Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: 2-2. The New Land Granted to Us
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“You know that a Lord-class monster has been eyeing Michaela’s sanctuary for a long time. She’s using this chance to take it down along with the rest. Archangel Gabriel and Archangel Uriel have promised their cooperation to cover for Michaela’s absence.”
Michaela’s territory would be guarded by Gabriel and Uriel while she was away. Having abandoned her sanctuary in her own lands, Michaela planned to head to Noryangjin.
Of course, all of this would only proceed if Metatron agreed to accept the plan.
Until then, they were just making preparations.
“That woman is still as impressive as ever. To prepare all that in just a few days.”
Metatron let out a light sigh and sat back down. Then she sank into deep thought.
“Metatron, I don’t know exactly what happened in your past. But I do know that an archangel named Sandalphon died.”
“…….”
Pain cast a shadow over Metatron’s face. That was why I deliberately kept a detached attitude. I didn’t know anything about Sandalphon anyway, and I couldn’t empathize with her feelings. Pretending to comfort her would just be deceitful.
“I’m not trying to clumsily console you over that. But I get why you abandoned your sanctuary and shifted to an offensive stance because of it. So, listen. This is actually an opportunity. What do you think the war will look like if we build a fortress like Rhodes Island right in the heart of enemy territory? This is a strategy no one could ever predict. It started as a coincidence and now it’s coming to fruition.”
None of this would have been possible if Metatron hadn’t struck the enemy king first, preventing a massive pursuit by their Lord-class monsters.
With four Grand Lord-class and Lord-class monsters dead at once, it wasn’t just about the mana supply to reshape the terrain around Noryangjin.
The power vacuum among the Lord-class monsters entrenched in Gangbuk was even greater. Having lost four leaders, they wouldn’t be able to effectively counter the new fortress in Noryangjin. When would such a golden opportunity come again?
I poured out my passion on this point.
Metatron countered.
“Fine, but how are we going to keep defending it? Just you and me, getting along nicely?”
“I’ve already coordinated on that too. This sanctuary will become your territory, but many angels from various families will be dispatched here. Not just Michaela’s family—Gabriel’s, Uriel’s, and Raphael’s families will step up to defend the island. I plan to unite them into a coalition hunter unit.”
Bringing in the other archangels and convincing them had been entirely Michaela’s responsibility.
The big picture came from my head, but she handled all the practical details. She must have suffered immensely. To wrap up everything like lightning in just a few days—Michaela was no ordinary being.
Of course, the other archangels had likely sensed this was a chance too. They’d been maintaining the status quo, but the war against the monsters had stagnated.
Reclaiming Gangbuk had long been the dream of humans and angels alike, but the battles had turned into a quagmire. Turn Noryangjin into an impregnable fortress, though, and it suddenly became feasible.
“Metatron, I understand your resolve to go on the offensive, even abandoning your sanctuary. But you can’t keep wandering like a nomad forever. That’s why you went all the way to Pyongyang to kill the king, right? But that failed. No matter how strong you are, you can’t turn the tide alone. And you need a stable place to recover your lost power. In your current state, fighting the king again is impossible.”
That kingly being was likely in a meticulous recovery process by now. Meanwhile, Metatron had been caught in chases and melees around Noryangjin. The gap between them was already widening.
“Michaela is sincere too. She agreed to this even though failure means losing her entire foundation. No—even if it succeeds, she’ll pay dearly for giving up her sanctuary. It might take five years, or ten, to rebuild everything. But Michaela made her choice. Now it’s your turn, Metatron. And this is a letter from Michaela.”
I pulled the prepared letter from my subspace and handed it over. Metatron hesitated greatly before taking it and reading. She stared silently at the words for a long time.
What on earth had happened in her past? As an outsider, I could never know, nor should I pry. But one thing was clear: Michaela’s sincerity was in that letter.
“Fuuu.”
After reading for a while, Metatron let out a long, long sigh.
And finally, she made her decision.
“Very well. I can’t block a reasonable proposal out of sheer stubbornness. And besides, it’s your opinion, Yu Je-a.”
Becoming her incarnation meant not just power, but also a share of her authority, she explained.
“If even you, in that position, coordinated with Michaela, I can’t just pretend not to notice. I’ll declare the sanctuary.”
