Chapter 63: Holy Land(3)

“You’ve arrived.”

Metatron, the violet-haired Archangel, said, her expression impassive, her eyes still sleepy.

“Yes. Where’s the ‘gate’?”
“Not yet open. It’s taking longer without Raziel, our… Spatial magic specialist.”

Metatron glanced at Raziel, who, though he looked the same to Avalli, must have seemed different to Metatron, who knew him so well.

“There’s no need to be angry, Metatron.”

Raziel said, waving his hand dismissively, and Metatron looked away.

“I’m not angry.”
“It’s just that everyone’s…uncomfortable being alone with Avalli. So, I volunteered to escort her.”
“You shouldn’t say that in front of her, Raziel.”

Cassiel, the gray-haired Archangel, said, scratching his head.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Avalli said

“Yes, but… still…” Cassiel said, glancing at Avalli.

“It’s fine. It’s understandable that they’re uncomfortable. After all, I did… beat them up.”

She had been especially harsh with Cassiel, whose power was particularly troublesome.

“But you healed me personally, didn’t you, Avalli?”

Cassiel said, his tone almost fawning.

“You’re welcome. Gabriel said you were seriously injured.”
“I was. It’s a miracle I’m even alive.”

Gabriel nodded in agreement, looking eager to say something more, but—

“Let’s… focus on opening the ‘gate’. Avalli’s waiting.”

—Azazel’s words, spoken with a slight whine, made the Archangels return to their positions. Avalli, snacking on some cookies she had brought, grinned mischievously and floated over to Azazel, the black-haired angel.

“Aza~zel.”
“Eek!”

She poked him in the back, her finger trailing between his folded wings, and he flinched, his wings twitching.

“Why are you so jumpy?”
“W…Well… you startled me—”
“Are you blaming me?”
“N…No. It’s not like that.”

He stammered, fidgeting, and glanced around, hoping for help from the others, who quickly averted their gazes.

“You’re lucky, Azazel.”
“L…Lucky? Me?”
“I’m leaving today. No more stress for you.”
“Th…That’s… true.”

He blurted out his true feelings, then hurriedly tried to backpedal.

“I… I didn’t mean… you’re stressful…”
“That’s sad. I enjoyed our time together. Didn’t you, Azazel?”
“I…I…I en…enj… Eek!”

Azazel stammered, avoiding her gaze. Avalli had learned that angels weren’t very good liars. And among the five Archangels, Azazel was the worst. Which made him fun to tease.

“That’s enough. We’re losing time.”

Metatron intervened, and Avalli shrugged and stepped back. Azazel, finally calming down, avoided her gaze and joined the others.

Metatron at the center, Gabriel to the west, Azazel to the north, Raziel to the east, and Cassiel to the south.

The five Archangels, eyes closed, began chanting in low voices, praising the Goddesses. Their wings shimmered with multicolored light, and streams of mana flowed between them, forming a complex magical formation.

“…Pretty.”

Avalli murmured, watching the ritual. The swirling lights reminded her of the auroras she had seen on TV as a child, a mesmerizing spectacle.

The ritual took a long time, but Avalli wasn’t bored. She was captivated by the beautiful display of magic.

When the formation was complete, Metatron raised her head, her gaze fixed on the moon.

Multicolored light streamed towards the moon, forming another, larger circle, resonating with the celestial body, and then—

“It opens.”

Metatron announced, and a black void appeared in the night sky, mirrored by a dark shadow on the surface of the distant moon.

“That’s the gate?”

“Yes. Raziel will be your guide.”

“Why Raziel?”

She would have preferred Azazel, who was more fun to tease. Azazel, sensing her thoughts, flinched.

“Because I have to stay here to maintain the gate for your return.”

“Technically, Metatron, Michael, and I can do it… but two of the three highest-ranking Archangels have to remain in the Holy Kingdom.”

Gabriel explained, and Avalli nodded reluctantly.

“…Don’t disrespect the Goddesses.”
“I always prefer diplomacy. They’re usually the ones who start the fights, not me.”

Avalli said, smirking at Metatron’s warning. Raziel offered her his hand.

“Let’s go, Avalli.”
“…Do I really have to hold your hand?”
“It’s a long journey. I wouldn’t want you to get lost.”

Fair enough.

Avalli adjusted the strap of her bag and took Raziel’s hand. The angel and the self-proclaimed human flew towards the black void.

The gate shimmered and closed, swallowing them whole. The shadow on the moon vanished.

“Sh…She’s finally gone!”

Azazel, who had borne the brunt of Avalli’s teasing, whispered, his voice trembling with relief.

His words reached Avalli through the closing gate, but… she didn’t comment.

****

“…This is… surprisingly disorienting.”
“It is. This passage… this interdimensional void… is filled with…unpleasant things.”
“Like a garbage dump?”

Raziel chuckled at Avalli’s question.

“That’s… an apt description. To be more precise, it’s a quarantine zone. We’ve sealed away troublesome things here. Immortal monsters, incurable diseases, eternally looping demons… things that were too difficult to destroy during the war.”

Even the Demon of Mist would be considered relatively harmless compared to some of those.

“Did the Goddesses create this space?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never asked. Probably?”

Raziel tightened his grip on Avalli’s hand, skillfully navigating the strange, formless obstacles floating in the void. Watching him, Avalli suddenly asked,

“If you let go of my hand, would I be trapped here too?”
“Probably not.”
“Really?”
“You know better than anyone what kind of beings are sealed here.”

He was right. She hadn’t sensed anything particularly powerful, at least not anything that frightened her.

“They were all defeated during the war. Not like you, who defeated us single-handedly.”
“…How strong do you think I am, Raziel?”
“The strongest I’ve ever seen.”
“Stronger than the Goddesses?”

Raziel hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, even stronger than them.”

They reached the end of the passage. As they stepped through another shimmering portal, a brilliant light filled Avalli’s vision.

As her eyes adjusted, she recognized the familiar sight. A beautiful city, clustered around a magnificent temple—

“The Holy Kingdom?”
“Yes. This is the world where the Goddesses reside. We call it… the world behind the mirror.”
“…The full moon being the mirror? How poetic.”

Avalli said, slowly descending. As they neared the ground, she noticed something.

“It’s deserted.”

“Yes. No living beings here, except for the Goddesses and us Archangels.”

Raziel landed on the main road, releasing Avalli’s hand. His hand was completely dry, despite having held hers so tightly, and she was reminded that he wasn’t human.

“So, where are the Goddesses?”
“Could you wait just a moment? There’s… protocol.”

Avalli smirked and nodded.

“You should have been this reasonable from the beginning.”
“Metatron can be…inflexible. Michaela’s not as bad.”

A powerful presence, rivaling Metatron and Gabriel combined, was approaching. Soon, a blond boy with curly hair appeared, a sword and shield manifesting in his hands. He glared at Raziel.

“Who is she, Raziel?”
“A guest, Michaela.”
“I wasn’t informed.”

“Calm down, Michaela.”
“…I sense a sinister aura. Is she harboring a demon?”
“Just listen to me for a moment, Michaela!”

Raziel pleaded, but Michaela seemed ready to attack. Raziel tried to stop him, but—

“It’s alright, Raziel.”

Avalli stepped forward with a smile.

“You were all like this at first.”

Some lessons had to be learned the hard way, it seemed, regardless of whether one was an angel or a human.

“…Go easy on him, Avalli.”

Raziel muttered, his wings drooping.

“I’m usually the one who gets scolded later.”

Michaela, the Archangel of Justice and War, the highest-ranking of the ten Archangels.

It didn’t take long for Michaela to learn… ‘humility’.