After passing through the dim underground passage, the room with the artifact at the end was surprisingly spacious, making it hard to believe it was underground. Although there was some concern about whether it could accommodate more than 100 people who were outside, it seemed to be completely fine.

In the center of the room, there was an artifact shaped like a giant compass. It appeared to be made of rainbow-colored crystals or something similar, rotating slowly while sparkling and emitting light.

In front of the artifact, there was a cylindrical container made of a transparent material, perhaps also crystal-like. It seemed that by placing items inside it, they could be converted into energy.

Although the size seemed too small for a person to enter, one might wonder what would happen if a big sized creature were placed in there.

“Wow… Amazing. A super-expensive-looking globe is floating. But since the main body is transparent, I have no idea what’s written on it.”

“First of all, this world is not Earth, and this is probably not a globe-like object. It doesn’t seem to have anything written on it to begin with. It resembles a compass, but it also kind of looks like a stylish sundial.”

“Anyway, let’s fill up this artifact energy thing. We should do it quickly, or those outside might come here. If it’s Pure Hearts, do we need ten?”

“Oh, yes, yes! I’ll take care of it! Azalea and the others gave them to me, but I have so many, and I don’t know how to use them!”

“Well then, I’ll take you up on that offer. Is that okay? We probably won’t be able to get more of these. Angel attacks won’t happen again.”

“I’m honestly grossed out by angels, so I’m fine. Well, if Blanc-chan thinks it’s okay. Besides, I’m sure Rare-chan has a ton of them too.”

*

When the artifact activated, the surrounding scenery momentarily distorted, and upon clearing, they found themselves in a place resembling a hall of some building.

It was an extremely spacious room, large enough to accommodate numerous players causing havoc without any issue.

The ceiling was also high, but not high enough for me and others to engage in battles while in enlarged forms.

“Who are you guys? No, where is this place… Who am I… What am I? What is this appearance? Why in this form?”

In the center of the room, a large angel, familiar to me, stood frozen. It seemed like they had just awakened, with their memories clouded. It was a mumbled statement that would have gone unheard without the Enhanced Hearing ability.

“The Count said something about the Archangel being born around the time the Spirit Lord died, right? I wonder if the Spirit Lord is on the verge of dying right now.”

“No, the Spirit Lord undoubtedly created that artifact. According to the explanation from the developers, the artifact can only go back to the time after the Spirit Lord’s death. So, he must be dead by now.”

The Archangel in front of them shook his head for a while, surveying the surroundings. Eventually, he snapped back to reality and shouted at them.

“So, it’s your doing! I will never forgive you! I’ll tear you apart! No, merely killing you is too mild! Throughout eternity, from your descendants to your descendants’ descendants, I will make you my livestock!”

Suddenly, we were being angrily accused.

Assuming the Archangel had been reincarnated from a homunculus, there must have been someone who created that homunculus. Considering that, one would need to master Alchemy up to the level of Magnum Opus to achieve such a transformation.

On this continent, and if the hypothesis is correct, the most likely candidate for the homunculus’ parent would be the Spirit Lord.

Assuming for now that the Spirit Lord is the parent, let’s think about the reason for his anger.

If the Count’s story is true, then it seems the Spirit Lord was defeated by his subordinates, the ancestors of the current leaders of human nations. Now, if he’s currently angry because his parent was killed, the natural target of his anger would be towards the Spirit Lord’s subordinates responsible for killing him.

Even if the mastermind behind the betrayal and killing is unknown, he would likely resent the unknown mastermind, as well as the actual perpetrators.

Although it’s unclear where this is, if the Archangel was a homunculus until recently, the Spirit Lord might have visited here. If strangers suddenly appeared here right after the Spirit Lord’s death, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to consider them as the culprits.

“So, is time travel set for this timing? In other words, hostility starts at max against the appearing players. Both the demons and the game developers are quite sinister.”

“Going a step further, this is just a hypothesis, but why did the Archangel get reincarnated as an Archangel in the first place? The conditions for that aren’t clear. Leaving aside the key conditions, at least, he would have needed a substantial amount of experience points, like 3000 or so. Where did those come from?”

Considering Lyra’s words, they pondered the possibilities. The most efficient way to gain experience points is to win battles against stronger opponents. Killing isn’t always necessary, but it does provide better rewards.

At this point in time, the most likely entity to provide a massive amount of experience points, having recently died, would be…

“Could it have been the Spirit Lord?”

