I don't understand. I absolutely don't understand!
On the lifeless wasteland, the angel with thirty-six wings stood with an ugly expression.
I can't find him. I haven't even seen a trace of him!
Ever since that relentless barrage ended, Metatron had begun searching for Rizevim, but to her despair, she had found absolutely nothing!
However, upon careful thought, it seemed reasonable enough. After all, he was a powerful enemy her Lord regarded seriously! If she could dispose of him this easily, then all the devils in the Underworld would be nothing but trash!
"He definitely isn't dead!"
Metatron stamped her foot in frustration, but there was nothing she could do.
No matter how she extended her senses, she could not locate Rizevim... She had clearly detected him inside the castle earlier, so why had he suddenly disappeared?
Could he have teleported through space?
The instant the thought appeared, Metatron rejected it. If he had teleported through space, there was no way she would have failed to notice unless he was countless times stronger than her!
Metatron's expression shifted wildly in an extremely brief span of time. In the end, she gritted her teeth and made up her mind. No matter what, she had to keep him here and prevent him from leaving!
Even if she died, it would not matter. It was only natural for an angel to sacrifice herself for her Lord, and Metatron was not afraid in the slightest.
However, Rizevim absolutely had to be dealt with!
"Are you still refusing to show yourself?"
Although she sensed nothing at all, Metatron pretended that someone was nearby and shouted loudly, attempting to trick the hidden enemy into revealing himself.
However, as time passed, there was still no movement anywhere nearby.
So patient?
Then I'll keep waiting you out!
Let's see who loses patience first!
While Metatron engaged in a battle of wits with empty air, Elise, who was watching from Heaven, wore a speechless expression.
When Metatron arrived in the Underworld, Elise had already opened a live broadcast. She sat alone in the Seventh Heaven, watching Metatron's stream.
There had been no problem at first, but after Metatron's first round of attacks ended, Elise noticed that something was wrong. Metatron might not have realized it, but Elise had.
Rizevim... seemed to be dead already?
The moment Metatron unleashed her first attack, that "Spirit Bomb," Rizevim's presence had vanished from the world...
Afterward came Metatron's relentless bombardment. She did not pause until she had completely flattened the castle below.
No way, right?
Elise had not believed it at first either. After all, Rizevim was supposed to be a late-stage boss. There was no way he could be dealt with so easily, right?
However, after confirming it repeatedly, Elise became absolutely certain that Rizevim was truly dead...
All right. It seems I overthought things this time. Still...
As she watched Metatron in the broadcast, Elise seemed to have a new idea. A brand-new device appeared in her hand. It was none other than that familiar video camera!
Elise intended to record everything. Metatron was, after all, her creation. Although Elise had never openly admitted it, Metatron was effectively her daughter...
"Since I'm her parent, it's only natural to preserve a few records of my child's growth, isn't it?"
With that thought in mind, Elise continued recording for quite some time. Only when Metatron began to panic did she finally contact her.
...
"It's over! It's all over!"
Metatron crouched on the ground with her head in her hands, looking so anxious that she was nearly in tears...
She was her Lord's creation, yet she had failed to complete the task her Lord had entrusted to her...
Then what use am I?
"I've completely ruined everything this time. I wonder how my Lord will punish me..."
The moment she thought of that, Metatron became even more dejected.
But at that moment, a voice sounded inside her mind.
There can be no mistake. This is my Lord's voice!
Metatron instantly became nervous, completely unsure of what to do.
Has my Lord contacted me now because she intends to reprimand me?
With that thought in mind, she began listening to her Lord's teachings...
'Well done, Metatron. You successfully eliminated one of our greatest threats!'
'However, Michael seems to have encountered some difficulties. If you have time, go over and help him!'
There were only two sentences, nothing more.
When Metatron heard the first sentence, she was utterly bewildered. How had she managed to eliminate Rizevim?
However, when Elise said that Michael needed assistance, Metatron immediately agreed.
