The Successor

The harsh sound of the heavy iron door opening made Nalu open her eyes. She watched Nia enter the room with wary eyes. This wasn't the first time this had happened to her. Although the other party hadn't done anything to her these days, Nalu knew very well that now that she had fallen into the hands of these mages, the outcome was almost predictable.

However, when Nalu saw the woman walking in behind Nia, she couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise.

Princess Catherine?!

Although Nalu, as one of the Divine Envoys of the Seven Commandments, had never met Catherine in a formal setting, as a weapon created by the God of Justice, she naturally knew of this saintly lady. However, because they had little interaction, they didn't know much about each other. Regardless, Nalu knew that Catherine, as a saint, a symbol of the Temple, and a guide to justice, how could she appear in this evil, defiled magical city?

Nalu tried to speak, but her mouth was already tightly plugged by the small iron ball, and she could only make "ooh" and "ah" sounds. This was to prevent her from chanting divine spells, so although Nalu wanted to speak, she couldn't utter a single word.

"The rest is up to you, Miss Catherine."

Nia watched Catherine enter the dungeon and couldn't help but smile. Then, she whispered an incantation, and magical power began to condense, transforming into a translucent humanoid creature made of tiny runes.

"If you need any help, you can tell it, and it will do everything you want."

"I understand, Miss Nia."

Catherine bowed to Nia, after Nia turned and left the dungeon. It wasn't that she didn't want to "observe" how Catherine planned to conquer the Weapon Spirit, but she was too busy to do anything about it... well, she already had the Eye of Magic, didn't she? She could take out the stored information and look at it when she had some free time.

Only after the heavy iron gate closed again did Catherine turn around with a smile. She looked at the naked Weapon Spirit before her, a fleeting hint of disdain in her eyes. Then, she walked to the Nalu's side and began to gently caress his soft, delicate body.

"...!"

Feeling Catherine's touch, the girl's body tensed instantly, while the smile in Catherine's eyes deepened.

It really looks like me back then.

She compared her past experiences with the Weapon Spirit before her and drew a conclusion. Look at this girl. Although her body was far less voluptuous than her own, she possessed a youthful charm, like a flower yet to fully bloom. Her face held a resolute expression, full of faith. Although Catherine could see from her eyes that the Weapon Spirit was surprised and puzzled by her presence, that wasn't the point.

On the contrary, she felt a fighting spirit she had never felt before ignited within her.

After being transformed by Angela, Catherine's beliefs underwent a complete transformation. The kindness, fairness, and justice she once devoutly believed in had long been discarded like mud. Because of this, under Angela's influence, Catherine gradually gravitated towards her. Perhaps out of a complex psychology, she longed to see other women like herself abandon their former beliefs and bow down before true truth—not some ethereal, self-comforting notion of fairness and justice. And in fact, she did just that, and gained much from it.

But for Catherine, this brought her no satisfaction. As a saint, she already knew how to incite and seduce others; as a saint, she was bound by constraints and had her own thoughts. But after becoming Li Lin's servant, she had no more scruples. Under her seduction and lies, those ignorant girls willingly offered their bodies, quickly sinking into the pleasure emanating from the depths of their instincts. However, this was far too unchallenging for Catherine.

She needs more worthy opponents, not these foolish women who would strip naked and be at her mercy just by saying a few words. It seems that believing in justice for too long really does lower one's IQ.

The Weapon Spirit is the best target right now. Although she hasn't started a direct confrontation with it yet, Catherine has already made up her mind about this deep down.

Of course, she couldn't act as violently as Angela. After all, in terms of strength, the little one was far superior to Catherine. And this Weapon Spirit... according to Miss Nia, possessed genuine divine power of justice. Although Catherine didn't think she could compare to herself, the gap between them wasn't that big, so Catherine didn't intend to act rashly.

While Catherine was observing Nalu was also observing the saintess before him.

She was certain that the Catherine appearing before her was not a product of illusion, but the real saint. Although her divine magic was sealed, her eyes could still see through those evil illusions and spells, so she could clearly see that this Catherine was not someone else in disguise!

