The Will of a God

What's your opinion on this?

After Catherine's illusion disappeared, Li Lin looked at Nia with a strange expression, while Nia gave a wry smile.

"I'm so surprised. I can't believe things turned out this way."

"That's true."

As Li Lin spoke, he rubbed his forehead. He had no idea that his unintentional act would create a completely new species.

Magic Angel.

This term sounds like something a protagonist in anime or manga would say, but given the current situation, it's actually the closest possible way to describe it.

No matter how you look at it, Catherine would never become a mage, a fact Li Lin herself was well aware of. She lacked a mage's logical thinking, critical perspective on all things, and the spirit to pursue the secrets of arcane magic. However, as a saint, a clergyman, her devotion and prayer were already ingrained in her blood. Angels possess power because they deeply believe in the light; Dark Angel possess power because they have fallen into darkness. But Catherine did not choose between the two. Instead, with her unwavering and intense faith, she created a new source of power.

Angels' power comes from Heaven, Dark Angel's power comes from Hell, but her power comes from magic.

Li Lin saw the wings composed of pure Magic Power, and Catherine not only possessed these Magic Power wings, but could even use some mid-to-high-level spells! What surprised Li Lin was that the process by which Catherine acquired these spells was exactly the same as that of divine magic! In Li Lin's view, this was almost impossible. After all, magic has no gods, and Catherine didn't actually trust magic much. As a saintess, while she didn't oppose magic, it was strange that she would wholeheartedly worship it.

However, after learning the reason, Li Lin felt both amused and exasperated... Catherine naturally didn't trust magic, but she trusted him completely... Well, in the current situation where Arcane Mage are scarce and the Root power cannot be dispersed, Li Lin, who possesses the origin of arcane magic and has fused with the Power of Manipulation, is indeed God of Magic in a certain sense.

Even Li Lin hadn't expected that magical power could actually be obtained through faith. This was arguably the greatest freak of all time, but it wasn't surprising. After all, as a mage, he certainly had no shortage of fervent dedication to arcane magic, but to talk about fanatical faith in magic made it hard not to suspect that the mage was mentally unstable. Only someone like Catherine, who knew absolutely no magic but had a fanatical faith in Li Lin, could have stumbled upon this new path of evolution.

"This matter must be kept strictly confidential. I don't want any cult to emerge in the future; that would be a real problem."

"Certainly."

Nia nodded, then slyly rolled her eyes and looked at Li Lin with a mocking smile.

"However, even among the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, there isn't anyone who worships you so fanatically. Li Lin, I'm really curious, what methods did you and Miss Angela use to make this Holy Maiden's trust in you reach such a level of religious fanaticism?"

"This is not something to be told to outsiders."

Faced with Nia's taunts, Li Lin could only pretend that he hadn't heard anything.

Hopefully, this identity will also help Catherine overcome the difficulties ahead.

Ten days later, Catherine finally met the guest she had been waiting for.

Welcome everyone.

As usual, Catherine received these most important guests at the palace.

"To be honest, I was really surprised when I received your message."

"Is it because we're still alive?"

Henderson stared at the saintess before him and couldn't help but snort coldly. The young knight and the girl beside him frowned, but didn't say anything. Catherine, on the other hand, seemed not to have heard Henderson's words at all, and looked at the other two people beside him.

"Young savior... you seem to have changed a lot. You must have suffered a lot during this time. But I think, seeing your satisfied and proud expression, you must have found what you paid the price for." At this point, Catherine paused, then appropriately shifted her gaze to the girl beside him.

"This young lady is...?"

Catherine didn't feel particularly terrified. Although she could still sense the powerful divine energy emanating from the girl, she no longer experienced the uncontrollable, uncomfortable reactions she had before. The magical power surged continuously, providing her with a protective shield against this divine interference. Catherine also remembered Li Lin's instructions. Although she didn't show any signs of fear or unease, her rare hesitation and pause revealed her true feelings.

"From the perspective of the gods, the birth of an angel is not actually a predictable event."

Catherine naturally did not forget Li Lin's teachings and admonitions.

