"Don't move!"
Rhett's expression suddenly changed as he roared, his voice like a furious lion, locking onto the white-winged angel with murderous intent.
Hundreds of earthen spikes quickly formed in the air, hovering menacingly.
At his command, they could instantly destroy everything in the room.
"Alright, alright, alright! I agree!"
The black-winged angel, completely flustered, repeated the word "alright" three times, gripping its trident with trembling hands. It feared that this madman might snap and destroy not only the room but also the baby along with everything else.
Rhett slightly calmed down, narrowing his eyes. "Speak. What is the power of the God of Love? Where do you come from?"
Meeting Rhett's suspicious gaze, the black-winged angel steadied itself and revealed a smug expression, speaking with a hint of pride:
"The question you're asking is quite broad. After all, your world is nothing more than a place with shallow foundations. Your limited perspective is understandable."
After a small taunt, the black-winged angel explained:
"In truth, beyond your world lies an endless void, filled with unknown worlds, creatures, and even strange phenomena…"
"We come from a powerful world, having followed the coordinates left by the Holy Envoy!"
"The power of the God of Love is our sole objective this time. Its uses are beyond comprehension. As for its full capabilities… Heh, it can only be truly realized when combined with our world. It's too complex to explain in a short time."
The white-winged angel stepped forward and tapped the black-winged angel with its bow. "Hey, aren't you saying too much?"
"Get lost! I don't need you to worry about my business!" The black-winged angel was seething with frustration. Unable to vent its anger on Rhett, it snapped at the white-winged angel.
Rhett casually tossed the heart-shaped stone in his hand, causing the black-winged angel to stare at it with bloodshot eyes, like a rabid dog eyeing a bone, nearly drooling.
"Alright, human, I've fulfilled my promise. Now it's your turn." The black-winged angel hurriedly urged.
"What are you planning to do with the baby?"
Rhett tightened his grip on the heart-shaped stone, pretending to stay calm as he stared down the two angels, though in truth, his murderous intent hadn't diminished in the slightest.
—The hatred of losing his wife was irreconcilable.
No matter how strange or unique this so-called World of the God of Love sounded, the fact that it was connected to Nicole's death filled Rhett with nothing but hatred for these two angels.
"We plan to seal the Heart of the God of Love inside the baby," the black-winged angel replied.
"Oh… and you mentioned earlier about someone who possesses the power of fate. Do you know who that is?" Rhett asked, raising an eyebrow as he pondered.
"That's difficult to determine. Even the Holy Envoy could not predict who that person is, so how could I possibly know?" the black-winged angel replied indifferently.
Rhett nodded. "I see… Well, I know."
"You know?" Both the black and white angels stared at Rhett in disbelief.
"Who is it?" the white-winged angel naively asked.
"Me!"
Rhett's face turned cold as he spoke. In the next instant, the hundreds of earthen spikes in the sky multiplied into thousands, forming a rain of light that showered down on the two angels.
"You vile creatures who benefit at the expense of others! Today, I will avenge my wife!"
With a roar, Rhett unleashed his fury, sending a barrage of spikes crashing through the roof, raining down upon the black and white angels.
Caught off guard, the two angels were stunned and quickly launched a counterattack.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the quiet village of Lacey, the sounds of explosions and battle echoed through the night, accompanied by flashes of light that illuminated the darkness, making the area as bright as day.
The villagers, startled awake by the overwhelming destruction, immediately recognized that a battle between powerful Transcendents was taking place.
Fortunately, Rhett, amidst the fighting, diverted some of his power to shield the area, preventing any harm to the innocent.
The villagers were not foolish. Living in a world of extraordinary power, none of them had the desire to watch from the sidelines. They quickly gathered their belongings and fled the village.
Meanwhile, about ten kilometers outside of Lacey Village, three ragged travelers, dressed as wandering knights, were walking together when they saw the distant sky erupt with earthen light, mixed with black and white beams of energy. Their faces paled.
"Look! That must be the aura of Saint-level combat up ahead!" the tall, thin man whom Rhett's son Reilei had possessed pointed to the sky.
Tucker, possessing a short, stocky knight, was too anxious to complain about his new body. His face grew worried as he said, "Yes, only a Saint could cause such devastation! It must be Father! But what is that strange black and white energy? I've never seen anything like it before…"
"We should hurry and see for ourselves! What's there to fear if we die?!" Tyrell licked his lips, rubbing his hands in anticipation.
"Yeah!"
The three exchanged glances and started sprinting at full speed toward the source of the light.
However, the closer they got, the more they realized that the battle had already ended.
Even though the fight was over, the simulation hadn't stopped. This reassured the three brothers, as they figured that their invincible father must have emerged victorious.
Sure enough, as they reached the village, they saw a figure emerging from the rubble and the cloud of sand and dust. The person's attire was rich and elegant.
The man raised a hand, beckoning them over from a hundred meters away.
Without needing any words, the three brothers knew it was their father. Following the special mental connection they shared, they rushed over to him.
When they got close, they finally noticed that their father was holding a baby, who was now sleeping peacefully, looking incredibly adorable.
"Wow, Father, did you fight the enemies to save this baby? That's so heroic!" Tyrell exclaimed, already imagining a story of a brave warrior rescuing the innocent.
Tucker scratched the back of his head with a goofy grin. "Heh, I should learn from Father. By the way, this baby is so cute. Father, are you planning to adopt her as your goddaughter?"
Bang! Bang!
Two heavy fists struck their heads.
"Ouch! Why did you hit me again, Father?!" Tucker bent over, clutching his head in pain, his voice filled with grievance.
Reilei and Tyrell sucked in a breath of cold air. It was the first time they had seen their father hit so hard, and they silently marveled at the severity of the blow.
