As soon as Ning Busan stepped into the cathedral, Siphra glared at him and coldly spat, “Stop right there—”
Ning Busan said unhurriedly, “A cathedral is a place for believers to pray. I have come here with a sincere heart to pray, so by what right do you bar me from entering?”
Siphra summoned her holy sword and lunged at Ning Busan, shouting sharply, “God's cathedral does not tolerate a demon running wild here!”
Ning Busan raised the Jinge Sword to block, easily neutralizing her attack. He pinned her holy sword to the ground and clicked his tongue. “Drawing a weapon in a cathedral? It seems you are the one being disrespectful.”
The swordsmen guarding the various corners of the cathedral suddenly leaped out, but they didn't show up to help Siphra.
Shuangkai, who had already promoted to a Grand Swordsman, stood before Siphra and asked in a deep voice, “Your Grace, why did you attack him?”
Siphra's expression remained cold. “He is a demon.”
Shuangkai refuted, “He cannot be a demon. He is my teacher, the Commander of the Dawn Empire, and the highly respected Divine Envoy.”
Siphra frowned slightly. “You must have been deceived by this demon.”
A ball of pure light energy materialized in Ning Busan's palm. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you sure I'm a demon?”
Siphra muttered, “You are clearly a demon. Why do you carry God's blessing?”
Ning Busan ignored her and asked Shuangkai, “I'm going to the prayer room inside. Any issues with that?”
“Of course not,” Shuangkai replied eagerly and warmly. “I'll lead the way.”
Siphra looked perplexed.
She had already seen through Ning Busan's disguise and perceived his true form as a demon, but the divine blessing he carried was also undeniably real.
It was truly bizarre.
Yet, the beginning of any relationship often stems from curiosity.
Inside the secluded prayer room.
Ning Busan half-heartedly recited prayers to the God of Light. Not long after he finished, Siphra pushed open the door and walked in.
“You didn't show a shred of reverence during your prayer. Did you really come here to pray?”
Ning Busan was obviously not there to pray. He glanced at Siphra and asked, “Do angels spy on people too?”
“I am keeping watch over you,” Siphra emphasized. “It is surveillance, not spying.”
Ning Busan asked, “What kind of angel are you?”
Siphra spread the pure white wings behind her and countered, “I am a six-winged angel. Is that not obvious?”
“I'm not blind. I'm asking if you are a Cherub or a Power?”
“I am a Seraph, the Seraphim closest to the Divine Seat.”
Seeing the pride written all over Siphra's face, Ning Busan licked his lips.
If he could make a pure angel betray her faith in the Light and drag her down into eternal darkness, what a thoroughly delightful prospect that would be for a demon.
Ning Busan shook his head vigorously.
What on earth was that?
What was he just thinking?
It had to be Satan's influence rubbing off on him!
Ning Busan asked, “What do you think of this cathedral?”
Siphra evaluated objectively, “It is very nice.”
Ning Busan said, “The Dawn Empire didn't allow churches to exist at first, and this cathedral was only recently completed. Do you know who built it?”
“It must have been a devout believer of God.”
“It was the undead you executed with your own hands.”
Siphra was only surprised for a brief moment before she regained her composure.
Ning Busan's eyes darkened slightly. “You falsely accused that undead of being the source of the plague, and then you executed him.”
“It was not a false accusation,” Siphra countered. “God told me that he created the plague.”
“Then after you executed him, did the plague disappear?”
“...It did not.”
“Want to guess what I did on my way here?”
“What?”
“I killed rats. Many, many rats.”
“Why kill rats?”
“Because those rats are the root cause of the plague.” Ning Busan threw a red-eyed rat onto the floor and said coldly, “Your God didn't tell you how to resolve the source of the plague, but instead had you execute an innocent undead. Do you honestly believe that was right?”
Siphra could naturally tell that the dead rat carried the plague, but her faith remained unshaken. “God must have His reasons for doing so.”
Ning Busan sneered, “Then why don't you explain to me what kind of logic that is?”
“Do not try to fathom God's intentions. Even if these rats caused the plague, it does not mean that undead was innocent,” Siphra said, her voice filled with absolute devotion.
“Everything God guides me to do is correct. That undead must have committed an unforgivable sin.”
Ning Busan chuckled. “Fine, let me ask you something else. What is the reason God sent you to the mortal world?”
Siphra said, “God felt pity for the misfortunes of humanity, so He sent me to save those infected by the plague.”
Ning Busan asked again, “If that's the case, why must you be the one to guard the Fountain of Holy Water instead of giving it directly to humanity?”
“Human hearts are greedy. They would fight endlessly over the holy water, and God naturally does not wish to see His blessings incite conflict,” Siphra said.
“Is that so?” Ning Busan asked softly. “Do you think giving the Fountain of Holy Water directly to humanity would gather more faith, or does having you distribute the holy water while preaching His grace gather more?”
“You might be the Seraph closest to the Divine Seat, but you don't understand God at all. In truth, your God isn't nearly as great as you think.”
“Enough!” Siphra's eyes turned icy. “You are merely slandering God!”
Ning Busan smiled.
This angel was truly stubborn.
Ning Busan said, “Very well. Seeing how loyal you are puts my mind at ease.”
Capturing you and presenting you to the God of Darkness should keep her quiet for a while.
In an instant, the floor of the prayer room seemed to transform into a surging sea. Ripples spread silently, quickly submerging Siphra's feet.
Siphra tried to spread her wings and take flight, but invisible chains shot out from the water, wrapping around her wings and binding her securely.
Soon, she was dragged down into the water.
Ning Busan picked up the ring that had fallen to the floor and placed it on the table.
He would take the angel back to Hell with him. As for the Fountain of Holy Water, he would leave it behind for humanity.
...
Hell.
Ning Busan used a blunt, straightforward tone to mask his guilt. “Mother God, your Evernight Beasts ran into an ambush and were quickly wiped out. I believe there is still room for improvement with them.”
Hecate let out a soft chuckle. “I seem to have forgotten to tell you. The Evernight Beasts I created—their eyes are my eyes.”
“So, who exactly killed the first batch of Evernight Beasts, and how exactly the second batch ran into an ambush... I saw it all with perfect clarity.”
Ning Busan: “...”
Oh, no.
It seemed he was the culprit behind all of it!
Wait, if you could see, why didn't you say so earlier?
What a mess this has turned into!
Rate on N.U.
