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

The colors of gold and crimson collided violently above the ruins of the Silver City.

In the instant the light burst forth, the sky of the Fourth Heaven was torn in two, one half a burning gold, the other a surging crimson black. The shockwave spread outward in a spherical shape from the core of the collision, and wherever it passed, the pillars of the temple snapped like withered grass, and the pearl-white plaza was ripped up in pieces, flipping and crashing into the distant streets.

The hundreds of demons closest to the point of impact didn't even have time to scream before their bodies were torn apart by the pure energy turbulence, turning into evaporating sulfurous mist. The dozens of angels huddled in the temple ruins awaiting rescue also vanished silently, like dew in the sunlight, leaving only a few charred feathers behind.

Angel Tsurugi, now known by her alias Imperius, was thrown back upon impact. Her golden, burning wings drew a straight line through the void, crashing through the dome of the Temple of Hymns and bursting out from the other side of the wall, bringing with them a shower of rubble that rained down on the streets below.

He steadied himself, thrusting Solarion into the void and using the spear shaft as a fulcrum to pull himself to a stop from his backward flight. The sparks generated by the friction between the spear tip and the space transformed into a small golden meteor shower, drenching the advancing hellish legion below.

A flamethrower tank was melted through by a single spark, and its internal ammunition compartment exploded into a mushroom cloud that engulfed an entire demon stormtrooper squad.

"Imperia!!!"

The roar of the demon dragon Dongjiang exploded from the center of the golden fire rain. The roar was quite deliberate, as if it were loudly telling the four slacking demon kings what the angel in front of them was called.

His six-fold bone wings fully unfurled as he burst forth from the rain of fire, his claws outstretched, the seven deadly sins curses condensed on their blades corroding the air in his path, creating hissing voids. He moved so fast that even afterimages couldn't form; only an ever-expanding silhouette rapidly approached in the pupils of the angel Tsurugi.

Although they are acting and sparring now, the battle taking place here is still serious.

Angel Tsurugi did not dodge. Gripping Solarion tightly with both hands, she aimed the spear tip at the direction from which the dragon was attacking. Her six golden wings simultaneously folded forward—then suddenly unfolded, and brilliant holy light burst forth from the gaps between every feather on the wings, converging into a golden pillar of light more intense than the sun, which slammed head-on into the dragon's claws.

At the point where the light and the claw collided, a black singularity with a diameter of 100 meters was generated at the point of impact. It then expanded instantly, sucking in everything around it—air, holy light, steam, rubble, and whether it was a demon or an angel who couldn't escape in time.

The singularity existed for less than a second before collapsing, the energy released during its collapse completely leveling the already ruined Judgment Hall plaza. The demon legions and remnants of the angelic army, who had been standing at the edge of the plaza watching the battle, vanished simultaneously the instant the singularity collapsed.

The raging destructive power continued even after everything around it had crumbled. The dragon extended seven heads and simultaneously bit at the angel Tsurugi in front of it, while the latter drew a complete circle in front of Solarion, and the golden circle unfolded into a huge shield of courage.

The seven dragon heads crashed into the shield at the same time, producing a sound like the lowest notes being pressed simultaneously on the pipe organs of ten thousand churches, a deep roar that resonated in the bones, made the insides churn, and made the soul tremble.

The dragon Tsurugi's claws seized Solarion's spear shaft. The curse of the Seven Deadly Sins spread from the claws to the spear, and the golden shaft began to emit a mournful sound of corrosion. With a sudden burst of strength, he swung Solarion and Tsurugi, who was gripping the spear shaft, into the air, making a full circle before slamming them hard into the ground.

The angel Tsurugi's body smashed through the last Tree of Life at the site of Eden, through the marble strata beneath its roots, and through the void below, plummeting all the way down to the deeper level of Heaven.

Such a battle could be described as earth-shattering; the aftershocks of their fight alone claimed countless angels and demons.

The angels and demons who were fighting on the battlefield in heaven silently stopped and began to wait for the end of this near-apocalyptic war!

