The world warped and shifted.
This time, Rhett had no interest in admiring the profound and mysterious changes of the simulation's process. His heart pounded with excitement, knowing that he would soon see the figure who haunted his dreams—Nicole. Even though it was just a simulation, it was enough to distract him from everything else.
As the world was about to fully form, Rhett followed the usual procedure of choosing a host for his avatar. Initially, he planned to pick someone of moderate strength, located not too far from Nicole's birthplace, since he didn't intend to engage in much fighting in this simulation.
After all, the overall strength of the southwestern border was relatively low in that era. The most powerful figures were only of mid-tier Transcendent rank, which posed no significant threat to him.
However, as Rhett quickly scanned through the available hosts, he was shocked.
"Such good luck? How could there be a recently deceased Saint on the southwestern border?"
Sensing the powerful energy of a Saint, Rhett muttered to himself in surprise.
Since such a perfect opportunity had presented itself, there was no way he would pass it up. A Saint-level body would allow him to move freely through the world, and it would also ensure he could protect Nicole until she came of age.
With intense curiosity, Rhett chose the Saint as his host and selected bodies for his three sons, placing them close by in neighboring regions.
The next moment, the world fully formed.
It was nighttime.
A deserted lumberyard on the outskirts of a village. The ground was overgrown with weeds, and the stacked wood gave off a musty, decaying smell. The tools scattered across the ground were rusted and in disrepair.
In the middle of the overgrown field, two ethereal figures floated in the air.
"Biggie, what do we do? The Holy Envoy ordered us to collect the power of the God of Love, but we killed a powerful figure of this world before we could even find our target. Someone is sure to notice!"
One of the strange beings, with small white wings like a child's, hovered in midair, holding a small bow and arrow with a nervous expression.
The other figure, with black wings and horns on its head, hovered beside the white-winged being. Its overall shape was similar, but it appeared more sinister, holding a trident in its hand as it spoke with a grim tone:
"No worries. I've already sensed the target the Holy Envoy mentioned, and they're not far from here. This person is destined to fall in love with someone who holds an immense amount of fate energy. The power of love that will emerge will be incredibly rich!"
"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" the white-winged angel exclaimed joyfully.
"Heh, good!" The black-winged angel gave a strange grin as it glanced at its companion, then melted into the darkness, heading swiftly toward their destination.
A few minutes after the two angels left, the body lying in the grass suddenly opened its eyes. Rhett quickly examined the clothes he was wearing, and his pupils shrank as his face grew tense.
"This… this is the royal attire of the Kingdom of Kinnon? How did I end up dead here?"
Rhett stood up quickly, scanning his surroundings with a sharp, wary gaze, then extended his mental senses to investigate.
A few moments later, his expression turned odd. "There's no one around? Who could have killed me? This body seems to have only recently died… Was I killed in a single strike? No traces left behind, and the killer fled?"
A thick fog of confusion clouded his mind.
He searched the area, but strangely, there were no signs of a battle—no disturbed woodpiles or trampled grass.
These strange details left Rhett completely baffled.
He examined the wound on his chest—an arrow wound, but one that had already healed. Deep in thought, he murmured, "Was it a sneak attack? A single arrow to kill a Saint? It sounds unbelievable…"
Rhett scratched his chin, pondering the mystery, but finding no answers, he sighed and shook his head.
Remembering that his three sons were waiting for him in a nearby village, Rhett changed his clothes and disguised his appearance before hurrying in their direction.
Lacey Village.
When Rhett arrived at the village entrance and saw the sign reading "Lacey Village," he froze in place.
If he remembered correctly, Nicole had once mentioned that Lacey Village was her birthplace.
However, as a child, her family had been forced to move away after the village was attacked by bandits. As a result, even Rhett had only heard about the place and had never had the chance to visit.
What he hadn't expected was that, by sheer coincidence, the random village he'd chosen happened to be Nicole's birthplace. The connection was uncanny…
A smile tugged at his lips, and a soft warmth filled his eyes.
