Chapter 350. The End of the War (4) (1/2)
Their conversation lasted longer than he expected, and the celebration was already underway when he got out.
There were groups of people, some small and some large, scattered all over the vast fortress. Everyone was laughing, drinking, and enjoying themselves.
When he turned his eyes to a particularly loud spot, he saw people of various races rolling on the ground, laughing.
At the center of their attention was Hoshino Urara.
“And… KWAAAA! The beam hit her hard, and she stumbled like this….”
She wobbled as she mimicked Twisted Kindness being attacked by Raging Temperance.
They seemed to be talking about the battle she fought in the Spirit Realm.
“She’s an interesting person.”
Gabriel muttered.
Seol Jihu didn’t respond. His mind was still occupied with the unexpected proposal he’d received a moment ago.
Gabriel asked as they slowly entered the scene of the festival.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Seol Jihu said after a moment of reflection.
“I think it’s a generous offer. Humanity does need to change.”
“Perhaps the word ‘revolution’ would be more fitting. Some Earthlings might think the plan is too radical. Isn’t that what you’re worried about?”
“It’s not that I’m worried, but…. I actually have a question.”
“What is it? Do ask.”
“Is it okay? It’s about the Fallen Angels.”
“Us? Now that interests me even more.”
“I heard the Fallen Angels are foreign to Paradise, just like the Parasites.”
Gabriel almost stopped but managed to keep walking.
“How did the Fallen Angels end up in Paradise?”
Gabriel smiled bitterly.
“Ah. This is why you should never make a promise when you’re in a good mood.”
She said in a vaguely regretful tone and glanced at Seol Jihu.
“It’s not exactly a secret, but… do you really want to know?”
“Yes. Personally, I’ve always wondered about it.”
“I see. I guess I don’t have any choice. It’s a bit of a long story. Are you okay with that?”
Seol Jihu nodded.
Gabriel gave a deep sigh and licked her lips.
“Where should I start….”
After a moment of silence, she continued.
“Once upon a time, there was a great war. To put it simply, it was a war between the angels and the demons.”
Her voice was full of regret.
Seol Jihu listened to the narrative silently.
“It was a devastating war, where Authorities like the one the Parasite Queen used yesterday were ubiquitous.”
“The two sides fought fiercely for a long time. But in the end, the demons triumphed over the angels. The angels retreated to their sanctuary, their home — the Celestial Realm — and began plotting revenge. At the same time, the demons tried to invade the Celestial Realm in order to seal their victory. It was the beginning of a whole new war.”
“What the angels came up with then was — summoning proxies. They had to protect the Celestial Realm no matter what, but they themselves lacked the power to do so. So they forcefully summoned proxies to fight for them.”
‘Proxies?’
Seol Jihu tilted his head curiously.
The word ‘forcefully’ bothered him.
“What do you think?”
Suddenly, Gabriel turned to him and asked.
“Let’s say you’ve just been discharged from the army. You’re so happy to finally go home and you fall asleep on the train. Then, when you open your eyes again, you’re in a whole new world, against your will.”
Forced into a situation where there’s no dream or hope, fighting against the demons as a proxy for the angels, unable to return home and barely surviving everyday….
What would he think of the ones who put himself in such a situation?
Seol Jihu’s face unwittingly warped into a heavy frown.
“Son of a bitch….”
He immediately regretted saying it out loud, but the water had already spilled.
But, he meant what he said.
To be summoned forcefully on the day of his discharge… Seol Jihu felt sorry for that guy, whoever he was.
“Son of a bitch… yes, the angels must have been exactly that. From Martial God’s perspective, that is.”
Gabriel didn’t seem to mind Seol Jihu’s harsh words.
“And those sons of bitches soon paid the price.”
“Price?”
“Yes. At one point, one proxy became ridiculously powerful. His power was enough to threaten not only the angels but also the demons.”
“Ooh.”
“Hey, you… nevermind. Anyway, that proxy quickly climbed to the top and began pursuing a vendetta against the angels and the demons. He and his followers first invaded Infernal Realm, the home of the demons, and then the Celestial Realm, the home of the angels.”
“I see.”
“For the record, the Infernal Realm surrendered immediately without putting up a fight.”
Gabriel snorted.
“It was pathetic, really. They begged him, ‘Wasn’t killing the Seven Archdemons and Fourteen Demon Lords enough? We’re victims, too! Please spare our lives! We’ll do anything! We can even become your dogs!’ Well, the Martial God bought it, and he accepted their surrender under certain conditions.”
