Rajesh’s defeat seems to signify the temporary end of this Angel Hunt. After all, having witnessed the Hell Trial, the Angel Hunt has also beco sowhat tedious. The next stage is just garbage ti, and everyone just wants to end the fight quickly and go ho to indulge in the sentint of a fox’s grief for the hare’s death.
However, for Ash and the three others, the most dangerous ti is yet to co.
Vishi’s Void Wings were all broken, and she hadn’t recovered from her injuries. Filly and Nia were also wounded, and although Rajesh’s Promotion Ceremony interrupted the Angel Hunt, it didn’t stop the Six Kingdoms Army from continuously deploying troops. By the ti Ash and his team ca to their senses, the building was already crowded with advanced military units.
They should have escaped during Rajesh’s Promotion Ceremony, but Ash had a severe spinal injury, and Vishi was practically like water. Even if Filly and Nia carried them, they wouldn’t get far.
"Knowing that saving you would land us in this predicant, we should have left you behind and escaped," Ash said.
"I once mastered a Wonder called ’If I Had Known’," Vishi replied calmly. "Its effect was to allow the enemy to predict my actions, and then I’d predict their predictions, luring them into my trap."
"Many people’s last words before dying are often, ’If I had known it would be like this, I should have done sothing else.’ " Vishi glanced at him. "As far as last words go, yours is quite standard."
"So what are your last words?"
"I haven’t decided yet. How about ’Are you the Sword Maiden? Ash asked to tell you he realized he loved the Witch before he died’?"
Clang!
Vishi casually lifted an iron rod to block Ash’s short sword, sending sparks flying in the dim fire exit.
"Vishi," Ash stared straight at her, "I don’t mind your rudeness, but I’ve also said there’s sothing you can’t joke about."
"That’s why I know how to sting you," Vishi replied calmly. "You were the one who provoked first."
Seeing the two suddenly stop and bristle at each other on their escape path, Nia didn’t react much, but Filly looked back and forth anxiously, almost crying. She suddenly stamred, "M-my last words are Mr. Rajesh’s words earlier, ’Even the smallest dust and mist can complent mountains and seas; the last gleam of a candle can add brightness to the sun and moon.’ Even though I’m weak and always dragging behind, I’m really happy to be able to help. Even if I die, it won’t be without value."
Ash and Vishi glanced at her, and at that mont, they heard the footsteps of the Six Kingdoms Army from above. Vishi exhaled a breath of foul air and started down the stairs first: "Don’t be silly. You won’t die here, and I won’t fail at the crucial mont."
"Exactly," Ash signaled them to follow, "No one will die here. Our biggest enemy is already dealt with. The rest are just small fry."
Filly breathed a sigh of relief, clenched her fist, and smiled sweetly, "Yes! We can definitely work together to fight our way out!"
"As long as soone complains a bit less, we can cooperate," Vishi said.
"Has soone forgotten their maid status?" Ash replied, "Not comforting your master when he’s in a bad mood is one thing, but making overstepped jokes is another."
"It’s not yet midnight. Either you break your promise and take away my vacation, or you allow to have a tantrum!" Vishi’s eyebrows knit together, "You pull the chain, and I’ll imdiately beco a well-behaved maid. Be it covering the rear or warming the bed, a maid can satisfy all your needs! Tools can be irrelevant, but humans have tempers, especially a demigod forced into a human body!"
"Hey."
Nia gently called out, and they turned to see Filly trembling as she looked at them, keeping her lips tightly shut, not daring to speak.
Ash and Vishi stopped talking and ran all the way to the bottom floor of the fire exit, where they were greeted by a group of gun bullet warriors and Ya Sha Jin.
These enemies were tough to deal with even when they were uninjured, let alone now, when they were hanging by a thread. Although Ash and Vishi fought desperately, the overwhelming wave of the Six Kingdoms Army kept blocking them, and not only did they fail to break out, but they also suffered several more injuries.
Vishi turned her head and saw the small Ruby Mountain in the central square of the building, noting no troops from the Six Kingdoms on it. An idea struck her mind: "Let’s head over there."
Ash said nothing and silently joined Vishi in advancing the battle line toward the small Ruby Mountain. When they got close enough, they imdiately noticed sothing peculiar.
Gun bullet.
Every ti Ash delivered an effective attack, a gun bullet would shoot through his target from an unknown origin, with incredible lethality — even fully ard gun bullet warriors were pierced instantly.
Vishi could trigger this effect as well, but Filly and Nia could not.
"I knew it," Vishi murmured. "So that’s it."
Ash: "What do you an?"
"In Ruby Mountain, there are occasionally so ’festivals’." Vishi explained, "Although there’s no standard na for them, they can be roughly called ’Fla Festival’, ’Frost Festival’, ’Swordsmanship Festival’, ’Mind Festival’. During these festivals, each attack by a mage triggers the festival effect, and if your Magic Faction aligns with the festival, it perfectly complents it, as if the Void Realm is aiding your casting."
