Why Did You Summon Me?

The pleasant sensation generated from the contact with a young girl’s soft skin made Baiyi blush.

Alas, nothing good lasted forever, and perverted deeds never went unpunished. Before Baiyi could bask in the pleasure, an incredibly powerful and invisible barrier formed between him and the angel. The force that it emerged with sent Baiyi flying; he did land gracefully, though, using several backflips.

Baiyi was rather grateful that he had not eaten a mouthful of soil.

The kitty plush toy was no longer in his possession. Noirciel held it up happily and rubbed her cheeks against it.

The three Voidwalkers that came with Baiyi fought the urge to laugh. They were sure that they were not the only people there that believed Baiyi got what he deserved.

Baiyi casually walked back over to Noirciel. In a bid to brush off the embarrassing event, he solemnly said, “I’m afraid the effect of Lulu’s influence is really serious. I understand your urgent need to see Mia, but this is not the right place. Please, follow me.”

“Okay!” The angel nodded immediately, with the plushie still pressed firmly against her cheek.

Baiyi was surprised that he had convinced her so easily, but before he could take his leave, the Church’s cavalry arrived. Fifty templars, who were clad in silver-white armors and had wings of light behind them, quickly surrounded Baiyi.

Noirciel’s attention shifted to the various wings around her. Although she knew they could not be compared with her, she was still jealous.

A voice reverberated from behind the templars, “Your Grace! We’re here to protect you! Are you hurt?”

An old man wearing a scruffy priests’ robe walked forward. The beautiful wings at his back looked out of place on him.

A Voidwalker wearing a black robe that covered his face held his hand to his mouth, ready to puke at the sight of the old man.

The priest was Saint Jola. He was the son of a family so religious, his given name was a combination of Apostle Joel’s and Apostle Yula’s. Saint Jola practically worshipped these two legends, so, like them, he chose to live a life of abnegation. His goal was to achieve Ascension the same way they did.

Jola had watched the angel burst out of the carriage and fly towards Baiyi. In anger, he had grabbed the collar of the High Priest’s robe and demanded, “Why did nobody tell us that an angel has graced us with its presence?! Why weren’t any grand ceremonies and rituals held? Why were only so few of us dispatched to help Her Grace battle that devil?!”

The High Priest pulled away in a huff and replied, “It’s all the Pope’s idea. Maybe you should ask him yourself if you’re so keen to know, Brother Jola.”

Emphasis was made on the word ‘brother’; it was a reminder to Saint Jola that his rank was not above that of the High Priest’s. Apostles did not have any responsibilities, and as Jola wanted to emulate the life of his idols, Apostles Joel and Yula, he rejected offers to switch to high positions, choosing to remain an ordinary cleric. Hence, he could not disrespect the High Priest.

“Her Grace is in grave danger. You should hurry; take our soldiers and go help her!” The High Priest exclaimed.

Apostle Jola had to swallow his retort when he heard that. He skillfully cast a spell that one of his idols was renowned for, causing every templar to sprout wings of light. Hereafter, they all flew towards the angel at full speed.

The Word of God, the spell he had just cast, reminded Jola of the lovely saintess who taught it to him. The time he spent learning from Saintess Laeticia was amazing. Jola admired her greatly, especially for her grace and devotion. Unfortunately, he had recently learned that the Saintess was teetering on the brink of the Fall. She had refused to leave the devil’s side, despite multiple summons from the Church ordering her return. The devil had closed her eyes to their God; he had tempted her!

Apostle Jola no longer saw Saintess Laeticia as a beautiful maiden; in his mind, she had become an old hag in pitch-black armor, cackling madly in delight as she watches holy flags burn. This made the hate he had for the devil skyrocket.

Jola’s thoughts were conflicted as he flew towards the angel. On one hand, he felt shameful that he had not protected the angel beforehand; on the other hand, he was happy that he would be helping the angel vanquish that devil!

However, by the time Jola and the templars arrived, the battle had yet to begin. It seemed the angel and devil were at a stalemate.

It took some time for Noirciel, who was rather clumsy, to understand what was going on. She quickly turned around and explained to the knights, “This is Hope; Mia’s father, and Lulu’s idol. I will go with him to seek my salvation. I do not need any of you, so please, leave us be.”

