Chapter 18: The Radiant Angel

“Bea! What are you doing? Are you out of your mind?” I desperately call out to the girl below, but what answers me is only a deafening silence. Meanwhile, the army of angels are still pointing their arrows at me, ready to fire any time, and the one in the middle of them all raises his hand as if to signal a pause, then sounds:

“The lovely lady has given you one last chance, Artie! Follow her back to your home, or she’ll have to take you by force! I thought your duty is to serve her until the very end?”

Seeing as I stand there silent, Gabriel soon switches to another tactic. “Or, how about this? Come with us, and we’ll let the people in this house live! If not… you’re going down along with them!”

“Hey.” The girl in question finally decides to speak on her own. “Not a single life shall be lost. We agreed on this.”

“Tch. He didn’t know that.” Gabriel clicks his tongue in slight annoyance. “Can’t you just leave the negotiation to me?”

“No. Why would I leave the wellbeing of someone important to me to the likes of you?”

“… You weren’t supposed to answer that, you know.” Letting out a sigh, the angel responds, before turning to me once more. “Well, that’s how it goes, Artie. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. And I don’t think you’d like doing it the hard way.”

“He doesn’t.” A figure dashes past me like a swift strike of thunder and flies straight from the house to facing Gabriel in only a second. As my eyes can finally tell the person apart, Pelle has already shown up with her tome in one hand, and sparks of lightning cracking on her other. “But I do. And how nice of you to bring your army here for me to fry them in one go.”

“Beat it, girl. My business with you for today has already ended.” Gabriel grunts for the first time I’ve seen. Looks like that idiotic attitude of his was a façade after all. Although, I shouldn’t be surprised, considering he’s still qualified to be an Archangel for thousands of years.

“And besides,” he continues, “this isn’t even a fraction of what I’ve got. And they’re all ready to come here any time. It’s only a losing battle for you.”

“Losing battle, huh… We don’t know until we try!” With a mighty shout for battle, Pelle raises her hand up towards the sky. “Come, Armed!”

Black clouds soon form on top of her, swirling and concentrating into a massive thunderstorm. A thundering blow strikes on her body and the clouds also moves into the striking spot, as if being sucked into Pelle herself. Thunder crackles, winds howl, and lightning flashes on the sky, signaling the birth of a power that rivals even nature itself. Finally, from within the small storm, Pelle emerges.

Her entire body is now clad in a blue armor reminiscent of reptilian scales, while on her back is a black cape whirling like a storm itself. Her face is hidden under a helmet with only a line revealing her eyes, which lights up a bright blue like an avatar of thunder. On her head now are two intimidating bull horns made from pure lightning energy, and her hand now holds a sturdy hammer with a large, square head also made from the same lightning emanating from her whole body. If I were to face her as an opponent right now, I would have been scared half-dead by this almost suffocating appearance. With her hammer on her right, and her tome on her left, Pelle lets out a shout:

“Baels Hammer: Ragnarok Torden!”

As the words leave her mouth, both her hammer and tome flash a bright blue light, then both turn into two spheres of pure lightning energy, flying together in a spiraling fashion. The two then approach closer as they travel forward, until they make contact with each other, resulting in a thundering explosion. From within the burst of power, the lightning bull similar to the one I saw earlier in the night emerges once more, but this time its bulk has increased significantly, almost twice the size that it appeared. Letting out a wild roar that sends tremors even through the sky, it charges into the angel’s army in an attempt to blow up everyone that dares stand in his way.

At that moment, a shadow takes a step forward.

With a smile on his face, Gabriel once again takes center stage, doing the exact same pose he does when he first blocked the move earlier in the night. Letting out a loud yawn, the angel’s face shows not a care in the world as he stands before a massive, hulking beast of pure lightning power. With only a second of impact, the beast makes contact with the angel. However, contrary to my expectations, not even an explosion occurs. The thunder bull just… disappears into thin air, as hard as it is to believe, without a single trace left in the world. His robe once again remains spotless, while his hand has not so much a single scratch.

