Ethereal Ascendance: A Journey of Transformation

"Lady Nicola, can I come with you?" Selene looked up at the one beside me pitifully and asked. Seeing this, Nicola hesitated for a moment, not wanting to refuse her. She flew down and lifted Selene up into the sky.

"Feliciana..." Eleanora saw that Selene went up and quickly waved at me.

I sighed, similarly landing and scooping her up. This was my first time flying with Eleanora in my arms. She felt slightly lighter than Selene, but there wasn't much difference.

"Wow, so this is what it feels like to fly up into the sky!" Naturally, this was Eleanora's first time in the air. She couldn't stop being excited and kept asking me to fly higher. But no ropes were tying us together now. I was just holding her with my hands. I didn't dare go too high. If I dropped her, she would die instantly.

"It's so nice. I want to go up and see too..." Hayden looked up at us enviously from below.

"What are you thinking? Are you still a man? Can't even handle this much?" Alfreed lightly knocked on his head and scolded.

"Hurry up and go!"

"No, I was just purely envious..." Hayden held his head looking very wronged as he quickly rushed to Adrian at the front.

"I don't understand..." The Eleanora in Nicola's hands suddenly asked.

"Why did Adrian say we have to first leave the surveillance range of this lake before Camille teleports away, and only then can we come back?"

"That's because if we teleport away with Camille, when we arrive at the kingdom we'll definitely be deep in enemy territory. It would be hard to escape a face-to-face encounter with the God of Fire then," I was very clear about this point and explained to her.

"Moreover, Camille has been monitoring us through that device. If she doesn't see us leave, she might not dare activate the device to teleport us away together."

"Right, after she teleports away, the Kaga Mountains, the Tethys Town in the kingdom will be swapped over here accordingly. At that time when we come back here, it'll be the same as stepping onto the kingdom's land!" Selene finally understood.

"Did he look for you just now for this matter?" Eleanora heard and asked, turning her head towards Selene.

"Of course not just that. He also said that after we leave the surveillance area, I have to hurry up and make some light puppets."

"What, light puppets?" Hearing a fresh term, I asked in puzzlement.

"It's a more advanced light magic, or rather, a kind of illusion," Selene thought for a while and replied.

"The principle is to condense light elements into an illusory image, then shape it into a human form. You can control its movements to do various actions... Oh, have you guys heard of illusion cards before?"

"Illusion cards?" Nicola and I glanced at each other.

"Of course we know about them." Nicola might still have those two cards on her.

"Isn't that a kind of ma...magic toy that many nobles and playboys in the capital are fond of?" It seemed Eleanora had also heard of illusion cards, but didn't have a good impression of them.

"That's right! Don't look down on that one illusion card. Its production process and principles are said to be incredible, involving many advanced magics. Light puppets are one of them!" Selene had a mysterious look, as if divulging some outrageous secret.

"Moreover, light puppets are an extremely simplified version of an even more advanced light magic—teleportation. Ordinary humans basically can't learn teleportation. Only you angels can use it."

"Can you really do it?" I clicked my tongue in doubt and glanced at Selene. "You were panting just from casting dispel magic."

"Hey, dispel magic isn't that basic!" Selene unhappily pursed her lips and turned her head, not wanting to look at me.

"How can one compare with an angel like you, instantly whipping out purification magic? What do you want me to do?"

"Ha? What's there to compare? Is purification magic very advanced?" I had always thought that skills given at the start were generally more basic.

"Of course! Otherwise, why wouldn't even 6th-rank vampires dare tank the spell? In our Church, anyone who can use purification magic can become a high priest. Moreover, yours is free-flowing without needing incantations!" Selene strongly disagreed, angered just thinking about it.

"Angels are amazing huh, angels can do whatever they want?"

"Uh..." She really left me not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Was it just intolerable seeing me use purification magic?

"Doesn't your True Church revere angels?" Eleanora was very puzzled seeing Selene's attitude towards me and asked.

"That's only for angels like Miss Nicola!" Selene said while rubbing her head against Nicola's chest.

Hey! I saw clearly. That's definitely harassment! Selene, your idol Alfreed is still watching below!

"Can you please not drag me into your bickering?" Feeling uncomfortable, Nicola frowned and lowered her head to glance at Selene. She didn't want to flare up and could only bitterly smile to remind her.

