Chapter 73: The Angel Learns the Style (4)

Episode 73

To teach him about fighting?

Leffrey, hearing those words, barely managed to hide his smile.

‘Just as planned…!’

Leffriel, the stern angel summoned by James, the principal of the East Coast Academy… He only ever demanded Leffrey to return his body while ignoring everything else.

Truly a ‘Heavenly Puppet’.

But Leffrey knew.

That Leffriel, who had been called a Heavenly Puppet, eventually, for the sake of protecting one girl… lost his wings and fell to Earth.

‘So deep down in Leffriel’s heart…’

Look at the result.

Leffriel said that the World Tree sapling was of no value.

But if it truly had no value in his heart, Leffriel wouldn’t even be having this conversation with Leffrey.

He would just be ignoring him as always.

‘I’ll move Leffriel with my good deeds… and gain knowledge of the angelic way of fighting! What an angelic plan! This is Leffrey, the Plan Angel!’

Hehe- Leffrey snickered, striking a pose.

Leffriel, looking at him with a somewhat pitiful expression, got up.

A beautiful boy with green eyes, slightly longer blond hair than Leffrey’s, wearing a neat white robe fit for a priest.

That boy truly resembled Leffrey in every way.

The only differences were…

His stiff expression, like that of a doll, and the scars of torn wings on his back.

“I’ve never taught anyone how to fight.”

Leffriel continued,

“So understand.”

“U-Understand? Understand what?”

“That I only know this method.”

Only knows this method?

Just what kind of method is he trying to use?

Leffrey, taking a stance, looked at the archangel.

As the archangel opened his hand, particles of light gathered in his hand.

Swooooosh-

The archangel now held a terrifying light sword.

‘What’s that? Is it one of his Angelic Abilities?’

Leffrey tilted his head and asked,

“What kind of technique is that…?”

“Light of the Dominating Archangel that Illuminates the World.”

Light of the Dominating Archangel that Illuminates the World. Just from the name, it was obvious that it was one of the angel’s powers.

“Then…”

The archangel raised his light sword high.

The atmosphere suddenly changed. Leffrey, feeling tense, looked at the archangel.

“Here I come.”

Leffriel leaped. He soared high into the sky, then swung his light sword down towards Leffrey. It was a simple downward swing, but with terrifying acceleration…

Thud-

Leffrey couldn’t block it.

“Ugh!”

Leffrey, his shoulder pierced by the light sword, tried to endure the pain, looking at the emotionless archangel.

‘Even in a mindscape… This hurts too much!’

This was Leffrey’s mindscape; the real Leffrey was simply meditating in the basement of the cathedral.

‘It’s okay. This isn’t real…’

Leffrey pushed the archangel away and healed his shoulder using Angelic Power.

‘So I can endure this much.’

The archangel, easily pushed back, looked at Leffrey and spoke,

“Humans have something called Mana Break.”

“…Why are you suddenly saying that?”

Mana Break, a disease that manifested when a superhuman was defeated by their ‘inner demons’ during meditation. Those who suffered Mana Break would have their minds consumed by their inner demons, driven mad, and their mana circuits would be twisted, turning them into a cripple.

“The phenomenon of being consumed and having their body taken over by their inner demons.”

Leffriel said in a cold voice,

“Give… me back… my body!”

Leffrey was startled.

What on earth was this archangel talking about?

Leffrey was simply circulating his mana and fighting in his meditation state. Where’s the room for a scary word like Mana Break in such a simple task…

There was too much room.

‘W-Wait. So Leffriel wasn’t moved by my good deeds and teaching me how to fight, he was trying to take advantage of this to take over my body?’

The complete collapse of Plan Angel Leffrey’s grand plan.

Call him Leffrey, The Planless Angel from now on.

Leffriel soared into the air once again. Although Leffriel had lost most of his wings when he fell to Earth… his flight speed was so fast that it was hard for Leffrey to follow with his eyes.

‘To have this much speed even with his wings almost gone. Just how fast was Leffriel in his original state?’

Leffrey felt a chill run down his spine.

But the emotionless archangel, oblivious to Leffrey’s chills, continued to aim for his arms and legs.

But this time…

Leffrey blocked it.

True Cheongu Swordsmanship, Defensive Form.

The most defensive sword form, something that could only be unleashed using a holy sword.

And Flabellum, the archangel’s dagger. Is an angelic weapon.

If Leffrey hadn’t mastered True Cheongu Swordsmanship, or if he hadn’t possessed Flabellum, the archangel’s dagger… deep wounds would have been left on his arms and legs.

“…!”

Leffriel was a little surprised.

He thought this was just a mere boy who had occupied his body…

But he was blocking the attacks of the one who once judged the world, so easily.

“Talent…”

The archangel revised his evaluation of Leffrey’s talent. From nonexistent to ‘a little’.

“I’m coming again.”

The archangel took a stance once more.

Leffrey just groaned, gripping Flabellum even tighter.

The archangel soared into the sky again.

Swoosh- Swoosh- Swoosh-

Leaving white rings in his wake, that small archangel flew at a speed that was hard to follow with the naked eye.

Whoosh-!

A chilling sonic boom could be heard. It was just an illusion unfolding in his mindscape, but Leffrey couldn’t help but feel fear.

“Eek!”

Leffrey let out a cute squeal.

Leffrey, watching the archangel flying towards him, regretted everything he had planned for today.

Swoosh-!

Another sonic boom was heard.

* * *

There’s a saying in Korea.

Well, it’s not really a saying.

More like a figurative expression.

Anyway, there’s a saying that goes:

“Being beaten to a pulp enough to raise dust on a rainy day”

Leffrey always felt that it was a strange expression whenever he heard it. Being beaten to a pulp enough to raise dust on a rainy day? If it was raining, instead of dust flying, and you’d be soaked instead, right?

