The Defeated Angel's Secrets
Damn it… so this wasn't a divine power after all.
Redon hung his head low, biting down hard on his lip as irritation boiled inside him.
When he had first received this game field, that bastard had called it a divine power.
But it turned out to be nothing more than an ability that distorted reality.
"Th-then how come the rules we set in this place actually worked? How can that not be a divine power?!"
"Because it's a demon's power, you idiot. You angels don't even know that much?"
"…"
Redon's face twisted at Do-ha's words.
Of all people, to lose to someone he had beaten once before—and to lose so completely, without even getting a proper chance to fight back.
"Again…"
He almost demanded a rematch, but his hand clapped over his mouth in a panic.
This damn Baek Do-ha…
He had known exactly how a loser would feel and had already blocked any chance of a rematch.
"So when you picked a fight calling me a liar, you already knew what Shaks's game field really was."
"That's right."
"Son of a bitch!"
Utterly defeated, Redon let out a roar of pure frustration.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he had lost the Blood of Sin.
And for good reason—there was almost no information on the Blood of Sin, let alone its location. Finding out where it was basically meant claiming it.
And he had just thrown that away.
He dropped heavily onto the bench beside him.
"The Blood of Sin… do you actually know where it is?"
Redon looked up at Do-ha.
Was that information even real?
"Yeah."
"Then why didn't you take it?"
"Why would I take it?"
Do-ha let out a hollow laugh at the question.
He was neither angel nor demon. What need did he have for the Blood of Sin?
Sure, it would amplify his energy, but it would be faster just to go dig up some Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and eat that instead.
"Now talk. Everything you know about the Demon God Cult."
"Ugh… what do you want to know?"
"This current Wave. The Cult caused it, right?"
"That's right. Starting a few months ago, they installed God's Wrath artifacts inside the Gates."
"Can they activate them remotely?"
"They improved the God's Wrath they stole from New Age. Not fully remote, but if you set a timer, it goes off on its own—like an alarm. Of course, in places where the Wave is especially bad, cultists are actively controlling them. Think of it as throwing more wood on the fire. Humans are hilarious, though. Who names something 'God's Wrath'?"
While Redon rattled on with his nonsense, Do-ha's expression grew serious.
Of all things, the cultists had upgraded the devices that triggered Waves.
Now they no longer even needed to carry the artifacts into the Gates themselves.
"I know the Cult took heavy losses because of New Age. How bad is the damage?"
"Pretty severe. Dead cultists already number over five thousand. That's why Asmoden is even considering joining hands with the Belhart Pope."
"Asmoden?"
"Oh, you don't know? The Pope of the Cult on Earth's side is named Asmoden."
Do-ha nodded at the angel's words.
Asmoden, huh…
He had learned the Pope's name.
"So Belhart has its own Pope as well."
"Well, they're different worlds. The two of them never got along. Each one thinks he's the one receiving the Demon God's special favor."
"Idiots. The Demon God doesn't favor anyone."
"Exactly. But they don't know that. That's why they're fanatics, right?"
Redon agreed readily. Both of them hated the Demon God, so on this point at least they understood each other perfectly.
"Where are the Cult's bases on Earth?"
"I only know two. I haven't found the rest yet."
"…"
"Hey, what?! It's true!"
When Do-ha simply stared at him, Redon bristled.
The rules were still in effect; he couldn't lie.
"I was disguised as a human trying to dig up more information, and then you came along and ruined everything!"
"Where are those two locations?"
"Here."
Redon stretched out his hand and poured the coordinates of the Cult bases into him.
Japan and Egypt.
Tracing the coordinates the angel had given him, Do-ha confirmed the two places.
The Cult was hiding in both.
"And the Cult's location on the Belhart side?"
"The Northern Continent."
"That's it?"
"They conquered the entire Northern Continent."
"I'm asking if they have bases anywhere else."
"I don't know. It's been a long time since I last went to Belhart."
While Do-ha and Redon were talking, Canteas and Selenia came flying in from the distance.
They had waited a long time with no sign of him returning and had come to check if something was wrong.
"Huh? It's the pigeon bastard."
"That rude mouth of yours hasn't changed at all, you possessed skeleton."
"Who are you calling a possessed skeleton?"
"It's been a long time."
"Good to see you, Selenia. Ah!"
The moment he saw Selenia greeting him, Redon clapped his hands together.
He looked straight at Do-ha.
"?"
Do-ha tilted his head.
Why was he suddenly staring at him?
"Seeing the two of you here on Earth… you got married, didn't you?"
"No!"
Do-ha denied it instantly, flustered.
What the hell was this bastard suddenly spouting…
"You're not? I just thought…"
"More importantly, why is Redon here?"
"This guy was hiding with the Cult."
