C320
"Is it over already?"
YuWon's eyes moved slightly from side to side.
He no longer felt the presence of the demons he had sensed a moment ago. Confirming there was no one else apart from Diablo around him, he raised his head.
"Manipulating the sacred outcome of the Rank Duel. You're just a Human, yet you do such impressive things like a Demon King."
Although his words sounded like that, it wasn't a severe reproach.
After all, he had other matters on his mind.
"Have you finished everything on this side?"
"More or less."
YuWon got up from the ground, shaking off the dust covering his body.
With that, he managed to stop Behemoth, who had been rushing toward the Great Heaven Demon War. There were no worries on this side, as they had halted the major problem.
Diablo, first of all, wasn't particularly interested in the Great Heaven Demon War.
The problem was Baal.
"Baal..."
"That guy is just like me. Only, he's a deranged lunatic, jumping around like a venomous snake."
Looking at Behemoth, who pretended to be unconscious and continued lying on the ground, Diablo observed him with pity in his eyes.
Given his enormous size, he couldn't quickly get up from his position. If he did, it would quickly become apparent that the Rank Duel had been manipulated.
"We won't move until the Great Heaven Demon War officially begins."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Anyway, I also want to finish this absurd fight."
Diablo's eyes lit up as he said that.
YuWon recalled the information about Diablo he knew, seeing that killing intent in his gaze.
"It was he who triggered the Great Heaven Demon War."
It's not that Diablo avoided or disliked the fight due to his lack of interest in the Great Heaven Demon War. His reluctance toward the Great Heaven Demon War stemmed from the fact that it was merely a formal fight, an event turned into a spectacle for the viewers.
As a result, Diablo lost interest and withdrew from the Great Heaven Demon War. He would only be willing to participate if Metatron joined.
But...
Diablo, unable to hold back any longer, finally exploded his accumulated frustration.
And that was the true lever of the Great Heaven Demon War that YuWon knew.
"I have to be careful not to provoke him too much."
Diablo was a dangerous individual.
He couldn't forget that fact.
"Are you going to leave right away?"
"Well, I'm not injured or anything."
"You look busy."
"I don't have much time."
Thanks to that, they had gained some time, but they still didn't have enough.
Ten days were too short to stop a war that had lasted for thousands of years.
YuWon got up from his seat and immediately started moving.
As he watched him walk away, Diablo muttered.
"The Great Heaven Demon War..."
A battle that occurred every ten years.
Now, it had become too familiar, but this time, the words that used to be obvious felt a bit different.
A long silence.
However, strangely, YuWon's intervention changed everything.
"This time might be different."
-------------------
Clank, clank, clank...
The angels moved in formation, taking coordinated steps.
They firmly grasped their shining spears, determination on their faces.
"Haaap-!"
Swish...
Force was felt at the tip of the spear.
Michael was sitting at the tip of a spear, observing that scene.
"Once again."
"Haaap-!"
"It's not enough to just increase the volume of your voice."
"Haaap-!"
The force of the angels extending their spears became even more powerful.
Michael, who had slightly opened his eyes, closed them again.
"My body has recovered quite a bit."
When he closed his eyes, he thought about the Ragnarok.
The day they attacked Asgard's Golden Castle.
The battle with Zeus was vividly etched in his mind.
"There's no excuse for negligence. Such words won't be forgiven."
Michael was very demanding of himself.
That's why he couldn't accept a single defeat and had to remember it over and over in his mind for decades or even centuries to soothe his conscience.
The battle against Zeus had been a great impact for Michael.
Thanks to that, he realized how much he had weakened.
Swooosh...
When he finally opened his eyes after a long time, the sun was already halfway through the sky.
The angels who had been training with their spears in front of him had already dispersed. Michael closed his eyes again and relived the battle with Zeus.
'...I must thank him.'
He had gained some confidence.
Zeus was the King of Olympus, yet he was in a deplorable state after losing his Lightning Bolt.
The reason Michael had lost so easily was that he had tried to face him alone, relying on his speed.
But now things were different.
There were many ways to confront Zeus.
'Now I have confidence.'
Michael, with his head held high, looked at the sky tinged with gold.
Another day had passed.
But everything was not over yet.
"You've waited a long time."
Michael, sitting at the tip of the spear, turned his head without any hesitation.
He saw someone standing at the end of a spear of the same length. For some time, that person had been approaching him and waiting behind him.
It was as if he was saying he wouldn't disturb him.
'He shows no signs of hesitation.'
Michael looked at the man who had been waiting behind him.
Balancing at the end of a spear was one of Michael's training methods.
He had made several Archangels do it, but no one else but him could sit on this narrow edge of the spear for so long without using magic.
And yet...
'It's not a chance encounter.'
The face was familiar.
A face he had glimpsed.
It didn't take him long to recognize the face.
"Kim YuWon, right?"
YuWon slightly nodded his head at Michael when his name was mentioned.
It wasn't a chance encounter.
YuWon had come to find him with some purpose.
