Chapter 1305
"Kuaaaaaaaaak!"
A shriek that threatened to shred his vocal cords erupted from Archangel Sariel as the searing heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation engulfed him. In that golden blaze, his physical form and his very essence began to liquefy simultaneously.
"Cease! Make it stop!"
Sariel realized the celestial protection shielding his existence was no match for the blistering intensity of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. He coughed up thick, stagnant blood. Every attempt to leap into a new host failed; the gentle golden radiance of Heavenly Drive acted like an unbreakable shackle on his spirit.
"I have a proposition for you."
Raon adjusted the grip on Heavenly Drive, slightly easing the crushing weight on Sariel’s soul.
"A... a proposition?"
Sariel looked up, his eyes clouded with agony, appearing ready to agree to any terms to end the torment.
"If you provide honest answers to my inquiries, I will permit you to leave."
Raon tipped his head down, locking eyes with the suffering archangel.
"W-why should I trust your word?"
Sariel bit his lip until it bled, his suspicion warring with the excruciating pain wracking his frame.
"Do you really believe..."
Raon’s gaze turned frigid, a sharp glint appearing in his eyes.
"...that you are in a position to demand guarantees?"
With a mocking smirk, he plunged Heavenly Drive further into Sariel’s chest. The blade functioned as a dual anchor, pinning both the flesh and the spirit.
"Aaaaaaaaaak!"
The archangel howled in renewed misery, his limbs twitching under the increased pressure. Despite the torture, the pride inherent to his kind kept him from submitting instantly.
—I am uncertain what you intend to propose, but despite his current pathetic state, that creature is still an archangel at his core.
Wrath manifested, settling on Raon's shoulder.
—He won't succumb to a weak bluff. He would sooner embrace oblivion.
Wrath shook his head, warning Raon not to dismiss Sariel's resolve too lightly.
'I am well aware.'
Raon offered a thin, knowing smile.
'I have no intention of underestimating either the heavenly or the demonic.'
He stroked his chin, his expression unreadable.
—Naturally... wait.
Wrath had been nodding in agreement, but he suddenly froze as he caught sight of Raon's face.
—Y-you... why is your smile so unsettling...
Wrath let out a sharp breath, a shiver seemingly running through his ethereal form.
—What devious plan are you cooking up!
'You'll see.'
Ignoring Wrath, Raon returned his attention to the trembling Sariel.
"Very well. I shall swear upon 'soul'."
He gave a firm nod to the shivering figure.
"Provide me with the truth I seek, and I shall grant you your freedom."
Raon placed a hand over his heart, declaring he would stake a soul on this oath.
"Is... is that a genuine vow?"
Sariel squinted, his brow furrowing in disbelief.
"You have the means to confirm it yourself, do you not?"
Raon invited him to witness the truth. He shut his eyes, fully expanding his spiritual domain.
Kugugugugu!
Violent tremors of energy erupted from Raon. This wasn't mere mana; it was the raw power of the soul. The sheer magnitude of his spiritual presence was enough to dwarf an archangel, causing the very air to vibrate.
"Heok!"
As Sariel felt the weight of the soul Raon had laid bare, he swallowed hard.
"Wh-what are you truly..."
He gasped, wondering how a mere mortal could possess such a thing.
"History has seen many humans with great strength, but a soul that can suppress an archangel's..."
Sariel trailed off, shaking with a mixture of pain and bewilderment.
—I am equally confused.
Even as an adversary, Wrath found himself empathizing with Sariel's shock.
"That is none of your concern."
Raon cut him off sharply, giving Heavenly Drive a cruel twist.
Zzziiiiiik!
The simultaneous tearing of his body and spirit caused red veins to bulge in Sariel's eyes.
"Aaaaak! Fine! I yield! Ask what you will!"
He nodded frantically, desperate to end the sensation of being shredded.
"Derus Robert."
Raon let the name fall from his lips, drenched in a cold, lingering hatred.
"Where can I find him?"
Though Raon had personally ended Derus Robert’s life, a sense of closure eluded him. A lingering paranoia whispered that the man might still emerge from the shadows to strike at him.
"Derus Robert?"
Sariel let out a sharp, incredulous huff.
"You slaughtered him yourself! Why are you asking such a ridiculous thing!"
He scowled, confused as to why his captor was obsessing over a dead man.
"Was it not Derus Robert who brought you here?"
Raon narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the angel. He was certain Derus had been the one to summon the heavenly host, and he wanted to know the exact mechanics of their arrival.
"It is true he performed the summoning. But..."
Sariel tilted his head back, his tone dismissive.
"That was a long time ago. My brethren and I inhabited human vessels and completed our synchronization with this realm long before he fell."
He explained that their descent had been finalized while Derus Robert was still drawing breath.
"......"
Raon remained silent, watching Sariel’s every micro-expression.
'He isn't lying.'
Using the Soul Sword to peer into the vibrations of Sariel’s essence, Raon detected no deception. The archangel truly believed Derus Robert was gone.
'Is he truly finished?'
While a part of him had suspected Derus might have survived, Sariel’s genuine reaction suggested that the threat might actually be extinguished.
"Then why were you embedded here, pulling the strings of the monarchy and the high houses?"
Raon tightened his grip on his weapon.
"If you weren't acting on Derus's whims, what was the purpose of such a convoluted scheme?"
It made little sense for a being who viewed humanity as vermin to waste time brainwashing them without a specific goal.
"I-it was at the behest of Uriel..."
Sariel hesitated before speaking the name of the other archangel.
"He commanded me to establish dominance here, to use humanity as the instrument of its own downfall."
