Ch.337337. Reunion (2)

    While there are several angels stationed at Elphante Academy, the highest “ranking” among them is the Power Angel.

    In other words, if a gate to the Otherworld suddenly opens, she’s the first person everyone would turn to for answers.

    “…What exactly is going on here?”

    The Archangel asked with a fierce expression, while the Power Angel managed to maintain her composure and looked at him as calmly as possible.

    For someone accustomed to desk work, dealing with these rough men working in the field wasn’t exactly her forte.

    If one could peek into her mind, they would probably see her anxiously biting her fingers.

    ‘What do you mean? I don’t know either…’

    If Pandemonium had an atmosphere where the weak get devoured and only the strong survive, the Otherworld was extremely rigid and orderly, with a strict hierarchical system.

    Either way, it was clear that neither place had a structure where proper explanations would come down from above when something happened.

    But.

    She had a vague idea of the intention.

    “…”

    “…Power Angel.”

    The faces of the Archangel and the angels around him simultaneously hardened.

    They must have understood the implication in her silence.

    “We’re not fools. This is clearly beyond just an accident, isn’t it?”

    “…”

    “The creatures in the material world are fragile. Even the weakest beings from the Otherworld would be catastrophic here. What are the guardians of the gate doing instead of closing it quickly?”

    Though they often spoke harshly and acted roughly, they always had deep affection for the material world they stood upon.

    No matter how fragile a creature might be, each has its own life and emotions, and everything they live for is a precious jewel.

    Those who had spent time here understood this from their own experience. It was a noble character befitting the name of angel.

    Of course, not all angels were like that.

    As the Power Angel’s silence lengthened, the faces of the Archangel and the men around him grew grim.

    “Power Angel.”

    “…”

    “Don’t tell me this is a decision from the higher-ups?”

    If this situation wasn’t simply an accident but something happening in “cooperation” with someone else.

    That would completely change the approach they needed to take.

    “-Those damn bastards. I should have known from the beginning when they were so obsessed with their chosen people ideology!”

    Considering the extreme hierarchy of the Otherworld, this was practically a life-threatening outburst, but judging from the Archangel’s face, he had no intention of taking back his words.

    Among the Lightbearers, such individuals actually existed.

    Those who openly proclaimed it was their mission to nurture and enlighten the “inferior” beings of the material world with their own hands.

    They probably intended to send down beasts from the Otherworld to first “clean up” the material world according to their taste, and then reconstruct the world in the form they desired.

    The Power Angel knew this too, which was why she couldn’t open her mouth and remained silent.

    “…?”

    But what followed was a scene that made it impossible to maintain such silence.

    “W-what are you doing…?”

    She looked at the angels around her who were cursing and picking up their “tools.”

    As the word suggests, these weren’t originally made as weapons. They weren’t suitable items to pick up in this kind of situation.

    “We have to stop it.”

    “…Pardon?”

    “We can’t let the people living here suffer for the mess our side created. We need to maintain at least some conscience.”

    “…”

    The Power Angel was at a loss for words as she looked at the men before her.

    The “beasts” in the Otherworld are monsters that even angels residing there couldn’t guarantee safety against. If the gate was openly opened like this, not just one or two but many would pour out.

    Everyone would die.

    Yet.

    The humans here were essentially going to try to stop it, knowing the outcome.

    “-You’d better get away from here.”

    The Archangel, carrying something like a shovel on his shoulder, said with a smirk.

    “Power Angel, you’re just a desk worker, so honestly, you probably won’t be much help.”

    “We’ll buy you enough time to escape, so go!”

    “Still, it was nice having a woman’s flowery scent in this sweaty place!”

    Despite walking into certain death, they were all incredibly nonchalant.

    The Power Angel looked at each of them with a surge of emotion.

    “…You all…!”

    But before she could continue her words.

    -!

    -!!!!!

    From within the gate, the full-scale “invasion” began.

    The gate, emitting a bright light, began to convulse wildly.

    What came from inside was a roar so loud it could tear eardrums. The byproducts of overwhelming “size” that caused the surrounding area to vibrate with every movement.

    Even from this distance, it was clear.

    Each of those creatures was a monster that would require a nation-level response.

    “Here they come!”

    “Damn it.”

