(Anime/Manga Fanfiction) [Various] Throne of God (23) + Extra Chapter Archangel Gabriel's face darkened further, her eyes flashing with a sharp light. She had never known that there were beings truly on par with Seraphim. Could it be that there were beings of this caliber in Hell?
Jeremy, standing beside his superior, also stared wide-eyed, almost bending over in disbelief at the overwhelming dragon's might. If it weren't for Prince Gabriel's intervention, he would probably be kneeling on the ground. How could there be beings more powerful than angels in this world?
Behemoth leaped down from the sky, his legs, transformed from a dragon's tail, beneath his black robe, his bare feet treading on the gravelly, muddy ground. His long gray hair was tinged with the gloom of death, and his narrow eyes held a cold, melancholic light. He walked straight to Isidore, directly protecting this high-ranking demon, forming a standoff with Gabriel.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Facing Behemoth, whose strength was comparable to that of a Seraph, Gabriel clashed with the dragon a few times, the clash of holy light and dark magic producing a piercing screeching sound. She leaped a few meters away, a strand of hair on her forehead singed. Gabriel gritted her teeth, lamenting her near-last-ranking strength among the Seraphs.
Unless Michael or Metatron intervened, she had no chance of killing it. In this situation, even if she used all her strength to kill this abyssal demon, she still had the weak Cherubim beside her. If they were to harm her lieutenant while she was off guard, she would lose face immensely.
"I didn't expect there to be a demon like you in Hell. Who are you? My God did not create a dark dragon race."
Looking at the scar on the dragon's eye, Gabriel's eyes narrowed slightly as she asked thoughtfully. If she wasn't mistaken, it must have been left by Prince Lucifer. Behemoth, equally unwilling to engage in a protracted battle with the Seraph, grabbed Isidore's arm and leaped out of the fighting circle. Once in the relatively safe perimeter, she said indifferently,
"I am naturally a descendant of the beings created by God, Behemoth."
Gabriel felt a surge of frustration. Since God created angels on the sixth day of creation, they had no idea what beings had been created before. Her gaze lingered on Isidore's face for a moment, then Gabriel suddenly thrust her hips forward, leaving only a faint afterimage, and her fingers, gripping the bowstring, shot towards the demon who had insulted the angels and impersonated Lucifer.
Joyce was startled, but such an attack wouldn't be fatal. Behemoth frowned, took a step to the left, and extended her pale hand. A life-sized, rhomboid crystal, formed from dark magic within her palm, was used to block the angel's attack. He was puzzled as to why Gabriel persisted. According to the intelligence he'd gathered, Seraphim were always extremely rational.
"The Archangel is not someone you can impersonate!"
The six-winged Seraphim's wings erupted with terrifying energy fluctuations, her golden curls whistling through the air. Gabriel yanked back a bowstring, but strangely, the arrow failed to find its mark. As she approached the two demons, the slender, long string possessed the ability to pierce through defensive crystals.
Before Behemoth could react, the bowstring broke through the defenses. Several pale blue gusts of wind whipped across the bowstring, and Isidore screamed as Gabriel ripped a chunk of skin from his face. Having achieved her goal, Gabriel smiled with unusual gentleness and elegance, not even pausing for a moment, and pulled her lieutenant towards Joyce's location.
"Let's go! Take Joyce with us. I'll report this to the gods in the Crystal Heaven first."
Witnessing this series of events, the silver-haired god, who had been resting her chin on her right hand, let her hand slip, speechlessly examining the high-ranking demon's mangled face. Gabriel knew perfectly well that it was an illusion, yet she still ruthlessly peeled off a layer of the demon's skin, incidentally adding some light power as a bonus.
"I'm going to kill her! Aaaaaah—"
Isidore's face became incredibly ferocious, her eyes almost bloodshot. Her piercing screams were so loud that even Jehovah in the Crystal Heaven found them jarring, let alone Behemoth standing nearby. The dragon's eyes darted around for a moment, barely suppressing the urge to cover his ears or create a soundproof barrier. He picked up two pieces of the fallen skin with two fingers, slapped it onto Isidore's face, and said calmly,
"Let's go back and sew your face back up."
Second Mercury Heaven.
Joyce sat vacantly in the chair, his androgynous features now drained of color. The large cloak Jeremy had draped over him to prevent the angel from losing face, and he seemed to be shivering uncontrollably. Beneath the cloak lay the angel's naked body.
Raphael couldn't bear to watch any longer. He picked up a clean robe and went to his friend's side, but Joyce, who hadn't reacted before, gripped his wrist tightly.
"You told Gabriel!"
The angel's eyes held a madness and pain Raphael had never seen before. His fingers felt icy against Joyce's skin, sending a chill down Raphael's spine.
