Chapter 40: Aetnos

Inside a majestic cathedral so pure white it was almost blinding.

There were no crucifixes of suffering and no merciful statues of gods.

Instead, a massive stained-glass wall pierced the dome, glowing with pristine light. 

It depicted, in the simplest black lines, a colossal dragon soaring through the heavens.

Before the wall lay a sea of colorful flowers.

Strangely, every vivid, colorful bloom was withering, rotting, even turning to ash.

Only the pure white flowers thrived, as if feeding on the life force of the others.

The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet. 

No insects chirped, no birds called, and even dust seemed frozen in mid-air by some absolute rule.

In the center of this flower sea, a girl knelt with her knees pressed together.

She had silver hair cascading to the floor like a waterfall and six pure white wings folded behind her, radiating a holiness that seemed inhuman.

Her eyes were tightly shut, fingers interlaced, lips moving faintly as she whispered ancient syllables no one could understand—like the most devout believer.

Suddenly.

Without warning, she jerked her head up, her neck cracking sharply.

Her closed eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of golden cross-shaped pupils that shone like molten gold and were contracting wildly.

“Dragon God! Aetnos! Are you watching?!!”

She sprang to her feet, trembling with excitement.

The six white wings behind her flapped frantically in agitation, whipping up a gale that sent countless white petals spiraling into the air. 

In that instant, the dignified holiness on her face vanished, replaced by a fanatical, almost deranged smile of obsession.

“Finally! I knew you hadn’t disappeared! You’ve been watching us all along!”

Creak—

The heavy cathedral doors were pushed open with a deep, bell-like groan, cutting off the white-winged girl’s ravings.

A tall woman stepped in against the backlight.

She wore a sharp black trench coat that flapped in the wind, clashing violently with the cathedral’s pure whiteness.

Most striking were the golden fox ears twitching atop her head and the golden fox tail faintly visible beneath the coat.

The fox-eared woman walked in expressionlessly. 

Her cold golden vertical pupils swept over the white-winged girl, who was muttering to thin air, and her brows twitched with clear disgust.

This lunatic’s having another episode?

She planned to wait for the madwoman to calm down before approaching, but the white-winged girl suddenly whipped around.

Those golden cross-shaped pupils locked onto her with a smile that was both childishly innocent and eerily twisted, sending chills down the spine.

“Ninth! You felt it too, right?!”

The white-winged girl pointed at a spot in the empty air, her voice shrill with excitement.

“That gaze! That magnificent stare! The Dragon God is watching us! Right there!”

The fox-eared woman followed the direction of her finger.

There was nothing but empty air and a few floating specks of dust.

“…”

She looked at the white-winged girl like she was staring at an idiot.

But she knew that if she didn’t play along with this lunatic, the door wouldn’t open today.

“Ah, yeah.”

The fox-eared woman shoved her hands into her coat pockets and gave an extremely perfunctory nod, her tone flat and cold.

“I felt it. Staring at me… really gives me the shivers. So, can we get to the point, Saintess?”

“Exactly! Even you sensed it! I knew it wasn’t just my imagination!”

The white-winged girl completely missed the sarcasm. 

Instead, she grew even more excited, her wings flapping harder and shedding a few pure white feathers.

“Ahhh~ Dragon God Aetnos~ Please keep watching me~”

Only after a long while did she finally calm down from her frenzy. 

She straightened her disheveled wings and resumed her dignified, devout saintess demeanor, as if the previous madness had never happened.

“Ahem… I apologize for my loss of composure, Ninth.”

The white-winged girl gently wiped away the tears of excitement at the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand. 

Her voice became soft and holy once more.

“It’s just… I haven’t felt the Lord’s gaze in so long… far too long.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

The fox-eared woman cut off her sigh and strode up to the altar at the center of the cathedral, her voice hard as steel.

“Open the gate. I’m going to Earth.”

“Earth?”

The white-winged girl’s cross-shaped pupils contracted slightly. 

Her tone finally grew serious, carrying a hint of curiosity.

“Isn’t that where you came from? Going back to catch up with an old flame?”

“Catch up?”

A terrifying wave of magic pressure erupted from her, instantly reducing the blooming white flowers around her to powder.

“My flowers!!”

The white-winged girl let out a heartbroken wail.

“Snowball sent an urgent notice.”

“Those hypocrites who call themselves ‘Babel Tower’… those rats hiding in the sewers actually moved that disgusting laboratory to Earth.”

She paused, eyes narrowing, killing intent surging.

“And… Second is there too.”

“Second, huh… Has that child run away from home again?”

The white-winged girl nodded thoughtfully and asked no more.

She interlaced her fingers and began chanting in a low voice.

Buzz—!

The entire cathedral shook violently. The air rang with the sound of shattering glass.

Countless white motes of light gathered, forming a ten-meter-tall magic circle of pure radiance that slowly unfurled beneath the fox-eared woman’s feet.

“The passage is open.”

The white-winged girl slowly raised her head, still keeping her fingers interlaced. 

As she watched the fox-eared woman prepare to step into the teleportation array, she suddenly spoke again, her tone carrying a deeper meaning.

“Ninth.”

“I recall… you left a son over there, didn’t you?”

The fox-eared woman’s footsteps halted abruptly.

For a split second, that cold, ruthless back actually stiffened ever so slightly.

“…That has nothing to do with you.”

She didn’t turn around. Her voice was low, but it carried a clear warning.

“Don’t be so cold.”

The white-winged girl tilted her head. Her smile turned both benevolent and cruel.

“You know I’m on your side.”

“If you’re really worried, just bring him along while you’re at it.”

The white-winged girl spread her six wings. 

Her golden cross-shaped pupils seemed to shine even brighter as her holy, ethereal voice echoed through the cathedral.

“I’ll persuade the other old-timers. After all… he carries your bloodline. He’s family to us too.”

The fox-eared woman remained silent for a moment.

She offered no reply. 

She simply lowered her stance, transformed into a streak of golden light, and shot into the teleportation array.

All that remained was a cold snort that scattered on the wind.

“Worry about yourself first, you religious nut.”

As the fox-eared woman vanished, the teleportation array slowly closed and the light faded.

The cathedral returned to silence.

The white-winged girl knelt back down among the flowers and once again looked up at the empty air ahead.

The corners of her mouth curved into a strange arc as she murmured softly, as if speaking to some unseen presence.

“Lord Aetnos… please… do not avert your gaze.”