That was just an excuse for Metatron to yield to me. Strictly speaking, the coordination with Michaela happened before I became her incarnation.
“Thank you. You’ve made a wise choice.”
I didn’t understand her anguish. But I could tell this was a major resolution. So I expressed my genuine gratitude.
Metatron gave a slight smile, then her expression turned stern.
“It won’t be easy at all. No one has ever maintained a sanctuary in the depths of enemy territory like this. Once we start, there’s no begging off midway because it’s too hard. Understand?”
“Well, if it gets really tough, we can hand it over to Michaela and run away together.”
Metatron looked at me in disbelief.
“Tsk tsk. Why did I choose a man like you as my incarnation?”
Even so, she soon sneaked a smile.
“But it’s a rather amusing idea.”
***
“Is it done?”
“Yes.”
Metatron and I dismantled the trap of the dead Lord-class corpse. The mana core from the dead Lord-class was to be used as the power source for Metatron to begin declaring the sanctuary.
But it couldn’t be removed beforehand to lure the enemy.
“No need to worry. We just need to adjust the method slightly.”
Metatron devised a new way to lure the enemy and declare the sanctuary simultaneously.
According to the scenario, when the electric lord Karnum slashed open the corpse’s chest, the mana core’s energy would explode at that moment, initiating the sanctuary activation procedure.
“The beauty of this method is that when the mana core explodes for the sanctuary declaration, Karnum will take massive damage. Angelic power is like poison to monsters, after all.”
Even though the goal wasn’t to harm the enemy, this created a trap even more powerful than the original.
“That’s definitely good. From what we saw in the last phase, while you were trading blows with Karnum, the other Lord-class monsters closed in to encircle us, right? If we kill Karnum much faster this time, we can take them out one by one before their encirclement completes.”
To encircle, the enemies were spread apart.
That made it possible to crush them separately. Plus, with Metatron stepping back for the sanctuary installation, she’d be easier to protect. Naturally, the farther the enemy was from Metatron, the safer she’d be.
“I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.”
“What are you talking about? Your role is the most important. I’m counting on you.”
Michaela was sending a total of four teams here, including herself.
One team to protect Metatron while she was vulnerable during the work, and the other three to hunt the Grand Lord-class and Lord-class monsters.
Michaela herself planned to come in person.
But I had no idea how many people each team would have.
A team could be one person or dozens, depending on the members.
With the sanctuary at risk of collapse causing chaos, Michaela said it was hard to specify teams in advance. She herself would form a one-person team, but the others might swarm with hunters.
Still, Michaela promised to send solid forces capable of handling Lord-class monsters.
“Let’s fall back now.”
With the work done, Metatron and I slipped into a nearby building to hide.
Now, when Karnum came and touched the mana core, the sanctuary declaration would begin the operation.
Exciting—a sanctuary right in the heart of enemy territory.
At its simplest, a sanctuary was a barrier against enemy invasion, but it held many meanings.
For an easy example: teleportation becomes possible.
Angels could normally go anywhere with their magic, but hunting grounds were exceptions. Monster-occupied areas had widespread interference blocking angelic power.
Lord-class monsters, instead of sanctuaries that completely barred approach like angels did, created looser but broader interference zones.
One effect: no teleportation.
That made bold hunter operations difficult. Even if you infiltrated enemy territory, fought, and exhausted yourself, there was no magical escape.
But what if a sanctuary appeared in Noryangjin?
Hunters’ operational range would skyrocket.
Even in the heat of battle, flee to the Noryangjin sanctuary, and you could magic your way to Anyang or Daejeon or anywhere.
It would be like an aircraft carrier floating in the vast ocean.
Hunters would be the carrier-based planes launching from it.
The enemy leadership would do anything to stop this if they knew.
But unfortunately for them, they couldn’t know.
How could they predict and preempt a plan completed through time loops? Even we didn’t expect things to unfold this way.
“It’s coming.”
My senses, expanded after becoming the incarnation, detected the Lord-class monster’s approach in advance. Metatron, naturally having even wider senses, just nodded, but any other hunter here would’ve been baffled.
My detection range was wider than most high-rank hunters.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
With heavy footsteps, Karnum appeared.
