With Beelzebub subdued by the Cuckoo's Cry, Phoenix turned to Michael, who had remained at the sidelines throughout the confrontation.
She understood why Michael hadn't joined Beelzebub's assault, and why he'd refrained from a surprise attack.
In mythology, Michael embodied justice itself - he was justice.
Even as a Heretic God in this world, his nature remained unchanged, bound to the myths that defined him.
So Michael was a god of justice.
Beelzebub was a heretic who had rebelled against the Father's faith, a demon of hell. Even if Michael were now a Heretic God like him, he wouldn't help such a being.
As for why he'd not attacked Phoenix, as an archangel who followed the Father, he would never do such a thing.
Michael, will you not flee?"
Phoenix gazed at the majestic archangel before her. In all of Christianity, in all the Bible's records... he was the highest-ranking ruler after God himself (Lucifer didn't count - there were actually few records about him). In fact, according to the Bible... Michael held the same status as the Son of God, Jesus.
He was the second-in-command of heaven...
The senior to Gabriel, the archangel who would blow the trumpet of the apocalypse.
"Flee? Ha ha ha! Son of Man... you're the most powerful mortal I've ever seen. I sense you'll become the greatest Demon Lord on earth..."
"I was dragged out of mythology; I shouldn't exist on this earth. Come! Fight me! May you possess the strength to return me to the Lord's embrace. In return, I shall not withhold the due rewards."
In response to Phoenix's words, Michael merely smiled, showing no concern for his impending death.
In this world, Heretic Gods do not truly perish. Upon death, they return to mythology, only to reappear on earth another day.
Death, for them, is merely a journey home.
Yet, driven by divine pride, they would never allow themselves to be slain so easily.
"Indeed, you live up to being the Lord of Light. Come, let me send you back to the realm of myths!"
Phoenix didn't think Michael was being hypocritical. Perhaps angels from other worlds might be deceitful.
But this world was different. Here, even gods and angels had to follow the rules...
"Son of Man! I've come..."
Michael grasped the angelic sword and swung it casually. The archangel of fire unleashed a heavenly flame capable of consuming everything in its path.
To mortals, this flame meant divine punishment - judgment! An unstoppable force that no one could resist.
But...
"Playing with fire before me? Michael... you've made a fatal mistake."
As Phoenix faced the heavenly flames, she raised her hand. The flames transformed into birds and turned to rush back toward Michael.
Not only could Phoenix control the heavenly fire, but she could also command lesser flames through it.
Confronted by the returning flames, Michael hastily raised his angelic sword and destroyed the flaming birds.
"Indeed... let's welcome the judgment!"
Archangel Michael raised his crimson sword shaped like a cross.
With this blade, he had once slain a hundred and fifty thousand Assyrian soldiers.
With this blade, he had stood against the Beast at the End Times' terminal.
With this blade, he had imprisoned the ancient dragon Satan for a thousand years.
He was the most brilliant and renowned archangel of the Cross Church—Michael!
The seemingly ordinary thrust of his sword carried authority magic potent enough to tear any human apart.
But...
As Michael raised his cruciform sword, Phoenix suddenly sprouted a pair of wings from her back.
Red flame wings.
With the fiery appendages now adorning her back, Phoenix began walking toward Michael in mid-air. Her steps were peculiar—though she appeared to take only a few, she instantly materialized before Michael.
When Michael's Judgment Sword descended, the entire island was utterly destroyed.
But... though he had clearly struck Phoenix, she had vanished.
Michael looked down in confusion. He couldn't believe that a human who could defeat Beelzebub could die so easily by his sword. If that were the case, he would have already eliminated that demon.
Yet if she wasn't dead, where had that Eastern human woman gone?
"Right here!"
Just as Michael was puzzled, Phoenix's voice suddenly came from behind him.
What he had struck earlier was merely an illusion. The real Phoenix had already appeared right beside him.
This was... Phoenix's Dust-Whisk Step.
"What?"
The human woman had appeared behind him, yet he hadn't even noticed.
Michael quickly turned and swung his sword again.
But Phoenix's movements were clearly faster!
"Immortal Technique: White Cock!"
(TL Note: (ಠ_ಠ))
A white bird spirit appeared behind Phoenix. Its punches and kicks struck Michael's body, forcing him to fall uncontrollably downward.
"Immortal Art: Time Rain Swallow! Five-Colored Feathers!"
As Michael descended, Phoenix struck him like a rain-swallow, covering his entire body with blazing fire.
The impact sent Michael hurtling toward Beelzebub, their collision creating a cataclysmic force akin to a meteor striking Earth.
Both gods engulfed in flames unleashed a devastating storm and tsunami around them.
Yet Phoenix had no time to observe the chaos. Her eyes locked on the two Heretic Gods below, it was time to send them back to the realm of myths.
"Final... energy of dominion, protect me! Immortal Art: Moonlit Pursuit! Die!"
Channeling the energy absorbed by Grips of Tai Xuan, Phoenix transformed it into the power of Immortal Art: Moonlit Pursuit.
Simultaneously, she threw herself at the two gods.
The already formidable Moonlit Pursuit, now amplified by the accumulated energy from Grips of Tai Xuan, instantly destroyed the two gods beneath her.
"...Well done, son of man! This is the outcome I have longed for—the return to the Lord's embrace, standing before His throne to uphold the Heavenly Father's dominion!"
"...I am Michael, the 'God-like One,' the angel of 'Certain Victory.' Here I grant you both blessing and curse!"
"Go forth with my certain victory, annihilate all with my fearless resolve, until the final end arrives!"
—Michael
"Hahaha! I never thought that I, the God above gods, would die not by the hands of gods, but by human hands. You shall be the strongest Demon Lord of this generation. Even that Eastern one would not be your match."
"Let it be so! Become the pinnacle of existence, wielding my divine power! Do not perish easily—you are the Demon Lord who slew the Exalted God Ba'al."
Beelzebub (Ba'al)
As Phoenix completed her divine slaying, the two gods before her returned to the realm of mythology, their final words lingering in the air.