Chapter 59: Baptism by Holy Water—Let My Body Cleanse Your Desires! |
Chapter 59: Baptism by Holy Water—Let My Body Cleanse Your Desires!
The instant the words left his lips, Bai Xuan’s world vanished into a flood of blinding white light.
When his vision cleared, he found himself once more in the realm of reality.
The two Phantom Angels who had been locked in a deadly duel before him now stood still as statues, swords lowered, their faces serene and untroubled.
“Did it work?” Bai Xuan murmured under his breath, eyes drifting to the two Stones of Light embedded in the temple doors.
They still glimmered, but the former harsh glare had faded, replaced by a gentle, soothing radiance.
“Master, how did you do that?” Serene approached, confusion flickering in her eyes. “Why did His Holiness the Pope grant you permission at this moment?”
“So it really was Isiah’s permission...”
Bai Xuan pondered her words. The Mark of the Hero the Pope of Light had spoken of—was that the true key? Not some crude trick to shatter the Stones of Light, but the mark itself.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the two Phantom Angels responded to some silent command. Moving with solemn grace, they stepped forward and pulled open the grand temple doors.
Bai Xuan blinked in surprise.
Wait... Does the Mark of the Hero let me command the Phantom Angels?
“Come here,” he said experimentally.
Instantly, both angels shimmered and appeared at his side, standing at attention like loyal sentinels awaiting his word.
“Well, that’s... interesting.” A faint smile touched Bai Xuan’s lips. He turned to Serene. “Let’s go inside.”
“Mm.”
Together, they stepped into the temple. Behind them, the Phantom Angels closed the doors, sealing the chamber in quiet privacy.
“So this is the Sacred Pool?”
Bai Xuan took in the scene: the only feature within the chamber was an opulent golden pool. Wisps of mist curled above its surface, and a sweet, enchanting fragrance lingered in the air.
“Yes.” Serene nodded softly. “This is where generations of Saintesses have bathed and been baptized. By resonating with the Sacred Pool, one can commune with the Goddess of Light herself.”
“Generations of Saintesses...” Bai Xuan echoed, his gaze lingering on the pool. But a sudden, intrusive thought crept in.
Wait a minute...
Does this pool even have a drain?
If not, isn’t this technically... the bathwater of every Saintess who’s come before?
As he wrestled with that unsettling notion, Serene spoke again, as if reading his mind. “After each baptism, the holy water loses its power and dissolves into foam. New holy water fills the pool through a sacred rite.”
“Oh—”
Bai Xuan let out a breath of relief.
For a moment, he’d feared he might have to soak in the... remnants of centuries of Saintess baths.
If any of them had been less than pure, wouldn’t the pool have a strange smell by now?
He shook off the thought and turned to Serene. “Alright, you should go in first. Complete your Saintess baptism.”
“Mm.”
Serene nodded, unfastening her armor piece by piece.
Soon, only her snow-white Holy Vestments remained.
She slipped those off as well, then placed her helmet, gauntlets, armor, boots, vestments, and the Sword of No Light neatly to one side before stepping gracefully into the Sacred Pool.
Instantly, the golden holy water enveloped her curvaceous form, her pale skin blooming with a delicate, rosy flush.
Bai Xuan caught a flicker of pain cross Serene’s face as she entered the pool.
Does the Sacred Pool hurt to bathe in?
Wait—
He suddenly remembered the Mission Note: he could enter the Sacred Pool, too.
“Serene, would you mind if I joined you?” Bai Xuan asked.
“Bathed together?” Serene hesitated. “I’ve never heard of anyone sharing the Sacred Pool, but... I don’t mind bathing with you, Master.”
“Good.”
Bai Xuan smiled, stripped down, and waded in after her.
But the instant his skin touched the holy water, he knew something was wrong.
Heat.
Not the burn of scalding water, but a scorching that seemed to come from the depths of his soul.
The water itself was cool, yet a strange, searing current surged between his spirit and flesh.
Then—pain. Sharp, unnatural pain.
“Hhh—”
Bai Xuan gritted his teeth, his whole body feeling as though it might burst apart.
It was as if the holy water seeped through his skin and into his blood, making his heart thunder like a war drum.
Agony.
Several minutes passed before his body began to adjust to the baptism.
It felt as if some inner demon was being exorcised by the holy water...
When Bai Xuan finally caught his breath and looked at Serene, he was startled to find her gazing directly at him.
Those sapphire eyes shimmered with Heart Symbols, reflecting a dazzling, holy light.
“...?”
Bai Xuan blinked. Only then did he realize: his Holy Light was burning brighter than ever—at least thirty percent stronger than usual.
“Is this... also a side effect of the holy water?”
He arched a brow, confusion flickering in his gaze.
At that moment, the Pope of Light’s voice echoed in his mind:
“Holy water cleanses the body’s desires and purges corrupted souls, making every Saintess who undergoes the baptism even more pure. But the process is painful—for it wages war on human nature itself.”
“To battle human nature...?”
“Exactly. Only those with truly pure hearts can withstand the baptism. Saintesses are chosen because their desires are faint. But you and Serene... the desires in your hearts burn far brighter than most. This bath is a trial for both of you.”
“...”
Bai Xuan’s breath caught. The true test was not the Phantom Angels at all—it was whether they could endure the baptism of the Sacred Pool and complete the Mission.
His thoughts raced as he glanced at Serene.
She, too, wore a mask of pain, struggling to contain the desires the holy water kept dragging to the surface.
After a moment’s hesitation, Bai Xuan called out, “Serene, come here.”
“?”
Serene looked up, puzzled, then rose from the golden water and waded over to him.
Bai Xuan looked up at her—her Succubus features now fully revealed, impossible to hide.
“Master...” Serene’s sapphire eyes lingered on the shimmering light playing across the water. Her heartbeat quickened. “What is it?”
Bai Xuan’s gaze flicked to the tail behind her, swishing nervously, then at the holy light blazing from his own body.
He grinned. “Kind-hearted Paladin, will you help cleanse the corruption from a fallen man like me?”
Gulp—
Just those words made Serene swallow hard.
That brilliant, blazing Holy Light—far brighter than usual—was a gift from the Goddess of Light herself to a Succubus like her.
“My body—”
After staring at the light for a long moment, Serene finally spoke, her voice trembling:
“I’m willing to serve you, to purge your desires and your darkness!”