Versatile Mage

Mu Bai pushed Mo Fan out with all his might. Mo Fan felt as if he had broken out through a looking glass. He breathed in a gush of clean air that instantly cleared the turbidity in his lungs.

His stiffened muscles, frozen blood, and forgotten memories were gradually restored. Life slowly returned to his body and decaying soul.

Mo Fan lay on the ground and faced the sky. He turned his head and looked at the sunken and massive black abyss. Mu Bai left him further away. He was slowly covered by the muddy and decaying souls. He got further away from Mo Fan, and his silhouette gradually faded.

Mo Fan dared not to look at him again. He quickly closed his eyes.

He felt his eyes were dry. He was filled with guilt. Mu Bai's final words lingered in Mo Fan's mind.

'Could the Fallen Angel still return to the world? What if he could never return?'

The place Mo Fan had seen made him feel vulnerable, frightened, and dejected. But why did Mu Bai fall into it again?

...

"Mo Fan!"

"Mo Fan!"

"Mo Fan!"

He heard someone shout. It was only then that Mo Fan slowly opened his eyes. Sunlight warmed his face. The gentle breeze cooled his skin. Many people were still worried about him. Mo Fan felt their joy when they called out to him.

...

Although the time he spent in hell had been short, Mo Fan felt as though he had been gone for ages. If he had continued to sink deeper, how much longer would he have suffered?

He originally thought he would become a great hero, only to find that his friends saved him instead. They were worthy of his respect for life.

"Why?!"

"Why do I even need your approval to make the heretic disappear from this world?!" Michael almost went crazy when he saw Mo Fan resurface from the abyssal hell.

The process went from trial to mutiny, and the battle only got more intense. Holy City rarely had difficulties in killing a person. Without their absolute sanctions, evil magic and demonic spells would become more widespread. By then, demons would rule over the people, and the people would end up becoming food to the demonic empire. Did humans miss those days when they were still slaves to the ancient gods? Human civilization was going backward!

Without Holy City, there would be no magic convention, and no one could stop the widespread use of evil magic. The rulers from other planes would trample the fragile magic civilization and humans would lose their dignity!

"You will bear the charge through the ages!" Michael pointed at Mo Fan.

"I've had enough of your disgusting nonsense!" Mo Fan's blood flowed over his body and boiled. At that moment, Mo Fan looked like the descendant of an ancient supernatural entity. He transformed and grew increasingly powerful.

He had Eight Souls, both Souls of Goodness and Souls of Evil, coexisted. Hence, half of his power was filled with holy and sacred Soul Essence, while the other half contained the nature of extreme wickedness.

Mo Fan was ablaze in flames. His flames were the sacred, phoenix flames derived from the Sacred Totem Beast Vermilion Bird--King of All Feathers. Each filament of flame gave off an air of divinity and nobility. They were absolutely incorruptible.

The demonic nature from the bottom of darkness came from within his bones. His blood gave birth to the demonic flames. The anger in his heart was the fuel. The evil nature of the flames turned his eyes into demonic eyes that could see through humans' souls. The insanity of the demonic Wicked God was fully portrayed through his form...

The two types of flames within Mo Fan fused. In just a short time, he experienced both the holiness of the Vermilion Bird and the fury of the demon. He stood between "Sky Holy City" and Holy City on the land. No one could tell if he was divine or devilish.

"I'm going to pay tribute to those people whom you've persecuted with your filthy and rotten angelic blood! Do you know how much they miss the world?!" Mo Fan glared at Michael.

Mo Fan had the two most powerful flames in the world. His rage could even burn the sky. They could burn brighter than the sun. However, the people sensed Mo Fan's cold aura that came from hell. His aura enveloped the atmosphere. The people unwittingly trembled. Although Mo Fan resented Michael, his pent-up anger penetrated hundreds of thousands of people's souls!

Michael was only concerned with his own high and mighty ideology. He always thought of himself as the guardian god.

But was he aware that the people he had persecuted also loved the world as it was?

Precisely because they treasured the world that they refused to start a meaningless war. Hence, they chose to sacrifice themselves to put an end to all disputes...

