Chapter 264
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 264
Chapter Title: Unsealing the Archangel
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Laplace's Compass had pointed right here, indicating the presence of the Fate Load. By all rights, the ring should be in this spot.
But the ring that was supposed to appear was nowhere to be seen. Instead, something else made contact with me.
At this point, I had to wonder if that compass was broken.
The voice echoing from within the statue hammered the information straight into my mind.
A being worthy of being sealed inside a statue...
The whereabouts of the archangels had never been properly known to the world in the first place.
Luna had no idea what had happened to them, and the same went for the others.
Part of me wondered if it was Remiel, the one who'd vanished, but the feeling was subtly different.
I resonated with the incoming intent, tuning into it like matching frequencies.
"Can you hear me? I need your help."
The girl's voice was faint and hazy.
But there was an undeniable, intense presence woven into it.
"Please... help me. You're the only one who can hear my voice right now."
'You think I can help you?'
I sent back a response while maintaining the resonance, and a brief silence followed.
"Adam? No way... Are you Adam?"
Suddenly, what nonsense was this woman spouting?
"Adam! Please help me! With your authority..."
She sounded desperate, but I calmly denied it.
'I'm not Adam.'
"What? That can't be. This voice is definitely Adam's."
'No, I told you, it's not. Come on.'
"The voice matches perfectly... What on earth happened while I was gone..."
I couldn't just casually break the seal without knowing who she was.
I'd definitely seen her before in the Dream Labyrinth.
An archangel who had appeared as a hostile entity.
I had no way of knowing her identity, but the fact that she was an archangel meant she wasn't likely to be friendly toward me like Luna.
In times like this, I had my answer key.
"Luna. Come here for a sec?"
At my call, she—who'd been tearing through the temple barehanded like it was nothing—turned to look at me.
"What?"
"There's something inside here."
At those words, Luna clenched her fist.
Whoa, was she about to smash the statue...?
"Wait! Something ominous is approaching from outside! I don't know what it is, but you can't just smash it!"
I grabbed her from behind, hugging her tight to stop her just as she was about to pulverize the statue.
"Hey, hey. Hold on a second."
"Le... Leon..."
She glanced back at me while struggling, then relaxed her strength.
"Seems like something's sealed inside this statue."
Luna crossed her arms, tilting her head as she scanned the statue from various angles.
"Hmm..."
But it looked like the voice of the sealed being inside didn't reach her.
"Wrong. My voice isn't reaching her. I don't know who she is..."
'So... what should I do?'
"This statue holding me looks ordinary, but it's not—it's the seal itself made manifest. No ordinary method will break it."
She couldn't sense anything beyond my voice or whatever direct link we had.
'Well, then. At least explain who you are. I can't just unseal some random person.'
She fell silent at my words.
'Why the silence?'
"My name is Rispa Elde."
It was a name I'd never heard before.
If she'd been an extremely dangerous being, her name would've been recorded in history books somewhere.
'Alright. And what exactly are you, to end up sealed here?'
"I was originally sentenced to annihilation, but thanks to the preparations I'd made, I was able to hide myself by getting sealed here instead."
Then didn't that mean she shouldn't come out?
'What did you do to get sentenced to annihilation? You don't seem like an ordinary being.'
"Because I went against God's will and killed countless humans."
My expression went blank at her words.
'You killed people?'
"Yes. I killed hundreds."
She said it so matter-of-factly, like it was nothing?
"Leon, what on earth are you doing?"
"Oh, right. Luna, do you know the name Rispa Elde?"
She froze at my question.
Then she tilted her head.
"How do you know that name?"
"That's what the one inside the statue claims to be."
In response, she narrowed her eyes and glared at the statue suspiciously before asking,
"Did you ask for her full name?"
At her suggestion, I placed my hand on the statue again.
'What's your full name?'
The moment I asked for her full name, the girl sealed inside let out a short, annoyed click of her tongue, clearly displeased.
"It's not a name I like. Do you really need to know?"
'Then there's no reason for me to unseal you. Doesn't matter to me either way if your seal breaks or not.'
After a moment of silence in response, she slowly spoke.
"Rispa Elde..."
Hmm...
"...Remielia."
"Remielia... Wait, that naming style sounds familiar."
"Remielia? Rispa Elde Remielia?"
"You know it?"
"Who wouldn't? The Archangel who sings of God's blessings. That's Remiel's full name."
My guess had hit the mark.
Which meant the hundreds of humans she'd killed were...
'By any chance, were the humans you killed royalty?'
"How did you know?"
Nailed it.
Now it made sense why two divine beasts Varba were guarding this place.
There was no way an empty temple would be protected by divine beasts, so in a way, it was only natural.
"Looks like it checks out. Luna, she wants us to unseal her. What do you think?"
"Doesn't matter. There's a good chance she's awakened her ego like I did."
After some deliberation, I resonated with the statue again.
'So... how do I unseal you?'
"You're really going to unseal me?"
'You'd be shocked if you knew who was standing next to me. Just tell me the method first.'
She paused for a moment before slowly opening up.
"There are several methods, but the seal is powerful. The simplest is release via stigmata."