"While theoretically most angels are created by the gods themselves or are reincarnations of holy souls, it is not entirely impossible for beings to transform into angels on their own through their powerful divine qualities. Although extremely rare, they do exist. Therefore, your identity will undoubtedly be a primary focus of the God of Justice. Regardless of the archangel's purpose in coming, she will absolutely not miss the opportunity to meet you. At that time, you must demonstrate absolute respect for her authority."

"Hello, Saint Catherine."

The girl spoke with a friendly smile, and although she addressed Catherine by her first name, surprisingly, it didn't give off any unpleasant feeling.

"I am the messenger of the God of Justice... Archangel Gabriel, it's a pleasure to meet you, my Lord's earthly representative."

"Archangel? Please forgive my rudeness, I didn't know..."

Catherine quickly knelt before the girl, offering her hands in the most respectful gesture. The girl seemed quite pleased with this; she shook her head and said nothing more.

"Do not worry or be afraid, Catherine. As my lord's servant, you are naturally my friend as well... Moreover, we have come here with important matters to convey."

"Is this... the will of a great god?"

Although she knew this might expose her identity, Catherine still had to ask, while pretending to be clueless.

"But why...?"

"This is top secret, which is why the God of Justice didn't tell you."

Hearing this, Catherine finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, it wasn't that the God of Justice had sent someone down to investigate after failing to deliver a message. If that had been the case, she would have had a much harder time getting away with it. However, Catherine's current demeanor was exemplary. Her bewildered yet somewhat anxious expression made her words seem more convincing. After all, as a loyal servant of the God of Justice, such a reaction was perfectly understandable when she realized the God of Justice hadn't given her some information. She feared losing the God's attention and favor.

Of course, while performing, Catherine also quickly observed the girl in front of her.

Just as she had sensed before, this girl seemed to be two sides of Angela. Both appeared outwardly as innocent children, but closer observation revealed a hidden, powerful aura capable of overwhelming enemies with swift and decisive force. They skillfully concealed this drive beneath their harmless exteriors, making it difficult to detect. According to Catherine's memories, Angela sometimes displayed an innocent, adorable, carefree, and lively childlike smile; at those times, she seemed like the most lovable and beautiful creature in the world, evoking pity. The little girl before her now wore the same smile as Angela and the book, but her expression also contained a touch of holiness that Angela lacked.

Conversely, the girl's smile did not contain the tyranny characteristic of Angela.

While Catherine observed Gabriel was also observing Catherine. When she traveled to the Prime Material Plane, the God of Justice had mentioned this saint to her. Of course, the God of Justice's description of her was no different from that of other saints: her devout and fervent faith, her kind and loving heart, and her unwavering belief in justice and goodness. During this meeting, Gabriel intentionally used his divine eye to observe her, but from Catherine, he could only see a faint, reassuring, sacred, and benevolent radiance.

But how did she end up as an angel?

Gabriel was extremely curious about this, and there was a reason for it. According to intelligence, this saintess had been kidnapped by the paladin who was supposed to protect her and brutally raped before finally escaping and returning to her country. Even so, her faith in the God of Justice remained unwavering. Perhaps this was the reason she was reborn as an angel. After all, none of the saintesses before her had suffered such a tragic fate.

Now, gazing into Catherine's eyes, Gabriel detected not a trace of disappointment, depravity, or discontent, nor any curses, resentment, or shame. This saint seemed to be facing everything that had happened to her with righteous indignation, without any intention of avoiding it.

The observation of the other party was all done in secret. Soon, Catherine stood up and respectfully invited the three of them to take the seats of honor before cautiously asking her questions.

"Then, Archangel, God of Justice..."

"Just call me Gabriel."

"Why?"

Upon hearing this, Catherine was taken aback, while the girl continued to explain with a smile.

"After all, I don't want everyone to know who I am. This isn't Mount Celestia; we don't need to be so formal. Calling me by my name is much more intimate, isn't it?"

"This..."

Upon hearing this, Catherine paused for a moment, her mind immediately recalling everything she had encountered in that dark crypt.

"Just call me Angela, okay? Holy Sister? Hehehe, wouldn't that make us closer?"

The two people do look very alike.

Catherine immediately calmed herself down and stopped letting her memories lead her astray.

"Then, Miss Gabriel."

She carefully considered her choice of words.

"What is it that the great god needs me to do for him?"

Upon hearing this, Gabriel's expression gradually turned serious.

"This matter is not just about our Temple, Saintess Catherine."

