Leveling with the Gods

C321

Chiiir~

The mansion's door opened.

Angels dressed in white robes opened the door and welcomed Michael.

Michael's mind was too confused, unable to sort out his thoughts.

A moment ago...

YuWon's words kept swirling in his head.

-How much do you trust Metatron?

Those words were impactful enough to induce nausea just by thinking about them.

How much did he trust Metatron?

"He is the Heavenly King."

Michael stood still for a moment and closed his eyes.

His vision turned black as coal.

There was nothing to see, making his thoughts even deeper.

"He is someone closer to Heaven than anyone else. The one and magnificent being we should worship."

Doubting someone like Metatron was unthinkable.

It had been that way from the beginning when he defended the Angels and fought against the Demons.

Michael never doubted Metatron. His actions were sublime, and he was the undisputed leader of all Angels.

Michael had sworn eternal loyalty and trust to Metatron.

And that hadn't changed until now, even after countless Great Heaven Demon Wars.

However...

-Who do you think started the Great Heaven Demon War?

Why...

-Do you really think it's the Demons killing the Angels of Heaven?

Why did those words keep haunting him?

"Do I also have the same doubts?"

No, that wasn't possible.

His trust in Metatron was unwavering. If Metatron asked him to sacrifice himself for Heaven, Michael would gladly do it.

Yes.

Metatron wouldn't have started the Great Heaven Demon War to kill the Angels.

However...

"Many Angels have died in the Great Heaven Demon War."

There were some things he could sympathize with in YuWon's words.

The war had lost its meaning and had become a senseless event.

A fight beyond that had no significance.

"What's the matter?"

The mansion's butler approached Michael, who was lost in his thoughts for a moment.

Michael snapped out of his thoughts and opened his eyes. Then, he headed directly in the direction from where the butler came.

"An urgent matter has arisen."

"Allow me to accompany you."

When the followers approached, Michael shook his head.

"No, I'll go alone."

"Where are you planning to go...?"

"I must go see the King."

"Do you mean Lord Metatron?"

The follower looked up, contemplating the dark and somber night sky.

Even though the two moons shone brightly, the night was quite dark.

Nevertheless, Michael made a hasty decision as if he were being pursued by something.

"There isn't much time until the Great Heaven Demon War."

Having made a firm decision, Michael couldn't afford to wait any longer, aware that every moment that passed without stopping this fight would result in more sacrifices.

With a flap of his wings, Michael extended his wings.

The Heavenly King Metatron was in the highest place of Heaven.

A small castle floated above the sky, in the sky above the sky.

It was a palace intended only for an Angel. The Heavenly Palace was a place where only the Heavenly King and authorized Archangels could enter.

With his wings extended, Michael flew towards the Heavenly Palace.

He entered the castle and folded his wings, walking on the red carpet.

Metatron was already waiting for him.

"Michael comes to see the Heavenly King."

He knelt down and lowered his gaze.

Even looking at him directly was considered an act of disrespect.

His knee was directed towards the Archangel seated on the throne.

"I knew you would come."

A blond-haired Angel with long hair reaching his waist and skin so transparent that it glowed.

An existence like a deity to the living Angels, as well as a significant part of the history of Heaven.

Metatron.

He looked down at Michael.

"Raise your head."

"Yes."

"Why have you come at such a late hour?"

It wasn't a reprimand.

It was the intention to understand what urgency there could be to come at such a late hour.

"As it seems to be an urgent matter, I would be more attentive to what you have to say." That was Metatron's tone.

Faced with Metatron's tone, Michael struggled to keep his head held high instead of dropping it down.

"I have something to say."

"Go ahead."

"I want to stop the Great Heaven Demon War here and now."

"Stop the Great Heaven Demon War...?"

Metatron's eyes narrowed.

It was a meaningful expression.

It was natural.

To say that he would stop such a long and ongoing war between the Demons and Heaven without difficulty.

Despite his mood, Metatron calmly asked, "Why do you suddenly say that?"

"That's..."

While considering mentioning YuWon's story, Michael stopped the words he was about to utter.

Instead of saying that he was influenced by the meaningless words of a Human, it would be better to speak of his own thought.

Michael closed his mouth for a moment and then opened it.

"Too much blood has already been shed."

"Blood?"

"Yes. And if this fight continues, we will continue to spill more blood."

The longer the fight lasted, the more Angels would die.

It was natural. There was no Angel who didn't know that.

However, the Great Heaven Demon War didn't stop.

That's why Michael made a decision.

"So, I dare to ask, what do you think about calling for a ceasefire?"

"Ceasefire, ceasefire..."

Metatron repeated those words as if he were lost in deep thoughts.

How much time might have passed since then?

"Do you remember how the Great Heaven Demon War started?"

Facing the sudden question, Michael nodded.

"Yes, I remember."

"And the name of that Angel?"

