The Holy Capital was as quiet as ever. The cold gale of nascent winter attempted to invade the tightly-guarded royal palace, only to be filtered out by a barrier of warm air. Yet, in the royal meeting room, Roel felt a chill.

  Nora is undergoing… Seraphication?

  He slowly digested what he had just heard from John, and his expression slowly stiffened.

  He didn’t fully comprehend what Seraphication entailed, but he could tell from John’s expression that it wasn’t anything good. He was aware that abnormal mutations often occurred as a result of failed breakthroughs, so he wondered if Seraphication was an example of that.

  “Grandpa John, by Seraphication, you’re referring to…”


  “You can think of it as a hurdle that we, the Xeclydes, have to face during our bloodline awakening. It’s the greatest impediment standing in our way, as well as the variable that we have to keep under control.”


  John briefly explained the theory behind the bloodline awakening of the Xeclydes, the problems that could potentially arise in the process, and the internal contradictions of their power.

  As inheritors of the Angel Bloodline, the Xeclydes’ bloodline awakening mainly relied on the purification of their energy so as to achieve a higher level of resemblance to their primordial form, which was none other than the angels.

  The angels were Sia’s aides in the ancient era, and the immense power they wielded made them existences comparable to the gods.

  Despite the great power that the Xeclydes already wielded through the Genesis Goddess Church, they had never stopped exploring the potential of their own powers.

  “In the centuries after the establishment of the church, one of the key research that the Xeclydes have delved into is the maximization of our growth during bloodline awakening. The world was chaotic back then. A stronger bloodline would have granted us greater power to fight against our enemies, and that was something essential for our survival.

  “We thought that the Angel Bloodline was a huge treasure trove with unlimited possibilities awaiting our discovery. As we developed complementary spells, we gradually became more adept at tapping into the powers of the Angel Bloodline. But at the same time, we became aware of a major side effect, and that was Seraphication.”


  According to John, when the purity of the Angel Bloodline reached a certain degree, there would be a risk of the bloodline overwriting one’s identity, and the manifestation of that was known as Seraphication.

  The name suggested that it was the ultimate form that could be achieved by inheritors of the Angel Bloodline, and that was somewhat true if one were to look at it in terms of the purity of the bloodline. The only problem was that Seraphication didn’t transform one into an omnipotent god or an envoy of Sia—it only drove one’s powers berserk.

  “To some degree, the awakening of the Angel Bloodline is a fight against oneself. It’s a brawl between mental fortitude and power, or should I say, a battle between one’s humanity and the divine instincts arising from the power of the angels.”


  “Divine instincts?”


  “Yes, the power of the angels inevitably influences our mind. The extent differs for each individual, but it’s exceptionally strong for that child,” said John with a deep sigh.

  He began talking about everything that had happened while Roel wasn’t around.

  Shortly after Nora arrived at the Holy Capital and started her treatment, an unexpected accident occurred. The Angel Bloodline in her body suddenly exceeded its threshold, resulting in a sudden Seraphication that drove her berserk.

  The chaos was quickly quelled without sustaining any casualties thanks to John’s swift intervention, but nevertheless, the astounding power and overwhelming killing intent Nora emanated in her berserk state astonished him. It forced him to devise countermeasures in the off-case that she went berserk once more.

  “Nora is already on her way to Tark Stronghold.”


  “Tark Stronghold?”


  “Due to her Restoration of Primordial Bloodline, her Seraphication was more severe than I had imagined. There’s a limit to how much I can suppress it. She needs to find an outlet to vent her pent-up energy, and the best to do so is against the deviants.”


  “Ah. That would explain her lack of response.”


  Nora had been traveling around during this period of time, so it would have been hard for her to receive his letters. On top of that, it was no easy feat delivering letters to and fro the eastern border, such that it wasn’t uncommon for letters to go missing.

  That would explain why Roel hadn’t received any letter from Nora for so long.

  He could understand the rationale behind John’s decision.

  There were wars amongst humans in the Sia Continent too, and those battlefields were likely to be safer than the eastern border. However, if Nora failed to keep herself in check and ended up carrying out acts of cruelty against other humans, her reputation could potentially be sullied. Needless to say, that would be a disaster for a future leader of the church.

  However, it was different for the war against the deviants. She could do whatever she wanted since no one would pity them. In the first place, the concept of ‘surrender’ didn’t exist in the war against the deviants; it was a fight for survival.

  There was probably no one in this world who knew more about Nora’s sadism than Roel. He could still vividly remember the image of a sadistically smiling Nora stepping on a mountain of corpses with rivers of blood flowing around her from Eyes of the Chronicler.

  Roel used to think that it was simply Nora’s character, but that didn’t seem right to him now. There was a subtle difference between Nora’s sadism and bloodthirst.

  Take her attitude toward Roel for example, while her sadistic inclinations often showed through in her words and actions, she had never hurt Roel before. On the contrary, she had been working hard to protect him. From this perspective, the bloodthirst she displayed in Eyes of the Chronicler could have just been a way for her to vent her energy so as to fight against her Seraphication.

  Nora’s current condition appeared to be worse than what was depicted in the game. The awakening of her bloodline was further compounded by the swift growth in her transcendent ability; it was terrifying just to imagine her rampage.

  Roel frowned worriedly while John assessed him with deep eyes. A few moments later, the latter finally made up his mind.

  “Nora told me not to tell you about this matter before she left for Tark Stronghold. However, as an elder, I have to take her safety into consideration. That’s the reason why I called you over.”


  “Grandpa John…”


  “As the patriarch of the Xeclyde House, I’d like to make a request of you. I hope that you can make a trip to Tark Stronghold.”


  “!”


  The calm but solemn request from the white-haired elder had Roel widening his eyes.

  The Saint Mesit Theocracy operated under a decentralized governance system, such that the king didn’t have the coercive power to wilfully impose any orders on the Five Eminent Noble Houses. Even so, the Xeclydes very rarely made a request, especially for Holy Eminence John.

  Roel was momentarily stunned by those words. He reflexively wanted to accept the offer, but several doubts floated in his mind.

  “Grandpa John, I do want to pay Nora a visit, but in terms of transcendent ability, I don’t think that I’m able to offer her any help. On top of that, you mentioned that she doesn’t want me to know about this matter, so wouldn’t an abrupt meeting agitate her instead?”


  “There’s indeed such a possibility, but I still hope that you can meet up with her. You’re the anchor to her heart.”