What Cannot Be Abandoned

When Gabriel reappeared before Li Lin almost didn't recognize her. Although they had only met once, the Archangel's calm and humble demeanor had left a deep impression on him. But now, she stood before him like an abandoned, restless puppy. Her original clerical robes had been replaced by lace stockings and a thin blouse, exuding ambiguity and allure, highlighting her still-developing body and revealing a youthful yet seductive charm. She was like a flower shyly half-open in the rain, inspiring an urge to utterly ravage her.

Although the Archangel had undergone such a significant transformation, Catherine, standing beside him, wore a look of fear and unease. In truth, while she had fulfilled Angela's basic requests, she couldn't be considered entirely successful. Although she had skillfully shattered the Archangel's defenses, his inherently kind nature remained. Even though Gabriel no longer resisted those lewd acts, she still didn't believe they were right, let alone accept them. And this was all Catherine could manage, no matter how hard she tried.

The archangel standing there now wasn't dressed like the Nalu, alluring and revealing in a tight leather outfit. Her body was trembling, enduring the gazes from all sides. If Catherine's "work" had any result, it was that she had transformed the archangel back to her original age, and perhaps that was all.

"Clearly, I somewhat regret entrusting myself to you."

Angela showed no dissatisfaction, but neither did she show satisfaction, and upon hearing this, Catherine hurriedly lowered her head in fear.

"I'm very sorry, Miss Angela, my abilities are insufficient..."

"Never mind, I didn't mean to blame you."

Angela waved her hand and turned her gaze back to the archangel in front of her. Feeling her aggressive gaze, the archangel trembled involuntarily. She gritted her teeth, and it was already difficult enough for her to just stand there.

"So, what do you intend to do with her, Master? I was originally planning to tear off her wings and stuff them inside her body for my own amusement, but it seems the most interesting part has already been eliminated by Catherine... I have no interest in dolls."

To be honest, Li Lin didn't have any particular thoughts about this archangel.

At first, he didn't think she would become his subordinate. After all, the archangel had considerable power, and even if Catherine made a move, there was no way she could capture her. And judging from the little one's personality, the possibility of capturing her was far smaller than tearing her to pieces.

However, Li Lin hadn't expected the God of Justice to abandon this archangel, especially after she made a mistake for which she shouldn't have borne the responsibility. He didn't understand why the God of Justice would make such a choice. But regardless, this gave Li Lin an opportunity—an opportunity to turn an enemy into a subordinate. However, he still hadn't figured out how to use this pawn. It was like someone who had meticulously planned all their daily expenses suddenly winning an unexpected lottery prize—unsure what to do.

However, Li Lin clearly didn't have the habit of keeping her as a mere figurehead. Since Angela had expressed no interest and Catherine's abilities were limited to this, the next question was his. Judging from the Archangel's current state, the possibility of turning her into his ally was not high. After all, she was a righteous angel, and her kind nature could never be eradicated. Catherine was human, and the Nalu had once been human souls, so modifying them wouldn't be difficult. But angels—especially those directly created by God—even if they lost their powerful abilities, it didn't mean they would quickly fall.

Of course, if he were to send her to Hell, the dimensional environment and omnipresent evil there would naturally corrupt the archangel's mind and body, turning her into a fallen angel. However, Li Lin didn't want to do that. After all, he needed a subordinate loyal to him, not a demonic duke from some dimension of Hell. With that thought, Li Lin stood up; he had already come up with a good plan.

"Please come with me, Miss Gabriel."

Li Lin smiled slightly and spoke to Gabriel. Then, he looked at Catherine, who was standing beside him looking uneasy, and Angela was excitedly trying to catch up.

"You two, stay here. I have another score to settle with you."

Upon hearing this, Catherine froze on the spot. She looked at Li Lin uneasily, completely unaware of when she had offended her master. Angela, on the other hand, pursed her lips and, though somewhat unwilling, stopped following.

Following Li Lin out of the tense room, Gabriel visibly relaxed. She looked fearfully at the Arcane Mage before her, bowing low as she followed him. Although she didn't know what fate awaited her, after Catherine's "tutoring" these past few days, Gabriel had a pretty good idea of what was to come. She nervously rubbed her legs, suppressing her fear. Normally, she could pray to the God of Justice for protection. But now, she could only rely on the deep-seated yearning for justice and goodness within her to escape what was about to happen. Although the archangel wasn't familiar with matters between men and women, after Catherine's instruction, she could easily guess what was to come. Perhaps this evil mage would take her to a soft bed and then use his large, hot... Thinking of this, Gabriel blushed slightly. She shook her head vigorously, banishing the lewd fantasies from her mind, and began to brace herself, trying to face and resist what was about to happen.

