Chapter 180
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: Archangel's Descent
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"Look over there."
At those words, a massive demon dragon with a hulking body soared into the sky above.
It was covered in wounds here and there, but it still seemed very much alive.
Nadia spotted Leon wrapped around its tail and shuddered in shock.
"L-Leon, Young Master Leon!"
"Just leave him be. It looks like he let himself get caught on purpose."
"What do you mean?! Let himself get caught?! We have to help him right now..."
That was when it happened.
The demon dragon Varil twisted its entire body, desperately trying to shake Leon off, but swords flying in from around Leon embedded themselves, leaving it completely immobilized.
"Huh?"
And then.
As if it had been waiting, an enormous surge of divine power spread across the entirety of Rapel, the capital of the Holy Kingdom.
It was a radiance I had seen before, a holy power I recognized.
The Archangel...
Starting with a massive burst of light erupting beyond the city walls, pillars of light shot up into the heavens.
And then.
"Oh my god."
"O... Lord have mercy."
Despite the dire situation, people dropped to their knees in prayer.
The night sky had turned as bright as midday, and within the light, enormous wings could be seen flapping.
'Luna really is... the Archangel.'
When I'd only heard about it, honestly, I'd been half skeptical.
But now that I recognized who was in that light, there was no way I couldn't believe it.
Turning night into day with the light of divinity.
And strangely, even in that intense brilliance, my eyes didn't hurt—in fact, it felt warm and comforting.
In that unbelievable brightness, the Archangel's silhouette moved its hand.
And then.
BOOM!!!
With an deafening roar, a spear of pure white radiance suddenly materialized in the demon dragon Varil's abdomen.
I hadn't even seen it flying in.
I hadn't seen it pierce.
It simply manifested there, as if it had always existed.
Shhh...
What happened next was a sight so rare it was hard to believe you'd witness it in a lifetime.
Vast numbers of pure white feathers of light scattered through the air, centering on the demon dragon Varil's body to form a colossal cross of light in the sky.
At the same moment, the black flames enveloping Varil's body began to fade away.
The complete death of the demon dragon.
I'd once read in an ancient tome that demon dragons were beings of terror, absolute evils that required the dragonkin and all races to unite their strength to slay upon their appearance.
Such a demon dragon.
Was now perishing right before my eyes under the Archangel's judgment.
At the same time, the twisted dragon hatchlings that had been rampaging through the city lost their forms, dissipating into smoke.
The holy knights and inquisitors who had been protecting the citizens with their swords stared up at the sky in a daze, murmuring to themselves.
"A miracle... The Saintess's miracle was still holding."
The people of Rapel believed the Saintess had summoned the Archangel, and that was why the demon dragon had been vanquished.
They had no idea how greatly Leon had contributed to that outcome.
They simply clasped their hands in prayer before that light intense enough to turn night into radiant day.
Rumors of the "Radiant Night" that had occurred in the Holy Kingdom's capital, Rapel, the previous day spread like wildfire.
Of course, no one was whispering that Luna was behind it or that I was involved, but the tale of the Archangel descending upon the Holy Kingdom—making the night sky blaze like day for an instant—spread rapidly.
The phenomenon had been visible not just in Rapel but even in distant cities, making it impossible to keep quiet.
Of course, the full details would take time to circulate.
"All used up."
Luna dangled the bracelet—now nearly drained of its divine power—between her thumb and forefinger, shook it around, then slipped it back onto her wrist.
It had consumed almost all its divinity, but apparently, the bracelet's true purpose was as a key anyway.
Though she showed no particular interest in it, unlike the Fate Lord she'd been searching for.
The Holy Kingdom would be incredibly busy for a while now.
They had to fill the vacancies left by the high priests.
Even if those were the ones who had tried to exile the Saintess, they had managed certain affairs, and now the survivors would have to handle them.
Of course, with the tumors excised, the Holy Kingdom's future wasn't entirely bleak.
Naturally, with the entire Holy Kingdom shaken, this was a golden opportunity for the surrounding nations eyeing a chance to advance their positions.
It was a chance to bolster their standing against the immensely influential Pascalia Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
But there was an element giving them pause.
As we prepared to return to Cascadia, I stared silently at Luna.
Almost no one in the world knew the Archangel's true identity.
Thus, foreign powers couldn't even properly ascertain if the Archangel still lingered in the Holy Kingdom.
So, many would hesitate to provoke it, fearing the wrath of an Archangel-level being.
After all, the current Saintess was undeniably the miracle worker who had summoned the Archangel.
