Chapter 112: The Guardian Angel of Heaven

This was a space under a clear, boundless sky, suffused with a sacred aura, where floating pavilions hovered in the air like drifting islands.

Before a large island, a confrontation unfolded—more precisely, a group of people stood opposed to a lone woman. Leading the group were two exceptionally handsome men, conspicuous for the twelve pristine white wings adorning their backs. Behind them marched over a hundred angels, each possessing four wings. The atmosphere was tense, as if facing a formidable enemy, all directed toward the woman standing before them.

“Meredith, you should surrender quickly. For the sake of being our sister, we will petition our Lord to forgive you this once,” one of the handsome men spoke to the woman, his tone revealing a genuine concern for her.

“Allen, Garfield, you are my brothers. I know you care for me, but I cannot return with you,” the woman, Long Mingxi, said with a pale expression. Her body was gravely wounded, golden blood staining the white feathers of her twelve wings yellow. The wings drooped weakly, mirroring the exhaustion etched on Long Mingxi’s face.

Long Mingxi held a large bow nearly a person’s length, a golden halo radiating from its surface. Though weary, the bow remained drawn to a certain angle, a golden arrow nocked and ready.

“Not returning? Do you realize your actions have offended our Lord and violated the laws of Heaven? Do you intend to become a traitor to Heaven? You are one of Heaven’s three great guardian angels. Though unknown to many, the Lord’s personal guards must never betray Him,” Allen, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. As Long Mingxi’s eldest brother, his words bore weight.

“Treachery?” Long Mingxi murmured, her face turning pale. Then, her voice grew impassioned. “I have not betrayed Him. I will never betray God. I only wish to deliver the Divine Dragon Cauldron to my mistress, my elder sister.”

“Still denying treason!” Allen’s voice rose sharply. “If your actions don’t count as betrayal, then why do you refuse to call Him ‘Our Lord’ and instead say ‘God’? And since when do you have a ‘mistress sister’?” He shook his head. “Meredith, you have fallen, just like Lucifer, the once radiant Seraph of Light. Though your wings remain white, I know they are no longer pure.”

Of course, Long Mingxi’s wings were no longer pure—they had been imbued with the power of the Cold Ice Flame, filled with the essence of celestial spirits.

Allen himself felt a twinge of fear. He did not understand why his sister’s journey to the East had led to her fall from grace, nor how she had gained such formidable power. Once the weakest among the three siblings, the female angel was especially cherished by her elder brothers, who had always protected her from harm. Both Allen and Garfield had opposed God’s decision to send her East, yet they did not know what had transpired there. Now, she was strong enough to confront them both simultaneously.

Hearing Allen’s words, Long Mingxi’s already pale face grew even whiter. She wanted to defend herself but found herself at a loss for words. Deep down, she realized her reverence for God was no longer blind or absolute. Instead, her allegiance leaned toward the Cold Ice Flame. If it ever came to war between the Flame and God, she suspected she might side with the Flame.

“Allen, I… I will hand over the Divine Dragon Cauldron to my mistress and then return to confess my sins, alright?” Long Mingxi whispered timidly, fearing her brother’s refusal.

“No!” Garfield interjected firmly. “The Divine Dragon Cauldron is a treasure of Heaven. It cannot be casually handed over to the people of the East.”

“But the Cauldron is crucial. I must take it back. Besides… it is my personal possession. Since when did it belong to Heaven?” Long Mingxi protested, trying to bolster her courage. Though stronger than her brothers now, they were still her elder brothers after all.

“You are one of Heaven’s guardian angels. Naturally, your possessions belong to Heaven,” Allen replied.

“The Divine Dragon Cauldron must be taken—I cannot stop the world’s calamities without it.” Saying this, Long Mingxi lowered her drawn arrow, flapped her wings, and prepared to leave. However, her body was severely weakened, and her speed noticeably slowed.

Allen’s figure flickered, blocking her path. “I will not let you leave!”

“I insist!” Long Mingxi tossed her head defiantly, her rebellious spirit flaring. She swiftly retreated, drawing her golden bow once more. An arrow tipped with white feathers and glowing gold appeared on the string again.

“Meredith!” Allen’s anger flared. Though she had been somewhat headstrong before, she never openly defied him on such grave matters. Now, he realized the woman before him was no longer the sister he once knew. Even if she still bore the name Meredith, Allen intended to teach her a lesson. Defying God’s will carried severe consequences.

He raised a long, ancient sword of verdant hue, pointing its tip at Long Mingxi in a clear challenge. Long Mingxi’s pupils contracted in surprise—she had not expected Allen to summon this sword. Previously, he had fought her unarmed, but the appearance of this verdant blade signaled his intent to settle matters decisively. A faint, shattering sound echoed within her—a sound like a breaking heart. She gazed at the sword known as the “Sword of Judgment.”