Do-ha told them everything that had happened up to that point—the game, and how he had won.
"Are there any demons who have come out into the Intermediate Realm?"
Selenia asked what she needed to know.
If a demon was hiding somewhere, it had to be dealt with immediately.
Demons took priority over the Cult.
"I have no reason to tell you that."
Redon's eyebrows rose.
Did she think she could ask just because Do-ha had?
"Are there any demons who have come out into the Intermediate Realm?"
"…Tsk."
When Do-ha repeated Selenia's question word for word, Redon clicked his tongue.
This was why couples were…
"There was one not long ago. Word is a Cheonwaecheon named A killed it. And that Cheonwaecheon was you."
He had only just learned that Do-ha was operating under the name A from the assistant bishop when he first arrived here.
"Anyone else?"
"I don't know."
"What about plans to summon demons?"
"Don't know that either."
"What the hell do you actually know, you chicken-pigeon bastard?"
Canteas, who had been listening quietly, finally snapped.
Every single question got the same answer—he didn't know.
They knew the rules prevented him from lying.
But that didn't make him any less useless.
"Wh-what?! Chicken-pigeon?? You chewed-up dog bone…"
"Wow, looks like I'll be making an undead out of an angel today."
Power began to leak from both of them.
Canteas had never gotten along with Redon—or with any angel, for that matter.
"Enough."
"Tsk."
"Tch."
The moment Do-ha stopped them, both Canteas and Redon backed off at once.
"There's one more thing I want to know."
"What."
"Which angel joined hands with the Demon King?"
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Redon's face twisted.
He lived freer than most angels, but at his core he was still an angel through and through.
And now someone was insulting angels right in front of him.
"Baal is bound. He's chained by something overflowing with angelic power."
"Is that true?"
"It is."
"…The Whip of Penance."
If there was a chain powerful enough to bind Baal, it could only be the Whip of Penance.
That meant a Throne Angel was involved.
"Melon?"
"Penance, you idiot! Melons are fruit!"
Redon flared up at Canteas's wordplay.
Provoking him with such a lame joke…
"Do you know who it is?"
"Well… even if I did, it's Heaven's business. No reason to tell you."
"But it's also connected to the Demon God."
"Tsk… I don't know either. This is the first I've heard that Baal is bound. But I'll look into it for you."
Because of the wager he already had to provide information, he promised to investigate.
What kind of insane angel would go all the way to Hell just to capture Baal?
The wager was just an excuse—he was curious himself.
Who on earth would betray Heaven and join hands with the Demon King?
"Any other questions?"
"No."
"Ah, one last piece of information. It's pretty important, though."
"What is it?"
"In a few months, a Cardinal will visit Egypt in person."
The moment he mentioned that a Cardinal—right below the Pope—would visit the Cult base in Egypt, Do-ha's eyes turned ice-cold.
A Cardinal…
One of the Cult's central pillars.
Killing him would deal a catastrophic blow to the Demon God Cult on Earth.
Everything New Age had destroyed so far, every cultist they had killed—none of it would compare to the death of a Cardinal.
No matter what, I have to kill that Cardinal.
Originally he had planned to handle the Japanese base himself and send Henry to Egypt.
But now this information had to stay between the three of them here.
Redon had no reason to spread it elsewhere anyway.
"We're done, then?"
"Yeah."
"Ugh, let's never make a bet again."
Redon stood up from the bench with a heavy sigh.
This was the first time in his life he had ever lost. He had never imagined how irritating it would feel to lose to someone—especially in a wager, his specialty.
If he had lost in combat, he could have accepted it.
The Absolute Being Baek Do-ha was strong enough to fight even the Demon God, after all.
But losing a bet hit differently. The shock was massive.
His wings fluttered open.
"Oh, right. As a gift for beating me, I'll tell you something good."
"?"
"One month from now, a Gate will open in Argentina."
"A Gate?"
Do-ha's brow furrowed.
A Gate opening out of nowhere?
And how did Redon even know that?
"You'll want to stop it properly. Something's going to try to tear its way out."
"Tear its way out… a demon?"
"No."
Redon shook his head.
"A Gate containing a dragon will open."
"Wh-what did you just say?! A dragon?!"
Canteas, who had been listening from the side, nearly jumped out of his skin.
A dragon was going to appear???
"How the hell do you know that?!"
"Who knows? This one I really have no reason to tell you."
Redon shrugged.
It wasn't information related to the Demon God Cult, so he had no obligation to share it.
Looking into the angel who had joined hands with the Demon King was, in a way, an extension of the rules because it involved the Demon God.
But the dragon information was simply a congratulatory gift for the only person who had ever beaten him.
"Take care, Absolute Being."
His wings spread wide. With a tremendous burst of speed, Redon shot into the sky, turning into light before vanishing completely.