Masaomi glared at the man leading this group of exorcists. The man that he once called a friend, and could not help but spit out his bitter words, which reflected his own inner turmoil.
"Yuuji, you bastard! I'll kill you for this."
The man called Yuuji simply stared coldly at Masaomi as he put away his light sword.
"You won't have that chance. Masaomi. And neither will that Devil bitch-"
"SHUT UP!!"
Masaomi lunged forward with his sword, aiming to pierce the heart of the man he was facing, but he was quickly restrained by the holy chains that exorcists usually keep with them, pulling him down to the ground, while Yuuji's expressions did not even change, as if he did not see the man before him as a threat.
"As I was saying. Belial has her own issues to deal with right now. Turns out, you are not the only one who pissed off their comrades by soliciting with the enemy."
It did not take a genius to realize what Yuuji was talking about, making Masaomi panic at the thought of any harm coming to his girlfriend.
He looked towards his other superior, Touji Shidou, who just stared at his best friend with a neutral look. At least, he tried to look neutral.
Because Masaomi knew the man well enough to see the heartbreak hidden within his gaze.
"You were in on this? Touji? Even you betrayed me?"
"...I am sorry, Masaomi. But this is an order that came from the higher-ups. I have no choice."
Masaomi immediately started struggling as much as he could, trying to get out of his binds and get to his beloved, to protect her from whoever was going to attack her-
A sudden explosion rang out from the edge of the city, followed by multiple demonic energy signatures washing over the town.
Yuuji's lips barely turned up as he looked down with amusement at Masaomi's despair-filled face while Touji looked away, unable to witness his friend's struggle like this.
"Looks like the other side has already begun. Might as well wrap this up and get out of this town before anyone realizes what happened. Shidou? Take that holy sword."
Touji did not even look at his fellow Pastor before speaking coldly.
"No. I am not worthy of touching that blade which belongs to Masaomi, in life and in death."
"...Fine then. I hope you are ready to explain that back at HQ."
Yuuji reached beside Masaomi and took his nameless Holy Sword, wincing lightly as the blade rejected his hand. And yet, he still held onto the precious weapon that belongs to the church.
"It is a shame, really. As a natural Holy Sword wielder, we hoped that you would lead us in the future to get rid of those blasphemous creatures. But who would have thought that you would fall for that bitch's seductions? No. The real issue is not that you fell for her seductions."
Suddenly, magical energy erupted from Yuuji's body as he leaned down and stared coldly into Masaomi's eyes while Touji completely turned away, getting ready to leave this place behind. After all, he did not have anything left holding him and his family back in this town.
Yuuji's inner darkness showed as he gritted his teeth and spoke words filled with venom, something that would normally bring shame to any man of the cloth, but was commonplace in the Church of this era.
"If you had just played around with her and left her behind after making her fall for you, breaking her heart, we would have praised you for your dedication to bringing the hurt to that wretched kind. But no. You actually fell in love with that devil."
"For that sin alone, you will die here today."
Yuuji raised the holy sword above him and forcefully pushed through its rejection of him, enduring the pain of having his hand burnt, as he pushed as much mana as he could into the blade, before swinging it down.
With that motion, a large beam of holy energy burst out of the blade like a cannon, intending to vaporize Masaomi and everything else that was behind him.
Unfortunately for Yuuji and his companions, that was an action that the hidden figure above them could not accept.
Suddenly, a dome made of pure Light manifested around the entire group, isolating them from the outside world while also stopping the sword beam in its tracks through sheer pressure alone.
The moment this happened, the holy sword in Yuuji's hand caught fire, as if rejecting the man's very presence, making Yuuji drop the blade in surprise and pain while Touji stared up in surprise.
Under the stunned eyes of the crowd, the sword levitated into the air on its own and shot upwards, right into the outstretched hand of the being that had intervened in this fight.
The humans felt chills go down their spines even though awe and reverence filled their fanatical hearts.
The enchanting blue eyes that glared down at them coldly, that long mane of gold that fluttered in the wind, those two wings of beautiful white, and the divine presence that could soothe anyone in his presence.
The people of the church did not even hesitate before they fell to their knees in worship and joined their hands in prayer.
For floating in front of them was an angel of Heaven. Their direct superior, even surpassing the Pope in rank, even if the angel only had two wings.
The angel lazily looked at the sword that had come to him on its own before staring down at the group. His tone sounded lazy, but the humans did not miss the hidden ire within his voice.
"I do not care if you lot fight to the death. Because it is not my place to intervene in an internal issue. However, if you dare bring harm to the innocent with your recklessness, you will answer to me."
Yuuji did not dare look up at the angel before he spoke out with conviction.
"My lord! We ask for your forgiveness. I was just trying to bring this sinner to justice, so I got too carried away."
The Angel simply raised his eyebrow at those words while Touji looked at his fellow pastor as if he had lost his mind.
Not even the Pope, or even Vasco Strada, would dare to question the words and commands of an angel, so what gave Yuuji the courage to speak like this against one such heavenly being?
The angel, on the other hand, simply stared at Yuuji before speaking again.
"Sinner, is it? Is he some monster that killed innocent people?"
"No, my lord."
"Is he someone who has either directly or indirectly brought suffering to the masses?"
"...No, my lord."
"Then, is he a bandit? A murderer who killed his fellow man unjustly? A man who harmed innocent beings for his own greed, lust, or any other such things?"
