The Seraphic System
Chapter: 69
Disclaimer: I don't own High School Dxd or any other universe used in this story.
Pa/ t reon details below the chapter if you're interested in seeing some content in advance. I'll keep posting regardless. If you have any suggestions you would like to see added, I will try to incorporate what I can :)
(Mr. Who?)
The moment the entrance shattered under his blast of wind, the entire hotel seemed to wake up.
Magic quickly came to gather in the air and through the building, defensive spells activating in a chain reaction. A deep hum filled the air, followed by the clink of locks snapping into place.
I was glad Tiamat had a way to isolate us. This would have been troublesome.
Tiamat stood with her arms crossed. "Why don't you just blow up the entire building?"
"I need one of them alive to answer my questions." I replied. "To be more specific, I need the one who goes by the title of Grand Inquisitor."
A magic circle formed and a barrier of fire formed in front of us.
"Call me if you need help." Tiamat said, stepping aside.
I strolled inside the building.
The reception area was large, yet no one was there. It was completely devoid of life.
That didn't last for long as from the corridors and hidden doors within the lobby, figures emerged. Eight assassins, their movements soundless, their eyes devoid of emotion.
I appraised them all.
Most were in the High-class and wouldn't be a trouble but one of them was in the low-ultimate class.
The only Assassin who stayed back as the rest rushed forward.
Mr. One.
The first assassin lunged without a word. A dagger coated in venom shot toward my throat, but I didn't didn't bother dodging. Instead, I used a controlled explosion of wind to send the blade veering off course. The Assassins arm was pushed away.
The Assassin jumped back, using his other arm throwing his dagger at me. I dodged easily, only for the Dagger to begin glowing and gas beginning to pour out in a surprising quantity.
He inspected his other arm and I could tell that an explosion of wind had done damage.
The magical might of an Ultimate-class being wasn't to be taken lightly.
I forgot how annoying they were. My toxic immunity surprisingly gained an entire level out of it, meaning the poison must have must have been incredibly powerful.
The Assassin charged in.
Before the assassin closest to me could react, I flicked his wrist.
Fwoosh!
A razor-sharp arc of wind magic cleaved through the assassin, surprisingly. Two of the powerful wind blades fizzled out upon contact with his armour, only for the third to send his bisected body tumbling to the floor.
He was dead before he even hit the ground.
At that moment, the other seven hadn't waited around and were already surrounding me.
I suspected that the only reason I wasn't getting a full barrage of attacks from all of them at the same time was because I'm guessing they weren't used to working together, as much they were all trying to strike at me when I was distracted.
Two assassins attacked simultaneously from the flanks, one wielding chains that coiled like snakes, the other channeling demonic energy into daggers that flickered between solid and intangible.
The chain shot through the air towards me.
I dodged and had to further back away as massive spikes erupted outwards from its length, a green liquid coating the blades. The chain smashed into the ground, and the entire floor broke a part with tremendous force.
I easily floated and didn't allow myself to be unbalanced.
A ball of light was formed, illuminating the area easily as I put power into it.
Unfortunately, some things just couldn't be beaten by pure power. Despite how it seemed, I was a being that could destroy an entire city. The power I had to offer was pretty insane.
Time slowed.
Two Daggers closed in on my face and the ball of light erupted, in an instant. The entire building was destroyed and a massive shockwave erupted outwards.
Floating, I surveyed the damage around me only to blink in surprise as Six figures emerged and as the dust settled my eyes widened a little bit as instead of a destroyed building.
The room was still intact, with runes glowing brightly as it tried to contain the amount of power I had just released. Cracks spiralled through the walls. The two Assassins that had been closest to me had been vaporised. The rest had somehow remained unscathed.
Though, I had noticed that the two I was fighting had been labelled Ten and Nine. Meaning they were the weakest of the group.
It was only a moment of silence before everything kicked into action.
Vines of Mokuton exploded from the ground, surging forward towards them. In response they all hurriedly activated something and domes of energy formed around them as they rushed me.
The Assassin dubbed Eight jumped towards me and afterimages followed him, creating a confusing scene as afterimages blended together. Vines sprung up, easily entangled around him and actually struggled?
The dome was burning through them with surprising efficiency.
My chakra eyes showed me it was powered by a mix of Demonic and dark energy.
It didn't hold off my assault for too long as Vines sprung up rapidly. I fully focused and the dome shattered after a full-focused assault. The sickening crack of bones shattering echoed through the room.
