Chapter 258 - My Younger Brother is in Danger.
Ryu Min had sworn to protect his younger brother in previous battles.
An astonishing protective skill that granted him 10 seconds of invincibility at the moment of attack.
Had that skill been activated now?
The meaning was clear.
"My brother... is in danger."
He didn't even know if the skill he had left activated just in case would really kick in.
[Time remaining to choose: 00:00:09]
"There's not much time."
He didn't know who was attacking his brother.
He just knew he had to choose quickly to keep his brother safe.
[Choose one of the following options.]
1. Move towards the target.
2. Charge Item.
[Time remaining to choose: 00:00:08]
"I must choose one of the two options right now."
In the case of option 1, he would have the advantage of teleporting instantly towards the target and retaliating immediately...
"But my brother might get caught up in the battle."
On the other hand, option 2 would allow him to bring his brother and separate him from the attacker, ensuring his safety.
"Option 2 is safer, but I won't be able to retaliate immediately."
[Time remaining to choose: 00:00:06]
There's not much time left.
It's time to choose.
Ryu Min's lips twisted.
----------------
Ten minutes before the start of round 16.
"Gabriel. Should we really go alone, just the two of us?"
The words scratching at his pride caused Gabriel's forehead to crease.
"What are you implying, Raphael? Are you questioning my ability right now?"
"No, it's not that, but wouldn't it be cleaner and safer to end this if we involve Michael too?"
Raphael stopped halfway through the sentence.
Gabriel's face was now twisted enough to look evil.
"Can't I go alone without you stopping me? Am I not strong enough? Am I that despicable?"
"I'm sorry if I offended you."
Though Gabriel was upset, he wasn't incapable of understanding.
"I know too. A human named Black Scythe has suddenly become a threat to us, the archangels."
"..."
"But a human is still human. He can't become a dragon just because wings are attached to him. There will be no problems."
"I'm not worried either. Wasn't I the person who saw your performance closest during the Fifth Celestial Battle? Besides, you have the ability to see the future, Gabriel."
"The future is something small. I'm just predicting the opponent's movements."
"Even so, didn't you gain the title of archangel and hero of the era thanks to that ability?"
"Then why do you speak as if you're worried?"
"We've sent archangels in the past, haven't we? And they always failed. I wanted to make sure this time we end it definitively. At a level so insignificant that not even the human could hope for."
"Don't worry. It will happen as you say. If we're together."
It wasn't just boasting.
Though Raphael had no combat abilities, he was the third archangel in the hierarchy.
If he received support from Gabriel, who was known as the healing archangel, there was nothing to worry about.
"Even without Michael, we can overcome this. I assure you, one minute, no, ten seconds are enough to kill."
[Do you plan to kill him without subduing him first?]
[He has already killed four archangels, isn't that enough for immediate execution?]
Raphael nodded, but this was a unilateral decision from Gabriel.
Michael ordered to capture him instead of killing him.
"We can't allow this dirty scum to reach the celestial realm."
Gabriel was determined to use decapitation to crush his head, but there were few chances of success.
Seeing how other archangels died in vain.
"Even if decapitation doesn't work, killing him is easy."
If one felt a threat to their life and were forced to kill him despite orders, wouldn't it be inevitable?
Michael would have no choice but to admit it.
"Mr. Gabriel, round 16 has begun."
"Since the backdrop of this round is the human world, it seems we can descend without any cost."
Gabriel laughed sarcastically and pulled out golden chains with both hands.
"Alright, let's go. Let's finish this quickly."
"Yes."
"Wait!"
Just as they were about to descend, Gabriel suddenly stopped.
"Why?"
"There's a vision."
"Yes?"
"The Lord is calling me."
It wasn't a surprise.
Despite his name of seer, Gabriel sometimes heard the voice of God.
"You're being called to go with them."
"Who's speaking?"
"You'll find out when you go."
With that said, Gabriel advanced, closely followed by Raphael.
They passed through the sky and the celestial palace until they reached a place surrounded by a force field.
Crossing the force field, time seemed to stand still and a dark stillness enveloped the surroundings.
