Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

And now, their claims have been proven true: that was not the Lord's saint at all, but a devil in the guise of a saint!

We must, for the Lord, vanquish this demon!

They reverently held up the outer edition of the sacred text, a treasure brought by Kirei Kotomine. He had not explained its origin, but their colleagues were willing to believe in this self-disciplined and ritualistic colleague who was like a saint.

As for why Kirei Kotomine never said... it's probably because he also longed to get the answer that had troubled him for so many years from the true messenger of God.

So they began the summoning here.

'You have obtained the genetic information of [Celestial Bull Gugalana], and your power of jealousy has increased!'

Just as Tsurugi was devouring everything from the Heavenly Bull, seizing everything from this divine beast created by the Sumerian gods—

Right where he came from, a beam of light that shook the heavens and the earth appeared, followed by a melodious chime that resonated throughout the world.

Tsurugi looked up, first with suspicion, then with bewilderment, then gradually with a comical expression, and finally with a chuckle.

"laugh!!!"

The bell in the clouds seemed to come from the endless sky, from a sacred place that neither the naked eye nor science could possibly fathom.

Countless white feathers drifted down.

Then, as the light burst forth, Joan of Arc stood up, but some things had already changed.

Her armor transformed into a white dress, and the armor at the front of her long golden hair turned into a pair of dazzling small wings, while a pair of small and a pair of large pure white wings rose up from her back.

Holy sound, feathers, holy light

Amidst all this radiance, descending from within Joan of Arc's body, was an 'angel' belonging to this universe. She opened her eyes and questioned in a cold voice...

"My name is Metatron, the agent of God, the judge who decides the fate of mankind. Believers, why do you call upon me?"

231. Gabriel: Show off and I'll make you fly! (Bonus chapter, please vote!)

An angel named Metatron descended through the body of Joan of Arc.

A radiant angel sat upon a throne of white stone, overlooking all living beings.

A cold voice, welcoming you to the book club forum, where a vast collection of novels awaits your exploration! The tone was almost mechanical, yet it brought tears to the eyes of her followers who had summoned her, who erupted in cheers.

"Oh, oh, oh, our Lord has truly answered us! It's an angel, it's an angel!"

“Metatron—isn’t that a pseudo-canon… (whispering)”

"Shut up! The names of angels are meaningless to mortals. Just understand that the one standing before us is a true messenger of God!"

Just as the priests were chattering away, Kirei Kotomine took a deep breath, stood up, and questioned them in a tense yet expectant voice.

“O messenger of the Lord! Please answer my questions. Why am I born unable to feel the beautiful emotions of this world? Why do I have thoughts that contradict God's teachings? What should I do?”

He paused, then said in a pained and conflicted voice...

"How can I escape this suffering? Please save me, this lost lamb!"

"Kiri!!!"

Kotomine Ritsu was surprised by her son's sudden loss of composure, but even more surprised by the confusion and inner turmoil in his words.

Could it be that my seemingly perfect son harbors so much darkness?

Metatron blinked his golden eyes, then spoke in a tone as emotionless as a machine:

"I am only responsible for conveying the Lord's will; I have no obligation to answer your questions."

"I have served my lord for decades! I am lost, I only ask for one answer!!!" Kirei Kotomine stepped forward excitedly, no longer caring about blasphemy.

He was willing to sacrifice everything to alleviate his confusion and pain, and he was even willing to die next to answer his questions!

"If you absolutely need an answer, then it's up to you to do whatever you want!" Metatron said calmly.

Kirei Kotomine's expression froze on his face. This might be an answer, but it was definitely not the answer Kirei Kotomine wanted to hear!

Or rather—even if you're trying to seduce me, at least use some rhetoric!

"But, by nature, I love tragedy and suffering!" Kirei Kotomine said, extremely conflicted.

"Isn't it the greatest sin and mistake to only feel pleasure by harming others? Is this the Lord's will? Can the Lord really forgive those who serve Him as such wicked and despicable souls?"

"Will it hurt others? But haven't humans always been like this? If the Lord doesn't care, then I don't care either," Metatron continued in his distinctly human-machine voice.

"Just continue to serve the Lord like this."

She paused, as if to reinforce the credibility of her words, and then summarized.

"As for whether this is the Lord's will? Isn't my will the Lord's will?"

Metatron said this in an almost matter-of-fact tone.

The scene instantly became very quiet.

All the priests who participated in the summoning of Metatron stared at each other with their mouths agape, shocked, trembling, and disbelieving.

After a tumbleweed rolled in from who-knows-where, Kirei Kotomine stood up shakily, pointed at Metatron, and shouted loudly.

"Falsehood! You are definitely not an archangel, what kind of devil are you? How dare you impersonate an archangel and utter such blasphemous words!!!"

"Absurd! I am the Viceroy of the Kingdom of Heaven, and my will is of course the will of the Lord!"

Metatron retorted earnestly, then said calmly

"You summoned me not to argue with me—do you mean I should absolve you of your sins?"

