Chapter 68

"Xi... Xi格ma, it seems that abandoning one's principles isn't as easy as it seems. After looking at this thing, my body has become... so strange..." Athena turned her head, her face flushed, her eyes extremely moist, and she writhed, her expression looking very uncomfortable, "It's as if... as if something is about to come out..."

"..." Xi格ma stared at Athena, nodding repeatedly, "I can tell, your wings are shimmering..."

— By "strange," it means that the pure white light wings on Athena's back were flashing, changing colors between black and white, not that some kind of emotional fluid was leaking out. Please, those who are thinking perverted thoughts, go stand in the corner...

An angel with black wings, that would be a fallen angel, right? Although there hasn't been any mention of fallen angels in this world, in the fantasy novels from his previous life, there was such a race. The problem is, after Athena, who is extremely naive about the concept of gender, took a look at this extremely explicit picture book, her wings started to flash and change colors. This indicates...

This originally quite proud and innocent girl has an unexpectedly pure heart, to the point that even a slight mention of such topics makes her blush so much that her brain shuts down, to the point of transforming into a fallen angel?

...Damn, this is a rare and strange quirk.

Thinking of this, Xi格ma's burning desire to push her to the limit couldn't be stopped. He really wanted to verify his hypothesis, and as a troublemaker, he had to learn a few skills, including adding fuel to the fire and beating a fallen dog... But after some thought, he decided against it. If he went too far and turned Athena into a fallen angel, that would be a huge disaster...

So he walked up to Athena, preparing to use words to dispel the angel's thoughts. Dropping one's principles to pick up a holy sword? Let me break this boring fantasy with my words!

The poor angel had already thrown away the picture book, crouching on the ground, covering her face, and shaking her head, repeatedly muttering, "How could this be, how could this be, how could this be..." Xi格ma also crouched down and, as a prank, gently blew into Athena's crystal-clear, jade-like ear.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" The angel jumped up like a frightened rabbit, shouting at Xi格ma from a distance, "What are you doing! You scared me to death!"

"…Who was the pervert who was biting and licking my ear just now? You're the one who's accusing me first," Xi格ma rolled his eyes, "This is your method of dropping your principles... How do you feel? How do you feel!"

"That... That story was too suspicious! Why, even though they were enemies, and the female knight was just tortured with that ugly stick, and the female knight was in pain, why... why..." Athena stammered, "Why did everyone suddenly become excited and comfortable! It was clearly torture!"

"That's why it's not torture," Xi格ma said, looking far away, "They were doing something they loved."

"Something they loved? I haven't read many books, don't lie to me! That thick stick piercing into such a narrow place, the female knight's body arched! The screams were so loud! She was bleeding! The female knight clearly didn't love doing that!" Athena loudly countered, then fell into deep confusion, "Then why did she end up so happy?"

"That's why they were doing something to have a baby," Xi格ma explained, "You see, the substance that sprays out from the tip of the stick is called the essence of life. It enters the female's body, combines with the egg, forms a fertilized egg, which then continuously divides and develops, unlocking different functions through genetic codes, gradually growing into a mature offspring. Most living beings reproduce in this way..."

"Nonsense!" Athena, looking like she wouldn't be fooled, shouted loudly, "Having a baby is when two people who love each other kiss, and the woman eats the man's saliva, and the love connects their hearts, and the combination of matter and spirit completes the conception process. There must be saliva and the love that connects hearts, otherwise, how would the baby have a soul!"

...Damn, this naive and peculiar view of gender is actually unrefutable!

Xi格ma was momentarily speechless. This was a world of swords and magic, where the concept of the soul was not abstract. In his previous life, in the modern world where medicine and biology were highly developed, there was no widely accepted theory to explain whether the soul existed, where it came from, and where it went... When Athena saw his slightly awkward silence, she felt very proud of herself for refuting Xi格ma and said smugly, "Got nothing to say, right! Don't lie to me anymore. I think the reason the female knight felt happy is the key to abandoning principles. Come on, tell me, tell me..."

Xi格ma was finally annoyed by her persistence and shouted, "...Why don't you give up this stupid idea that 'abandoning principles can make you pick up a holy sword'! Face yourself! Did you even listen to what I told you after lunch!?"

