Becoming The Strongest Angel With A Saintess System

A week had passed since the Tide mission. A whole week of no demon hunting, no world-saving quests, no ancient beings trying to corrupt or seduce her.

Just training.

Grace knew she should be grateful. Really. The faction leaders had actually agreed on something for once—that she needed time to recover and train properly. Of course, not everyone was thrilled about it. Venus kept making passive-aggressive comments about "wasting valuable demon-killing resources." Some of the Bravery Sisters looked at Grace like she was slacking off whenever they passed her in the halls.

But Seraph had put her foot down.

"She’s no use to anyone if she isn’t the most dangerous person in the room at any given time," the warrior commander had said during what was apparently a pretty heated meeting. "Give me a month to drill some actual skill into her thick skull before we send her out again."

Celestia had agreed. And when the Archangel agreed with something, well. That was that.

So here Grace was, getting her ass kicked in private training sessions instead of out in the field where she could actually make a difference. Or experience horrible pain. One of the two.

Grace’s muscles screamed as she blocked another one of Seraph’s strikes. The practice sword slammed against her grip, sending shockwaves up her already-aching arms.

"Better!" Seraph barked. "But your footwork is still horrible!"

They’d been at it for an extra hour after regular training ended. Just Grace and Seraph in the empty arena. No cheering fangirls this time, thank Eternia. Grace preferred it this way. Less pressure to not eat dirt in front of her admirers.

"I’m trying," Grace panted, barely dodging a swing that would’ve taken her head clean off.

"Try harder, rookie!"

Seraph came at her like a fucking whirlwind. Grace managed to block once, twice, three times before the fourth blow sent her stumbling backward. Her butt hit the ground. Hard.

"Dead." Seraph pointed her sword at Grace’s throat. "Well, metaphorically. Again."

"Can we maybe take a break?" Grace wheezed from the floor. "Pretty sure my arms are about to fall off."

Seraph considered it.

"Fine. We’ll call it for today." She offered Grace a hand up. "You’re improving faster than I expected, rookie. Give it another year and you might actually land a hit on me."

"A whole year?" Grace grabbed the offered hand. "Fantastic."

"Could be worse. Took some of the girls three years."

"That’s... actually kind of reassuring."

Grace grabbed a towel and wiped sweat from her face. Her white hair stuck to her neck in gross, damp strands. Everything hurt. But it was a good hurt—the kind that meant she was getting stronger. Maybe. Hopefully.

"Same time tomorrow?" Seraph asked, already heading for the exit.

"Yeah, sure." Grace stretched, wincing. "Can’t wait to get my ass kicked again."

Seraph’s laugh echoed through the arena.

"That’s the spirit! You’ll make a proper warrior yet."

---

Grace wandered the Dominion’s corridors, too wired from training to head back to the rookie wing yet. Her body ached, but her mind raced. The marble halls were quieter in the evening. Most angels were off doing whatever angels did when they weren’t training or fighting demons.

Probably fucking, if her roommates were any indication.

She turned a corner and nearly walked straight into Celestia.

The Archangel stood at one of those massive windows that overlooked the clouds below. Her rainbow wings were folded elegantly behind her. She wore simple robes today instead of her usual formal attire. It made her look almost... normal.

If you ignored the whole "most powerful being in heaven" thing.

"Grace," Celestia said without turning. "Good evening."

"Archangel." Grace bowed out of habit. "I didn’t expect to see you here."

"I do occasionally leave my throne room." Amusement colored Celestia’s voice. "Even ancient beings need fresh air. The throne room gets stuffy after a few centuries."

Grace moved to stand beside her at the window. The view was incredible—endless sky painted in sunset colors, clouds like golden islands floating below. It still felt surreal sometimes, living above the clouds like this.

"How was training?" Celestia asked.

"Painful." Grace rubbed her shoulder. "Seraph says I might hit her in a year if I’m lucky."

"High praise from her." Celestia’s lips curved in a small smile. "She told me you’re progressing well."

"I guess. But, no offense, I figured you’d want me out there killing demons every chance we got."

"Partly. The faction leaders and I agreed you could use time to process... recent events." Celestia glanced at her. "The Tide was intense, from what I heard."

Grace’s face heated. She really, really hoped Celestia didn’t know the specific details of how she’d handled that situation. The tentacles. The fingering. The way she’d—

"Yeah. Intense is one word for it."

They stood in comfortable silence for a moment. Grace found herself relaxing despite everything. Celestia’s earlier coldness about sparing the Tide had completely faded. Maybe she’d had time to think it over. Or maybe Venus had convinced her that sometimes fucking your enemies into submission was a valid strategy.

[Probably not that second one.]

"Can I ask you something?" Grace said.

"Of course."

"About the other Pillars. Since I’ll probably have to deal with them eventually." Grace glanced at Celestia. "Unless that’s too much shop talk for an evening stroll?"

Celestia actually laughed. Not her usual mysterious chuckle, but a real, genuine laugh.

"Really? Here I am, trying to have a casual conversation with my newest angel, and you want to discuss business?"

"Sorry, I just—"

"No, no. It’s fine." Celestia turned from the window and started walking. Grace fell into step beside her. "I suppose I should expect it from someone Seraph describes as ’irritatingly dedicated.’ What would you like to know?"

"Anything you can tell me, really. The Root and the Tide were both different kinds of challenging." Grace shuddered, remembering. "I figure the others will be too."

"Indeed." Celestia’s expression grew thoughtful. "Each Pillar manifests Eternia’s discarded emotions differently. The Flame resides in the volcanic regions to the south. Expect pure aggression, overwhelming force. Nothing like the Tide’s seduction or the Root’s bargaining."