Noirciel’s words struck the ears of the templars like huge bolts of lightning. They stood so still, it was as though they had looked into Medusa’s eyes and turned to stone.

The templars knew who Hope was. They also knew that Mia was one of his students; what they did not know was when  the man became her father? Who the hell was Lulu? Why did the angel just imply that her salvation was in the hand of the bloody devil?

Was the angel still on their side? Or, had she fallen already? How was it possible for an angel, beings that bore the wills of gods, to fall? A corrupted angel cannot be anything more than the figment of one’s imagination! It was not stated in the scripture that angels could be corrupted!

Although her words were enough to shake the belief of faithful believers, Noirciel turned back around and grabbed her Baiyi’s gauntlet. Looking up at him with childish excitement, she giggled. “Well, shall we?”

When Baiyi felt the angel hold his hand, he expected another invisible barrier to pop up and repel him, but nothing happened. All he felt was the warmth of a little girl’s hand.

‘Well, well, well! Who would have thought that the plan would go so darn smoothly? No one expected the angel to cooperate to this extent! Is this Lulu’s influence at work?’ Baiyi thought. He wondered if Mia’s adoration of him had rubbed off on Lulu. Nevertheless, Lulu considered Baiyi a reliable parental figure; this must have rubbed off on the angel. It had affected her enough that she would trust him.

Baiyi turned around and looked at two Voidwalkers, whose faces were also hidden by the hood of their black robes, and said, “Alright. I’ll leave those Church boys to you.”

Hereafter, Baiyi informed the Charlatan Walker that it was time to leave. They were planning to depart right in front of the Church!

Two templars could no longer sit still. They unsheathed their blades and blocked the path. They gazed at Baiyi with pity in their eyes, as though he was already dead.

One of the Voidwalkers let out an audible sigh. “And the Lord says: No weapon forged against the innocent will prevail.”

Suddenly, the wings of light behind the two templars shattered, and they crashed to the ground like anchors.

“Impossible!” Jola bellowed as he watched Baiyi slip away, with the angel in tow. He glared daggers at the Voidwalker and snarled. “You are the devil’s accomplice! How were you able to dispell a spell of God?!”

“Look, can we just let this pass?” The Voidwalker said. “That son of a b… I mean, Principal Hope doesn’t think ill of any of you, which is why he left us behind. It’s his way of letting all of you go.”

“Enough!” Jola shouted furiously. “The Lord says: Fear my wrath!”

Divine Energy exploded out from Jola’s body, and two horrifyingly thick arcs of lightning tore through the clouds and struck the two Voidwalkers.

This was the strongest variation of the Word of God, called “Judgement”. It was fatal to demons, non-believers, and liches. Judgment was only second to Void banishment, the Church’s most powerful technique. Its incantation was simple and remarkably short. The spell could be cast in a second, which was not enough time for the opponent to react.

This technique had two disadvantages. One, it could only be used within a Holy Ground — an area that contained a church or cathedral. Two, it consumed an enormous amount of the user’s Divine Energy. However, it was more effective than most Forbidden Spells…

Or so the Church thought.

The large amount of Divine Energy expended could be replenished only after a full year of intense prayers, yet Apostle Jula had used it without batting an eye. When it came to ridding the world of demons, there was no such thing as overkill. Jola’s only regret was that he did not use it on the devil.

As lightning consumed the two Voidwalkers, Apostle Jola muttered, “All that remains of you are dust now, isn’t it?”

A sudden bizarre occurrence was his reply. The raging arcs of lightning began to shrink, and soon, they dispersed, leaving behind two golden rays of light, which illuminated the two Voidwalkers like spotlights.

One Voidwalker turned to the other and said, “Now I know why you never use this technique. It’s bloody useless!”

“Oh, shut your ignorant mouth. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to use it; I couldn’t ! I was in the Abyss, not some Holy Ground!” The other Voidwalker, who had just neutralized Jola’s spell, snapped.

Jola watched the scene with his mouth wide open. A horrifying thought crossed his mind: Judgment had not harmed his opponents because the spell could not harm those who are faithful.

‘Doesn’t this mean that these two — who are happily allied with the devil — are of the faithful?! ‘