Volume 4: Fading from the World - The Angel You Touched

"Haa... haa... haa..."

In a dark corner, two girls, one older and one younger, were leaning against a stone wall, panting heavily.

They were a spirit priest still wrapped in a black robe and a girl who looked to be just over ten years old and dressed in coarse linen clothes.

"Huff... huff... really, young lady, are you crazy? Why are you going to cause trouble for those noble gentlemen?!"

"I, I..."

"Honestly, if I hadn't seen something was wrong and followed you, who knows what would have happened to you! And if it were anyone else, they definitely wouldn't have dared to save you!"

"But..."

But what is it?

If it weren't for this little girl who suddenly appeared and pulled me away in time, what would have happened to me now?

God said that those who are capable should extend a helping hand in times of crisis.

God said that there is no distinction between rich and poor, noble and lowly; everyone is a close brother or sister.

But what exactly was that just now...?

Do they disregard God's teachings?

Glug~~~~

The sudden onslaught of hunger distracted the sacrificial spirit.

After the fear subsided, the pent-up hunger surged up.

"Ah... your stomach is growling so loudly, no wonder you went to them for food, you must be starving! Poor thing—here, take this!"

The girl took out a dry, black bread from her pocket, broke off a small piece and gave it to the spirit, then thought it was too little and broke off another piece for her.

"This is..."

"Eat quickly, it's dry but you can eat it with water, come on--"

What are you doing here, kid?!

A sudden shout startled the two. A middle-aged woman with slightly sunken cheeks strode over aggressively, seemingly very angry.

"Uh, Mom..."

"I told you not to run around! Are you dressed properly? What if you catch a cold from the dampness? And... um?"

The middle-aged woman noticed that a piece of bread was missing from the girl's hand; the mark was clearly from breaking it off. Then she saw the girl, wrapped in a black robe and wearing a hood, holding two pieces of bread crumbs.

"You--"

The middle-aged woman clenched her fists for a moment, but then relaxed them a few seconds later, letting out a soft sigh.

"Never mind, this brat probably gave it to you... If she gave it to you, just eat it."

The woman gave her one last, deep look, then took the girl's hand and left.

Only the sacrificial spirits remained, stunned in place.

"Listen carefully, I'm giving you my rations so you can fill your stomach, not so you can share them with others..."

From afar, one could still faintly hear the mother's scolding voice.

"..."

She stared blankly at the bread in her hand.

It was dry, hard, and covered in dust.

For some reason, at this moment she suddenly felt that—compared to the sacred church and Goddess noble Saintess, the unpalatable bread given to her by the common girl was the real miracle.

"Hey... you, you listen! Hand over all this water and dry rations, quick, quick!"

Even with a sharp blade pointed at him, Sin Annihilation felt no sense of danger whatsoever.

She felt no threat from the sallow-faced, thin men holding fruit knives.

Moreover, their obviously defiant expressions and slightly trembling hands holding the knife revealed that they were not professional bandits at all, but simply poor people who had "halfway into the profession" and were stealing food out of fear.

That's simply not enough.

"Didn't you hear me?! We told you to hand over your rations! Otherwise, we'll slaughter you! Don't think we'll go easy on you just because you're a little girl!"

They even hesitate for ages before saying "I'll kill you," which shows how unreliable these guys are.

"Oh, then try killing me."

"... ah?"

"You really mean to kill me."

"Ah, eh? No, no, it's just—basically, hand over this whole bag of jerky and water!"

"..."

Of course, no one wants their Sin Annihilation.

It wasn't because I was greedy for that little bit of dry food.

It was because it was a gift from Xiao Wu.

It was something Xiao Wu gave her.

Anyone who dares to try and take it will face certain death; she will show absolutely no mercy.

But--

Xiao Wu, where are you now?

Xiao Wu seemed to have said, "Don't go out as long as you can still hear sounds coming from up there."

At first, there were indeed many shouts of battle coming from the ground, but now it has quieted down.

In that case...

Does this mean I can go out and find Xiao Wu now?

Thinking of this, Sin Annihilation stood up.

Then—he walked straight past the refugees.

"Huh? Um, you really gave them all to us?"

Of course, Sin Annihilation didn't turn back; her mind was entirely on Xiao Wu.

"Uh... thank you..."

Ignoring the tedious thanks, Sin Annihilation quickened his pace and ran through the damp underground shelter.

Creak, creak, creak.

This was the first time the sacrificial spirits had ever eaten bread that was so hard, dry, dirty, and tasteless.

Even with the small amount of water you carry with you, it's still quite difficult to swallow.

But the spirit, with its head bowed, still tried its best to put it in its mouth.

She absolutely didn't want to waste the food the girl had given her; she felt a sense of duty to finish it all.

The girl who shared her bread with her even though she herself was struggling, and the mother who, though angry that her daughter had given away her precious rations to others, didn't say much to the spirit.

Those stingy nobles and morally corrupt priests.

All of these combined are enough to turn the worldview and values of the spirits upside down.

The underground passage is almost at its end.

After turning this corner, you'll be back where she was before.

Just then, a girl ran from the other side of the corner.

The girl was wearing a gothic-style black dress, and her long gray hair covered half of her face.

Although she was covered in dust, it couldn't hide her angelic and sweet beauty.

The sacrificial spirit, sensing something, raised its head.

He brushed past the gray-haired girl.

"----Huh?"

Thump.

The spirit's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

She immediately turned around to look behind her, but the girl had already vanished without a trace.

"No way..."

Before she knew it, her body was covered in cold sweat.

Her legs gave way, and she knelt down against the dirty wall.

I feel so dizzy and nauseous.

"Why... how could this be...?"

Why did I sense "that kind of signal" from a strange young girl?