The saint's stigmata...
"However, the stigmata's bearer must be able to wield it proficiently."
Nadia the saint had summoned an archangel before, through the potential unlocked by the Song of Suggestion I'd implanted in her. Still, she had a long way to go.
Saint's stigmata: no good.
'Any other methods?'
"Adam's authority could destroy the seal outright, but that's impossible. In that case, there's no immediate solution..."
'What if we just smash it?'
"It'll withstand most attacks, but if it truly shatters, won't I vanish along with it?"
She sure had a lot of demands.
Just then, Luna, who had been quietly examining the statue, spoke up.
"I think I can release it."
"How?"
"Like this."
Luna reached out toward the statue.
Woooooong!!!!!
At the same time, dozens of layers of holy barriers unfurled from her fingertips.
However, a good number of them crumbled, scattering fragments.
"Some of them broke?"
"I can just fill the gaps with others..."
Afterward, Luna created a black-glowing magic circle and slotted it into the broken sections of the barriers.
Unlike when she'd borrowed an archangel's power through the bracelet, she was now using her full strength, which must have led to this result.
A remarkably precise combined array formed, beginning to radiate immense divinity.
"Wha... what is this?! Such powerful and bizarre holy power—from where...?"
As Luna's magic circle slowly enveloped the statue, its gray surface began to gradually infuse with iridescent colors.
"Leon. Remember the box I was sealed in?"
"Yeah."
"It broke when you touched it. You remember that too?"
"We do the same here?"
"This seal is sturdier than that one. So I'll amplify it with my power and twist the core axis all at once."
Luna's seal had broken from mere contact, like someone had tampered with it. But this one was solid, so she proposed smashing it differently.
The sealing method wasn't identical, but if similar enough, the release could follow suit.
Just as she intended, an enormous amount of mana drained from my body in an instant, overloading the seal.
Kwachik!! Kwajijik!!!
Invisible chains suddenly manifested on the statue and began to shatter bit by bit.
Of course, the seal put up fierce resistance.
It condensed massive energy surges throughout the temple, summoning three divine beasts Varba.
Last time, one had been overwhelming enough that I'd poisoned it to win. But now the conditions were different.
Like a pack of wolves circling prey, the Varba growled low, holy flames flickering on their razor-sharp claws.
Luna focused on the holy array, and I concentrated on supplying mana and aura.
"Focus! I'll try to control the Varba!"
Perfect timing—as the seal loosened slightly, the recovering Archangel Remiel cried out.
At the same time, a mystical melody began to flow from the statue.
Strangely, note-like shapes started floating in the air, bursting with a peculiar shockwave.
Pang!! Pang pang!!
The Varba staggered at the first note's explosion, then reeled from the rapid succession, retreating one step, then two.
It was pathetically weak for an archangel, but it was enough to keep the Varba from closing in.
Come to think of it, that made sense. Remiel's seal was likely older than Luna's.
But this seal had held remarkably firm against the flow of time.
As if someone had renewed it midway.
Plus, there were no signs of anyone tampering to break it, so it wouldn't give easily.
That said, unlike back then, my mana and aura reserves were far greater now, and I had Luna as an extra factor.
Wajangchang!!!
In the end, the seal couldn't hold, shattering as an enormous holy shockwave swept through the surroundings.
Where the statue had stood, a massive pillar of energy shot skyward like a waterfall in reverse.
It cleanly pierced the ceiling, the energy wave proclaiming Remiel's release.
The aftermath was so vast it might've revealed her presence not just to the area, but the entire central continent.
And then.
Within that pillar of light, a girl's figure began to slowly emerge.
Her height was about Luna's.
Unlike Luna's flowing garb, she wore a blue, modified hanbok-style outfit that was fairly revealing. Her blue hair and star-adorned halo radiated a strong presence, confirming her existence.
Sararak...
Behind her, three pairs of pure white wings, glowing with light, unfurled softly.
They felt utterly different from Luna's wings.
Luna had gray wings and a black halo, but this one was a true, untainted archangel.
That was when it happened.
As I gazed at her, who appeared infinitely divine and holy, something flashed through my mind, making me shudder involuntarily.
"[I won't forget. Your pain, your sorrow... I'll never forget.]"
"[Not a single thing related to them will remain. Until the day every trace is utterly annihilated.]"
"[Eligos. Mel... my friend.]"
A chilling mutter, like some grudge-filled whisper, echoed in my head.
It was only for an instant, but the voice, laced with eerie resentment, burned into my brain, sending chills down my spine.
"Just now... what was that?"
"What?"
Couldn't she hear it? Was it just me?
Did I imagine it?
As those thoughts crossed my mind,
The archangel Remiel, standing with eyes closed amid the glow as her presence fully manifested, slowly opened her eyes.
Unlike Luna's galaxy-like gaze, her star-filled blue eyes opened languidly as she descended with graceful motions.
Had she not fallen, and avoided losing her power over the long years?
An overwhelming level of holy power poured from her.
Luna looked at her with evident joy.
But thanks to that eerie sensation from moments ago, something felt subtly off.
I wasn't sure if unsealing her had been the right call.