Dragging his greatsword, electricity crackling like a crown on his head horns—a familiar sight by now. He glanced warily around before approaching the dead Lord-class corpse.
Good. Right on schedule.
“Metatron. The moment the mana core explodes, jump out and finish Karnum.”
“Conserve your strength, Yu Je-a. Don’t forget manifestation is once per day. There’s a gap between the mana core exploding via the procedure and the sanctuary activating. I’ll go all out and slay Karnum in that time.”
I nodded.
But somehow, it felt insufficient.
To gather courage, and to give her some, I took her hand.
“Ah!”
Metatron startled slightly.
But soon gripped my hand firmly in return.
“I have never feared enemies. You, my incarnation, must be the same.”
“Of course.”
Then, a blinding light erupted ahead. Karnum had finally touched the mana core. Reacting to Karnum’s action, the mana core followed the preset procedure, beginning to apply the sanctuary over Noryangjin.
Karnum staggered, suffering damage beyond comparison to a flame trap from the power’s explosion.
Metatron instantly shot forward with her flame sword, and I followed, shield of the sun god raised.
“Yu Je-a! Witness victory before your eyes!”
“If there’s no victory ahead, a hyena doesn’t run in the first place!”
Today, a new land would be granted to us.
Noryangjin’s sanctuary was as good as Metatron’s territory.
Given her personality, she’d be largely indifferent to managing it.
She’d probably entrust everything to me, her sole family member.
Metatron would focus on maintaining the sanctuary and recovering her strength for a rematch with the king.
Then, the lord ruling this frontline territory would be none other than me.
When coordinating with Metatron, I hadn’t hidden that ambition.
Our relationship wasn’t one for concealing such things.
I openly said I wanted power, and Metatron gladly permitted it.
As I charged with the shield of the sun god, words Metatron had said hours ago came to mind.
“Good. Didn’t I tell you? I’d place you at the highest position among humans. As my incarnation, you should be the noblest being. Don’t be ashamed of your ambition. Instead, fear falling behind other humans while being the retainer of this rank-one body. I will always cherish and support you from now on.”
Even a dry man like me felt something deep in my heart stirred by her sincerity then.
“Graaaah!”
With a shout, I unleashed a solar burst on Karnum, staggering from Metatron’s sword.
Flash!
Watching the sunlight scorch Karnum’s skin, I yearned.
For a victory shining even brighter than this radiant light.
============================ Author's Note ============================
The angel settings have been modified from the commonly known basics for the story. For example, I’m not strictly bound by the famous nine choirs of angels. That nine-choir system isn’t even an official church-recognized setting—it’s closer to secondary fanfiction by a guy called Pseudo-Dionysius, so it’s interesting but lacks authority.
Crucially, it’s a 6th-century setup reflecting that era’s class structure (Seraphim as clergy, Thrones as lords, etc.), and when I tried using it for my modern setting, it didn’t fit at all. So if you try matching this story to the nine choirs, some placements won’t line up.
In my case, considering modern citizens’ status, I’ve vertically boosted the power of regular angels within the work. You’ll see Suiel, a regular angel, wielding a sanctuary and lording over a small territory like a feudal lord.
Regular angels, who’d be at the bottom in the original nine choirs, appear here as beings with potential to promote up to archangel. In <Metatron>, the mains are archangels and regular angels; earth angels, fire angels, power angels, dominion angels, etc., are set as specialists in specific fields. Thus, regular angels sometimes double as power or earth angels, depending.
I’ve also freely adjusted occult settings like mapping angels to the 12 zodiac palaces in the Imperial Capital, without much value placed on them.
Of course, I haven’t completely ignored traditional settings. Kabbalah portrays Sandalphon as Metatron’s twin, which is reflected in the special bond between Sandalphon and Metatron here. Metatron’s flame sword draws from the “pillar of flame with 36 wings and 36,000 eyes.”
As someone pursuing gray-haired, flat-chested smiling girls, 36,000 eyes are utterly unacceptable, but I managed to incorporate the flame pillar somehow.
Anyway, as mentioned in the work, the angels here aren’t real angels—they’re beings who’ve reconstructed themselves based on Earth’s games and various fantasy novels. So please be lenient with parts that differ from traditional angels.