Will I be scared?
The little cub turned his body, left hand gripping Cupid’s Bow, right hand set on the bowstring. He looked up, the small wings on his back slightly raised, watching the angel flying against the light. He asked himself this question.
It did seem like he would be, a little.
But it was much better than he’d imagined.
One should know, this was once Little Chu Zao’s nightmare—
“Chu Zao.”
The archangel looked down at the little one with merciful eyes.
“So it really is you.”
The archangel had anticipated it.
After all, in all the years since the disappearance from Angel Realm, only the little one before him was ever missing.
No one from other worlds could come here. Even if there were some disturbances, they had only been small accidents.
But just in this short time, the damage caused by this little cub—this, the archangel truly hadn’t expected—Little Chu Zao’s rapid growth made the archangel feel a trace of threat.
“Under the calamity magic, did you gain some fortune? Then why are you here? The Angel Fountain Stone belongs to the angels, not for any one to take at will. Hand it over, now.”
The archangel sighed, reaching out as his staff appeared in hand, golden eyes tinged with orange, like a blazing sun, looking down and speaking to the little one.
“You can destroy this place, which means you are qualified to fight me, but after all, you’re still young and uneducated—coming here while still growing, causing such a stir, it is—indeed foolish.”
So very foolish—so foolish it delighted him.
He had always been anxious about this anomaly, but because of the Angel Spring, he couldn’t act against this little thing—after all, he was an angel.
And after Little Chu Zao disappeared, that loss of control over the anomaly made the archangel very displeased.
But now, who would have thought—the little one he had long been upset over actually delivered himself to his door.
“The Angel Fountain Stone, it’s on you, right? I’ve already sensed it.”
That casual yet oppressive feeling, Little Chu Zao still sensed it on the archangel, but—
“Archangel, Zao Zao won’t give it to you—and Zao Zao knows now, you’re wrong. From the very beginning, none of you thought Zao Zao should exist.”
Little Chu Zao’s voice was still childish.
He looked at the archangel and sensed the threat, but was not that nervous, simply because—he hadn’t seen Baba.
Concealing one’s aura was a lesson the Crown Clan learned at a very young age.
The little cub had started learning and had made some progress, but Amos—he was clearly the best in the entire Crown Clan.
From the perspective of the interstellar, Amos’s existence was a bug.
No other interstellar resident had ever had mental power to the degree of Amos.
Standing quietly in the shadows, the Crown Clan hadn’t concealed much, yet was naturally ignored. Amos lowered his eyes, the crown atop his head disappeared, the sharp silver-black glow of his mental blade dying like ashes, like the emperor’s statue standing amidst the ruins of the Holy Cas national square.
Only when he heard the archangel’s voice did the corner of his lip curl in mocking amusement.
The great beast hid quietly in the dark, concealing his fangs, ready to strike at any moment.
Yet the archangel being stalked by the “beast” hadn’t realized—his halo above was round and bright as jade, shining even brighter than Little Chu Zao’s crown, and he smiled.
“No, how could you think this way? How could the angel race not tolerate a little oddity like you?”
The archangel slowly raised his staff, mercifully regarding the little cub, especially the four wings behind the boy. A murky glimmer crossed his eyes—
“When did we ever truly reject you? True, you aren’t one of us, but we educated you, gave you the right to trade fruit for daily goods, and never said we’d outright destroy you, but you—came to seize the angel’s fountain from us—how is that the angels’ fault? And any individual angel’s dissatisfaction or worry about you, that can’t be extended to the whole race.”
Angels were passionate, merciful, gentle, soft—
Yes, angels were just such beings.
And precisely because they were such, the Angel Realm was ruled by them, the Angel Fountain accepted their authority.
“But Zao Zao isn’t a monster, nothing I touched was polluted—nor do I need, as you said, to please anyone, to fit in and integrate here, nor to forget the pain you caused Zao Zao. All of that is wrong!”
The little cub was no longer the one from a year ago, who grew up in Angel Realm believing whatever the archangel said.
