Chapter 43: When the Air Froze
Elsewhere—
One of the exorcists spoke, "My lord, why did you spare the offspring of the fallen?"
"Yes, my lord! That boy who protected her—he's a monster himself!"
"My lord, we cannot allow them to go free!"
The exorcists, their pride wounded, followed their leader through the forest, unable to comprehend the reason for his mercy.
"Enough. Leave this place—now!"
The middle-aged leader of the exorcists barked the order, his expression grim. He took several steps forward—but suddenly froze.
The others halted, confused—until they saw it too.
Black feathers… drifting slowly down from the sky.
A fallen one.
A smooth, mocking voice echoed from above:
"Allow me to explain, gentlemen. Your master spared those children because… he sensed my presence."
"Good evening, exorcists."
All eyes turned upward. A man hovered in the air above them, twelve folded black wings stretching from his back, smiling and waving as if greeting old friends.
"A fallen one—!"
"Twelve wings—!
Terror spread through the group.
They had fought fallen ones before, but never one with twelve wings. That was the mark of legend—the highest rank among their kind.
The face of the middle-aged exorcist turned to stone, while the younger ones went pale with fear.
The man's smile widened.
"That's right—I'm a fallen one. In fact, I'm Azazel, the Governor General of the Fallen."
He winked.
"Don't you recognize me? I'm the one mentioned in the Scriptures—the one cast out of grace for… touching a woman's chest.
The words were light, almost playful, yet they struck like thunder.
Azazel. The legendary fallen.
The younger exorcists trembled, barely holding their weapons. Only the leader managed to remain composed.
"Azazel! Why are you here? Do you intend to start another war?"
Azazel shrugged casually.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic. I hate war as much as anyone. I'm only here because you exorcists bullied the daughter of a friend of mine. So, I thought I'd return the favor—just a little."
His smile deepened—cold and dangerous.
"I see…"
One of the older exorcists let out a bitter laugh, a faint look of relief flashing in his eyes. As long as it wasn't war…
But regret gnawed at him. If he had known that girl was connected to Azazel, he would have destroyed her without hesitation.
Now it was too late. He straightened, his resolve hardening.
"Even if we can't win… we will never kneel before evil!"
He raised his hand, spiritual power flaring. A blazing sphere of fire erupted and shot toward Azazel.
Azazel smirked. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a spear of light and hurled it forward to meet the attack.
The sky ignited—thunder and radiance clashing, shaking the forest itself.
Ji Lin, what's wrong?
Akino's cheeks flushed as Ji Lin carried her in his arms. She felt him stop for a moment, his body tense.
Ji Lin glanced toward the distant battle, then shook his head.
"Nothing. Let's keep going."
Then, using the Flying Thunder Technique, Ji Lin vanished from the area with Akino in his arms.
At the same time—after Ji Lin disappeared—a magic circle shimmered into existence at the very same spot. From it stepped a girl with crimson hair, accompanied by several men.
I laid Akino on the bed and whispered to her gently: "Alright… look how filthy you are.
After a moment's thought I carried her to the bath and began to wash her. At the same time my cheeks heated with nervousness. After the bath I took her to the kitchen and began preparing the dining table for her.
After she finished eating, I led her into the portrait and introduced her to the girls. I left her with them — I'm confident they will take care of her.
I made sure she was okay with the girls, then I stepped out of the portrait.
Alright… now it's time to get what I came for: sacred equipment. This lore holds a great deal of sacred gear.
The sacred equipment I want here has one condition it must meet: it must be capable of evolving, and its abilities must be useful to me.
That leaves me with two choices: Enhanced Gear or Divine Dividing.
The Enhanced Gear is a crimson glove that bears Draig, the Emperor of the Red Dragon. It allows the user to double their strength every ten seconds without limit until they reach their maximum—whether that strength is physical, magical, or demonic depends on the user. It is described as enabling its bearer to far surpass their level.
In response to its user's emotions, the Enhanced Gear can transform into its final form, allowing the user to transfer their accumulating power into other people or objects, boosting their abilities. The transferred power can be applied to multiple targets at once, but this method is not fully efficient—only about seventy to eighty percent of the enhanced power reaches the target. The Enhanced Gear can also assess an enemy's power level and notify the user when the enhanced power is sufficient to defeat that foe.
On the other hand, there is Dividing: an ability that splits an opponent's power in half after physically touching them every ten seconds, then adds those divided powers to the wielder's own strength. If the added power exceeds the amount the bearer can safely contain, the surplus energy is expelled through the wings, allowing the user to always remain at their peak potential.
After some thought, I decided to choose the Enhanced Gear. Why didn't I choose Dividing? It comes down to its obvious flaws.
The first flaw: it requires physical contact with the opponent to activate the ability. For me, this trait would be more of a hindrance than an advantage on my journey across the worlds; I'll face opponents with overwhelming physical power—I won't be able to approach and touch them easily—thus, Dividing would become useless in most battles.
Then there's another flaw: the continuous use of the Dividing ability consumes the bearer's stamina immensely. If the user cannot discharge the excess stored energy, they will be forced to bear the burden of carrying it, which could lead to a temporary breakdown of their internal systems.
Alright… my decision is made. I'll take the Enhanced Gear.
I closed my eyes and used the Steal Card to plunder the Enhanced Gear from Issei Hyoudou.
After obtaining the gear, I used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique; I created several copies and dispatched them, then gave the Dimensional Gate the instruction to return to the world of Douluo Dalu—Tang San's Era.
Upon arrival, I immediately began executing the plan I had prepared for this era. Using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, I created many clones and sent them to various locations: the Star Luo Empire, as well as several major academies and clans.
As for me, I took Akino and headed to the nearest Spirit Hall branch to awaken her battle spirit. After all, the Dimensional Gate automatically adjusts her physical state and energy to match the people of Douluo—meaning she'll be able to awaken her own battle spirit.
However, will her spirit surpass that of Qian Renxue? Or will it be on the same level? I honestly don't know.
Either way, it'll be amusing to see Old Chen's reaction—will he welcome her into his family, or cast her aside?
And what about Bibi Dong?