    And standing in front of them were just a few dozen angels. Without even proper weapons.

    It was like hitting a rock with an egg. Everyone knew which side would break.

    But.

    Even so.

    “Guys.”

    “Yes!”

    “The name ‘angel’ isn’t meant for us to run away at times like this, is it?”

    At the Archangel’s words, still smirking, the angels around him wore similar expressions.

    Messengers of heaven.

    Symbols of warmth and virtue watching over humans.

    No matter how much they rolled in the dirt, even if no one knew of their sacrifice.

    That was their essence.

    “…I really want a drink right now.”

    With those words, the Archangel shouldered his iron rake.

    And with that, he rushed towards his own death.

    -Or so it seemed.

    “Sorry to interrupt the heroic scene!”

    It seemed like they were setting up some kind of heroic moment.

    Not a chance.

    Enter the blender, right on cue.

    “Grind them!”

    “I’m not a pet-!”

    Yuria screamed as I shot her like throwing a shot put, and she flew in a parabolic trajectory with the energy I released.

    Certainly, it might be a bit inappropriate to call her a pet.

    ‘Portable slaughter tank’ might be a more fitting description.

    Just hearing the pitiful screams of the beasts pouring out from the open gate would justify such a title.

    “Waaaaaack-!”

    “Kyaaaaack-!”

    “…”

    The terrifying screams from inside the gate had somehow transformed into sounds like pigs being slaughtered.

    Previously, in the Crucible of Struggle, she had somehow managed to grind up even eldritch gods from other dimensions as long as they ‘entered the street.’ She could barely do something similar to the beasts of the Otherworld.

    As those screams gradually subsided, I pulled back the endlessly stretched leash to retrieve her.

    After using it so many times, I’ve applied all sorts of magic to it, and now I can freely adjust its length. It feels like using a tape measure from childhood.

    “Did you grind them all?”

    “…There’s still some left.”

    “Then I’ll throw you again.”

    “…”

    Both Yuria, who was pulled back from the gate covered in the sticky bodily fluids of beasts, and the Saint who was assisting in the process, gave me cold stares simultaneously.

    “…I forgot, but you were always this kind of person…”

    “What’s that supposed to mean?”

    “That you’re trash.”

    “…”

    “Since it seems we’ll be living together for a long time, I decided to be honest.”

    “…”

    Right.

    When you put it that way, I have nothing to say.

    Anyway, since there are still some left inside, I throw Yuria again.

    The sound of things being sliced and cut, along with pig-slaughtering noises, echoed all around.

    “…”

    “…”

    “…”

    The only response from around is the angels staring at me with blank expressions.

    Rather than blank, their faces are closer to something like enlightenment.

    Filled with the air of “what were we just about to do?”

    “Did you slice them all?”

    “…Yes.”

    Yuria answered with glaring eyes.

    If someone with such a timid personality is reacting like this, she must have had a really hard time.

    But comforting her comes later. There’s something more urgent.

    [This bastard never thinks about looking cool…]

    …Shut up.

    “It’s been a while, Power Angel?”

    I smile at the person who made me come all the way here.

    The Power Angel’s face immediately turned pale.

    Well, she’s someone who’s suffered at my hands more than once.

    “…W-why, what is it this time…”

    “Even if other angels can’t, someone of your rank should be able to contact the Lightbearers in the Otherworld, right?”

    “…”

    The Power Angel’s face went from pale to dark.

    “I-I can’t say anything to them…!”

    “I’m not asking you to speak for me. Just relay my message.”

    Either way, it would be burdensome for the Power Angel, but it can’t be helped.

    That gate was probably created by some particularly twisted individuals in the Otherworld in collaboration with the Holy Emperor to “clean up” the material world. We need to resolve that first.

    “Tell those bigwigs to come out. Tell them I’m calling.”

    “T-they wouldn’t listen to a human…!”

    “I’m not human.”

    That’s right. I’m not.

    Perhaps the Lightbearers over there would perk up their ears at the “status” I hold.

    Pointing to the Seal of Fallen Heaven with my finger, I say:

    “-Tell them it’s the ‘newly born’ ruler of Pandemonium speaking.”

    One thing the Holy Emperor misunderstands.

    The negotiation card that would pique the Lightbearers’ interest is also in my hands.


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