849>>>>

—Perhaps the angels don't know who this Imperius is, or where he came from.

But the demons, besides being awestruck by the great power of their King of Hell and the terror of the angel, felt only the bewilderment of ants facing a towering giant, barely awakened from their fervent arrogance.

Behind the ranks of Hell, four demon lords watched silently. Mammon's four hands were folded across his chest, his face expressionless. Beelzebub's antennae twitched slightly, his cunning face revealing no emotion. Belial, as always, was asleep.

"...That's not Michael, is it?" Asmodeus finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked uncertainly.

The four demon kings were all bewildered and instinctively fearful of the archangel who had suddenly appeared.

After all, when you see an angel radiating golden light, wielding a flaming weapon, rushing out to save the day when Heaven is about to collapse, it's hard not to think of Michael, a name that gives them a headache!

"It shouldn't be...probably?" Mammon said uncertainly.

They couldn't sense the presence of the Sleepless One. Although this angel named 'Imperia' was ridiculously powerful, he certainly didn't seem to be Michael or any other angel they knew.

"What the hell are you guys doing here? Come help me!!!"

The harsh voice of Tsugumi echoed in the minds of the Four Demon Kings, clearly angered by the four guys standing by OMO who refused to help.

“This won’t do,” Beelzebub said, stopping Asmodeus from going to help, pointing to the legion of exorcising angels descending from the sky.

"We still have these angels to deal with, so good luck to you!"

Tsugumi: @＃￥！ @%@＃！ ！ ！ @＃￥！

“Don’t be silly, Asmodeus.” Mammon said calmly, looking at Asmodeus who seemed about to speak but hesitated.

"No matter who that angel is, he is very strong and troublesome. Unless we use our true form, we could easily be destroyed by relying on the power of this incarnation in this world."

"Besides—if he really is the reincarnation of some old friend from heaven, it's better for him to offend people than for us to do it."

Having said that, Asmodeus gave up, simply waving his hand at Tsurugi.

"Well, Bro, what can we do? You're connected to Heaven right now. It's better for you to offend people than for us to do it, isn't it? Just go ahead and give it your all, we'll back you up!"

Faced with these four guys who betrayed him without hesitation, Tsugumi appeared furious, but inside she was secretly laughing with a mocking smile, as if she had expected this all along.

How could he possibly trust these demon kings? It's only natural that fallen angels, known for their cunning, greed, and desire, would choose betrayal.

So—he has now successfully found an opportunity to extricate himself from the situation.

Now it's up to you, Adam!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: I'll finish writing Hell Inn tomorrow with four more chapters. It's the beginning of the month, so I'm asking for votes. Not being able to write more than 20,000 words a day is really a headache...

850

569. Heaven Falls

"I am the embodiment of courage!"

Angel Tsurugi pointed his spear at the dragon, his voice, infused with courage, becoming loud and unwavering, echoing throughout every corner of Heaven and reaching the ears of everyone on Earth through Adam's live broadcast.

"I will not yield to you, nor will I stop here—I will not be defeated!!!"

A beam of courage shot from the tip of the spear, piercing the sky and penetrating the dragon's body. The dragon's roar and the angel's battle cry intertwined, and the two beams of light, golden and black, clashed fiercely once more above the ruins of Heaven.

The battle between the Archangel of Courage and the Demon Dragon shook the heavens and earth, captivating the hearts of everyone who witnessed it throughout the three realms, and stirring the thoughts of both humans and angels.

No one would question whether they were throwing the match; at least for now, they are indeed the strongest forces on both sides of Hell and Heaven.

"Oh my god, look at him, he plays so cool, so damn flashy."

Adam couldn't help but feel jealous of Tsurugi's brilliant performance, but it was nothing more than childish envy.

"Girls!!!"

Adam turned around, looked at the exorcist angels who followed him, pointed to the chaotic Heaven below, especially the four conspicuous demon kings, and raised his hands in a rock-and-roll gesture.

“I’m not going to say anything motivating, so I’ll just tell the truth. This time, you guys are probably, and most likely will, die there, but I need you guys to help me hold them off.”