Tucker looked up and saw the stern expression on his father's face, realizing something was wrong. Weakly, he said, "Wha-what's wrong, Father? Whatever I did wrong, I'll fix it…"
Rhett stared intently at Tucker, then pointed to the baby in his arms with his other hand. "Apologize to your mother, now!"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
The three brothers exclaimed in unison.
Tucker, Reilei, and Tyrell, all more shocked than the last, took a half-step back, their jaws dropping as they stared at the baby. Their hands shook as they pointed at the infant, unable to find words.
Reilei swallowed hard and stammered, "So-so, Father, you fought those people to save Mother?"
But then, as if realizing something, he furrowed his brow. "Wait, that doesn't make sense. If there were powerful enemies targeting Mother tonight, how did she survive in the original timeline when you weren't here?"
Tucker and Tyrell snapped out of their shock and realized Reilei made a good point. Both of them turned to their father with urgent, questioning looks.
"Sigh."
Rhett sighed heavily.
The three brothers immediately focused, ready to listen.
But before Rhett could explain, he sensed the approach of footsteps and frowned. "We'll talk about this later. The villagers of Lacey are coming back."
Tyrell blinked. "Does that mean… Grandma and Grandpa, too?"
"Um… yes." Rhett glanced at Tyrell and nodded.
He then looked at his three sons, all of whom were dressed in ragged, poor-looking outfits. They must have taken over the bodies of destitute wandering knights.
Thinking for a moment, Rhett pulled out several sets of clothes from the spatial ring that came with his current body and tossed them over. "Change into these clothes over in the forest. Once you're dressed, wait for me and don't wander off."
The three obediently left to change.
A few minutes later, many of the villagers who had fled out of fear returned, anxious about their belongings. Most of them, while grateful for Rhett's protection, were still too intimidated by his power to approach him. They hurried past him, heading back into the village.
Only one couple approached Rhett. They had awoken during the battle and escaped with his protection. Now, seeing him standing at the edge of the village, they rushed over with smiles of gratitude.
Both of them were physically fit, having the build of knights. Though they were only first-level knights, they quickly closed the distance and bowed deeply before Rhett. "Thank you, savior, for rescuing our lives and saving Nicole. We have no way to repay this kindness. From now on, we are at your service!"
It was clear that they were offering to follow him. But Rhett had no intention of treating his in-laws casually. He smiled warmly and waved his hand. "No need to be so formal. I felt a special connection with this child. Nicole is a perfect name for her. Please take good care of her."
The couple exchanged a puzzled glance. After all, Nicole was their daughter. Who else would take care of her?
Why did it sound like he was entrusting her to them?
Rhett looked back at the village and sighed. "It's a shame. Though I've killed the evildoers, the damage they've done to your village is irreversible. Earlier, I found some gold on their bodies. I'll leave it with you to distribute among the villagers as compensation."
There were no coins left from the black and white angels—Rhett was simply giving his own money. But at this point, he didn't care about a little gold.
He pulled out several thousand gold coins from his spatial ring, placing them into pouches that clinked loudly as they hit the ground.
The couple had been about to decline the offer, but when they sensed the massive amount of gold, they were stunned, staring in disbelief at the well-made bags. They had never seen so much money in their lives.
Nicole's father hesitated. "This… this seems a bit much. The villagers' losses could be covered with just a few hundred gold coins at most…"
Rhett waved dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Give the villagers double what they lost, and keep the rest for yourselves. Consider it Nicole's upbringing fund. That way, you won't have to risk your lives hunting magical beasts to make ends meet. If something were to happen to you, Nicole would be left an orphan."
Rhett wasn't just making this up.
In the real world, Nicole had told him that her parents had died when she was in her teens while hunting magical beasts to provide for her training.
In this simulation, Rhett was determined to prevent that tragedy.
No matter how many times Nicole's parents tried to refuse, they eventually accepted the money after Rhett insisted with authority.
Nicole's father took a deep breath and bowed again. "Holy warrior, your kindness is beyond words. If there's ever anything you need of me, I'll go through hell itself to repay this debt!"
"If that day ever comes, it'll probably mean the world is about to end," Rhett joked lightly, pulling Nicole's father to his feet. "What are your plans now?"
Nicole's parents exchanged a glance, and her father made a decision. "We're going to move! We'll head to Helix Village. My aunt has lived there for many years, and it's a safe place with someone we can rely on to help us adjust. Most importantly… it's near Twilight City, which will be safe enough for Nicole to grow up."
Rhett smiled.
Things were falling into place.
In the real world, Nicole's family had fled to Helix Village after bandits raided Lacey Village. Now, it was happening again, only a bit earlier.
After chatting a bit longer, Rhett bid farewell, saying he needed to return to the capital to report the situation.
In the distant forest, Rhett's three sons sat on tree stumps, watching their father return alone with empty arms.
"Father, where's Mother?" Tucker asked.
"She's returned to her family, as planned. I told you, we'll let her grow up according to her original path for now. We'll discuss the rest later," Rhett answered casually.
Tucker scratched his head, dissatisfied. "But… what if I can't resist checking up on her?"
Rhett fell silent, thinking that Tucker had a point. It would be difficult for him to resist visiting Nicole…
Eventually, he said, "I'll find a place for us to settle down in Twilight City. You three can live there. I'll take you to visit her secretly on a regular basis."
"That's great!" Tucker cheered, jumping up and down in excitement.
The four of them were in good spirits, chatting and enjoying the moment.
Suddenly, a streak of light flashed across the sky, unnoticed by any of them.
In the next moment, Manu's fiery red figure appeared in the forest, a translucent creature perched on his shoulder as he quickly approached Rhett.
"Sorry I'm late, Rhett. I was knocked unconscious by a strange aura just now and only recently woke up."