The Third Goddess Sacrifices.

Although she was of a lower status compared to others, she also had some outstanding qualities.

For example, keen perception.

She could sense the presence of any high-ranking member of the Vatican who was around her.

The higher the level of a person, the stronger their feelings.

Among them, the strongest "signals" belong to Prayer and Tianlu, both Goddess.

There are only three Goddess; this has been an ironclad rule for thousands of years.

Prayer and divine law are in the Cathedral of the True God in the Holy City, and she offers sacrifices to the spirits in Sadington City. That's all.

But,

But, but, but!

Why could I sense the aura of Goddess emanating from a strange young girl?

"Call..."

Beside a deep pit, Sin Annihilation gently shook the dust off her skirt. Her method to return to the surface was simple: find a secluded spot and forcefully dig a hole upwards.

Having spent so long in a dark, damp, dusty, and smelly shelter, I must be quite unkempt by now.

Normally she wouldn't care about whether her body was clean or not, but she couldn't let Xiao Wu see her looking dirty.

Should I take a shower before going to see her?

No, no, no! I don't have that kind of free time!

This is already a battlefield. Although Xiao Wu very strong, no one can guarantee that she can escape unscathed amidst tens of thousands of chaotic troops.

"I've come to find you, Xiao Wu..."

Sin Annihilation quietly closed her eyes, her nose twitching. Having spent several days with Xiao Wu, she now completely remembered Xiao Wu's scent; all she had to do was follow that scent to find her.

"Xiao Wu... is moving... hmm?"

A somewhat familiar scent seemed to waft around Xiao Wu.

The intensely burning blood in my body powered me, allowing me to leap over buildings, and for a moment I felt as if I had returned to the era of the Central United Academy.

However, the scene below was completely different. Everywhere was rubble and ruins, many buildings were cracked and riddled with holes, and the roadside trees and lawns were burning fiercely. The residents had all gone to seek refuge, and all the human-shaped objects on the ground were corpses, most of them papal forces, and a few were Revolutionary Army.

There are two more--

"I can feel a very familiar Blood Energy..."

One person flew in riding on the orange moonlight, while the other sprinted through the air, both moving at an outrageous speed.

"Xiao Ye! I'm so glad you're alright~~ And that delinquent girl... What? She's still alive?"

"... That's also one of my lines. If you had died in the chaos of war, the world would be a lot more peaceful."

Stare~~~~~

When these two meet, the first thing they do is bicker. Are you two successors of Niki?

But this way of getting along is so cute!

"I'm suddenly starting to like you two as a couple... Wu Yue is the best!"

"What a wonderful knit!!!"

"... It was just a joke, don't take it to heart (it's not a joke at all). Anyway, we still have serious business to attend to."

"Yes..."

"Something went wrong with the commander-in-chief; he's really unlucky."

We looked together toward the distance, toward the city center.

Clang! Clang!! Clang!!!

Thump! Thump!! Thump!!!

Brilliant sword lights ripped through the air, and jets of dark, turbid streams shot straight into the sky. Even from this distance, the intensity of the battle could be felt. With both supernatural abilities and divine equipment, Nid's combat power must be terrifying, and the opponent who could fight him to this extent must also be a very Big Figure.

Upon closer inspection, the overwhelming darkness seemed to be suppressing the sword light. Could it be that Nid had been on the defensive the entire time? This was not a good sign...

"Go?" "Let's go."

"It seems unreasonable not to take action now."

We're the kind of people who have defeated Special Class Combatant.

No matter how strong the opponent is, they absolutely cannot withstand an attack from four people!

...!?

A sudden chill ran through me.

A sense of crisis surged through me, and a chill ran down my spine, forcing me to act in the next instant!

"Enemy attack!!!"

In that instant, I pinned Haoyue down, and Xiao Wu immediately jumped away. Her long, fleshy whip, covered in sharp bone spikes, almost grazed my head! I immediately swung my Void Greatsword to forcefully deflect it. At this moment, countless runes appeared around Haoyue, Xiao Wu also assumed a fighting stance, ready to fight at any moment!

"Tch, here comes another nuisance..."

"Don't let your guard down, Xiao Wu! This kind of brutal attack pattern... there's no doubt about it! It's that assassin who ambushed me and Haoyue on the road!"

"What!? They actually tracked us all the way here?"

"Ready for battle!!!"

Dozens of Bone Chain attacked simultaneously, but were deflected one by one by Xiao Wu's dual pistols. Runes also began to appear on Haoyue's sword.

"Frost Moon!"

The pure white longsword swung down, the chilling wind freezing all the Bone Chain! Silver frost filled the air, the cold moon shone, and through this beautiful yet deadly landscape, I saw the assassin again, the gray-haired girl.

Her silvery-white eyes locked onto me, and her pale lips moved slightly.

"Target locked, annihilation commences..."

Here it comes again, just like I expected.

"... Ha, I'd like to see who annihilates whom!"

Since there's no way to avoid it, let's destroy her completely, leaving not a single cell behind!

This time, not only do Haoyue and I have it, but we also have Xiao Wu, the super tank and DPS, so there's no reason for us to lose!

The gray-haired girl raised her hand, her fingertips transforming into silver-gray bayonets—then she suddenly stopped.

An expression slowly appeared on his stern face.

That was utter astonishment.

It's as if I've seen something incomprehensible.

"... ah!"

Click!

I heard the sound of metal falling beside me; it was Xiao Wu's twin pistols.

Xiao Wu stared at the other person, dumbfounded.

... Why?

What's going on?

"... Xiao Wu?"

"... Sin Annihilation?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whew, we've finally reached this point!

I would never say that the character of "Sin Annihilation" was created just for playing wife-swapping games~~~~~~