Cold sweat started to pour down the backs of all the church people as they felt the steadily rising Holy Energy of the angel with each of his questions being given a negative answer.
"...No. My lord."
"Then, what is he guilty of?"
"....He solicited with the enemy. He fell in love with-"
"The Belial girl? "
Yuuji nodded enthusiastically at the Angel's words, but he felt a pit form in his stomach as the Angel gave him a confused look.
"What of it? How is falling in love a sin?"
Shock was not a good enough word to describe what the exorcists felt when they heard those words from the angel.
"B-But-"
"Let me stop you right there. Can you explain to me what is wrong with someone falling in love?"
"She is a devil!"
"...And? Is that the only justification you have? At least tell me that the girl is someone evil. That she has at least committed one of the crimes that I spoke of previously, or is manipulating that kid over there for her own ends."
"....."
"...Wait, really? Your only justification for attacking your comrade was based on something as stupid as the girl's species?"
Once again, silence reigned as the humans had no answer for the Angel's questions that shook their faith in the teachings of the church, while Touji nearly fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut as he put two and two together, realizing that this mission was not one sent to them by Heaven but those old fools at the Church for their own goals.
'If the orders of the church were not given by Heaven, just what the hell was I even fighting for? Did I just raise my sword against my best friend because of those damned bastards at the Vatican and not because God willed it so?'
In this group of people, Touji was not the only one that called Masaomi a friend, so he was not the only one that was having such an internal crisis, while the rest of the exorcists who came from outside the town, including Yuuji, who knew of the true dealings that took place at the Vatican, who knew that truth that the explosions happening on the other side of the town was not a battle between exorcists and a devil woman but a fight between the Great King Faction and the lone Belial girl, started sweating bullets as their hearts were filled with pure terror.
The Angel sighed heavily before he mumbled out.
"I am not in the mood to deal with this. [Sleep]"
The moment the spell was cast, the humans were instantly out cold and fell to the hard ground like a sack of potatoes, making Masaomi stare at the angel with awe and caution.
But his majestic outlook on the angel was instantly shattered as the Angel groaned into his palm.
"Damn it. I should have knocked them out after I made them go to the church. Now I have to carry their asses all the way over there myself."
Another explosion rang out across the town, bringing Masaomi back to reality as he struggled against the chains, making the Angel turn to him.
"Easy there, kid. Let me deal with those chains."
"[Break Item]"
The chains were reduced to scrap the moment the spell was uttered, releasing Masaomi, who gave a quick bow to the angel.
"Thank you, my lord, for this mercy. But I must go now!"
"To save that Belial girl?"
"Yes, my lord."
".....Do you truly love her? So much so that you are willing to throw away your own life for her?"
Masaomi did not reply, but only gave a gaze full of determination.
He expected many things to happen. He expected the angel to laugh at him, maybe call him naive and shortsighted, call him someone blinded by emotions, or maybe even chastise him for getting involved with the 'enemy'.
What he did not expect was the soft smile that graced his face or how his eyes gazed at him with a warmth that made Masaomi feel embarrassed, while his devotion to his God and his angels strengthened, thanks to the words that came out of the Angel's mouth.
"Do you know how rare it is to find such a pure love? Especially when the people involved are separated by so many things out of their control."
Masaomi did not say anything and continued looking away from the Angel. That is why he did not notice when the Angel unfurled ten additional wings from behind his back while his halo's intensity skyrocketed.
"[True Blessing of Heaven] [Angelic Protection] [Divine Barrier] [Holy Armor] [Aura of Purity]"
Masaomi felt astonished as the angel cast several spells on him in succession, making him feel like he could take on anyone right now and win.
The angel's warm expressions remained, but there was now an edge in his blue eyes that made Masaomi stand tall.
"As I said before, I do not believe I have the right to interfere in this conflict. But I cannot watch such pure love be destroyed because of greed, envy, and blind hatred on the part of those above you. So, I have given you a chance to protect your love with your own hands."
The sheer majesty and divinity that Masaomi felt at the moment from the angel, no, the Seraph, would have made him drop down and worship him then and there if it were any other time.
"Go. Protect what you hold dear with your own hands. Never let anyone take it from you simply because they are born superior to you. Never let the world beat you down and reduce you to a mere cog in someone else's machine. Change your destiny, with your own two hands."
"Remember, the freedom of choice is your birthright, but with every choice comes a consequence. So, if your love is true, if your conviction is unbroken, face those consequences that come with your choice head-on. Do not back down, do not give up. As long as your determination remains, nothing will ever stop you for long."
With those words, the Angel let go of Masaomi's holy sword, which fell straight into the human's hands, making him bow towards the Angel.
"Thank you, my lord!"
The human did not even waste a single second and shot towards the conflict happening on the other side of the town, taking advantage of his overwhelmingly boosted abilities to make a beeline for the battlefield while his heart and faith felt firmer than ever before in his life, now knowing that he had gained the approval of those that he and everyone else in his life answers to.
All the while, the otherworldly angel, Aetherion, leaned back into the air, watching the departing human's back with a complicated look.
"Love, huh. I truly envy you, kid. I wish I had the privilege to feel such a pure emotion in my old life."
"Perhaps, it is worthwhile to give such a beautiful love some level of boon in the future?"
With those words mumbled out to no one, the Angel shot towards the battlefield as well, his form slowly fading from view, indicating that he had used some form of concealment to hide himself.
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Author Notes: Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Ruijard1