Chapter 325: Atonement (3)

'What?'

What in the world was happening? Rakiel's face was dyed with confusion. He could instinctively tell that something was going wrong. No, anyone would be able to tell just from seeing the enraged goddess before their eyes.

'I kidnapped that human and tortured him?'

No matter how thoroughly he rummaged through his memories, he did not recall anything of the sort; it could not have even happened in the first place. He had prepared to cross over to Earth as soon as his seal had been broken, and had been frantically searching for Gaia's location as soon as he had arrived on Earth. He could swear by the gods that he had never laid a hand on any human on Earth.

'What is happening?'

Rakiel stared at Oh Kang-Woo. The sharp-eyed man was twisting in pain while clenching his chest, the symptoms commonly seen in a human that had been forcibly injected demonic energy.

'Who are you?'

Who in the world could that human possibly be for him to lie about having been kidnapped by Rakiel? Rakiel's head was in a mess; waves of chaos crashed into his mind.

"P-Please wait a moment! I-I have never kidnapped that hum—"

Slam!

A wall was smashed while Rakiel was frantically shaking his head, and a blue-haired boy with eight wings came through it.

'An angel?'

Rakiel had never seen him before. Eight wings would mean that he was an archangel, so he could surmise that the angel was one that had risen to the rank of archangel after he had been sealed. The blue-haired boy stared daggers at Rakiel.

"Hah, you even changed your face a little," the boy said while snorting.

Rakiel could not understand what he was talking about.

The boy said while instilling bloodlust into his voice, "What? You want to atone after all that you've done? You've never kidnapped a human?" Uriel gritted his teeth. "You can't even remember what you did just a few months ago?"

"What are you t—"

"And right after Lady Gaia's power was restored, no less."

Uriel glared at Rakiel with disgust. Although one could not be certain that the restoration of Gaia's power and Rakiel's sudden change in attitude were related, the timing fit just right; it looked as if Rakiel had assumed a submissive attitude as soon as the power of the head god of Earth had been restored.

"You scumbag...!"

Rakiel's cunning attitude made Uriel's teeth clack. Uriel was sure that Rakiel was trying to take advantage of Gaia's benevolent nature.

"You should've behaved yourself if you were gonna pull something like this."

Spark, crackle!

Blue lightning danced around Uriel's wings.

"Did you seriously expect to be forgiven... After you corrupted Raphael and tried to turn Kang-Woo into a demonic beast?!"

"Raphael? Who is th—"

"Shut up!!" Uriel shouted, unable to endure Rakiel's shameless attitude any longer.

Conversation no longer held any meaning. Since Uriel had witnessed Rakiel's evil deeds with his own eyes, he could not be given any chance for atonement.

'Raphael.'

Uriel recalled his old friend, looking down at the hands that had killed him. The specter of Raphael occasionally haunted him, asking why he had killed him, and if he thought nothing of their friendship. Uriel recalled the bloodied Raphael. His rage blazed as strongly as the self-remorse weighing down on his shoulders.

'I will avenge you.'

Crackle—!

Uriel raised his hand, blue lightning gathering around it. He imbued power into his words and materialized magic.

"P O U R !"

A blue lightning cloud formed on the ceiling of the Hall of Protection. Lightning struck along with a blinding flash. At the same time, Kim Si-Hun charged forward.

"Heavenly Dragon Flash!"

Light poured from his sword along with his shout. His eyes boiled with rage.

Si-Hun exclaimed in fury, "I will not let you of all people off with a painless death!"

His gentle face crumpled like that of a Yaksha. A goddess, archangel and hero poured the fallen angel with attacks to eradicate him.

'Wha...'

Rakiel stared at the attacks with his mouth agape.

"What in the..."

Things about corrupting Raphael, kidnapping and torturing Gaia's retainer...

"Why must I endure such..."

Rakiel was frustrated. He would have understood if they were enraged by the sins he had committed; even if he had been controlled by the Demon God, it did not change the fact that he had committed sins that he could never be forgiven for. He would have accepted their rage and let them take his life with the solace, albeit shallow, that he had apologized from the bottom of his heart.

'But this is...'

He was being made to atone for sins that he had never committed. He could endure anything else, but not this.

'I have to resolve the misunderstanding.'

Rakiel no longer had any attachments to life after he had been unsealed; he had no intentions to live on shamelessly after committing such heinous sins. However, he could not stand for this. He refused to die while being framed for something he did not do.

"Kuh!"

Rakiel raised his two hands. Black lightning shot up to block the blue lightning struck down from the sky. He formed a long spear made from black lightning and swung it up diagonally, clashing with Si-Hun's sword.

Boom! An explosive sound echoed.

"... Kurgh." Si-Hun was blown black while grimacing, his hands numb from the impact.

"Hah! You've finally shown your true colors!" Uriel shouted as if he had known this would happen.

Rakiel answered in frustration, "Listen to me! I have not done anyth—"

"I told you to shut up!"

Blue lightning struck down again, which Rakiel reflexively deflected.

'Shit.'

This would not go anywhere at this rate.

'I have no choice.'

If he did not subdue them, he would not even be able to hold a proper conversation with them.

"Fuuu," Rakiel took a deep breath.

Black lightning crackled between his ten wings, and his immense demonic energy stirred. The energy that had once been sacred power but changed after his obsession became madness surged. Divinity, the power that only those that had reached godhood could use, flowed from him.

"... I am sorry," Rakiel said to Si-Hun, who was charging at him, while clenching his spear.

He had no other choice if he wanted to resolve the misunderstanding. He twisted his body around and swung down his spear; the spear edge infused with Divinity clashed with Si-Hun's sword, and...

