"Jeanne must fulfill her mission. France's future requires her salvation," Archangel Michael said, his tone neither arrogant nor humble.
Laurent sneered mockingly.
"So, this is her mission? Sending a sixteen-year-old girl onto the battlefield, forcing her into slaughter? You're telling me that's her so-called 'mission'?"
He stomped the ground, lunging toward Michael without any hesitation.
"If this is your so-called 'divine will,' then today, I'll tear apart every last one of you bastards who call yourselves 'Heaven'!"
"Insolence!"
The other two angels immediately retaliated, raising their hands simultaneously.
"Holy Lord, grant us the strength to punish evil."
In an instant, the entire sky turned golden as countless spears of golden light descended like rain.
Laurent's pupils shrank; he swiftly landed on the ground, dodging the endless barrage of golden spears.
"It's useless. Evil is naturally suppressed by the light of justice. Give up your meaningless resistance."
"Give up? You must be dreaming."
As the two angels calmly spoke, Laurent suddenly appeared beside them, faster than they could react.
His right hand transformed into a massive spike, thrusting mercilessly toward one angel's head.
"I never saw myself as 'Absolute Evil'!"
The angel stared at him in shock, quickly retreating to avoid the attack.
"To think you've adapted to this power so swiftly... Laurent, you truly are dangerous."
At this point, all three archangels' expressions became solemn.
"Whether it's your obstruction of the Holy Maiden's path or your mere existence itself—today, we must eliminate you."
"Hahaha!"
After landing, Laurent laughed loudly.
"Obstructing her path? Without you damned birdmen interfering, she'd still be just a carefree girl living in a village—a completely ordinary peasant girl! It's precisely because of you bastards, who know nothing but still impose your lofty ideals on her. Who the hell do you think you are? Who gave you the right to decide someone else's entire life!?"
"That is her mission. How could a mere mortal like you possibly understand?"
"Yeah, I'm just a mere mortal, which is precisely why I despise you feathered fuckers! Couldn't you have found someone else to do your dirty work? Couldn't you have chosen another?"
"You've lost your mind, Laurent. We imposed nothing on her. She herself willingly accepted."
Archangel Michael calmly explained, then chanted softly,
"Holy Light, punish all evil."
The two angels beside him also gathered their strength:
"Holy Light, grant us power!"
Suddenly, blazing golden radiance as bright as the sun enveloped everything.
"Oh, I've definitely lost it," Laurent laughed wildly.
"To think there was actually a time when I foolishly believed you'd guide her properly, that as gods, you'd surely protect her. But now, it's obvious you're just satisfying your sick curiosity."
This time, Laurent raised his right hand to the sky, his face twisted with violent fury.
"[Trial of the Blood Lake]!"
A crimson blood orb formed above his palm, and without hesitation, he crushed it. Instantly, the entire world shifted dramatically.
Countless streams of fresh blood surged hungrily around them, surrounding the three angels like a thick black curtain intent on devouring them.
Michael, however, showed no panic.
"So, rather than passing the trial and receiving limited power, you've fully merged with Absolute Evil and can wield it freely?"
He glanced indifferently at the blood around him.
"To achieve such perfect synchronization on your very first encounter—indeed, you're an extremely dangerous being. In retrospect, I should have instructed Jeanne to kill you back when we delivered the revelation."
"Then you should regret your silence now."
A cruel smile tugged at Laurent's lips.
"Forcing a girl to carry out such deeds—do you really deserve your title as an angel of absolute justice?"
"She is the only one who can fulfill this task. Her devout prayers will be rewarded by the Lord."
"Then I'll just have to slaughter your damned 'Lord' along with you!"
As the words left his lips, countless crimson streams rushed ferociously toward the three angels. Laurent himself soared upward, striking directly at them.
"Utterly laughable," came a cold voice from within the blood.
Laurent's expression shifted subtly. In an instant, the blood scattered violently, as though encountering something untouchable. Yet Michael, standing calmly at the center, stared at Laurent with golden eyes, utterly indifferent.
"Human Laurent, we angels possess absolute power over Absolute Evil. The aura of evil surrounding you is overwhelmingly strong. Now, your existence itself has become an obstacle to Jeanne. Therefore, we shall erase every trace of you completely."
Laurent's pupils constricted sharply. The next moment, he felt an immense pressure pressing on his back, violently forcing him to the ground, immobilizing him completely.
BOOM!
"Discard your petty, meaningless sentimentality. If the salvation of an entire nation requires sacrificing a single girl, it's a worthy price. Moreover, she was born precisely for this purpose—no one else but her could accomplish it. Those who lack righteousness, who choose personal attachments over the greater good, are ultimately selfish. You clearly choose personal desire over the world itself, not only shortsightedly disregarding the big picture but also indirectly wounding Jeanne's own heart."
Brilliant golden radiance ruthlessly pressed Laurent flat to the earth. Gritting his teeth furiously, he held on stubbornly.
BOOM!
The ground cracked violently again, earth and trees collapsing into ruin.
It hurt, but Laurent was already accustomed to pain. Compared to the trials he endured earlier, this burning sensation across his back felt like nothing.
I can do this—I absolutely can't let it end here!
Determined, he slowly, forcefully stood beneath the crushing golden light.
The golden radiance tore at his body, causing streams of blood to liquefy and drip from him like melting water.
At this moment, Laurent resembled a melting clay figure, yet he stubbornly, defiantly stood.
The fallen blood wailed mournfully, like tortured souls lamenting their fate.
Witnessing this scene, even the three archangels were visibly shaken.
"Impossible! With such overwhelming evil inside him, he should be utterly incapable of movement!"
Michael immediately commanded,
"Use light swords, erase his existence!"
"At once!"
But in the next instant, darkness surged forth, engulfing everything around them. A suffocating despair spread even to the angels, momentarily rattling their calm.
Then, a low, menacing voice resonated through the darkness:
"Hurt her? Erase my existence?"
At the center of everything, Laurent's form dissolved into swirling darkness. The tangible malice emanating from it was horrifyingly clear.
"Who gave you the right to say such things? Who decided that you were in the right?"
Now, heaven and earth had become utterly black, countless bloody threads spiraling around the angels, trapping them layer by layer like a spider's web. Even the blazing golden radiance was slowly dimmed by the encroaching darkness.
Then Laurent's voice, saturated with barely restrained rage, thundered out again:
"If Heaven blocks me, I'll shatter it. If God stands in my way, I'll kill Him. And if you angels try to stop me, I'll tear you to pieces."
Scarlet eyes burned furiously within the swirling darkness, glaring at the three angels, shaking them to their very cores.
In the pitch-black mist, those crimson eyes made their blood run cold.
---
T/N:
Hey everyone, thanks for reading. If you're enjoying the translation, dropping some Powerstones would really help out your hardworking translator (100 stones = 1 bonus chapter, 200 = 2 chapters, and so on—easy math, right?).
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