The Soul Contract
"...What?"
At Do-ha's words, Metatron's expression went completely blank.
What did he just say...?
"Why should I help you?"
"Because the situation is critical! At this rate, the Sixth District will fall into the demons' hands!"
"No. What I mean is—why should I help the angels? You lot never lifted a finger when I was fighting the demons, so what shameless nerve do you have asking me for help now?"
"..."
Metatron's lips flapped open and shut, but no words came out.
Baek Do-ha wasn't wrong.
Heaven hadn't offered even the slightest assistance during Baek Do-ha's battles.
"A-Archangel! Our forces are being pushed back further and further!"
"Damn it...! Baek Do-ha. Help us just this once, and I swear I'll repay this debt!"
Metatron spat the words out as if they were poison.
If this had been the First or Second District, he never would have made such a request.
But this was the Sixth District.
To Heaven, this place had to be defended at all costs.
It was a symbol—the very site where the Heavenly God descended.
That was why it absolutely had to be held.
"Goddess's Tears, Giant's Footprints, Soul Snatcher. You refused to hand any of them over before, so how am I supposed to believe you'll repay a debt now?"
"I'll give you all of them!"
"Don't need them."
In truth, mentioning those three items earlier had only been bait to secure the Fragment of Memories. He had never actually wanted them.
"Th-Then tell me what you want! I'll give you anything!"
"What I want, huh... How about the God-Slaying Spear? Longinus?"
"You damn bastard!"
Metatron roared at Do-ha's words.
To demand something that precious!
So that was why he had climbed all the way up here!
"Longinus is a single-use weapon that vanishes after one strike!"
"More accurately, it's become single-use after being used so many times."
In reality, the Spear of Longinus was not originally a one-time item.
It had simply been used so often throughout history that only one final charge remained.
"If you don't want to, forget it."
"Fine. I'll give it to you. I'll give you the Spear of Longinus!"
"Nah, never mind. I changed my mind."
"This is no time for jokes!"
Metatron snapped in irritation.
What the hell was this lunatic playing at?!
He had just agreed to hand over the Spear of Longinus!
"You'll need it anyway if you're going to fight the Demon God!"
"I can just beat the Demon God to death with my own power."
The God-Slaying Spear.
A grand name, to be sure.
But Do-ha knew the weapon's true nature.
It only has the name 'God-Slaying Spear.' In reality, it just lands a critical hit.
Unlike other weapons, it could strike any god—but a single spear could never kill one outright.
Which made it useless to him.
"Forget the weapon. Help me."
"What nonsense is that? You're the one who was supposed to help us..."
"No. From now on."
"..."
The moment Metatron grasped Do-ha's meaning, his mouth clamped shut.
"I'm not asking for all of Heaven to move. Frankly, they wouldn't be much help anyway. But you're different."
With Metatron alone, it was one against a hundred.
No—one against a hundred million.
As he had said before, Metatron possessed power comparable to Lucifer's.
A single Metatron was worth far more than an entire host of angels who couldn't even coordinate a joint assault.
"What's it going to be? Will you help me from now on?"
"Y-You damn bastard. Get lost! I don't need your help—"
"Archangel! Even Duke Leraje's forces have arrived!"
Crunch.
At the angels' report, Metatron ground his teeth.
Duke Leraje, fourteenth in the demon hierarchy.
That one commanded summons like a black mage and fielded overwhelming numbers.
"Wow, looks like you're in real trouble. About ten minutes left before the Sixth District falls? Or maybe five?"
"..."
"You told me to get lost, so I'm leaving. Oh, and hurry up and give the retreat order. Those poor angels over there are dying."
Whoosh.
Do-ha waved a hand and turned his back.
"Haa... Fine."
He stopped cold.
Metatron let out a deep sigh and spoke, and Do-ha halted mid-step.
"Fine about what?"
Do-ha asked without even turning around.
If he was agreeing to something, he ought to say it clearly.
"From now on... I will help you."
