Mikael

After sending Lilith off, Iluvia leaned back against her Divine Seat and let out a long sigh of relief.

“That child, Lilith...” She shook her head, though a smile hovered at the corners of her lips.

However, speaking of Lilith, Iluvia seemed to remember something.

“Mikael.”

Iluvia softly uttered the name, her thoughts drifting back nearly a month ago.

That was shortly after she had inherited her divine mantle, back when her divine power was far from abundant, and she had created her very first angel—though its appearance was indeed a little... well, unique.

It was the size of a palm, round and chubby, with a pair of tiny wings, looking just like a sticky rice dumpling with wings.

Back then, she had thought, “As long as it works,” not caring much about Mikael's appearance.

However, after the players descended, her focus completely shifted toward them, leaving Mikael in a state of free-range neglect.

Occasionally, she would send it to scout near Starfall Forest, but for the rest of the time, it was essentially a case of "no such person exists."

To be honest, even Iluvia herself couldn't quite remember when she had last paid close attention to it.

Regardless, Mikael was still the first angel she had created.

It had worked hard, even without grand achievements.

And now, it was time to put it back to work.

Iluvia snapped her fingers cleanly.

With a crisp snap, a round, chubby figure instantly materialized within the Divine Kingdom.

Palm-sized, its tiny wings flapped rapidly. Its large eyes blinked twice, immediately lighting up the moment it saw Iluvia.

“Lady Mother Goddess—!!”

Mikael cheered with joy and darted forward, its little wings fluttering whirringly.

Iluvia reached out and gently caught it, her gaze tender.

“Mm, Mikael, have you been working hard lately?”

“Yes, yes! Mikael flies around the forest every day! I've seen so many trees! So much grass! So many bugs! And I even saw a super huge bear!”

Iluvia: “...Alright, good work.”

“It's no trouble at all! To serve Lady Mother Goddess is Mikael's greatest honor!”

Looking at the plump little angel resting in her palm, Iluvia felt a sudden wave of emotion.

Even though it was created casually, it still held the title of Primal Angel. She couldn't let it remain in the form of a sticky rice dumpling forever, could she?

If it met Lilith and the others in the future, it wouldn't look impressive at all.

“Mikael.” She paused, her tone growing a bit more solemn. “It is time to give you a humanoid body. In the future, I will need your strength.”

Mikael's tiny wings froze instantly.

Its large eyes widened, and only after a long moment did a voice come out, trembling visibly:

“Your Ladyship Mother Goddess... C-Can Mikael really have a humanoid body too?”

Iluvia: “???”

“Of course,” she said, palming her forehead.

“Hooray! Mikael praises the Mother Goddess! Thank you, Your Ladyship Mother Goddess, for giving me life! I will work super hard! I definitely won't fail Your Ladyship's gifts and guidance!”

Mikael's voice overflowed with excitement, practically bursting with joy.

Looking at the little white dumpling in her palm spinning with excitement, two words drifted through Iluvia's mind: Adorable.

She truly didn't need to manipulate Mikael at all.

Compared to Lilith, who required patient guidance, comforting, and motivational promises, her own hand-crafted child was completely worry-free. No need to coax, no need to persuade—give her a tiny bit of benefits and she'd work her heart out. A truly natural tool... cough cough... family member.

Without saying more, she gently channeled the divine power within her body.

Instantly, a vast and gentle divine power surged forth, completely enveloping the chubby Mikael.

Dazzling yet non-blinding pure holy light intertwined layer upon layer, forming a cocoon of light like an egg in incubation.

Inside the cocoon of light, the rice-grain-sized dumpling body slowly began to stretch, elongate, and reshape.

The tender aura settled bit by bit, as the blurry outline gradually traced out a slender and elegant figure.

The transformation was completed silently.

A moment later, the holy light filling the air slowly faded.

Before the Divine Seat, the scene had completely changed.

A petite and pure figure of a young girl stood quietly.

Standing barely one hundred and fifty centimeters tall, her frame was slender and petite. She carried an inherent soft, adorable, and clueless charm, yet exuded the innate holy nobility of an angel.

She shared stunning facial features sixty to seventy percent similar to Iluvia's, with snow-white long hair flowing down to her waist like a stream of moonlight.

Her pale gold eyes were crystal clear, as if filled with fragments of holy light, moist and brimmed with boundless curiosity and innocence toward her new body.

Behind her back, a pair of snow-white wings gently folded, their feathers soft and fluffy, shimmering with a faint divine radiance.

Capable of looking like a loli or a maiden—pure, gorgeous, holy, and soft.

A perfect embodiment of Iluvia's top-tier aesthetic tastes!

A satisfied smile flashed in Iluvia's eyes as she nodded secretly to herself:

“How does your new body feel?”

Iluvia's soft voice echoed through the hall.

The newly reborn Mikael raised her hand slightly, blinked gently, and tentatively moved her limbs. She softly flapped the wings behind her back, her whole being filled with novelty and joy as her crisp maiden voice sounded sweet and soft:

“Super—super good!!”

“Your Ladyship Mother Goddess! Mikael loves this body so much! It's so light, warm, and full of power all over!”

Watching Mikael's joyous expression, Iluvia sensed her strength, estimating it to be between Black Gold Rank high-stage and Black Gold Rank peak, around level 127.

This power level was enough to handle the vast majority of situations.

With that in mind, Iluvia nodded slightly, her smile fading into a subtle solemnity as she formally delivered her oracle:

“Mikael, from now on, you will operate within Starfall Forest. Be sure to thoroughly investigate the entire area. If you encounter anything you cannot handle, contact me immediately.”

Saying this, she added another line:

“Remember, do not expose yourself under any circumstances.”

“Yes! Your Ladyship Mother Goddess! Mikael obeys!”

The girl instantly reined in her excitement, straightened her back, folded her wings, and bowed solemnly.

However, when standing up, she failed to control her new body's balance properly, stumbling slightly before hastily flapping her wings to stabilize herself.

Iluvia: “...”

Her lips twitched as she suddenly wondered if entrusting this task to Mikael was a bit unreliable.

...