“Considering that, the pieces seem to fit for now. He, who was controlled by someone through magic or something, killed the Spirit Lord with those hands. Perhaps he used some artifact created for combat, but whatever the case, he directly executed it. Then, meeting the conditions for reincarnation, gaining experience points, he was reborn as the Archangel.

If the effect of that halo thing on the Archangel’s head is similar to our horns, he might have escaped the control of the mastermind the moment he was reincarnated.

And maybe that timing is ‘now’.”

If that were the case, his intense anger could be understood.

His appearance was imposing, and the force he exuded was compelling. However, it was implausible that this was truly a past world. It should be a space created on a different server or something similar.

The absence of the Spirit Lord’s body and the ancestors of the royal family, who might have been present, indicated that this was merely a reproduced separate space.

Therefore, the Archangel wasn’t genuinely the past version of him. However, time was still flowing in the game world, and history was being created without a doubt.

In that case, he might actually be a copy of the AI and avatar of the Archangel who committed sins a few hundred years ago.

“──A copy of the AI saved just to be defeated by players…”

And each time players visit here, it seems to replay from the moment he woke up. A little, there is some sympathy.

“…Rare-chan, you buried that pitiful Archangel.”

“I didn’t mean any harm.”

“Well, if the Spirit Lord were alive, he might have stopped the situation with this Archangel in its current state. It couldn’t be helped…”

“Yes, as Blanc says, I stopped the pitiful Archangel.”

If we had seen this event beforehand, it’s unclear how we would have handled it. But in the end, it seems like the outcome would have been the same.

Back then, I couldn’t communicate well with the Archangel I met in the modern day Sky Castle. Part of it was due to my provocations, but considering he referred to me as a mere beast from the very beginning, he probably had no intention of trusting anyone other than himself.

“──The domestication of humanity begins by eliminating you all!”

The Archangel glared at us, and arrows of light appeared in his hands. Familiar motions of stringing the arrows. They were actions I had seen many times.

It seems like the time for speculation has come to an end. The battle is about to begin.

“Oh, this one’s a [Genocide Arrow]. If this comes, just get out of the line of fire, no matter what. It’s deadly.”

The Archangel’s pinky is raised.

[Genocide Arrow] is indeed a threat, but once you get used to it, it’s not something impossible to dodge. Even if it’s not me, any player who has played a VR action game with difficulty up to the level of frame-dodging (which may be an old term, actually) for a few moves should be able to do it. Probably, even that Deovoldraugr or whatever could dodge it.

Raising the pinky is probably for that reason. Since it’s difficult to evade after it’s fired, the motion is likely made special for balancing.

This time, the target of the attack seems to be me, as deduced from the Archangel’s gaze and the direction of the bow. Having anticipated it, I reacted almost reflexively to dodge the arrows. However, somehow, the speed seems a bit slower than the modern version. Perhaps the flight speed of this skill depends on the ability value.

If that’s the case, it’s likely that this Archangel from the past is a bit weaker than the modern day one.

The arrows continued straight and pierced into the walls of the hall, disappearing.

“Huh… Is avoiding that supposed to be a given?”

“That’s right. Only by dodging can you earn the right to stand before the Archangel.”

“Human rights were suddenly revoked!”

At this rate, for Blanc and even Lyra, until they get used to it, seem impossible to avoid completely. They have to figure out a way, maybe have me distract him, considering the opponent’s movements. However, the Archangel literally fired a rapid succession of [Genocide Arrows] towards me.

It seems that this skill can be fired continuously. It’s a bit unfair, considering that there would be no way to dodge it for a giant like Ururu. If Ururu were to take all these attacks, depending on where they hit, it would probably die in a few seconds.

Just when I was thinking about it, now it’s [Penetrate Arrow].

Even if Genocide doesn’t hit, there’s no way a slower Penetrate will. For some reason, all of these were consecutively shot at me, but I managed to avoid all of them.

Why doesn’t he continuously shoot Genocide Arrows? Is there some reason he can’t shoot them?

And soon, the Penetrate Arrows also stopped. If he changes the skill he uses after this…

“Maybe the next one is Explode. Since that’s a hassle, let me interfere a bit. [Release: Wings], [Release: Diamond Steel], [Release: Sword].”

Black wings appeared from my hips, lifting up the hem of my robe. Although the robe isn’t closed in the front, the arms are through it. Because of that, the back and below the robe were exposed, resembling a peacock with its feathers spread.

“[Explode Arrow]!”

With the declaration, arrows were released. It was indeed Explode Arrow. Was there some meaning to performing this skill rotation?

