Luna dragged her exhausted body through the front door.
It was an ordinary apartment in a mid-range residential area of Eden City.
With two bedrooms and a living room, the decor was simple and cozy.
This was where she lived alone—as a Goddess Angel, she didn’t live with any family members to protect her true identity.
Instead, she had applied for a private school apartment under the pretext of ‘needing independence for her studies.’
The young girl tossed her schoolbag onto the sofa and collapsed onto the large, soft bed.
‘Ugh—’
The mattress sank slightly, cradling Luna’s slender frame.
She rolled over to lie on her back and stared at the ceiling, her long pink hair sprawling across the white sheets like a flower in bloom.
So many things happened today.
Luna closed her eyes, and scenes from the day began to replay in her mind.
After arriving at the classroom this morning, her classmates, who were usually kind to her, seemed even more enthusiastic. Perhaps her ‘absence due to feeling unwell’ yesterday had worried everyone. Several girls crowded around to ask how she was feeling, and some boys even secretly placed boxes of nutritional supplements on her desk that were supposedly very effective.
She handled them with a smile, knowing that while the concern was based on a misunderstanding, it still made her feel warm inside.
Then there were her fellow Goddess Angel sisters in the ‘Starlight Covenant’ group.
From yesterday until today, people in the group had been constantly checking on her. Some asked why she had lost contact yesterday, others said she must wait for a companion before taking action next time, and one senior even sent her a private message, telling her to stay safe and not to overextend herself.
That feeling of being remembered and cared for was something she had never experienced before becoming a Goddess Angel.
The corners of Luna’s mouth curled up slightly.
‘Being a Goddess Angel… is truly wonderful.’
Later, she and Hestia had resolved that Crystal Remains Crisis together.
Thinking of that gentle blonde girl made the smile on Luna’s face grow even brighter.
Hestia’s healing and buffs, and the promise the two of them made on the clock tower to go shopping and eat sweets together in the future… although she couldn’t agree immediately because of that hateful V, at least they had a promise.
One day, she would definitely meet Hestia in the Surface World.
They would sit in a dessert shop, share a piece of cake, and chat and laugh like ordinary girls.
At that thought, the smile on Luna’s face dimmed again.
Because—thinking of today’s Crystal Remains Crisis meant she couldn’t help but think about Adjudicator V.
That eerie man wearing a white mask with a flowing red V printed on it.
That strange villain who saved her from T yesterday but didn’t hurt her.
That hateful guy who suddenly appeared on the clock tower today, threatened her using Hestia, and made her say she was ‘willing to do anything.’
Luna rolled over and buried her face in the pillow, letting out a muffled groan.
‘Ugh…’
‘Why?’
‘Why would a villain save her?’
‘Why wouldn’t he hurt her after saving her, but instead threaten her in that way?’
‘Why… did he say he was hiding right by her side?’
The words from that note surfaced in Luna’s mind again—’I will be watching you… forever…’
‘Was that guy telling the truth?’
‘Is he really right beside me?’
It could be a classmate, a teacher, any staff member at the school… it might even be someone she saw every day but never noticed.
The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
She sat up abruptly, hugging her knees and burying her face against them.
She was frustrated.
Truly frustrated.
She was clearly a Goddess Angel, someone chosen by the Goddess to protect this world, the powerful Annihilation Angel Artemis.
Yet, she was utterly helpless against that V.
Luna’s fingers tightened, gripping the hem of her pajamas.
‘I’ve already…’
‘Stepped into that guy’s trap, step by step.’
From the conversation in the abandoned warehouse yesterday, to the confrontation on the clock tower today, to that note that made her heart race—every step felt meticulously designed.
That V was like a spider hidden in the dark, silently weaving a web, while she, a foolish firefly, was being entangled in that web bit by bit.
‘If I let this continue…’
Luna looked up, her pale gold eyes shimmering with complex emotions in the dim room.
‘If I let this continue, I will definitely… become that guy’s property.’
‘Damn it…’
‘What should I do?’
Although that guy hadn’t given her any specific tasks so far, only telling her she ‘couldn’t attack’ and making her ‘exchange contact info,’ that unknown sense of pressure was more unsettling than a clear threat.
It was like a sword hanging over her head, and she didn’t know when it would fall.
Luna hugged her knees, curling herself into a ball.
More than being controlled or hurt herself… she was worried that this would lead her Goddess Angel companions into danger.
Hestia, the seniors, and the sisters who cared for her in the ‘Starlight Covenant’ group—they were all such good people.
They worried about her when she lost contact, rushed to support her when she was in danger, and gave her encouragement and guidance when she was lost. The bond between them was the most precious thing she had gained after becoming a Goddess Angel.
If those kind sisters were exposed to V’s gaze because of her, targeted by that eerie guy, or even… hurt…
Luna bit her lower lip, her fingernails digging deep into her palms.
‘No.’
‘I absolutely cannot let that happen.’
‘But…’
‘What can I even do?’
Luna looked up suddenly, a trace of stubbornness igniting in her pale gold eyes.
She couldn’t just sit here and wait for death.
She had to try to resist.
The other party was an absolute villain, an irreconcilable enemy of the Goddess Angels. How could she just let him order her around?
But…
As soon as the thought appeared, it was crushed by a series of practical problems.
‘How do I resist?’
‘I can’t beat him—my six proud Floating Turrets were useless against that eerie Mutual Slaughter of All Things. I haven’t even figured out the principle of his ability, so how can I fight?’
‘I can’t escape—he said he’s hidden right beside me, which means no matter where I hide, he can find me. And I can’t give up my identity and responsibilities as a Goddess Angel just to hide from him.’
‘Ask for help?—Who? Tell my companions I’ve been targeted and threatened by an Adjudicator, and then what? Let everyone face that dangerous person together? Wouldn’t that just drag them down too?’
