"What kind of monsters are these…?"

The angel Adeline could hardly believe her senses. every foul emotion imaginable surged toward her without restraint. It was suffocating, like standing before a storm made of pure malice.

Merely standing here made her wings tremble. If not for brother peter, ordering her to deliver his message, she would have long fled or burned these abominations herself.

But she could not. Not now. She had to deliver the request for cooperation to the master of this cursed world.

Suppressing her revulsion, Adeline descended slowly, wings folding with strained grace as divine fire shimmered faintly around her. Her voice, though calm, carried authority.

"Summon your master," she said coldly. "Tell him that the envoy from Heaven has arrived. I demand his presence."

Her words were not shouted, yet the divine energy behind them rolled through the battlefield. The tone, however, was anything but humble. To an outsider, it might sound as though she were addressing a being weaker than herself.

Adeline was no fool, to her, her status justified such confidence. Though her personal strength barely reached the demigod level, she carried the authority of Heaven itself.

The Heavenly Armies stood behind her; that alone placed her far above the rank of a lesser deity.

Yet what she failed to expect was how the Demons would respond.

Instead of bowing or obeying, they approached her, slowly, with cruel smiles twisting their faces. Their eyes were filled with mockery.

A chill shot through her spine.

Their gazes were vile. They looked upon her as prey. Rage flared within her chest, the holy fire in her blood igniting.

"How dare you!"

Twin spears of light formed in her hands, radiating divine brilliance. Despite the swarm of devils surrounding her, she felt little fear. Her faith, her title, and the distant presence of the Heavens Army thousands of kilometers away gave her confidence. Even if she could not win, she could always escape.

But then the air changed.

Adeline's expression stiffened as she sensed something stirring above. The sky dimmed. An endless black mist began to coil out of nowhere, spinning into a vortex that devoured the light. The divine fire around her flickered weakly in its presence.

Her breath caught.

"So, you are the envoy from Heavens Mountain?"

The voice came from within the vortex. As the mist dispersed, a man with black hair and black eyes stepped out of the void.

His expression was unreadable as his gaze swept over the angel. For a moment, silence reigned. Then, with a faint gesture, he activated his inner perception, scanning every divine thread of her existence.

Something in that scan made him pause. His eyes flickered with subtle surprise. Then his expression shifted, his coldness softening into something almost gentle.

"You are far more beautiful than I imagined, Miss Angel." His voice was smooth, disarmingly polite. "Forgive my creations for their rudeness."

The words struck the gathered Demons like thunder.

They stared in disbelief. Was this charming, refined man..was this truly the master of the Abyss? The same figure they whispered about in terror?

To them, they imagined Cillian as the embodiment of darkness, the lord of corruption, he was neither benevolent nor courteous.

Among the onlookers, one Demon narrowed its many eyes, a grin spreading across its face.

"Heh. There's something wrong here," it hissed. "Our Lord never wastes courtesy. I smell a plot."

Another devil turned, puzzled. "What do you mean? What is he planning?"

The first only chuckled, licking its claws. "When a strong man speaks softly to the weak, it's not out of kindness. It's because he wants something."

In the sky, the negotiation began.

With a wave of his hand, Cillian summoned a veil of black mist to block the devils' view below. The two now floated alone within a dome of shifting shadow.

Adeline exhaled, her tension easing slightly. "Thank you," she said, pressing a hand to her chest. "I feel much more at ease now."

Cillian smiled faintly. "I am glad. The Abyss can be… overwhelming to unaccustomed souls."

To her surprise, his tone was warm, and as they spoke, she found her hostility fading. The image of the "monster" ruling this realm was replaced by a man of reason and poise.

"Then, Lord of the Abyss," Adeline continued, "let us discuss our cooperation against the Void Swarm." Her eyes brightened with hope. "From what you've said, there are should still capable warriors in your world who can aid the Heavenly Army, then Paradise would gladly welcome their support. The Swarm is the enemy of all creation."

Cillian's lips curved upward. "Of course. I am more than willing to cooperate with the great Heavens Mountain." His gaze softened as he spoke

"I will send my forces to your battlefields," he said softly. "And together, we shall purge the Zerg Swarm."

Cillian spoke with a calm smile.

"In my divine realm," he continued, "the number of its inhabitants is more than sufficient for defense. Deploying a portion to aid you will not cause me any serious loss."

Angel Adeline studied him for a long moment, her expression thoughtful. His confidence was steady, almost disarming. Finally, she nodded.

"Paradise will be honored to cooperate with you in the destruction of the Voidlings."

