Becoming The Strongest Angel With A Saintess System

"Well, this was fun," Diana said, adjusting her golden armor. "Nothing like fighting water zombies and watching Grace disappear into the ocean for hours to make you appreciate dry land."

Grace’s eyes drifted to the gap between Diana’s armor plates where smooth skin peeked through. Diana had a body worth staring at, and today, Grace was finding it harder than normal not to do so.

"It wasn’t exactly all that great for me either," Grace muttered, forcing herself to focus on folding bandages instead of Diana’s body. "But at least nobody died."

Venus glided up beside them.

"Speak for yourself, darling. I had a lovely time with several very grateful villagers." She winked. "Stress relief is an essential service."

"Of course you did," Diana snorted. "Let me guess – that handsome fisherman with the arms? And probably his wife too."

Venus just smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

Petriel finished healing up some of the villagers that fought alongside her and Diana, her hands glowing with soft blue light. She looked exhausted but satisfied.

"I think we’re done here," she said, joining the group. She swayed slightly, and Grace instinctively reached out to steady her.

Their hands touched. Petriel’s skin was cool against Grace’s palm, and both of them lingered a moment longer than necessary.

[... What is happening to me? I’m noticing everyone today.]

The elder bowed deeply to them.

"We can never repay you. The Sisters of the Angelic Dominion will always be welcome in Saltmist."

Grace smiled, but her eyes drifted past him to the ocean. The water sparkled innocently in the morning light, nothing like the swirling vortex of power it had been days ago. But as she stared, a single wave rose higher than the others, almost like a hand waving goodbye.

Grace touched the pearl pendant at her throat. It was warm against her skin, almost like lips pressing against her neck.

"Hey, ready to go?" Diana asked, nudging her.

"Yeah," Grace said, tearing her eyes away from the ocean. "Let’s head home."

---

Flying was STILL Grace’s least favorite part of being an angel.

Diana soared through the clouds like she’d been born with wings, performing unnecessary acrobatic twists just to show off. Venus glided effortlessly, barely moving her pink-feathered wings. Even Petriel flew far more confidently.

Grace, meanwhile, flapped like a chicken trying to escape the cooking pot.

"You’re overthinking it again, rookie," Diana called back to her. "Wings are an extension of your body. Stop trying to control every feather."

"Easy for you to say," Grace grumbled, pumping her wings harder to keep up. Her back muscles burned with the effort. "You’ve had centuries of practice."

Diana dropped back to fly beside her.

"True. But you’ll get it eventually. Or you’ll keep flying like a frog in a windstorm for all eternity. Either way, it’s entertaining for me."

"Thanks for the support."

The journey back to the Dominion took a bit longer than expected. Maybe out of tiredness, maybe out of appreciation for the view.

They landed on the eastern platform where Seraph waited, arms crossed over her chest. Her red hair whipped around her face in the breeze.

"About time," Seraph said by way of greeting. "Celestia’s been waiting."

"Hello to you too," Diana replied, stretching her wings before folding them. The movement made her shoulder muscles flex impressively... Not that Grace was looking. "We just saved an entire village. No rush."

Seraph’s stern expression softened slightly.

"Well, in any case, good job not dying. Especially you, rookie." She nodded at Grace. "Celestia is waiting in the Hall of Light," Seraph continued. "She wants a full report."

Venus stepped forward.

"I’ll go freshen up and meet you there. Can’t face the Archangel looking like I’ve been flying all day." She winked at Grace. "Don’t start the good parts without me."

Grace watched Venus walk away, her hips swaying hypnotically. Had Venus always walked like that, or was Grace just noticing it more now?

"Come on, rookie. Stop staring at Venus’s ass and let’s go," Diana said, not bothering to lower her voice.

Grace’s face burned.

"I wasn’t—"

"You absolutely were."

Soon, they arrived.

Celestia sat on her throne, her rainbow wings folded elegantly behind her.

As usual, she looked exactly like what she was – the most powerful angel in the Dominion, one of the last beings who’d interacted directly with Eternia, and an angel who had lived for thousands of years and seen the rise and fall of countless human societies.

And yet, today, Grace noticed for the first time how lonely she seemed. Surrounded by admirers but separate from them all.

[Is that what happens when you live too long? You end up like Celestia? Or the Tide? I don’t know. Maybe I’m overthinking it.]

Mara stood to Celestia’s right. Seraph took her place on Celestia’s left.

"Sisters," Celestia’s voice rang out, filling the chamber. "Welcome home."

Grace, Diana, and Petriel bowed. Venus, who had somehow managed to look freshly bathed and styled in the ten minutes they’d been separated, curtsied with a flourish.

"Rise," Celestia commanded. "Tell me of the Tide."

Diana nudged Grace forward.

"The rookie did all the heavy lifting, so she should be the one to do it."

