Chapter 171: Heavenly Conquest - 2

Heavenly Conquest - 2

[Kuooooh!]

A terrible scream rang out from the heavenly beauty. Gabriel's voice shocked all who listened with heavenly mana. It only raised in pitch as I twisted Annihilation roughly inside her, expanding the hole in her body as milky blood gushed out.

[Kgh...Heaven...shall...]

"Devour everything." I ordered Annihilation to do so as I infused it with Predation. The outcome was decided the moment she visited the underground alone, regardless of whether Heaven's power was concentrated on her or not.

"It makes no sense. You came to tell us news of a war we already knew about, laying your neck bare to me."

[That doesn't make sense...!]

Having absorbed the black moon, I was a tough enemy for Heaven. Gabriel said she was a messenger, but maybe she wasn't the person who would gauge my strength. It was a bit sad that they couldn't send a worthy opponent. Heaven made a mistake in that regard.

[Kahak!]

A short and faint flurry rang out. Gabriel's body was transformed into particles of light, leaving only the dagger that absorbed her.

"He killed the heavenly messenger so easily..."

"Damn, he's gotten stronger..."

I infused more mana into Annihilation, ignoring the demons' whispers. It grew stronger as light gathered around it to form a small sphere.

"Halpas." As I called out his name, the voice in the sphere replied to me.

[I am here, my master.]

I clenched my fist. Even though she was now dead, it was clear that Gabriel's power was extraordinary. I was sure that if I had enough magical power, I would be able to revive Halpas. All I needed was heavenly mana. I wasn't convinced I could utilize it properly since I had only just reclaimed my power.

"I'm jealous."

"I would've been satisfied with just one bite.

"Is that dagger Halpas?"

From the start, my worries were pointless. Even though Gabriel's body was made up of a part of Heaven, it was no different than Lucifer or the black moon. I poured it all into Halpas, smiling at the other demons.

"Your turn will come soon. I can't grow you all up at once, so the leftovers will be yours."

"Let's decide the order, sister. Rock paper scissors!"

"Shut up, it's me." Halpas slowly emerged from within the dagger. He was no longer a giant monster like he was in the basement under the castle, but a crow small enough to sit on my palm.

[Long time no see, my master.]

"I'm glad you're back safe." He was the one who gave everything for me, despite not knowing he would survive. He trusted me that much. I was fortunate to be able to repay his faith.

[I feel stronger than before. For us, the suffering was just a preparation for this.]

"It was quite the gamble." He smiled at me.

[Please inform me when you need a sword in the future, I am always ready.]

Halpas had become the centerpiece of the blade Annihilation, which only became stronger. He would make for an irreplaceable weapon. I nodded at him and turned towards the others.

"You must've seen and heard their declaration. They have decided on an all-out war. There is no way to avoid it, or to prevent them from invading us. And, I have no intention of avoiding it."

"This'll be fun."

"I've been waiting for this."

"Hoo, there's nothing to think about. What should we do?"

The demons all had different responses and appearances, but I knew they were reliable when the time came.

"We won't wait."

"... I'm sorry?"

"It doesn't make sense to wait. We'll attack first."

"Yeah?!"

"Exactly two days from now, we will conquer Heaven. Get ready." I dismissed them. Various emotions warred among them, ranging from joy all the way to horror. Gremory tilted her head and approached me.

"I'm not questioning your power, but how do we prepare for battle against a vague target like Heaven? Fate, what can I do?"

"What are you talking about? You don't have to fight conceptual objects, I just need you to handle the heavenly army." An army of celestial beings from the Great Fusion, directly empowered by Heaven, and those made directly of celestial power, such as Gabriel. Their strength wouldn't be easy to overcome, even for myself. However, a few things had changed. I absorbed the black moon and was reborn as the king of the underground. It didn't just strengthen me, but also those under my command. They had yet to show off their proper strength, so they didn't know it yet, but it would only take them about two days to adapt to their new strength. With that, victory was possible.

"I'll take care of the rest, so don't worry about it. Just prepare to pour out your mana."

"But that's...I see."

"Huh." It sounded like she really cared about me. However, Gremory was an opportunist who only confirmed my strength had returned. It was better to judge her based on her actions than her words.

"...Alright. Trust your king, after all."

"Oh my, such a dignified response...I have no choice but to believe." If I showed a weak appearance to Gremory, I would be scolded by Lilith, so I urgently hid my facial expressions. Her eyes slightly sharpened as if I couldn't hide everything, but I ignored it and ordered them to disband.

"Enjoy your two days with whatever you want. Combat, raising monsters, dating. Go have fun."

"Alright."

"All will be done according to Satan's will."

The demons then scattered, leaving only the three demons who had been with me from the beginning and Gremory. Of course, Halpas was there too, and the members of Rebellion.

"It goes the same for you. Go enjoy yourselves." They thought I was only talking to the demons. Well, not that they weren't functionally demons themselves now.

"We just wanted to check in on you, given how close you've gotten with the demons. What happened to the captain while we were gone?" As expected, Lee Chan-yu led the charge of asking what all of them were thinking. The rest rallied to him soon after.

[There is a saying that seats make people, but it's too rapid of a change.]

[Is it? I think the captain was originally a monarch. But Lee Chan-yu is right; there is a connection between them and the captain.]

"Just like I'm your captain, I'm also theirs. That's it."

"That's a casually terrifying word to use." Lee Chan-yu replied profoundly. I would've explained everything to them right away if only my sister wasn't here.

"This is a battle for revenge so we can devour them. We will dispose of the source of the Great Fusion, but it won't make everything go back to normal. The dead won't return to life. So you can return to Earth, go back to living a normal life. The Earth isn't in danger, so..."

"I said I'll always be with the captain, but what are you talking about now?" Lee Chan-yu interrupted me.

"Moreover, I love revenge."

[I agree. You should ask more confidently, captain. Or should we call you the king or Satan?]

"Don't do that, it's annoying." Cain laughed at Belphegor's frown.

[I thought I would answer like that too. I'll go rest; it's been a bit too energetic.]

"I'll rest too. Cain, let me borrow your shoulder."

[Ah, me too.]

With his shoulders occupied by Katsuragi and Lee Chan-yu, Cain headed off in the other direction. Lilith grabbed onto my arm as I watched them go.

"Let's go inside."

"Okay, no, wait...I have something to talk to you about."

"You can talk about it in two days."

"But that's..."

Only

"Can't you just trust Fate?" At Lilith's unkind words, my younger sister stopped. I found it funny how she jealously blocked my sister's access to me.

"No monopoly on Fate! I want to play with him too!"

"Fate is mine." No, rather looking at Mireina's treatment, she just did that to all women. I would have to talk to her later. Lilith couldn't keep me cooped up for two whole days.

"Alright. We'll have time to talk later."

"I believe that but...ugh, I hate that girl!"

"Go hang out with the others." Lilith laughed at Mireina and grabbed onto me. I couldn't deny her.

Two days passed. Two beautiful, short days that might be the last holiday I would receive. At the end of that time, I rallied my troops and opened one massive gate.

It was the passage that connected the underground to the heavens