‘Ah, I see.’

And today, Leffrey gained a small epiphany.

‘It doesn’t matter if it’s raining or not, they’re just saying they’re going to beat you until dust flies…!’

Truly a profound enlightenment.

Leffrey, being beaten enough to raise dust on a rainy day, finally understood the true meaning of the expression.

Of course, there was no rain or sunshine in his mindscape, but Leffrey, for some reason, could feel raindrops.

“Ugh…”

Leffrey’s eyes are half open.

Tears, or perhaps sweat, streamed down his face, and the boy’s body twitched with strange sounds.

Leffriel, with the stick of light he had created, poked Leffrey lightly, checking if he was still alive.

“Are you alive?”

Leffrey couldn’t answer.

If he said he was alive, he might be beaten up again.

Tap tap-

Leffriel kept poking Leffrey’s back.

“M-meow…”

Leffrey, letting out a sound only a certain pink-haired girl would make, did everything he could to evoke Leffriel’s sympathy.

‘Angel’s Secret Technique, Chapter 16! The Cute Angel, Leffrey!’

This humiliation, I won’t forget this, Leffriel!

Thinking that, Leffrey made a cute expression.

“Leffr- Leffriel, op—”

“Get up.”

“Yes sir!”

Leffrey sprang to his feet like a new recruit, standing straight with perfect posture.

Cute Angel Leffrey was a sinking ship!

Today seems to be full of sinking(falling) angels.

‘Was the Cute Angel a bit too much?’

He had only said “Op-…”

And the archangel was already giving him a cold shoulder.

‘C-Cold shoulder? Is that really what he’s doing?’

It was hard to tell what the archangel was feeling, since he always had an expressionless face, but Leffrey’s angelic senses… told him that Leffriel was not happy

“Leffrey.”

“W-Why?”

Suddenly, Leffriel was raising his voice to him

“You are not an angel.”

The archangel, looking at Leffrey, said,

“An angel without wings is not an angel.”

“Th-That’s right, I don’t have wings.”

The archangel slowly spoke,

“An angel’s wings can only be spread with faith.”

“Faith?”

“Yes, faith.”

The archangel caressed Leffrey’s face.

“You have no faith. That’s why you can’t spread your wings. You already have wings on your back, but you can’t fly because you don’t believe in it.”

“But I…”

The archangel cut Leffrey off and declared,

“An angel who can’t fly is not an angel.”

He continued,

“They cannot fulfill their duties as an angel.”

And in a peaceful voice,

“Leffrey, release me. Let me fulfill my mission. Then I will grant your wish.”

Leffrey knew these weren’t empty words.

Leffriel’s Ultimate Skill, Keter.

Keter, a prayer offered directly to Heaven, it boasted unbelievable power, able to alter reality.

Wealth, fame, safety.

And even love.

He could wish for anything.

Perhaps, using Keter’s power, Leffrey could even return to the time he was happiest. But…

“No… I won’t.”

Leffrey refused.

Seeing that, Lefriel was surprised once again.

“Will.”

He had to revise his evaluation of the boy again. From ‘no will’ to ‘a little will’.

“Then.”

Swoosh-

The archangel soared into the air again.

And…

Swoosh-!

Leffrey also flew alongside him.

“…?”

Leffriel tilted his head and created some distance. Even though they were both in the air, Leffrey was still catching up. Just how could a wingless angel like Leffrey…

‘Klein-style Magic. And Fairy Martial Arts combined with Cheongu Swordsmanship. With this combination…!’

First, he gains momentum using Klein-style Magic.

Then adjust and stabilize his posture using Fairy Martial Arts.

And lastly, using Cheongu Swordsmanship…

Strike that annoying archangel.

An extreme situation, being beaten to a pulp by a flying archangel, Leffrey finally began to realize what his own fighting style could be.

“I learned a lot while being beaten up by you. About how an angel fights!”

Leffrey shouted with a confident expression,

“An angel has to fly to be cool!”

Of course, this method wouldn’t allow him to match Leffriel’s flight speed.

Even with his torn wings… Leffriel was actually flying using those wings, and Leffrey was merely stealing the sky with his clumsy technique.

But…

The archangel and Leffrey were now engaged in a somewhat equal battle.

Swoosh- Swoosh-

Two angels flying through the air with a booming sound

Leffriel activated ‘Martial Arts of the Archangel who Tramples Dragons’.

Leffrey activated ‘Martial Arts of the Archangel who Tramples Dragons’.

Crash-

The two angels’ Angelic Abilities illuminated the sky of their mindscape.

“Beautiful.”

Leffrey smiled.

‘Martial Arts of the Archangel has become much stronger. No, Martial Arts of the Archangel has finally returned to its original form!’

Martial Arts of the Archangel was originally an angelic ability. So, naturally, it was an ability meant to be used in the air.

Clang clang clang-

Brilliant sword flashes filled the sky, creating a small Milky Way.

And as they clashed-

Leffriel activated ‘Steps of the Ruling Archangel who Walks Through the Night’.

Leffrey activated ‘Steps of the Ruling Archangel who Walks Through the Night’.

The two angels disappeared into thin air.

‘This ability is the same too. Steps of the Ruling Archangel who Walks Through the Night… angelic abilities show their true power when in the sky!’

The two angels, who had completely vanished, reappeared suddenly, as if in sync, continuing their battle.

Leffriel muttered, observing all this,

“Power…”

Leffrey’s evaluation was revised again.

From ‘no power’ to ‘a little power’.

“Talent, will, power, the elements needed to fulfill a mission.”

Amidst the scattering light, Leffriel smiled faintly.