A sly grin.
At Metatron's words, Do-ha wore a thin, crooked smile.
It was fortunate his back was turned—if Metatron had seen that expression, he would have changed his mind on the spot.
Flutter.
"Then let's write a contract."
"What?! You already prepared a contract?!"
"I figured it would be hard to form a proper pact in a situation like this, so I made it on paper. It's a contract imbued with a soul-binding pact."
"A s-soul-binding pact?! Do you think I've gone mad enough to sign that?!"
Metatron recoiled in horror.
He knew full well what a soul-binding pact was—and yet Do-ha expected him to sign one!
Even demons refused that kind of slave contract.
BOOOOOOM!
"Gyaaaah!"
Thud-thud-thud.
"Tsk. Those angels who just died? That's on you."
As angelic remains scattered in every direction, Do-ha pointed a finger at Metatron.
"I killed them?!"
"You hesitated and wasted time, so the angels died. If you'd just signed this contract quickly, I would have already charged out and stopped them."
"Aaaaargh! Baek Do-ha!!"
In the end, Metatron screamed.
This dog of a lunatic!
How the hell had he gotten tangled up with this bastard!
"Bring the contract!"
"Heh heh heh. Smart choice. There's nothing weird in it, so don't worry too much."
"..."
When Do-ha held out the contract, Metatron rapidly scanned the contents.
Just in case it contained a clause forcing him to help even if Heaven itself were attacked.
"See? Nothing like that, right?"
"Haa... Fine. It only says I'll assist in every stage of the fight against the Demon God."
Slick.
Rip.
Whirrrrr!
Metatron lightly bit his thumb and signed the contract in blood.
Ordinarily, a refined Archangel would have used a pen—but there was no time for that now.
Shhhhhhh.
The moment Metatron finished signing, the contract dissolved into crimson motes of light and seeped into both their bodies.
"Perfect. Contract complete."
"H-How did I end up..."
Metatron's face crumpled into a miserable pout.
Had this been the right choice? Regret was already setting in.
"Now help me. Hold off the Demon Realm forces until I destroy this portal."
"Of course."
Do-ha nodded with a smile.
He had just acquired a valuable asset—of course he would help.
Slick.
"What's that?"
"This? Call it my trademark."
Do-ha pulled on a black mask, and Metatron furrowed his brow.
Why the sudden mask?
"It'll be better for you if I hide my face, won't it? If the Absolute Being suddenly attacks, the Demon Realm will claim Heaven struck first."
"Ah..."
At Do-ha's words, Metatron nodded.
Just as he said, the Demon Realm had initiated this attack.
If the Absolute Being appeared and started slaughtering demons, they would certainly accuse Heaven of striking first.
"Thank you for the consideration."
"Don't mention it. We're going to be colleagues for a long time, after all."
Crackle-crackle.
As he channeled the energy of the Lightning Spirit Step, sparks began to leap from Do-ha's body.
"Wait..."
A long time?
Come to think of it, had the contract specified a duration...?
With angels dying left and right, he hadn't checked that far.
"Hey, Baek Do-ha. How long did you set the contract period for?"
"Be right back."
Whoosh!
"Hey, Baek Do-ha!"
Their eyes met for an instant as Do-ha unfolded the Lightning Spirit Step and shot forward, Metatron's shout ringing out behind him.
One day after Heaven and the Demon Realm clashed.
In a gray space prepared between dimensional rifts, representatives of the angels and the Demon Realm sat facing one another.
"This leaves a foul taste in my mouth. The pigeons crossing into the Demon Realm was a clear declaration of war, yet we're ending it like this."
Asmodeus, the Demon King of Lust, began to vent his irritation.
Demon Realm forces had suddenly started dying in massive numbers, and in the end the Demon Realm side had been forced to request a ceasefire.
No one knew why so many demons had fallen, but the Demon Kings had judged that neither side stood to gain in the long run and had stepped in to halt the assault.
