(Anime/Manga Fanfiction) [Various] Throne of God (28) + Extra Chapter
Being personally led to school by the Archangel was a treatment unmatched in the entire Angel Academy. Messiah rushed over in surprise after receiving the news, seeing Lucifer treat the little angel with such...care for the first time?
Glancing at Lucifer's indifferent expression and the incongruous arrangement for the girl, Messiah felt a strange sense of unease. He was certain that this proud Archangel didn't care about a little angel, but besides God, who could force Lucifer to do anything? Thinking this, Messiah understood, and his gaze towards the little girl became subtle. He hadn't heard of any new little angels being born in the Reincarnation Pool.
Wearing clothes prepared by Lucifer's attendant angels, with white holy crystals trimming the hem, the little angel walking beside Lucifer had an extremely delicate face. Although her fair, round face hadn't fully opened, it stood out noticeably among the group of angels. In Messiah's perception, she hardly seemed like a being born from the Reincarnation Pool.
Messiah gestured to Lucifer, indicating he needed to discuss the matter. Recently, the fallen archangel had caused considerable trouble in Heaven; who would have thought the first example of fall would stem from this? As far as he knew, the small chapel was crowded daily with angels praying or receiving holy water for purification, making the angels uneasy.
"Why are you here to pick her up? Who is she?"
"God sent me to bring her. Her name is Dominica."
Seeing the children around her, about her age, looking at her with envy, the girl with golden curls instinctively knew she needed to fit in. Without flinching, she straightened her chest and stood out confidently, like a princess.
"You're out, so where's Gabriel?"
Even though Dominica bore no resemblance to Gabriel, she inexplicably reminded Messiah of the archangel. Having not heard from Gabriel recently, he belatedly realized Lucifer should still be in prison. His release now seemed to indicate the fall of the angels' troubles had subsided.
"I don't know, she's not in prison."
Before Lucifer came out, Gabriel had been summoned to the Grand Cathedral by God, but he hadn't seen his companion there. Thinking she might have already returned, Lucifer calmly replied.
Standing among the cherubim, Dominica suddenly exclaimed. Messiah and Lucifer, who were talking, quickly went over, only to find the girl clutching her collar, muttering something.
"What's wrong, Dominica?"
"I'm a little uneasy. The pendant suddenly got hot...wait, where is it?"
Dominica's fingers, which had been holding the pendant, froze. She absently touched her neck, then, her eyes welling with tears, she crouched down and fumbled around, terrified she'd lost it. Although she didn't understand what it was, it was something very important that she'd worn it since birth, and Dominica couldn't bear to lose such a beautiful crystal pendant.
In the Crystal Heaven, Jehovah calmly took the pendant before the girl could even mention its existence. A silver-blue, one-winged crystal necklace appeared in God's hand. He glanced at it casually and immediately recognized who had given it to her. There was no way around it; the aura emanating from it was too strong. It was clearly caused by two angels wearing it for a long time. It seemed Samael and Gabriel were indeed very close; even this sense of danger could be transmitted to Dominica.
"What are you looking for?"
Lucifer searched the ground within a kilometer radius with his mind, but found nothing the girl had dropped. Seeing Dominica's unseemly behavior, he had no choice but to pull her up and talk to her.
"I wanted to take it out to look at it, but I can't find it. God must have taken it."
Her moist lips pouted. Having searched her body, the girl was so anxious she wanted to stomp her feet. Her blue eyes held a worry unnoticed by the little angels. When she spoke these words so bluntly, the little angels around her gasped, their previously friendly gazes changing.
Having expected Dominica to speak up, Jehovah, with his pure and simple nature, looked indifferently at the names in the Book of the Holy Spirit, where Dominica's name was prominently displayed. This name turned Gabriel's name gray, yet it appeared in the little angels' column, looking exceptionally blurry and strange. This was God's greatest test for Gabriel.
Sometimes even God cannot set an example. Standing in such a high position, holding so many things, one forgets the mindset one once had when facing situations. Seraphim always assumed the best of angels, taking it for granted that they should all dedicate themselves to God and wouldn't abandon Heaven, forgetting that every living being possesses emotions and desires, and nothing is impossible… perhaps it just hasn't happened yet.
The original sin of the world tempts every living being. The seven virtues established by God are less about the goodness of the heart and more about adding a lock to the soul, firmly suppressing those inappropriate thoughts.
First layer, the Netherworld.
The spear of judgment rested on the ground, its several-meter-long shaft supporting Samael's body. The Archangel stood within a magic circle shimmering with a dark light, his silver-blue eyes reflecting a cold indifference born of reason, showing no panic over his predicament. On his third day in Hell, he had finally found traces left by Joyce, but he hadn't expected it to be a trap.
