Inner Destroyer

　After the competition, Elaine found an excuse and quickly slipped away with Qi Xing and Lao Lang.

　Qi Xing was a little unhappy at first: "Isn't it a bit strange to just run away after fighting?"

　As a result, Elaine directly complained to him: "Then what do you think we should do? After beating someone else's daughter and burning her clothes, you still plan to stay for dinner before leaving?"

　Uh, that seems right.

　There was already a hot spring hotel in Xinxiang Village, and it happened to be run by the Jinhu family. But Elaine didn't dare to stay in the other person's building. She dragged Qi Xing and Lao Lang into the car and drove back to the hotel in Aomori City.

　Back in the hotel room, back in the position that had been confirmed to be sanctified and inviolable, she announced that she would make a post-war summary.

　"I've already said that."

　The old wolf who was dragged back felt helpless.

　"I believe she is indeed the descendant of the High King of Heaven. Why did you drag me back?"

　If Elaine hadn't pulled him back on the spot, the old wolf would have sworn allegiance to the witch.

　Unfortunately, Elaine couldn't help but be cautious.

　Last month, there was a mole inside the "Association" and the information about the holy object was leaked. As the new president of the "Association", she must be more cautious, otherwise all the previous sufferings would be in vain.

　During battle, Qi Xing was quite clever and had good sense. But outside of battle, he wasn't very inclined to use his brain. If Elaine didn't help out as a military advisor, they would eventually fall into a ditch.

　"Okay."

　Qi Xing smacked his lips and said,

　"I don't know much about the internal affairs of the Cross Church, so you can tell me your own judgment first. Elaine, why are you in such a hurry to pull us back? I wanted to soak in the hot springs here and talk more with that girl."

　"Because we haven't been able to pinpoint what she is yet."

　Elaine said seriously,

　"Although... I also agree that she is indeed blessed by the Holy Spirit."

　This answer finally surprised Qi Xing: "What do you mean?"

　He originally thought that Elaine was different from the Wolf Lord and would not make such a serious judgment so quickly.

　"Through your previous report and my observations of this battle, I discovered that this miko's flame has at least three variations."

　Elaine sighed and began to explain.

　"The first one is a red flame. I didn't see much of a special effect. But Qi Xing, you said before that it was effective in exorcising demons."

　"The second type is black flame, which carries obvious destructive and deadly properties."

　"The third type is a white flame, which has a pronounced healing effect... I say it's healing, but after a quick, covert inspection, it's more like 'restructuring,' smearing and rewriting the phenomenon with divine power."

　"Although it's not complete yet, it reminds me of the four stages of alchemy."

　The four stages of alchemy.

　This is the basic mystical knowledge that even Qi Xing understands a little bit.

　The first stage, Nigredo, is the beginning of the alchemical process and symbolizes chaos, ignorance and death.

　The second stage, Albedo, is the purification phase of the alchemical process. After the initial purification and decomposition, the alchemist can begin to recombine and purify the elements to achieve a higher degree of purity.

　The third stage, Citrinitas, approaches completion and redness, and is associated with the symbols of gold and the sun. Gold is the material goal of alchemy, while the sun symbolizes the spiritual goal of alchemy, representing light, truth, and infinite possibilities.

　The final stage - Rubedo, refers to the ultimate achievement of alchemy, the final completion of the great cause, and the ineffable highest realm.

　But these residents

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　Does it have anything to do with Christianity?

　"I also listened carefully to the miko's blessing just now."

　Elaine continued,

　"The pronunciation of 'Uri Enjin' is the same as Uriel, maybe it's just a coincidence."

　"But Archangel Uriel is also the angel of alchemy. The flame used by alchemists is called the Fire of Uriel. It is said that the knowledge of alchemy was first passed down to mankind by Uriel."

　Qi Xing really didn't know about this: "Huh?"

　"Legend has it that Uriel was the first angel to teach the secrets of Kabbalah to the human world."

　Elaine sighed and began to explain the secret history of Christianity.

