“Our Holy Land did not care about your lack of talent. We raised you, educated you into an adult. Yet look at you. Not only did you show no gratitude, you willingly fell into corruption and, in turn, opposed the Holy Land that showed you kindness.”
Altes stared fixedly at Via.
“Truly an ungrateful scourge.”
“Ungrateful? Altes, you really have the face to say those words.”
Via knew that Altes was deliberately provoking her emotions, attempting to anger her into losing her reason.
However, she would not fall for that.
“You killed my mother. Not only that, you instilled erroneous concepts into all the clerics of the Holy Land. In order to achieve your own ambitions, you used everyone. In the end, you are the greatest scourge of the Holy Land.”
“It seems you have already learned these things from Sophie.”
“Elder Sister has already awakened. She will no longer continue to be your tool.”
“How useless.”
“Regarding Mother’s death, do you not even intend to offer an explanation?”
“In my grand plan, she should have served as a devout apostle of the god and guided the angel’s descent into the world. Unfortunately, she was far too foolish. She was deceived by the demonkin and stood on the opposite side of the human race. She brought it upon herself.” Altes evaluated in a voice devoid of emotion.
“I see.”
Via had already confirmed that Altes was exactly as she had inferred. He constantly used seemingly noble slogans to justify despicable actions and felt not the slightest reflection regarding the faults he had committed in the past. He was a complete piece of trash.
In the past, she had not understood humans.
After being reborn and living as a human, experiencing many things and meeting many people—some who treated her well and some who hated her—she had gradually come to understand one thing.
The collective known as humanity possessed a very special complexity that could not simply be judged as good or bad.
She understood that if one wished to change the current human race, the first step was to eliminate people like Altes among the higher ranks. If such scum continued to lead humanity, then this collective would be guided in the wrong direction.
“Via, if there is still a trace of goodwill remaining in your heart—”
Altes wanted to beguile Via.
However, before his words could even finish, several pitch-black magic bullets tore through the air and smashed into his body at extreme speed.
Every single magic bullet attack was aimed at vital points of the human body. There was not the slightest mercy; all of them were fatal killing moves.
Via raised her head and looked toward the center of the path. She discovered that after the explosions, Altes had not been knocked down by her magic bullets and still stood in place.
However, the other party’s body began to distort. The wounds that had been blasted through gathered once more like mist and became completely intact again.
“Does the absolute great power I control surprise you?” Altes spoke in an unruffled tone. “I have abandoned this mortal flesh and already taken control of the strongest power upon the Theia Continent, becoming an immortal and indestructible powerhouse.”
“Mystifying nonsense.”
Via used divine power and sensed the aura on Altes’s body.
She discovered that the Altes standing before her could not even be considered human. He more closely resembled an aggregate of energy projecting a form here.
This was not the true body.
She strode forward quickly, extended her hand, thrust it into Altes’s energy body, and crushed it with force, easily shattering it.
After the residual energy left behind by Altes dissipated, she captured a trace of aura within it that drifted toward the depths of the temple.
After locking onto that trace of aura, she tracked it and soon arrived at the center of the temple.
The scene that entered her eyes left her somewhat surprised.
“I already told you. That frail human body has already been abandoned by me. I have evolved into a higher existence.”
A trace of Altes’s aura transformed into his original appearance. In a faint form, he spread his arms, an arrogant expression appearing on his face.
Behind him was precisely the body of the dormant angel.
Seeing this, Via already understood what this madman Altes had done.
“Altes, you have gone mad.”
“Mad? No. I am very clear-headed. I understand what I am doing!”
Altes’s body gradually dissolved and drifted into the angel’s body.
He had discarded his original human form, stripped the incomplete angel’s will from the dormant angel’s body, and placed his own consciousness inside.
“Originally, Sophie’s soul that was mixed with the angel’s will should have been used to control the angel’s body. However, all of that was destroyed by you!”
“You cannot control the angel’s body,” Via asserted. “As a mortal, you have laid hands on divine power far beyond what you can withstand. You will only be swallowed by the divine power.”
“Absurd!!”
Altes’s expression became extremely ferocious. In the final moment, he revealed a near-hysterical madness.
“I will descend upon the human world as a god, purge every obstacle, and allow the human race to ascend to the peak of the Theia Continent. Glory shall endure for all eternity!”
Via summoned Starfall Flame and gripped it in her hand.
“Demon King, this time are we going to cut down something fun again?” Starfall Flame sensed the fluctuations of divine power on the enemy and was quite excited.
Clearly, defeating Sophie who had been controlled by the incomplete angel’s will last time had brought her enormous satisfaction.
“A boring piece of trash. I will burn his soul to ashes.”
“I understand, Demon King. Then I will use my flames to make him perish in agony!!”
Starlight radiance rose across the blade of Starfall Flame, as if lighting up the starry river, becoming dazzling.
“I… am Altes… will take control…”
The massive angel awakened from its slumber and slowly stood up. Turbid golden light lit up in its eyes as it uttered the Divine Voice.
“Lead… the human race… to the peak…”
Altes raised trembling hands as if trying to control himself. His consciousness was like falling into a stormy sea. He wanted to struggle, yet was continuously battered by giant waves and gradually sank.
At first, one could still distinguish from the words leaving his mouth that they were spoken of his own will. Later, his consciousness completely sank.
He was influenced by the angel’s body and thoroughly sank, instead becoming a tool to activate the angel.
The outcome brought about by this desperate act of madness could only be the destruction of himself.
This situation was the height of irony for Altes, who had calculated against others his entire life.
“Purify the extraterrestrial outsider!”
The angel spread its wings, gripped the golden sword of judgment, and pointed it at Via below.
“Theia does not need extra gods!”