The remaining assassins adapted. They had all seemingly held back for a moment to observe what I was doing.
One channeled raw lightning through his blade, his strikes fast enough to create sonic booms. Another melted into mist, reappearing unpredictably to slash at me from different angles.
Five and Seven.
The rest each had unique ways of fighting, as expected.
I let out a breath. I blurred forward, an eruption of holy energy igniting in my palm. My hand pierced straight through the lightning-wielder's chest, holy power breaking through the dome and incinerating his body from the inside out.
Before the others could react, I unleashed a whirlwind of razor-sharp light. Dozens of blades spiralling outwards as pushed my control over wind to the max.
The dome was able to barely take the attack before it shattered and a vine pierced him.
Three left.
A deep rumble vibrated through the rest of the building.
Turrets that shone with mana unfolded from the ceiling, locking onto me. Glyphs along the walls charged up, forming an intricate network of spells ready to activate at a moment's notice.
They activated and a barrier formed around me.
Two large swords of light formed, burning the air around them as they were sent shooting towards the Turrets. Two barriers formed and managed to hold off the spears of light for a few moments.
My hand swiped and small light rods formed.
I couldn't help but overlay this scene with the power I had possessed when I was in my Semi-Divine form. That had been a different level.
The space distorter flickered, barely avoiding attacks that would have hit. He appeared behind me and I elbowed him. The other one, a female, raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
I felt the air shift.
A massive, circular seal appeared beneath me, intricate runes pulsing with an ominous glow. A sealing technique.
A sealing technique?
My eyes narrowed, and in an instant my senses were on full alert. She was using some sort of device. My Adamantine chains immediately formed and dug into the circle that was attempting to seal me. This was probably more dangerous than anything else I had encountered from them.
Thus I reacted accordingly.
The energy drained away and it shattered.
I planted my foot down, and Mokuton erupted from the floor, shattering the floor. My vines struck like whips, slamming the woman against the wall so hard that she lost cohesion.
Intending to restrain and isolate her, I went to bring her into my Inventory but the First Assassin finally moved. An unexpected attack towards her was met with a hasty wall of vines that barely blocked the attack.
The space distorter, who was more of a teleporter, forced me to back away as he swung his sword in an arc that parted the air. The sword glowed.
While at the same time, another powerful attack was sent at the unconscious female attacker and was able to break through the large wall of chakra-infused Vines.
Multiple golden Swords of light formed and were shot at Mr. One. Only for the swords to seemingly vanish into three portals of shattered glass?
I avoided the swing from the space distorter. He was fast, at the Peak-High class level. Which meant I had to take him slightly more mildly seriously. Only a little bit.
I grabbed his arm. A single touch, and a massive amount of holy energy sprung into his body. His form flickered, his ability failing him as his body turned to ash.
I turned to the female Assassin.
The attack had gotten through and her head fell to the ground as he used some sort of wind spell to kill her.
My eyes flickered towards Mr. One.
Definitely in the Ultimate-class, and from that I'd say he's magic-focused. Annoying. The device she was using… was destroyed in the attack. I nearly wanted to sigh.
Glass portals opened back up, and three familiar swords of light shot towards me. I let them hit me without a fuss and they were promptly absorbed back into me.
The last Assassin.
I had wanted to take those with abilities that interested me alive, but he had put a stopper in that plan. I analyzed him immediately.
There was no wasted motion, no unnecessary aggression.
He was a pure defensive fighter.
A blast of holy energy surged toward him from my outstretched hand. Only for it to be effortlessly deflected by a flick of his wrist. The energy bent, twisted, and reversed its trajectory, coming to shoot towards me.
I moved and the blast of holy energy exploded behind me, the magical reinforcement protection glowed brightly as they kept the wall intact. I really needed to look into reinforcement magic.
It was an avenue of magic that seemingly every Faction utilised.
I focused on my opponent. He had some sort of Reflection-based defense.
A Sacred Gear?
{Name: Taje}
{Title: Mr. One. }
{Race: Human(Enhanced)}
{Power level: 7,200}
The Assassin shifted tactics, launching a storm of wind-enhanced slashes.
Each one curved unpredictably, aimed at different angles.
I avoided them as they struck the walls.
The easy solution to defeating his man trump card was simply using light, considering my immunity to that one element. I didn't need to resort to that though. I had been playing it cautiously. If Mr. One is in the ultimate class then I can assume the Grand Inquisitor is in the higher realms of the Ultimate-class.