"Can I hold them off before I start this damn book and send all those disgusting bugs back to hell?!"

"Anyone who can't do it, get out of my squad right now and go hide on some planet with those leisurely types!!!"

Faced with Adam's blunt words, none of the exorcising angels chose to back down.

Moreover—in fact, it wasn't just those exorcist angels from back then.

Although most of the human angels had lost their fighting spirit in long periods of pleasure and leisure, a few humans still chose to take up arms and follow Adam.

—It's just that it's really uncomfortable to have to squeeze your body into a female-style armor like this!

That damn Adam only prepared women's equipment for his exorcist angels. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was up to some kind of illicit affair with his female subordinates!

St. Peter wholeheartedly agreed with this.

He shifted uncomfortably in his tightly bound body, then looked up and gazed at the Archangel of Courage battling the demonic dragon.

Jesus, this is what he imagined an angel should look like.

Pure, sacred, and powerful, fighting for justice and goodness in the world. Not those fools who are idle all day, arrogant and conceited, yet who offer mercy where it shouldn't.

St. Peter always remembered the conversation he had with Tsurugi as he ascended to heaven.

He felt ashamed of his past self, of the one who questioned his teacher, and of the existence and justice of Jesus.

Now is the time to set things right!

"Great, no one's quitting? Girls, and you sissies, looks like you're all ready!!!"

"Yes! Tear those demons' genitals and penises off their asses!!!" Lute roared excitedly.

"Could you... Rutter, really?" Adam rolled his eyes at Rutter, then continued his mobilization.

"In short! Whoever can get through this with me, I will reward you... I don't know, how about crowning an archangel!!!"

The exorcist angels cheered, though they didn't know the significance of this award.

"Excellent! Ladies and sissies, let's go on a killing spree—Attack!!!"

With Adam's trembling voice, the exorcising angels swooped down like eagles descending from the sky towards the fallen paradise.

These angels, ascended from humans, displayed a demeanor distinct from the timidity of true angels. Though lacking the power of holy light, they were incredibly brave and fierce.

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!

Driven by pure hatred and loathing for demons, they fearlessly pounced on every demon, whether sinner or anything else, hacking their heads off with their swords!

A succubus who was assaulting an angel had just raised her gun when her head was chopped off, while the enraged ring demon next to her seized the opportunity and pulled the trigger on the angel.

I thought He would writhe on the ground in pain like those cowardly angels, but He just screamed and then grabbed the sword and pounced!

These exorcising angels are filled with intense killing intent towards demons and sinners, because they are souls who, despite their misfortunes, uphold their principles and ultimately ascend to heaven!

Suffering greatly because of the injustice of fate, then persevering through the suffering to ascend to heaven, and after ascending to heaven, having an unreserved hatred for evil!

Slaughter these vile demons!

The addition of the exorcist angels greatly alleviated the angels' defeat, partly because the battle between the two powerful figures destroyed a significant portion of the Hell Legion's strength.

850 >>

As the battle became increasingly chaotic, a group of demons on the demon side finally gave out.

"Billiards, let's go, let's go now!!!"

The plot is heating up: Update! Come check out the book club forum!

After finally finding Billy, who had been conscripted into the army as cannon fodder, amidst the chaos of battle, Stolas almost immediately opened a portal and fled back to Hell!

There are actually quite a few demons who make this choice. Many of them, although bound to this rumbling war machine, are indeed unwilling to fight this meaningless war with the angels.

At this moment, no one will stop them from escaping, since everyone has their own things to do.

And Adam in the sky, at this moment, finally completed his energy gathering.

He opened the Book of Creation, wrote a passage on it, and then—

"You son of a bitch, you piece of shit, eat my big OO beam!!!"

Yes, Adam turned that sentence into a lyric and sang it in front of all the angels, humans, and demons.

The lyrics are thunderous, but the effect is quite remarkable.

Accompanied by Adam's thunderous song, a dazzling holy light descended from his crotch in the next second—