"Ah..."
"You don't have to be afraid."
Raphael was surprised to see a dense darkness in front of him.
"This is my domain, where nobody can interfere. It's not a place designed to be afraid, but for confidential conversations."
"I'm sorry for showing my ugliness, sir."
Raphael trembled for a reason.
The being in front of him exceeded all his expectations.
Knowing this, Gabriel asked as courteously as possible.
"May I ask why you have called us?"
"I've heard there's a human causing trouble. So I did a little research."
"Research?"
"On the strength and weaknesses of a human named Black Scythe."
"Ah..."
"Are you interested in the results?"
"That's correct."
After a brief silence, the voice of God flowed from the darkness.
"They concluded that they cannot handle him with their combined strength."
"..."
Two or three archangels together can't beat a human?
Though it was a comment that trampled their pride, Gabriel showed no sign of it.
Any being in front of a high-level god would worry about their expression.
"They have no chance in a frontal confrontation. If it weren't for my call, they would have lost their bodies like other archangels."
"It's a startling assertion, but we have confidence in ourselves. Surely, we will reclaim the honor of heaven with our vengeance..."
"You're already talking like the dead archangels."
"..."
"Were you lacking in confidence? No. They simply died because they were overpowered. They were also ignorant."
[......]
[The ignorant are often full of confidence. What difference is there between building confidence without foundation and already being dead alongside the archangels?]
[I'm sorry. I was brief in my thoughts.]
Gabriel lowered his head, but God was compassionate.
[Raise your head. I didn't call you here to get rid of your confidence.]
[Then...?]
[I called you to assist with your strategies. I have discovered the weakness of that human.]
[Weakness?]
The words Gabriel heard from God were somewhat surprising.
They were quite clumsy to come out of a divine being's mouth.
[Animals often value their families. For the human known as Black Scythe, there is a unique family. I will tell you the location of the target, go and take him hostage. Then Black Scythe will have no choice but to submit.]
[Certainly, capturing a hostage could favor us in the situation.]
Gabriel's lips formed a smile at the newly acquired knowledge.
Although it was a bit clumsy, it was not the time to question the means and methods.
And he was never the type of person to worry about that in the first place.
[It's a strategy I really like. Hehe.]
[Then the conversation is over. Report to Michael and leave.]
[Understood. Thank you.]
Suddenly, the darkness surrounding the area disappeared, and the sky's light illuminated everything.
"Let's go, Raphael."
The two angels prepared to leave, but before that, they stopped by headquarters to meet Michael.
After speaking with God, Michael's expression of astonishment was unusually evident.
["God... made that suggestion?"]
[It wasn't a suggestion, it was an order. It also seemed reasonable to target a hostage according to my judgment.]
[Hmm...]
Michael had to struggle to hide his surprise.
'Is he even intervening...? Wasn't he the one showing no interest in our affairs?'
Although he didn't understand it, what mattered was that the situation had become more serious.
'As Lucifer said, if we had a direct confrontation, Black Scythe would have won...'
But if they captured a hostage, the story would be different.
It would limit Black Scythe's actions.
[Then let's go right away.]
[...Yes.]
Michael had no choice but to watch the backs of the two departing angels, having no reason to hold them back.
---------------------
<Title: Does anyone know about the Church of the Four Gods?>
Content: Hi. I'm a father with a 24-year-old son. My son has joined an organization called the Church of the Four Gods.
He used to always wait in his room before midnight, but this time he went abroad, saying he had to start there.
They said it was the work of the Church of the Four Gods, but they don't tell us where he's going.
They tell us not to worry because he's going as part of the Church of the Four Gods organization, is this reliable?
[Total comments: 9]
I'm a mother with a 20-year-old daughter. My daughter is also a member of the Church of the Four Gods, and I was worried because she had to go abroad alone too. But it seems there's someone else in the same situation as me.
So, is it true that they go abroad as a group from the Church of the Four Gods?
It seems so.
My brother is also a member of the Church of the Four Gods and received a message to go abroad. Mr. Black Scythe expressly warned him never to reveal where he's going. He said it could endanger other people.
