Chapter 544: Cheap Light, True Power

"DIE HERETIC!"

A fearsome roar came from within the small chapel doors as they burst open, revealing a figure that was... not what I expected.

For a split moment, I wanted to stand at attention and salute the man.

He was massive, even taller than Vicky in her dragon-girl form. Clad in armor of polished silver that seemed to drink the moonlight, he carried a warhammer that crackled with the same pale, artificial holy light as the knights' swords. His face, framed by a short, blond beard, was a mask of righteous fury, his blue eyes burning with a fanatical zeal.

But it was the wings that got my attention.

They were not the leathery, draconic wings of my sister. They were feathered, pure white, and they unfurled from his back with a soft, rustling sound.

'An angel?' I thought, a slow, wicked grin spreading across my face. 'No... not quite. He doesn't feel divine. He feels... like a half-baked cake. All the right ingredients, but the oven wasn't hot enough.'

He was a Half-angle. A being of mixed heritage, a mortal who had been blessed with a fraction of celestial power. And he was strong, I'll give him that. The holy energy radiating from him was much stronger than the Gray Knights, a roaring bonfire to their candle flames. But it was still an imitation, a flawed reflection of true divine power.

"IN THE NAME OF THE HOLY LIGHT! I WILL SMITE YOU!" he roared, raising his warhammer, the light intensifying, bathing the entire area in a blinding glare.

"The Holy Light?" I laughed, a dark, mocking sound. "You mean that cheap knock-off Uriel is peddling? Please. It's an insult to real power."

He lunged forward, a blur of silver and white, his warhammer a streak of incandescent fury. I sidestepped, the hammer smashing into the ground where I had been standing, the impact creating a small crater, the light searing the earth.

"Not bad," I said, my voice a low purr. "You're stronger than these tin soldiers. What's your name, pretty girl?"

"Pretty girl?"

"I AM CASSIAN, THE SCION OF LIGHT!" he bellowed, ripping the warhammer from the ground and swinging it again, this time in a wide, sweeping arc. "THE CHOSEN OF URIEL! I WILL CLEANSE THIS WORLD OF YOUR FILTH!"

I jumped over the swing, my feet landing lightly on the handle of his warhammer. I crouched down, my face inches from his, my crimson eyes locking onto his furious gold ones.

"Scion of Light? Chosen of Uriel?" I whispered, my lips curling into a sneer. "You're a pet, Cassian. A well-bred, well-trained dog on a holy leash. And you're barking up the wrong tree."

His answer was immediate.

A headbutt.

CRACK!

My nose caved in for a split second as divine light burst against my face, the impact forcing me off his weapon. I flipped mid-air, landing smoothly, my broken nose already knitting back together with a wet, squelching sound.

"Mm… aggressive," I mused, licking the blood from my upper lip. "I like that."

"You dare mock the divine?! BLASPHEMER!" Cassian's face twisted in pure, holy outrage, wings flaring wide as he surged forward again. This time, there was no hesitation—no testing strike. Just pure, overwhelming force.

He wrenched the warhammer free with a roar that shook the burning camp. The head of the weapon ignited with that pale, artificial light—Uriel's cheap knock-off divinity—and he brought it down like a falling star.

BOOOOM!!!

The warhammer came down like judgment itself.

I didn't dodge.

I caught it.

My hand, coated in swirling crimson, wrapped around the hammer's head. The fake holy light hissed violently against my blood, steam rising where the two forces clashed.

For a moment…

We stood still.

Power against power.

His muscles bulged, veins glowing faintly gold beneath his skin as he pushed down with everything he had. The ground beneath my feet cracked… then shattered… then cratered.

And yet—

I didn't move.

"That's it?" I tilted my head, smiling sweetly. "Your god's 'chosen'… and this is all you've got?"

His eyes widened—just for a fraction of a second.

Then I pulled, causing him to lose balance and stumble toward me, and the...

Crack.

I returned his headbutt.

But mine was stronger.

His pretty nose exploded, blood and snot spraying as he reeled back, dazed, wings flapping wildly to keep upright.

"Wha—"

I grabbed the back of his head, forced him down, and drove my knee into his face. Once. Twice. Three times. Each impact sent a sickening crack through the air—bones breaking, cartilage tearing.

He crumpled to one knee, dazed, blood streaming down his handsome, broken face.

"Still feel holy?" I purred, gripping his hair and yanking his head back. "Or did you just realize your 'blessing' is as fake as a whore's orgasm?"

Cassian's response wasn't a plea.

It was a snarl.

"FILTH—!"

BOOOOM!!!

Light exploded from his body.

A violent shockwave blasted outward, forcing my grip loose as his wings snapped open in full span, feathers blazing like burning stars. The ground beneath us cratered deeper, dust and debris thrown into the air as he surged upward, ripping himself free from my hold.

He hovered above me, breathing hard, blood pouring from his shattered nose—yet his eyes… burned brighter.

Not weaker.

Stronger.

"Oh?" I tilted my head, amused. "Still standing? I'm impressed."

"I… WILL NOT… FALL…!" he roared, voice cracking under the strain as golden veins of light spread across his skin, crawling up his neck, into his eyes. "NOT TO A DEMON LIKE YOU!"

"Demon?" I laughed, low and mocking. "That's cute."