"The name... you mean?"

It was a very ancient event.

Moreover, back then, Michael was a lower-ranking Angel in a much lower position than he is now, who is already in the position of the Chief of Angels.

There were few Angels who remembered even the incident, let alone remembering that it happened.

"At that time, he was a young Angel who had just passed the Trials. His name was Tamael."

Tamael.

It was a strange name.

No matter how much time had passed, it seems that name no longer remains in the memories.

"If we stop the Great Heaven Demon War, his name will completely disappear. He won't even receive consolation for the injustice."

Metatron's voice filled with sadness.

Recalling a little Angel who lost his life a long time ago, Metatron spoke with a resolute voice.

"If we submit to the current sacrifices, it could become a recurring pattern. We might fear shedding blood and hesitate in battle, ultimately losing everything."

Sss~

Metatron stood up from his seat and approached Michael with a step.

"Michael."

"Yes."

"Is that what you desire?"

"...No."

"Then I'm glad."

Metatron smiled brightly.

There were no reprimands or scoldings.

Knock, knock.

Metatron tapped Michael's shoulder several times and then turned away.

"Today, let's say I heard nothing. Go back."

After saying that, Metatron left as if he had vanished.

Michael stood up from his seat and lowered his head. In his mind, Michael's head tangled once again.

He spread his wings and flew through the sky without a clear destination for a while.

And when he returned to the mansion...

"Is the story over?"

The voice that had been swirling in his head lately echoed.

"I must have told you to stay out of sight."

YuWon was waiting near the mansion.

YuWon was the last person Michael wanted to see right now, causing Michael's face to wrinkle quickly.

But despite that stern expression, YuWon didn't seem fazed.

"That's how it was."

"But..."

"Don't you see?"

"You're ignoring me."

Ssshh...

The wind's direction shifted towards a single point.

The surrounding air filled with Michael's Arcane Power.

Woosh...

YuWon activated the Golden Cinder Eyes.

The wind that was blowing around him started to become hostile. Michael released Arcane Power as if he was about to attack.

Despite that...

He didn't act immediately.

"Why do you hesitate?"

"Hesitate?"

"The Sword and Shield of Heaven. The wind that punishes and condemns evil. Isn't that what the Archangel Michael represents?"

The wind heading towards YuWon trembled for a moment.

He's hesitating.

Michael realized the reason his mind was confused.

"If you think I'm wrong, there's nothing to hesitate about."

"...Then?"

"It must be because of the Heavenly King's order, even though you know it's best to stop the Great Heaven Demon War, you can't."

Silence...

Due to the constant jab of his conscience, Michael grabbed his head.

Who is this guy in front of him?

Why does he know his mind better than himself?

He was angry, and his pride was affected.

YuWon was right, that's why he couldn't act against him.

But...

"I can't betray the Heavenly King."

The loyalty he had upheld through the long-forgotten years wasn't so easily toppled.

YuWon knew that too.

Archangel Michael.

He knew how long he had stood by Metatron's side.

"I didn't come here to ask you to betray him."

"Then?"

"Have you met with Metatron?"

With a penetrating gaze that seemed to know it all, YuWon approached Michael.

Fleeting, he could see Metatron's figure in YuWon as he approached.

"If you had to choose between the Heavenly King Metatron and all the Angels of Heaven..."

Chas...

YuWon came up close and stopped in front of Michael, looking down at him, despite Michael being slightly taller than him.

"Which one would you choose?"

The empty place where Michael was. Metatron wandered around that place for a while.

"It's true..."

The words Michael left behind echoed in his mind.

-We've spilled too much blood.

How many Angels died in the Great Heaven Demon War?

Probably hundreds of millions. It was a war that took place not just once but over hundreds of times, so it was a natural outcome.

Michael's words were correct.

Too much blood had been spilled.

However...

"It's faster than I thought."

He believed that even if he couldn't do it now, the Great Heaven Demon War would continue for a thousand years, even thousands of years.

As the fight between Angels and Demons repeated over and over, it grew deeper, and their mutual hatred accumulated.

And Metatron believed that this was the culmination of the confrontation between Angels and Demons.

But suddenly, Michael asserted that the Great Heaven Demon War must stop.

He said too many Angels had died, and more would continue to die in the future.

"Well, we've spilled much blood."

There were some Angels who held the same argument as Michael.

Every time that happened, Metatron dismissed them with the same words.

But this time was different.

It wasn't just any Angel; it was an Archangel.

Moreover, Michael was the Angel with the greatest influence among the Archangels.

"Of all people, Michael..."

The opponent wasn't good.

He couldn't overlook the situation as he had done until now.

Once a spark ignites, it spreads rapidly like a predictable fire.

"It's time..."

Suddenly...

Metatron's steps, which were aimlessly pacing, abruptly stopped in that place.

"I have to raise the stakes."

KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE