Chapter 207
Chapter 207
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: The Eternal Ra (4)
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Ymir knew his time was up.
As he slowly turned, an indescribable anguish and fury were etched in his eyes.
If Ra said it was so, then it was so.
But his intuition told him a different story. No, he was realizing the truth Ra was hiding.
‘I must see it with my own eyes.’
Ymir headed for Jebul, the city of angels.
@
Shirone entered Ikael’s room and looked around.
It was different from what he had imagined. The scene before him, with a table, chairs, a bed, and even a carpet, was no different from a human dwelling.
And yet, it didn't feel like it belonged to a human.
Sunlight seemed to cling to every object. Not a single flaw was visible, as if it had been isolated from the flow of time.
The feeling of looking at something so flawless was truly strange.
It was a subtlety imperceptible to the human eye.
But anyone in this place would be able to feel a purity that bordered on obsession.
Shirone picked up a teaspoon from the table and saw his reflection in it.
As expected, it was unnervingly clean for a human artifact. He wondered if this was what people in the human world called a holy relic.
‘Huh? Wait a minute…’
The most important person, Ikael, was nowhere to be seen. Peope had clearly said she was in a situation where she couldn't go outside.
Could he have been deceived?
A frightening thought occurred to Shirone, and he frantically searched the room. Still, no one. Every object was immaculate. It was a perfection that bordered on terror.
Suddenly, a beautiful melody caressed his ears. Shirone stopped and looked up at the window, which was five meters high.
A clear resonance, like that of a harp, was originating from there.
The vibration of an angel.
As if mesmerized, he approached the space below the window.
The sunlight coming through the window began to clash with a form. By the time he came to his senses, a woman was sitting on the windowsill, gazing outside.
It was a beautiful face that no artist could ever paint.
Shirone confirmed the Starlight Body floating above her head. It felt incomparably bright and warm compared to that of the fallen angel, Ikasa.
As her form became clear, wings of light sprouted. The massive, unfurled wings of light were a pleasure for Shirone’s eyes to behold.
“Welcome, Shirone.”
Shirone was certain.
She was the Archangel Ikael.
The First Entity of Causality. Among them, the symbol of nobility that God was said to cherish most. Such a being was right before his eyes.
Ikael landed softly on the floor.
Her height of over two meters was imposing, but such physical traits couldn't mask her warm presence.
It was a strange feeling, one that defied words. Even calling her beautiful felt like it would be doing her a disservice.
Was this what goodness looked like when it took form? If he had realized Truth in Miro's space-time, then Ikael was Goodness.
Befitting her mature appearance, Ikael wore a playful expression as she looked around for a place to sit.
But finding nowhere suitable, she simply plopped down on the floor.
Shirone watched, bewildered, as the folds of Ikael's skirt slowly settled around her. Then, Ikael, sitting with her calves demurely together, patted the floor and called to him.
“Here, come this way.”
Feeling an irresistible temptation, Shirone scooted close to her.
They were close enough for their skin to touch.
Perhaps she had suggested the floor because she wanted to see him from the closest possible distance.
As expected, Ikael leaned her face in. Her lips gradually curved into a smile as she stared at Shirone.
When Shirone lowered his gaze, unable to hide his shyness, she finally spoke.
“I wanted to meet you, Shirone.”
“Huh? You know me?”
Ikael scratched her eyebrow, looking troubled.
Her actions resembled those of a human. Considering that even the fallen angel Ikasa had been the epitome of arrogance, this was quite shocking.
“Knowing and not knowing isn't what’s important. What’s important is how much you know. But as you know, that’s not something that can be explained with words, is it?”
Shirone mustered the courage to study her face. As their gazes locked, a sense of oneness sent a jolt through his body.
He then looked up at her Starlight Body. It was the first time he had seen one this close.
The sight of a light floating above her head was truly wondrous.
Realizing he had been staring, lost in thought for too long, Shirone hastily snapped out of it.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Ikael shook her head as if to say it was fine.
“The Starlight Body is an angel’s mind. Humans enter the Spirit Zone through concentration, but an angel's zone is outside. We call this the Over Spirit.”
After hearing the explanation, the Starlight Body looked different to Shirone. It was like maintaining a constant state of the Detached Omnidirectional form.
It was, literally, an angel’s mind.
It was her everything.
Perhaps feeling a little shy herself, Ikael added.
“It used to be brighter than this. But I made a mistake, so Ra controlled the power of my light.”
“What kind of sin did you commit?”
Shirone immediately apologized after asking the question.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”
“It’s alright. Although I made a mistake, I still don’t regret what I did.”
Shirone found himself feeling relieved for some reason. He didn't know what mistake she had made, but if she herself didn't regret it, it probably wasn't something to be ashamed of, right?
“Um…”
Shirone hesitated.
He knew it was an absurd request. But once the thought crossed his mind, he couldn't bring himself to let it go.
“Go on. You can say anything.”
“Just once…”
“Yes?”
“Can I touch it just once?”
Ikael blinked, then burst into laughter as she finally understood.
It was an unexpected request.
Throughout all of Heaven, there was likely not a single being who would ask to touch the Starlight Body of Archangel Ikael.
“Alright. Go ahead and touch it.”
“Um, is it not rude? What if…”
Ikael shook her head as if it didn't matter.
Only then did Shirone feel relieved and extend his hand.
The Starlight Body he touched was both light and energy. A pleasant sensation flowed down the back of his hand.
