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Chapter 278

As I was flung back, unable to launch another attack, Remiel threw Diablo's massive body in my direction.

“Demon out.”

“Diablo. I won’t forget your sacrifice. May you rest in peace.”

“You crazy human... cough... I'm not dead yet.”

“From the looks of it, that’s a pretty fatal wound.”

“Yes... I can’t do anything anymore. I can’t even move a finger.”

“Still, aren’t you a famous demon?”

“An archangel is... a being entirely different from angels or demons. The names may be similar, but that’s all. Do you think I can do anything to her in this state?”

“Even if you were both fine, she’d probably still be stronger.”

Despite bleeding, he gave a helpless smile.

For someone who was totally fine even after getting beaten like a dog by Luna, for him to be fatally wounded now...

“She may not be as powerful as before... but the full power of an archangel is lethal to any living being. Still... she doesn't seem to be in great shape either.”

Just as he said, though Remiel’s face showed no sign of pain, her hand was trembling faintly.

Something had definitely gone wrong.

“What did you do to her?”

“I’ll... I’ll explain later. I can barely keep my form together. I’ll see you again in the Holy Kingdom.”

With those words, his body disintegrated into black ash.

For an ordinary being, that attack would’ve been fatal, but since he’s a high-ranking demon, he probably has some means of recovery.

Now, only Remiel and I remained in this sealed space.

I couldn’t ask what exactly he had implanted into her, even at the cost of his own life—but it couldn’t have been meaningless.

Indeed, her expression hasn’t changed, but her power is clearly fluctuating.

“Hey. Librarian. Just asking while it’s just the two of us—archangels can only act under divine orders, right?”

[Confirmed. That is correct.]

“Then, how would other archangels view what she’s doing right now?”

[It’s difficult to make a definitive judgment, but it’s unlikely the other archangels would overlook one of their own exhibiting such deviant behavior while retaining the rank of archangel...]

The moment those words ended—

The surrounding space turned pure white.

The twisted, desolate world outside the window was being repainted as if white paint was being poured over a black canvas.

[Warning! Warning! A massive power surge has been detected. Prepare for defense!!]

BOOOOM!!!

BEEEEEEEP...

What followed happened in an instant.

With a sound like an explosion, a high-pitched ringing echoed in my ears.

It felt just like when Luna tore apart the dragon Baril with her divine spear.

No—it was even more intense.

Where’s Remiel?

Just as I was trying to figure it out—

I realized I wasn’t alone in this white space.

Though the figure was hidden within the light, the four pairs of wings were unmistakable.

—The divine command of the heavens strictly forbids heresy among archangels.

A chilling male voice rang out.

I clutched my head and groaned briefly before sighing.

Slowly, the pain faded.

—The self should never be permitted to archangels or gods.

“Why is that?”

The archangel before me wasn’t Remiel.

He must be the one behind this massive phenomenon.

A being of this power... at the very least, not a lower archangel.

—You ask why, foolish one? You’ve already seen the answer with your own eyes.

A chill ran down my spine at his words.

—The god of death, Adam, broke down because he couldn’t bear the fall of the god of life, Eve, who was once his family.

“And the reason Eve broke down... was because she had a ‘self’?”

When I asked what had suddenly come to mind, silence followed.

“So I was right.”

—The filthy beings of the outer dimension exploit the ‘self’ to eat away at their targets, driving them into fear and despair.

The war between the outer gods and the archangels has been long-standing.

But never once had an archangel fallen into the hands of an outer god.

That wasn’t just because of the archangels’ immense power—but because they had no self, no individuality for corruption to take root.

I don’t know how Remiel was brought to this place, but she must’ve been fine at first. Whatever corrupted her into what she is now likely exploited the self—the crack in the otherwise impenetrable fortress that is an archangel.

In other words...

“That’s why you forbid the self? No empathy, no love, no hatred or anger?”

—When even a trace of emotion is mixed into maintaining or protecting the world, the result is always destruction.

That could very well be true.

But because of that, I had to ask—

“From what you're telling me, the stories I heard about you archangels seem way off.”

—...

“You all... ended up gaining a self, didn’t you.”

It must’ve hit the mark, because no reply came.

But now I was certain.

Remiel and Luna want to change the rules, while the remaining five archangels—despite having developed selves—chose to uphold the rules absolutely.

“I understand. Really. Every side has its pros and cons.”

“What are you trying to do?”

After a pause, the voice answered from within the silence.

—Eliminate the heretic archangel.

“What about Luna?”

Then what about Luna, who started out as a fallen angel?

—She has already been stripped of her archangel title. We do not intend to interfere with her using the remnants of that power.

Ah.

