After Norma died, the light elements in the air increased a lot. Although I didn't have to worry about replenishing energy for the time being, I didn't have the mind to retaliate.
After all, the shock that Michelle brought me last time was too strong.
"Of course not, you guys get out of here quickly, none of us is her match!"
I shouted at the others, my clenched fists felt completely sweaty. The situation could be said to be a dead end, with no chance of winning at all.
And this time, no future Nicola was coming again to save us.
"Don't worry, you mob are not my target..."
Hearing my words, Michelle said leisurely. But before she could finish speaking, Rae, the eight-winged angel who was very familiar with Norma, had already rushed at her with a sword.
"You just killed Norma like that! She was the most trusted by Lady Elara..."
"The most trusted what?"
Michelle didn't even glance at her. With a casual wave of the sword Hephaestus in her hand, I saw a flash of red light. In an instant, a large hole was pierced through Rae's chest, her heart was gone without a trace, and she was dead before she could even reach her target.
As Rae's corpse fell to the ground and disappeared into light dots, the Hephaestus sword that flew out also returned to its owner's hand at the same time.
"Tsk tsk, this instant cleanup upon angel death is still pretty nice. Otherwise, it would be quite troublesome to peel them off the sword..."
Michelle gently stroked the fiery red blade, reacting as if she had just killed a chicken.
"Ahhh—! Run!"
Seeing that the eight-winged angel was killed in one move, the people around were shocked and panicked, only then reacting to desperately flee outside.
I was no exception, also wanting to escape with the others from the Royal Hall, but suddenly I found that the way forward had been blocked by a wall of fire.
"Feliciana, you can't run! I still want to chat with you!"
Michelle's voice came from behind. Clearly, this wall of fire was set up specifically to trap me.
Although the firewall itself wouldn't cause me any real harm, Michelle had that flying sword!
I believe that if I stubbornly charged out, what awaited me would be the same fate as Rae.
"Heh heh, do you have it wrong? We can't stand each other, what is there to talk about?"
Left with no choice, I could only pretend to smile as I turned around to face Michelle.
"It's only been half a month since we last met..."
By this time, only the two of us were left in the grand hall, along with the torches brought in earlier still burning on the ground.
"You may not believe it, but for some reason, I find you quite agreeable."
Contrary to my expectations, she did not attack me. It was obvious that as long as I cooperated obediently, she had no intention of further aggression. Although her next words greatly exceeded my expectations.
"For you, it may have only been half a month, but for me, it's been more than that, because I was sent back one year into the past by Liana."
"One year ago?"
I was dumbfounded again. Wasn't it said that at most you could only travel for a few days in the future? How did it become going back to the past instead, and even one whole year in the past?
"Since you went back to the past, didn't you think about nipping the problem in the bud?"
I thought about it carefully and asked. If it were me sent back to the past, I would definitely notify my past self or take action personally to preemptively eliminate these future threats.
But in reality, the fact that I was still alive showed that Michelle did not do so. Moreover, until now I didn't even know two Michelles were existing in the past timeline.
Not to mention anything else, if the current Michelle had participated in the battle against Future Nicola, the outcome could have been completely different.
"Didn't Liana tell you? The predetermined future cannot be changed."
Michelle looked at me in surprise and said.
"When I first went back to the past, not only was I severely injured, but I was also entangled by various trivial matters, and I didn't even get a chance to meet my past self. Later I was trapped in a place until I escaped recently. I just happened to take over the position of the other me..."
"No way, you didn't affect the past at all? And who could trap you?"
Suddenly I understood her feelings a bit - unable to change the fate of the past, and restricted in actions the whole time, having finally endured until returning to the original point in time, it would be strange not to feel emotional about it.
"The one who trapped me I'll set aside for now, but it's not like I didn't try to change the past at all..."
Unexpectedly, she seemed a bit hesitant, but after thinking about it for a while, she still told me.
"Actually, based on the information I got from Camille, I had already deduced that you were a newborn angel who slipped through our assault a month ago. So I left a message in a roundabout way for my past self, to ambush and kill you all if possible, especially Liana, on the day of the Angel Descension Formation. But unfortunately, she didn't succeed, though that's also strange, it was within expectations..."
