Chapter 262 - Infinite Mage

Angels don't have a concept of a mother. But if there were one to be considered their mother, it would only be Ikhael, the archangel of archangels who had cared for them since birth. Uriel subtly turned his head to observe Kariel. Seeing his innocent smile, memories from long ago resurfaced. Back then, Kariel wasn’t like this. While he remained cunning and quirky, he wasn't fixated on creating something with a purpose. He used to create fun and ingenious items, presenting them to Ikhael, who would then laugh merrily and pat him on the head. "Kariel, if it were up to me, I could destroy it. You know that, don't you? Is that really what you want?" "Haha! This time, it won't be easy. Honestly, it has to be destroyed. I want to annihilate the land of the earth as soon as possible. If I destroy Miro's spacetime, today would be that day." "Why are you in such a rush? Ra has yet to send any message, and Ymir still hasn’t awakened. Is there really a need to go this far?" Kariel looked out beyond his surroundings, watching as the rebellion that started in the First Heaven, Shamain, spread to the Second Heaven, Raqia, where battles between the heavenly citizens and the fallen angels were raging on. "Shirone has changed heaven. And this is just the beginning. We must urgently break through Miro's spacetime to eradicate the humans on earth." Kariel’s anxieties were understandable, yet it seemed unreasonable for an archangel, one who had destroyed countless earthly nations, to be hurried by mere rebellion. "Do you think by exterminating humans, Ikhael will return?" Kariel's expression suddenly hardened. "……What do you mean?" "Ikhael's sin has already been absolved. The incident itself no longer exists. In exchange, Guffin vanished too. Isn't it time we, at the very least, forgive her?" Kariel's divine aura expanded intimidatingly. As the halo spread to a diameter exceeding 40 meters, the mega system of the great world war issued an emergency alarm, mirroring Kariel’s current state of mind. "Her sins are absolved? Then what are these filthy memories left with us? I don’t care about Guffin! I just find Ikhael repulsive! Don’t ever bring this up again!" “Will you really fight her, Kariel? I’m asking again. Are you truly willing to fight her?” A mix of sorrow and anger overlay Kariel’s features. “She bore a human child!” Halo sent waves like ripples. As the mega system flickered on and off, the great world war momentarily glimmered. A Fragmentary Fracture (2) Kariel wore an expression unbefitting an archangel, a sinister glare in her eyes as if she had been dealt an intolerable insult. "How could the leader of the archangels do such a thing! It's no different from mating with a beast if compared to humans! And you want me to forgive? Could you?" Uriel couldn't respond. In many ways, Kariel was like his twin. Twins born from the primordial knowledge of the first archangel Ikhael. But their personalities diverged as distinctly as their inherent concepts. Most of all, Kariel... truly loved Ikhael. Kariel withdrew the divine aura back into her halo. Yet, already wounded, she turned away coldly. “If you have no intention of helping, then leave. I will pierce through Miro's spacetime. I will annihilate every arrogant and defiant human who defies God's will!” ‘…Such a sensitive being.’ Uriel gazed at his back with pity. Though the radiant wings of light unfolded gloriously, in some ways, he bore similarities to humans. Like Ikhael. ‘I’m sorry, Ikhael. But for us, no, for Kariel, we still need you.’ Uriel placed a hand on Kariel’s shoulder and spoke. “Alright. I misspoke. I’ll join in your endeavor. So, we’re to shatter this thing called 'heaven's wall,' correct?” Kariel turned back reluctantly, lightening his expression as he resumed his explanation. “Indeed. But it certainly won’t be easy. Even for you, you’d have to exert your utmost power to break it. It’s made from a material far sturdier than anything in this world.” Nodding, Uriel walked past Kariel toward the heaven's wall. Upon reaching a close vicinity, he saw nothing but a black barrier. Examining its molecular structure, he found it wasn’t born from heat and pressure. It was most certainly from an explosion. This would undoubtedly be challenging. "Remember this, Kariel. Since a long time ago." Uriel transformed his divine aura into Halo. With data integrated into the 4-meter diameter halo, a luminous rod materialized beside him. It was 4 meters long, only 1 meter of its length being the shaft while triangular cones at either end completed the rest. It was a celestial weapon called the Heavenly Glaive. “Of all the creations you’ve made, there isn’t one I haven’t been able to destroy.” Assuming a mounted stance and applying force, Uriel set the heavenly glaive spinning rapidly, leaving afterimages akin to a wheel. As the rotation surpassed Mach speed, the sound of air being torn like metal was audible. Glaive Destruction Technique - Celestial Wheel. (Corrected from Celestial Galaxy Wheel to Celestial Wheel^^;) [Ed note: I have no idea wether this is from the author, raw site, or the AI translator finally gaining conciousness.] “Uwoooo!” Archangel Uriel was an angel of destruction. With a primordial concept opposing Kariel’s, the angel of creation. In the beginning, the world was born through some amplification. And with creation and destruction intertwined, all of existence was made. Kariel endlessly creates; Uriel destroys it. The destiny of two brothers born from the amplified archangel Ikhael. “Here I gooooo!” As Uriel twisted his upper body and swung his arm, the heavenly wheel, now enlarged to 10 meters in diameter, followed the arc of his forearm. The powerful wheel of light