"And during the festival, there are often many virtual creatures and mage projections appearing. Mages can effortlessly crush these enemies with the festival effects, not only gaining abundant resources but also rapidly enhancing their color-transford Void Wings. The only downside is that the Void Wings enhanced during a festival often get dyed with festival colors; for example, during the Fla Festival, even as a Water Mage, your Void Wings might get a fiery red hue."
"Even in my era, mages were already accustod to the existence of festivals in Ruby Mountain. Few pondered why these Magic Festivals appeared..." Vishi glanced at the small Ruby Mountain behind them, "But now that I think about it, these Magic Festivals don’t seem much different from real-world festivals."
She chuckled softly and said, "Perhaps it’s all for rembering those pioneers who have already passed away."
With their backs against the small Ruby Mountain, Ash and Vishi slaughtered the Six Kingdoms Army almost as easily as cutting through vegetables. Their attacks were rely to trigger the gun bullet effects. Even the slightest graze would cause a bullet from a blind spot to pierce their enemies.
It was as if Rajesh was fighting alongside them.
When the Six Kingdoms Army suddenly transford into various colors of brilliance and disappeared into thin air, they were montarily stunned. After a few seconds, Nia suddenly asked, "Is it over?"
"...Yes."
Ash glanced at the devastated ruins of the building. When the Six Kingdoms Army vanished, the building suddenly fell silent, leaving only the faint scent of blood spreading.
The building had offices above and a comrcial center below. Even though the Six Kingdoms Army avoided ordinary people, the aftermath of Ash and Rajesh’s battle was enough to make these lives quietly disappear without their knowledge.
Feeling relieved, Filly slumped softly to the ground. She turned her head to see a hand exposed from under a piece of rubble, with blood slowly seeping out. She stared blankly at this scene and then slowly looked around, as if losing strength, she leaned against the small Ruby Mountain and looked upward, gazing at the familiar starry sky through the shattered skylight.
"It’s finally over."
Drip.
As the last drop of golden rain fell into their golden Holy Grail, creating the effect of turning stone into gold, the liquid within transford into various colors: Ash and Nia’s were sword-colored, Vishi’s was soul blue, and Filly’s was star radiance blue.
The golden rain stopped, and the distant colorful pillars of light disappeared. The Angel Hunt was about to end, and now was the ti to celebrate the spoils.
However, for so reason, none of the four were happy, not even Vishi, who usually would be excited. Perhaps it was because they knew that the spoils would all be taken by Ash, she thought.
Composing herself, Vishi took her Holy Grail and calmly said, "Drink quickly, who knows if there’s a ti limit, and if the Holy Grail disappears, I don’t want to hear you say, ’If I had known, I would have...’—"
Ash suddenly said, "Let’s have a toast."
Vishi turned her head to look at Ash, who avoided her gaze and said, "We’ve faced near-certain death multiple tis, but each ti we gritted our teeth until a turnaround appeared, always supporting each other and never abandoning one another. Isn’t that sothing we should celebrate?"
He paused, t Vishi’s gaze, and proactively held up his Holy Grail towards her, "We did okay, didn’t we?"
For so reason, Vishi felt it was a bit amusing, a bit annoying, and yet helpless. She raised her Holy Grail to clink it with Ash’s, huffing, "Of course."
Filly’s mood brightened imdiately, and she raised her Holy Grail to clink with theirs, "To celebrate that I can finally fight alongside you!"
Nia hesitated for a mont but then joined in for a toast, "To celebrate that we survived."
Vishi, full of fighting spirit, said, "To celebrate that I’ll break free from the chains and defeat Ash, then ascend to hold the Supre scepter."
Ash smiled as he looked at the bullet shells on the ground and said, "To celebrate that we defeated a formidable opponent."
Beside the small Ruby Mountain, the four of them tilted their heads back and drank the jade liquid from their golden Holy Grails.
All their injuries healed instantly, and their drained magic power was quickly replenished, with their bodies and souls growing rapidly.
They didn’t fall asleep but instead could clearly feel the changes in their bodies. While Nia and Filly were imrsed in their ever-improving transformations, Ash’s face suddenly turned pale.
"It seems you’ve already noticed," Vishi reached out to touch Ash’s back, "This is the consequence of witnessing Hell."
"The power you always relied on will beco your most feared curse."
"Miss Filly, Miss Sevi, please turn your heads."
Filly pointed to herself, " too? Am I not a Demon?"
Vishi replied, "But can you bear to see Miss Sevi being ostracized by the three of us?"
Filly thought for a mont and agreed, then went over to take Nia’s arm. Although just a few dozen minutes ago they were at odds with each other, their relationship had improved rapidly after the shared adventure in the fire escape. Nia, faced with Filly’s closeness, was not too willing but didn’t reject it either.
When they turned their heads, Ash unfolded his Void Wings and looked towards the small Ruby Mountain.
Through the reflection of the small Ruby Mountain, he saw that besides the continuously growing Seventh Void Wing and the nearly half-ford Fourth Void Wing, the silver Void Wing, which was supposed to be completely broken by the mysterious chains, had now grown three feathers.
Even in the monts of observation, Ash watched as the fourth silver feather grew out.
The Void Wings were growing automatically.
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