"Do you remember the last time we met, Miss Gabriel?"

Li Lin's question startled Gabriel slightly, but she nodded and answered.

"Yes, Arcane Mage, I remember it very clearly."

I once said that you were a very young angel.

Li Lin didn't seem like a man leading a woman to his bedroom; on the contrary, he seemed like a mentor patiently guiding her.

"There are so many things in this world that you don't know. Believe me, I've met many archangels who serve various gods, and they all have their own principles and ideas to varying degrees. I think you're no exception."

Gabriel opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to retort, "Only the God of Justice is the true god," but she swallowed the words back, for reasons unknown.

"You believe we are evil, then I want to ask you: why are we evil?"

"Because you used the power of magic to slaughter innocent civilians."

This time Gabriel answered very quickly.

"You used the power of magic to bind their corpses, spreading death, fear, and destruction across the land. If this is not an act to be called evil, then I think there is no evil left to exist."

"That's right."

To Gabriel's surprise, Li Lin did not deny her statement; on the contrary, he nodded in agreement.

"Our Magic Empire has never considered itself to be on the side of justice. We rule the entire Prime Material Plane, which means we not only have to consider the interests of humanity, but also many others, including dwarves, elves, Dark Elf, and even the undead. To maintain the balanced development of the entire Prime Material Plane, we will do things that humans consider extremely evil. Of course, these are rare, and we will try our best to cover them up and make them seem completely unrelated to us. I have never believed that the Magic Empire exists for the sake of justice, but I also do not believe that we represent evil. In fact, from another perspective, in the eyes of those beasts and elves, humans who recklessly cultivate and destroy forests are the root of all evil."

"..."

Gabriel remained silent in response to Li Lin's words.

"I have no intention of discussing the definition of justice with you. Stance determines attitude, and I understand that perfectly well."

As he spoke, Li Lin turned around and pushed open a large door.

"I only want you to see one thing."

Curiosity made Gabriel look up and follow the direction of the door Li Lin had pushed open. To her surprise, the room was not what Gabriel had imagined. There was no soft, warm bed, nor the terrifying torture instruments. The entire room was smooth, and magical light converged into lines that emerged from the walls, seemingly transmitting some kind of power and gathering it onto a crystal floating in the center of the room.

This is...?

Gabriel was somewhat puzzled. Although he was no longer an angel, he was also no longer a mage. These things were clearly magical creations, so what was the point of the Arcane Mage inviting him to see them?

"This is one of the core areas of Ringwraith City."

Li Lin's voice became much lower, and it carried a heavy tone.

"It records everything that has happened since the birth of Ringwraith City... and now, I want you to see it for yourself."

As he spoke, Li Lin stretched out his hand and chanted an incantation in a low voice. Then, the entire room began to emit a faint light. Gabriel felt a dazzling light flash past her, and then, to her astonishment, she found that the room and walls had vanished, and she was standing on a smooth, beautiful city wall, gazing at the surrounding scenery. Wherever Gabriel's gaze fell, sparks erupted from the ground, accompanied by sharp roars. Not far away, led by banners, groups of soldiers were charging forward with all their might. Gabriel immediately recognized them as the army of the Five-Nation Alliance.

This was clearly a scene from a war. Gabriel watched as mages cast spells on the soldiers. Although the spells caused considerable damage, the soldiers bravely advanced, holding off the mages' fierce attack. They eventually broke through the defenses and killed the mages on the land they were protecting.

If that were all, it wouldn't have made much of a difference to Gabriel. But what happened next astonished her. The soldiers didn't stop. They stormed into the city and rushed into the houses. Soon, screams erupted as helpless women and children were dragged out of the city. They struggled to break free, but the soldiers ruthlessly tore their clothes and began to violate them like wild beasts. Gabriel witnessed a young girl struggling desperately, which clearly enraged the soldier assaulting her. He yelled and whipped... He drew his longsword and forcefully pinned the girl to the doorpost. The girl screamed, her mouth agape, and then her body collapsed, powerless to resist. Even so, the soldier did not stop. He moved back and forth on the corpse until he let out a satisfied roar before withdrawing. He then pulled his longsword from the body and, with bloodshot eyes, went to his next target. The girl, her legs wide open, stared at the sky. Her chest was a bloody mess, and even her lower body was torn to shreds. Gabriel stared at the corpse before him, feeling waves of nausea washing over him.

