Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: 2-1. Archangel Michaela of the Sun
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I listened calmly to Metatron's strategy.
It was a solid plan—good enough that I nodded several times midway through. But it still fell short.
Noticing my expression, Metatron asked with a serious look.
"Does my solution not please you?"
"It's certainly not bad...."
Her approach cleverly exploited the traits of a Lord-grade monster. From what she said, the Electric Lord Karnum was currently cornered politically.
The reason was that when Metatron had attacked the king, Karnum bore some blame for it. She suspected that even knowing it was an obvious trap, Karnum had stepped up to take the lead.
So the idea was to dismantle the trap and instead tempt Karnum with the magic stone.
Lord-grade monsters possessed wisdom, but their desires always overrode it. And they decided everything by the logic of power. Strength was their moral code.
In that case, Karnum was highly likely to seek to overcome his precarious position with the power of the magic stone. Or he might flee with it and become an independent lord unbound to the king.
Metatron had even come up with detailed ideas for this method.
For example: If Karnum decided to absorb the power immediately to gain strength and alter their power dynamics rather than flee, they would intervene when he had half-absorbed the magic stone.
Disrupting the absorption midway would leave Karnum unable to hide his embezzlement or gain the power to readjust relations among the lords.
If he tried to run, Metatron and I would block him.
In the end, Karnum would have no choice but to grudgingly team up with us in a tag-team fight.
It was a cunning scheme, but at the same time, utterly ridiculous.
A human, an archangel, and a Lord-grade monster standing side by side against the enemy—and being forced into that situation no less. I felt like applauding Metatron's wisdom.
But I wanted to change the situation from a more fundamental angle.
The thought in my head right now was something Metatron could never conceive from her perspective.
It was something she'd excluded from her thinking entirely.
"Metatron."
"Speak. I will hear your opinion."
Metatron straightened her posture, ready to listen to the opinion of an insignificant human.
What a dignified woman.
"Your strategy is undoubtedly excellent. But it doesn't guarantee total victory."
"Yoo Je-a. Every strategy is an effort toward victory. Thus, no such thing as a guaranteed complete win exists."
"But defeat is still possible, isn't it? If you fail to mark Grand Lord Tarha, or if my side gets wiped out."
According to Metatron's plan, she would fight Grand Lord Tarha while I teamed up with Electric Lord Karnum to handle the enemy's other lords, Padam and Urukel.
She estimated our odds of victory at just under 50%.
In a crisis like this, that was actually impressive. I'd overcome far more hopeless situations during my ten years surviving as a hyena.
But this time, there was a path to near-perfect victory. Even if it was a method Metatron would hate.
"Metatron, there's a way. A way to fight the enemy from a position of overwhelming superiority."
"What is it? I must hear this."
Gulp.
I swallowed lightly and cleared my throat.
Stay calm, I told myself. From here on, Metatron was about to explode.
"We declare a holy site in Noryangjin. Metatron."
For a moment, Metatron's face turned baffled.
"What?"
While she was still dumbfounded, I quickly explained.
"From now on, your holy site becomes the Noryangjin area. We lure the enemy Lord-grade monsters inside it and fight. At first glance, it might look like we're falling into the enemy's trap, but in reality, it's the enemy walking right into our grasp."
Metatron's face twisted immediately.
She shot up from her seat with a vehement tone I'd never heard from her before.
"Cease that foolish talk! Yoo Je-a!"
Just as I expected.
I gestured for her to calm down first.
Even so, Metatron kept shouting.
"Do you think a holy site is child's play? You want me to establish one here in Noryangjin, right in view of Gangbuk? Do you think it could hold even for a few days? Tens of thousands of monsters would pour in instantly!"
A perfectly reasonable concern.
Under normal methods, you couldn't establish a holy site in the heart of enemy territory.
But I, Yoo Je-a, who survived ten years as a hyena—one of my secrets is never speaking nonsense.
"Let me explain. Hear me out first."
I got the agitated Metatron to sit back down. Then I subtly recalled the events from a few days ago.
***
"Suiel, thank you so much for this. I'll repay you someday."
"You know it. Gambling addict."
"You're still calling me that?"
"Hmph! A fool like Suiel is one thing, but gamblers like you are worse!"
I was still getting flak from Suiel over that 1.5 trillion won gacha pull. Well, thinking back, I had nothing to say in my defense.
We were now driving out to the outskirts of Anyang City. The area where Anyang Art Park once stood was now occupied by Michaela's holy site.
The Anyang Art Park had been devastated by monster invasions, and Michaela had established her holy site there. Afterward, she pushed up to Seoksu Station and secured the defensive line.
So if the line from Seoksu Station to Gwanak Station broke, the old Anyang district would be considered lost.
While many angels were concentrated on the entry route from Indeokwon through Pyeongchon into Anyang, this side was mostly handled by Michaela and a few ordinary angels.
That spoke to how overwhelmingly powerful Michaela was—that it was enough.
Moreover, ensconced in a holy site that was like an iron fortress, even a Grand Lord-grade couldn't do anything in a frontal clash.
"I arranged the meeting, but don't expect Michaela to go along with your wishes. Even Suiel doesn't know what she'll think or decide."
Suiel's pink hair looked pale pink in the sunlight, sparkling like a shampoo ad.
"Understood."
Angels generally got formal speech from everyone. I did the same, but thinking about it, I'd been casually bantering with Metatron right from the start.
Why was that? Even now, it puzzled me.
In terms of intimidation, no angel could compare to her. Maybe it was because we met in a hunting ground.
"Fortunately, your gambling addiction helps at times like this. That insane bet drew the busy Michaela's attention. Otherwise, she never would've met a hyena like you."
