Chapter 42: Ziffnel, the Angel of Love V (part 2)

With an expressionless face, a flame of faith poured out from his heart—slowly, yet as powerful as a massive wave.  

The corners of Ziffnel’s mouth twisted even more bizarrely as she witnessed the strongest power that Tapnel prided herself on finally revealing itself.  

‘Yes, this was how it should be. Wasn’t the true thrill of battle in bringing down a formidable enemy when they were fully unleashed?’  

A soft pink brilliance subtly emerged from ebony-black hair and jewel-like black eyes that paradoxically emitted light.  

Ziffnel, the angel of mercy and love.  

Her hair and eyes, which had been concealed by the constant power she exuded, now returned to their original pink hue. Her hands fluttered provocatively as her wings shimmered in the cherry-blossom light.  

“Come, Tapnel’s representative. Today, I will personally ‘educate’ you, the one who runs wild without understanding the true dangers of the world.”  

The strongest heretic inquisitor, shining gold amidst a world now bathed entirely in pink.  

Julius Tapnel swallowed his breath and thought of the two women locked in battle behind him.  

Cecil and Thalia.  

The fight between the woman he loved and the younger sister he cherished like family was a far more terrifying ordeal than facing an angel descending to punish him.  

When he had confided in Priestess Emily about all this, she had accepted it without hesitation—like the loving mother who had raised him as a child.  

But Thalia was different. 

That girl had loathed the devil who had taken everything from her down to her very bones. And in this moment, she despised Cecil, intent on killing her.  

“It’s okay, honey. Sometimes, women just need to hit each other and get it out of their system.”  

Against Thalia, who burned with hatred and unleashed the power residing in her heart, Cecil walked forward gracefully, a serene smile on her face.  

Then, she uttered a single sentence.  

“Get that filthy body out of my husband’s sight!!!”  

Black mana exploded into the shape of a fist, and the shadowy strike shot straight toward Thalia’s face. Her hair, now fully unleashed, gleamed a radiant pink.  

And then—chaos erupted.  

The two women, hurling curses too vulgar to be repeated, pummeled each other with unrelenting force, rolling across the barren ground.  

Julius, watching his beloved wife and the sister he cherished like family locked in a vicious brawl, moved to intervene. However, he was forced to halt when he met the gaze of the angel staring down at him.  

“You look troubled. As expected, bringing Thalia here was the right choice.”  

The angel of mercy, smirked at the priest drowning in agony.  

The heretic inquisitor, now eyeing the golden flame that had fully escaped his heart and was ready to set the world ablaze, glared at her and spat out his words.  

“You did this on purpose… Because you knew that if it were Thalia, I wouldn’t be able to lay a hand on her.”  

“Yes, no matter how powerful you are—even as Lyriam’s greatest sword—if you were blinded by love, you would willingly burn an innocent soul for your wife’s sake. 

So, I brought you a woman you could never harm.  

Thalia, the girl you cherished like family.  

Isn’t it entertaining? A twisted play, where you watch as your beloved wife and the sister you raised as kin tear each other apart?”

Ziffnel, the so-called angel of mercy and love, bore an unthinkably cruel smile.  

Julius, seeing her expression, bit his lip so hard that blood trickled down, then spat his words at her like venom.  

“… Weren’t you the angel of mercy and love? Looking at you now, it seems more fitting to call you a devil rather than an angel.”  

Her representative, was now battered by a high-ranking devil, and the fragile hopes of a woman who sought only happiness were now being trampled underfoot.  

Ziffnel, who had been enjoying the brutal spectacle of the two women fighting, turned to the foolish priest and, unlike in the distant past when she had left him without an answer, finally spoke.  

“A devil… Yes, perhaps I do look like a devil in your eyes.”  

“…”  

“It’s amusing—this notion that I know nothing of mercy or love. When I witness the unconditional warmth human mothers give to their children, I find myself tilting my head in confusion. When I see a man willingly sacrifice himself for a woman, I laugh at his foolishness.”  

“… …”  

“To me, whether devils or humans, all are equal under the name of Rom.”  

“They are all just things that can be discarded.”  

A soft pink light spread around her like blooming petals as an angel’s fury descended upon the man who had dared to tarnish the name of Telmere, her only close friend.  

Pink flames, fluttering like flower petals, surged toward Julius.  

He glared at her with wide eyes, then let out a small, amused scoff.  

Golden waves, powerful enough to set the universe ablaze, surged forth, devouring the angel’s flames.  

One might think he held the advantage, and yet—  

Despite being known as the strongest heretic inquisitor, he couldn’t even spare a glance at Cecil and Thalia. He could only keep his eyes locked on the angel before him.  

“Hmm… You are truly a man who defies all expectations. It would be an understatement to call you extraordinary. The fact that you wield power surpassing an angel’s while confined to a mortal body only makes your existence all the more baffling.”  

“… Enough. You cannot defeat me. Even Saint Telmere advised against senseless battles. I only want to live a peaceful life with my wife…”  

“A peaceful life?”  

She scoffed, brushing away the golden flames threatening to consume her body as if swatting away dust. Then, she gave him a bitter smile.  

“That’s impossible. It’s time you wake from that dream.”  

“… Even if every being in heaven conspires to kill me and my wife, I will protect her happiness.”  

“No, no, no. You misunderstand me completely.”  

“… What do you mean?”  

Ziffnel, once called the angel of war and prophecy, the very one who bestowed divine wisdom upon Saint Telmere, slowly opened her mouth.  

And with it, a cruel truth began to shake the inquisitor’s soul.  

“You wish to say, ‘Not all devils are evil. At least my wife, Cecil, is not evil.’”  

“… …”  

“Well, you might be right. But… unless all the high-ranking devils are exactly as their name implies—pure evil—then why did we go to such great lengths to seal them away?”  

Suddenly, the pink flower petals blooming around Julius detonated. Startled by the angel’s words, he barely dodged the explosion, rolling across the ground to evade the flames threatening to tear into his side.  

“Tsk… A cheap trick.”  

“You should never lower your guard, Tapnel’s representative. Now, where were we? Ah, yes—the reason we desperately tried to seal them away.”  

“… It must have been a justified reason.”  

As Julius slowly stood up, his gaze fell upon Cecil—her body sent flying by Thalia’s punch, striking her square in the stomach.  

An unbearable rage ignited within him, and he turned to glare at the angel.  

Ziffnel, Rom’s second daughter, smiled softly and spoke.  

“They attract evil simply by existing—by breathing, by walking the streets, by making love. It has nothing to do with whether high-ranking devils are truly evil or not.  

The only thing that matters is that their mere presence throws the world into chaos.”