But this is only the beginning.

The images flashed rapidly, scene after scene of invasion appearing before Gabriel's eyes. She saw soldiers snatching crying infants from their beds, ignoring their mothers' desperate pleas, throwing them to the ground, and then stomping them into a bloody pulp. She saw elderly people treated like livestock by soldiers, their necks bound with ropes, and then hanged alive from the city walls. The mages fought desperately, but the number of enemies they annihilated was never as many as the number they faced. The once beautiful and peaceful city was engulfed in the raging flames of war. Everything presented a picture of destruction and ruin.

The scene flashed again, Gabriel found herself standing in a passageway, where an armored elf was fighting against soldiers of the Five-Nation Alliance, resisting their attack.

"Get out of here quickly! Go to the Arcane Mage; he will protect you! Go now!"

Behind the female elf was a group of young children, huddled together in fear, gritting their teeth as they retreated. The soldiers of the Five-Nation Alliance clearly had no intention of letting them go. Soon, a group of archers emerged from the crowd, drew their bows, aimed at the children, and fired. Although the female elf desperately parried most of the arrows, several still struck the fleeing children, pinning them to the ground.

"Kaili!"

The children's screams drew the elf's attention. She turned around hastily, and in that instant, a soldier roared and charged forward, plunging his spear deep into her body, pinning her to the wall. Caught off guard by this sudden attack, the elf could no longer defend herself. She screamed and swung her longsword, plunging it into the soldier's chest. But then, several more spears followed, ending her life.

After eliminating the enemies who stood in their way, the soldiers stepped forward. They looked at the children pinned to the ground by arrows, groaning in pain, raised their longswords, and forcefully plunged them into their bodies. The children's innocent screams echoed in the corridor. The soldiers' swords, which had been forcefully churning inside the children's bodies, suddenly stopped. Then, the soldiers withdrew their weapons and continued their pursuit into the deeper parts of the corridor.

"No... no..."

The illusion stopped at that moment, and Gabriel collapsed to the ground, covering her ears tightly and closing her eyes, refusing to listen or see anything.

She is my student.

Li Lin appeared beside Gabriel, gazing sadly at the elven girl nailed to the wall. Her hands were still clenched tightly, trying to continue resisting the savage invaders, but she could no longer do so.

"She didn't have great magical talent, nor could she become a powerful mage, but she still hoped to protect her country and her people... Is that evil too, Miss Gabriel?"

"But, but..."

Gabriel was incoherent; she had no idea what to say. Indeed, the kindness and justice that ran deep in her blood still existed, but now their targets were beginning to change.

"This is what those people you're trying to protect now have done to us."

Li Lin's voice rang out, causing the archangel's body to tremble slightly.

"This is what you call a 'just' war."

"I... I..."

Gabriel trembled, speechless. She hugged herself tightly, unsure of what to do. She had always firmly believed that those she protected were innocent, kind, and weak. But the scene before her betrayed everything she had believed. These people were neither innocent, nor kind, nor weak. At least, that was the impression their actions made.

"But... but... they aren't the murderers. The murderers are already dead..."

"They did not die in agony and wailing, but rather in blissful peace, falling into eternal slumber. They went to their happy capital with satisfied smiles—at the cost of the suffering and destruction of my people."

Li Lin's icy voice interrupted Gabriel's explanation.

"You think this is the end of justice? Can everything we've suffered just end like this? I'm not acting for some vague past; that's my country, my people, my territory! I'm avenging the suffering and calamity endured by the people I rule! I inherited nothing, because I witnessed it all, and I can never forget it, not even a thousand years from now, or even a thousand years from now, I will never forget what the Five-Nation Alliance did to us. No matter how many generations their people change, I will not give up my revenge until the Five-Nation Alliance is destroyed."

"..."

"You can think about it carefully."

Li Lin left the room, gazing at Gabriel, who was still kneeling on the ground.

"At least for now, I'll give you that time, Miss Gabriel."