launched forth, striking the heavens' barrier. Kuuuuuuung! A tremendous resonance filled the great world war. Yet, the heavens' barrier didn't budge, and the rebounding heavenly glaive merely traveled to the war's end before returning. “Ha! Taha! Hooaaa!” Uriel relentlessly collided the ever-spinning heavenly wheel against the heavens' barrier. Kariel, knowing better than anyone Uriel's destructive power, grimaced with each blow. "Tsk tsk, such foolishness..." After a dozen strikes, Uriel stopped throwing the heavenly glaive, realizing no amount of hits seemed to crack it. "Hmm, this one's certainly impressive," Kariel consoled him with a broad smile. "You don't need to overextend yourself. Even this much would create a significant shock in Miro's spacetime. Too bad you can't see that woman's terrified face for yourself." Though meant as a compliment, it only served to stoke Uriel's competitive spirit further. Uriel swept his wings forward, retreating to assess the distance once more before speaking. "Stand back. This time will be different." Kariel shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "be my guest," and flew to the side of the heaven's wall. "Huuuu." Uriel assumed the posture of a heavy infantryman on the verge of charging, exhaling deeply. As Halo expanded to a diameter of 20 meters, it began accumulating the information of destruction. Golden sparks ignited around the halo, causing the great world war to quake faintly. Kariel, for once, didn't dare make a joke, instead casting a worried glance toward his laboratory. "Uwoooooo!" Uriel charged toward the heaven's wall. The heavenly wheel, now reaching a diameter of 25 meters, spun faster as it accompanied him. The atmosphere of the great world was sucked into the wheel's center, whipping up a fierce gust. Uriel twisted with all his might just 10 meters from the wall. The heavenly wheel flew in an arc, colliding with the heaven's barrier. The afterimage of the disc vanished for a moment as the heavenly glaive embedded itself in the surface. But the inertia of the spin was fully transferred to the glaive. The colossal barrier shuddered violently, white cracks snaking their way across the black surface. Kwaaaang! With a thunderous explosion, the heaven's barrier shattered. Though losing the wager once again, Kariel's face was filled with elation. The cycle of creation by Kariel and destruction by Uriel was an inescapable destiny, one Kariel had adapted to focus on constructive ends. What mattered above all was that it broke. And by his calculations, it held enough power to disrupt Miro's spacetime. *** Miro's Spacetime. Miro erected a temple in a boundless, meaningless space, an act of squeezing significance from a vast void. Because the temple existed, so did she, building a massive barrier between heaven and humanity based on that existence. Miro remained alone within the sprawling temple. Her biological clock, arrested long ago, ticked not as she meditated in a lotus position. In this new time and space, she carried the burden of endlessly maintaining the dimensional wall. 'What is Kariel plotting?' Attempts to circumvent Miro's spacetime had always existed, but lately, the approaches had become blatant. She felt as if she was being cornered. In the past, when heaven attacked, Miro would defend. So far, there had been no issues. But now, there was an unsettling sense that they were targeting something specific. 'What could they be thinking?' A powerful impact struck Miro's spacetime. The electromagnetic waves caused the barrier of spacetime to harden. Miro's eyes snapped open. Subsequent impacts, second and third, pounded through. As Miro's spacetime quaked, the shockwaves hit her mind with equal intensity. 'They are directly attacking the spacetime. Is this a new technique?' Even with humanity's progress, it hadn't yet matched heaven's technology. They, with their mechanical systems, might have found a way to breach the dimensional barrier instead of relying on magic. Urgently dropping to her knees, Miro formed intricate hand seals. Pressing her left index and thumb together, she crossed it with her right hand, middle and ring fingers pressed under the thumb, forming a cross. Reinforcing the dimension with scale magic, the barrier thickened. 'This power... Is it Uriel?' Miro's face creased, sweat trickling, and her crossed arms beginning to tremble. How much time had passed? Suddenly, the impacts ceased. Panting heavily, she collapsed to the floor. Even with the dimensional wall reinforced, it seemed it wouldn't hold. A new method was needed. "Kyah!" The heavenly wheel struck the heaven's barrier, sending an unprecedented shockwave through Miro's spacetime. As if hit directly, Miro flew dozens of meters away as the impact hit. Even while skidding across the floor, she gritted her teeth to endure. Her eyes flickered with confusion. This blow had fractured Miro's spacetime. 'At this rate, it will breach. No, it already has.' Miro decided to employ her last resort. Sitting in a lotus position, she levitated her fist over her palm and gently closed her eyes. There was no time to deliberate. Another ten seconds of dimensional void, and heaven's army would invade before defenses could be mustered. 