Mammon felt he must be a link in the father-son bond between Michael and Lucifer… like hell he was! Never mind what Lucifer’s attitude toward Michael was, on Michael’s side he could see that the other didn’t care about this adoptive father at all. Oh, rather than adoptive father and son, enemies might suit these two better.
“Lord Lucifer, one has to be reasonable.”
Lucifer cut him off: “Mammon, have you lost your head? We are angels, not people.”
Mammon: “…”
He had no way to refute those words, true.
The problem was, are you sure you aren’t cursing people with that? And cursing yourself, Lord Lucifer!
【Pfft—】
Wait, who was laughing in his head?
“Michael?”
The hand in which Lucifer held his sword moved slightly, and he suddenly raised his eyes.
His gaze swept around, and he said through gritted teeth: “Michael, you were watching after all!”
Although the current Archangel said so, he felt the other would never respond to him; if he really was willing to see him… why, after the fall, was he no longer willing to say another word to him?
The acting scene didn’t count; that was only a smokescreen to activate the barrier and teleportation circle.
Not only Lucifer, even Mammon felt that Michael would very likely pay him no mind.
He had come from Michael’s side, and if the other wanted to see Lucifer, there was no need to go through so many circles.
No, he couldn’t think any further, or he would really think these two were in a love-hate relationship.
“Archangel, I think Abaddon should have told you already that since you’ve come to the Abyss, you have to follow the rules here.”
As for Heaven not following rules, had he complained about being sneak-attacked by that god? He hadn’t complained, so on what basis did Lucifer, who knew nothing of past events, blame him for going to Heaven? There was no such reasoning.
Lucifer gave a light hum, neither agreeing nor refusing.
He only said in an extremely cold tone: “In that case, don’t complain to me if your subordinate gets crippled.”
Mammon: …These two angels were indeed still entangled.
He really couldn’t be blamed for thinking so; the conversation between the two was just so!
Looking at the image in the sphere of light, Michael was not angry and was as calm as ever: “If you can do it, go ahead.”
Mammon opened his eyes wide; this wasn’t what had been agreed.
“Wait, Michael—”
The aura belonging to the God of the Abyss went quiet in an instant, letting people know he had indeed stopped observing here.
Lucifer showed a hideous smile: “I’m really looking forward to him seeing you beaten down to half a life.”
Mammon: “…Lord Lucifer, being too violent isn’t good.”
Raziel sat in his seat, looking at the phantom belonging to Michael that had appeared again.
This time, he said nothing about the other’s behavior, and asked directly: “Michael, what on earth are you thinking, having fallen?”
Oh, so it was this question.
Even Michael was a little surprised by it.
Looking over the archangel in front of him, Michael found that he still resembled the main body in some ways.
Some, but not many.
Come to think of it, a barrier angel responsible for the safety of all Heaven couldn’t possibly be interested in other matters, or most likely he would have chosen to fall like Lucifel.
As far as Michael himself was concerned, any one of the archangels of Heaven could govern a world, but unfortunately in this world they could only be others’ subordinates.
Seeing the black-haired young man’s expression was odd, Raziel frowned: “What, is my question that strange?”
Michael thought for a moment and shook his head.
“Your question isn’t strange.”
“Then you—”
Michael laughed lightly: “I thought you’d ask why I chose to make these so-called guards and have you clear levels, rather than—”
Having said this much, Michael said word by word, “wiping you all out here.”
Catching Raziel’s sudden change of expression, Michael sighed: “I knew this would be your reaction. But Raziel, what you clearly wanted to ask was this, so why didn’t you?”
“You shouldn’t be such a timid angel.”
Raziel was silent, only looking at the God of the Abyss in front of him.
“I have never understood your reason for falling, but even so… it’s shameful to say, I feel you will not be our enemy.”
Michael was curious and asked: “Why do you think so?”
Falling, and bringing so many angels here with him.
And truly having Bael and Mammon take demons and fallen angels to attack Heaven.
Whatever the reason, this was a solid act of betraying Heaven and all the angels. And as the barrier angel, who had even fallen into a coma once because of his actions, he could still say “I don’t think you’ll be our enemy.”