But his thoughts quickly turned serious as he recalled the Saint who had recently died nearby. Furrowing his brow, Rhett quickened his pace toward the village.
At the far corner of the village, in a small open-air courtyard, stood a spacious wooden house.
In the silence of the night, the sound of a woman gritting her teeth and groaning in pain echoed from the room inside.
Inside the house, a man in a mage's robe was using water magic to clean the bloodstained sheets while holding the hand of the woman on the bed, silently praying.
The woman, clearly a knight based on her well-toned physique, was in the throes of childbirth.
The pain didn't last much longer. Soon, her belly had flattened, and a tiny baby lay on the clean sheets, wailing loudly.
"Waaah! Waaah!"
"You did it, Mona! You did it!" the man wiped the sweat from his brow. Despite the routine nature of the birth, it had left him a nervous wreck.
The woman quickly drank a red potion, her complexion returning to normal in no time. Without even changing out of her clothes, she excitedly leaned over to gaze at the baby girl.
The couple, one on either side, beamed down at the greatest creation of their lives.
"Mona, you've done the hard work. You should name her," the man said with a smile.
"Oh, no, you should do it. I'm not good with names…" the woman replied nervously.
"Haha." The man chuckled, as if he'd expected this, then pondered for a moment. "Hmm… let's call her Nicole. It sounds lively and…"
Before he could finish his sentence, the man suddenly grunted as if struck on the back of the head and collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
The woman suffered the same fate, her eyes closing as she slumped over, leaving only the infant girl, now wailing even louder in the dimly lit room.
Two small figures, one black and one white, with short angel wings, appeared in the room.
"Biggie, it's her. She's the one the Holy Envoy is looking for!" The black-winged angel twirled its trident excitedly, staring intently at the baby Nicole.
The white-winged angel pulled out a heart-shaped red stone, which floated gently toward the infant, but then hesitated, turning to ask:
"You said she will fall in love with someone who carries terrifying fate energy. If that person becomes a supreme being, won't they eventually figure out what we've done?"
The black-winged angel licked its lips, staring at Nicole as if she were a treasure. Hearing the white angel's question, it scoffed dismissively:
"What's there to worry about? This world is lower-tier. Even if that person is special, they haven't even been born yet. It will take time for them to grow. As long as we collect enough of the God of Love's power, we can deal with this woman when the time comes."
The white-winged angel let out a soft gasp, looking uncomfortable. "But… isn't that too cruel? Why do we have to kill this woman…"
Hearing this, the black-winged angel's face twisted in anger. It jabbed its trident at the white-winged angel. "Fool! Don't waste time. Don't you know that the longer we stay in this world, the greater the risk of exposure? We could even be tracked down by the Holy Envoy's enemies! If that happens, you and I will be in serious trouble!"
The white-winged angel shrank back in fear, folding its wings slightly. "Alright… but I'm not going to be the one to kill her when the time comes!"
"Coward! I'll do it myself if I have to!" the black-winged angel snarled, baring its fangs. Its gaze returned to the heart-shaped stone, and it muttered darkly, "Hmph, if I could control the God of Love's power, I wouldn't need your help at all."
The white-winged angel frowned. "Hey, there's no need to be so rude…"
"Rude? What are you going to do about it—hmm?" The black-winged angel suddenly froze, its gaze shifting sharply as it sensed something. Even the white-winged angel's hand trembled, accidentally dropping the heart-shaped stone.
A figure quietly approached, focusing their mental energy.
In an instant, the air thickened with earthen elements as a protective shell formed around the heart-shaped stone, drawing it toward the figure.
"You dare?!"
The black-winged angel roared in fury. Before it could even see who had intervened, its attention was drawn entirely to the stone. It lunged forward, trident in hand, stabbing downward with all its might!
Clang!
The earthen shell around the stone cracked but didn't shatter, and the stone safely flew into Rhett's grasp.
