Chapter 628: Saint Monastery (IX)

Holy radiance ripped through the darkness. Celia walked out of the glaring radiance and gazed at the Fallen Angel with a complex glint. Then, she raised the sword in her hands. Silver-whitish flames erupted and blasted into the sky. The Fallen Angel hovering in midair suddenly sulked and widened her eyes unbelievably at Celia.

"Celia...?"

"I never expected that we would meet each other again in this state."

Celia's expression remain unchanged, but her eyes glinted with traces of regrets. Then, she shook her head and responded. The Fallen Angel shivered and the dark aura around her expanded abruptly.

"..."

As though an injured animal, the Fallen Angel let out a deep roar and her eyes flickered with scarlet luster. However, Celia simply laid her sword horizontally before her and expanded her pure white wings majestically.

"Miss Canary, Miss Bubble, please stand back. This is between me and her."

Celia soared into the sky, leaving Mini Bubble Gum and Canary exchanging looks with each other. Although they didn't know what Celia was up to, they were curious to see what new developments there were to the monastery that they had cleared it countless of times before. But even so, Mini Bubble Gum laughed up her sleeve and pointed a finger at Celia. Shortly after, a golden crown emerged above Celia's head and holy powers rushed into her body. The silver-whitish flames on her blade blazed increasingly brighter. Mini Bubble Gum placed her hands behind her back and looked at Rhode and Canary.

What a surprise.

Rhode shrugged at the sight of the Battle Angel and Fallen Angel. He had never expected that Celia would be related to this monastery. He arrived here for the sake of farming EXP, but it seemed that he had gained an unexpected result. Previously, Rhode's Holy Sword Cards didn't respond at all. However, after the Fallen Angel had appeared, he sensed an unprecedented and incomparably intense spiritual undulation from Starmark. This proved that the Fallen Angel and Celia had some sort of relationship between them.

It was due to this that Rhode had summoned Celia for this battle.

Among the Holy Sword Card Deck, Celia was the spirit who had spent the most time with Rhode. However, she was also the one who he understood the least. Although Celestina was arrogant, she often spoke a lot, so she was bound to slip up at some points. There were many times when Celestina got onto the hook whenever Rhode enticed her and she exposed all her secrets to him accidentally. On the other hand, although Gracier and Madaras had rarely spoken, they didn't specially keep their identities a secret. Although they didn't introduce themselves to Rhode formally, they often stated and hinted their thoughts. However, Celia was an exception. Compared to her sisters, she was a tough nut to crack. No matter how Rhode enticed or inquired, she wouldn't reveal what she shouldn't. Even though she might express her opinions about Rhode's actions, she had never spoken about her true identity like Celestina, Gracier, and Madaras. This was why even though Celia had been by Rhode's side the longest, he didn't understand her as much as the other summoned spirits. And this time, it was a great opportunity.

"I've never thought that you would end up in this state."

Celia let out a sigh while the Fallen Angel's eyes turned bloodshot.

"You've never, Celia?! What about you? Look at what you've become! You've lost the pride of Angels and allowed a Human to order you about like a dog. What rights do you have to pity me? We chose a completely different path from the start and ended up with the same results! I'm no longer who I used to be! Celia, I have long given up the desires that you and I have fought hard for! No matter if it was justice or kindness, it would eventually dissipate into nothingness. On this continent, everything that we've protected for is ephemeral!"

The Fallen Angel raised the double-handed sword in his hands abruptly.

"Only destruction is forever, Celia. It's the same for you and I."

"I understand your feelings, my friend."

Celia pointed her sword forward.

"But everything is meaningless now. I'm no longer who I was, but I still have to accomplish my mission. This is our fate and you can't neglect its presence no matter how hard you escape from it. Haven't you realized it?"

"I'm not escaping from it!"

The Fallen Angel bellowed and bolted forward in the speed of light. Her longsword tore the sound barrier and as she slashed at Celia!

Celia watched calmly. The silver-whitish flames on her blade proliferated instantly and illuminated the pitch-black dome. At this moment, the longsword had collided heavily on Celia's blade.

Clang!

The dark fog and silver-whitish flames interwoven and tore at each other. Celia shook slightly, but she brandished her sword forcefully and it exploded with glaring flames that devoured the massive, pitch-black double-handed longsword. In an instant, countless sparks splattered and the sound of friction screeched as she pushed back the longsword in the Fallen Angel's hands. The Fallen Angel's pale, dead complexion twisted under the flame radiance.

This wasn't an evenly matched battle. Although the Fallen Angel appeared to be much stronger than Celia and perhaps Celia would have a hard time dealing with her if Rhode didn't cast the 'Taboo Halo', the Fallen Angel had suffered from Canary and Mini Bubble Gum's joint attacks previously and she was lucky to have survived. At this moment, the Fallen Angel was as powerful as a spent force and Mini Bubble Gum had cast 'Imperial Blessing' on Celia to increase her attack attributes by nearly 50%. Under the circumstances, the Fallen Angel naturally wasn't Celia's match.

The holy powers sliced through the dark fog as though a razor-sharp knife, leaving a myriad of cracks on the longsword blade. The Fallen Angel's arms eroded and shriveled instantly.

"Ahhh!"

The Fallen Angel didn't give up. She snarled, pushed her arms forward, and the weakened evil aura blustered into force once again. But she was merely putting up a meaningless struggle in Celia's eyes. The dark aura pressurized Celia and as it was about to consume her entirely, she flapped her wings and agilely dodged the dangerous longsword. Then, the fiery blade in Celia's hands erupted.

Boom!

The dark fog dispersed.

The Fallen Angel succumbed to the silver-whitish flames and crashed heavily to the ground from the high altitude. Celia sheathed her sword and gently flapped her wings to descend to the surface.

"..."

The Fallen Angel opened her eyes. Her thin body trembled weakly and her face distorted to the holy powers that had crushed her soul. This was an omen of death for a Fallen Angel.

"... I didn't expect to see your swordsmanship after so many years... Celia..."

The Fallen Angel revealed a smile as she gazed at Celia flapping her wings toward her.

"I truly miss those days... Back then, I've always admired you. Your swordsmanship is just like you. Sharp, pure, and dazzling. But... after all, everything has ended... We've been abandoned by Archangel Serene. I know... that wasn't her fault, but... I..."

The Fallen Angel extended her trembling hand.

"Celia, do you know? Back then, if I'd chosen to leave with you, perhaps everything would be different. But I chose to stay. I thought that it was the right choice... But..." she gazed at her shriveled hand, "... this is the end. I've given up on my beliefs. My path..."

The Fallen Angel's voice became softer and softer. Finally, she closed her eyes and her body dissipated into smoke and dust. Celia gazed quietly before closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. She raised her sword and the smoke fluttered as though they were alive, winding the silver-whitish blade. Holy flames blazed on the blade and enveloped the smoke completely.

Then, Celia lowered her head.

"Rest in peace, my friend."

She said softly.