The little cub raised Cupid’s Bow in his hand, the shining golden arrow aimed straight at the archangel.
“Surprising,” the archangel looked at the little fellow. “This little thing actually dares speak out—now I’m really curious, where were you all this year? Outside Angel Realm, there shouldn’t be any place to survive—oh, I don’t know how you destroyed this place, but do you plan to threaten me with that powerless little bow?”
As the little golden arrow flew, the archangel sighed lightly, the golden staff in his hand suddenly glowing with intricate patterns.
The power of the little cub’s arrows, the archangel had seen before—no doubt—a gentle power he’d guided, of love and peace.
How ridiculous.
The archangel rarely spared much attention to understand this child, but now he was impatient. He still had more important matters—better to retrieve the Angel Fountain Stone and eliminate this unstable factor once and for all.
Power he could not control—if given the chance to utterly destroy—was, without a doubt, a good thing for the archangel.
The staff tapped the air, golden shield rising, the golden arrow hitting the shield—then, in the next blink, the tail of the little arrow burst into black flames—the entire bolt accelerated instantly.
It began to explode from a single point.
The archangel froze, sidestepping; albino-gold hairs near his face were scorched and curled.
An unseen power.
But not terribly strong.
The archangel raised his hand once more—countless light arrows appeared in the air, aiming at Little Chu Zao below.
With a wave, the arrows rained down.
Little Chu Zao’s tiny back wings beat rapidly—
Little Chu Zao paused. Such a wide range.
Shattered stones were further pulverized—under continuous attack, they turned to dust, blurring the sight.
The little one couldn’t help but glance toward Amos.
Amos didn’t move, as if sure such attacks could be evaded.
Yet indeed—
Little Chu Zao retreated to a safe area, gripping Cupid’s Bow—he’d instantly pinpointed the archangel’s current weak spot, and instinctively acted.
How strange.
Little Chu Zao had already flashed to the other side of the archangel, bow fully drawn—
The archangel wasn’t as fast as Zao Zao expected.
The arrow shot again, and only as it neared did the archangel suddenly realize. Startled, the golden shield appeared by his side—the archangel, previously relaxed, was now wholly tense.
—When?
When had that little fellow gotten into that position?
The cub’s power was still not very strong, but it seemed, in this year, he had been systemically trained—every move was completely different than before, giving the archangel an unknown sense of oppression.
—‘As an archer, whether at range or up close, it’s all about surprise: strike at the unexpected, learn to feint, combine real and false, predict his next step, preempt possible flaws. Most interstellar races don’t need such skill, being not as strong as our Crown Clan, but do not get careless, and remember, Zao Zao, your arrows can fly very far—as you aim, just focus, think less, and believe—he isn’t stronger than you.’
Third Uncle’s laughing voice seemed just beside his ear.
He himself wouldn’t dare attack Amos, so he nudged the little one to try an arrow at His Majesty Amos—to test Amos’s reflexes—of course, in the end Amos beat him up—Feeney was beaten up by Amos.
And the teacher who’d lost his wings told him under warm sunlight: ‘Learn to hide your aura—in battle, it means you confuse your foe.’
And other Crown Clan, other friends—
Baba had told him too—“Zao Zao is Crown Clan, the strongest little Crown Clan.”
Little Chu Zao had already left his last position and drew his bow again—the dust beaten up by the archangel became the best cover for the cub. Three arrows nocked, ready.
Little Chu Zao’s big eyes watched the obviously flustered archangel, still staring at Zao Zao’s earlier spot.
Really.
He could see it so clearly, and the other’s actions matched what he’d guessed.
Amos, standing in the shadows, chuckled lightly.
In this year, the cub—repeatedly aided and uplifted by Crown Clan who’d lost their cubs—stood in a new position.
Though Amos was still angry with the archangel—
Still—
Standing in the dark, the parent spoke softly.
“Zao Zao, does it feel—not so scary anymore?”
The shining crown suddenly burst into flame, jet-black fire trailing a long tail, shooting from the dust—straight at the archangel.