"????????"
I suddenly felt the logic here seemed a bit chaotic as if something was off.
"You're sure the intel about the Angel Descension Formation was left by you, and not leaked by the Conservative faction?"
"What Conservative faction? You mean those angels who came to surrender after seeing my true form?"
Hearing this, Michelle was startled for a moment, and then her expression changed, as if recalling something.
"But now that you mention it, there was something suspicious about my source for the intel on the Angel Descension Formation..."
"Forget it, these details aren't important! Moreover, I already said, those who play with time are lunatics!"
With a wave of her hand, she didn't want to dwell too much on this issue. Suddenly, looking at me playfully, she said.
"You know what's funny? I didn't expect those angels who surrendered to me to be so useful. Just promise them safety in the future, and they're willing to die for me, even betraying their own kind. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to take over a place like Edenmere so quickly..."
"There they are!"
However, the shouts coming from all around interrupted Michelle's words. I saw several angels rushing out from the windows and main entrance, all with six wings or more, and the leader even had ten wings—it was Councilor Meg I was supposed to meet with Cyra earlier.
"Feliciana? Some survivors reported that, an angel suddenly went berserk and killed Norma in the Royal Hall. Which one of you was it?"
Seeing the two of us standing in the center of the hall without fighting each other, Councilor Meg was unsure what to make of it, and could only ask first.
"I know Feliciana, she's the famous newborn angel, but as for the red-haired one next to her..."
An eight-winged angel's eyes lit up, immediately recognizing me.
"She's not an angel, you all need to run quickly! Otherwise, you'll be killed!"
To be honest, seeing the situation, I really wanted to take the chance to escape to the other side, but I was still afraid of Michelle's deterrence, and could only shout a loud warning.
"Run? Why would we run?"
Hearing my words, the ten-winged angel was puzzled. She took a careful look at Michelle, then suddenly frowned.
"Aren't you Cyra? Don't think I can't recognize you just because you've hidden your wings. And why has your hair changed colour, what's with that weapon in your hands?"
"Cyra?"
Michelle sneered upon hearing this.
"I'm surprised you angels are quite knowledgeable! But this name is not to be called casually!"
"Insolence! How can you be so rude to Councilor Meg!"
The eight-winged angel beside her angrily shouted and moved to apprehend Michelle, only to meet the fate I had anticipated.
A flash of red and another eight-winged angel fell...
"You, this is..."
Watching her pretend to "wipe" the Hephaestus sword, all the angels present were shocked. Instantly killing an eight-winged angel was not something just anyone could do.
"You're not Cyra! Who exactly are you?"
"I am Michelle!"
At this point, Michelle finally revealed her signature twelve red wings, hovering in midair, giving a strong sense of pressure.
"Red...twelve wings..."
Seeing the scene before her, Councilor Meg's eyes widened. The other angels behind her were even more frightened and at a loss, continuously retreating.
No wonder, after all among all the angels in Edenmere, the highest rank was only ten wings. Moreover, in thousands of years of history, there had never been any record of a twelve-winged angel existing.
"Mm..."
As for me, being closest to Michelle, my inner feelings could be said to have no fluctuations at all, having already witnessed this before. I even felt a little urge to laugh, but couldn't bring myself to based on the current circumstances.
She still loved showing off as usual, though, with her strength, she had certainly earned the right.
"I heard you angels determine rank based on the number of wings, so do you still dare say I'm being rude now?"
Using a mocking tone, she taunted back. But Michelle's "performance" seemed not over yet, as it was interrupted by a deafening roar—
Something fell from the sky, crashing right into the already ravaged roof. In an instant the entire Royal Hall was filled with flying dust and debris, temporarily blocking all sight.
"Cough cough cough... what the hell!"
After barely crawling out from the ruins, looking at what used to be the Royal Hall now turned into an open-air venue, I thought this was surely the perfect time to escape right?
But when I saw the figure hovering in the sky above the hall, I froze—wasn't that Elara?