The wind howled over Wintercrest like the breath of an awakening god.
It began with a single light — a star that shouldn't have been there.Then came the thunder.And then… the voice.
"The heavens have seen enough defiance."
All across the North, people dropped to their knees as the skies turned gold.The sun dimmed. Clouds parted to reveal a massive rift of divine light tearing through the heavens.
From it descended a being clad in white and gold armor, his wings stretching wider than the fortress itself. His eyes glowed with judgment, cold and merciless.
Seraphiel, the Archangel of Retribution.The blade of the Celestial Emperor.The executioner of Heaven's Bane.
Inside the fortress, alarm bells rang.
Ryn burst through the war chamber doors, panting. "My lord — it's him! The sky itself is opening!"
Arden stood at the window, his golden eyes fixed on the horizon where divine light scorched the clouds.
"So, you've come," he murmured.
Selene slammed her palms on the table. "That's no mortal army, Arden! That's a divine descent! Every scholar says such events destroy entire kingdoms!"
He turned toward her, calm but fierce. "Then it's time the gods learned kingdoms can strike back."
He drew his sword — the Blackfang, reforged from the remains of a fallen celestial weapon. As it left its sheath, the very air vibrated with Qi and killing intent.
"Muster the Direwolf Legions. Call every commander. No one outside this fortress engages — I'll deal with the angel myself."
Lyra stepped forward, her eyes wide. "Brother, you can't—"
"I can," he interrupted, "and I will."
Ryn's hand tightened around her dagger. "Then I'm going with you."
He met her gaze. "Not this time."
When she tried to argue, he rested a hand on her shoulder — firm, unyielding. "Your place is here, guarding those who can't fight gods."
Ryn's lips pressed into a thin line. "Then come back, Duke of the North. Or I'll drag your soul back myself."
He smiled faintly. "I'll hold you to that."
Outside, the divine light intensified as Seraphiel's wings spread, blotting out the sun.
He raised his hand, and the earth trembled beneath Wintercrest.
"Kneel, false god. The Heavens pass judgment upon you once more."
Arden walked calmly through the snow, each step leaving faint ripples of golden Qi that melted the frost beneath his boots.
He stopped a few meters away from the Archangel, his black cloak whipping in the sacred wind.
"Judgment?" Arden said quietly. "I've heard that word before — right before you stabbed me in the back."
Seraphiel's face remained expressionless. "You defied the Order. You led the rebellion that shattered the divine realm. You were spared once for mercy's sake. There will be no mercy this time."
Arden smirked. "Mercy? You call betrayal mercy?"
His aura flared — golden Qi erupting like wildfire, meeting Seraphiel's divine radiance head-on. The sky cracked. The snow exploded outward as if rejecting the force of their clash.
"Then come," Arden said, raising his sword. "Show me Heaven's judgment — and I'll show you Hell's defiance."
The two blurred — and the world exploded.
Seraphiel swung his greatsword, and an arc of divine energy sliced through mountains in the distance.Arden blocked with Blackfang, the clash sending ripples of light that shattered the ground beneath them.
Every strike shook the heavens.Every clash split the clouds.
Ryn and the others watched from the fortress walls, unable to approach the battlefield.
Mira whispered, awe-struck, "He's fighting a god… and he's not losing."
Selene, shielding her eyes from the light, muttered, "No — he's winning."
Arden ducked beneath a sweeping blow, countering with a horizontal strike that tore one of Seraphiel's wings clean off.
The angel staggered, his expression breaking for the first time — fury flashing in his radiant eyes.
"You dare wound a servant of Heaven?!"
Arden's tone was ice. "You're not a servant. You're a slave."
Seraphiel roared and unleashed his divine form — his armor dissolving into pure celestial energy. The sky darkened, streaks of gold and white lightning slashing across the horizon.
Arden steadied his breath. His Qi surged higher, intertwining with the fragment of his restored divine core.
"Heaven-Sundering Style — Fifth Form: Eternal Eclipse!"
He vanished.Then, in a single moment, appeared behind Seraphiel — his sword sheathed in divine and mortal Qi both — and struck.
The heavens cracked open.
A blinding flash consumed the battlefield. The explosion shook Wintercrest to its foundations.
When the light finally faded, Seraphiel was kneeling — his remaining wing burned away, his divine blade shattered, his body flickering with unstable light.
He looked up at Arden, expression torn between rage and disbelief.
"Impossible… no mortal should wield divine energy… You were erased…"
Arden raised his sword again, golden fire burning in his eyes.
"I was reborn."
He struck — and the Archangel fell.
The silence afterward was deafening.Snow began to fall once more, gently covering the crater where divine and mortal powers had collided.
Arden stood alone amidst the ruins, his cloak tattered, his sword dimly glowing.
Luceris — the angel who had sworn loyalty — descended beside him, bowing low.
"My lord," she said softly, "you've slain one of Heaven's Seven Wings. They will not let this go unanswered."
Arden sheathed his blade. "Then let them come."
Luceris hesitated. "You don't understand — Seraphiel's death will awaken the Divine Conclave. Even gods who slumbered will return to this realm."
He turned toward the fortress, his gaze hard as ice.
"Good," he said. "Let them wake. It's time the Heavens remembered what fear feels like."
As he walked back toward Wintercrest, the northern sky shimmered with blood-red light — the omen of a god's death.
Ryn waited by the gate, her cloak drenched with melting snow.
When she saw him, she let out a shaky breath. "You did it…"
He stopped beside her, eyes still burning faintly gold. "I did."
"But it's just beginning, isn't it?"
He nodded slowly. "Yes. One wing has fallen. Six remain."