Chapter 420: Freedom and Its Cost
"That's the power of the Holy Light. It might be related to the Papal Nation, but I've studied their 'Descent Rituals' and nothing like that happens. Father, something must have changed on the northern battlefield. Whether it benefits humanity remains to be seen."
Although she didn't know what exactly had happened,
it was clear that the Light Giant appeared in the north of the Southern Continent.
Any anomaly on the Southern Continent had to be related to the northern battlefront.
"Father, abandon the Border Territory."
Ferrandy looked at his daughter in confusion.
"Why abandon the Border Territory?"
Angela calmly gazed northward at the Light Giant.
"Father, I studied the war at Garrison Fort a few years ago. Our enemy isn't just Goblins but something far more terrifying. With the northern battle uncertain, we should conserve our strength and wait for clarity. If humanity wins, we can receive support from surrounding kingdoms and perhaps even sweep the Outlands in one go. If humanity loses, then the Border Territory won't matter anymore. Humanity will have two choices: be enslaved by the Demons or, like thousands of years ago, leave the Central Continent to seek a new home."
Her words left Ferrandy visibly stunned.
In his eyes, his daughter had always been clever,
but she had never cared about national affairs.
Today, however, she seemed deeply knowledgeable about the Duchy.
Was her previous demure and gentle demeanor merely an act?
Ferrandy thought of that night.
The impulse had been so sudden and unexplainable.
He did have impure thoughts about his daughter,
but thinking and acting were two different things.
He had always been a good father in front of her.
He had always wanted to be a good father.
But now, he could no longer be a good father.
Some things, once done, could never be undone.
"It's too late. The Goblin army has already invaded the Golan Plains and is besieging Gaogo City!"
Angela smiled faintly and brushed a lock of hair from her forehead.
"It's not too late, Father. Leave it to me. I want to make contact with the Goblins."
"No way! Absolutely not!"
Was she kidding? Contact the Goblins?
Those were Goblins! They couldn't be negotiated with.
Goblins had an instinctual malice toward females.
Letting his daughter contact Goblins was sending a lamb into a tiger's den.
Ferrandy rejected her request without hesitation.
Seeing her father so tense, Angela pursed her lips into a smile.
She let go of the blanket, letting it slip to the ground.
Her flawless, alluringly curvy body was exposed before Ferrandy's eyes.
Staring at her snow-white, enticing figure,
Ferrandy hesitated.
He crouched down, picked up the blanket, and wrapped it around her.
"Angela, I need a reason."
Angela smiled softly, naturally snuggling into his arms.
"Father, you should learn more about the towns occupied by Goblins in the Border Territory. The Goblin army attacking the Duchy isn't made up of ordinary Goblins. They can communicate. If I can prove it, I can end this war."
"How confident are you?"
"Seventy percent."
Only seventy percent?
Though seventy percent wasn't low,
Ferrandy was still uneasy.
They were Goblins, after all.
If something bad happened,
it would haunt his daughter for life.
And it would be his lifelong regret.
"Father, I'm an adult now. I want to do things I want to do. Is that okay?"
Angela looked up at her father.
Facing her pleading gaze, Ferrandy hesitated.
In the end, he compromised.
"Alright."
Seeing her father agree, Angela smiled.
She lifted herself up and kissed him on the cheek.
"Father, you should go back now."
Indeed, he should.
He couldn't stay too long in her room.
Even as a king, some things couldn't be done.
"Alright, Angela, you should sleep early too."
Saying this, Ferrandy released her waist and walked inside the room.
Watching her father getting dressed by the bedside, Angela's expression was complicated.
It wasn't until he hurriedly left the room that Angela withdrew her gaze.
She looked down at the simple bracelet on her wrist and bit her lip.
As a princess, she was destined to be a pawn for royal marriage alliances.
Even though she had no older brother, she did have a younger brother.
If she wanted freedom, there was only one path.
She had to become the King—the ruler who wielded the Duchy's power through interest.
Only as Queen could she openly have countless lovers.
Only then could she be with the one she loved.
Although the Irisis Principality had never had a Queen before,
she could be the first.
Thus, she had to control her father,
make him the greatest aid to her rise.
"I'm sorry, Father."
Looking at the worn bracelet, Angela murmured.
To gain freedom, she was willing to sacrifice everything.
Even if she had to become a demon.
Angela raised her head, gazing at the Light Giant in the north.
A giant sword appeared in the Light Giant's hand,
and it began to stab toward the earth.
---
Kingdom of Armenia.
Menia City.
The enormous Light Giant blotted out the sky.
The brilliance it emitted made the entire Southern Continent look like daytime.
The Light Giant thrust its massive sword toward Menia City.
Its movement seemed slow but was actually extremely fast.
The descending sword stirred up rolling airwaves.
The tip of the sword was enveloped in flames from friction.
"Retreat! Evacuate Menia City immediately!"
The apocalyptic scene filled everyone in the city with despair.
Even the Demon army besieging the cathedral fled in panic.
"It's okay, we have the Angels!"
"Look! What's happening to the Angels?"
At that moment, anomalies appeared among the Angels above the cathedral.
Their holy radiance was drifting away into the sky.
The wings of light behind them grew dimmer.