"Great. Love the idea of fighting fire with... whatever I have."

"Divine light works well against most things." Celestia’s wings shifted slightly as they walked. "The Mountain in the north is ancient, patient. It may not even acknowledge you exist at first. Could take weeks just to get its attention."

"Sounds thrilling."

"The Void..." Celestia paused. "The Void is perhaps the most dangerous. It exists in absence, in what is not there. Fighting nothing is considerably harder than fighting something."

Grace tried to wrap her head around that. Fighting something that wasn’t there? How did that even work?

"And the others?"

"The Tempest controls storms from its island chains. Emotional, unpredictable. Mood swings that make the weather change." Another pause, longer this time. "The Bloom... The Bloom was always Eternia’s favorite. Life and growth without restraint. Beautiful and terrible in equal measure."

Something in Celestia’s tone made Grace look at her more closely. There was an edge there, something sharp hidden under the calm.

"You sound angry when you talk about them."

"Do I?" Celestia stopped walking. They’d reached one of those small balcony gardens scattered throughout the Dominion. "I suppose I might. Though anger isn’t quite the right word."

She moved to sit on a stone bench. Grace joined her, careful to leave respectful space between them. The garden smelled nice—flowers and that clean, heavenly air that still felt weird in her lungs sometimes.

"Then what is the right word?"

Celestia was quiet for a long moment, seeming to gather her thoughts.

"Caution," she said finally. "Wariness. The Pillars are... complicated. They contain pieces of our creator, yes, but pieces she specifically wanted separated from herself. Cut away. Discarded." Her golden eyes fixed on Grace. "Can you imagine what that means? What aspects of yourself you would cut away if you could?"

Grace thought about it. Her cowardice, maybe. The part of her that still wanted to run away sometimes. Her growing lust?

No, that was getting stronger lately, not weaker. Definitely keeping that.

"I guess the bad parts. Anger, hatred, jealousy. Stuff like that."

"Precisely. And now those ’bad parts’ have had millennia to fester. To grow. To become something else entirely." Celestia’s wings shifted again. "I’m not angry at them. I’m cautious of what they represent. What they could do if left unchecked."

"The Tide didn’t seem that bad once I got through to her. She was just lonely."

"Perhaps. But loneliness festering for thousands of years becomes something else. Something dangerous." Celestia’s expression hardened slightly. "We can’t afford to take risks. Not with the Veil still active. Not with..."

She trailed off, but Grace knew where that sentence was going.

"Azrael."

Celestia’s wings twitched. Just slightly, but Grace caught it. That name still had power here.

"Yes. Azrael. She has not stepped out of line yet, but... You know."

Grace remembered that encounter vividly. The way Azrael had looked at everyone like they were insects. Like she could squash them all without breaking a sweat. Level 100 floating above her head in silver numbers. That casual pat on Grace’s head that had felt more like marking territory than affection.

The cold that had seeped into her bones, worse than any demon.

"She was terrifying," Grace admitted.

"Well, Azrael always was exceptional." Something complicated passed over Celestia’s face. Regret? Longing? "She pushes boundaries. Breaks rules. It’s what made her Eternia’s finest creation."

"And possibly her greatest mistake?"

Celestia’s smile was sad.

"You’ve been reading the histories."

"A little. Mina at the Archives is very helpful. And very chatty."

"Indeed she is." Celestia leaned back on the bench. "Azrael was brilliant. Is brilliant. But brilliance without restraint..."

"Becomes dangerous."

"Exactly."

A breeze ruffled Grace’s hair, carrying the scent of flowers she couldn’t name. Probably some heavenly variety that didn’t exist in the mortal realm.

"Could she really take on the entire Dominion?" Grace asked. "If it came to that?"

Celestia was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was softer.

"I don’t know. And I hope we never find out."

That was... not reassuring. At all.

"She thought I was Eternia," Grace said. "For a second, anyway. When she showed up after the Root thing."

"Many of the older beings might make that mistake. You carry her essence, after all." Celestia’s smile warmed slightly. "Though you’re very much your own person. Eternia would never train with Seraph for extra hours. She’d be off finding someone to seduce."

"Hey, I seduce people too!"

"So I’ve heard. Venus is quite pleased with your progress in her classes."

Grace’s face burned. Did everyone know about her extracurriculars? The "private tutoring" sessions? That thing with Lila in the supply closet?

"Still," Celestia continued, seemingly oblivious to Grace’s embarrassment, "you have a dedication Eternia sometimes lacked. A focus on improvement rather than just pleasure. It will serve you well."

She reached out and placed a hand on Grace’s shoulder. The touch was gentle but carried weight—centuries of power carefully controlled. Grace could feel it thrumming under Celestia’s skin, barely contained.

"You’re a long way from having to worry about Azrael, little one. She should still be sane enough to control herself. Focus on your training. On growing stronger. On understanding yourself and your abilities." Her grip tightened just slightly. "Hopefully, by the time you must face such challenges, you’ll be ready."

"Hopefully?"

"Nothing is certain. The future shifts like clouds." Celestia’s hand dropped away. "But I have faith in you. You’ve already accomplished more than anyone expected."

She stood, smoothing her robes. Grace recognized a dismissal when she saw one.

"Now, I believe you have friends waiting for you. And I have tedious administrative work that won’t complete itself. Budget reviews. Personnel disputes. The thrilling life of an Archangel."

Grace stood too, stretching muscles that were starting to stiffen.

"Thank you for talking with me."

"Anytime." Celestia was already walking away, back toward her responsibilities. "Rest well, Grace. Tomorrow brings new challenges. Seraph mentioned something about weapons training. Do try not to stab yourself."

"No promises."