My hand swiped down and the building split a part as a massive blade of wind tore through the magical defences. A massive barrier of that weird shattered portal formed in front of Mr. One as he struggled to contain it.
His knees bent and he was pushed back. The space bent around him and massive winds blade destabilised, bending around him and obliterating multiple walls behind him.
Mr. One didn't waste a breath, a magical circle spun into existence beneath his feet, complex layers of runes glowing with condensed power. It pulsed, crackling with magical power, and the air itself trembled.
Dozens of thin distortions lacerated the space between us as multiple wind blades were formed in a moment, they exploded out and the room around us was eviscerated as the attacks lashed out at everything, stone and wood being carved apart like butter.
The entire building groaned as it started to collapse.
I avoided all of the wind blades that were shot at me with minimal movements.
We both dodged as the roof collapsed.
Hundreds of small light rods formed in an moment and rained down, further destroying the building as the light constructs composed of angelic mana tore through the wards.
Mr. One deflected them all with pinpoint precision.
He ran, easily jumping through the many holes in the building. His fingers flicked, summoning another massive magic circle. It rotated, shifting into complex interlocking pieces, rearranging itself mid-cast.
A gigantic bloom of wind magic unfolded before me, thousands of razor-thin petals swirling like a vortex of death. My hands whipped out and a massive boom of wind was sent back, the two attacks collided and a massive explosion of wind magic turned the second floor into rubble.
I simply raised a single finger and a pulse of holy-infused wind magic erupted outward.
The Assassin couldn't dodge or completely mitigate the attack, resulting in his arm nearly being torn off.
Wind manipulation was simply on a different level of power. While his spells had allowed him to do complex moves I couldn't perform at the moment, my wind magic made up for it in sheer potency.
Mr. One's brows barely twitched. His other one remaining arm moved again, forming three more magic circles.
Three balls of wind shot towards me, I moved in a blur and appeared beside Mr. One.
My leg shot out and sent a kick to his ribs that he couldn't dodge, the force shot him through the entire building diagonally. He struggled to rise up from the ground, despite that his hand barely paused.
An onslaught of conjured weapons rained down from multiple shattered-glass portals. Swords, spears, and halberds, all infused with powerful demonic energy.
I exhaled.
A storm of compressed holy-infused wind blades exploded from my body, ripping apart every single weapon mid-flight. They dissolved into nothingness, shredded beyond repair.
Holy power simply amplified wind magics cutting power.
Mr. One barely stumbled up and stance shifted, his body subtly lowering into a guarded position.
There was no winning.
But I had to give him credit. He didn't freeze up.
Then again, I don't think dying meant that much to him.
Trying to force me into an opening that didn't exist.
I decided to finish this.
My hand raised, a large amount of angelic mana gathering. A golden blade of wind solidified itself.
Mr. One's shattered-glass portals swirled in front of him, forming layer after layer of distortion-based shields. His hands trembled slightly, reinforcing the spell with everything he had.
I swung.
The portals shattered instantly, unable to deflect my attack. The magical defenses collapsed.
Just before he's about to get killed, a vine wraps around his leg and drags him out of the way. Before he could react, I appeared and sent a harsh punch to his abdomen before knocking him out.
He vanished into my inventory, and I slowly walked over to collect his dismembered arm. I stored that in my inventory too.
There was yet another reason that fight had dragged on for a little bit. During my very short time in Heaven as its ruler, I had come to a startling revelation. The Devil Faction had grown insanely powerful.
They had potentially dozens of Ultimate-class beings.
It was a major subject I wanted to bring up when the Heavenly Conference was held tomorrow.
Capturing an ultimate-class Assassin who could be potentially turned to our side or used for another matter was simply logical.
I looked around.
There was still no sign of this Grand Inquisitor.
A massive hole was opened up in the middle of the hotel and I descended through it. There was no sign of anyone. I walked into the staff only rooms and it was devoid of life.
It would take a while of searching multiple rooms before I got a response in the form of magical turrets activating and dropping from the wall to protect a particular door, beams of condensed mana lancing toward me.
I dodged, weaving through them.
Each magical beam was packed with a lot of energy so while they certainly weren't at the level to truly harm me, they would hurt. The turrets roared to life, firing in perfect sync.
Without a flicker of urgency, I raised a hand.