A violent crash, the entire Angel Realm seemed to shake for a moment.
The archangel’s eyes widened, blood scattered on his shoulder.
Dust began to fall, exposing the cub’s silhouette within.
—Two arrows blocked, one went astray, only grazing the archangel’s shoulder.
Little Chu Zao drew his bow again.
Zao Zao, once more!
Although the cub still couldn’t destroy the archangel—
He was already able to hurt him, causing the archangel to truly panic.
The archangel felt threatened.
His initial judgment was right, after all: he must never allow this little thing to grow up.
Nor was it possible to make him one of them—the best course now was to eliminate him entirely!
“You have indeed enraged me,” the archangel’s wings unfurled, staring at Little Chu Zao, eyes cold. “You rebel against the god of nature.”
The cub’s arrow loosed again.
But the archangel abruptly soared, strength swelling: “I shall punish you on behalf of the god of nature.”
His staff twisted, even the terrain below warped, myriad light arrows filled the sky—he watched the cub, as more angels appeared behind—already summoned by the archangel, flying from the highest floating towers, their power gathering, all aiming at the tiny form in the sky.
Some of the angels’ faces were still familiar to the cub; he’d often sought out the archangel before, or the archangel sought him to talk.
So these skilled angels, the little cub had seen before.
Now, looking at the cub, confused, but all raised their weapons, launching attacks.
So many!
The cub still held his little bow, dazed.
Without hesitation, he turned to disengage.
Wuuwa!
Third Uncle, this archangel is even less honorable than you!
Too much—simply too much!
“Tsk.”
In the dark, a small light began to shine.
The archangel lowered his eyes, watching the harried little cub hiding, the top of his staff gathering power. As countless light arrows rained down, that power converged into a massive light sphere, slightly distorting the space—he lowered it at the cub like holding up a sun.
“If you had a few more years to grow, maybe I’d truly be helpless. Pity—”
Just a little thing like this, no great threat, nothing more.
In that instant, dust and radiance descended together.
Heaven and earth seemed cast in a single color.
No way to distinguish what was real.
The archangel hovered at the center of the light, mercifully lowering his head to look at the cub’s spot.
He spoke softly.
“If you’re reborn, pray to be an ordinary little angel—Angel Realm needs no heresy.”
The archangel’s always-taut nerves seemed to relax.
It felt as if the discomfort that had long choked his mind finally vanished.
“He stole the Angel Fountain Stone—this is his punishment, everyone, isn’t that right?”
The angels clustering around the archangel shook their heads.
“Wasn’t that the troublesome little aberrant?”
“Didn’t he already die? Why’s he here?”
“He stole the angel’s fountain? What’s his aim? Letting him live was already our greatest mercy—did he expect more?”
“After the punishment, I will reclaim the Angel Fountain Stone and rebuild the fountain.”
So said the archangel, waving his staff ahead.
The giant sun descended.
But at that moment, he saw an odd light.
It was a dark gleam, subtle as a weapon’s shimmer. Amidst the force that seemed to brighten all creation, it could not be ignored.
What was it?
The archangel wondered.
Was that the little thing’s power?
Yes—judging from before, the cub, though he could surprise him and cause minor wounds, it hadn’t been enough to wreck the angelic spring. Clearly some other power was at work.
But whatever the force, it was no more than—
The falling ‘sun’ froze in place.
What?
The archangel was startled.
The not-yet-descended sun began to distort violently, reaching its limit—then abruptly collapsed with a crash. The buildings behind shattered from the belated impact, fragments and debris flying.
What happened at the spring site below was even harder to see, obscured by light and dust.
But there was another power.
The archangel was very sure—someone else was there—
A fearful realization dawned, belatedly.
Within the dust, the archangel vaguely saw the faint glimmer of a halo, dark, flickering with silver-black light, and beneath it, a pair of eyes, blood-red, looking right at him.
Calmly meeting his gaze.
For a moment, the archangel seemed petrified.
A deathly chill, a terror of being hunted, crawled up his spine.
What was it?