Kirei Kotomine wanted to say something more excitedly, but his colleague quickly covered his mouth. He looked at Metatron with a complicated expression and gritted his teeth as he spoke.

"Yes, Archangel! A demon is impersonating my Lord and attempting to slaughter the lambs of humanity. Please unleash divine punishment and vanquish that demon!"

However, Metatron ignored him, instead looking at the air beside him and saying calmly...

326

"Is that so? My colleague, who is still alive in this world!"

The air rippled slightly, and Siel, disguised as a demon-slaying angel, looked at Metatron with a strange expression, hesitant to speak.

She originally intended to help her colleagues stop them from courting disaster, but who knew she would witness such a farce.

Hier said quietly

"You'll see once you take a look."

"Alright!" Metatron waved his hand, and with the ripples in space, they instantly traversed millions of miles to arrive inside the collapsed Caucasus Mountains.

Here, they saw the terrifying demon that stretched to the heavens and the earth. The escaping black mist had covered most of the Bull of Heaven, and was about to devour this divine beast created by Sumerian mythology!

Upon seeing it, Metatron's handsome brows furrowed instantly, and he raised his right hand, whereupon a holy radiance instantly condensed.

Tsugumi also sensed the arrival of the uninvited guest. Looking up and seeing the archangel, she showed no alarm, but instead spoke in a strange, sarcastic voice...

"Ah ↑↓~~ It's Little Jehovah."

“That’s right, it’s me.” Metatron spoke in a completely human-like voice, uttering blasphemous words with an air of entitlement.

"And what kind of demon are you? Why have I never seen you before!"

Tsugumi tilted her head playfully, and then—

"Listen carefully! Before you stands the Ancient Serpent, the Crimson King, the King of Life and Death, the Knight of Death, the Overlord, the Saint of God, the Knight of the Heavenly King, the Saint, the Holy Voice of Extinction, the Chosen One of the King of Pride, the Noble of the King of Wrath, the Noble of the King of Desire, the Companion of the King of Envy..."

Tsurugi announced a long list of his nicknames.

Metatron's reaction was silence, contemplation, and then, for the first time, a conflicted emotion appeared on his usually expressionless face.

"I don't understand!" she exclaimed, bewildered.

“What you say is not a lie, yet it is so contradictory. How can you serve both the Lord and Hell?”

“That’s not important,” Tsugumi asserted.

"I am here to destroy the world, to bring down divine revelation and divine punishment, and what about you?"

"Impossible!" Metatron asserted.

“My will is the will of the Lord! If the Lord punishes mankind, why would I not know it?”

These blasphemous words made the priests who had summoned Metatron wish they could commit suicide on the spot. Many of them began to doubt the meaning of life and wondered if all of this was just a ridiculous farce!

"Because this is my will." The giant demon that Tsugumi had transformed into let out a low laugh.

"I possess miracles, I possess power, I summon revelation and destruction, that's all. If you call yourself Little Jehovah, then I, Dongjiang, have always been Dongjiang!"

"I understand!" Metatron suddenly raised her voice, but it was completely unclear what she understood.

"You have stolen the Lord's glory and miracles; you are indeed the devil. Your evil deeds must end here! In the name of the Lord, I bring judgment upon you!"

Without hesitation, Metatron went all out as soon as he said the words!

In an instant, she wrapped herself in her wings, and with a burst of golden light, the wings on her back instantly changed from two pairs to six pairs, a full twelve wings surrounding her and spreading out, transforming her into a giant angel in the sky!

Moreover, after activating her Noble Phantasm, she possesses ten kinds of grace, 1,365,000 blessings, 72 pairs of wings, 365,000 shining eyes, 49 jewels, and a crown—transforming into the most noble angelic form imaginable to humankind is her Noble Phantasm!

In an instant, the sound of his pronouncement resounded throughout the world!

Countless viewers who have been watching this on various screens are now on high alert!

Okay! Hit hard! Kill that demon!!!

Or, get killed by that demon!!!

Countless bloodthirsty viewers cheered in front of their screens, with the author, Life Absorber, personally recommending: "I hope you enjoy the story of 'Crossing Through Heavens, Can You Be Smarter Than Me?' on the book club forum." Meanwhile, many others felt utterly surreal amidst these surreal scenes.

The next moment, Metatron placed his hands on his chest, striking a bizarre pose reminiscent of those maids in maid cafes casting some kind of 'love magic' on omelets to make them taste better, and then—

A dazzling beam of light was released from her hands!

"The omniscient and omnipotent will rule! (Univers Immortelle Metatron)"

Even the archangel, whose Noble Phantasm name is blasphemous, unleashed a seemingly powerful beam attack!

The light instantly engulfed the great demon that Tsurugi had transformed into, and then—

No one could see exactly what happened, but they saw the huge shadow suddenly disappear, and then a figure that was also shining with light slowly rose from the ocean of light!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!!!

As if in response to the grandeur of Metatron's descent, an even grander hymn accompanied the arrival of an even more magnificent spectacle!

Then from the light, a new angel appeared!