A surge of light erupted from my palm, condensing into twin blades of light. In an instant, they shot forward, piercing straight through the turrets' cores.
A beat later, both constructs detonated in a burst of flames and shattered metal. The door opened to reveal a stone staircase going down.
One step inside and a large magic circle formed, a wave of demonic infused fire blasted out and a barrier of pure light formed around me. The wave of fire passed over me and destroyed the room I had just been in.
I sent a glance back. This felt like a design flaw.
The room had already become an inferno, flames hungrily devouring everything in sight. Perhaps they had counted on the hotel's protective wards to contain the fire?
Clearly, that gamble hadn't paid off. The fire wouldn't spread down here in any case as any lick of fire that came too close seemed to be snuffed out violently. I looked down into the darkness.
This must be where he's hiding.
I started making my descent.
-{Tiamat}-
Tiamat blinked as he left, coming up and touching a finger to her lips.
A small smile appeared. She knew she had come off too hard.
That smile was wiped off her face as she felt a strong Devil move towards the barrier. Her eyes narrowed minutely, and she stepped outside the barrier confines.
-Scene Break-
I finally reached the end of the staircase.
It had become apparent that whatever was down here had been built deep within the ground. The air was cold.
I stepped off the final step and into the underground bunker. The walls were reinforced with dark stone, faintly inscribed with defensive magic. I moved cautiously, my footsteps silent against the polished floor.
The entire structure was eerily quiet.
Either this place was abandoned, or its occupants were remaining unseen. Hallways branched off in multiple directions, each one leading deeper into the bunker's labyrinthine design. The lack of resistance was almost disappointing.
I had expected more from an assassination organization, but so far, the only thing they had done was die.
A row of doors lined one side of the corridor, living quarters, most likely. I spared them a glance but didn't bother checking inside. If anyone had been here, they weren't anymore.
Eventually, I reached a wide chamber. It was dimly lit and seemed to almost resemble some kind of command center, with desks, maps, and a few magical artifacts strewn about. One table bore a large, half-burned parchment detailing planned movements and targets.
I continued onward, only to quickly side-step as a spike of a shadowy power tore through the ground and through the ceiling.
My eyes caught sight of a hooded figure.
'Appraisal.'
{Name: Xelthori}
{Title: Grand Inquisitor.}
{Race: Lich}
{Power level: 12,000}
A Lich?
They actually exist? He was also strong.
The figure sighed.
"You're going to be a pain." The Figure lamented, his voice grating to listen to.
My eyes caught sight of the multiple rings he wore in his hands.
Two on each hand. Four in total.
[Ring of Enhancement]
A ring designed solely for the augmentation of magic, enhancing any spell channeled through it by 10%. This ring is considered a marvel of creation.
{Materials and Construction}
Manasteel Core – The structural foundation of the ring is crafted from Manasteel, a material prized for its durability and high magical conductivity. This ensures smooth energy flow and precise amplification of spells.
Beronite Alloy – The outer layer is forged from Beronite Alloy, a metal resistant to extreme temperatures and magical forces. This provides protection against energy overload and ensures longevity even under intense magical exertion.
Demonic Crystal Core – Embedded within the ring is a Demonic Crystal, which passively gathers and refines demonic energy. This stored power fuels the ring's amplification effect, ensuring a consistent 10% boost to all magic cast through it.
{Special Attributes}
Magic Amplification – The ring's core passively channels demonic energy to enhance the potency of spells by 10%.
Seamless Integration – The ring harmonizes with the user's magic, ensuring minimal interference while enhancing spellcasting efficiency.
Sustained Enhancement – Unlike temporary boosts, the ring provides a stable and continuous enhancement, making it ideal for prolonged combat or high-level spellcasting.
[Ring of Protection]
A ring designed to generate a powerful defensive barrier, capable of withstanding up to three High Ultimate-Class attacks before breaking.
{Materials and Construction}
Manasteel Core – The foundation of the ring is crafted from Manasteel, a magically conductive and highly durable material, ensuring seamless activation and reinforcement of the barrier.
Obsidian Demonite Alloy – The outer structure is forged from Obsidian Demonite, a rare alloy known for its resilience against physical and magical damage, preventing wear from repeated activations.
Abyssal Core Gem – Embedded within the ring is an Abyssal Core Gem, a crystallized node of stored demonic energy. This serves as the power source, allowing the ring to pull on a limited store of Demonic Energy to sustain a barrier against incoming attacks.