The Holy Radiant Angels, who had once shone brilliantly, were now dull and lifeless.
Soon, their light wings completely vanished.
Without wings, the Angels began falling one by one to the ground.
This scene shocked the humans in the square.
"This... this is higher suppression?"
"But Angels are masters of the Light Element! How could they be suppressed?"
"No mistake, this is higher suppression!"
"Could the thieves of power be the Angels themselves?"
"Has the True God descended?"
The Angels' fall plunged the humans into despair.
Outside the prayer hall, Tabesa gazed up at the sky.
She stared at the apocalyptic sight, mesmerized.
"So beautiful... so beautiful!"
She muttered, her eyes sparkling.
She had never seen such a magnificent sight.
Not even the "Descent Ritual" could compare.
The surging holy light bathed heaven and earth.
Her soul felt baptized.
Tabesa felt warm all over.
All her negative emotions vanished.
Closer, closer...
The enormous sword crashed into the crystal barrier.
In an instant, the earth trembled.
The impact point flashed violently,
sending out ripples.
Airwaves and flames exploded from the impact.
The once pale-blue crystal barrier was soon engulfed in flames.
The barrier and the giant sword clashed for barely five seconds before shattering.
As everyone inside the city despaired,
the sword that broke the barrier vanished.
A massive white light hand followed from the sky.
It descended toward the cathedral.
"Evacuate the cathedral, quick!"
The human army on the square reacted and fled.
"Run!"
"Faster!"
The oppressive aura of the giant light hand was terrifying.
The human soldiers fled in panic.
As they escaped,
the massive hand crashed down.
A deafening boom resounded.
The light hand slammed into the cathedral,
shaking the earth and sky.
It dug the entire cathedral from the ground.
After grabbing the cathedral, the Light Giant in the sky began to vanish.
Soon, darkness returned to Menia City.
"It's over?"
Seeing the night sky again left the people dazed.
What had just happened was too surreal.
It felt like a dream.
But it wasn't.
Everyone knew it.
The crystal barrier was gone.
The cathedral was gone.
All that remained was a massive crater.
In orbit outside the Augus planet's atmosphere,
Li Meng stood in the void, gazing at the huge blue crystal before him.
It was over two hundred meters tall, shaped like a spire.
Inside the crystal, a faint dark-red cube could be seen.
The dark-red cube was about five meters on each side.
"That must be the 'World Stone,'" thought Li Meng.
[Master, do you want to keep the crystal and 'World Stone'?]
Xiao Bai's voice rang in his mind.
"The crystal absorbs planetary life energy. It could be useful as a power source. As for the 'World Stone,' we'll keep it for now. It has research value as a gateway between dimensions."
Li Meng wasn't alone.
Many figures floated around him.
Dozens of them.
They were hosts previously possessed by Angels.
Fortunately, possession hadn't lasted long.
Their souls hadn't been devoured.
As for the real Angels, they had fled.
Angels were dimensional beings, similar to spirit bodies during ascension.
Once free of physical form, they returned to the Abyssal Plane.
Although Li Meng saw the departing golden light spheres,
he couldn't stop them.
In spirit form, Angels were immune to physical and magical attacks.
Any attack simply passed through them.
[Master, why save them?]
Li Meng glanced back at the floating figures.
"Humans are clever. Their intelligence will be useful. Compared to bloody slaughter, ruling them is more cost-effective."
[Master, humans aren't like Demons. Demons naturally submit to strength. But humans—their intelligence breeds rebellion. They won't accept long-term subjugation. Even if this generation can't reclaim freedom, the next one will rise up, generation after generation, until they destroy any oppressor and claim dominion over Augus.]
Xiao Bai's understanding of humans was spot on.
Whether Earth humans or those here, it was the same.
Humans were born with rebellion in their blood.
They would endlessly seek greater power and freedom.
Even if they submitted now, their loyalty could never be trusted.
As a former human, Li Meng understood.
"It doesn't matter. I don't need their loyalty."
Would a farmer worry about livestock rebelling?
If humanity behaved, fine.
If not, it wouldn't matter.
There were plenty of intelligent races on Augus.
Humans were not irreplaceable.
Making Augus a human-free planet might not be a bad thing.
"Where is this?"
"Am I dead?"
"Is this the afterlife?"
The unconscious humans began to awaken.
The weightlessness panicked them.
They stared in awe at Augus below.
It looked like a massive blue gem.
"That's Augus, your world!"
Li Meng's voice echoed.
The surrounding space was sealed off by invisible barriers,
with breathable air inside.
The newly awakened people turned,
seeing the massive blue crystal.
And the figure standing before it.
"That's the crystal!"
"Why is it here?"
"Where exactly are we?"
Li Meng turned to face them.
"This is outer space, beyond the sky."
His explanation left them bewildered.
Outer space?
Beyond the sky?
They couldn't comprehend it.
Seeing their confusion, Li Meng stopped explaining.
He smiled slightly and scanned their faces.
"Being possessed by Angels wasn't a pleasant experience, was it?"
His words stunned them.
Then anger erupted on their faces.
Even the temple knights and priests were full of hatred.
"The Papal Nation lied to us! Those weren't Angels, they were demons!"
"How could such monsters ever be protectors of humanity?"
"Turns out Angels and Demons are the same breed!"