"Shall we go, Archangel?"
At my teasing, she puffed out her lips.
"Not Archangel."
"Huh?"
"Call me Angel instead."
At her baffling request, I pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Angel, you're as pretty as ever today."
At my words, she froze stiff.
And her next action left me flustered instead.
Her eyes reddening, she gazed at me silently, then gently wiped at them with her hand.
A short sigh escaped her, as if recalling a memory.
"Some things never change."
Then she flashed a beautiful smile.
Her smile naturally brought one to my own face.
"Oh, right. Can this be purified?"
I suddenly pulled out the dragon heart I'd collected after slaying the demon dragon Varil.
The rest of its body was useless to me anyway—I'd discarded it—but this heart had potential uses.
The problem was it was raw and unprocessed, making it a hassle to use as-is.
When I showed her the heart still roiling with black energy from my subspace, she pinched her nose and backed away.
"It stinks."
"Doesn't smell like anything to me."
"I can smell something no one else can. More importantly, purifying it might not refine it to the level Leon wants. That okay?"
"Ah. Then I'll handle it myself."
Luna's divinity didn't do half-measures.
No helping it.
I'd wanted to save the spirit herbs from Aurora and the top-grade mana stones from the Ghaifen Magic Tower...
But how could I resist the result of using a demon dragon heart as the core?
With no reason left to stay in the Holy Kingdom, I left a brief note at the inn and activated a spatial transfer spell.
The moment we entered the Cascadia mansion, I couldn't help but be startled.
"Huh?"
It was because of a small child looking around with a frightened expression—until her eyes met mine.
The girl who had lost consciousness and needed the Saintess and angel's power to heal.
Her mind shattered by the kraken's mental destruction, scarred deeply by prolonged abuse, making normal recovery impossible—now she was looking up at me.
"Arsha? Your mind..."
"Big Brother!!!!"
Tears welling up, she ran straight into my arms.
"Big Brother! It's Big Brother, right?! It is you, right?!"
Arsha sobbed as her tiny body crashed into mine, hugging me tightly.
"Big Brother!! Big Brother! Waaah!"
"Arsha!"
How much had she longed for this?
How much had she missed me?
And now, how relieved was she?
All I could do for the sobbing child clinging to me with her little body was hold her silently and stroke her back.
She'd seemed to have aphasia before.
But Arsha now appeared much better off.
She had been suffering from severe trauma-induced mutism.
It wasn't fully healed, but her improved state was a relief.
"Arsha! Arsha, where are you!!"
Then, Melissa's frantic shout echoed from afar.
Had she woken up and wandered around looking for me?
When I glanced at Arsha with that implication, the girl—who had been gazing at me with trembling eyes—shrank back and hid behind me.
Perhaps Melissa's sharp tone had scared her.
BAM!
"Arsha! You're he...re."
The door burst open, and Melissa—pale as a ghost—shouted before freezing.
Then she spotted Arsha peeking out from behind me.
"S-Sis."
"Arsha... you're awake?"
"S-Sorry..."
Grab!
Melissa rushed over and scooped Arsha into her arms, causing the girl's eyes to widen round.
As sobs came from Melissa, Arsha started sniffling contagiously before bursting into tears herself, hugging her sister tightly.
For over half a year, this eleven-year-old girl had been cast alone into a cold world, struggling desperately to survive—until finally returning home.
"Arsha... why won't you eat?"
"Hic. S-Sorry..."
Arsha was so terrified that apologies spilled out reflexively, unable even to reach for her favorite dish right in front of her.
"If I eat something like this, they'll whi...punish me..."
"It's okay. Those bad people are gone from the world now. Eat whatever you want, drink whatever you like. Play if you want to play, throw all the tantrums you want."
At those words, Arsha trembled in fear before cautiously picking up her utensils.
And then.
Like someone who hadn't eaten for days, she began shoving food into her mouth frantically.
Forgotten were all the etiquette lessons from before—like a starving person suddenly presented with a feast, she devoured it voraciously.
Of course, eating like that was bound to cause indigestion.
"You'll choke! Eat slowly, Arsha!"
"Gulp... ulp!"
"Good heavens... what in the world."
Finally, unable to watch Arsha clutching her throat, Melissa patted her back.
At the same time.
"Hiii!! S-Sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't hit me!"
The dining room fell silent, as if doused with cold water.
"Ah..."
"It's okay, Arsha. I'm not trying to hit you."
"N-No. Arsha deserves to be punished. I'm a bad girl..."
It was a different reaction from before.