"Wh-What?"

Si-Hun jumped back in surprise. The condensed sword energy that had been wrapped around the holy sword was annihilated. He aggressively frowned.

"That's..."

It was the power of Divinity.

'Shit.'

His Qi scattered as soon as the Divinity touched it; it could not be any more overpowered. Si-Hun was bewildered after witnessing the power of Divinity for the very first time.

"But..."

It was only for a moment. Si-Hun's eyes gleamed sharply.

'There's a way around it.'

He would be fine as long as he avoided the spear edge infused with the mysterious power. Si-Hun lowered his stance.

'I don't stand a chance head on.'

If his Qi was scattered just from being touched, he had no way of facing Rakiel head on.

'Formless Sword.'

Si-Hun focused his mind and created invisible swords in the air, and increased his distance from Rakiel while moving the swords with Sword Control. Although there was no chance that such a strategy would work one-on-one...

"I G N I T E !"

Crackle—!

Blue lightning struck Rakiel.

"Kurgh!" Rakiel grimaced.

'It will not be easy to subdue them.'

He gripped his spear tighter. Although they were not a threat to him, he could not go easy on them either.

'But...'

Rakiel was sure that he would have no problem subduing the two of them.

"You fool."

The goddess stepped up as if to trample on his certainty.

"Kurgh!"

Gaia, who had come around to Rakiel's back while he had been focused on Si-Hun and Uriel, extended her hand toward him. An immense but intangible power weighed him down.

"Did you seriously believe you had a chance against me when you only possess Lower Intermediate-rank Divinity?" Gaia said.

"..."

Rakiel bit his lip in anxiety. Gaia was right. She was a goddess of the top rank; a being in charge of a star. Although she was nowhere near her true power at the moment, that did not change the rank of her Divinity. She was in a whole other league from a mere fallen angel.

'But...'

Rakiel kept his mouth shut and clenched his fists. He had a way to turn the situation around.

'The power of the Demon God.'

It was the power that Bauli had sown into him, as well as the power that had dominated his body. If he used the power of the Demon God, who possessed Divinity of transcendent rank surpassing the top rank, he would be able to break through this crisis, albeit only momentarily.

"... Shit."

However, Rakiel would have to give up on resolving the misunderstanding with Gaia if he did that. He shut his eyes tight.

Wham! Bash!

"Kuh! Kurgh!"

He was barraged with attacks from Gaia, Si-Hun and Uriel even while he was hesitating.

"Cough! Urgh..."

He no longer had any more time to hesitate. He was on a forked road.

'N-No...'

Rakiel could not afford to die while falsely accused of a crime he did not commit.

'Shit, shit, shit!'

Rakiel stepped back in anxiety.

'Ah.'

Just then, a human that was looking his way came into view. It was the human that had claimed to have been kidnapped and tortured by him, as well as apparently turning into a demonic beast after having been injected with demonic energy.

"You..." Rakiel frowned.

He had not been able to think properly at the time due to the sudden flow of events, but the man known as Oh Kang-Woo was highly suspicious.

'In that case...'

Rakiel came to a decision. He placed his right hand on top of his heart.

Ba-dump.

His heart beat strongly. The demonic energy that the Demon God had sown within him spread across his body aggressively.

Rumble—!

Pitch-black demonic energy swept the surroundings.

***

"Hm?"

The eyes of Kang-Woo, who had collapsed on the ground, twisting while grabbing his right arm as if suppressing the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, sparkled. A chilling sensation traveled down his spine. The space around them was distorting as soon as pitch-black demonic energy had burst forth from Rakiel.

'The hell is this?'

A powerful force pulled him in as space was being torn.

"K-Kang-Woo!"

Han Seol-Ah quickly embraced him. The torn space was approaching them as if to swallow them whole with its giant entrance.

'Hmm.'

Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. Rakiel was looking his way, and space had been torn apart as soon as he had unleashed his power.

'I see how it is.'

Kang-Woo smiled, having easily figured out Rakiel's intentions.

'He wants to take me.'

Kang-Woo also wanted nothing more. He smiled and grabbed Seol-Ah's arm as she was embracing him.

"It's okay, so don't worry and follow me, darling."

"K-Kang-Woo...?"

Kang-Woo jumped into the torn space while staring into Seol-Ah's wide eyes.

***

The space was completely black and endless in a single direction, as if it was a giant tunnel. Kang-Woo was rather familiar with such a space.

Riiing.

[You have entered a 'Dimensional Crack' connected to the continent of Aernor.]

It was the same place where Lucis had held Lilith hostage.

"Haaa, haaa," Rakiel, who had dragged Kang-Woo into the dimensional crack, panted heavily.

He glared at Kang-Woo; the human that had been twisting on the floor while clenching his right arm earlier, was leisurely smiling.

"Who... are you?"

Rakiel was able to figure out from the human's complete change in attitude that all this had been orchestrated by him.

"Who are you, and why have you framed me for crimes I have never committed?!" Rakiel screamed like a madman.

"Me?" Kang-Woo pointed at himself while snickering.

He had been asked who he was countless times to the point he was sick of it. He used to hesitate to answer, but he no longer had the need to.

"I am..."

The demon of demons, the Hell of Hells, the predator of predators... or not.

"... The Protector of Light."

Immense demonic energy exuded from Kang-Woo.

"Oh, fuck. Hold on."

He made a mistake: he did a re-do.

"... The Protector of Light."

Brilliant golden energy exuded from Kang-Woo and illuminated the dark space.

"..."

Rakiel's mouth fell open. Deathly silence fell.

"What?" Kang-Woo asked shamelessly.

"..."

"What? Got a problem?"

"..."

Fucking bitch.