So they don’t want to go that far either.

“All right. I get it. I understand your intent, and I even think it’s justifiable.”

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—Then back off. Irregular one. Your existence alone is a dangerous variable to us.

“No. Still, I don’t want to let Remiel die.”

At those words, a formless white force grabbed me by the neck and lifted me into the air.

As I calmly gazed into the void, a voice reached me.

—Then do as you will. So long as you accept the consequences, we will not interfere. But you must bear the full weight of that responsibility.

“Responsibility, huh...”

—You must already know about the invaders from the outer dimension.

“Ah, that. Whether it’s now or later, I’ll either drive them out or tear them apart.”

So try and stop me if you want.

Just know you'll have to take responsibility for your choice.

Honestly, I don’t really care what happens to Remiel...

As if there was no need to hear my answer, the light slowly began to fade.

“One last question. Archangel.”

...

“What is Luna to you?”

The answer came shortly.

—The most unexpected anomaly among the archangels.

Does that mean she was the one who should’ve followed God’s will the most?

Well, yes.

Raphael—the archangel known as God's left hand—was said to be the guardian of paradise and one of the most strict among angels.

Eventually, when the light fully disappeared—

I realized that Remiel was floating alone in midair, blankly staring up at the ceiling.

And in my hand was a mysterious, pure-white spear of light.

A spear so heavily imbued with the power of an archangel.

There was no need to ask who it belonged to.

The reason I was given this spear was clear—if I wanted to end her, I was to use this.

The archangels aren’t necessarily hostile toward me.

Whether they have self-awareness or not, their entire purpose is to follow the will of God.

If left unchecked, she could very well become the first archangel to fall into the hands of an Outer God.

Eventually, Remiel responded.

She ignored me, her opponent just moments ago, and stared into the void.

Then, she casually extended one hand—and countless chains materialized around me.

Just for an instant, I thought I saw her eyes flicker with violet light.

Was that... the trace of an Outer God?

She sealed my movements in a flash, then brought her hands together with a powerful clap, compressing the chains of light swirling around me, completely binding me.

The restraint lasted only a moment.

But in that brief instant, she tore open a rift that sealed the space—and flew out of the ancient fortress.

Once she disappeared and the restraints were lifted, all that remained was the sealed space... and me.

The Outer God had intervened.

And yet, a smile crept to my lips.

“You think that’s going to change anything?”

Whatever Diablo stabbed into Remiel’s vulnerable body, if it rapidly drains her power, all I need is one chance—just one decisive strike.

The cultists’ curse formation, Diablo’s cunning trick... If even that doesn’t let me win, I might as well just go die.

There’s no way I’m using this damn archangel’s spear.

* * *

“Advance!! Don’t fall back!!”

The paladins charged forward bravely against the oncoming monsters.

Arrows rained down like black storms from the sky.

In the dark night, their forms shouldn’t have been visible—but the radiant lights illuminating the area made their shapes clearly stand out.

The flame-wreathed monsters continued to appear, even after Cthugha’s death, pressing in from somewhere, blocking those trying to enter the fortress.

BOOM!! KRAK!!!

The greatest impact on this battlefield came from none other than Isna and Luna.

Luna used her overwhelming physical might to dive into the battlefield like a bombing run, repeatedly smashing down and sweeping away everything in her path.

Meanwhile, Isna moved swiftly through the chaos, dismantling enemy formations and slicing through the red rifts that were spewing out monsters—destroying them.

She also quickly rescued those in danger.

Many were astonished by Luna’s power, but just as many were shocked by Isna’s uncanny ability to read the battlefield.

“What’s the status of the Sacred Tree’s Blossoming?”

At the commanding high elf’s shout, dozens of elf spirit mages began gathering different magical circles into the air, combining them into one massive formation.

“Almost ready!”

The elf spirit mages had gathered to prepare a massive, signature elven spell.

The paladins were doing the same.

Other than those on the front lines, the priests were pouring their divine power into preparing a grand sacred spell.

“Circle of God! Almost ready!”

“Good. Once it’s ready, hit the biggest of those rifts with everything you’ve got!!”

At first, there were no such rifts.

But after Leon and High Priest Dibl entered, something happened—and red rifts began appearing outside, spewing out monsters.

Prolonged attrition wouldn't work, so they aimed to eliminate the source.

That was the decision of both the Holy Kingdom and the Great Forest.

And in other parts of the battlefield, the cultists’ undead were holding the lines.

Fortunately, the monsters didn’t seem to have intelligence, so they didn’t attempt to interfere with the magic being prepared.

Just as the secret weapons of both factions—their long-prepared strategic spells—were about to be unleashed...

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