He raised his warhammer again—

But this time, the light changed. It deepened. Thickened.

Like something on the other side was… paying attention. Giving him a big boost.

The weapon screamed as power flooded into it, the pale imitation sharpening into something far more dangerous. The air itself distorted around him, the pressure suddenly heavy.

"…There it is," I whispered, grin widening. "You finally got someone's attention."

Cassian didn't answer.

He vanished.

Not a dash.

Not speed.

Just gone. And then...

IMPACT!

The warhammer slammed into my side from above, faster than before, heavier than before. The explosion of light tore through the ground, launching me across the battlefield like a ragdoll.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

I crashed through broken wagons, shattered stone, and burning corpses before finally skidding to a stop, a long trench carved behind me.

For a second… everything was silent.

Then…

"Hahahahaha…!" I pushed myself up slowly, blood dripping from my lips—only to crawl back in, reversing, reweaving, undoing the damage like it had never been.

"HAHAHAHA—!" I stood fully, stretching my neck with a loud crack, my grin now feral.

"Yes… YES…" I breathed, eyes glowing brighter. "That's what I wanted."

In the sky, Cassian hovered like a descending judgment, wings fully spread, armor cracked but radiant, warhammer humming with power that clearly wasn't all his.

Behind him—

For just a flicker—

A silhouette.

A woman with blinding light, impossibly tall, far above the clouds, staring down from the heavens through the night.

My eyes locked onto hers.

She flinched.

The connection severed.

But she'd seen me.

And I'd seen her.

"…Found you," I whispered, instantly recognizing the divine signature, the same as in the knights' memories, the same as in Uriel's Tear. The 'god' of this world. Uriel's puppet.

'So another god is managing this world on behalf of Uriel...' I thought with immense pleasure. 'This just got a hundred times more fun.'

I created a blood sword, held it in my right hand, and glanced up at Cassian, flashing a provoking grin.

"Come on, pretty boy! Your mistress is watching. Don't disappoint her."

Cassian didn't reply. He first analyzed my stance and found it full of openings. He was confident; he was sure of his victory.

"Arrogance!" he roared, holding his warhammer up, the power within reaching its peak, the light so bright it was like a second sun.

"By the holy light of the radiant goddess! By her grace and her will! I shall purge you from this world!"

And then he dived, a comet of silver and gold, a missile of holy fury aimed directly at my heart.

I didn't move.

I didn't dodge.

I just smiled.

As the warhammer was about to connect, I moved.

Clink!

"WHAT!"

The sound of metal hitting metal echoed through the night as the tip of my blood sword met the head of Cassian's warhammer.

No divine smite, no ground-shattering explosion, just a simple, solid block.

"How... how is this possible?" Cassian stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief, his confidence shattered.

I tilted my head, a smirk playing on my lips as I spoke.

"Reflection."

A simple word, yet the effect was anything but.

The power from his warhammer, all that holy light, all that divine energy, all that rage—it all hit my sword, absorbed, and then it all... reflected.

BOOOM!

The world turned white.

I shielded my eyes with a free hand as the explosion of holy light tore through the night, a silent, violent shockwave that vaporized the ground, disintegrated the remaining corpses, and sent Cassian flying backward like a broken doll.

He didn't die.

But he might as well have been.

His armor was shattered, his wings were tattered and broken, his skin was burned and blistered, and he was lying in a smoking crater, his body twitching uncontrollably.

"She... she blocked my ultimate attack," he mumbled, his voice a weak, gurgling whisper, his mind unable to comprehend what had just happened. "She... reflected it... a mortal... how..."

I walked towards him, my blood sword still in my hand, my steps slow and deliberate. The ground crunched under my boots, the smell of ozone and burned flesh filling my nostrils.

'Not bad,' I thought to myself.

Reflection was a skill that few could master. It required a perfect understanding of the enemy's power, a perfect control over one's own energy, and perfect timing. It was a high-risk, high-reward technique.

Even I, in the past, couldn't fully use it without suffering some kind of backlash.

But now? After my ascension as the goddess of war? It was as easy as breathing.

And the look on Cassian's face, the look on the face of the 'god' who was watching from above, was priceless.

"Pathetic," I said, my voice cold and dismissive as I stood over him. "You put all your faith in a borrowed power, a cheap imitation of true divinity, and now you're surprised when it fails you? You're not a chosen one, Cassian. You're a battery. A disposable, rechargeable battery for a goddess who doesn't even know your name."

He tried to speak, to muster a final, defiant roar, but all that came out was a wet, pathetic cough. A spray of blood and teeth.

I knelt down, my blood sword dissolving into wisps of crimson smoke. I grabbed him by the throat, lifting him effortlessly until his feet dangled in the air.

"Shh... shh..." I whispered, my lips brushing against his ear. "It's over. Your part in this little play is done."

"BI..." he choked out, his remaining eye wide with a mixture of terror and dawning realization.

I brought my right hand close to his chest and formed a claw with my fingers.

"I pray your soul finds its way to the city of silver," I said, my voice dripping with false sympathy. "Oh, I forgot... I already started corrupting it."

"Eh?"

Then I plunged my hand into his chest, ripped his heart out, and ate it.

"Yummy," I mumbled as I chewed the divine heart. "Tastes like cheap chicken."

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