Chapter 269: The Fallen Angel
"I felt my followers calling out to me, so I came to Earth following the power of my bloodline..." Rachel, after hearing Clark's question, sighed softly after a moment of silence, speaking somewhat helplessly. But before he could finish, a blast of heat vision was hurled towards him!
Rachel's wings blocked the heat vision, and he staggered backwards, white feathers scattering once more, then he stared at Clark with a displeased expression, but soon regained his composure...
There was no choice; he couldn't overpower him!
"It seems we need to continue fighting! Otherwise, you won't tell the truth..." A cold glint flashed in Clark's eyes, and his aura surged again, stirring a cosmic wind through the space.
"Wait! I'll talk!" Rachel's expression changed, and he quickly yelled at Clark, "Actually, we sensed fluctuations of faith power on Earth, so we came to investigate what exactly was happening..."
"Is such a powerful angel needed just to see what's happening?" Clark looked at Rachel coolly, hardly believing him. After all, Clark had already gathered some intelligence; deceiving him wouldn't be so simple...
As Clark spoke, his aura grew even stronger. Knowing the principle of pressing the advantage, Clark was well aware that without some pressure, Rachel was unlikely to tell the truth.
"Alright, it's not just to survey the situation on Earth, it's also about harvesting these faith powers..." Seeing Clark poised to strike again, Rachel sighed helplessly, now forced to reveal part of the truth to lower Clark's guard.
As for what to do next, Rachel was too exhausted to care. Earth had become too dangerous, and he thought it best to end the fight with Clark and return to Heaven, leaving Heaven's plans to others, especially since Gabriel was in charge.
If Gabriel could handle a monster like Clark, Rachel would truly admire him from the bottom of his heart!
Of course, Rachel wasn't sure if Gabriel had a countermeasure for Clark, but if Gabriel could manage it, then let him. Rachel knew he himself couldn't.
"Harvesting these faith powers?" Clark narrowed his eyes at Rachel. Previously, Rachel was no match for him, but when faith power suddenly surged within Rachel, his strength skyrocketed, nearly matching Clark. Clark hadn't understood why at first, but now he knew it was the power of faith.
Clark didn't know much about faith power but had heard some from the Black Panther god Bast. It used to be the lifeline for many god pantheons on Earth, but as the pantheons receded from Earth, faith power was no longer their foundation since there wasn't much left...
The use of faith power still existed; however, with fewer people holding faith on Earth, many god pantheons had to abandon it and develop their own unique divine powers.
As for why Earth's god pantheons didn't spread their faith to other life-bearing planets in the universe?
Because those planets also have their own gods, and their powers might not be weaker than those on Earth. Earth is indeed unique in producing so many god pantheons and strong beings, but that doesn't mean other planets in the universe are weak.
Moreover, a pantheon rich in faith power protecting its own makes it easier than gods from Earth moving rashly, which not only could be strenuous but also risky, with benefits not outweighing the risks...
"So, is Heaven planning to continue spreading faith on Earth?" Clark's superbrain spun, analyzing Heaven's intent from the facts and past events.
The claim of harvesting faith power was genuine, but there surely was more than that objective, because, as Clark had stated, collecting faith power alone wouldn't necessitate sending such a powerful angel to Earth.
Sending Rachel not only involved activating the dark hunter lineage's contingencies but also made a significant statement, akin to declaring sovereignty over Earth, signaling other powers that Heaven was back and not to be opposed...
Clark even speculated that once Rachel gained further control over faith power, allowing more Earthlings to devoutly worship again, Heaven might have a chance to return to Earth in greater force, potentially bringing more angels and establishing dominion over Earth!
Essentially, Clark had deduced almost everything except that the loom of fate also played a part in angels' descent.
Rachel's arrival was deeply connected to Robert; the loom of fate was destroyed by Robert, the surge of faith power was due to Robert blowing up the palace of a hellish demon lord, causing his descent and the ensuing battles that many livestreamed, reigniting memories of God and causing a surge in Heaven's faith power.
If not for these events, Gabriel would likely still be dormant, unaware of changes on Earth...
"We have no intention of spreading faith; this is a godless era, and you should know that with your power, harvesting faith power would be all too easy, wouldn't it?" Rachel, hearing Clark's words, showed no change in expression, but his wings flapped a beat too late. He pretended to be unconcerned, even probing Clark in return.
"Boom!" As Rachel spoke, a blur flashed before him, and Clark, having deduced the angels' plan, was done with pretenses. He wouldn't let this angel escape; after all, Heaven's intentions were now clear, and letting Rachel go would be like releasing the tiger back into the wild.
"You! I told you the truth, and you still attack?" Rachel's body smashed countless asteroids, bellowing angrily at Clark. Though he had deceived Clark, he had indeed told some truth; why didn't Clark continue to question him before striking? That was totally unexpected!