But this only deepened Nalu's doubts. She had met this saint with Mobius before. The holy aura emanating from her then was undeniable, and Archangel Gabriel hadn't shown any unusual reaction. By all accounts, this saint should have been a completely devout believer. But now, although she wore the same smile as in the Temple, something hidden within it sent a chill down Nalu's spine.

Why did she change like this?

Nalu wanted to ask a question, but she couldn't utter a word. When Catherine's hand touched her body, Nalu became even more nervous. Although they were both women, there shouldn't be anything to worry about, but for some reason, Nalu felt extremely nervous, which made her overlook something else that was intriguing in Catherine's eyes.

"I know who you are, Miss Weapon Spirit."

Catherine withdrew her hand, giving Nalu time and energy to refocus his attention on what he was saying.

"I never imagined that the God of Justice, who promotes fairness and kindness, would be so despicable and shameless as to steal the national property of our great master. To be honest, I am extremely fortunate that I was able to extricate myself from that despicable circle in time."

Upon hearing this, Nalu's eyes widened in astonishment, her anger completely replaced by surprise before it could even ignite. What did she say? As a saint, she actually blasphemed the God of Justice?! What had she done to herself?!

"Are you angry?"

Catherine looked at the Weapon Spirit before her, whose eyes were wide open and who was staring in disbelief, with a hint of smugness.

"I'm still very surprised. How could I, a saint, blaspheme the god I worship?"

At this point, her tone suddenly rose.

"Yes, I am blaspheming him!"

Catherine's gaze immediately hardened. She did not flinch, but looked directly into Nalu's eyes, gazing at the weapon created by the God of Justice himself, as if Naru were the embodiment of the God of Justice, the target and enemy she had to defeat.

"The God of Justice? What is that? What can he bring us? Miss Weapon Spirit? You were created by him. Tell me, can he bring fairness, justice, light, and kindness? If he can, then why are you living a life without sunlight in this dark cell?! Where is the salvation of the great God of Justice? Can he send down a ray of light to protect you? To protect you from the corruption and deterioration of evil?"

"..."

Nalu remained silent, her gaze fixed on Catherine, her expression growing cold.

"Ah, perhaps you'll say that this is a trial given to us by the great god... Only by overcoming this suffering can we truly receive His blessings..."

"Smack!!"

At this point, Catherine suddenly turned around and slapped Nalu across the face.

"Nonsense! On what grounds? We've dedicated our lives, our very souls, to Him, and what does He need? What was He doing when we needed help? Watching us overcome obstacles and hardships on our own? And what if we fall? What if we fail? Are we just disposable trash? We've given Him everything, yet He expects us to give even more! Winning is our due, losing is our just deserts... Honestly, I'd rather believe in those evil gods hiding in the shadows; at least their gods have this written in their doctrines, instead of hiding it in grand lies."

Catherine's face was ashen, and her body trembled slightly with rage.

"I was once imprisoned in an even worse cell than you. Back then, I was naive and ignorant, praying and longing for the God of Justice to help me escape the clutches of evil and darkness. And what did I get in return? For the first ten years of my life, I dedicated myself to him, shining his glory and light on everyone in need. And what did I get in return? When we need help, what have we received?"

At this point, Catherine seemed to calm down a bit, and she waved her hand dismissively.

"Actually, Miss Weapon Spirit, I don't need your answer at all. I know exactly what you want to say. The God of Justice power upon us; this is how He helps us. And the essence of justice is sacrifice and dedication, isn't it? We should fight against evil and darkness to the very end. The power of the God of Justice has already provided us with all the help we need. What we need to rely on next is our own strong hearts... I can say that myself! Because I was once a devout believer!"

Nalu's expression was somewhat embarrassed and stiff. What Catherine said was, in fact, exactly what she had been thinking.

"However, I know deep down you still disagree."

Catherine, seeing Nalu's expression, naturally knew what she was thinking.

"While you may still be wondering why I've fallen so low... I don't see it as depravity. On the contrary, I believe I've simply come to see this world more clearly. But that's not important. You don't need to be confused or worried, because what I'm about to do to you is exactly what I went through back then..."

At this point, Catherine's lips curled up slightly.

"Soon, you'll find out why I've become like this."

