Angel Monarch

"Let's have a chat, shall we?" asked Purity, with a light chuckle.

White cloths grew from the ground, forming a throne-like chair. He sat down while keeping his glowing white eyes on Sera's perfect form.

His gaze held no lust or any particular emotion other than curiosity and intrigue. However, Sera still felt uncomfortable under his piercing eyes. They stared at her as if she were nothing but a mere, weak pawn.

In their previous brief battle, she already felt Purity's overwhelming power. He could've killed them both with ease, but instead the white knight fought without using any abilities, other than manipulating that strange fabric.

It made Sera wonder just how strong Purity really was. But since she preferred not to push her luck, she accepted the man's invitation for a conversation.

From the solidified Angelic Metal, an elaborate, fancy throne grew. Lines of intricate golden flames decorated the throne, while a glowing white seven-pointed star appeared above the headrest.

Purity's gaze narrowed for a moment while watching the star.

"I guess symbols never truly die," mumbled Purity, as Sera took her seat.

"What did you say?" asked Sera with a raised eyebrow and a comfortable smile.

The white knight coughed awkwardly. He tilted his head and spoke with a light chuckle.

"Nothing. I just find it funny that you use such precious metal as a mere chair. I wonder how our ancestors would feel watching your nonchalant use of Divine Metal."

Sera snorted, her smile widening.

"I don't think they care, since they're all dead. Either way, it's my power, and I use it how I wish... Now let's cut to the chase. You went through an awful lot of trouble to find and not kill me. What do you want?"

Purity turned away and grumbled something about being rude, but a few seconds later he answered Sera's question.

"You're smarter than you look, Last Angel! I indeed had a reason to find you before my fellow Horsemen. I want information, and depending on your answers, I might decide to leave you and your lover alone!"

"Hey Purity! We aren't lovers yet! This was just our first date—..."

Bea's voice echoed from the vines growing around Sera's neck, but the Angel quickly cut in to save herself some face.

"That's great news," Said Sera with a wide grin. "I'm also in need of information! Why don't we have a little exchange? An answer for an answer!"

Sera continued grinning as the white knight glanced away, his glowing eyes glinting with intrigue and suspicion. Eventually, he returned his gaze and nodded.

"Fine, but just a small piece of advice... You better not lie. I'll feel the impurity of your words, and I hate nothing more than the impure!"

For a moment, Sera actually believed that, unlike Peace and War, Purity had some semblance of normality. However, he crushed all of Sera's hopes with his insane words.

'At least he won't be lying either,' said a familiar voice inside Sera's mind.

She glanced down at the vines on her shoulder and neck with a tiny smile, then, following a feeling, she tried talking to Bea using her mind.

'Since when can you speak telepathically?'

Sera felt a tiny vine tenderly move along her lower back, near her buttocks. The feeling sent pleasant shivers down her spine, and that's when Sera realized that the dress she was wearing wasn't just something Bea made... It was part of her body...

It took all her willpower not to blush, and thankfully, Bea also stopped teasing her.

The Angel straightened her back and ignored her curiosity about the dress. Instead, she stared at Purity and continued their conversation.

"Thanks, but I never lie and won't dodge any questions. I'm an open book, but you'll only get answers if you know which pages to look at!"

Purity chuckled in amusement, but his glowing white eyes remained focused on Sera's comfortable form.

"That's good to hear. I'll let you begin the questionnaire... So? What do you desire to know?"

Sera stayed silent for a few seconds. Many questions bounced around her skull, each one holding important information for Earth's future. However, first she needed to know the exact scale of the threat.

"Who's the most dangerous for my and Europe's survival?"

The white knight's glow dimmed as he narrowed his eyes while glancing around suspiciously. After finding nothing out of the ordinary, he turned back and answered Sera's question.

"There are three factions who want to kill you the most. We angels and our leader Castiel want to Evolve into Ethereal using your body. The demons and their leader, Lucifer, want the same, Evolve using your corpse...

"The third faction, the Greek Pantheon. They dislike your having stolen the only remaining settlement on their peninsula. They're quite petty, with overgrown egos and god complexes. However, if you kneel before them and call them gods, they'll probably forgive you... And turn you into their whore!"

The glow in Purity's eyes became more powerful as he spoke about the Greeks and their impure, depraved nature.

He took a deep breath, then with newfound calmness said, "Okay, now it's my turn! Answer me, Last Angel. What's your goal in life?"

Sera tilted her head in confusion. She expected a much more dangerous question. Instead, she received something she could answer without thinking.

