Chapter 471: An Unexpected Encounter (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 471: An Unexpected Encounter (2)
As a rule, an angel's strength is determined by the number of its wings.
As proof, Lucifer in her prime was said to have a total of twelve wings.
In contrast, the modifier of the Constellation looking down on me from the high heavens was ‘Guardian of Twin Wings.’ No matter how you spun it, that meant she was nothing more than a low-ranking angel.
Her appearance was certainly dramatic, but unfortunately for her, I was already the subject of unwanted attention from the highest-ranking Constellations.
There was no way I’d get nervous over a lower-tier divinity at this point.
Still, I was curious why a Constellation from Eden would want to see me.
“...This is a bit bewildering. For a Constellation to have business with a humble player like myself.”
“You needn’t think of it as something so complicated. They are so benevolent that they sometimes extend a hand to help us humans.”
It was a polite refusal, but it seemed he was as dense as you’d expect a clergyman to be.
I sighed inwardly at the sight of the bishop’s good-natured smile.
“I have prepared a separate prayer room. Let us go there.”
“Very well.”
The bishop rose from his seat and walked toward a door on one side of the reception room.
Creeak—
The ornate doorknob turned, revealing a rather spacious area. However, with no windows, my first impression was that it looked like a solitary confinement cell.
The moment I stepped into the prayer room, I sensed that the situation had become far more troublesome than I’d anticipated.
No matter how low-tier a divinity she was, an angel was still an angel.
If I got on her bad side, I’d be branded a heretic in a heartbeat. But even if I went through the trouble of earning the Constellation’s favor, there was nothing to be gained.
High risk, low return.
The kind of situation I hated most.
“Well then, I shall take my leave. I hope this will be a meaningful time for you to gain much.”
Thud—
The bishop left me with those cryptic words and closed the prayer room door.
Left alone, I glanced around for a moment.
‘...Doesn’t seem like anyone’s hiding.’
After a quick search, I slowly walked toward the cross.
T-ring!
It happened in that instant.
「The Constellation, ‘Guardian of Twin Wings,’ has consumed a massive amount of WP.」
「The Constellation, ‘Guardian of Twin Wings,’ is descending to the mortal plane.」
「Warning, Warning, Warning, Warning!」
“...What?”
Rumble—!!!
The moment I saw the screen pop up, I shot my head up.
The ceiling had vanished without a trace, replaced by an unknown space that seemed connected to the vastness of the cosmos.
T-ring!
「The Constellation, ‘Saintess of Uruk,’ wears an expression of interest.」
「The Constellation, ‘Dweller of the Swamp,’ yawns widely and peeks an eye open.」
At the same time, an absurd pressure began to crush my entire body. An ordinary person would have exploded and died on the spot.
The thought of immediately ending the matching flashed through my mind, but I quickly shook my head.
A Constellation’s descent was certainly unexpected, but she probably hadn’t appeared just to deal with me.
If she was a Constellation from Eden, there were countless ways to eliminate me without resorting to the troublesome method of a direct descent.
The easiest would be an ‘oracle.’
The moment an angel designated me a heretic through an oracle, the fanatics of the Twilight Holy Society would lose all reason and charge at me, heedless of the consequences.
Fwaaah—
Just then, a stream of pure white light poured down from beyond the cosmic space toward the cross.
I felt a sacred divinity reminiscent of Ellyn and Elysia, whom I had met in the United Kingdom.
In truth, not all Constellations were transcendent beings.
There were plenty of mid-floor players who could rival lower-tier divinities. There were even monsters among the high-floor players who could single-handedly face high-tier divinities.
Iris in her prime was probably one of them.
Nevertheless, the reason a human was a human and a Constellation was a Constellation came down to one thing.
The inherent difference in their ‘Rank.’
Woooong—
The beam of divine light gradually took shape, and soon, a faint silhouette appeared beyond the dazzling flash.
When the cosmic space that had spread across the ceiling closed, the beam of light subsided as well.
What was revealed was a beautiful woman with short blue hair, dressed in a pure white linen garment.
Fwoosh—!!
As if stretching, the angel spread her massive wings to either side.
Then, she slowly opened her eyes and rose to her feet.
After looking around for a moment, the angel’s gaze fixed on me.
“Are you Kang Hyun-woo.”
“Yes.”
I bowed my head respectfully.
But no answer came.
Instead, the angel looked up at the ceiling and gave a brief nod toward the empty air.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
Those words weren’t meant for me.
To be precise, she was showing a minimum of courtesy to the Constellations beyond the sky, who were watching me at this very moment.
The angel took a single white lily from her bosom.
T-ring!
「The Constellation, ‘Guardian of Twin Wings,’ raises a lily borrowed from someone.」
「Activating Authority, ‘Territory Declaration (S)’.」
「This space has been designated a ‘Sanctuary’.」
「Viewing of this space is now restricted.」
「The Constellation, ‘Saintess of Uruk,’ frowns and sternly warns that this is the last time.」
「The Constellation, ‘Dweller of the Swamp,’ closes its eyes again.」
—!!!!!!
In that instant, the lily in the angel’s hand crumbled, and an immense wave of divinity swept through the entire prayer room.
I gasped and clutched my chest.
It felt as if a faith I never possessed was stirring in a corner of my heart.
It was a faith forcibly implanted by another’s will.
Suppressing the urge to kneel before the cross, I bit my tongue to maintain my sanity.
‘...Don’t tell me her goal was to forcibly convert me?’
Honestly, it was hard to believe that an angel would go through the trouble of descending just for something so trivial.