“Impossible!” Pelle shouts in rage and frustration from under her armor. “That spell was my strongest yet! It could easily wipe out an army your size!”

“Of course. That is why I had to stop it.” Gabriel answers. “Your attack might be strong, but it is still powerless when faced against me. Or rather…”

“Because her attack is strong that it fails against you, isn’t it?” I ask, jumping down from the window to the ground. Considering all possibilities, it’s the only explanation I could give. Thinking back, why did Pelle’s attack just now seem to do even less to Gabriel than her attempt earlier in the night, while it’s clear that this new spell was leagues above the previous one? Why did Gabriel dispelled his barrier when he stopped the first attack, and instead opted for using his own body as a shield? “Is it one of your God’s gifts?”

“Impressive. To see through my gift in such a short time, I gotta say, you’re good, Artie.” Gabriel lets out a smile as he looks down to directly face me. “Dare I say, that’s not a feat a normal butler could pull.”

“Oh, please. You can stop the charade already.” I answer. “I know you knew who we are. Isn’t that why you agreed to go along with Bea to bring me back to her?”

“Another smart perception.” With a nod of response, Gabriel answers. “Then, shall I call you Peter, then?”

“But, now that you know your attacks won’t harm me at all, shall I say that we have the upper hand?” As he raises his hand and asks his question, countless angels uniformly and immediately load their crossbows and aim at me once more, only that this time, I can tell that they will fire if I make so much as just a slight move. In fact, it even takes less time than that, as the first shot is already fired and the arrow tears through the air to pierce the ground only inches to my feet.

“Consider that your first, and last, warning. Now, come along and…”

“Enough!”

A soothe, yet firm voice shouts out. Before any of us could react to the owner, we’re all already taken aback by the change in scenery that comes along. Even though just one second ago it was still in the dead of night, like only after a snap of the finger, the entire sky lights up with a warm, radiant light shining down on all living beings. Night has turned into day faster than the eye could see, but the sun is still nowhere in sight despite everything else pointing otherwise. However, upon closer inspection, I can finally figure out the blinding light’s original position.

Gazing up towards the sky, Bea is flying up in the air. From her back, sprouts a pair of wings in the most beautiful, most untainted white one can imagine; its purity is so much that you can feel your entire body and soul alike being cleansed completely just by merely gazing at it for a split second. On her hand now is a sword raised up high, its blade shines a dazzling golden gleam that acts as the temporary sun that illuminates the land. Looking at Bea right now, I’ve already at a loss for words as soon as I cast my eyes onto her current figure, but if I had to choose a single word to utter…

Divine.

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So beautiful, so dazzling… so out of reach, that she’s ceased to be human altogether.

I may not know what kind of power that she’s wielding if she’s already born with it or it just recently manifested, but its effect on everyone on this battlefield is clear as the brilliant light that is shining down on all of us right now. Pelle’s armor is immediately dispelled, or rather, she dispelled it herself, of her own free will. The other angels have dropped their weapons and are now all on their knees, prostrating themselves with their heads on the ground, not daring to take another look at this being that had just now awakened her full potential. The only ones who remain standing now are Gabriel and me. However, while the former is showing visible signs of worry on his face as he ever so slightly staggers to the side, I, on the other hand, feel better than ever, as if this light is strengthening my every being, although I still can’t bear myself to attack anyone around me.

“I can’t believe it…” Balam utters from within me, shocked to the core. “Galatine… And such a strong display of its power… Not even Gawain was able to pull out this much potential.”

“That sword… is Galatine?” I ask.

“No doubt about it. The sword of the sun, made with the purpose of bringing Excalibur to its fullest potential, capable of illuminating even the darkest of night… I can’t believe it’s right there, before my eyes…”

“Wait…” remembering my conversation with Balam just a few days ago, a dreaded thought runs across my mind. “I thought you said it was lost in history? Then why is it…”

“I thought so too. But now… I see, it all makes sense.”