{Special Attributes}
Demonic Barrier Generation – Upon activation, the ring erects a translucent barrier of pure demonic energy, capable of absorbing three High Ultimate-Class attacks before shattering.
Layered Reinforcement – The barrier is composed of multiple energy layers, each dispersing and weakening the force of an incoming strike, ensuring maximum efficiency against sustained damage.
Instant Activation – The ring automatically deploys its barrier when detecting a high-level threat, offering immediate protection without the need for manual activation.
[Ring of Shadow Amplification]
A simple yet effective ring designed to enhance shadow-based magic, increasing its potency by 10%.
{Materials and Construction}
Onyx-Touched Manasteel – The core of the ring is forged from Manasteel infused with traces of Onyx, improving its affinity for shadow energy.
Darksilver Band – The outer layer is crafted from Darksilver, a metal naturally attuned to darkness, ensuring smooth energy flow and stability.
Obsidian Focus Gem – A small Obsidian Gem is embedded in the ring, passively gathering and amplifying shadow energy to enhance magical output.
{Special Attributes}
Shadow Enhancement (+10%) – Any shadow-based magic channeled through the ring is strengthened by 10%, making spells more potent and efficient.
Darkness Affinity – Slightly reduces the energy cost of sustained shadow manipulation, allowing for longer usage in battle.
[Ring of Eternal Binding]
A marvel of magical craftsmanship, this legendary ring serves as a vessel for a single, immensely powerful prison spell, capable of sealing strong beings with a imprisonment spell.
{Materials and Construction}
Manasteel Weave – Woven into the band is a thread of Manasteel, reinforcing the ring's structure.
Soulglass Inlay – The focal gem is crafted from Soulglass, an alchemically refined crystal that possesses the unique ability to store and amplify magic, ensuring the containment spell within remains stable indefinitely.
{Special Attributes}
Prison Spell Containment – The ring can hold and sustain one immensely powerful imprisonment spell, binding its target within a pocket dimension or locking them in an unbreakable magical stasis. Once activated, the stored spell is unleashed instantly, trapping the target.
Unyielding Seal – The magic within this ring is woven with layered enchantments, making it immune to most conventional counter-spells or dispelling attempts.
Eternal Recharge – Unlike typical magical artifacts, the Ring of Eternal Binding draws on ambient mana to maintain its stored spell, ensuring it never depletes or weakens over time.
Absolute Synchronization – The user can attune the ring to themselves, allowing for instantaneous activation with a mere thought, ensuring no delay in its use when the moment demands it.
It was always easy to overlook how overpowered my appraisal skill was, besides my download skill which ensured I would always grow. It may just be my second most valuable skill.
The term knowledge is power could never be truer as all I could pick up from the rings without appraisal was a faint magic sense.
My real question though was just who was supplying him with these Artefacts? I had come to learn through the Heavenly Library that Artefacts were considered Rare. Most Faction and Pantheons stockpiled them and had absorbed anyone of talent who could create them.
The sheer resources need to create these rings…
That last ring made me wary.
I don't think a spell-storing ring was unheard of but it certainly wasn't common.
"Tell me, how did you find this place?" He asked, seemingly taking this chance to probe me. He circled around and seemed to observe every part of me. "This place has eluded even the Satans whose Faction we use as a shield. I made sure of that. So I'm curious."
My mask was still on, so he had no way of even measuring my power. Besides what I had shown by fighting the Assassins.
"When conditioning your Assassins, you probably should have accounted for the scenario of someone breaking your little forced emotion suppressing technique." I decided to humour him.
Cold blue eyes glowed as I could see the rage practically shimmering off him.
"Is that so, may I ask the purpose of your visit here?" He replied carefully.
He was probing for something.
"You know why I'm here." I replied, just as careful.
Shadow spikes erupted from the ground and strange shadow constructs appeared, instantly coming to charge at me.
He seemed to come to his own conclusion.
I prepared myself to attack.
"So you know about the attack planned for Heaven then do you? Annoying, if you know then those Arch-Seraphs might know as well. I'll have to inform the Master." He lamented.
The moment the words left his mouth, my mind went blank.
An attack on Heaven?
He had spoken with certainty, as he had figured out why I was here. I had known he was trying to probe me for the reason behind my attack which I had thought was rather obvious. He had sent Assassins so I had come to put an end to it.