Whatever it is, even if they dodge this attack, if it lands nearby, they will still receive unnecessary damage. That’s not something they want.

“[Gatling]!”

A moment after the Archangel’s declaration, I also activated my skill.

The goal is sniping. To shoot down the Explode Arrows with Feather Gatling. It’s uncertain whether she can shoot down the arrows released by this calamity-level active skill, but if they make contact and explode, the result will be the same.

They didn’t even try this during yesterday’s Archangel battle because there was no room for it, but it’s no problem now.

The multitude of knives released intercepted the flying Explode Arrows, where they exploded upon contact, and some of the knives scattered around.

“Whoa!”

It seems one of them flew towards Blanc.

Looking in the direction of the voice, Blanc and Lyra, who had somehow circled around behind the Archangel, were there.

Blanc’s voice was audible on this side as well, thanks to the Archangel being between them. The Archangel also seemed to have heard it, but after briefly glancing in that direction, he quickly fixed his gaze back onto me.

“What is it? Do you like me that much? Well, it’s better than being attacked by him over there.”

The next move was indeed [Cloud Burst Arrow].

The countermeasure for this is already established. However, let’s try something a bit different here.

“[Release: Thread], [Slash Thread].”

Extending threads of adamantite from both hands, she cut through the arrows.

Each Cloud Burst Arrow doesn’t have the power of an active skill on each one individually. Therefore, based on the player’s ability values and weapon performance, interception is possible, as proven in the previous encounter.

Considering that these adamantite threads are treated as biological weapons, I thought that they could be cut through with her high ability values. As anticipated, the arrows were sliced apart, and remnants of light scattered around me. They disappeared as if melting away.

Since this skill doesn’t decrease the maximum MP and doesn’t consume LP, it has better cost-performance for mere interception purposes compared to [Demonic Sword].

“Rare-chan, maybe this guy’s skill has a set number of shots within a certain time frame. For example, for the first Genocide-something, maybe he can only shoot up to 5 times in 30 seconds.”

“…So, if he shoots 5 times, does the cooldown start counting, and after the cooldown, he can load another 5 shots?”

“Yeah, that makes it easier to understand. Probably, right? I don’t know much about bow skills.”

Currently, the active skills related to bows that players have acquired should have cooldowns set for each. Moreover, there should be a specification where a very short cooldown occurs for each shot.

Although I don’t have any bow skills, if, for example, the cooldown was 10 seconds even for normal specifications, with 50 shots, it would be a calculation of 5 shots per second. It’s impossible to watch all of them.

During the recent battle with the Archangel, it was difficult to accurately grasp who shot which attack, so I didn’t pay much attention to it. Even if it follows the normal specification, a skill like [Genocide Arrow] should have a reasonable cooldown, despite being a rapid-fire bow and arrow skill.

Is the compensation for being able to rapid-fire without a cooldown coming in the form of a cooldown applied later?

“Ah, could it be this? There’s a skill called [Rapid Shot]. Maybe he’s using that for rapid firing. That’s why there’s a consolidated cooldown afterwards.”

“…How do you know that?”

“I’m currently Appraising it. Since the Archangel and Rare-chan aren’t paying attention to me, I’m a bit bored.”

“If you’re bored, do something useful!”

“Eh, but Rare-chan seemed busy, so I’m Appraising in her place.”

Come to think of it, that was the original purpose of coming here.

The Archangel, for some reason, has a grudge against me, so I got caught up in the battle and forgot about it.

“By the way, why is he targeting only Rare-chan? Perhaps it’s because of True Eyes. I have it too, so I know, but through this, Rare-chan’s LP looks really flashy.”

The mystery is solved.

It’s the same as the small fry angels that targeted only me in the Wells Royal Capital.

This Archangel still lacks experience in battles.

Like the angels at that time, he is probably targeting me, because I seem the most threatening. Although I am aware that I have a lot of LP, I had forgotten that my LP has such a flashy color.

“Alright, then. I’ll continue to tank, and Lyra and Blanc will be the attackers. I don’t think it’s necessary, but if I take damage, please help me heal.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Okay!”

The Archangel, who was about to shoot Genocide Arrow again after the cooldown from Rapid Shot seemed to have suddenly stiffened.

Presumably due to the effect of Lyra’s [Evil Eyes].

It’s unknown what abnormal status effect she applied, but the Archangel stopped moving for a few seconds, and the brilliance seen through the [True Eyes] began to sway slightly. It might be paralysis, slip damage, or perhaps a potent poison.