"Sorry, I'll be sure to pay attention next time." Selene quickly apologized, cutely sticking her tongue out.

"Didn't I save everyone just now? Can't you change your impression of me a little?" Very annoyed by her double standards, and knowing she always looked down on me for being a weak angel, I shamelessly took credit for what happened after I lost consciousness.

"You can't be considered an angel like that. Never heard of an angel with blue wings before. Otherwise, Claudia could be counted as an angel too."

"You..." She was too reasonable. I completely couldn't find any counterarguments.

This wasn't even double standards anymore right? This is discrimination! Blatant discrimination!

The rest of the path was quickly traveled. Mainly to accommodate Alfreed and the others walking below us, the countless corpses blocking the way slowed their advance considerably compared to before.

Upon reaching the lakeshore, we didn't stop and continued southeast, only stopping when Adrian confirmed by memory that we had left the surveillance range. He then nodded at Selene.

"You can start now!"

After being put back onto the ground upon leaving the area with concentrated corpses, Selene immediately started chanting. A transparent, illusory image appeared before her palm and gradually solidified, taking the form of a little girl.

"This is the best I can do." Selene wiped the sweat from her brow and panted as she spoke.

"My light puppets aren't skilled enough to reach realistic levels."

I looked at the illusory puppet. It only reached my waist in height. Although it had a nose, eyes, hands and feet, there was still a huge gap from real human appearance. Its entire body also glowed, like a lampshade over a light bulb. You could tell at a glance it was fake.

"No need to worry about the appearance. Just having enough light essence filled inside, and being able to maintain for a period without dissipating after we leave. Then it is good enough."

Unsurprisingly, Adrian didn't seem very satisfied. He shook his head and requested again:

"How can it attract the enemy without resembling a person one bit?"

I asked in puzzlement. Judging from this magic's purpose, it should purely be for buying time. It had no other combat value.

I had tried reaching out to touch it earlier. It was completely illusory, with no tangible feeling at all.

"The sensitivity of dark creatures to light essence is the same as you angels' perception of dark elements. So we just need to attract them from afar. By the time the monsters approach closely enough to see its appearance clearly, our goal is already achieved. So there's no need for realistic resemblance at all."

Adrian's thinking was very clear. While directing Selene to modify the puppet, he explained to Nicola and me at the same time.

"Pay attention to any movements from the lake at all times. Notify us immediately once the spatial transfer starts."

"I'll do it." Nicola volunteered for the task. She then flew up into the sky.

As for me, I could only watch with the others as the puppet took its final form.

"How can this still be called a puppet?" Looking at the lump of light before me, I felt it was rather bleak. The light essence did feel very dense, but there was zero semblance of a human.

"I've already done my best, can't squeeze out any more magical power..." Selene feebly sat down, looking completely drained.

"This might still not be enough..." Adrian frowned and said.

"The enemy knows we have angels on our side. It would be even better if there was one more puppet."

"Then I'll try." Seeing that Selene was truly spent with her light essence completely exhausted, I spoke up.

"Huh? You can do it too?" Adrian looked somewhat surprised that I was voluntarily stepping up.

"I'm not certain, but I can give it a shot first." I nodded. Watching Selene make the puppet earlier, I could sense the light essence flow in her body very clearly. I already had this kind of experience when watching her cast dispel magic back in Tethys Town.

Combining my understanding of purification magic, perhaps the element flows were the key to magic formation? I had to test it out before knowing clearly.

Imitating Selene's method to mobilize the light essence in my body, a lump of light soon appeared before me in my size.

"I did it!" Since it worked through this method, I excitedly yelled out. So from now on, just watching others use a spell would enable me to learn it? The thought was a little thrilling.

"How's that possible? You didn't know this magic before. How could you suddenly learn it?" Selene wore an expression of utter disbelief as she stared at me and asked.

"Uh, because I just watched you do it once earlier?" I answered honestly. To be frank, I also couldn't understand it. If learning magic was so easy, what would be the point of magic books and such?

"Could it be an angel's advantage in light magic?" Hearing this, Selene froze for a bit, as if only recalling my identity now.

"It's said to indeed be so." Eleanora also interestedly walked over and said.

"I heard that angels, as pure light element creatures, understand magic fundamentals a bit differently compared to us ordinary humans. So they generally excel in light magic, achieving many things humans can't."