[Thanks a lot, Diana.]

Grace stepped forward. She cleared her throat.

"The Tide was corrupted by loneliness and abandonment." She glanced at Celestia, whose expression remained neutral. "She’d been transforming villagers, trying to create companions for herself."

"And you stopped this?"

"Yes. I... connected with her. Cleansed her corrupted aura." Grace chose her words carefully, very much not mentioning the parts where she’d been tentacle-fucked and then turned the tables with her own divine fingering tricks. "She agreed to stop harming humans. In exchange, I promised to visit occasionally. To ensure she doesn’t fall back into corruption."

Celestia’s eyes narrowed.

"... You let her live, then."

It wasn’t a question.

"I did," Grace said, doing her best to look Celestia in the eye.

"The Pillars cannot be trusted," Celestia said, her voice hard. "They are vessels for Eternia’s discarded emotions. Chaos incarnate."

Venus stepped forward, her robes rustling softly.

"If I may, Archangel? Grace’s approach worked. The villagers are safe. The corruption is cleansed. And we’ve potentially gained an ally rather than destroying a powerful being. Were it possible to bring these Pillars to our side as opposed to just exterminating them, that would be preferable, right?"

Grace gave Venus a grateful look.

Celestia was quiet for a long moment.

"Perhaps. But remember, Lightsinger, that kindness can be mistaken for weakness. And the Pillars understand power above all else."

"I understand," Grace said, though she didn’t entirely agree. The Tide had responded to connection more than power. And the kind of power that had worked wasn’t the kind they taught in Seraph’s combat classes.

Celestia rose, signaling the end of the audience.

"Rest. Recover. We’ll speak more of this later."

"Well, that could have gone worse," Diana said as they left the Hall of Light. "She didn’t strip your wings or anything."

"Is that a possibility?" Grace asked, alarmed. "Ow!"

Diana laughed, lightly tapping the back of Grace’s head.

"No, dummy. Angels don’t get demoted. We just get stuck with crappy assignments like babysitting rookie turnip farmers."

"H-Hey!"

Petriel moved closer to Grace, her arm brushing against Grace’s.

"I-I think what Diana means is that you did well. The Archangel was impressed, even if she didn’t show it."

The casual touch sent a pleasant tingle up Grace’s arm. Petriel noticed her reaction and blushed slightly but didn’t move away.

They walked through the marble corridors of the Dominion, heading toward the rookie wing. The sunset painted everything in soft golden light, making even the simplest architecture look magical.

"I just want a bath and about twenty hours of sleep," Grace sighed.

"Don’t count on the sleep part," Diana smirked. "I’m sure Alia and Zephyr have been driving everyone crazy asking when you’d be back. I bet they’ve planned some kind of welcome home party."

"Great," Grace groaned, though secretly she was looking forward to seeing her friends.

They turned the corner to the rookie wing and sure enough, Alia and Zephyr stood outside Grace’s quarters, practically bouncing with excitement.

"GRACE!" Alia shrieked, launching herself forward.

"You’re back!" Zephyr followed more sedately, but her smile was just as bright.

Grace spread her arms for a hug, grinning despite her exhaustion. Alia crashed into her, wrapping slender arms around Grace’s neck. freewёbnoνel.com

And, without thinking, Grace leaned down and kissed her full on the mouth.

Not a peck. Not a friendly kiss. A proper, open-mouthed kiss with tongue and everything. Grace tasted sweetness on Alia’s lips, felt the softness of her mouth, inhaled her scent of flowers and honey.

When they parted, a thin strand of saliva connected their lips for a moment before breaking. Alia blinked rapidly, her green eyes wide with surprise.

Everyone froze.

Diana’s jaw dropped. Petriel’s eyes widened comically. Zephyr stood motionless, her lips parted in shock.

"Uh... whoa," Diana said finally, breaking the silence. "Grace, you, uh... in a good mood or something?"

Zephyr’s mouth hung open.

"That was... new."

Even Petriel looked shocked, her golden eyes wide as dinner plates. But there was something else in her expression too – interest, maybe even jealousy.

Grace stepped back, suddenly realizing what she’d done. She’d just casually tongue-kissed Alia like it was the most normal greeting in the world.

[What the hell? I never do that! Why did I just... oh.]

The realization hit her like a bucket of cold water.

Her Love attribute had gone up to 60/100 after the mission. Was that...?

"Sorry," Grace said, her face burning. "I don’t know why I—"

"Don’t apologize," Alia interrupted, licking her lips with a slowly spreading grin. "Just maybe warn a girl next time, ey?"

Zephyr stepped closer, eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Do I get one too?"

Diana burst out laughing.

"Well, looks like our little Grace is finally growing up."

"Shut up," Grace muttered, pushing past them toward her quarters.