Angel Monarch-Chapter 358: Successful Kidnapping

Disappointment showed on Lucy's face as she walked into the control room.

At first she held back during her fight with Xinya, hoping to capture and interrogate her, but after a few exchanges she realized the dangers of her plan.

Still, she hesitated before killing her. Now she had to live with the regret of her failure.

She stared down at the cart carrying the bomb with a scoff. Behind her, the surviving workers cried tears of joy and relief. Strangely, they hurt none of them.

James ran in soon after Lucy and began disarming the bomb. A few seconds later, his eyes narrowed.

"Motherfucker…" He cursed under his breath, then turned towards Lucy's curious face.

"This bomb didn't have enough power to destroy the Cathedral! It would've barely damaged the ground floor! They probably assumed we used regular concrete and metal while building, but our reinforced structure wouldn't have gotten damaged!"

Lucy's pale face turned red from anger. She moved quickly. With her scythe, she slashed the bombs into pieces.

The workers cringed and hid below their desks, while James only shook his head.

The dark green fog around Lucy's scythe deconstructed the bomb's molecular structure, turning them to dust without any explosion.

While Lucy still fumed with anger, Leslie walked in. He saw the dust where bombs once were and assumed the threat was neutralized.

"James, contact Lilith or Adam! We need to get our bearings! During the fight, I felt rumblings from above, like explosions! I want to know the situation ASAP!"

The tall demon rolled his shoulders and winced. He reached behind his back and pulled a dagger out of his left shoulder.

"Dammit! I can't believe I died so many times, just to keep those idiots alive!… I hope at least we get some intel out of them…"

He continued curling his shoulder until the wound his wound healed. That's when he heard a loud curse from the corridor.

Leslie rushed outside, closely followed by Lucy. Their eyes widened in surprise…

The surviving terrorists laid convulsing on the ground, with foam overflowing their mouths. Both Will and Sarah tried to keep them alive, but there was no point. In seconds, they were all dead.

The angered demon turned to the wall and punched it in rage.

"GODDAMMIT! Why the fuck did I struggle to keep them alive, if they just going to kill themselves!"

Everyone understood what he meant, and his anger was justifiable. Leslie's demonic powers specialized in destruction, so keeping opponents alive during a fight was extremely hard for him.

He needed to die more than a dozen times, so he wouldn't accidentally kill either of the four Transcended.

It would've made anyone annoyed if those deaths turned out to be pointless.

While Lucy and Will looked at the newly dead bodies. Sarah turned into a gentle cloud and calmed down her partner.

As the situation appeared to calm down, James burst into the corridor. His face showed clear signs of anxiety and fear. Everyone had a bad feeling, but the outcome was worse than they could've imagined.

"They kidnapped Vicky!"

When they heard James's words, everyone's blood ran cold. For a few seconds, nobody said anything, then Lucy suddenly burst into laugh.

"So that was their plan! Good to know! Now I won't feel bad for killing every single one!"

As she finished speaking, her scythe appeared in her hand, and without care for structural integrity, she began digging upward.

Since the lower chambers lacked any access to the outside, she had to make her own.

The reinforced concrete melted under her weapon. Behind her back, a pair of dark green wings pushed her upward.

She had to dig through about thirty meters of concrete, but soon sunlight glinted down the hole.

Lilith and Adam already waited for her appearance nearby. Their expressions showed deep-set hatred and shame, both understandable in their circumstance.

The daughter of the Goddess they worshipped got kidnapped, and they couldn't do anything to stop it!

Lucy didn't blame them either. She understood directing anger toward friends, not adversaries, was unwise.

Also, she didn't think there was much either could've done. Their scheme was cleverly conceived, nearly flawless.

The only imperfection came in the form of a tall fifteen-year-old boy who escaped their attack, with Vicky's help.

While everyone else climbed out through the hole, Henry slowly walked towards their procession. His suit was in shambles while he dragged one bloodied foot behind.

Even then, his face only showed pure determination and hatred unlike any. He pulled a small needle out of his neck and tossed it towards James.

The cyborg caught it and smelled its tip, wincing at the poison within.

"They used that to knock me and Vicky out! Even worse, the poison stops my essence flow, so I'm powerless for the moment!" Said Henry through gritted teeth, then looked into James's eyes, a silent understanding settling between them.

The shorter man sighed and reached into his pocket. He brought out a small vial of clear liquid and tossed it to Henry.