Asmodeus, however, was far from satisfied with the outcome.
"True to a demon—the moment you open your mouth, lies come pouring out."
Michael glared at Asmodeus.
Heaven had been the one attacked first.
"The Demon Realm opened a portal and destroyed the Heavenly God's altar, yet you're trying to pin the blame on someone else?"
"Hmph. Do you think I don't know this was a false-flag operation?"
Bang!
"What? A false-flag?! So you're saying we destroyed the Heavenly God's altar just to pick a fight?!"
Gabriel slammed his fist on the table and shot to his feet, roaring.
This went beyond criticism—it was an insult.
Angels lived for the Heavenly God. The idea that they would destroy the altar merely to start a war with demons was unthinkable.
"Enough."
"Both of you, sit down."
Metatron and Lucifer, seated at the head of the table, calmed the others.
They had not gathered here to fight.
"We are hardly on friendly terms, so let us conclude this quickly."
"Agreed."
At Lucifer's words, Metatron nodded.
"Due to Heaven's attack, more than twenty million demons have died, including nobles—and even the Demon King Mammon. Heaven must compensate for those losses."
"Preposterous. First, Heaven did not kill Mammon. Second, demons were not the only ones who died in that situation. Fifteen million angels fell. How do you propose to compensate for that?"
"If Heaven did not kill Mammon... then who did?"
"I don't know either."
"Come now, Metatron. Be honest."
Lucifer fixed him with a steady stare.
If the Archangel Metatron did not know, who would?
"I truly do not know. I stake my name and honor on it."
"As if a pigeon's honor means anything..."
"You insolent demon, how dare you—"
"Dare? Are you talking to me?"
Satan, who had been sitting with his arms crossed, glared at Raphael.
A mere one of the Four Great Angels who trailed after Metatron's coattails, daring to use the word "dare" toward him.
"I said enough."
Hsssss.
As energy flowed from Lucifer, Satan snorted once and leaned back in his chair again.
"Haa... Then let us do this. Since both sides suffered heavy losses in this incident, we will each grant one demand and call the matter settled."
"State what you want."
"Release the noble demons Heaven took captive."
Long ago, Heaven had captured roughly ten noble demons.
Though the time that had passed was not especially long by the standards of Heaven or the Demon Realm, ten noble demons were a significant military asset.
"Very well. We will do so."
"Now state your demand."
"Return the Mirror of the Heart that you stole from Heaven."
"..."
At Metatron's words, Lucifer's eyes narrowed.
The Mirror of the Heart was an object that reflected the Heavenly God's innermost thoughts.
More precisely, it projected the Heavenly God's past heart.
And for the briefest of moments, one could even glimpse his form.
"I must make a correction. First, I did not steal it. It was mine from the beginning. You haven't forgotten, have you? That I was originally the Archangel."
"..."
At Lucifer's words, every angel seated at the table ground their teeth.
How could they forget?
That Lucifer had once been the Archangel who represented all angels.
But it was a fact of utter humiliation.
Their representative had fallen and become a Demon King.
What could be more shameful than that?
"So... my demand?"
"Well, it's of no use to me anymore, so I'll give it to you."
Whoosh!
Lucifer shrugged and tossed a compass toward Metatron.
"Even after angels died in droves, the only thing you demand is an object for peeping at the Heavenly God's past form... Truly the mark of a fanatic. Do you love the Heavenly God that much?"
"...Are you looking for a fight?"
"If I were, I wouldn't have arranged this meeting."
Scrape.
Lucifer rose from his seat with a laugh.
"Then let us end this here. We will return the imprisoned demons at once."
Scrape-scrape.
As soon as Metatron finished speaking, the angels rose as one.
"Hey, Metatron."
"?"
"Keep looking into that mirror, and you'll soon realize it too. How pathetic it is to take joy in nothing more than the Heavenly God's reflection in a glass. And how empty that act truly is."
"...Let's go."
At Lucifer's words, Metatron led the angels away and vanished.