“And the Celestial Realm?”
“Destroyed.”
Gabriel answered simply.
However, contrary to her tone, her face was grim.
“We sent him a formal apology, and he replied by sending us a short letter and the head of the angel we’d sent as a messenger. The letter said… What was it again? ‘Demons, I can forgive. But you, never.’ Something like that.”
“Then….”
“That’s right. The Martial God invaded the Celestial Realm. Using infernal flames and the infernal army, he destroyed everything and captured all angels. He even brought the angels who fell in battle back to life.”
Gabriel bit her lower lip.
“And then… The Martial God threw all the angels he captured into the Infernal Realm. He then ordered the demons to torment the angels with unimaginable pain and humiliation. He didn’t want the demons to kill us. He wanted us to suffer forever. He told the demons that he would decide whether or not to accept their surrender, depending on how well they carry out his orders.”
“And then what happened?”
“What do you think?”
Gabriel answered curtly.
“That’s when hell began. After untold torture and humiliation, we angels fell from grace, and….”
Judging from her expression, it couldn’t have been a thrilling experience. Gabriel continued hesitantly.
“What could we have done? We became slaves to the demons whom we despised so much, until one day we were given a chance.”
“Chance?”
“Paradise.”
Gabriel pointed at the sky, and then at the earth.
“You see, there was actually an angel who turned over to the Martial God’s side before all of this happened. I guess she took pity on us and begged the Martial God.”
“To forgive you?”
“Not quite. She probably asked him to give us another chance. Well, they seemed like a happy couple, so I’m guessing he couldn’t ignore her request.”
A chance.
Seol Jihu thought for a moment and then said.
“No way.”
The corner of Gabriel’s mouth slanted upward.
“That’s right. The Martial God robbed us of all our Authorities and power and then mentioned Paradise. He told us that the Parasite Queen was disturbing the peace of this planet and ordered us to take care of her. At least that’s what he said. He probably just wanted us to suffer the same pain he did.”
Gabriel stopped moving.
“And so we came to this planet by force.”
She looked up at the stars in the night sky and shrugged her shoulders.
“That’s the end of my story. What do you think?”
Seol Jihu was speechless.
In truth, he had hoped for a fairytale-like story in which a righteous alien race helped humans fight against the evil atrocities of the Parasite Queen.
“….”
But the reality was far beyond his imagination.
“Don't feel sorry for us. Like I told you, we’re just paying for what we’ve done.”
Gabriel emphasized.
“What’s important is that we Fallen Angels have no choice but to help Paradise. We’re going to do everything we can to grab the chance given to us, even if it was the Martial God’s empty words. I’d rather bite off my tongue and kill myself than become the demons’ slave again.”
Seol Jihu nodded slowly.
“I see. You’re definitely on our side.”
“Yes. We’re both fighting this war for the survival of our people, so you don’t have to worry about betrayal. Earthlings are an exception… but maybe that’ll change after tonight.”
Gabriel smacked her lips and shook her head, to indicate she didn’t want to talk on this subject anymore.
“Well then.”
Gabriel cast a quick glance about the fortress and gave an enigmatic smile.
“Now that I’ve satisfied your curiosity, I’d like to go enjoy the festival…. Will you be alright without me?”
“?”
“Since yesterday, you’ve become a hero to the Federation. I’m sure there isn’t a soul in this fortress that doesn’t know your name.”
Seol Jihu tilted his head. He still wasn’t sure what she wanted to say.
“Some races may want to express their gratitude in their own way. They don’t mean any harm, that’s just their culture. So don’t think too badly of them.”
Gabriel left with the same enigmatic smile.
Though clueless at first, Seol Jihu quickly came to a realization.
He noticed a strange presence nearby.
A number of foreign races were surrounding him.
First he saw a group of beauties led by a Foxman with foxy eyes and a voluptuous figure. He then saw the little brats, including Haeryeo and Haeya. The group of white and yellow rice cakes was also joyfully wagging their tails at him.
They were all waiting thirstily for a chance to talk to him.
“Hello….”
The Foxman beauty was the first to speak.
Blushing coyly, she approached him with a smile on her face.
“If it's not too much trouble, could you come with us for a moment….”
“Wait~ Hold on~”
It was then that pink-colored hair fluttered before Seol Jihu’s eyes.
Suddenly, Teresa came out of nowhere. She seemed to have been following him for a while.
The Foxman beauty gave a small frown.
“Who are you?”