"Leave it to me, my Lord. No matter what it takes, even if I must climb mountains of blades or cross seas of fire, I will fulfill your every wish!"
'None of that is necessary. I only need you to remain safe.'
Their exchange was extremely brief. After ending her communication with Elise, Metatron immediately looked down at the crater she had blasted into the ground...
Rizevim was dead...
Although she had completed the task her Lord had given her, had her Lord not seen every bit of how she had behaved just now?
"Aaaaaah! What am I supposed to do now?!"
Amid a mortified scream, Metatron transformed into a streak of golden light and sped toward the Satan Castle...
Near the Satan Castle.
The battle here had already reached a fever pitch, and the ground was long since drenched in the blood of devils and angels.
Most of it belonged to low-ranking devils and angels, however. After all, battles between high-level combatants were not so easily concluded.
Eight figures were still fighting in the sky. Without question, they were the Four Great Seraphs and the Four Great Satans. Only experts of their level could produce such tremendous shock waves.
"Hah!"
Michael let out a thunderous shout, tightened his grip on his golden sword once more, and charged at Sirzechs.
Clearly, the former leader of Heaven was currently battling one of the Super Devils among the Satans.
If Michael had been in his ordinary state, even with the advantage of holy light, he would have found it difficult to threaten a Super Devil like Sirzechs.
Only with Elise's various forms of support had he managed to gain a slight advantage over Sirzechs. Even so, Michael still found it difficult to win and could only continue wearing him down.
The other Seraphs had encountered the same situation. Although they could suppress the Satans, it was impossible to determine a victor in such a short time.
There was one point worth mentioning, however.
Although the outcome had yet to be decided, numerous wounds had already appeared across the bodies of the Four Great Satans, and several were still bleeding.
By contrast, although the Four Great Seraphs were breathing heavily, their bodies did not bear so much as a minor injury.
The difference was obvious!
When did Michael and the others become so powerful?
Michael was not the only one observing Sirzechs. Sirzechs was also observing Michael.
Yet the more he watched, the more Sirzechs noticed that something was wrong with these angels...
Michael wasn't this strong before, was he?
When Heaven and the Underworld had clashed in the past, Sirzechs, as a Satan, had naturally fought on the front lines.
On one such occasion, he had crossed swords with Michael.
Although Michael had possessed holy power that restrained devils even then, he had been unable to create much of a disturbance before Sirzechs' overwhelming strength.
However, Sirzechs had not used his full power at the time. He had merely restrained himself to roughly Michael's level while fighting him.
That was because Sirzechs did not want conflict with Heaven, nor did he want an all-out war.
From that battle, Sirzechs had formed an estimate of Michael's strength. But now...
Sirzechs frowned as he continuously dodged Michael's attacks...
Not only had Michael's fundamental strength improved, but even his holy power that restrained devils seemed to have undergone a transformation.
Merely standing here now caused Sirzechs to feel an extremely obvious discomfort throughout his body.
Some might believe that a little discomfort was nothing serious, but in battle, even the smallest detail could determine the final outcome.
There were countless similar examples throughout the world. The butterfly effect described roughly the same principle.
That was why Sirzechs felt so shocked. He had expected Michael to become stronger, but he had never expected him to become this powerful!
Michael was clearly not using his full strength, yet he was still able to suppress Sirzechs!
Upon sensing more carefully, Sirzechs discovered yet another problem with Michael...
No matter how Michael expended his power, whatever he lost would be replenished in an instant, as though the energy within his body were inexhaustible!
Infinite energy?
This unbelievable realization immediately reminded Sirzechs of the greatest difference between the current Heaven and the Heaven of the past...
The God of the Bible!
Every Sacred Gear and Longinus in the world had been created by that being. No matter how outrageous a creation God produced, Sirzechs would no longer find it strange.
"This truly is terrible news..."
Sirzechs smiled bitterly in his heart and dodged another slash from Michael, but this time, a few strands of his hair were cut away.