"It was me, but I don't regret it."
Raphael's voice remained as gentle as ever, but his clear, watery eyes held an undeniable determination. If he had known Joyce had been seduced by a demon, he would have risked his life to pull his friend away from its clutches.
"Joyce, listen to me… don't panic. Get dressed first, then take a bath in the small sacred pool. His Highness Gabriel won't be back from the Crystal Heaven for a while."
Raphael gently combed Joyce's hair, trying his best to calm his friend who was on the verge of collapse. He then greeted the attendant angels in the Archangel's palace and led the dazed Joyce to the small sanctuary of the Second Angel.
In the small sanctuary, a few passing angels gathered in small groups, watching the argument at the entrance. They were puzzled as to why the gate was blocked; this was a place any archangel could enter.
"Why won't you let us in?"
Raphael, standing in front of Joyce, frowned slightly, looking at the archangels guarding the small sanctuary with confusion. They were all acquaintances of his.
"You can go in, but Joyce cannot."
The head guard of the small sanctuary glanced at Raphael beside him, then at the numb Joyce, and said with a mocking laugh. The moment Joyce's name was uttered, a commotion erupted among the other angels watching. Even angels couldn't resist gossip. While angels were undoubtedly the purest beings in the world, this also meant they lacked ulterior motives.
Angels had no concept of good or evil, only faith… but how many truly understood this?
Joyce trembled even more violently, frantically covering his ears. Unfortunately, the whispering gossip was like a curse. Raphael, anxiously watching his friend about to cower and huddle, forcefully held him back, preventing him from making such a humiliating move.
"Look, this is the guy who slept with a demon, so impure…"
"The captain of the guard is right. How could we let him in?"
"So filthy. He's Joyce? This look certainly suits a demon's eye."
Because Lucifer's involvement was deliberately concealed, ever since the news of the angel being touched by a demon was leaked, the archangels residing in the Second Heaven, like Raphael and the others, had changed their expressions. The angels looked at Joyce with disdain, as he had sneaked out of the mortal realm to mate with a demon. Their attitude seemed to completely sever ties with him, no longer acknowledging him as one of their own. The few angels who were on good terms with Joyce at most simply avoided him without a word; apart from his friend Raphael, no one was willing to speak up for him.
"Ahhh—"
Joyce suddenly burst into tears, large tears sliding down his pointed chin, his lips marked with bite marks. He covered his ears, shook off Raphael's hand, and ran quickly away from the small sanctuary entrance.
In the Grand Cathedral, Gabriel pressed her forehead tightly to the crystal floor, her graceful body kneeling before the throne, her hands crossed on the ground before her. She remained silent, kneeling before God, as if awaiting His final decision.
Jehovah gazed indifferently at the archangel kneeling before him. She had knelt for three whole days, her demeanor shifting from initial anxiety to silent pleading, all because of the judgment he would deliver after hearing her story.
As God, He could not tolerate Heaven's demise before the world's destruction; second, He could not tolerate the disloyalty of the angels who believed in Him; and third, He could not tolerate those angels who had violated the Seven Virtues remaining an eyesore in Heaven.
"Gabriel, he has violated the Seven Virtues."
"My God, I know, but he was ultimately seduced by the devil. I beg you, my God, to lessen his punishment and give him a chance to atone."
Raising her head, Gabriel's beautiful face was slightly pale, but her eyes held an unfathomable tenderness towards the archangel.
It wasn't just the nervousness of pleading with God for the first time, but also the pressure of the Great Cathedral. She was almost suffocating under the weight of the temple's atmosphere; only now, facing the divine, did Gabriel realize how insignificant she was, kneeling there.
If it were just a normal punishment, Gabriel wouldn't have uttered a single objection. She also believed Joyce needed to be held accountable for his actions. But this time, the outcome truly surprised Gabriel. Exile was an incredibly severe punishment for an angel. Stripped of their name from the Book of the Holy Spirit, an angel abandoned by God would never return to Heaven, forever wandering in despair and depravity.
Joyce was certainly at fault, but he was also a victim, especially since he was an archangel under her jurisdiction. How could she, as his superior, stand idly by? Ultimately, the culprit was that demon disguised as Lucifer!
Lucifer was the last to learn of this. Compared to the other ordinary angels who were only vaguely aware, the seraphim who knew the reason felt embarrassed to explain to the archangel, and Gabriel's mournful expression made them hesitant to fan the flames.
The first person to approach Lucifer to discuss this matter wasn't Michael, the deputy archangel, but the Seraphim Samael.
In the palace of the Ninth Heaven, facing Lucifer's questioning gaze, Samael, who had been asked by Gabriel, gave a wry smile and tactfully recounted the events.