But… an attack on Heaven? A spark of rage ignited in my chest. It burned, white-hot and all-consuming, tearing through my hesitation and replacing it with something primal.
That wasn't even plausible for his little Assassin organisation which meant it was his masters plan. His master who was in a powerful organisation comprised multiple groups. Which made it an actual threat. I needed to know more.
My power roared to life in response, surging through my body like a storm barely contained.
A brilliant blue-light erupted from my form as my angelic transformation took hold.
My body shifted as I activated my angelic form, holy energy crackling along my skin.
My wings, now six and wreathed in celestial fire, unfurled with a force that sent shockwaves through the room. A halo formed and turned into a burning ring of light, shifting and rotating with raw, holy power.
Why was I so angry? Perhaps it was because I hadn't expected to hear something so outlandish. Maybe it was the visions I was suddenly getting of multiple Angels being killed as they called out for me.
I took a breath.
-{Grand Inquisitor}-
Xelthori took a step back, his glowing blue eyes widening beneath the hood.
Judging by his response, he hadn't known. He inwardly cursed. How could he fall for such a mistake? Him, the leader of a deadly organisation of Assassins?!
He had thought by the way the Angel had sounded so knowing that there couldn't be any other reason.
Just what type of Angels was this anyway? He had extensive research on all organisms recorded, even the species that the humanoids known as Gods hailed from.
Angels had multiple white wings, and in some cases a Halo. Their wings were certainly not translucent and the Angels who did possess Halo's certainly didn't resemble the circle of burning light that the Angel wore.
What was this form? God was Dead. Had the Angels finally started experimenting due to the decline in power? So many questions and he doubted any would be answered as he stared into two angry orbs of the Angel.
He would potentially have to sacrifice his rings in this battle.
The Angel launched forward.
The ground shattered beneath him as he tore through the air, and like a comet of destruction, he blasted forward. Xelthori's shadow constructs barely had time to react before they were reduced to nothing, holy light energy ripping through them like wet paper.
The Lich barely managed to raise a hand.
A massive surge of dark magic erupted around him, forming layered barriers reinforced by his rings. He summoned seven magical circles and simultaneously shot seven dark purple balls towards the Angel.
The Angel formed seven balls of holy light that consumed his attack and didn't even stop as he slammed into them with the force of a meteor.The first barrier cracked instantly.
The second shattered a heartbeat later. The third barely slowed him down before he tore through it, his fist drove straight into Xelthori's chest. The Lich felt bones break as he was sent flying.
Even as his body rocketed backward, smashing through the command center's walls like they were made of glass. He waved his hand, an small army of shadow constructs poured out and multiple magical defences activated.
He did all of this just before stone and metal crumbled as he plowed through multiple chambers, finally coming to a stop after crashing through a reinforced wall and embedding himself in the rubble.
Magical turrets and magical circles formed, a massive array of attacks ended up destroying the entire chamber that the Angel was in.
The Angel was a blur of light as much to Xelthori's shock as he stumbled up, the Angel straight up tanked some of the attacks with only minor wounds to show for it.
These defences were top-notch. The Angel was definitely at the higher realm of the Ultimate class just from the fact he could survive all of this. He had made these defences to deal with mainly high-class and the occasional ultimate class beings.
He had mostly focused his funding into getting gear for his Assassins, a mistake he could now see as the Angel didn't stop.
Xelthori's skeletal fingers trembled, not with fear, but with a seething rage as the Angel quickly closed on him.
Unacceptable.
He glared at the Angel who glared back with an amount of rage he didn't even know Angels could have. Xelthori's defenses weren't built to handle something like this.
He still had options.
With a snarl, Xelthori reached into his robes, withdrawing a jagged black crystal.
Dozens of souls were trapped within its depths, their frozen forms were depicted clawing at the confines of their prison. Without any remorse, He crushed it in his grip.
An eerie, soul-chilling wail filled the air as dark energy surged into him, saturating his bones with raw, abyssal power.
His face became one ecstasy.
Tenebris Abyssi, Exhale Mortem.
The air around Xelthori blackened, twisting into a vortex of howling spirits and writhing shadows.
By now the Angel was in front of him.
A spear of condensed dark energy formed in his grasp, its surface shifting with darkness as he used the pure energy of souls to power the spell. The very space around it shuddered, as if rejecting the weapon's existence.
He hurled it.
