Chapter 208
Chapter 208
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 208
Chapter Title: The Truth of Heaven (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The cuffs were engraved with a pattern similar to the henna she had seen at Nor's Rest. They seemed fixed in space, unmoving, and even prevented her from activating magic.
They wouldn't have resorted to this just because they were afraid of mere humans.
Amy was reminded of a frog pinned down in a laboratory.
A frog's limbs are bound before dissection not because one fears the frog.
A shiver ran down her spine at the thought.
It meant that whatever awaited them would be something one would naturally struggle against.
As if sharing the same thought, Tess and Arin remained silent.
It was as if the taut tension of the moment would last forever if they didn't make a sound.
The only solace was the absence of the drone on Tess's wrist.
Upon arriving at Jebul, she had launched the drone without Ikasa noticing.
A clever move from someone trained as a spy.
‘What happened? Why can’t I see anything?’
But her efforts were useless for now.
The drone could have guided Shirone's party to them as quickly as possible, but nothing appeared on her retinal screen.
She was unaware that the space itself was isolated by the functions of the Mecca.
Kariel inspected a machine about seventy meters away from the globular cluster.
It was a massive pillar that reached the ceiling, its thousands of panels glowing with a myriad of colors.
Kariel floated ten meters in the air, arms crossed, gazing at a screen.
The screen was filled with complex symbols that Amy's group couldn't comprehend.
Amy studied Kariel's halo.
It was an immense and vivid ring that made Ikasa's pale in comparison.
Inside its boundary, diagrams and equations flickered in and out of existence like afterimages, and with each change, the machine's screen shifted rapidly.
-System check complete. Commencing the Art of Life. Please input the molecular structure of the genetic material.
An eerie woman's voice echoed from the ceiling.
Even Arin couldn't analyze the mechanical voice. And attempting telepathy on Kariel would be insane.
After staring at the screen for a while, Kariel flew over to the women.
A low, resonant vibration, like that of a contrabass, could be heard.
He was a handsome young man. He stood tall at two meters and thirty centimeters, clad in white robes. His celestial body was so bright it felt as if a hole had been torn in space.
Amy mustered her courage and glared at him.
If something had to happen, she was determined to be the first. Trapped with her friends, she couldn't bear the thought of Tess or Arin suffering before her.
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself, calling yourself an archangel? Take these cuffs off, now!"
"Such a base, human way of thinking. I have restrained you to fulfill my duties as an archangel."
Arin, who had been staring intently at Kariel, bit her lip.
She had never seen anything like this.
All she could see were vibrating strings. The complex vibrations gave rise to a form, but even that was indistinct.
Kariel existed only as a probability.
Amy shot back again.
"Duties? What are you planning to do to us?"
"Right, I've forgotten my introduction. I am the Archangel Kariel. By Ra's command, I have been dispatched to the occupied territories to perform the Art of Life. I will now perform the Art of Life upon you. It is a glorious mission, so you should accept it with joy."
"You've got to be kidding me! What nonsense are you spouting with us tied up like this! Take these off first!"
Amy shook her body. With the cuffs fixed at waist height, all she could do was stomp her feet like a child throwing a tantrum.
Mulling over Kariel's words, Tess asked with a puzzled look.
"Wait. Occupied territories? Are you saying Heaven attacks other worlds?"
Kariel paused in thought. The Law was always right. But to persuade humans, a different approach to conversation was needed.
"I am merely conveying Ra's will. God loves humans and wishes for their eternal existence. Your world, too, will soon submit to Ra's will."
A dreadful thought seized Tess.
According to the idea that had just struck her, Ra was a cosmic tyrant. It occurred to her that the citizens of Heaven were likely once inhabitants of other occupied territories.
Amy shouted.
"We saw the Art of One Stroke! Is that how you show love to humans? You're no different from a perverted murderer!"
"You fail to understand. Humans mistake love for power. Do not think that being loved by someone is some great ability. Ra cherishes you simply because you are beings to whom names can be given."
Amy thought of the Book of Lifespans. Fairies controlled the lifespans of citizens through their names.
But can't anyone give a name? What significance did granting a name hold for Ra?
Tess said sarcastically.
"So, what are you going to do with us? Now that we're in cuffs, are you going to 'love' us with a whip?"
"You have an important mission."
"A mission? What mission?"
"To conceive my child."
The faces of Amy, Tess, and Arin flushed red simultaneously. Goosebumps rose on their skin, and a wave of irritation washed over them.
Amy's jaw trembled uncontrollably as she yelled.
"You… you pervert! Just you try and lay a hand on me. I won't let you get away with it!"
"A pathetic reaction. Do not worry. I am merely transmitting angelic information into your bodies."
Tess found his words even more infuriating. It was the language of perverts who tried to be precise about things that were blatantly obvious.
"In other words, you're saying you want to get down and dirty with us."
Kariel showed a hint of displeasure.
"Human expressions are so utterly crude. The Art of Life is a high-level technique that only I, among the archangels, can perform. Do not compare it to the base reproduction of humans."
-Preparation for the Art of Life is complete. Information integration rate 100 percent. Do you wish to replicate?