"We haven't tested it, but not like you care! Be sure to share your experience with Mary afterward!"

The young Prince just chuckled and downed the vial, cringing at the awful taste.

"What's in it?" Asked Lucy while staring at Henry's reddening face.

"As you know, we encountered problems with people who can stop our essence flow, or prevent us from regenerating. Mary's worked on a solution for some time… That's the prototype!"

Everyone turned towards Henry's struggling form upon hearing the explanation. For safety purposes, they hadn't been told about any technological advancements James and Mary made.

Although now it was clear, they hadn't taken enough precautions.

Only a handful of builders, workers, and guards knew the information about the lower chambers below the Cathedral of Light. Yet the enemy precisely located the control room.

Their attack seemed too on point to be merely a fluke. The coordination was impeccable, their distractions perfectly removing and defense between Vicky and the terrorists.

The only miscalculation came from underestimating the Princess's powers. She managed to teleport all the debris, and even save Henry, before getting caught.

The image of Vicky's falling stayed deeply etched into Henry's mind. Even as the serum burned through his veins, he felt nothing but anger.

Slowly, the obstacles blocking his essence began to lift. His regeneration started working soon, healing all his wound from the fall.

It took a few minutes, but eventually his essence flow normalized. Sweat trickled down his pale, nauseous face.

He tried straightening up, but the nausea overpowered him, and he began vomiting. As the black, disgusting liquid left his body, he felt much better.

"James… Tell Mary… Tell her to give it some good taste… That was awful!"

The cyborg just chuckled and continued typing on his holo-screen. Behind them, Sarah began bringing out the surviving people, including David, who looked miserable.

While Time Loop was an extremely powerful weapon, keeping it up wasn't easy. It required lots of essence to push people back in time.

He breathed heavily while staring at the rest of them, desperation glinting in his eyes. Henry glanced at him briefly and sighed with exhaustion.

"Me, Lucy, Lilith and Leslie will go and rescue Vicky. The rest of you get in contact with our forces, and spread the news!… Terrorists attacked our Princess! The peace officially ends now! The Angelic Order marches to war once again!"

David wanted to protest and help rescue Vicky, but one look from Henry shut him up. In this state, he would only slow their approach.

Nobody else protested either, but Lucy grew curious.

"How will we find her? Those ravens could've taken her anywhere!"

Henry just turned towards James, making the cyborg halt in his typing.

"Just as we can track Gate Openings, we can read where smaller portals like Vicky's opened. Assuming that Xinya used similar methods of transportation, we can estimate their position… They are fifty kilometers north of New Constantinople!"

Lucy nodded in acknowledgement, but then realized a new problem.

"Fifty kilometers? How do we get there in time?"

Just as her sentence finished, a loud screech echoed from above. In the sky, two dozen Hippogryphs approached rapidly, Castor, Kastral's first-born son leading them.

The four of them mounted the Hippogryphs quickly. The other twenty already had riders clad in their war-gear.

Together they flew into the sky, heading north to Xinya's last known location.

Lucy, flying alongside Henry, raised a question everyone seemed to ignore.

"Hey, what if they aren't there anymore? I saw the camera footage! They can turn into ravens and fly away! Even with our speed, they can fly below the treeline, escaping our eyes!"

Instead of the angry expression Lucy expected, Henry only chuckled at her concern.

"Oh, don't worry! We have time!… You didn't think the Angel Monarch would leave her daughter defenseless, did you?"

Back in the forest, Xinya reached inside the cage and pulled out one of the raven's feathers.

The small black bird, with white eyes, suddenly changed back into a thirteen-year-old girl with short white hair and an annoyed expression.

The Asian woman laughed in the Princess's face, while playing with the feather between her fingertips.

"Let's have a chat before proceeding! I always wanted to meet royalty!… Tell me little Victoria, do you think yourself better than everyone else? Otherwise, what gives you the right to send other people to their deaths?"

Xinya wanted to continue her monologue, but Vicky's delightful chuckle halted her. She only now saw the powerless girl's fearless demeanor.

A bad feeling grew in Xinya's stomach. As quickly as she could, she lunged to stick the feather back onto Vicky's head, but it was too late.

The small girl's even voice was perfectly clear as she spoke…

"Aunt Faith, I request your assistance."

Xinya managed to place the feather back onto Vicky's head, turning her back into a raven. Still, she couldn't breathe a sigh of relief, because in the next second…

Vicky's shadow moved on its own!