Luna scratched her hair in frustration.
She was never the type who was good at thinking of strategies.
As an Annihilation Angel, her style had always been straightforward—identify the problem, then use overwhelming firepower. Dealing with complex tactical analysis and conspiracies had never been her strength.
She wanted to find someone reliable to talk to, but realized she couldn’t find a suitable person.
‘My companions? No, I can’t involve them.’
‘The seniors? Same reason, I can’t let them fall into danger too.’
‘Ordinary people? Even more impossible; they don’t even know Goddess Angels exist.’
Luna buried her face in her knees again, letting out a muffled groan.
‘I can’t think of anything.’
‘I really can’t think of anything.’
She scratched her hair in annoyance, leaving her long pink hair in a mess. With a few strands sticking up and her face scrunched together, she looked like a bristling kitten.
“Aaaaah—!”
The pink-haired girl couldn’t help but let out a small shout of frustration, then fell backward, landing heavily on the bed.
After staring at the ceiling for a few seconds, she suddenly sat up.
‘No, thinking like this will only make things more confusing.’
‘I’ll take a bath to calm down first.’
She stood up and quickly stripped off her school uniform.
The white shirt fell to the floor, followed closely by the dark pleated skirt. She reached back to unfasten her bra, shedding the last of her constraints to reveal her graceful body.
The mirror reflected her silhouette—a slender waist, long legs, slightly budding breasts, and that messy pink hair. Her pale gold eyes met her own gaze in the mirror, her expression carrying a hint of exhaustion and confusion.
Warm water poured from the showerhead at just the right temperature, hitting the top of Luna’s head and flowing down her pink hair. It slid over her white neck and shoulders, following the curves of her body all the way down, finally disappearing into the drain at her feet.
The bathroom was soon filled with white steam. The warm yellow light became hazy and soft in the mist, enveloping the entire space in a dreamlike atmosphere.
Luna closed her eyes, letting the water wash over her face.
‘Calm down.’
‘Calm down and think carefully.’
‘There must be a way.’
She took a deep breath, then slowly opened her eyes. The mirror in front of her was already covered in steam, showing only a vague outline of a human figure.
She raised her hand and lightly wiped her finger across the mirror, clearing a small area.
In the mirror, the girl’s face was reflected—damp pink hair clung to her cheeks, her pale gold eyes looked exceptionally clear in the mist, tiny water droplets hung from her eyelashes, and her lips appeared redder from the hot water.
Luna looked at herself in the mirror and slowly clenched her fist.
She wouldn’t let herself be ordered around like this.
There must be some way.
Who was she? She was the Annihilation Angel Artemis, a guardian chosen by the Goddess, a Goddess Angel possessing great power.
She had so many reliable companions and sisters who cared for her.
As long as she believed in her companions, there was nothing she couldn’t do.
Watching the determined look in her own eyes in the mirror, Luna’s lips curled into a slight smile.
‘Yes.’
‘That’s it.’
She wasn’t fighting alone.
She had Hestia, the seniors, and all the sisters in the ‘Starlight Covenant’ group who cared about her. The bond between them was something that V could neither understand nor destroy.
As long as they were together, there was nothing to fear.
Luna relaxed her fist, picked up the shampoo nearby, and began to wash her hair seriously.
Washing away the day’s exhaustion, washing away the confusion in her heart.
After finishing her bath, the girl turned off the shower, dried her body with a towel, and put on a soft white bathrobe. The belt was tied loosely around her waist, and the collar was slightly open, revealing the white skin of her collarbones. While drying her damp hair with a towel, she walked out of the bathroom barefoot, stepping onto the soft carpet and leaving faint wet footprints.
The room was still filled with the steam drifting from the bathroom, mixed with the faint scent of her body wash.
Luna walked to the bed, draped the towel over her shoulders, and sat down.
Just then—
‘Buzz—Buzz—’
The phone on the nightstand suddenly vibrated with a notification.
Luna’s eyes lit up, and a joyful smile immediately appeared on her face.
‘It must be a message from my Goddess Angel companions!’ It might be Hestia, or perhaps one of the sisters in the group checking on how she was doing today, or asking to go on a mission together next time.
The girl practically lunged to grab the phone, her fingers quickly unlocking the screen—
Then, the smile on her face froze.
On the screen, the chat window that made her heart skip a beat sat quietly.
A black profile picture, with the nickname being that simple ‘V.’
Luna’s mouth twitched slightly, and a flash of obvious disappointment crossed her pale gold eyes.
‘Why… is it this guy?’
When she was bathing, she had clearly made up her mind to pull herself together, trust her companions, and find a way to deal with this—and then she had temporarily pushed this hateful guy to the back of her mind.
Now that he had appeared like this, all the anxiety and unease she had finally managed to suppress came flooding back.
How could she have forgotten that she had already added this guy’s contact information?
Back on the clock tower, she had been forced to take out her phone and let him scan her QR code to add him as a friend. That message saying ‘Please take care of me from now on’ was still sitting quietly in the chat window.
She had clearly wanted to forget about this intentionally.
Yet this guy just had to pop up at a time like this.
Luna stared at the screen, her brow furrowing slightly.
“Hello? Anyone there?”
Just those four words.
‘What does this mean? A greeting? Or is he testing to see if I’m online?’
Luna pursed her lips.
‘If I don’t reply… it’ll look like I’m afraid of him.’
‘If I do reply… I don’t want to say much to this guy.’
The girl struggled for a few seconds, but finally, her fingers tapped on the screen, sending out two words.
“What now?”
She tried to make her tone sound cold, impatient, and like ‘I’m busy, don’t bother me.’
Then she tossed the phone onto the bed and continued drying her hair with the towel, though her eyes kept darting toward the phone screen.
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