At dawn of the 7th day of the second trial, the sun was just barely peaking over the endless mountain ranges that surrounded the Angel Clan.
Amphorae stood in the air, wearing battle armor that dazzled the purple and golden hues of the sun. Her red-gold hair danced in the morning air while her piercing blue eyes seemed to freeze everything in its path. She was truly a goddess of nearly unmatched beauty. If Luna didn't exist, she would likely be the undisputed most beautiful woman of this quadrant. However, anyone would be hard pressed to decide which was the better of the two.
That said, there was something truly mesmerising about Amphorae. Her demeanor was so refined and pure, elegant without question, that despite her outrageously perfect proportions, no one dared to land their eyes on her figure for too long.
At this moment, the Angel Clan armies were arranged perfectly, however, one large change had occurred under Amphorae's leadership. The army of 50,000 had suddenly expanded to just over 100,000.
Before Dyon left, he had made it clear to Amphorae that he was unsatisfied with the way the hierarchy of the village worked. However, he was also aware that fundamentally changing the culture in which a society was built on wasn't possible to do in a mere few days. Even a few decades might not be enough. Unfortunately, Dyon had no choice but to microwave the process as best he could. He only had a limited time in this trial world, and if he didn't increase his man-power, especially with so many odds stacked against him, he was asking for a swift loss.
Most might think it irresponsible of Dyon to leave his kingdom unattended for such a long period of time, but, he did it on purpose. This was because before Dyon left, he told Amphorae that should she find an opportunity, she should force the issue in allowing women to join the Angel Clan armies!
From youth, the women of the clan had no less training than the men. In fact, they were also no less talented. This was the reason everyone was aware of Amphorae combat prowess and why no other main clan family dared to be impudent when Amphorae was decided upon as Dyon's fiancée to be. She was simply leagues ahead of all of the other candidates. Plus, any dissatisfaction from that decision was completely wiped away once Amphorae instead became a concubine. Seeing her take her duty as seriously as she did, Amphorae had long gained the respect of not only all of the women in the tribe, but then men as well. Because of all of these factors, Dyon had long comprehended that gaining Amphorae's favor was a pivotal piece to conquering this trial! It was no wonder why females who took the God Trials were forced to play Amphorae's role.
By leaving Amphorae in charge of the Angel Clan alone for so long, Dyon allowed the Angel Clan citizens to remember the prestige of the woman who should have been their queen. In addition, everyone felt a certain familial love for this young woman who had been wronged in her life. Because of that, it made it many times easier to pass laws that stopped the forceful restriction of women.
Dyon essentially made use of Amphorae's past to serve as a live case study for why the women of the Angel Clan deserved more power. Knowing what Amphorae had been forced to go through all her life, and also knowing the crisis the Angel Clan was facing, who would dare refuse the help of women in such a situation?
As a result of all of this, those prideful men had the perfect excuse to put down their overblown egos because Dyon and Amphorae provided them with an out.
In the end, the army of the Angel Clan had expanded by twice its original size, each of them in their prime, and each of them elites of elites. With all of the elderly and young long since evacuated, even if their clan was razed to the ground, they would have no qualms about it. They could truly fight to their hearts content, and if it came to it, die along side their husbands knowing that their children would still have a chance in the future.
One hundred thousand angels stood with their backs as straight as javelins, looking off into the distance with their eyes emanating endless battle intent. It had been hundreds of thousands of years since their clan hand left their stamp on the world, but it seemed that their prowess had been forgotten.
They once stood at the top of the cosmos. Ever since they were young, they had been told endless stories about the prestige their clan once held. And yet, they now stood in danger of being annihilated by a mere royal god clan?
Unwillingness wasn't a strong enough emotion for what they were feeling now. Their hearts were raging, the blood was pumping, their killing intent rising to the high heavens and piercing its almighty veil. They wanted nothing more than to shred their enemies to pieces, to remind them of just want the Angel Clan represented.
In the mortal world, angels were often fabled and spoken about as benevolent entities. However, what people often overlooked was the fact they were also the warriors of God… It was time the world felt their wrath once again.
Within the cells of the Angel Clan, Luna remained in a daze.
For the past two days, she constantly thought of Amphorae's words. Being by Dyon's side shouldn't be something to feel guilty about… She should feel honor…
No one truly knew Luna's thoughts but herself, but she hadn't lied to Amphorae that day. She had said everything without reserve. Maybe it was because she felt like she owed this girl who should have been her sister wife too much, or maybe she wanted someone to finally sympathize with her… Whatever the case was, she had blurted out way too many truths without hesitation. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that Amphorae had the same abilities as herself.
The truth of the matter was that Luna had been trying to find a way to help Dyon without betraying her sister. She felt like she owed her life to Laura and wouldn't hesitate to jump off a bridge if her elder sister asked her to, however, she didn't know when, but she had fallen so deeply in love with Dyon that it was affecting those very vows she had taken so long ago…
From the moment she met Dyon, he had placed an irrefutable stamp on her heart. She still remembered that arrogant and unrestrained smile that hid a deep rage toward those who underestimated him. She still remembered his shattering doubt after doubt as he soared higher and higher on the Universe Tournament Rankings, seemingly defying all logic by his own will. She still remembered him boldly proclaiming that she was his woman, even in the face two Emperor God Clans and her egomaniac of a father.
In the beginning, Luna was quite indifferent. She had seen too many people who thought so much of themselves, and this was especially so after her father paraded her around to practically every influential clan in the quadrant, hoping to pawn her off for more power. The problem with all of those people was that they always folded the moment things truly became difficult, only then would they become as feeble as kittens, only capable of relying on whatever background they had.
Luna couldn't lie to herself, she assumed that Dyon was some sort of hidden young master of some prestigious clan she couldn't bother to remember the name of. After all, how could someone as talented as him come from a such a small clan? But time and time again, he completely shattered her expectations, even reforming the way she thought about the world. And better yet, when he faced adversity, he didn't shrink, he only pushed forward, growing further.
During the tournament, Dyon always said that Veles only ranked 5th place because he was at the peak essence gathering stage, while he placed first because he had broken through to sainthood. The truth he didn't always tell was that Veles and Dyon had entered into the tournament at the very same cultivation level. They were both head strong, both more willing to die than willingly give up, however Dyon had a special attribute about him… While Veles could picture his defeat and would just refuse to break down mentally in the face of it, Dyon refused to acknowledge defeat at all!