Athena's eyes darted around, laughing nervously and avoiding the topic, clearly not telling the truth. It seemed she was still avoiding the truth, unwilling to face her mistakes, unwilling to face her true self, and unwilling to seriously reflect on the reasons for her exile and the true reason why the holy sword abandoned her—she was still avoiding the truth because losing her power and the holy sword, and being exiled from heaven, was a shocking blow that left her at a loss. She felt panic and confusion, becoming weak and timid, so she just avoided the issue, living here day by day, even doing boring housework or wearing strange maid outfits, and even being easily deceived by some nonsense, believing the ridiculous idea that "abandoning principles can make you pick up a holy sword" as a lifeline...

But this, this won't do! Avoiding problems solves nothing, why don't you understand this!

Xi格ma's soul still came from his previous life on modern Earth, but in this life, his veins flowed with the blood of the Washington family, a family that knew nothing about avoidance and always faced problems head-on. So seeing Athena's constant avoidance, Xi格ma's anger rose—since you want to abandon your principles so much, I'll make you do it thoroughly!

"Alright, alright, alright, you want to know why the female knight felt so comfortable, right?" Xi格ma picked up the picture book from the ground and flipped to a page, "First, intelligent beings, being independent in mind, feel that being naked is shameful, so they wear clothes to cover themselves. Conversely, being stripped naked by a stranger of the opposite sex would make her feel ashamed, but also a sense of liberation. As I mentioned before, this mating activity brings pleasure to the soul, so intelligent beings not only see it as a necessary labor for reproduction but also as an enjoyable pastime..."

"Let's also explain it from the perspectives of social psychology, human psychology, and animal behavior. Dominating the opposite sex through mating brings both mental and physical pleasure, so the soldiers' actions and motives can be explained. In a sense, being dominated can also bring pleasure..."

"Let's also explain from the perspectives of neurology and human psychology why skin-to-skin contact feels so good..."

"Let's also explain from the perspectives of physiology and reproductive biology what the 'ugly stick' and the 'narrow slit' you mentioned are, and their physiological mechanisms, and correct your mistaken views on gender. Although I can't explain where the soul comes from, I can explain in detail how a baby's body develops in the mother's womb!"

"Let me also explain why mating brings extreme pleasure..."

He spoke non-stop.

Athena's expression changed from initial excitement and anticipation to panic and doubt, then to shyness and tension. A strange feeling rose from her soul, and an invisible transformation was slowly taking place—Xi格ma continued his powerful speech, but he overlooked one thing—Athena's face was already as red as a ripe apple, and the frequency of her wings' flashing was getting faster and faster...

"Finally, let me tell you..." Xi格ma pointed to a picture, "Being restrained and confined would make the female knight feel..."

"No... don't say anymore... it's... it's coming out..."

"What's coming out? You wanted to abandon your principles, right? Can't handle it now? Be honest, when faced with difficulties, you should face them head-on, not hide. Losing your power and courage, how can you be called a warrior?" Xi格ma closed the picture book and looked up, "Learn your lesson?"

When he looked up and saw Athena's expression, Xi格ma's pupils instantly contracted.

Purple.

Athena's beautiful, aurora-like blue eyes had somehow turned purple.

Her pure white wings, which had been flashing, were now rapidly changing to a dark color, becoming darker and darker...

The angel let out a fierce roar, and the pure white holy light quickly fell into endless darkness...

At the same time, on the holy mountain, where the light and hymns of the saints echoed all year round, a six-winged seraphim in heavy armor stood on a starlit bridge. His gaze pierced through the vast distance, looking at a certain point in the void. The flame-colored eyes flickered with colorful runes. After a long time, he withdrew his gaze and sighed, "I have imagined countless possibilities, but I never thought that one day this secret would be revealed and witnessed by a human... Sargeras, I hope the one you chose will not disappoint us. Paris, if your noble and pure soul is now in the embrace of the Father, lovingly watching your daughter, pray to the Father, pray that your most beautiful treasure can overcome herself, making your sacrifice meaningful..."

He turned and left, muttering to himself, "What method did that human use to make Athena awaken her other half of her bloodline prematurely?"

***

PS1: Yes... it's time to get a bit more serious (nod), please give me recommendations.

PS2: 3,000-word update, continue to seek Three Rivers votes... Don't let your guard down, I heard the bots will start pushing on Tuesday and Wednesday.