Still, some people could never understand that the beauty and peace of the world were built on the foundation of those who were willing to sacrifice themselves. The foundation was never laid by a ruler who always sought to eliminate the nonconformists, much like Michael's hate toward all mortal values!

Most of the people were blinded by the glory of Michael's sixteen wings. They, too, assumed they lived in peace and were high and mighty, and they despised those of lower status. However, Mo Fan had witnessed noble and honorable souls. So, he certainly would not conform to Holy City's idea, nor would he compromise with them!

'Then, live a good life for me...'

Those were Mu Bai's last words. Those were also the words of all the people who now only lived in Mo Fan's memories. They had died protecting the fragile world. Those words had been their last.

Mo Fan was lucky he did not have to walk in the valley of death. Instead, he had to live up to everyone's expectations.

Too many people had died for him. Even when he had fallen, there were always people who sacrificed themselves to hold him up.

Why must the people on top of the world mock them?!

Why couldn't they lend out their helping hands to assist people like Mu Bai, so that he could live too? Mu Bai and those who had died longed for the light of the world.

Shouldn't the angels in the mortal world give hope to the people?

Why did they trample Mu Bai and others like him so ruthlessly?!

"Kazuaki, you're not worthy to be my Righteous Soul. Even if my soul sinks into darkness forever, my Righteous Soul will always stay in my heart!"

Eight soul mountains appeared behind Mo Fan.

Mo Fan turned around, and he reached out for the void soul to grab Kazuaki's Righteous Soul.

Mo Fan grabbed the soul mountain. He looked cold and frightening as he crushed it.

He destroyed one of his own souls!

It was an extremely painful process. However, Mo Fan looked expressionless. The Hexagon Brand and the shackles on his chest shattered following his cruel action.

The flames of the demon and Vermilion Bird fused. Both God and demon coexisted.

Souls of Goodness and Souls of Evil were separated. One of the soul mountains was empty.

Seven souls remained in the mortal world, while one of the souls stayed in hell.

Mo Fan knew he could never have complete souls for the rest of his life. However, he would grow stronger to compensate for the shortage of that one soul!

...

After Mo Fan crushed one of his own souls, the black Hexagon Brand shattered. The shocking burn mark on his chest turned into the blazing flames of Vermilion Bird. The flames swept across his chest and healed his wound, turning it into muscles of molten fire!

The flames of the Vermilion Bird were as bright as a rainbow. After the Hexagon Brand disappeared, the flames became even more colorful. They gradually spread behind Mo Fan to form one side of the spectacular wings, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

His demonic flames spread wildly and devilishly on the other side. The pure black and demonic bloodline awakened. The black wings of flames with the flaming feathers of the Vermilion Bird spread on both sides in the sky.

Only half of the sacred Vermilion Bird and half of demon nature manifested in Mo Fan. Unlike the angel's layer upon layer of exaggerated feathers, Mo Fan had half of the Sacred Feather Vermilion Bird's flame wing and half of the demon's black flame wing. Both were equally massive.

His wings covered the sky. Mo Fan and Michael's wings glowed in contrast and enveloped the sky in the east and west of Holy City, making it look as though there were two infinite streams of flames in the sky.

"I'll break your self-proclaimed angelic holy feathered-wings one after another. You will end up just like Shalitha. You will lie in a pool of blood and remember the faces of those with heavy burdens on their shoulders. You will then understand how much hatred they have for the Holy City and hypocritical rulers like you!"

Mo Fan spread his wings. His wings stirred up two streams of flames in the sky. He moved so fast that his speed could not be seen with the naked eye. The sky was filled with the gorgeous flames that belonged to the demon and Vermilion Birds.

Even after he passed through the dimension, the shocking flames in the sky remained.

Mo Fan appeared before Michael. Michael was surrounded by his golden holy feathers that acted as his shield. He was seemingly well-protected inside a metal magic ball.

Boom!

His golden, protective magic ball was shattered. It burst into bright light. Michael fell from the sky and smashed into the magnificent Holy Palace on the land!