The Angel felt it and backed off, responding with a powerful sword of light.
The two attacks collided.
Only for the dark spear to sink into the sword of light. Then it fractured. Hundreds of abyssal tendrils erupted from within the wound, devouring the spear and continuing its trajectory to the Angel.
A barrier that made him flinch formed and pure power filled the room, the sheer amount of holy power burnt at his skin and he gritted his teeth.
The Lich grinned wickedly, only to pause as a powerful blade of wind nearly tore his arm off.
He formed another barrier that barely saved him.
In that time the Angel somehow fought off the dark spell.
A flash of light happened and he got a glimpse of a satisfying image.
The Angels' aura faltered. As the dark spell latched onto the Angel's very soul, anchoring themselves like parasitic leeches. A numbing, decaying sensation spread through his body as the spell gnawed at his body.
That satisfaction was shattered as the dark spell revealed the illusion, a punch shattered his ribs as it drove into him. He caught sight of the dark spell that exploded into tendrils of darkness that ate everything in the other room.
He was sent flying. Before the Angel could continue, he was already moving. He roared in rage.
A storm of shadow magic erupted from the wreckage, the Lich's power swelling as he gathered everything he had. The entire bunker trembled under the weight of his magic, the air thickening with a suffocating presence of dark energy.
The Angel didn't care. He cut through it with his own holy light power. The darkness parted as he tore forward. Every attack that came his way was met with powerful holy light attacks.
Xelthori let out a guttural snarl and raised both hands. The rings on his fingers glowed, their power amplifying his magic to insane levels.
A colossal sphere of darkness formed between his palms and filled with enough destructive energy to annihilate a city block in an instant.
He hurled it forward.
The Angels roared and didn't dodge. Instead, a mass of holy light formed and was added to the weird aura he had. He charged straight through it.
The impact was deafening.
The dark energy exploded outward, the sheer force obliterating everything around them. Walls collapsed, the ground split apart, and the entire bunker shuddered under the force of the blast.
Xelthori once again found himself flying through the air and this time, he barely recovered.
Damn it.
He raised his hand, he had to use the special imprisonment ring his master had provided him. He had wanted to use it on a God-class being in the future if he needed to escape. In his opinion this was a waste but it couldn't be helped.
The Angel was far more dangerous than he had initially imagined.
He paused, his eyes widened in horror. He hadn't even felt it. The finger the ring had sat on had been ripped off. Completely.
How?!
The Lich looked back up to the Angel. The last thing Xelthori saw was a golden fist crashing into his skull.
His head snapped back violently as he was launched once again.
He struck the farthest wall with an earth-shaking impact, the force of it carving a deep crater into the stone. His body slumped, cracks forming along his skeletal frame.
Xelthori weakly attempted to lift his head, just in time to feel a foot press down against his neck.
-{Kai}-
I took a shaky breath, mostly to calm myself down.
The Lich had proven himself to be slippery and admittedly powerful.
My angelic Form was able to create a shield around me that reduced 50% of all attacks made on me, letting me tank through multiple powerful spells with only small wounds. I couldn't exactly dodge down here.
That dark spell though… that would have killed me.
My foot came up to push against his throat.
"Tell me everything."
He glared up at me in defiance. "You can't kill me."
A small amount of holy power seared his skin, I had to break through the natural resistance he had to magic as an ultimate-class being but his magic reserves were low so his magical resistance was weaker.
"I just won't kill you then." I replied.
He screamed in pain and I didn't let up, it was a good few minutes of that as I simply mentally checked out.
I stopped the flow of holy power.
He huffed.
"Tell me about this supposed plan to attack Heaven." I ordered coldly.
"F-"
That didn't sound like cooperation, so I channeled the holy light to pour into the surface of his body once more, he screamed in even more pain as I made sure to avoid killing him.
I didn't let up for a few minutes, and when I finally did he was desperately breathing for air.
"What is your creator's name?" I decided to start with something more basic. I needed to solidify my position in power here.
The Lich coughed, his skeletal frame shuddering as the last remnants of holy power faded from his body. His jaw hung open slightly, and he took a moment to gather himself before rasping out a reply.
"I… I don't know his name."
My eyes narrowed. "Then what do you know?"
"He goes by the Architect," the Lich wheezed.
I've never heard of him, in canon or just in general.
A strange name.
I frowned. "Why?"