“[Curtain of Darkness]!” “[Magic Mist]!”

At Blanc’s command, the hall was enveloped in mist and faint darkness, instantly obscuring the field of vision.

[Curtain of Darkness] steals the surrounding light, a magic that doesn’t affect [Evil Eyes], but [Magical Mist] has a faint magical power in the mist. Therefore, even in the field of vision of [Evil Eye], the mist looks like it’s obstructing the view.

However, it wasn’t something that immediately posed a hindrance to the battle. With the simultaneous use of [True Sight], at least the positional relationships of the surrounding characters are clearly visible.

Dealing with Genocide Arrow might be a bit challenging, but with this darkness, it’s fine to open her eyes. By combining normal vision, [Demonic Eyes], and [True Sight], avoidance can still be achieved as before.

Since there’s no way to avoid being shot, she might as well get a bit closer.

“[Shadow Lance]!”

Blanc, having finished her preparations, used an offensive magic.

It’s a high-ranking single-target attack magic among [Dark Magic].

The terrifying aspect of this magic is that the trajectory is invisible until it hits the target.

As the name suggests, it’s a magic where spears of darkness attack the enemy, and what flies through the air is the shadow cast on the ground. Therefore, practically, it’s impossible to intercept it by aiming for a collision.

“Tch! You!”

The Archangel turned back, glaring alternately at Blanc and Lyra.

Distracted by me, he unexpectedly received damage from behind, and finally seems to have recognized the two behind him as enemies.

However, it’s not good to divert one’s gaze from an opponent who was cautious until just now.

If I’m going to play as a tank, there’s no need to engage the opponent from a distance.

It would be quicker to get up close, well within the bow’s range.

Taking advantage of the moment the Archangel looked away, I dashed towards him.

“You! Don’t get close! Explode Arrow!”

She evaded the released arrow by twisting her body.

I could see an explosion far behind, but the blast didn’t reach me.

“Genocide—”

“Huh!”

“Gah!”

Reaching the Archangel, with my right hand, I restrained the hand holding the bow, and with my left palm, I lifted his exposed jaw.

At this distance, a bow is unnecessary.

“Ugh, you, you…!”

The Archangel extinguished the glowing bow, clenched his fist, and swung it at her.

It’s the range of hand-to-hand combat. The Archangel seems to have the [Bare Hands] skill and is thrusting with agility.

There is a difference in height and reach between me and the Archangel, making it an unfavorable situation in normal circumstances.

However, my family’s school assumes such cases and, since I’m at it, I decided to try something different.

“[Parry].”

Extending threads of adamantite from both hands, I parried the Archangel’s fist.

It’s unclear how I can parry a bare fist with a steel wire that should cut upon contact, but in any case, the damage was nullified by the effect of the skill.

Looking closely, there were no particular wounds on the Archangel’s fist. It seems that ‘Parry’ doesn’t cause back damage even when repelling a barehanded attack.

“It worked well. Perhaps the thread is treated as a biological weapon.”

“You, stop blabbering—”

“[Shadow Lance]!”

“[Evil Smite]!”

Blanc’s attack again and then Lyra’s [Dark Magic]. It seems Lyra has naturally acquired this too.

“You! Annoying!”

“[Slash Thread].”

Slicing through the Archangel’s body as he attempts to turn, I control the aggro.

If I had obtained [Provoke], I could have used it, but it seems that I won’t have many opportunities to use it in the future, since I cannot afford to die because of the repercussions that would cause to my own faction.

“Your attention is scattered.”

“Ugaaaah!”

The Archangel attacks me again. Of course, I parry.

Then, Blanc sends another magic attack from behind.

“[Shadow Lance]! Rare-chan, do you need healing!?”

“Not necessary. I haven’t taken any damage from attacks, and I won’t in the future.”

“You! Don’t underestimate—”

“How annoying!”

Looking at my LP, which clearly hasn’t taken any damage, it seems he said that to provoke me.

Thanks to that, the Archangel became furious and is now focusing his attacks even more on me. It’s not bad.

“[Shadow Lance]!”

“Damn! [Major Recovery]!”

“Ah! He’s healed again!”

“It’s okay. His MP is probably running low now, so that was likely the last one.”

“That’s good to hear. [Evil Smite].”

Healed and recovering, Lyra’s dark spear pierces the Archangel’s newly restored wings.

“This…!”

“Oops, [Slash Thread].”