Michael hummed: “I don’t know whether I should say you’re naive or stupid.”
“Heaven and the Abyss are by nature hostile.”
Raziel was not shaken by these words; his gaze was calm, with a bit of a smile in his eyes.
“But that’s only two places being hostile, not you and us being hostile.”
Michael was good at taking things out of context and perfunctory handling, and also good at using the sharpest ways to probe and break down others’ psychological defenses. But these methods of his could hit the other’s vital point precisely only on the condition that he knew the other’s personality and manner of dealing.
In his view, this confidence of Raziel’s was groundless; it might have something to do with his main body. Although Raziel’s main body slept most of the time, even if a consciousness-like existence was kept in Heaven, it could not be left to do as it pleased; there must be constant attention, or rather, some hint given to it.
Thinking this, Michael smiled.
He asked: “Raziel, is it you?”
Raziel was about to say something when his eyes suddenly went hollow, then soon returned to normal.
Michael circled the main body: “Since when can your consciousness leave Heaven?”
Raziel pursed his lips and said nothing, only staring at Michael.
“What?”
The main body asked him: “Since you were reborn into this world and kept all your memories and power, why can’t I have brought back the strong mental state of the future?”
Michael: “Fine, I really hadn’t thought of that.”
Raziel raised his head, looked at the fight between Lucifer and Mammon, then looked at the black-haired god: “Actually you guessed right, I really did give the ‘Raziel’ who is an archangel a hint. Otherwise, what if a second Lucifel appeared?”
Michael: “Wait, could you have a little confidence in yourself?”
Raziel laughed softly: “I have no confidence in myself, so how could I have any in a part of my consciousness?”
The former Archangel, now the God of the Abyss: “I think that no matter how unreliable your consciousness is, it wouldn’t reach Lucifer’s level.”
To fall and become Lucifer as Lucifel had, one first needed an obsession with God’s uniqueness.
As far as Michael knew, the angels of Heaven all liked and respected God, but the one who cared especially about Him was only Lucifel; perhaps being the first angel created, his feelings with God were naturally beyond comparison with other angels’.
That was why Michael only stopped Lucifer’s fall and did not change the reality of the other fallen angels falling. That these angels chose to fall might have been because of Lucifer’s urging, but more was their own judgment. If they had no feelings left for Heaven, which angel would choose to leave that forever bright place?
Of course, Michael didn’t mention himself; he purely wanted freedom, and the fall was just a pretext… though the fall had failed completely.
Raziel said nothing.
Michael was still enlightening him: “See, you know God well too, better than Lucifel does. Under those circumstances, you couldn’t possibly long for God the way he does, right?”
Raziel smiled, a smile full of irony: “And you?”
Michael: “Huh?”
Raziel put away the smile on his face and said with a dark expression: “What if my obsession is you, Michael?”
“Because of my death, it would be all the more pointless.”
Raziel shut up.
He had found that no matter how sincere the feeling, in this person’s eyes it would be sorted out and made clear. He had originally wanted to tease Michael a bit.
Seeing Raziel’s regretful expression, Michael twitched the corner of his lips hard.
He knew it! What did “the obsession is him” mean? This kind of ambiguous phrasing itself did not fit Raziel’s personality!
Speechless at Michael’s lack of romantic sense, Raziel no longer felt like joking.
He wiped his face: “No more jokes, let’s be serious.”
Michael: …He shouldn’t have joked in the first place, and besides, this joke wasn’t funny at all!
There were already enough rumors about him and Lucifer in Heaven; he truly didn’t need any melodramatic extras like “I’m not here to break you up, I’m here to join you”!
“I really can’t let go of your death.”
Raziel remembered that the sky at that time had been especially black, a world without a trace of light, where they were clearly still alive… yet as if dead, without any life.
Michael thought it was impossible for him to react to these words of Raziel’s.
Because—
“Sorry for giving you bad memories.”
Michael’s expression held a trace of blankness: “I lost the memories you talk about, so even if you say you have an obsession, I don’t know how to make you let go.”
“Perhaps my very existence is a mistake.”
As the first god, he who should have fallen was still present in the world now.
—This itself was something not allowed.