"Is she not interested in the time loop?"
"That probably factors in too. But it's such an absurd story, isn't it? Even I, who heard the details from you, am only half-convinced."
"Someone of Michaela's caliber should be able to discern the truth in my words."
Like Metatron, Michaela would understand the time loop. She was the Archangel of the Sun, the second in the hierarchy—an immensely powerful being.
With such expectations, we arrived at the grand main gate of the holy site.
Impressive. Golden and radiant, like the gates of Versailles.
A brilliant sun ornament adorned the front of the gate.
Beep.
With an electronic chime, the gate opened, and the car slid inside.
Several hunters on guard at what looked like a sentry post saluted upon seeing Suiel's marked vehicle.
Anyang Art Park originally had a narrow, elongated layout. So even after driving deep inside, the main building wasn't visible yet.
"There are a lot of buildings."
"Yeah. Hunters, their families, servants, and other staff live here."
Michaela's family had over five hundred hunters. Not just them, but their families too.
Plus the family's human servants and their families, along with other personnel—thousands lived in this holy site.
It was like a small fiefdom in itself.
Michaela was the absolute ruler of this domain.
And since a holy site wasn't legally Korean territory, that was that. Unless some idiot tried taxing an archangel, this setup would persist.
"There it is."
After what felt like an eternity of driving, the main building where Michaela resided finally appeared.
A magnificent European-style structure with a huge fountain and pond out front, reminiscent of a French Bourbon dynasty palace. Inside, it was filled with opulent rococo interiors.
"Hello? Lady Suiel."
"Welcome, Lady Suiel."
Unlike when she was with me, Suiel walked with utmost grace and poise, her white wings flawlessly folded behind her. She seemed like an entirely different person from the shopping addict I knew.
Putting on airs made her this impressive.
"Pleased to see you. Yes, pleased."
Suiel smiled softly, greeting the passing hunters, servants, and staff.
We traversed a long corridor to a spacious room. Luxurious with silk sofas and crystal chandeliers, it seemed to be a waiting area for guests.
Others were already there besides us.
Several hunters, who all stood and bowed as Suiel entered.
Ah, I could tell who they were just by looking.
Sound-speed O Na-yoon.
Flash Park Han-cheol.
Severance Lim Chae-oh.
One of them recognized me and greeted me.
"Well, if it isn't the King of Hyenas?"
"Ha... Not a nickname I particularly like."
I'd only recently learned I was called the King of Hyenas.
"Hahaha, sorry about that."
He was Inferno Kim Han-su, a high-rank hunter I'd met through Suiel's introduction—the one who explained the shield's hidden cooldown option.
A rank-1 high-rank hunter, but with a straightforward, humble demeanor that made him likable.
"Pleased to meet you."
I smiled lightly and shook his hand.
Hunters behind him started whispering.
"What? He knows Kim Han-su?"
"The King of Hyenas—that famous guy?"
"Yeah, I saw him on the news."
What a strange situation. The hunters were eyeing me with curiosity. The men looked intrigued, while the women openly squealed. Kim Han-su turned and laughed as if to say ignore them.
"Don't take it to heart. You're that famous these days, aren't you? Well, you were famous before too."
My recent fame came from being the second person to pull Hero Her's two-handed sword. Selling the sword Suiel had consigned for 1.5 trillion won was the hottest topic in the hunter world right now.
Hunters were buzzing about this lotto-level lucky guy, and even more shocked that he was the hyena. They wondered how a hyena accessed an angel's shop, fueling rumors that I was actually a low-rank hunter.
My past antics had spread rumors that I was a low-rank doing hyena work. But with this event, plus my ties to Suiel, people were buying into it.
So these hunters looked at me not as a hyena, but as one of their own.
Hunters had a certain aura, but some suppressed it or lacked it, so that wasn't a reliable gauge.
Also, Suiel was keeping quiet about the Sun God's Shield.
"What's the secret to your gacha luck?"
"Teach us!"
Suddenly, the hunters swarmed, dying to know the lotto jackpot secret. Suiel had to step in with a wry smile.
"Yoo Je-a has an appointment with Michaela today."
As Suiel handled crowd control, they backed off reluctantly. Some still lingered, asking for my number.
"Hey! Later, she said!"
Suiel led me onward through the room. Then a sultry voice called from behind.
"You're Yoo Je-a, right? Let's meet next time! Definitely! Maybe just the two of us!"
Turning, I saw a sexy-dressed female hunter waving. Laughter erupted around her. Overhearing, it seemed dating her led to ruin—something about that. Suiel chimed in as we passed.
"Don't meet her. She's gone through a truckload of boyfriends. Not that that's bad, but they all ended up broke—that's the issue."
"That's a bit scary."
Walking the corridor, we soon reached a massive door unlike the others. Adorned with a lavish sun motif like the main gate. Shockingly, two non-human angels stood guard with polearms.
"Suiel, welcome. Our sister."
"Pleased to see you. Dipinel, Apinel."
The guards, Dipinel and Apinel, were Virtues—counter-angels who protected higher angels without their own holy sites.
"Please inform Michaela. The King of Hyenas has come to pay respects."
Embarrassingly, Suiel called me the King of Hyenas, and it sounded so natural—proving the title was far more widespread than I thought.
Even Dipinel and Apinel nodded as if it were obvious.
"Great Archangel of the Sun. The King of Hyenas seeks an audience."
"Enter."
A haughty, powerful voice came from within.
It was a clear soprano, laced with a prickly edge—clearly no pushover.
Well, what archangel was ever a pushover?