Who was it?
The archangel could only wonder.
Because beside him, some angels had already frozen—in the cries of others, blood abruptly spattered, bodies falling from the sky.
Amos strode out from the smoke and dust.
He held the mental blade in one hand, clutching his own little cub in the other, his wings unfolding behind him in that instant—
He lifted his eyes to glare at the archangel.
“It’s you—”
The archangel froze, and at last those unwelcome memories resurfaced.
Especially that mental blade—
Once pinned to his throne.
It almost pierced his head.
But how could—
“Why are you here? And—who are you?”
The archangel stared as Amos’s crown of mental force slowly ignited.
And the cub in Amos’s arms had a crown almost identical in detail—different in color, but many of the etched lines and patterns ran the same.
As if to prove something between them.
“Yeah,” Amos said lightly. “Should I greet you like Zao Zao does? Hello, everyone?”
His Majesty Amos was, for once, a little humorous. Amid the panicked stares of the angels—including the archangel—he blocked the powerful attack with ease.
But obviously, in this atmosphere, none understood His Majesty’s humor.
Amos raised his hand again.
An overwhelming surge of mental power.
The blade swung.
Those scarlet eyes stared at them.
The little cub nestled against Amos’s chest.
He raised his little hand gesturing exaggeratedly.
“They don’t play fair, they’re rude, they’re worse than Third Uncle.”
The cub whined indignantly.
“So Baba, let’s not be polite with them! Zao Zao could have done it.”
The little one was dissatisfied; he could have done more, but the archangel broke the rules and made Amos act early.
Amos soothed his cub.
“Baba saw it, it’s nothing—Zao Zao, you’ll be better than them soon enough.”
What was going on?
The archangel didn’t have time to react.
It all happened so fast.
Before he knew it, agony struck, blood splashing before his eyes.
The archangel, strongest in the Angel Realm, had felt a threat and instinctively drew back. But it wasn’t enough—a massive blood-gash appeared on his chest, one wing among his many was chopped half off.
He looked at the fallen wing, then at the angels around starting to drop.
The earlier light had been so blinding—now it was snuffed out, but as dust had not fully settled, the sky felt a little dim. Countless angels fell, scattered across the ground.
And on the far side, the scarlet-eyed Crown Clan advanced on him, step by step venting their rage.
It felt like doomsday—
The staff in the archangel’s grip cracked, the archangel clutched his wound, his power flashing as he tried to heal.
He stared incredulously at Amos.
“Who are you, really? No—it’s impossible, no creature can have such power—”
In this dimension, no being should possess such force.
Let alone how he’d crossed over, and that blade—what was it?
What was all of this?
A thousand doubts tangled in his heart. The always-composed archangel for the first time felt a subtle urge to shrink back.
At last, all that shock turned to deep regret.
He fixed his gaze on the unharmed little cub, who only looked a bit messier than before, thinking—Back then, even against every disadvantage, he should have strangled this little creature in its crib. This is a warning to the angel race—a lesson from the past.
Meanwhile, Amos, with a few easy swings, had already sensed the archangel’s patterns—Little Chu Zao saw his movements, so Amos saw all the clearer. In just a handful of rounds Amos had basically figured him out.
Holding his grumbling cub, peeking at the Angel Fountain Stone in the boy’s pouch, Amos swept his mental blade down.
In a wrathful mood, His Majesty was laughing madly, far more talkative than usual.
“Don’t be stingy; aren’t you an angel? Can’t you even give something so small?”
Amos’s crown shone, nonchalant.
“The child’s still young, we’re already here—what’s the harm in granting it to him?”
His cub was still so young—it was so hard to come back.
How could such a gentle, adorable, and well-behaved cub not deserve it?
“And that thing you just said, say it again; let me hear it once more.”
Amos’s mental blade swung again, oppressively destructive.
At this moment, the archangel finally understood what power had truly destroyed the Angel Fountain domain.
Amos looked calm, but in his scarlet eyes, it was as though a fire blazed.
“Before you hand over your life as well—”