### Chapter 228: Betrayal (Part One)
Buzz—
A golden sphere popped out from Angel’s oversized cleric robes and floated above his head. The moment it shone brightly, I activated Moon Step and leaped into the air, shooting up to a height of dozens of meters, but it was already too late.
Bang!
A muffled thud echoed in my skull, as if someone had hit me with an invisible, indestructible barrier that suddenly formed in the golden glow lighting up the night sky. Before I could react, I slammed right into it, causing a dull sound to resonate. Just as dizziness was about to set in, an odd counterforce pushed down on me!
“Ugh!”
Whoosh—
A gust of wind rushed past my ears, and my body plummeted back to the ground like a cannonball. With a “thud,” grass and dirt flew everywhere. My head was blank, my ears buzzing like a swarm of angry bees. Struggling to get up, I staggered a few steps like a drunken fool, and the overwhelming dizziness hit me like a truck.
Reverse image of the end…
This was the power of Angel’s Divine Reliquary…
“Bleh!”
I couldn’t help but double over, retching. My body felt incredibly weak, and with a thud, I fell to my knees. As I let go, my scythe clattered to the ground. Then, cradling my head, I fixed my dazed gaze on the nearby crowd with a furious glare.
“Angel…”
I grit my teeth and called out the name of the young pope.
“Sorry, Little Black Charcoal.”
Amidst the dazzling light, Angel, wrapped in gold robes, quietly apologized. His right hand gripped the staff, arms raised overhead, palms open in a gesture of harmlessness as he began to back away slowly. “Please believe me, I mean no harm… I’m doing this for your own good. You will understand, but right now, you can’t go anywhere. You have to come with me.”
As he stepped back, Margaret took a couple of steps forward, quickly extracting a familiar bone pendant hanging around her neck. A second beam of golden light suddenly burst forth from the pendant, rising gradually in the night over the grassland, illuminating the unnaturally calm face of the Saint in a chillingly clear way.
Buzz—
The hymn of the miracle vibrated in the air. Accompanied by the halo from the bone pendant, an old, familiar yet oddly comforting sensation surged through me, overwhelming me with a strange sense of reassurance, causing my mind to start to drift. The figures before me grew blurry.
“Why…”
Somewhat angry, somewhat sad, somewhat confused, yet also perhaps somewhat clear. My weak and sorrowful voice seemed to interrogate those two people who I once thought wouldn’t harm me, almost questioning myself for being so foolish, for always believing in them.
“Don’t try to resist. This is the power of the Mother God of Abundance. It won’t harm you, absolutely not. I promise you on my personality.”
Angel’s voice began to fade into my ears, sounding like something from a dream.
“We won’t hurt you, really. You just need a good sleep. When you wake up, the world will return to its original state. You won’t remember anything from tonight. I won’t let you have any bad memories. Little Black Charcoal, just sleep tight, and let me take you back…”
“AN! GEL!”
Kneeling on the ground, I thumped my head and tugged at my hair, letting out a wrenching howl toward him.
“Margaret, don’t let her struggle.”
“…Understood.”
Buzz—
In the next moment, a shockwave sprang forth, radiating from Margaret’s glowing pendant. It crashed into me like a heavy hammer, accompanied by a daunting gust of wind.
[The Muddy Coffin of the Mother Deity.]
“Ugh…”
My breath hitched, and I remained kneeling, unable to move an inch.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz!
The air vibrated at a high frequency, the grass at my shins swayed wildly, and the soil beneath me started to churn like a disturbed cauldron. The buzzing in my ears felt like countless sharp knives piercing my eardrums, and my head felt like it was about to explode.
d*mn it…
My eyes turned scarlet, fixated ahead as I sank deeper into the muck, no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t stand. I couldn’t even move a finger; biting down my teeth felt like an impossible task.
Margaret…
You’re doing this to me…
Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz…
“Enough already!”
“Stop…”
“She’s weak as it is; don’t hurt her…”
Voices were getting louder as more Black Robes surrounded us. Gradually, I couldn’t even make out what they were saying. Drowsiness crept in, and I clung to the last bits of my anger to keep awake. The figures nearby and the intertwining golden lights started to blur; it felt like I could lose consciousness at any moment.
“Doctor Chris… prepare… for the Underground Prison… you and Margaret take care of her…”
The miracle’s glow shifted and flowed under the night sky, and I seemed to see Angel slowly walking towards me.
“Don’t be afraid, Little Black Charcoal, don’t fear… you’ll be fine…”
Not far behind the man, the old pope with graying hair shouted toward the approaching Black Robes, “The Choir of Saints, the Choir of Saints! Miss Emily, hasn’t the Romani Doctor arrived yet…?”
“The Romani Doctor may not come… she’s waiting for us in the Underground Prison…”
Romani Doctor…
“Miss Anacelis, it appears… the mission is finally coming to an end…”
“Don’t call me Miss…”
Romani Doctor!!!
“Mr. Ramiel… you can’t go back to the gentle nest of the Holy City… we’ll all be staying here for a while… understand the state of the patients… buzz buzz buzz…”
“Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz…”
The chaotic noise began to fade inside my head; my thoughts scattered. I could barely see Angel’s gradually approaching face, the only name that stuck in my mind was the “Romani Doctor” the old pope had just shouted.
“Sleep, Little Black Charcoal… sleep…”
The man lifted his cleric robes, slowly crouched in front of me, and cautiously extended his hand, aiming to touch my head.
In the next moment, Dead Smoke began to rise from my body.
“Be careful—”
“Pope!”
Whoosh—
The swirling smoke billowed from within me, forming countless small smoke serpents that enveloped me in an instant. A high-pitched howling surged from my body. Angel reacted quickly; a flash of golden light erupted from him as he teleported a dozen meters away, narrowly escaping the devouring Chaotic Power. Through the gaps in the smoke, I vaguely saw him staring in shock.
“Little Black Charcoal, you…”
Buzz—
The miracle’s sound resonated again, this time originating from my chest.
“Roar!!!”
A thunderous roar erupted, filled with commanding anger, accompanied by a fierce shockwave bursting out from within me and radiating outward, sending the figures ahead into a commotion. They all clutched their ears or shielded their faces. The next moment, translucent white branches blossomed gently from my chest.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz…
The branches trembled, releasing a blazing white radiance that dispelled the surrounding darkness. Almost simultaneously, I saw Margaret stagger, her face turning pale as she gasped for air, the golden light on her pendant abruptly dimmed, and the oppressive feeling of being stuck in the quagmire vanished in an instant.
…I could move.
The moment I realized this, I picked up the scythe on the ground and, amid everyone’s astonished gazes, wobbled and stood up.