“Makes sense? What makes sense?”

“I need to confirm it myself, however.” Balam sounds. “But I have to ask you this first, Peter. Do you trust me?”

“Trust you? …” Why would he ask such a question in a time like this? But if that’s what he wishes to know, then it’s my duty to answer, as his life-entrusted partner. “I do, of course.”

“Good.” Seemingly with a satisfying nod, Balam then sounds. “Then… don’t be too surprised about what I am about to do. And don’t worry, either; you’ll be completely safe, I promise.”

As he finishes his answer, my head suddenly spins like crazy, and I’m soon plunged into deep darkness. Before I have the chance to learn what has actually happened, the scenery around me has already changed. Once again, before me is an all too familiar verdant landscape, with a glistening lakeside view, and a tower standing tall on an island from afar. I’m back in the cross’ dimension, our “sanctuary”, as Balam would call it. But why am I here? And how? Is it his doing?

“Peter, do you hear me?” Balam’s voice sounds, echoing through the space around me.

“Yeah. How come I’m here?” I ask.

“I’m sorry for not telling you this sooner, but this is an ability we Demons share with our vessels.” He explains. “Since we’ve sealed ourselves into the crosses, we don’t have a physical body anymore, and just our consciousness remains. However, in certain situations, we can temporarily ‘borrow’ the bodies of our vessels for a short period of time. We call it Hijack, and since it eats up a lot of our mental strength as well as magical energy, we tend to only save it in an emergency, namely life-and-death case which we know our Kings at their current level can’t hope to escape on their own.”

“This, however… is a special case. I hope you can forgive me for my rudeness when I use it without your consent.” Balam apologizes once more. “In the meanwhile, you can still observe the events outside from within here.”

As he finishes his explanation, a sudden ripple starts to form in mid-air, as if the air around me has turned into water. After a few continuous ripples, the air finally settles, and spawning from the spot is now a small portal around half a meter in diameter. From the portal, a vision is shown – my own vision, or rather, what Balam is seeing through my eyes. And from the portal, what he’s saying can be heard as well.

“Hey, you.” Balam points Excalibur, which is shaking so slightly in the sense of sunlight, at Bea above. “You’re a Bedryant, aren’t you?”

“Peter? ...” Bea mumbles, but her words can still be heard even at such a distance. Perhaps it’s thanks to Balam’s hearing, or it’s because this portal is made that way. Meanwhile, in the real world, Bea continues. “No, you’re not him. You’re the Demon from inside his cross, aren’t you?”

“A pleasure to meet you, who I’m assuming to be from the false royal bloodline. I am Balam.” With a light court, Balam smirks.

“False royal bloodline? ... Ah, I see. You mean how Peter should have been crowned Prince instead of me?”

“It runs deeper than that.” Balam scoffs at the question. “That sword you’re holding on your hand is the most definite proof. Tell me, Bedryant, did your ancestor teach you how it felt to betray the comrades you once valued so deeply, and kill them off with your own two hands?”

“Kill? What are you talking about? I…”

Bea could only say that much. As we’re all talking, no one noticed the lone figure still standing through her aura, slowly, sneakily but surely approaching her as she was occupied. And, when everyone’s guards are at their lowest, the cruel arm strikes.

Piercing through her chest like a knife through butter, Gabriel jabs with his hand, splattering blood all over his white robe, dying it in a crimson red. Bea’s dress also suffers from the same fate, as a small, but steady stream of blood also flows from the corner of her mouth. Slowly turning around in great pain, she utters:

“G… Ga… briel…”

“Oops. My hand slipped.” With a sadistic smile on his face, Gabriel lets out an unremorseful answer.

As he pulls his hand back, blood splatters once more, and with that crimson hand, Gabriel has no difficulties in prying Galatine out of Bea’s now weakened grip, while letting her body freefall pass us into the river below, disappearing from our sight. Without its owner, the blade’s power disperses, and night returns to its rightful place, covering ourselves in darkness yet again.

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