When Li Wei returned to the Cathedral of the Trembling Cage from the Succubus Queen's bedchamber, holding the Seven-Part Rod of Order, he stared at the bloody ruins before him—along with the "human scum" plastered across the ceiling and shattered stone walls—and froze for a moment, wondering whether he had stepped onto the wrong set.
Though he had anticipated that his sudden "vanishing act" would keep his two personal bodyguards from sitting quietly by and watching those flesh-worms continue taking turns throwing their merry little party before them—especially this "Hell's Mad Hound" of a young lady—he had never imagined that, in only a few minutes, they would nearly demolish the cathedral outright.
Li Wei even suspected that if he had emerged any later, Zariel might have done something as mad as leveling all of Shendilavri.
It was not that she wanted to avenge him for possibly being drained into dragon jerky, nor was she trying to force the Succubus Queen to release him. It stemmed from her innate, pure loathing and hostility toward chaos and evil.
If Li Wei and the frost giantess had not kept an eye on her all the way, this fallen angel girl might well have single-handedly punched through several layers of the Abyss by now.
As Li Wei reappeared amid these "ruins," Red Shroud Pallepheni's somewhat anxious yet relieved voice finally sounded once more from the stone statue on his chest.
"Thank goodness—you actually got out!"
Yet that exclamation swiftly turned into profound bewilderment.
"She actually let you out? But how could it have been so quick?"
Having his abilities questioned by a succubus, Li Wei immediately took offense. He hefted the silver metal rod in his hand and said:
"Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean, 'how could it have been so quick'? I