In this era, where even gods bowed to appearances, a handsome face could easily soften judgment.

Yet, what Adeline failed to see was the abyss behind those dark eyes was the quiet, darkness that no smile could hide. The moment she lowered her guard, the shadow had already entwined her wings.

"However," she added, "I must first report your request to my brother, the Angel of punishment. Though I am authorized to negotiate alliances, the decision to grant you military cooperation ultimately lies with him."

Cillian inclined his head slightly, still smiling. He could read the uncertainty in her tone.

"No problem," he said softly. "Consult with your brother as you wish. I will begin my preparations for war in the meantime."

With a casual motion of his hand, several fragments of data, something like divine code, appeared before her, forming luminous sigils in the air.

"I have shared the information regarding several of my legions," he explained. "You may examine their capabilities and assign them to the appropriate battlefronts when the time comes."

He snapped his fingers.

The entire abyss trembled.

The black-and-red vortex at the realm's core began to rotate, faster and faster, like a heart awakening after an eternity of silence. The air was filled with the low, hum of power.

Across the endless darkness, the mythical beings shifted, horrors, and beasts forged in despair, all answered the summons of their master.

Adeline's brows furrowed as she watched the phenomenon.

"That angel of punishment is not my master," she said, her tone slightly sharp. "He is my brother. Among us, we address one another as brothers and sisters, but all serve the same Lord, the Creator of Paradise."

"My apologies," Cillian replied gently. "I was unaware of your customs."

Adeline waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. Most outsiders misunderstand. Many do not grasp how our order functions." She straightened her posture, her divine glow returning to its calm intensity. "I will deliver your message to the Angel of punishment and contact you once we have an official response."

Cillian nodded with that same soft expression, the kind that seemed almost too sincere. "I'll await your return."

She inclined her head and turned, her wings of light unfolding as she prepared to ascend. But as she did, the air around her warped an invisible pull, sucked her backwards.

Cillian's eyes glimmered, the twin vortexes within them spinning faster. In an instant, he stepped forward and grasped her hand.

"—!"

The sudden touch made her divine aura flare instinctively. Fury burned across her features. To seize an angel of Paradise by the hand, such an act was more than blasphemy; it was a stain against divinity itself. Billions prayed to her kind. No mortal, no god beneath the Heavenly Thrones, had ever dared such familiarity.

But before her anger could erupt, Cillian released her. His expression was startled, almost embarrassed.

"My apologies," he said quickly. "I acted on impulse. There was something I forgot to mention."

Adeline's glare softened, though her voice remained cold. "What is it?"

Cillian cleared his throat lightly, smiling as though the previous moment had been nothing. "It concerns the combat resources required for our joint operations. I wanted to ensure the logistics were properly aligned before deployment."

Adeline nodded briskly, not noticing the faint glimmer that passed between their hands when he had touched her.

Far below, deep within the endless abyss, a ripple of invisible light flickered. It traveled upward and entered the angel's body, undetected. It did not injure her, nor corrupt her essence immediately. Instead, it left behind something intangible… a seed.

Cillian's expression returned to calm as he watched her ascend into the sky, whispering silently to himself.

"Lust… and sloth."

Two sins, woven subtly into a divine vessel.

⸻———x——————

Several hours later.

Inside the central command post of the Heavenly Army, the sound of heavy boots echoed against metal and stone.

Peter had just returned from battle drenched in blood. His armor was scorched and broken, his wings covered with the black smoke of war. In his hand, he dragged a massive corpse, a demigod-level insectoid, still twitching faintly despite its death.

"I burned its soul to ash," he said flatly, tossing the carcass aside. "But its body still holds vitality. Process it carefully and send it to my vault."

The attendants bowed deeply. "Your will shall be done, great angel."

Peter ignored them and approached the glowing projection in the center of the chamber, where Maeve's cold, mechanical voice awaited him.

"The number of Void Zerg has decreased significantly due to the destruction of the nearby worlds," Maeve reported. "However, our lines are thin. The continuous warfare has exhausted our forces. Current standing army: 41.35% of peak strength. Armored legions: 27.6%. Fallen angel detachments…"

Peter exhaled slowly. "Enough. I understand."

No matter how divine their titles sounded, even angels were bound by the limits of flesh and energy. They could not fight forever, he knew that as well as anyone.

Maeve's voice flickered again.

"However," she said, "we received word from Adeline, stationed in the world marked with the seventeenth seal. She has made contact with a lower God who has expressed willingness to assist us."

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