I could hear the roaring sound of flames and a wall of hot fire appeared between me and Michael. The frowning Michael stepped back while shaking his hands.[...What are you doing?]
[Get lost.]
Michael stared at Uriel for a moment before smiling.
[Uriel, you must"ve gone crazy after quitting demon hunting.]
A purple energy started to overflow wildly in Michael"s body.
[The constellation "Saviour of Corruption" is preparing the "Demon King Slayer" story.]
Demon King Slayer. It was the same story that Yoo Jonghyuk of the 1863rd round had.
The green meadow was dyed with purple waves. The gra.s.s withered and an eerie sensation rose from my feet.
Demon King Slayer was a story that had a near invincible power against demon kings. I could never win against Michael as long as he had this story.
Michael"s status aimed at me but someone blocked it.
"Archangels are basically ruthless?" Jung Heewon was standing in front of me with the Sword of Judgment. Her shoulders were faintly trembling and her spirit was shrinking back. Nevertheless, Jung Heewon was brave. The will of a human withstood the pressure in front of the archangel"s killing intent. Behind such a Jung Heewon stood Uriel.
There was a blazing glow in the background. h.e.l.lfire rose and the fields of Eden were filled with sparks.
I gulped as the situation reached the bursting point.
Uriel was one of the top five strongest archangels. She had the highest voice in Eden among the constellations of the absolute good system.
Even so, her opponent was Michael. An unmatched archangel with all types of combat abilities. In Eden, there was no archangel beyond Michael in pure combat power alone.
[The constellation "Friend of Justice and Harmony" is dissuading "Saviour of Corruption".]
[The constellation "Guardian of Youths and Travel" is looking at the "Saviour of Corruption."]
[The constellations of the absolute good system are criticizing the "Saviour of Corruption."]
Michael didn"t back down despite the messages pouring from the sky. Rather, he seemed to find it funny.
[Yes, it"s time to show who is the strongest in Eden.]
At the same time, Michael"s purple and white aura simultaneously formed around his hands. The force swirled around both hands. The aura soon turned into a two-handed sword. Sweat flowed down my body. This jerk, where did he get this star relic...?
[The constellation "Scribe of Heaven" is warning the "Saviour of Corruption."]
A huge storm broke out and the sparks in the surroundings were instantly extinguished. This was the power of Eden"s highest constellation, Metatron. At the very least, this huge pressure couldn"t be countered in Eden. The violence created silence as Michael belatedly dispersed his momentum.
Michael stared up at the sky for a while before grumbling, [...Even you? Eden seems to be gone now.]
Michael turned around and started to move away. The heads of demon kings were hanging from his waist like fruit.
[Head of Grand Duke Semida.]
[Head of Grand Duke Graphio.]
Gooseb.u.mps covered my body. Some of the grand dukes were equivalent to lower-grade demon kings. Yet he hung their heads like they were toys.
Once Michael completely disappeared over the hill, Jung Heewon sighed and put away her sword.
I turned my head and saw Uriel looking this way.
Archangel Uriel. She was different from when I had seen her at the Constellation Banquet. She wore Eden"s uniform with cross earrings and looked elegant. The usual mischievous feeling couldn"t be found as n.o.bility overflowed from her body.
[Kim Dokja...]
She stared at me with complicated eyes before suddenly making a startled expression. Then she turned towards Jung Heewon like she was avoiding my gaze.
[It"s nice to see you. Is this the first time you"ve met me like this?]
Jung Heewon"s lips were slightly parted as she faced Uriel. Perhaps it was a type of excitement. Indeed, this was the first time Jung Heewon had seen Uriel. The Uriel in front of us right now was in a shape where her incarnation body and her true self were united. The archangel in front of us was the true nature of the Demon-like Judge of Fire.
[Come along, the scribe is waiting.]
***
"...How long do we have to wait?"
Jung Heewon and I were immediately taken to Eden"s palace. Eden was a lot more modest than I expected. I was familiar with the depiction from Ways of Survival but it was certainly different from the other magnificent residences. There were small decorations that didn"t give any feeling of pretenses. The murals and statues decorating the monotonous white gave off a curiously humble feel. The problem was that such modest made my wait even more boring.
-Wait here. A guide will soon come.
Uriel left me here and disappeared somewhere with Jung Heewon. I wanted to see Eden as well... I was feeling a bit disappointed.
...Perhaps it was because of what happened in the 1863rd round. I left Uriel"s colleague, Jophiel there. It was unavoidable if I received blame.
[Kim Dokja, you came?]
I raised my head with blank eyes and an angel sitting on a cloud was looking down at me. The appearance was in the early teens with curly hair. The angel looked down at me with half sleep eyes and I got up. "Are you Raphael?"
Raphael nodded.
Guardian of Youths and Travel, Raphael. This world"s Eden seemed to be in good shape. After Uriel, I was glad to see Raphael. By the way... was this the archangel who really repelled the fearsome Asmodeus?
[How did you find out about the secret portal?]
"I was told by Jophiel."
[How does it feel to be in Eden?]
"Good."
[You look sleepy?]
I hurriedly changed my expression and smiled. Raphael guided me through the corridor from the parlour. As we walked through the outer corridor, the scenery of the garden could be seen through the window. The sheep that were grazing on the gra.s.s cried out as they looked up at me. I watched the sheep and wondered,
"There really are lambs in Eden."
[Yes, thyey"re good when you can"t sleep.]
"...Are you saying you count them?
[You"ve probably seen it too. They are the one who appear when you close your eyes and think of
sheep before you sleep.]