'Entering Samsara.' Once in Samsara, self-extraction was impossible. It was a state of single-minded transcendence beyond thought. Though as the sole ruler of spacetime she ought always remain vigilant, now was the time she needed to plunge into deep sleep. She focused intently, concentrating upon her concentration. Through this endless succession, her sense of self faded until she thought of nothing. The only thing that remained was the inertia of descending into the abyss. In exchange, she gained immense mental energy. The dimensional wall grew infinitely thick, and the cracks disappeared. Not even Uriel could break it this time. Though the temple ceased its tremors, Miro remained rigid as stone, unmoving. Lost in infinite concentration, she forgot her very existence, destined to remain thus indefinitely unless roused by someone. *** “What’s the outcome?” At the summit of the central control system, Kariel and Uriel were analyzing the results of their experiment. Kariel observed the screen with a look of intrigue. A fracture had appeared in Miro's spacetime, only to be swiftly repaired before heaven could exploit the opportunity. Miro's rapid response was impressive. What was even more astounding was how Miro's spacetime grew incomparably stronger during the restoration. The durability metrics displayed on the screen were enough to make even an archangel like Kariel truly grasp the notion of awe. "It's still growing stronger. Just what did she do? Is it even possible for a single human to achieve such numbers?" Uriel distilled the complex results to a singular notion. "Did we fail?" Kariel chuckled wryly. "Yet, there was a certain achievement. Roughly three seconds by the standards of the earth's nations. We were merely three seconds short of completely shattering it." "I see." Uriel didn’t feel regretful. In truth, he was uncertain. Perhaps he even felt a sense of relief. "The technology behind heaven's wall was a success, you could say. We just underestimated Miro. She's truly befitting of being a Nephilim, representing the humans of earth. How did she even manage to reinforce it? Now, even with substantial attacks, it won't easily give way." "Humans are peculiar. Seemingly weak, yet they can grow infinitely strong. That was the case with Guffin. Miro is no ordinary human, which might be why Ra is preventing any approach." "Hmph, they're just humans, after all." Kariel wouldn’t acknowledge humans. They were undefined, the essence of chaos, which is why Ra controlled their lifespans in the guise of eternal life. "What now? The strategy to break the dimensional wall failed. It will be even more challenging to tackle from here on." Kariel wasn't concerned. "Another method can be found. What's crucial is that there was a crack in Miro's spacetime. Something intriguing is bound to unfold. This will make for a good experiment." He gestured at the monitor. The process of the heaven's wall experiment was displayed as a 3D image. A reference line appeared at a specific point on a large sphere, with durability figures revealed as numbers. As the impact of the heavenly wheel struck, cracks emerged. Such fractures wouldn’t allow even heaven’s army or any creature entry. But creatures were not the only possibility. On the fringes of heaven, indescribable and strange entities by human standards reside. And now, something was captured slipping through the fracture into the realm of humans. "What on earth is that...?" Kariel couldn't answer. It wasn't due to a lack of knowledge but because what had entered the realm of humans existed in a state of 'unknown.' *** After the graduation ceremony at the magic academy, Shirone took the carriage sent by the Ogent family to return home. Reflecting during the journey, a year had passed since his enrollment. Though short, it was filled with a myriad of events. A Fragmentary Fracture (3) Now lying in bed, Shirone enjoyed a moment of peace. He needn't worry about passing assessment tasks as he would enter the graduating class next semester. Yet, on the flip side, this holiday was his last chance to hone his basic skills. That’s why Iruki and Nade, foregoing any leisure, hurried back to their families. “For now, I should just rest.” Shirone laughed at how ridiculous it sounded even to him. Yet he genuinely felt like doing nothing at all immediately. It was a first, and though bewildering, the absence of urgency indicated underlying ease. “Looking back, I worked so hard.” Retracing the past year, he struggled to believe how he’d navigated through it. From being at the bottom of Class Seven, he had risen to the top ranks of Class Four. “Though, it did come with its hardships.” Every student at the magic academy gave their all, but Shirone, in particular, encountered numerous challenges. Battles fought between life and death had made him stronger. Frankly, he was confident he wouldn’t easily falter even upon entering the graduating class. Rising from the bed, Shirone approached Armand. Just seeing it standing securely without a stand was satisfying. The direct control meant carrying it posed no issue. But during school, he doubted he'd need to use this sword. Unsheathing Armand, a clear high-frequency note accompanied the blade. Though shorter than a longsword, it was sharp and well-balanced for use in real combat. ‘Why is it so quiet? Don’t tell me it's dead?’ Though mental waves buzzed nightly, it had been quiet since his return home. The absence of response was so unexpected, he wondered if the contract had subconsciously terminated. He hadn’t invoked the Diamond Armor since showing his friends. There was no pressing need, but there was an inexplicable awkwardness. Sharing something with a human complicates treating it purely as an object. Activating the Diamond Armor without cause felt like it might be taken lightly. Of course, he understood there was no need for that worry. It was something he’d gradually acclimate to. 'Should I give it a try? It's my sword, after all...' It was frustrating having an S-class artifact and not using it. Not that he wanted to fight anyone, but imagining himself in action with Armand filled him with excitement. With pride, Shirone gazed at the sword and recited the activation words.