"You've thought it through. If you had spoken to me or come a bit closer, I wouldn't have even responded."
"I thought so."
"You seemed to think that..."
Michael's eyes narrowed.
"You reacted as if you knew me well."
"It's not surprising. You're Michael, after all."
Michael.
The mightiest Archangel, the sword and shield of Heaven.
There probably isn't a Ranker who doesn't know Michael. Until now, Michael's achievements in the Great Heaven Demon War surpassed all Angels and Demons.
An obvious response if one thinks about it.
Michael nodded his head.
"That's right. What's the matter then?"
"The Great Heaven Demon War will start soon."
"It's less than ten days away..."
The afternoon darkened in Michael's eyes.
"No, one more day has already passed."
The Great Heaven Demon War starts at nightfall.
After another nine days, the Great Heaven Demon War would begin. The Great Heaven Demon War was getting closer.
"Is that your goal, the Great Heaven Demon War?"
"For now, yes."
"For now?"
"I'm still considering it."
"Considering it?"
Michael laughed ironically at YuWon's frankness.
"So you're deciding which side to be on."
"That's right."
"Unlike what I heard, you're like a bat."
Michael's gaze towards YuWon became complicated.
Kim YuWon.
His name was widely known. Recently, he had become overwhelmingly popular.
Michael, who wasn't very interested in the World, remembered that name vividly from the Ragnarok.
"In the Ragnarok, weren't you with the Demons?"
The reason Michael's gaze towards YuWon wasn't friendly.
It was because in the Ragnarok, they had fought in opposite directions.
And above all...
"It was because of you that Zeus was freed from prison."
Michael believed it was YuWon's fault that Heaven had lost in the Ragnarok.
When the Demon Kings joined the side of Asgard and it was decided that Heaven would participate in the Ragnarok, Zeus was the variable that no one expected.
And YuWon, before them, was responsible for creating that variable.
From Heaven's perspective, YuWon was practically worse than most of the Demons.
"I wasn't with the Demons, I was with Asgard."
"Weren't you the one who attracted the Demons?"
"It was to fight against Muspelheim."
"So you joined forces with the Demons to fight against the Demons... Is that what you're saying?"
"And weren't Heaven doing the same when they joined forces with the Demons of Muspelheim?" (Note: Referring to the Demon Giants)
Michael and YuWon's gazes met without backing down.
With those words indicating that both you and I were stained with the same sh*t, Michael couldn't refute.
"It was a decision of the King. As his subordinate, I had no choice but to obey."
"It wasn't my decision, so I'm not in the wrong, is that what you're saying?"
"...I'm not saying that."
"The Heavenly King, Metatron. Do you fully trust the decisions he makes?"
"No honorifics, huh?"
Michael's gaze turned cold.
Until now, he had shown no hostility nor was he friendly, but now he showed, for the first time, a displeased expression.
"Your language is a bit impolite."
"Blind faith blinds the eyes and only devours the flesh, regardless of race."
"If you came here to fight..."
"How much do you trust Metatron?"
Fwoosh!
A killing intent covered YuWon's body. Michael's wings spread wide, and the whole surroundings turned into his territory.
"You're crossing the line."
"Who do you think caused the Great Heaven Demon War?"
"Stop right there."
"Do you really believe it's the Demons who are killing Heaven's Angels?"
"Enough!"
Swoosh.
With Michael's shout, YuWon felt a burst of wind stop around his neck.
It was a sharp wind like a blade. If Michael hadn't stopped, those gusts would have pierced his neck.
"Maybe you believe in friendship with Asgard, but if you cross the line once more, don't blame me for giving you a horrible death."
"...Really?"
Swoosh.
YuWon raised his hand and brushed away the blade that was approaching his neck.
The blade moved away without force. It seemed to be only a threat in the first place; Michael didn't seem to have intentions to attack YuWon.
Thump.
Michael gently descended from the tip of the spear.
The training ground of the Angels was already empty.
Michael turned his body under the light of the two moons shining high in the sky.
"It's your freedom to choose a side. But be careful with the words you throw here; you could lose your head at any moment."
With that, Michael left without a trace. YuWon watched him leave.
They hadn't had many conversations, but that was enough for now.
Archangel Michael.
The strongest and mightiest Angel of Heaven.
And also...
"Michael was the one who had the most doubts about the Great Heaven Demon War."
After the Great Heaven Demon War, he was the one who regretted the most.
"Convincing him at once will be difficult. He's as stubborn as a mule."
If Diablo was the key on the Demon Kings' side, Michael was the key on Heaven's side.
Although not much was known about Michael, there were several Rankers who were frustrated with his naive and straight nature.
It would probably be more challenging to persuade him than persuading Diablo.
"So, what do we do?"
"There's no rush."
The answer was simple.
Not to try to convince him all at once.
Give him enough time to think for himself.
That was the first thing YuWon had to do.
"At least, I've thrown the stone."
The calm waters stirred, creating ripples.
Now was the time to increase the current.
Tags:
LWTG (Novel)