NOVEL NEXT Chapter286-Turning Point
The furious roar of the Emperor of Angels received no answer.
Frustrated, he turned his gaze back toward Milla.
"Milla, why are you helping Daniel? You're no longer the devotee of the Luck Goddess. Why are you fighting so desperately?"
But Milla merely offered him a faint smile.
"By your logic, aren't you also no longer a devotee of Aurelia? Then why are you still so loyal to her?"
The Emperor of Angels was about to respond when, suddenly, he sensed a disturbance near one of the armored angels—danger was closing in fast.
"Watch out!"
But his warning came too late.
The armored angel had already sensed the threat and reacted immediately, leaping backward to evade.
However, Milla's taunting voice rang out right beside him:
"Why is it that you angels are always so distracted in battle?"
Even as she said it, her palm pressed lightly against the Emperor of Angels' outermost shield.
And just like that, the shield—so sacred and supposedly impenetrable—shattered like a mirror into countless pieces.
Daniel, clearly waiting for this exact moment, launched his long-prepared move: Mind Hunt.
In the blink of an eye, thirty-two spectral daggers materialized and plunged into the body of the Emperor of Angels.
[Mental Contamination…]
"There is no such thing as true immortality in this world," Daniel's voice rang cold and sharp. "Not even for the Emperor of Angels."
"Damn you!"
The Emperor of Angels bellowed, and an overwhelming surge of divine energy erupted from his form.
In an instant, Daniel was blasted backward by the sheer force.
At the same time, the Emperor's shield was restored to its pristine state, glittering once more with divine protection.
But rather than frustration, a smile appeared on Daniel's face.
[Emperor of Angels]
[Sanity Value -0.5%]
…
The Emperor of Angels immediately sensed that something was wrong.
Just as Michael had once warned, Daniel indeed possessed a unique status effect—one that even gods couldn't remove.
The Emperor of Angels summoned every bit of his power in an attempt to halt the contamination spreading through his spirit. He poured in his energy, invoking every known form of resistance.
But even with all his efforts, he could only slow the corruption, not stop it.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?!"
A few nearby angels noticed something wrong, but they were locked in combat and couldn't afford to break away to assist.
"I'm fine. Focus on your own battles," the Emperor said grimly.
But even as he spoke, Milla's figure reappeared behind him like a ghost.
This time, remembering his earlier mistake, the Emperor didn't dare let her touch him. He vanished in a blur of divine speed, relocating to another part of the battlefield.
The Sea of Resurrection still had numerous high-ranking angelic warriors stationed around it. In his eyes, Daniel wouldn't dare use the Primordial Core Weapon—its wide-area destruction would harm allies and enemies alike.
However, just as the Emperor left the Sea of Resurrection…
A prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Confirm: Destroy Sea of Resurrection?]
He froze.
Why would such a prompt be triggered now?
To destroy the Sea of Resurrection should require his authorization as the Emperor of Angels… so why was he being prompted?
Unless…
Realization dawned.
His face twisted in horror.
Daniel—he didn't just shapeshift to resemble others… he could even replicate their access privileges!
That ability—how could it possibly exist?!
Without hesitation, the Emperor of Angels teleported back to the Sea of Resurrection.
He didn't waste time confronting enemies. Instead, he raced to the central control node of the divine structure.
And there, he found something that made his breath catch in his throat:
Standing before him was a being who looked exactly like him—not just in appearance, but even in spiritual resonance.
No hesitation.
The Emperor raised his command:
"Cancel Destruction Order!"
But just as the command echoed out, Milla appeared—again, without a sound—right behind him.
With a single tap, she shattered his shield yet again.
At that exact moment, Daniel—synchronized like a seasoned partner—summoned Mind Hunt once more, the spectral daggers launching toward the Emperor.
The Emperor of Angels nearly went mad with frustration.
He was being pinned down from every direction. He couldn't flee, couldn't retaliate, couldn't even issue orders effectively.
Either he suffered another humiliating sneak attack… or the Sea of Resurrection would be destroyed.
What kind of choice was that?!
In that moment, he truly regretted not executing all those prisoners earlier. If he had, none of this would be happening.
For the Angel of Gold and Silver race, the Sea of Resurrection wasn't just a battlefield—it was everything.
As long as it remained intact, the prisoners could eventually be worn down, broken, and destroyed.
But if Daniel succeeded in destroying it… everything would be lost.
His eyes flashed with deadly resolve.
Without another word, the Emperor of Angels teleported to the nearest armored angel.
Using his overwhelming divine power, he freed the warrior from danger in an instant.
But at the same time…
Milla's hand shattered his shield once more.
Daniel's daggers struck again, spreading the mental contamination further.
Yet this time, the Emperor of Angels didn't flee.
Nor did he knock Daniel away.
Instead, with a sudden burst of rage, he turned on the prisoners chasing the armored angel—and instantly obliterated them, reducing them to chunks of meat.
For the first time, real casualties appeared on the battlefield.
Several prisoners lost their lives, their bodies torn apart in a flash.
But the cost was steep.
[Sanity Value -8.0%]
That one decision had pushed the Emperor of Angels' mental stability to a dangerously low threshold.
Still, with those prisoners slain, the Emperor regained a sliver of control.
He struck Daniel again, blasting him back once more and reactivating his protective shield.
It was a brutal move—but it had value.
The ferocity of the Emperor's counterattack intimidated a sizable portion of the prisoners. Many paused, hesitated. The fear in their eyes was real.
Sensing the wavering morale, the Emperor unleashed a new wave of mind power across the Divine Realm:
"You worthless prisoners! Are you really going to die here for the sake of one lowly human?"
"I'm giving you a chance—right here, right now—to redeem yourselves."
"If you're willing to leave the Divine Realm immediately, the Angel of Gold and Silver race will show mercy."
"The exit gates have been opened. You are free to leave—now!"