　"This knowledge includes the theurgy, alchemy, and astrology of the Christian system. It is said that they were all originally under Uriel's jurisdiction. But because of this, during the anti-magic era of the eighth century, Uriel was removed from the ranks of angels worshipped by the Church. Therefore, the Roman Catholic Church now only recognizes Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael as the only three archangels, which is why they have such a bad attitude towards Uriel."

　It turned out to be the case.

　"In short, this Kamigorin-san does possess true angelic powers. Paganism and Eastern religions may also contain true revelations, and there's nothing theologically wrong with that."

　"But even if this witch is blessed by the Holy Spirit, I don't think she is necessarily a descendant of Christ!"

　After such a long speech, Elaine finally got back to the point and told the source of her opposition.

　"Being blessed by an angel is not entirely unheard of! Joan of Arc also received the protection of Michael. You can't say Joan of Arc is also the heir of Christ! You can't judge that based on miracles alone!"

　Well, that's true.

　Qi Xing also understood what she meant.

　"Indeed. I just took a look around their house. Apart from Kamigorin and her maid named Ayame, there shouldn't be any other supernatural powers in the whole house."

　He stroked his chin and smiled again.

　"Even if the Son of God really did cross Siberia and arrive in Japan in the first century, leaving behind descendants—and Gods can do anything, so there's nothing to complain about—it's impossible that after two thousand years of this sacred bloodline, everyone else has become ordinary, and yet this generation suddenly experiences a super-regressive phenomenon, right?"

　"So I also think that although she is indeed blessed by angels, she cannot be of divine descent."

　"Wolf Lord, you said you believe she is the descendant of the Holy Son. What is your basis for this?"

　Qi Xing asked again.

　Old Wolf raised his hand, scratched his chin, and replied seriously, "A warrior's intuition."

　Elaine was speechless.

　Qi Xing actually wanted to laugh.

　At this point, Elaine had nothing more to argue with the old wolf about. Humans and animals just don't get along.

　"I will write a report directly to the Privy Council, and my report will express my true feelings." The Wolf Lord continued, "If the church does not recognize it, I will bypass the church and swear allegiance to the descendants of God."

　“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Elaine complained weakly, “so I’ll also write a report directly to the Privy Council.”

　Let them do as they please. As long as it didn't bother him, Qi Xing didn't care about the politics of the Church. He had a pretty good time today.

　However. After Lao Lang returned to his room to write a report and Elaine started writing a report directly on the desk next to Qi Xing, Qi Xing thought about it and went to the bedroom to call Sasa out: "What is going on this time, Miss Sasa?"

　"I did feel the power of the silver coin being restrained by her flame. I don't think it's a coincidence, nor do I think it's something from this world."

　Sasa said there were no silver coins here, and Qi Xing didn't feel anything that looked like silver coins.

　So his biggest guess is: "Could it be the fourth Adventer?"

　The first "Adventer" was Sasa, the second "Adventer" was Yego, and the third "Adventer" was Qi Xing. So if there is another power that does not belong to this world, it must be the fourth "Adventer", right?

　But the devil immediately shook his head and categorically denied it: "No. I won't fall into the same pit twice. This time, I immediately checked her soul. She is indeed a native soul of my world, from her body cells to her soul. She is locally produced."

　"Strange, how did that happen?"

　"I do not know."

　Sasa hugged her knees with both hands, curled up into a ball, with dull eyes, looking very pitiful and very depressed.

　"While you were fighting, I secretly checked the bloodline of the entire Kamigo family and found no genetic connection to Jesus of Nazareth."

　"In terms of power, this is the genuine power of Uriel. But this is impossible—this is the universe I created, the foundation of the "Tree of the Void", not within the scope of the "Tree of Life". Therefore, it is impossible for a human to directly obtain the power of an angel!"

　This should be taken for granted. Since Samael was creating his own world outside of God's universe, he would have made preparations from the very beginning to prevent other angels from intruding.

　Besides, she was Satan Ye, the most outstanding of the original angels. It was impossible for her to not recognize the other angels. All angels would be blocked by her system. Even that dear old brother could only enter by incarnating in flesh and forming a body with her matter in her universe.

