Angel Monarch

The gathered people didn't enjoy seeing the wide grin on the Angel's face. Xinya especially felt disturbed, since, unlike the two girls and her son, she had reason to fear Sera's wrath.

Sera took a step closer, her smile widening as she gazed into Xinya's dark blue eyes.

"So you're the woman who tried kidnapping and killing my daughter and son? How unfortunate... I hope you don't mind if I—"

She didn't finish her sentence. While talking, she took small steps towards Xinya, and then suddenly she jumped forward and punched the woman with all her might.

Xinya flew through the air like a rag doll and hit the gym's opposite wall so hard, the metal bent. It was a miracle her brains didn't explode, even though her skull turned into splinters.

Dazed, she fell from the wall, plopping onto the metal ground. Her face regenerated as she stood back on her feet and glanced towards Sera's approaching form.

The Angel continued grinning as she walked the hundred meter distance. She spread her pristine white wings, causing the golden petal dress to dance in the created breeze, yet she didn't take flight.

"Let's have some fun, Xinya! I heard how much hurt you, Victor and Otto caused to my family! Let me pay back your kindness!"

Xinya stood on shaky legs. She wasn't sure if they shook from fear or pain, yet right now she didn't care. She had no time to catch her breath, as Sera burst into action and flew towards her.

Sera appeared before Xinya, with her right fist aimed at her head once again. The Asian woman leaned away from the blow, so instead of her head, Sera's fist went shoulder deep into the metal wall.

Everyone gasped simultaneously. The metal alloy in the wall could withstand blows from Transcended, at least it should. However, under Sera's fists, the metal looked closer to clay with its structural integrity.

It took Sera a few moments to pull her arm from the newly made hole, and Xinya used this chance to strike back. Her own fist moved and connected with Sera's chin, sending her flying into a different metal wall.

The Angel's pristine white wings crumpled as the metal wall bent from the impact. A few loose white feathers fell through the air gently, as Sera's chuckle echoed through the gym.

Her right arm, which was in the wall when Xinya punched her, now looked similar to a broken piece of meat. Sera's left arm held the appendage to its broken socket, and they all watched in real time as the muscles re-knitted, the bones mended and the skin regenerated.

It took Sera less than a second before fully regaining her battle readiness.

She cracked her neck while making a few shoulder curls with her regenerated right arm. Afterward, her golden-green eyes moved to Xinya, and a moment later, she appeared by her side with a raised fist.

Xinya had no time to dodge, so she raised her arms and planted her feet. Sera's heavy blow sent a shockwave and pushed Xinya back a few dozen meters. Her arms also broke cleanly, but at least she stayed standing... Well, until she tried taking a step...

As it turned out, the bones inside her leg also broke, and when she took a step, a sharp pain assaulted her body. A moment later, her face met the metal floor.

She groaned while her body suffered in complete agony. As a last-ditch effort, she tried summoning her dao, but the moment lights began coalescing around her hand, she felt a foot press down on her wrist, breaking it completely.

With a small gasp of pain, Xinya glanced up at Sera's grinning face. She pressed her foot further, then when the Asian woman's face contorted in torment, all the pain seemed to disappear.

Xinya felt a hand grasp her silver-white hair. The hand was strangely gentle, as Xinya's limp body lifted off the metal ground.

Her dark blue eyes fluttered open and stared into Sera's golden-green ones. The Angel's grin turned into a soft, subdued smile.

Sera raised her right fist again and prepared to finish Xinya off. She leaned closer and whispered in Xinya's ear.

"You fought well enough, for getting caught completely off-guard. Sadly, it's time to end this..."

The Angel giggled as Xinya's expression turned bitter. She wasn't angry or tried escaping Sera's grasp. In fact, she believed this was fitting punishment for all the suffering she brought into this world.

Xinya closed her dark blue eyes as her heart filled with regret. She would've preferred to explain everything to her son before dying... That was her only regret in life...

She took a deep breath and awaited the Angel's judgement. However, what came next surprised everyone, including Xinya.

"It's time, Xinya. It's time to end this grudge between us..." said Sera, and a moment later, Xinya felt two tender arms wrapping around her body, pulling her into a warm embrace.