I was surprised because it was a story that didn"t appear in Ways of Survival. Were they really the sheep that people counted before going to bed?
[I was lying.]
"..."
I stared at Raphael in a dumbfounded manner. Raphael laughed and started talking again.
[Do you know? Originally there were no sheep in Eden.]
"Are you lying again?"
[This is real. The sheep were brought by Uriel.]
Uriel? Why?
[One day, the scribe gave Uriel a sub scenario.]
The archangels of Eden received missions through the Scribe of Heaven. Understandably, every mission was reduced to a scenario. I was curious because this wasn"t in Ways of Survival.
"What scenario was it?"
[Bring 10 lambs.]
Many scenarios in the Star Stream took the form of metaphors. In Eden, the metaphor of the sheep was obvious. In a nutsh.e.l.l, Metatron wanted Uriel to bring 10 wors.h.i.+ppers.
"...Uriel brought real lambs?"
[Yes. It was 10 at first but they reproduced and grew too much.]
It sounded like something Uriel would do.
The angels who managed the sheep could also be seen. The angels feed or shaved the sheep"s fur. Everything was beautiful as described in Ways of Survival. Some of them looked to this side and chatted with each other. One, two, three... the numbers went up more and more. Someone improvised a placard out of shaved fleece and started to wave it this way.
...What did it say?
[The constellation "Demon-like Judge of Fire" is making a stern expression.]
The angels hurriedly scattered. I could see Uriel and Jung Heewon waving in the distance. Raphael clicked his tongue. [An angel is fond of fallen humans.]
"Can you speak while moving?"
[Go in. The scribe is waiting.]
I was standing in front of the scribe"s office. I took a deep breath before opening the door and entering.
The first thing that came into view were piles of books stacked up to the height of a person.
The pile of books was impossible to read in my lifetime and I involuntarily took a liking to the owner of the room. Anyone who liked books couldn"t be a bad person.
I was careful not to destroy the pile of books as I stepped into the office. Beyond the mountains of books, the table of the office could be seen. Then I saw a grey-haired archangel sitting in front of me with a tired face.
[You came.]
It was a G.o.dly voice that couldn"t be compared to any constellation I had seen before. Metatron pushed up the frame of his gla.s.ses and smiled at me.
[Welcome, Demon King of Salvation. I am the Scribe of Heaven.]
***
I came to Eden for two reasons. One was superficial and the other was a real errand.
[I would like to hear what happened in the other world line.]
I nodded and started to explain. It went from the agreement with Secretive Plotter to the 1863rd round world, meeting the people there and leaving Jophiel behind.
I told the story. Some parts were honest, some were summarized and some things I didn"t say. Metatron listened to my story. Some stories were heard earnestly and some calmly. Some stories he listened to curiously.
[Secretive Plotter...]
"Do you know him?"
Metatron smiled lightly.
[There are probably no constellations in this world who don"t know him. However, they don"t know who he is.]
I closed my mouth. My story ended here.
[Thank you for telling me the story, Demon King of Salvation.]
"No problem."
[In the future, Eden will indeed be destroyed.]
His voice was very casual for speaking about the destruction. It was a face that didn"t show the slightest agitation. I looked at this Metatron and asked, "Why did you call me? It isn"t just to hear the story."
The Scribe of Heaven. He recorded everything in Eden and was the number two benevolent person in Eden. Metatron"s smile widened.
[Why do you think I called you?]
This was Metatron"s conversational style. He listened to his desires through the mouth of another person. I thought for a moment before replying. Perhaps this was a chance for me.
"I think you want to use me as a tool to stop the destruction."
[You? What is useful about you?]
My figure was reflected in Metatron"s transparent eyes. Kim Dokja in one eye had white wings while Kim Dokja in the other eye had black demon wings.
"I am a demon king who hasn"t chosen an alliance."
I became the demon king of the 73rd Demon Realm through the selection. It was a position that had been vacant for thousands of years. Such a place was occupied by a newborn constellation.
I opened my last message log.
[The demon king "Black Mane Lion" is inviting you to his demon realm.]
[The demon king "Immeasurable Austerity" is inviting you to his demon realm.]
....
They were messages that had acc.u.mulated from the moment I became a demon king.
"The destruction of Eden is triggered by the war with the Demon World. You"re trying to use me as a mediator."
It was natural to get attention from other demon kings. Then what about Eden? Eden had shown an unusual interest in me before I became a demon king. I received the favour of the archangels, starting with Uriel. Based on the att.i.tude that Eden normally took towards evil alignment constellations, their treatment of me was unusual.
"You need me. In the history of the Star Stream, I am probably the first person to receive the attention of the Demon World and Eden at the same time."
I deliberately raised my voice. Considering future negotiations, I couldn"t be pushed back by Metatron here.
Metatron didn"t answer and stared at my face for a moment. The next moment, I realized that something was wrong. Along with an intense pressure, a bright light emerged from behind Metatron. It was a light gaze that I had felt someone before. I felt a dangerous force penetrating my essence.
[The exclusive skill "Fourth Wall" is strongly activated!]
Sparks covered my eyes as I took a few steps back with a groan. The sparks gradually became smaller and Metatron expressed his admiration.
[...As expected, you are also a chosen being of the "Fragment of the Last Wall."]
"What..."
[The "Wall Dividing Good and Evil" is looking at you with surprise.]
I stared in front of me with surprise. Behind Metatron was a silver "wall." There was no doubt.
[The Fourth Wall is baring its teeth towards the Wall Dividing Good and Evil]
Wall Dividing Good and Evil. Archangel Metatron was the owner of a "wall", just like me.
TL: Rainbow Turtle