Demonic flames rained and swept across the land from the sky. The Holy City on the land turned into a city of flames, where two types of flames coexisted. None of the buildings survived the sea of flames.

"First pair!"

Mo Fan suddenly appeared in the place where Michael had landed. Mo Fan stepped on Michael's shoulder with one foot. He then grabbed the outermost pair of wings out of the sixteen pairs behind Michael.

Michael's wings were blazing hot. It emitted an intense burning effect of the holy light. When Mo Fan grabbed Michael's wing with both of his hands, his flesh burned and bled.

Still, Mo Fan felt that his physical pain was minor to the emotional pain Michael had inflicted on him. He stepped on Michael and refused to let him get up. He did not care about the burns from Michael's holy feathered-wings!

Mo Fan grabbed Michael's wings and ripped them off his back. Blood gushed out like a fountain. Another hole appeared on his back.

"I'll rip your soul into pieces!" Michael hissed in agony.

Bam!

Golden energy exploded from Michael's body. His golden energy resembled millions of golden needles that could pierce anything. For a moment, "Sky Holy City" and Holy City on the land were "baptized" by a rain of golden spikes. Even the distant plains were riddled with holes like a honeycomb.

Michael forced Mo Fan back. However, he could not recover his angelic wings. He was only left with fifteen wings. Each pair was covered in blood. His holy green armor was stained.

Michael glanced at the Holy Palace, only to find that it had been reduced to ashes.

He then looked at the ancient and historical Holy City. The city, too, had turned into ruins. He looked at his broken wings. As the Sixteen-Winged Blazing Angel, he took pride in his wings. After all, his holy wings were what distinguished him from the mortals...

Michael was in pain and he was furious. He looked hideous.

He glared at Mo Fan. He hated Mo Fan with every fiber of his being!

In the long trial, Michael had treated Mo Fan professionally. He did not have any personal hatred or resentment toward him. He had only looked at him in disgust.

However, Michael hated Mo Fan now. His hatred had reached its peak.

Mo Fan's existence was the reason for all the rebels. What else was he if not the ultimate heretic?

"I'll personally rip you into pieces so that the people will think twice before provoking the sovereignty of the Sixteen-Winged Blazing Angel in the future!" Although Michael had lost a pair of wings, it had not affected his strength and power.

He charged at the city of flames. Countless Vatican Sunflowers grew rampantly. They absorbed all the explosive objects as their nutrients. When Michael made his way toward Mo Fan, the Vatican Sunflower Vines overwhelmed the demonic flames and extended outside the city.

Michael flew toward Mo Fan. The city was filled with Vatican Sunflowers, making it look like a tsunami of green plants. They attacked Mo Fan aggressively. The plants blocked the view of sunlight above Mo Fan. Michael and the black Vatican Sunflowers fused. As a result, the tsunami of Vatican Sunflowers became even more dense and fierce.

The Vatican Sunflowers engulfed everything from the Holy City to the plains riddled with holes, as well as the path where the avalanche from Alps Mountain fell. Mo Fan's flames of the Vermilion Bird and demon could not destroy the plants with holy nature. His flames nourished the powerful Vatican Sunflowers instead.

The Vatican Sunflowers spread from the Holy City to the plains, then to the mountain ranges. The training courtyard at the southernmost of Alps College did not survive the tsunami of plants. The Vatican Sunflowers were like an epic disaster that spread from the forest. They engulfed everything and absorbed them as nutrients. They were plants that could obliterate the world!

The Vatican Sunflowers Forest crushed the land. The dense vines and Vatican Sunflowers filled the land. Even snow and mountain ranges were out of sight.

Michael showed up. He hovered above the epic Vatican Sunflowers and looked down arrogantly. He was looking for Mo Fan, who was probably buried somewhere in the Vatican Sunflowers.

"Second pair!"

Mo Fan's voice sounded somewhere close to where Michael stood. The next moment, a claw with black armor grabbed Michael's wings and ripped them off. The ripping sound reverberated as the wings were torn from his shoulders.

"Ahhh!"

Michael groaned in agony. It was even more painful than when his first pair of wings were ripped off. His face distorted in pain.