It wasn't that he was naive, but Samael genuinely couldn't believe such a degenerate angel existed. He thought that even if an angel fell due to a momentary lapse of judgment, such a drastic change was unacceptable. Despite suffering from the defilement of the demon, he dared to seek the demon's help even on the verge of death. He was no longer worthy of being called an angel; he was nothing but a filthy fallen angel.
Standing silently opposite Samael, the archangel's once exquisite face was now unrecognizable. A pair of jet-black wings flapped behind him, and his body, tainted by impure demonic energy from his fall, now possessed a physical form unbecoming of an angel, a spirit instead. All the light had faded when he fled Heaven, leaving only an ugly appearance.
"Look, the Seraphim himself has come after you, Joyce... You can't go back."
Isidor sneered as he approached the fallen angel from afar. The skin on his face, torn by Gabriel, had healed completely. Even without the dazzling appearance of Lucifer, the strength of a high-ranking abyssal demon meant his appearance wouldn't be too bad.
Smelling the filthy, corrupt aura emanating from the fallen angel, the demon seemed mesmerized as he grabbed Joyce's chin. His deep blue eyes flickered, the fallen angel's gaze clouded with hatred. But restrained by Isidor's power, the fallen angel endured the humiliation and pain, closing his eyes. He seemed to recall being deceived, and this ambiguous scene made Samael's face twitch.
Isidor hesitated for a long time, wondering whether he should kiss him or not. How disgusting…
Before Joyce's fall, Isidor had no idea that a fallen angel could become so hideous after being tainted by demonic energy. Now, he looked as if his flesh and blood were charred black. If it weren't for the refined air he had cultivated in Heaven for hundreds of years, Joyce would be less pleasing to the eye than a low-level monster on the street.
No wonder Behemoth's expression was so strange when he came after receiving news of Joyce; he was clearly watching his misfortune.
Gritting his teeth, Isidor noticed Samael's disdainful gaze. He glanced at the fallen angel's coy expression, then at the incredibly handsome Seraphim, and felt a deep sense of depression. You have to believe that the aesthetic sense of a demon is on par with that of a seraphim. Anyone who dares to accuse a demon of liking ugly things will be spitting blood in their face! Who could kiss someone with that appearance without feeling guilty?!
Stubborn as ever, he quickly pecked Joyce on the lips, his face now marred by the angel's disfigured face, the pungent, rotten stench making even the demon nauseous. Isidore felt incredibly noble; he vowed to seek out Behemoth to heal his wounded soul upon returning.
Isidore wandered aimlessly to the demons who had besieged the Archangel, only to be patted on the shoulder with a knowing, lewd grin. This instantly turned Isidore's already pale face pale.
He absolutely! Absolutely would never like this type of guy! He preferred the angels before their fall!
"This time you lost. I'm taking the fallen angel with me, Archangel."
He looked mockingly at the golden six wings behind Samael. The power fluctuations caused by the Holy Light had been suppressed by thirty percent by Hell; otherwise, Samael wouldn't have been caught off guard and imprisoned in the magic circle. The environment of Hell is completely unsuitable for angels. If Samael were just an ordinary lower-ranking angel, needless to say, simply standing in Hell for a few minutes would guarantee he'd be corrupted by its demonic energy.
No demon present intended to fight Samael today. While Hell could exert suppression, equally… angelic power was the bane of demons. Samael was merely confined within the magic circle, not completely immobilized and at their mercy. Who knew how long this magic circle would last? It was better to leave decisively after tricking the Seraphim; there would always be time to fight again later.
The Seraphim's fingers tightened around his spear. Facing the failure of his mission, Samael's face was ashen, trapped in a chilling surrounding. A cold wind blew through the demonized tree branches, and the darkness, carrying the ominous and dangerous atmosphere of Hell, could not dispel the light emanating from the angel.
Shortly after they left, the dark light prison that had hindered Samael's movements creaked and shattered. His face paled slightly; forcibly breaking free of the magic array had drained him of considerable strength, but this paled in comparison to the rage over Joyce's rescue. Gabriel was being punished because of this filthy fallen angel, and he couldn't bear the thought of not avenging his companion.
Compared to the abyssal demons born in Hell, Samael was completely unfamiliar with the environment of Hell. The first level, the Netherworld, alone was comparable in size to the Moon and Starry Sky of Heaven. Unable to find the demons who had vanished, he lashed out at his surroundings with his spear, venting his anger on everything around him. The demons that had been watching the angel screamed, their lives severed by the spear of judgment in a chestnut-gold light.
Samael's spear was a gift from God; the word "judgment" was truly fitting. All sinful beings would be wounded by it, which was why demons feared it so much.