722. The Archangel Part Five

722. The Archangel Part Five

It was over in an instant.

With a single word, the Spirit Lord defeated the Archangel. Edithe didn’t even understand what had happened. She was certain it wasn’t a Skill. She didn’t see any disruption in the strands of mana rippling through the air.

But the Archangel came crashing down like it was compelled by an invisible force. And when it slammed into the ground, the earth didn’t shatter like it was struck by a falling meteor. Instead, only the earth that was struck by the Archangel broke open.

Edithe’s head spun, watching as the Spirit Lord casually strode up to the Archangel.

Many thoughts crossed her mind at this moment. But none of them concerned the reason why she even came here to the Spirit Plane.

She didn’t even think about how if the Archangel perished right now, she would be out of options, and Mavos Academy would be destroyed by the Centinel Matriarch. And neither did she consider that if she were caught by the Spirit Lord, she would be executed on the spot.

Her mind, her thoughts, and her questions were all directed towards wanting to know what happened next— wanting to know why the Archangel was even opposed to the Spirit Lord.

The Archangel groaned, trying to pick itself up. However, the damage it suffered was evident. Its wings were broken, and its legs twisted. It was heaving in exhaustion, wheezing in pain as the Spirit Lord came to a halt without a hint of concern on his face.

“I will…”

The Archangel took in a deep breath, before letting out a scream as it tried to dash forward with the lance it created.

“I WILL BRING DOWN THE JUDGMENT OF THE ARCRAEM UPON YOU!”

But the Spirit Lord brought a hand up, and the Archangel’s movements slowed. The Archangel stumbled, before dropping to a knee as the same invisible force from earlier. It knelt there, restrained by an incomprehensible power.

“I-I… will—”

The Archangel gasped, and the Spirit Lord began to coil his fingers. Edithe blinked, seeing cracks beginning to form throughout the golden figure of the Archangel.

And Soli spoke simply, shaking his head in disappointment.

“You are a slave, Iudex.”

He began to squeeze his hand tighter, and the Archangel let out a cry of agony. Its body began to curl together, being crushed by this invisible force. All the while, the Spirit Lord continued.

“You merely follow the Arcraem’s will. You do as you are told. You allow yourself to adhere to its limits. You merely accept the powers it has given you. And that is why you are nothing more than a slave.”

“And… y-you are insane…”

Iudex spat back as it glared up at Soli. The Spirit Lord just raised his head to the sky, eyeing the [Ophanim] as they continued cleansing the corruption from the world.

“But me?”

Soli spoke as he brought his free hand up to the sky.

“I shall rise above even the Arcraem itself.”

And the Archangel tried to force itself to its feet when it heard that, only to recoil as Soli tightened his grip even further.

“S-such blasphemy— do you truly believe you can become a True God?”

Shaking its head, the Archangel endured the crushing force being imposed upon it as it brought its lance up and pointed at the Spirit Lord.

“Do you truly believe you can overwrite the system that governs all of the Nexeus?”

And the Spirit Lord lowered his head, a truly genuine smile crossing through his face.

“Yes.”

Edithe blinked as she listened in on this conversation. As she heard what they were saying. But she didn’t understand what they were talking about in the slightest.

Slowly, Soli turned around as he faced the corruption pouring out of the earth.

“Tell me, why should we rely on the protection and power of an unfeeling God that cares not about its world?”

He relaxed his grip slightly, but the Archangel just stared at his back.

“When the Worldwalkers came to the Nexeus and condemned all of the Nexeus to damnation, tell me: what did the Arcraem do?”

Iudex gritted his teeth, not responding to what was being said. So the Spirit Lord just continued.

“And even now, as the world continues to near its end, what has the Arcraem done to put a halt to the unending forces of the corruption?”

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Soli tilted his head back at the Archangel. Behind him, a brilliant pillar of iridescent light flashed as the chittering cries of the dying corruption could be heard. All that came back in reply from Iudex was silence.

“Exactly.”

The Spirit Lord said as he drew back. He faced the swarming corruption as he declared to the world.

“I will save the Nexeus, Iudex. And more than that, I will bring justice to us all.”

The entire time, the Archangel had been just staring almost angrily at the Spirit Lord. But finally, it reacted to what was being said.

“What do you mean by that?”

The Archangel asked, frowning back at the Spirit Lord. And Soli chuckled as he turned his head fractionally back to face Iudex.

“Justice, Iudex. You are [The Judge Ordained By The Arcraem], are you not? Surely you understand what I mean when I say that I shall bring justice to the Nexeus?”

The Archangel didn’t respond, but it almost seemed to understand what was being implied. Edithe, herself, who had no idea what they were even discussing could also infer what Soli meant.

Vengeance.