He admitted he had been acting as a puppet master under Uriel’s direction.
"Uriel..."
Raon blinked slowly, his mind flashing back to his previous encounter with that particular archangel.
"Next question. Where are Uriel and the rest of your kind hiding?"
The archangels were not only powerhouses of combat but possessed esoteric abilities. If they joined forces with Eden, the resulting chaos would be catastrophic.
'Only I can handle someone like Sariel.'
It wasn't a boast, but a fact; on this continent, he was the only one capable of deciphering and countering their unique powers. If the other hidden archangels were of similar strength, he needed to hunt them down before they could strike.
"I... I cannot say."
Sariel’s chin quivered.
"We archangels are solitary, arrogant creatures. I have no knowledge of their current locations or their designs!"
He squeezed his eyes shut, insisting he was ignorant.
"That is a falsehood."
Raon leaned in, his gaze piercing.
"Your soul is betraying you. It wavers even as you speak."
Unlike his previous answer regarding Derus, Sariel’s spirit was now agitated. He might not know everything, but he was certainly withholding a key piece of information.
"Ugh..."
Sariel gulped, visibly unnerved by Raon's uncanny perception.
"Speak. We had an agreement."
Raon drove Heavenly Drive down with even greater force.
Zzziiiiiik!
As the twin blades of the physical and spiritual swords cut deeper, Sariel’s eyes looked as though they might pop from their sockets.
"Kueoooooook!"
The archangel let out a soul-shattering cry, his body flailing uselessly against the ground.
"Hold! I do not know their current coordinates! But!"
Sariel raised a trembling hand, pleading for mercy.
"I know the destination they must all eventually reach!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood and shouted his final secret.
"And what place is that?"
Raon remained composed, continuing to stroke his chin.
"Archangels are alien to this reality. To function here, they must undergo a period of synchronization to balance the laws of causality and prepare their forms for this world's mana. There is a specific site for this process."
Sariel nodded, confirming he had utilized the site himself.
'What's your take?'
Raon glanced toward Wrath.
—It is a plausible claim.
Wrath clicked his tongue.
—Unlike the demon lords who focus solely on the conflict with the heavens, those winged bastards seem to have broader ambitions.
He sneered, noting their goal was clearly the eradication of the human race.
"Give me the location."
Raon applied more pressure to Sariel’s heart, his eyes flashing with a predatory light.
"The peak of the mountain known as Melvin."
Sariel’s eyes darted around.
"There is an ancient celestial temple at the summit. It has existed for millennia and provides the perfect environment for adapting to this dimension."
He explained that every archangel would eventually have to pass through that temple.
"Which of them have yet to arrive there?"
Raon eased his stance slightly, though his focus remained sharp.
"I cannot speak for all of them. However..."
Sariel paused, his lips trembling.
"Uriel likely hasn't made the journey yet. His essence is... unique."
He noted that Uriel’s adaptation process was far from complete.
"Uriel..."
Raon whispered the name, his fingers tensing.
'He was certainly a cut above.'
Much like Wrath and Pride stood out among the demonic, Uriel seemed to hold a special status among the archangels—perhaps even outranking the two demon lords.
"Th-that is everything, is it not?"
Sariel gestured weakly with his hand.
"I have fulfilled my part of the bargain. Now, release me!"
He watched Raon, waiting for him to honor the deal.
"Yes. A promise was made."
Raon exhaled softly and began to withdraw Heavenly Drive.
"However..."
Instead of sheathing the blade, he swung it high above his head.
"The soul I staked on that oath was not my own."
Raon gave a thin, cruel smile, telling the archangel to reconsider the exact phrasing of the vow.
"What...?"
As the realization dawned on Sariel, his eyes filled with terror.
"Y-you deceptive snake!"
Before the scream could fully leave his throat, Heavenly Drive—now radiating the power of a true divine blade—descended.
Peoooooook!
The silver arc sliced cleanly through both the physical form and the ethereal essence of Sariel. The archangel, who had come to this world to rule, perished without even the chance for a final breath.
—Hah...
Wrath stood frozen, staring at Sariel’s severed head on the ground.
—Wh-what! What have you done now! You swore on your soul!
He blinked, utterly baffled by the turn of events.
'I said, "I'll swear upon soul." I never specified it was mine.'
He hadn't forged a spiritual link like Sariel's; he had simply manipulated the Soul Sword to bypass the archangel's truth-sensing abilities.
—Incredible. You are absolutely insane!
Wrath's reaction mirrored the late archangel's shock, his voice rising in exasperation.
—A swindler who outplays the king of swindlers! How can someone like you even exist!
He gnashed his teeth, stunned by Raon's cold-blooded trickery.
'Regardless, the intel is solid.'
Raon allowed himself a small grin as he flicked the blood from Heavenly Drive.
'Mount Melvin...'
He marked the location in his mind. It was a journey he would have to take once his responsibilities as the acting head of the house were settled.
—I suppose I have to give you credit for this...
Wrath was still shaking his head in disbelief when several prompts flickered into existence.
[You have utterly bewildered an archangel!]
[You have earned the begrudging respect of a demon king!]
[A unique feat has been accomplished!]
[All attributes...]
[New traits...]
The moment Wrath spoke his piece, the rewards manifested.
—N-no! That wasn't respect! I was merely appalled by your lack of ethics!
Wrath protested loudly, but the massive notification windows had already expanded, pinning him beneath their weight.
'Given the results...'
Raon smirked as he watched the messages overwhelm the demon.
'Perhaps being a bit of a rogue isn't such a bad thing.'
