The Angel's Choice

Vados's expression changed.

That detached, faintly amused look she usually wore vanished in an instant.

Her brows drew tightly together, and a rare gravity appeared in her violet eyes, along with a flicker of worry that vanished just as quickly.

She did not speak immediately. She merely tilted her head slightly and cast a swift glance behind her from the corner of her eye.

Over there, Champa—the God of Destruction—lay atop a pile of floating rubble, looking utterly miserable.

All his previous arrogance had long since been beaten out of him. His body was covered in horrifying wounds, his fine clothes reduced to strips of rags. Purple divine blood seeped from the corners of his mouth and nose, and his breathing was so weak it was nearly imperceptible. Only the faint rise and fall of his chest proved that he was still alive.

His eyes had long since lost focus. He had clearly fallen unconscious, with one foot already through death's door.

Vados drew a light breath, withdrew her gaze, and faced Chen Feng directly.

Her voice lowered, carrying more restraint than usual. "Lord Chen Feng, enough. He has already lost."

She was not giving an order. It sounded more like persuasion, tinged with helplessness.

Chen Feng shook his head lightly. The movement was small, but resolute.

"Not enough."

He withdrew his fist. The aura around him had receded considerably, but that oppressive presence still lingered in the air.

"Because he hasn't admitted defeat yet. And—"

Chen Feng paused. His gaze passed through Vados and fell somewhere farther away, as though he were looking toward the Sixth Universe.

"I know him. Even if he's unconscious now, he won't acknowledge his defeat in his heart. To Champa, today's crushing loss is the greatest humiliation. He'll remember this to the bone. Once he returns, he'll surely spare no cost to recover from his injuries, then come back for revenge. He'll use the authority and resources of a God of Destruction to make himself stronger, all to reclaim his dignity."

His tone remained calm, yet every word struck the silent void. "When that time comes, his rage won't be directed at me alone. My realm and my people will all become his targets. I cannot, and will not, leave such a threat for the future."

Vados said nothing.

The fingers gripping her staff tightened slightly.

She could not refute him.

No one knew the God of Destruction she had served for so many years better than she did.

She knew Champa's personality all too well—arrogant, conceited, vindictive, obsessed with saving face. He could never bow his head and admit defeat, especially after suffering at the hands of what he considered "lower life-forms."

Something like this was enough to drive him mad.

Chen Feng's judgment was only one step away from reality.

After a moment of silence, Vados raised her head. Light flowed through her violet eyes. "Then what do you intend to do, Lord Chen Feng?"

There was once again a touch of that angelic ethereality in her voice, though this time it carried more probing than before.

The last trace of golden aura around Chen Feng slowly faded as well. His black hair fell loose, returning him to his ordinary appearance.

He stood in the void with his hands behind his back. The hem of his clothes fluttered lightly in the faint energy winds, forming a stark contrast with the shattered stellar remains behind him and the battered Champa.

He looked utterly calm, as though the overwhelming battle just now had nothing to do with him.

"Very simple."

Chen Feng's voice was clear and firm, echoing against the backdrop of the universe. "Champa must pay a price for what he did today. He barged into my territory, injured my people, and humiliated me and my world with that superior attitude. This debt cannot simply be written off."

Vados's brows furrowed even more deeply. "What do you want? Compensation? Or..."

She glanced again at the unconscious Champa. "For him to offer you a solemn apology after he wakes up?"

Chen Feng did not answer at once.

His gaze passed beyond Vados toward the distant starry sky, as though he were weighing his options—or perhaps he already had the answer and was merely considering how to say it.

Cosmic dust drifted slowly around them. The cold light of distant stars shone into the battlefield, and the atmosphere grew tense once more because of their conversation.

"An apology?"

Chen Feng gave a quiet laugh, tinged with coldness.

He slowly raised a hand and pointed toward his subordinates in the distance, who were still stained with blood. "Just an apology? My men were beaten until they vomited blood and collapsed on the ground. They can't even stand up now—can a single 'sorry' settle that?"

The air seemed to freeze.

Across the shattered planetary surface, dust floated slowly in the low gravity. In the distance, broken mountain ranges pierced the dark red sky like the spines of some beast.

Vados held her staff and let out a quiet sigh, helplessness and calmness showing in her pale violet eyes.

"Then tell me... what should be done?"

Her voice remained gentle, but there was a tautness in her tone.

Chen Feng did not respond immediately.

He turned around. His silver-white battle suit looked cold and hard beneath the dim light, while the tattered cape behind him fluttered gently in the wind.

He walked toward Vados step by step, his boots crushing small stones with faint cracking sounds.

He stopped three meters away, his gaze fixed on her like a blade.

Silence spread through the area. Only the sound of rubble rolling in the distance as Champa struggled amid the ruins could be heard.

A few seconds later, Chen Feng suddenly spoke. His voice was not loud, but every word was crystal clear. "Lady Vados, I have a proposal."

Vados tilted her head, the crystal atop her staff glowing with a pale blue light.

"What proposal?"

"I want to fight you."

As Chen Feng said this, a nearly provocative smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Right here. Right now. If you win, Champa can leave safely, and I will never pursue the matter again. But if I win—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Champa, who had just crawled out of the rubble, covered in dust. "Champa's life and death will be mine to decide."

Vados's pupils suddenly contracted.

Her fingers tightened around her staff, her knuckles turning white.

Even the wind seemed to stop, dust hanging silently in the air.

She had not expected it—truly had not expected Chen Feng to propose such terms.

This was not simple revenge, nor was it a moment of impulsiveness. It was a carefully calculated move.

"Lord Chen Feng," Vados said in a lower voice. She no longer sounded as relaxed and detached as usual; there was now a trace of the authority unique to angels. "I am an angel. Under the rules set by Grand Zeno, I cannot show favoritism, nor can I casually intervene in the conflicts of lower lifeforms."

"This isn't favoritism."

Chen Feng took half a step forward. His voice lowered, yet became even clearer. "This is your duty. You have to protect your God of Destruction. An angel's fate is tied to that of her God of Destruction. If he dies, you will lose your function as well. This isn't favoritism. It's survival."

Vados fell silent and lowered her eyes, her long lashes casting faint shadows across her face.

The light within the crystal of her staff slowly revolved, like the ripples in her heart.

Chen Feng was right. There was nothing to refute.

An angel's responsibilities were not limited to supervision and balance. They also included protection.

No matter how troublesome Champa was, he was still her God of Destruction.

From the day she had become an angel, this bond had been destined.

"And besides—"

Chen Feng's voice rang out again, this time carrying a blazing desire. "I've heard that angels are far stronger than Gods of Destruction. I've seen what a God of Destruction can do, but an angel's true power... I've always wanted to witness it with my own eyes."

Vados raised her head and looked back at him.

The Saiyan stood there, straight as a sword, his silver hair swaying gently in the breeze.

There was no fear in his eyes, no hesitation—only a calm, nearly burning desire.

At that moment, Vados suddenly understood: by issuing this challenge, he had given her a reason she could not refuse, while also giving himself a chance to touch a higher realm.

This was not revenge. It was an exchange—Champa's fate in return for the right to fight an angel.

Cunning, yet open and forthright.

"...Very well."