Gently brushing the nose of the Archangel, who is concerned about his back, with adamantite thread.

Just doing this increases animosity towards me, and he immediately resumes his attacks.

It seems that, rather than the main source of damage, the attacks from me, being almost invisible, are scarier. Even if attacked from behind by Blanc and company, if I interfere with [Slash Thread], he can’t help but look this way, making it easier to handle as a tank.

Perhaps having more LP than the opponent and occasionally provoking with words are effective.

Getting close to melee range has also significantly shut down Genocide Arrow, which requires the most attention for evasion. It might not be possible if the opponent were a large army, but if there’s only one person, this is the most efficient way.

For the Archangel, everything seems to be going awry, and his frustration must be reaching its peak.

“[Shadow Lance]!”

Blanc may not have as high INT or magic attack power as me, but she has been built as a magic-oriented player from the start.

If all she needs to do is shoot magic of a weak attribute at an undefended back, she can become a respectable damage source.

“Damn it!”

As MP runs out, LP starts to show its bottom, and the Archangel, growing more desperate, wildly swings his fists, attacking me.

It reminds me of the skill barrage when fighting the original Archangel.

It seems that attacks become sloppy due to impatience and anger from around this time. That Archangel wasn’t the “main body”, and it’s certain that this individual is different, but their behavior patterns are identical.

I parry all of them.

“…It’s about time to end this.”

Surprisingly, from the visual image, it was unexpected that the Archangel had [Bare Hands].

Well, considering that the Archangel has [Healing Magic], it’s natural to assume that he has [Bare Hands].

However, it wasn’t as polished as the bow. Once she closes the distance, the fight becomes much easier than expected.

It might be that players successfully defeating the Archangel could happen sooner than expected.

“Enemy LP should be in the red zone soon. Blanc-chan, ignore cooldowns and hit with everything you have.”

“Understood! [Shadow Lance]! [Blaze Lance]! [Icicle Lance]!—”

“I’ll shoot too. [Evil Smite], um, [Shadow Lance], and [Icicle Lance]—”

Under a consecutive attack of magic from the two behind, the Archangel’s remaining LP is decreasing.

“Guh! Gaaaahhh—!”

Cleverly layered so that the magics don’t interfere unnecessarily, Lyra is probably coordinating that. Maybe Blanc is just firing away at full power without much thought.

“…Aah… you… you… Father…”

And the Archangel falls, disappearing, leaving behind a gem.

In the modern era, I defeated him while ‘dominating’ him, so I couldn’t hear his final words.

“…Father, maybe it’s the Spirit Lord after all.”

“…Uh, isn’t this a bit unpleasant? It feels like we’re the villains!”

“In this case, no matter which player fought him, it would probably end the same way. Also, regardless of that, we’ve been villains from the beginning, Blanc-chan.”

Picking up the gem left alone in the vast hall.

It’s [Zagreus’ Heart].

Even defeating the past Archangel, the drop item seems to be the same resurrection item.

“…Ah! A magic circle appeared at the edge of the room! Can we go back if we step on it?”

“Stop! Blanc-chan! If you step on that, you’ll probably end up in front of the artifact we were at just now. It would be troublesome if someone happened to be there.”

“Oh, right. What should we do? Can we return to the original era if we wait for a few hundred years?”

So innocent.

“…No, it’s not like we actually came to the past, and probably, this is just a normal isolation field, so waiting won’t help us return. If only we could use [Summon] to move from here… Well, it’s probably impossible. All [Summon] skills are locked.”

Casting is possible, but all the available familiars are greyed out.

So, it would probably be possible to use it if they had brought familiars into this space, but currently, it’s not usable.

“At this rate, even if you had teleportation skills or magic, you wouldn’t be able to use them.”

“Then, do we have no choice but to return with the magic circle?”

“Seems like it. Let’s do this. When we get on the magic circle, if the return process is activated, at that moment, skills like [Summon] should be unlocked. If that happens, as soon as you can, fly somewhere, and even if someone is outside, you’ll be seen minimally.”

“Isn’t it much worse to be seen for just a moment? There’s no excuse.”

In the end, we decided to casually send Lyra’s familiar knight on patrol and perform the transfer when no one was outside.

This was possible because even in this isolated field, Friend Chat was possible.

Restricting Friend Chat as well would hinder player communication, so this seems to be an unavoidable specification.

“Lyra-san, you had other friends!”

“Maybe.”

Come to think of it, Blanc hadn’t talked about the NPC inventory specification.

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