But given the current situation, such a suspicion was only natural.
“Do not worry. He will be here soon.”
“...He?”
The angel gave me a meaningful look, then suddenly spread her arms wide toward the sky.
As if to receive something.
T-ring!
「‘A Constellation Who Hides Their Modifier’ spreads their white wings.」
「Activating Authority, ‘Annunciation (SSS)’.」
At that moment, an overwhelming presence that was impossible to describe in words began to envelop the entire prayer room.
I reflexively swallowed dryly.
But unlike when the first angel descended, there were no immediate visible changes. No cosmic space unfolded above, and no beam of white light shone down.
Instead, I looked at the angel standing with her back to the cross.
“...Who are you?”
Her appearance was completely unchanged.
And yet, I was certain that the woman before me was a different person from the Guardian of Twin Wings.
I had no proof, of course.
If I had to name one, it would be the intuition I’d honed by overcoming countless crises.
“Ah, ah. Ahem.”
At my question, the angel seemed to clear her throat lightly, then looked at the mirror on the wall, adjusted her bangs, and straightened her clothes.
She was definitely different from the angel I had just faced.
Her movements were strangely more feminine and gentle.
“Hello.”
Even her voice was different.
The Guardian of Twin Wings had a cold, business-like tone, but this woman sounded like a gentle, high-class lady from a rich family.
The angel gave me a polite nod in greeting.
“This is the first time we’ve met like this, Hyun-woo.”
“...You know me?”
“Of course. I’ve been watching you ever since you first set foot in the Tower.”
She placed a hand on her chest and quietly closed her eyes.
Her shyly closed lips bloomed into a faint smile, revealing emotions she couldn’t hide.
Joy, elation, anticipation.
“I’ve waited for a very, very long time.”
“What do you mean by that...”
Fwoosh—!!
In that instant, four beautiful pairs of white wings unfurled behind her.
“The one who opened the Tower’s doors of his own will. He who will pull up the forsaken girl from the unfathomable Abyss of Darkness, and finally, cast a spear stained with holy blood toward the false heavenly throne.”
The angel’s beautiful blue eyes and the cross behind her began to glow.
At the same time, a holy divinity so immense it was impossible to even open my mouth pressed down on my entire body.
“As I just said, I have waited for a very long time. So I am overjoyed by this meeting.”
“...I’m quite sure this is our first time meeting, yet you speak as if you know something about me.”
“Of course.”
The angel smiled brightly.
It was a smile so beautiful it was hard to look away, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
“You are the contractor of an angel who was once more noble than any other, and the lover of my dear friend, Luciel, are you not?”
*
Sadly, Eden must already know that Lucifer has been freed from her prison.
The holy relic that had bound her for so long had returned to its original owner’s hands.
Fortunately, thanks to the SS-rank item ‘Mask of Illusion’ I’d obtained through negotiations with the System, I had managed to keep her identity hidden so far.
The ongoing war with the nebula Gehenna probably helped as well.
Even Eden wouldn’t have the resources to comb through the entire lower floors at a time like this. And it wasn’t something they could entrust to the Twilight Holy Society.
“Hyun-woo, perhaps you should calm down for a moment?”
“Put yourself in my shoes, Angel. Do you really think that’s possible?”
“...That was a foolish question.”
The angel didn’t even blink, despite the blade at her throat. Instead, she simply looked up at me with a gentle smile.
She knew.
She knew I couldn’t harm her.
Of course, I could damage the angel’s true body that had descended here, but she wouldn’t just stand by and let it happen.
I clicked my tongue, stood up, and sheathed my sword.
“Are you a little calmer now?”
“How could I be?”
I wanted to kill the angel before me right now to silence her.
But with a little thought, anyone could see that such an act would be of no help.
‘...She’s probably an archangel.’
The fact that such a heavyweight knew of Lucifer’s whereabouts meant it was safe to assume all of Eden shared that knowledge.
But that raised a question.
‘Why did she only call for me?’
“...If you had called Luciel—no, Lucifer—as well, you could have dealt with us both at once.”
I frowned at the voice that reached my ears.
“Is that what you thought?”
The angel, who had risen to her feet at some point, brushed the dust off her clothes and offered a gentle smile.
She looked completely unfazed, despite a mere player having held a sword to her throat.
“I know very well what you are worried about, Hyun-woo.”
The angel walked toward me slowly, her bare feet padding on the floor.
I didn’t bother to step back or avoid her.
“But you can rest assured. I am on Luciel’s side.”
“In movies and dramas, the person who says that always turns out to be the mastermind.”
“I can swear it to the Lord.”
“Wasn’t it that same Lord who betrayed Lucifer and threw her in prison?”
The angel fell silent for a moment, then her lips parted as she struggled to speak.
“...I just wanted to show you how sincere I am. We cannot make a stronger vow than that. It is the same as the oath the gods of Olympus make upon the River Styx.”
“So, do I even have a choice here?”
Even to my own ears, my tone was dripping with blatant hostility.
But it couldn’t be helped.
The thought that Lucifer’s life was on the line made this whole situation feel unbearably sinister.
My sharp reaction seemed to fluster the angel for the first time.
She glanced at me hesitantly for a moment, as if pondering what to do, then, as if she’d made up her mind, she wordlessly grabbed my hand.
Squish—
“...?”
Immediately after, I was rendered speechless by the soft, yielding sensation that filled my palm.
My hand was clutching the angel’s breast.
As I stared in silence, the angel’s face turned beet red as if it would burst. She looked up at me with her blue eyes and stammered.
“W-Will you believe me... if I do this?”