　But now, an inexplicable loophole has appeared in the rules.

　"And that little girl doesn't look like she has any special strength.

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　People with strong desires and obsessions. If they are particularly fanatical Christians, relying on obsession to achieve a connection with the upper world does conform to the logic of this world - for example, the so-called Joan of Arc.

　"But that girl clearly violated the fundamental rules of the universe. Her powers seemed like she was born with them, but how could someone be born with angelic powers?!"

　"So... I don't know... She's even more incomprehensible than you. At least I know you did fall from the Tree of Life..."

　The cynical, evil and silly temperament of the Loli Evil God is now completely gone, leaving only indescribable anxiety and uneasiness.

　After hearing her say this, Qi Xing could understand why Sasa was so depressed.

　She was so scared and nervous, but it wasn't because she was frightened to death by the power of the angel. She was not that timid.

　She was afraid because seeing a cockroach in the light might mean there were a thousand cockroaches hiding in the dark.

　What she was really afraid of was - is this world of mine really full of bugs and holes?!

　"Perhaps there is another explanation, which is that the world is really about to end."

　Sasa opened her eyes. Her golden pupils were now completely devoid of luster, revealing a dead fish-like expression. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

　"Even its most basic logic has started to have bugs."

　"If the entire world's systems collapse, I won't die, and your soul won't disintegrate..."

　She chuckled softly, her laughter hollow and weak, like the last echo in the dark abyss.

　"Then the two of us will just be floating around in the endless void together, telling jokes to each other... hehe... doesn't seem so bad..."

　——Oh no, Sasa is broken!

　However, Qi Xing really didn't want that kind of ending.

　"Okay. Since I'll be staying in Aomori soon anyway, I'll try to help with the investigation."

　"What else are you going to do here?"

　"You're asking even though you already know the answer, Sasa."

　Qi Xing grinned,

　"I'm here for vacation, to have fun, right?"

　068: First Date

　The afternoon sun shines through the gaps in the leaves, and golden light falls on the surface of the hot spring.

　The mist rises and lingers, blurring the surrounding scenery, leaving only a warm breath that gently wraps the entire world.

　Shingorin slowly sank into the water, letting the warm water envelop her slightly aching limbs. The fatigue from the battle was gradually melted away by the warmth of the hot spring. She let out a long breath, resting her head on the smooth rocks at the edge of the pool, feeling the water soaking through her limbs.

　Her fingertips gently stroked her arm, and she could still remember the tremor of the swords colliding, and every head-on confrontation with that person.

　Her skin, burned and then healed, had long since healed its wounds and remained smooth, but the aftereffects of the battle still lingered in her heart.

　She casually scooped up a handful of hot spring water and slowly poured it over her shoulders. The water flowed down her neck, washing away the sweat and dust left from the battle. The lightning fist had struck that spot, and the pain lingered in her memory, but her body no longer had any trace of it.

　Although there were no wounds left, the aftermath of the battle still lingered deep within the muscles, and every touch seemed to echo the previous confrontation.

　Lin's hand stopped on her shoulder, and her fingertips slowly closed.

　“This time, it feels really different.”

　She closed her eyes, and the scene of the duel resurfaced in her mind. Fists roared, lightning ripped through the void, water dragons and black flames tangled and roared, and the collision shook the earth and sky with a roar.

　It wasn't the overwhelming "victory" she had won easily in the past, nor was it the "life" where she had to carefully restrain herself and not dare to use all her strength, but... "playing" with all her strength.

　A true battle cannot be lost or repeated. Because in a true battle, there is something to be protected, and if you lose, you lose everything.

　So today's battle was just a game for Rin.

　A joyful play that gave her all and made her heart surge.

　"So there are masters like this in the outside world... I underestimated the heroes of the world before."

　Since she was seven, Rin knew she was too powerful. With just a little effort, she could destroy everything. Most of her enemies seemed like paper, and all her family and friends were like fragile porcelain. She had to constantly remind herself not to go too fast, not too hard, and not to go too far...