"Give it back!" the black-winged angel bellowed. As its eyes settled on the stranger before it, its expression flickered with shock.
Standing in the doorway, Rhett clutched the heart-shaped stone tightly, veins bulging in his hand, his eyes burning red with fury.
He barely contained the seething rage within him as he spoke in a voice colder than ice, "You were just discussing… using that infant girl and then killing her?"
"How is this possible! Chute, I thought you killed this man! How is he alive again?" the white-winged angel cried out in disbelief, sensing that something was amiss with Rhett's appearance.
"What?!"
The black-winged angel's expression darkened, realizing that the situation had taken a dangerous turn.
"No matter! We killed him once; we can kill him again! Let's finish him off and get back to our mission!" the black-winged angel snarled, transforming into a bolt of black lightning as it thrust its trident toward Rhett's chest.
Although the black and white angels were unlike anything Rhett had ever encountered, his mind was consumed by rage and murderous intent.
He had arrived just in time to overhear the last few words exchanged between the two. While he didn't fully understand their plans, he knew one thing for certain—Nicole had been used by them, and her death was likely tied to these two!
"Earth Profound Mystery—Shaking!"
Three earthen spikes materialized in the air, vibrating with the power of space distortion, and shot straight at the charging black-winged angel.
"Earth Profound Mystery?"
The white-winged angel looked puzzled as it nocked a pure white arrow onto its short bow.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The three vibrating spikes flew through the air, but the black-winged angel expertly deflected them with its trident, sending them off course. However, the attack had disrupted its charge, leaving its hands trembling from the force.
The black-winged angel's expression twisted with frustration. Since when had this man become so powerful? The energy he wielded was ferocious and overwhelming.
Whoosh!
A white arrow shot through the air.
Rhett's pupils shrank. The white arrow seemed to follow a straight path, yet its trajectory was impossible to track, as if it moved through a parallel dimension.
He had no choice but to raise his defenses. A layer of rocky armor and a glowing shield formed around his body.
Crack!
The white arrow pierced through the glowing shield and struck his rocky armor. Though its power had been diminished, it still landed with enough force to fracture the armor before dissipating entirely.
Rhett's heart settled slightly. It seemed that these black and white angels weren't invincible. He could handle them alone.
Despite his overwhelming desire to kill the pair, Rhett held back. He needed answers—he needed to know how Nicole had died and if there was a way to bring her back. Suppressing his fury, he asked coldly:
"Tell me, where are you from, and what is your goal?"
The black-winged angel's face remained twisted with anger, but it hesitated. Fighting this man might be a waste of energy, energy that could be better used for their mission.
After all, they hadn't come here to fight.
Wasting their power on a pointless struggle would be foolish.
"Give us back our stone!" the white-winged angel demanded, its eyes fixed on the heart-shaped stone in Rhett's hand.
"What's the purpose of this stone?" Rhett asked, intrigued. He could feel a mysterious power sealed within, but his mental energy couldn't penetrate it to understand its essence.
He glanced at the infant on the bed. "And you mentioned something about collecting the power of the God of Love? What is that?"
"What's this girl to you?" the black-winged angel bared its fangs, floating in midair.
"She's nothing to me," Rhett answered honestly. In this simulation, he had no connection to an infant.
"Fine. As long as you don't interfere with our mission, I'll tell you everything you want to know," the black-winged angel said, its voice cold and calculating.
Despite its rage, it realized that this man was no longer the weakling it had killed earlier. Something had changed, and it wasn't worth the risk of escalating the conflict further.
The black-winged angel had a much more important task—to fulfill the Holy Envoy's mission. The infant on the bed was destined to fall in love with someone carrying an immense amount of fate energy. The rewards for completing this mission would be unimaginable.
"Alright, I'll agree, but you must tell me right now," Rhett demanded, narrowing his eyes.
The black-winged angel hesitated for a moment, then exchanged a glance with the white-winged angel. The latter began to slowly move toward the infant on the bed.