"I want to create a world where my people can live in peace, without anyone bothering us! I want a world where children don't have to lose their parents to wars and parents don't need to bury their young because of other people's greed and lust for blood!"

Purity nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"A noble goal indeed. I felt the purity in your heart after you removed that pesky Seed, yet I wanted to make sure. To get a feel for your character... Anyway, ask away. What's your next question?"

The Angel leaned back on her throne. She crossed her legs and stared into Purity's eyes with a small smirk.

"I'd like to know more about Castiel, so for my second question... Could you tell me everything important about the so-called leader of the Angelic Faction?"

Sera was also curious about what happened with Michael and Gabriel, since supposedly, they were the leaders of the Angelic Faction. However, that information isn't as useful to her. She would rather know about the immediate danger to her life.

The white knight seemed to approve of Sera's question, albeit it wasn't easy to tell. That helmet over his face covered all of Purity's expressions, making him much harder to read.

"He's a Stellar and a very dangerous one at that. He acquired a unique and deadly ability along his Evolution... He can control reflections!"

'That doesn't sound too dangerous,' said Bea in Sera's mind. 'What can reflections do? They're simply the mirror image of our world... Oh, shit...'

Simultaneously, as Sera realized the potential of this power, Bea also understood... He can control the mirror image of the world, which, depending on the ability's extant can be more powerful than anything Sera had ever fought!

"Nobody truly knows the extant of his powers, but none of us Horsemen dare disobey him. Not after he killed both Michael and Gabriel..."

He turned silent for a few seconds until Sera nodded in approval and awaited Purity's next question.

"How much of yourself and the people around you would you sacrifice to achieve your goal?"

Sera smiled upon hearing Purity's second question. She thought for a few seconds before her smile twisted into a wide, scary grin.

"I would sacrifice all of myself, but when it comes to people, I don't negotiate. I'd rather sacrifice the Universe than lose the people I care for!... I still owe Peace and War for what they did to Rome!"

The white knight shifted in his seat uncomfortably, yet the answer wasn't anything he didn't expect.

"Vengeful yet just and selfless. Curious," said Purity with narrowed eyes. "Last question. Make it count!"

Sera glanced away with a thoughtful expression.

It seemed Purity was only willing to answer three questions, or maybe he only wanted to ask three. Either way, Sera wasn't planning on wasting this unique opportunity.

She leaned back with a cunning smile and asked the most important question...

"How do I eliminate all the primordial threats to Earth's future?"

Upon hearing her question, Purity nearly fell out of his chair from laughter. He wasn't mocking Sera, but the question caught him quite off-guard.

"What makes you think I know?" he asked, while the white glow in his eyes brightened.

Sera didn't answer. She just tilted her head in confusion, while her cunning smile widened into a wicked grin.

Purity sighed and grabbed his helmet's facemask while shaking his head in self-deprecation. His own pure personality bound him to answer, even though he rather kept important information close to his chest.

"The answer is simpler than you think," he said. "Every Faction wants something else, but in reality all their desires can be solved simultaneously... Create a tournament. The winner gets control over the planet, and you'll also fight...

"This way, anyone who wants to kill you'll attend, while the greedy primordial gods won't resist their petty desires. They'll fight and kill each other in order to achieve their dream and gain perfect control of humanity!"

Sera raised an eyebrow, while Bea mumbled something about 'Purity's plan is stupid'.

"But there are multiple Ethereals running wild. Also, what stops these Factions from uniting against me and breaking the rules of such a tournament?... Don't try weaseling out of a proper answer! Tell me everything you know, or I'll begin calling you Impurity!"

The white knight gasped as if Sera had just cursed out his entire bloodline.

"There's no need," he began after regaining his composure.

A deep sigh reverberated inside his helmet as the white glow narrowed in his eyes.

"I can answer you, but you should go straight to the source. In Northern Europe resides a primordial god known as Odin. He can help you. I'm certain!"

Sera didn't push her luck and nodded, accepting Purity's answer. Now it was time to hear his last question.

The white glow in his eyes ignited brighter than ever. His pure gaze moved along Sera's perfect body, then eventually it stopped right on Bea's vine.

'Why's that weirdo staring at me?' asked Bea.

'You can't really blame him. I'd also stare at you all day if I had the opportunity!' answered Sera in a seductive tone.

'Well, maybe after we're done here, we can stare at each other for the rest of the day and we'll see where the night takes us!'

They both giggled like schoolgirls inside Sera's head, as the white knight finally asked his last question.

"So, Last Angel. Tell me... Why do you carry a World Tree in your soul?"