[Vol. 8] Chapter 221: A Chance Encounter with Violet
A few hundred meters outside the manor, on the rooftop of a remote building—
A pair of eyes silently watched the battle happening within the manor. The moonlight was dim, and he hid within the shadows. Occasionally, a faint red glow flickered in his eyes, as if he were carefully observing and making judgments.
“…Still not making a move? At this rate, those people are going to be completely wiped out.”
Suddenly, a clear and pleasant voice, like the sound of silver bells, broke the silence. The watcher’s eyes slightly narrowed as he turned to look to the side.
At some unknown point, a young girl had appeared on the empty rooftop balcony. She wore a white robe, her black hair drifting in the wind. Though she held no weapon, her hands were calmly placed behind her back. Her silver-blue eyes looked serene and calm, with a faint smile on her lips, gentle, as if she meant no harm.
“……”
After a brief silence, he stepped out of the shadows.
He was a tall, middle-aged man in luxurious clothes. A long, nasty scar ran across his right eye, and though his robe hid his muscular frame, the sheer strength he possessed was hard to ignore. Despite that, if not for the scar, he might have passed for a well-read scholar.
Standing under the moonlight facing the girl, he politely cupped his hands.
“Are you from the Church? May I ask, what’s your relationship with the ‘Blue Butterfly Sword’?”
The girl smiled lightly.
“Just a passerby who happened to meet her by chance. You could say I’m not even an official priest.”
The man frowned slightly but kept a neutral expression.
“If you have no ties to her, then why interfere? I am Andre, vice-leader of the Red Mastiff Society. If you withdraw now, our group will owe you a favor. Perhaps we can even become friends?”
The girl’s smile didn’t change, but her words were sharp and cold.
“Never heard of your little gang of nobodies. Why would I want to be friends with you?”
Andre’s mouth twitched. After getting insulted so directly, his tone instantly grew colder.
“You may have some strength, but the waters here are far deeper than you realize. One careless step and you’ll drown. You're protecting the ‘Blue Butterfly Sword’ today, but have you thought about who will protect you tomorrow?”
The black-haired girl shook her head, somewhat helplessly, but didn't respond directly.
“Looks like you’re definitely working with those people down there. Is this part of your usual ‘try to make peace before fighting’ routine?”
“Hmph!”
Seeing that there was clearly no room left for negotiation, Andre shot forward like lightning. In a flash, he threw a punch toward the girl!
The air howled, and the roar of a mastiff seemed to mix with the force of the punch. Though it looked like a normal blow, it carried a hidden power strong enough to shatter the bones of even a legendary warrior!
However—
“Pop~”
A soft sound rang out. To Andre’s shock, the seemingly delicate girl simply raised a slender finger, and effortlessly stopped his full-force punch.
The momentum, which had felt like a charging tank a moment ago, vanished instantly. Andre felt as if he had slammed into an immovable mountain. The backlash sent his blood surging wildly, and he nearly coughed up blood on the spot.
No—! With his current strength, he could punch through a literal mountain. Who was this girl?!
“Pretty weak, huh? Your physical strength is definitely a few levels above normal, but the actual force in your strike is worse than some guy from the [Heaven-Opening Sect]. Unstable and hollow. You must’ve used some kind of external power to push yourself into this so-called ‘Transcendent-level,’ right?”
Her other hand was still casually resting behind her back, and she calmly continued her commentary, completely unbothered.
“All you can do is bully kids who are way weaker than you. If you ever run into someone at the same level, they could probably beat you two-on-one~”
“What did you say!?”
In an instant, the man's eyes flared with red light. The fist that the girl had stopped with just one finger suddenly began to twist and change shape, swelling rapidly. It turned into several long, sharp spikes of bloody flesh, like a beast opening its massive jaws, and came crashing down from above!
The black-haired girl seemed caught off guard by this unexpected move. She even froze for a moment and didn’t try to dodge or block. The spikes hit her body directly.
“BOOM!!!!”
Smoke and dust flew everywhere, and the rooftop beneath them instantly collapsed. Andre quickly jumped back, turning the mutated flesh spikes back into an arm. He threw his head back and laughed proudly.
“Muahahaha! That’s what you get for being cocky! The power granted by my Lord isn’t something a mere mortal like you can understand! If you won't listen to reason, then go die!”
“…Can you not laugh like a cliché villain? Don’t you know people who do that are usually the first to die…”
“!?”
Suddenly, a soft breeze swept through, blowing away all the smoke and dust on the roof. Andre’s proud laughter stopped cold as the black-haired girl reappeared, completely unharmed, hovering above the collapsed rooftop.
At some point, a pair of pure white angel wings had spread out behind her. Bathed in silver moonlight, she floated in the air, her body glowing softly like a divine being.
“Y-You… You’re an angel?!”
Andre’s face changed dramatically as if he realized something.
“An angel appeared in Saint Laos City… Don’t tell me Ricardo actually got the message out? No way. With his strength, how could he escape that kind of pursuit…”
The girl didn’t say anything. She had clearly heard his muttering, but her expression didn’t change. She simply raised her hand again.
“Ugh!”
Just the sight of those holy white wings seemed to drain all the will to fight from Andre. Without even thinking, he let out a panicked gasp. The muscles on his back twisted again, forming a pair of rough, bat-like wings. He turned and fled into the night.
The “angel” didn’t chase him. She simply watched Andre’s shadow vanish into the darkness, calm as ever. In her hand, golden light started to gather and quickly formed a sword made of radiant energy.
She paused, thinking.
“Hmm… If I remember right, it should feel like this…”
Murmuring to herself about something unclear, she swung the glowing sword.
“Zing!!!”
A golden light streaked through the sky, bright and vast like a shooting star.
It was invisible and silent. Hidden beneath the glow of the city lights, most people didn’t notice the golden flash across the night sky. They just thought it was a fast-falling star. Only one sword master, leaning quietly by his window, gazed at that streak of light for a long time, then sighed and shook his head.
“…?”
High in the sky, Andre looked down in shock. He saw a clean, smooth cut across his waist. He opened his mouth to speak, but the next moment his entire body was swallowed up by the golden light. He turned into dust and glowing particles, scattered into the night.
Even in the final moment before death, he still didn’t understand—
How could a holy angel, said to serve the goddess herself, possess such terrifying mastery of the sword?