As time passed, the devils became increasingly unable to contend with their opponents.
This was not limited to Sirzechs. The other Satans and devils were in much the same situation.
Although Ajuka appeared to be fighting Gabriel to a standstill, Sirzechs suspected that, like him, Ajuka was merely being shown mercy by his opponent.
Not a single devil had defeated an angel thus far. By contrast, quite a few devils had already been struck down by the angels...
"If this continues, our defeat will only be a matter of time." Seeing the tide of battle gradually turn in the angels' favor, Sirzechs could no longer remain passive.
"We must find a way to reverse the situation!"
However, even after reaching that conclusion, Sirzechs found it difficult to do so.
That was because God had still not appeared!
As long as the God of the Bible did not appear, there was no way to resolve the devils' crisis!
Thus, when Michael's next attack was about to arrive, Sirzechs did not dodge. Instead, he endured the blow head-on!
The sudden change caused Michael to hesitate for an instant. Sirzechs had clearly been capable of dodging, yet he had chosen to take the attack directly. There had to be a reason, and the most likely possibility was that he intended to counterattack!
The moment Michael realized this, he immediately withdrew at explosive speed. However, Sirzechs was still a Super Devil among the Satans. How could he possibly let Michael escape so easily?
Purple light instantly surged across Sirzechs' body. Without question, it was the Power of Destruction inherited from the Great King Bael's household!
Although Sirzechs was the Satan Lucifer, he had been born into the Gremory family and also carried the blood of the Bael family. It was only natural that he could wield the Power of Destruction.
However...
Even with Elise's support, it was still far too difficult for Michael to completely block the Power of Destruction wielded by a Super Devil.
Sirzechs was not the only one. When the other Satans and devils saw his outburst, they followed his example. For a moment, the devils actually reversed their disadvantage.
Yet it lasted only an instant.
The devils might have become fearless in the face of death, but why would the angels be afraid?
Every angel believed it was only natural to sacrifice themselves for their Lord. They had held that conviction from the very beginning, and that was precisely why they had been able to suppress the devils. How could they possibly be frightened now?
Thus, when the Four Great Satans surged forward with renewed force, the Seraphs met them without hesitation, determined to prove which side was superior!
Unfortunately, the combat strength of both sides seemed to have reached a delicate equilibrium. Whenever one side gained momentum, the other immediately caught up.
Although the devils had become more united and powerful under Sirzechs' rallying call, they still had no means of resisting absolute strength.
Ultimately, Michael and the others continued to hold the advantage. Only when the final straw fell did the devils' defeat truly become inevitable...
"This looks rather interesting. May I join in as well?"
A cheerful female voice sounded near the battlefield, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
Countless gazes turned toward the source of the voice, and the expressions in their eyes immediately changed.
The angels' reaction was obvious. The newcomer was one of their own, so they were naturally overjoyed.
The devils, however, reacted completely differently. An uncontrollable sense of despair immediately spread among them.
There was no other reason. That being was simply too unbelievable!
An angel... and not an ordinary angel!
She was a mighty angel with thirty-six wings, her body radiant with holy light!
Merely looking at the figure suspended in the sky made some devils feel as though something inside their bodies had begun to burn. Breathing became extraordinarily difficult, and they could not even use their demonic power.
Soon, those devils lost the ability to fly and plummeted toward the ground like wild ducks shot down by hunters.
Although the Four Great Satans wanted to catch them, the angels' interference deprived them of the opportunity.
"Since I've already arrived, leave the rest to me!"
"Michael, all of you should withdraw first!"
Her voice remained as cheerful as ever, as though what was about to happen was not a war but some kind of game...
Although there was something questionable about the newcomer's attitude, the Satans did not dare underestimate her!
Since she had appeared at this location at this particular moment, there was no need to guess her identity...
Sirzechs stepped forward and stared solemnly at the golden figure.
"God of the Bible, why have you invaded the Underworld?"