"Because you told the truth, should I spare you?" Clark scoffed, "I just said that punch wasn't necessary at the time; it doesn't mean I can't continue to strike now! I want to see if the empowerment from faith power is always effective!"
"Swipe!" As Clark spoke, he lifted a larger asteroid and hurled it towards Rachel. As Rachel instinctively swung his six wings to slash the asteroid, Clark's heat vision blasted it, igniting the asteroid's core and unleashing a massive explosion.
This was the first time Clark used such a tactic in battle, catching Rachel off guard. His body awkwardly flew back, more disheveled than when previously injured; back then, it was just angelic blood and feathers drifting in space...
But now, the explosion's force left Rachel grimy, turning even his pristine white wings filthy—a blasphemy intolerable to the sanctified angels who'd rather suffer wounds than be dirtied by worldly dust!
Yet, despite his unwillingness, Rachel couldn't alter the situation. Clark didn't cease his offensive. Although Clark wasn't well-versed in faith power, he felt such external forces surely had limitations and couldn't be used indefinitely.
Otherwise, during his encounter with the Black Panther god Bast, he could have used faith power to enhance his strength, avoiding a quick defeat...
Of course, it might also be that Wakanda's population wasn't large enough, and even with faith power, they couldn't overpower Clark...
Regardless, Clark decided, now holding the upper hand and continuously suppressing Rachel, to find his weaknesses and end him, cutting off Heaven's opportunity once and for all!
Facing this predicament, Rachel felt powerless. As an angel, he lacked even the resolve to self-destruct with Clark, relying solely on drawing more faith power from Earth to boost his
strength and attempting to contact Heaven for aid with his divine light.
Rachel had earned merits and shed blood for Heaven; he couldn't believe they would abandon him now!
And indeed, Heaven hadn't intended to forsake Rachel, but they hadn't received any distress signals from him. When Rachel's divine light attempted to bridge dimensions to reach Heaven, an interference occurred on Earth.
"Buzz!" Almost simultaneously, a divine light similar to Rachel's enveloped his, gradually assimilating and erasing the message within.
At most, Heaven might sense that divine light had appeared on Earth, but figuring out exactly what happened was impossible.
This interference wasn't from just anyone; it was the pope, who had taken action several times before. Even if he, too, received faith power, he couldn't match Rachel in strength. However, with Rachel's power mostly spent resisting Clark, what little was left was no challenge for the pope.
"Human affairs end with humans; though Heaven has departed and God isn't in Heaven, angels have descended again, attempting to harvest faith anew. They should be judged..." The pope murmured quietly, his body's divine light and faith power undulating continuously.
"Soon, once his faith power and strength are further depleted, I can reverse influence his internal faith power. Then, his situation will become even more perilous!"
"If a renowned angel dies on Earth and you are unaware of his fate, as fellow angels, would you feel fear? Would any dare descend to Earth to investigate the truth?"
No one heard the pope's murmur, but the faith power around him strengthened, vibrating the massive cross beside him...
In space, Rachel, battling Clark, felt an ominous premonition. He hadn't received Heaven's response nor could he draw more faith power to enhance his strength, which gradually filled him with dread.
But Rachel didn't want to die; after an angel's death, they don't just fall into a hellish dimension but completely dissipate into nothingness. Even if Heaven's Father recreated the angels, they wouldn't be the same individual...
Over the years, angels had died, and some were reborn, but those reborn were entirely new entities, inheriting only the previous names and abilities, and not necessarily all memories...
The thought of another being inheriting his name and power was something Rachel struggled to accept, especially under Clark's oppressive force, causing his mentality to begin collapsing!
"Crack!" A sound abruptly rang out, but it wasn't audible to Clark—it was within Rachel's heart.
Rachel's despair, anger, fear, and jealousy erupted in his angelic heart, destroying it and beginning his fall!
"Buzz!" In an instant, Rachel's originally filthy wings began to turn black, but he no longer cared. Unaware that his plea for help had been intercepted by the pope, he felt that since Heaven couldn't respond to his call, he would then turn to hell.
Even if Rachel was reluctant to admit it, the hellish dimension, broader than Heaven, was an established fact capable of accommodating more powerful beings. In this universe, Heaven was merely Earth's heaven, while hell was the universe's hell.
"Hmm?!" Noticing Rachel's sudden shift in power, a flicker of surprise crossed Clark's eyes, but before he could say anything, he noticed Rachel's aura had weakened significantly.
Transforming from an angel into a fallen angel meant Rachel could no longer use Heaven's faith power, but his strength was now tapping into the hellish dimension's primal forces, beginning to revive...
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