As she spoke, she stretched out her hands and began to chant softly. Upon hearing Catherine's chant, Nalu could no longer hide her astonishment, for she could not believe that the saint before her was actually chanting magic!

How is this possible? There shouldn't be a trace of magic on her!

The spell was short and seemed to have little power; at least, Nalu didn't notice anything different about herself after Catherine's incantation stopped. She simply watched her body and her surroundings warily. Although as a member of the Glorious Holy Light, she possessed holy scriptures containing many divine spells, she wasn't like the Eternal Library, which had records of everything from ancient times to the present. Nalu was simply not familiar enough with the flow of magic.

Ignoring Nalu's wary expression, Catherine began to take off her clothes.

What is she trying to do?

Watching another woman undress in front of her made Nalu uneasy. If the woman were a man, she would understand what she was about to face, but Catherine was a woman. Could it be... that she had that kind of interest?

Although somewhat ashamed, Nalu did not look away; she needed to know what this saintess was planning to do.

However, as her gaze shifted from that beautiful upper body to her lower body, Nalu's face suddenly flushed red. As a once devout believer in the God of Justice and a holy soul who had entered Upper Planes after death, the priestess swore to the God of Justice that she had seen something that should absolutely not appear on a woman's body!

"Magic is truly a wondrous thing, isn't it, Miss Weapon Spirit?"

Catherine walked behind the priestess and gently stroked her private parts, which had been forced to be exposed.

"This spell allows me to experience the same pleasure as men... Perhaps I should go back and study that spellbook called 'The Book of Pink' more, and learn a few more spells from Miss Nia..."

The girl trembled involuntarily, not only because the unknown future had become a known reality, but also because someone else had touched that forbidden land she herself had never even dared to. In that instant, her emotions surged violently. This shouldn't be happening, how could it have come to this... Why, why was she being treated this way? Great God of Justice, please grant me strength, so that my strong heart may continue to shine in this darkness. Please continue to guide me, so that I may not be corrupted or manipulated by evil.

This is also a flaw in the human soul; Weapon Spirit would never be able to experience such a feeling.

But for now, all she can do is endure it.

However, when the Weapon Spirit felt the thick, hot weapon pierce through her forbidden territory, which no one had ever entered before, the intense pain still turned into a long scream from her mouth.

At the same time, Li Lin was also pondering an equally strange question.

"If I hadn't created you myself, I would definitely believe you came from somewhere else."

He spoke earnestly, then patted Yi Aier on the shoulder before turning his head to gaze at the magical machine before him with a complex expression.

What was displayed before Li Lin was the magical weapon that Yi Aier had designed and built after the final design: the mobile fortress. At first glance, this mobile fortress looked like a steel castle, and its movement was entirely accomplished by eight steel mechanical legs beneath the castle. Simply put, it was like a giant steel spider.

Li Lin was certain that he had seen something similar in Star Wars or some other science fiction movie on Earth...

It must be said that when watching movies on Earth, Li Lin only enjoyed the spectacle, but now he realizes that these seemingly cumbersome mobile fortresses can indeed play a significant role in ground offensive warfare. First, their defenses are formidable enough to withstand any attack, and they can also be stopped and converted into true frontline fortresses. Of course, given Yi Aier's style, a dozen or so giant magical turrets on them are indispensable.

In addition to magical weapons and equipment that can cast various auxiliary spells... and so-called magical wagons that can launch attacks from fortresses, this is almost one of the most lethal and intimidating things that Li Lin has seen since the Magic Empire era.

Li Lin was certain that with this thing, he could reduce the number of undead troops he had to control by half in the battles on the front lines, and it would also save him the trouble of building fortresses and command posts in the occupied territories.

I really don't know how this little brain of mine came up with these things.

He patted Yi Aier's head and looked away. The smug blonde twin-tailed maid, though unaware of the meaning behind Li Lin's earlier words, was clearly quite pleased to receive her master's praise. Of course, Yi Aier's efforts were largely motivated by her fear that Li Lin would bring up the shameful incident of blasting the Weapon Spirit to smithereens instead of capturing them alive. Now it seemed the most dangerous hurdle had passed.

As for what happens next...