The Sword of Judgment had appeared only once before, during Lucifer’s rebellion against Heaven. Allen had entrusted it to the angel Uriel to pass judgment on Lucifer. Uriel wielded the sword before the assembly of angels, stripping Lucifer’s wings one by one. Cast into Hell, Lucifer swore revenge during his endless fall, later becoming the demon lord of the underworld.

Long Mingxi looked at the Sword of Judgment, her eyes flashing with resolve. Many things had been forced upon her. Even if she had never intended to betray Heaven, and despite her ongoing devotion to God, the sight of the Sword of Judgment ignited a faint desire to leave Heaven behind.

Drawing the bow to its full extent, she loosed an arrow known as the “Arrow of Mercy.” With a sharp “whiz,” the arrow struck a mid-ranking four-winged angel squarely. This marked the final severance between Long Mingxi and Heaven. Until now, she had restrained herself—despite her injuries, she had not harmed a single angel, hiding for nearly a month. Yet the confrontation had ended in battle.

The Arrow of Mercy could no longer be called merciful. Before Allen and Garfield could react, a volley of golden arrows shot from her bowstring like a cascade. Many angels fell before they could defend themselves. The Arrows of Mercy were among Heaven’s three supreme relics—each shot was fatal. Those struck were utterly destroyed, their souls shattered beyond resurrection.

“Stop!” Garfield reacted in time, conjuring a barrier that blocked one arrow with a sharp “ding.”

“Garfield, here,” Long Mingxi said, waving her hand. A radiant ancient tome flew toward him—the “Book of Creation in Six Days,” Garfield’s sacred artifact, which he had lent her when she went East.

Garfield took the book in a daze, feeling as if the bond with his sister had been severed. A strange melancholy weighed on him. Was she asking him to fight her? He glanced at Long Mingxi, meeting only a cold, unyielding face.

“On the first day, God created the heavens and the earth, separating light from darkness; on the second day, He created the sky and waters; on the third day, He made trees, fruits, and plants…” Sacred light rose in waves, forming a vast vortex that enclosed Long Mingxi tightly.

“On the fifth day, He created the creatures of the air, water, and land; on the sixth day, God created man in His own image.” Using the Book of Creation in Six Days, Garfield’s power far exceeded what Long Mingxi had previously wielded. After all, the book belonged to him, and only he could unlock its full might.

A surge of holy light struck Long Mingxi, making her dizzy, a wave of helplessness spreading from within. Already near exhaustion, her negative emotions swelled uncontrollably.

Allen’s figure flickered again as he raised the Sword of Judgment, swinging it toward Long Mingxi.

“Wait!” Garfield called out hastily. Long Mingxi was still his beloved sister. Even in her moment of peril, he could not abandon her.

“She is no longer my sister…” Allen sighed deeply. “I understand. I won’t truly harm her—I only want her to be accountable for her actions.”

At this, Garfield nodded, conceding to Allen’s plan.

With a flash of golden light, the Sword of Judgment swung swiftly toward Long Mingxi. She was engulfed in despair, oblivious to the outside world. A blade of light shot from the sword’s tip, aimed at her chest. If it struck, her angelic soul might survive, but her current life would end, and she would have to be reborn in the Pool of Descent. Whether she could ever be a guardian angel again was uncertain.

What they did not know was that Long Mingxi no longer possessed an angelic soul within her body. Altered by the Cold Ice Flame, she retained her angelic form but had undergone a fundamental change in essence.

Thus, the Sword of Judgment’s strike would be fatal.

At this critical moment, a rift tore open beside Long Mingxi, stretching wider as if some monstrous force was tearing it apart.

The rift grew large enough for a child to crawl through. Then, a delicate hand, pale and jade-like, reached out—soft and tender, leaving Allen, Garfield, and the assembled angels stunned into silence.

The hand gently waved, grasping the incoming blade of light. The moment it was caught, the blade vanished like water evaporating under intense heat.

The rift widened once more, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful girl stepping through.

Cold Ice Flame looked around at the many angels, cradling the pale and weak Long Mingxi. “She is mine now. I will take her with me. My apologies,” she said, then moved to leave.

She did not wish to make enemies of the angels—not out of fear, but because she had forcibly claimed Long Mingxi as her servant and felt a lingering unease. Still, despite any misgivings, she would not abandon such a precious maid.

Thus, the scene closed with Cold Ice Flame carrying Long Mingxi away, leaving the celestial assembly in stunned silence.