“It’s warm.”
“That’s because you are a warm person, Shirone.”
“Hehe.”
It was the first moment of comfort he had enjoyed since coming to Heaven. With her, it felt like he wouldn't have to worry about anything in the world.
He wanted to be with her forever.
At that moment, Ikael’s hand reached for him. Shirone flinched back in surprise, and she couldn't hide her flustered expression as she explained.
“Ah… Your hair was messy.”
“Haha, I guess it’s because I ran so hard. A lot has happened, actually.”
Shirone said lightheartedly, ruffling his hair. He had just been startled by the prospect of physical contact when he wasn't mentally prepared.
In that instant, Shirone’s eyes widened. He felt as if he had been struck on the head with a hammer.
How could he be so crazy?
He had completely forgotten about the most important thing.
“Oh no! Amy!”
Shirone shot to his feet.
To only now be thinking of his friends. It just went to show how impactful his meeting with Ikael had been.
“Please help me! My friends have been captured! They said something about the Water of Life, that they’re going to use it to make them bear Nephilim.”
“Oh, dear. That is a serious problem.”
“They’re treated as heretics or whatever, but they’re definitely not bad kids. No, even if they were, I can’t accept them being captured like this.”
Ikael was lost in thought for a moment.
“Shirone, do you love your friends? Enough to risk your life for them?”
“Yes! Of course!”
Ikael nodded as if that was all she needed to hear.
“Alright. But Shirone, if you want to save your friends, there is a story you must hear.”
It didn't seem like there was any story he needed to hear in the current situation.
But they were the words of the Archangel Ikael, so he couldn't bring himself to refuse. Above all, the phrase ‘if you want to save your friends’ was decisive.
“A story I must hear? What is it?”
“About Heaven. And about a woman named Miro.”
Shirone was startled. He hadn't expected to hear her name from Ikael’s lips as well.
Adrias Miro.
When he first came to Heaven, he thought she was just one of many Unfolders.
But the more he learned about her, the more he realized she had a deep connection to Heaven.
He wanted to know, just what kind of person was she?
“You know Miro?”
“Yes. We’ve met. I am fond of her. Though she probably dislikes me.”
Shirone was shocked. Ikael and Miro had met. And he especially couldn't fathom Miro disliking Ikael. From what he had experienced, Ikael was a good angel.
“It won’t take long. So, for just a moment, would you let me comb your hair?”
Ikael’s Starlight Body expanded into the shape of a ring.
As an intense light rotated along the ring, a comb made of light materialized in her hand.
Photon Shaping.
And she had created a tool as delicate as light in an instant.
No matter how powerful an angel’s mental strength, the properties of light do not change.
It was a tool that could only be created through an incredibly complex process, incomparable to Shining Chain.
Shirone realized that all the answers lay in the Starlight Body.
The moment he had felt an untouchable aura from Ikasa was also when her Starlight Body had expanded into a ring.
“How did you shape the photons? Is it related to how the Starlight Body changed?”
“The ring of light can process a vast amount of information quickly. This is called a Halo. It's like the magic circles humans use. The Halo rotates at the speed of light, assembling countless concepts.”
Ikael used a magic circle as an example, but upon hearing it, Shirone felt it was rude to even compare the two.
It was a method of assembling concepts at, literally, the speed of light.
It meant that even dozens of mages working together couldn't match the speed of a single Halo.
“Then let’s begin. Lie here, Shirone.”
Ikael pointed to her lap. It seemed she was dying to comb his hair.
Shirone, assuming there was some meaning behind it this time as well, did as she said.
When he thought about it, what greater luxury could there be?
Lying on an archangel’s lap and gazing up at the heavens, Ikael raised the comb and swept it through his hair.
‘Huh?’
Shirone felt his consciousness grow hazy.
With each stroke of the comb, he felt as if his consciousness was being drawn out of him, piece by piece. He didn't want to pass out. His friends were captured. If he lost track of time, it would be over.
‘No. Don’t…’
Shirone’s eyes slowly fluttered shut.
Ikael studied Shirone’s sleeping face, then looked up with sad eyes.
Many thoughts crossed her mind. And through the comb, they seeped into Shirone’s mind.
As if reading a fairy tale to a child, Ikael began her story in a beautiful voice.
“A long, long time ago…”
4. The Truth of Heaven (1)
The Great World Hall in Jebul was Kariel’s research laboratory and an observatory that governed the workings of the world.
Because a special function of the Mecha System had erased the space from existence, it was impossible to even find a trace of it, let alone enter, as long as the security system was active.
As its grand name suggested, the space was vast enough to contain the entire Alpheas Magic Academy.
The overall color scheme was a mechanical navy blue, and tens of thousands of electrical signals twinkled on the hemispherical ceiling.
In the northwest section of the space, a hologram of a globular cluster, where stars were gathered, was slowly expanding.
At the center floated a massive steel sphere over thirty meters in diameter, with two rings rotating around it along orbital and rotational paths.
Amy and her friends sat in a row near the globular cluster, their wrists bound by steel cuffs.
Ikasa, who had abducted the women, had hoped for reinstatement as an angel, but had only been sent back to the Second Heaven amid Kariel’s silence.
That was the only moment of joy Amy and the others had experienced since arriving here.
In other words, everything else about the situation was not good.
They had never imagined that a being of an archangel's stature would go so far as to put them in handcuffs.