At least my son wasn't lying. Thank you for the answer.
An acquaintance of mine also plays Shinigyo and seemed trustworthy. He taught me the strategy so far and said he could survive because of it.
Are there still people doubting the Church of the Four Gods?
The Church of the Four Gods is reliable. Especially because it's led by [Black Scythe]. There must be some reason behind that, so I think you can trust and wait.
In round 15, [Black Scythe] took care of the members of the Death Gods religion. He wouldn't endanger them in any way.
[Ryu Won], while reading the messages in the gaming community, nodded as if in agreement.
"There are many people worried like me here."
He wasn't even looking for this because of his brother who had left, but he found this message.
"Did he go to see his girlfriend, perhaps?"
After all, why would someone who was always at home suddenly go out at night?
There must have been something motivating him.
"Anyway, it's a relief. If he's joined the Church of the Four Gods religion, there's nothing to worry about."
With somewhat less worry about his brother's safety, Ryu Won entered his room.
Click
He closed the door and lay down on the bed, closing his eyes silently.
Although various thoughts came to him, most of them were concerns for his brother.
"Will he be able to survive this time too? After all, he's a Prophet."
Although he still couldn't sleep because of the worry, it wasn't as severe as before.
"Nothing will happen. If he's in the Church of the Four Gods, [Black Scythe] will protect him."
With that confidence, Ryu Won finally managed to sleep.
Unaware that this wasn't the time to worry about his brother.
[@!%[email protected]#%…….]
"What's this noise?"
A voice rang in Ryu Won's ears, who hadn't fallen asleep yet.
He thought it was noise from the neighbors, but only for a moment.
The sound was closer than he thought.
[[email protected]#[email protected]…….]
[%[email protected]…….]
With different voices, at least two people were talking.
And from the sound, it seemed they were in the living room.
"Could it be a thief?"
How is it possible for a thief to come in like this without making noise?
His back tensed with tension.
At that moment, when he had no idea what to do.
Click!
The door opened, and light flooded into the room.
"You were hiding here, weren't you?"
The presence he thought was a thief turned out to be an angel.
A male angel and a female angel, so beautiful they were dazzling.
But with the acts of angels that had become widely known, the image of angels in ordinary people's minds was worse than that of demons.
Seeing Ryu Won trembling, the male angel smiled ironically.
"Even the weakest creatures can recognize the strong."
"Is this the one who handles [Black Scythe]?"
"No, [Black Scythe] is on the island. This means..."
A diabolical smile spread on Gabriel's lips.
"It's the perfect situation to take hostages."
Saying that, Gabriel reached out towards Ryu Won.
"Ah!"
Ryu Won's trembling body was caught in midair by a golden chain.
"It would be better to cut off an arm as a warning, rather than take him away like this without more."
"Ah, yes."
While Ryu Won was trembling in fear, Gabriel waved the golden chain he held in his hand.
Chisss...
The chain wrapped around his arm started glowing intensely red.
Cheeeeeeeek-
"Ugh, wow!"
The sound of fire and screams of pain seemed to amuse the angels, who smiled as if they were enjoying a show.
However, the smile didn't last long.
"What's happening? His arms aren't being cut off!"
"It's strange."
Even though the arms could have been severed at that moment, humans kept resisting.
"And, and no wounds at all."
Despite the screams, there wasn't a single wound on the skin, only burned clothing.
"Ah... what?"
Finally, Ryu Won realized he didn't feel any pain, and his face showed bewilderment.
"What have you done, human? How did you resist the chains of judgment?"
"...."
"I know you understand what I'm saying. Speak up soon."
"That, that's..."
He couldn't answer.
He didn't even know what had happened.
"No matter. I'll have to tear off your arm myself..."
At that moment, Bang! Gabriel crashed through the wall and slammed into the living room.
As the chains loosened, Ryu Won, who had been suspended in the air, fell to the ground.
"Oh..."
Feeling pain in his hips as he got up, Ryu Won was speechless for a moment.
Someone with a mask was standing, as if they were protecting him.
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