A weak, breathless chuckle escaped the Lich. "Because he is a genius and his inventions are incredibly powerful. Everything he makes is a work of art, a powerful masterpiece that could be considered a relic. His mind is unlike anything I've ever seen. He is a creator."
The respectful tone caught me off-guard and my frown grew deeper.
I studied him for a moment, then cut straight to the point. "When is the invasion of Heaven happening?"
The Lich hesitated.
A flicker of holy light in my palm was enough to have the Lich hurriedly continue.
"I don't know the exact time," he gasped. "But soon. Very soon. And it's not just him. He has formed a joint alliance for the attack."
My expression remained unreadable. "Who?"
"The Khaos Brigade," the Lich revealed. "And several strong members."
That was an issue.
The Khaos Brigade wasn't just one group; it was a loose collection of factions, all dangerous in their own right. I had known this was complicated and that he was a high-ranking member but to know Heaven was being actively targeted…
Shit.
This wasn't good.
Heaven was a powerful Fortress but I still couldn't help worrying. This Architect had probably done his research.
There was one main question on my mind.
"Why go to all the trouble? Heaven is powerful and I don't see why destroying it would help." I questioned.
Unless it wasn't about Heaven as a faction…
My mind clicked and the Lich quickly replied, voicing the exact reason I was building up to in my mind.
The Lich let out a raspy, hollow laugh. "Isn't it obvious? For someone who creates powerful objects, he needs materials. And Heaven? It's a bank waiting to be robbed, its power steadily declining. It was only a matter of time."
This wasn't just about war. This was about resources.
Heaven wasn't just a target. It was a supply depot waiting to be raided. Raphael had boasted about its immense resources only matched by the most powerful group of Gods in the world.
The Hindu Pantheon.
My palm struck the Lich and he promptly became unconscious.
Quickly, I stuck him in my inventory and left.
I needed to get back before my Angels started to worry.
-{Tiamat}-
She stood outside the barrier with crossed arms, awaiting the powerful Devil who was slowly making their way towards her.
She watched the Lord Phenex approach. His golden hair gleamed under the dim streetlights, and his fiery eyes held the usual arrogance of a Devil Pureblood.
Though, despite that. There was surprise and respect at the sight of her.
"Dragon King Tiamat," he greeted smoothly. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. What an unexpected surprise."
She noted the sudden nervousness he was displaying.
She didn't return the pleasantries. "Neither was I."
"I must admit, I can't say I was told about your arrival within one of my territories. You would have received a much warmer greeting had I known, who must I berate for this mistake?" He questioned smoothly. His eyes gave her body a look as was normal when speaking to Devils. "Assuming you did announce your arrival as is custom."
"It must have slipped my mind." Tiamat replied amusedly.
The Phenex Lord was obviously off-put by her lack of decorum. "A-well I see."
He was smart enough to see the futility of arguing about it.
Phenex's gaze flicked to the barrier he had just noticed behind her. "May I ask why you've set an unauthorised barrier within my territory."
Tiamat didn't move. "Unfortunate timing, then. The hotel's experiencing… issues. Some kind of magical interference. No one's getting in or out for now."
Phenex frowned deeply and she enjoyed the sight of his face becoming ashen. "Strange. I wasn't informed of any disruptions."
She shrugged. "Neither was I, until I arrived. But here we are."
His eyes lingered on her. He wanted to argue but her position in the Devil Faction as an alley and with the power she possessed gave her a considerable amount of political power.
He also couldn't give away that he wanted to visit the Assasination Organisation that resided within the barrier, nor could he even slightly reveal he knew of their existence.
She remained unreadable. Whatever suspicions he had, he clearly wasn't eager to test them against a Dragon King.
"Hm. How inconvenient." He adjusted his cuff, his posture still relaxed, though there was a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. "I'll return later, then."
Tiamat inclined her head slightly. "If you must."
Phenex held her gaze a moment longer, then turned and walked away, his coat shifting with the movement. Tiamat watched until he disappeared down the street before exhaling softly, her gaze peered through the barrier at the burning wreckage.
She smiled.
"Perfect timing." She muttered.
Kai exited the barrier, and she paused at the look on his face.
"Is everything okay?" Tiamat questioned carefully.
"I think there may be a serious problem."
Her face turned serious. "What happened?"
"Let's leave this place first." He replied calmly.
She nodded, coming to stand beside him.
They disappeared in a flash of blue and the barrier was dropped as soon as they left.
-END-
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