As the girl spoke, she took a letter out of her pocket.

"This is even more related to the changes in all living beings on Earth, and that's exactly what we need to do now."

Without saying much, Catherine immediately took the letter from Gabriel's hand. She carefully tore off the seal of the Xialuo Kingdom and quickly read the contents. Catherine's eyes widened, and when she finished reading the letter, Catherine couldn't even keep her expression calm.

"Miss Gabriel, this is..."

"The great deity believes that the reason we are currently unable to resist the evil offensive of the Magic Empire is because the nations are constantly at odds with each other, just like between Lalia and Kudel, and between your country and the Federation. Various grudges always hinder your unity. Moreover, the Magic Empire's advance is so swift that by the time you react, their evil army has already completely conquered your lands. This is how the Federation was destroyed, and for Kudel, it is only a matter of time."

"..."

Catherine didn't speak. She instinctively wanted to object, but fortunately, she remembered Li Lin's instructions and didn't contradict Gabriel's opinion.

"And now, at such a critical juncture, we must make a change."

Gabriel said this and stood up.

"This is a plan that the great god wanted to implement a thousand years ago, but the continent has always been very peaceful and tranquil, so he temporarily abandoned the plan. But now, this is the time. We no longer need a country ruled by royalty; we should unite and build a brand new country governed by the people themselves."

As he spoke, Gabriel looked at Catherine.

"In past battles, nobles always drove commoners to fight, which naturally greatly reduced their fighting strength. But according to the will of the great god, we will change this situation. The king of the Xialuo Kingdom has agreed to merge with Dideyasi and become a new country. And this country will no longer adopt the monarchical system, but will adopt a choice called 'democracy' as foreseen by the great god."

"By the great God above, I am truly astonished."

Catherine was genuinely surprised this time; as royalty, she knew what it meant.

"Please forgive my rudeness, Lord Gabriel. While I also believe that the will of a great god is limitless, if the Xialuo Kingdom makes this decision, it will cause unnecessary chaos and losses. You must understand, at this critical juncture, to suddenly announce the merger of nations... this..."

Although she didn't know what this so-called "democracy" actually was, as a member of royalty and the holder of power in a country, Catherine knew very well that unifying a nation was an extremely difficult task in itself. Let alone changing a long-standing system? Democracy? Even though she didn't know what it meant, changing the political system now? What was the point? What would happen to her and the rest of the royal family? Who would command the army? How would it be allocated?

Catherine was certain that the King of the Xialuo Kingdom was even more surprised than she was, and she was certain that the King had strongly opposed the suggestion, but ultimately agreed to it. The letter contained exactly that information. Moreover, it bore the King of the Xialuo Kingdom's signature, meaning that the archangel before her had undoubtedly used some means to persuade the King of the Xialuo Kingdom to agree to this seemingly unthinkable proposal.

"I know this is a difficult thing to accept, and it will be very difficult to do, but the great God believes that now is the opportunity."

At this point, Gabriel's expression turned serious.

"Throughout my journey, I've discovered that both Xialuo and the people of Dideyasi have deeply experienced the evil and terror of the Magic Empire. They desperately hope to see a change in the current situation, and we can use this as a pretext to summon them (www. hetushu. com. com) to reduce friction during the integration and transformation process. Moreover, we need more troops to contend with the Magic Empire's undead legions. We must have the spontaneous enthusiasm of the people involved. When they fight for their own survival, not for the survival of those nobles, they will unleash their greatest power—that immense power capable of annihilating the undead legions often comes from the seemingly weakest among them."

"So, how much time can the great gods give us?"

Although Catherine was inwardly disgusted by the suggestion, she still asked the question.

"If you agree, then we need five months... at most five months. At the current speed of the undead army, they will soon destroy the entire Kudel, and the destruction of Lalia is only a matter of time. All we can do before then is to save as many innocent people as possible from that land about to be occupied by death and destruction. The gods have given me a way to get those people away from the land shrouded in evil. I think that if we act properly, our country—our new country—will radiate an extraordinary vitality."

"I see."

Catherine stood up and bowed deeply to Gabriel.

"To be honest, I still have doubts and anxieties, but I believe in you, and I believe even more that our great God is infallible. Under His guidance, we will ultimately achieve victory."