I said happily. “As long as you don’t leave me.”
Zi Yan snorted.
“Where did you disappear to all this time? Do you know how worried Zi Xue was?”
“I went to train in a remote place,” I replied. “But I accidentally suffered qi deviation.”
Zi Xue gasped.
“Qi deviation? Are you okay now?”
I gently stroked her head.
“It’s fine now. Don’t worry.”
Zi Yan still looked dissatisfied.
“Then why didn’t you meet Zi Xue immediately after returning?”
Zi Xue quickly stopped her sister.
“It’s fine. As long as Lei Xiang is back.”
Zi Yan rolled her eyes.
“You silly girl. You’re completely bewitched by this brat.”
Ignoring her, I pulled Zi Xue’s hand.
“Let’s go somewhere quiet. I’ve missed you so much.”
Zi Xue nodded shyly.
“I missed you too.”
I thought for a moment.
“Let’s go to the stables. I haven’t seen Black Dragon in a long time.”
Zi Xue looked away awkwardly.
“Well… it mostly sleeps and eats. Since you weren’t around, I didn’t dare let it roam freely… so it got a little… fatter.”
When we arrived at the stable and I saw it, I stared in shock.
“Is that really my Black Dragon?!”