Just then, the woman's voice came from the ceiling.
Kariel flew into the air as if to say no more words were needed.
"Replicate."
-Replicating genetic material. Time required: 2 minutes 30 seconds.
Kariel's celestial body expanded into a ring over twenty meters in diameter.
As he brought his index and middle fingers together, a bead of light was born at their tip.
Though small, its intensity was enough to illuminate the Great World War.
Kariel returned his halo to his celestial body and came back to the women.
Where the light had been at his fingertips, a diamond-shaped, purple-glowing glass panel had formed.
"This panel stores a near-infinite amount of life information. Do you understand? To create a human, the information of all life that existed before humanity is required."
"Like I care! Whatever it is, we're not doing it!"
Amy shouted. She was already exasperated, and his explanation only fueled her irritation.
But Kariel, seemingly proud of his Art of Life, continued his lecture to an unwilling audience.
"Angelic information is delicate and complex. That is why the success rate of birthing a Nephilim drops significantly for women who have already borne children. In that sense, you are fortunate. For you have been granted the honor of carrying the descendant of a great angel within your own bodies."
"What… what do you plan to do with the Nephilim you create?"
"Send them to other worlds. In this case, it would be your world."
"Is their purpose to enlighten the humans there and offer them to God?"
Kariel fell silent at the pointed question.
So that was it. They made women from occupied territories birth Nephilim, who would then enlighten the humans there and lead them to God.
Tess realized that the Nephilim were a type of spy.
That was also what it meant to be a being free from the Law.
After all, you would never force your own country's laws upon a combatant infiltrating an enemy nation.
Kariel held out the panel floating at his fingertip.
"Do not worry. It is merely a transfer of information, so you will feel no shame."
Once the glass panel was placed on the forehead, glass spikes would shoot out and embed themselves in the brain like roots.
Through these roots, the angel's information would infiltrate and create life from the woman's body.
Kariel brought the glass panel to each of the three women's foreheads, as if checking the fit.
All of them had clear, beautiful foreheads, which seemed suitable for taking root.
"Hmm, I see. Shall I let you decide? Who will be the first to be the subject of this glorious art?"
The three women shouted in unison.
"I'll go first!"
Not expecting this reaction, the women looked at each other. The fact that they were fighting together bolstered their courage once more.
Kariel was satisfied.
For the Art of Life to succeed, the angel's information had to be precise, but the role of the mother's body was also crucial.
The probability of success was roughly one in thirty. Failure resulted in death from cerebral shock.
However, the chances of success could rise dramatically if the subject was mentally strong and had excellent physical conditioning.
In that respect, all three women were excellent choices.
-Replication of genetic material is complete.
As the voice descended from the ceiling, Kariel raised his hand.
To the left and right of the vertically floating glass panel, two more identical panels materialized.
"Such close sisters. Since I cannot choose between you, I shall implant them simultaneously."
The three panels left Kariel's hand and floated through the air toward them.
Amy and the others were seized with an uncontrollable rage. Now they understood with certainty.
Archangel Kariel was the worst kind of pervert.
@
Rian and Canis arrived at Jebul.
The sight that greeted them as soon as they crossed the city walls was of countless discs spreading outward. It was like looking at a floating city built upon a lotus flower.
Just as they had expected from the outside, the interior of Jebul was a dimensional labyrinth.
The method of leaping from space to space was too complex for the human mind to calculate.
There was surely some rule to it, but the two had no time to think.
They followed the memory Feope had given them, moving solely according to the coordinates.
After moving to the same location several times, Canis was able to find the portal to Ingris.
"Let's split up here. Knowing the way and finding it are two different things. It's better if at least one of us gets there first."
"Are you sure? If you can't disable the Mecca system, there's no point in me going first. If there's an enemy in Ingris, it might be more effective to take them out together."
Canis glanced back at the portal.
There was no special device visible, but according to the memory from Feope, this was definitely Ingris.
Since they hadn't encountered anyone so far, the probability of an enemy in Ingris was low.
But if there was one, the enemy would be at least on Mara's level.
In that sense, Rian might be right that moving together was better.
But Canis didn't change his mind.
He didn't know how long it would take to disable the Mecca system. Wasting manpower was never a good idea, no matter the situation.
"Nothing is certain anyway. There's no guarantee it'll be easier if we go together. Let's each do what we can. That's the best we can do right now."
Rian was convinced. After checking the Signa and Exd he received from Lena, he headed toward the eastern part of Jebul.
Canis took a deep breath and stepped onto the platform.
He didn't have to do anything specific. The moment his feet touched the coordinates, a crack opened in the floor, and light erupted with a *pop*.
In the time it took to blink, the scenery had changed.
Ingris, the Angel's Archive.
Unlike the warm feeling the word "archive" evoked, the scene was mechanical, devoid of any human touch.
A central control unit stood in the middle, with paths extending in a cross shape, and the walls were covered with vertically arranged rectangular panels.
Harvest appeared, looking displeased.
To him, who perceived the world through vibrations, Ingris was a space filled to the brim with them, leaving not a single empty spot.
Canis scanned for enemies.
He would probably have to check around all the corners, but so far, there was no visible presence.