"I forgive you!" she whispered right into Xinya's ear.

A wild shiver went down Xinya's spine as Sera's kind voice reached her ear, while her powerful arms, capable of crushing anyone, gently hugged her body.

Before she realized it, tears began flowing from Xinya's eyes, as sobs shook her body. She hadn't noticed before, the weight she carried in her soul. The self-loathing, the need to prove herself, the need to feel accepted by others.

Xinya couldn't recall the last time anyone thanked or even glanced at her with kindness...

'I forgive you!' Those words meant everything to Xinya. After so long, she finally felt a minuscule of validation, which helped carry the burden of her broken heart and soul.

She continued crying for a few minutes, during which Sera hummed in her ear, like a mother to their child. Her sobs gradually calmed until her dark blue eyes opened and she gazed at Sera's smiling expression.

The Angel moved away from their embrace and stood above her. The gym's artificial light caught on her pristine white wings, while the golden petals on her dress also glowed... For the first time since their meeting, Xinya saw the Angel not as an enemy or a threat, but something more...

Not quite a Goddess, but someone good. Someone better than an ideal deity. A real kind leader, worthy of following...

Xinya took a deep sigh as Sera began walking away. However, a moment later, self-deprecating laughter echoed from her lips.

"Fuck me... Lilith was right!" she whispered to herself, while glancing towards Sera's form.

She walked up to Lin. The young boy stood a few centimeters shorter than the Angel, but Sera's sheer presence made Xinya's son look like a tiny person next to a giant.

Sera stopped beside him and placed one hand on Lin's shoulder. She leaned in and spoke in a low voice, so nobody else could hear her words.

"Your mother attempted to kill and kidnap both my children, yet I managed to forgive her. Your feelings are valid, and if you prefer keeping this grudge, then I won't stop you, but..."

The Angel paused while glancing towards Xinya...

"But life is too short for hatred. She made many mistakes and will atone for her sins in due time... However, for now she needs someone to rely on... She needs forgiveness and kindness, the same as you... Why don't you try helping each other?"

Sera didn't wait for his answer, as she left Lin speechless. She simply went back to the armchair and grabbed the controller. However, the next second she glanced towards the two bewildered girls.

"Hey, what are you waiting for? Come on, let's play and give some alone time to the mother and son!"

Thea and Lydia glanced between Xinya and Lin with uncertainty. They clearly didn't trust the mother.

"We shouldn't leave them alone," said Thea, in a meek voice. She didn't have the courage to look even in Sera's general direction. Lydia was even worse than her body froze whenever she tried disagreeing with her Goddess.

"Why not? You think Xinya would do something to her only son? With the person she loves the most?"

Sera chuckled and soon continued with a less than kind grin on her face.

"You two shouldn't worry about Lin. Not after you told off my daughter in her time of need! Or have you forgotten how she came looking for help from her friends, and instead she found nothing but hostility!"

Both girls blushed and trembled under Sera's judgmental gaze.

"It's clear both of you were jealous of her progression with Evolution and her maturity compared to her young age. However, did either of you think about why she acts as an adult, even though she's thirteen-years-old?"

Their shame grew, causing the redness in their faces to brighten.

"Trauma makes everyone more mature compared to their actual age. Look at me, for example. Care to guess how old I am?"

Thea glanced up and looked over Sera's perfect body before she glanced away once more and guessed in a barely audible, trembling voice...

"Uh... Forty?"

Sera chuckled at the answer.

"I'm actually twenty-three and have only been an Evolved for five years! However, the amount of shit I went through... I've multiple lifetime's worth of painful experiences!"

The gym turned deathly silent for a few seconds until eventually Sera sighed and leaned back in the armchair. She kept her gaze aimed at the ceiling while she addressed both girls.

"Anyway, that doesn't matter. You've two choices, girls. Either come and play this fun racing game... Or I'll teach you some fighting lessons on the training mat!"

Thea and Lydia glanced at each other in terror. After seeing the previous display of the Last Angel's might, neither girl was stupid enough to fight her.