< Chapter 43 - The Holy Archangel >
Chapter 43 – The Holy Angels
The gates of hell.
It wasn’t unfamiliar.
There were surprisingly many opportunities to see the Gates of Hell in the Heroes series.
But the timing was wrong.
In the first part of Heroes’ Chronicles, only one door appeared.
Demon Prince Bykazel, the final boss and the cause of the tragedy of the Paragon Kingdom.
Defeating him and closing the gates of hell he opened was the final battle of Heroes Chronicles 1.
‘After the middle part of Part 2.’
Opening the gates of hell on earth was no ordinary matter.
There had to be a catalyst to open the gates of hell, as well as numerous sacrifices.
‘catalyst.’
These are the things that came together when the past overlords of Hell descended to Earth.
They came in various forms and contained different powers, but they were uncommon.
Even in a huge organization like the Devil’s Hand or Eye, there were only one or two catalysts that opened the gates of Hell.
‘Things are different than when Lena was there.’
The gates of Hell that opened to Endymion were not summoned in the usual way.
A connection was formed during Lena’s escape from hell and return to the surface.
Because of this, it differed from the normal gates of hell in many ways.
Since it was not a gate to hell on earth, but rather the opposite, it was able to maintain the gate to hell without any additional support by receiving power from hell.
‘But this is not it. It can’t be.’
Uther looked at the altar once more.
I interpreted the disintegrated magic circle in my head.
It was a typical gate to hell. It was the same one we had seen several times in Heroes’ Chronicles 2.
‘It won’t last long.’
It took strength to keep the gates of hell open.
If the gates of hell had opened in the Snow Flower Wind Plains as Yuder had predicted, there would be no way to maintain them other than through sacrifice.
‘At most a week or so.’
Of course, since it was a result of inference based on various events that occurred in the original work, there would be some errors, but it would not be significantly wrong.
‘I took a risk. No, I overturned the table.’
There were few opportunities to summon the Gates of Hell.
In the original, Haragen had corrupted the wild gods, taken control of the barbarians, and then attacked the north instead of summoning the gates of hell, because that was much more efficient.
‘After destroying the North and reaching the capital, we open the gates of hell.’
Which would be more effective: opening the gates of hell in the wild lands or opening the gates of hell in the capital of the Kingdom of Cailun?
There was no need to think about it.
It could definitely be said to be the latter.
Of course, it was all hypothetical.
In the original work, there was no information that Haragen had a catalyst.
But it was valid.
Even Uther himself would not waste the catalyst in this way.
The best strategy would be to create a dual strategy of the Wild Lands, the Barbarians, and the Northern Kingdom of Cailun, then summon the Gates of Hell at a crucial location.
‘But I didn’t do that.’
It is clear that Yuder himself has been interfering with Haragen time and time again.
Compared to the original, it can be said that Haragen’s current situation is very bad.
But summoning the gates of hell was too much.
This was almost a case of giving up on Haragen’s part.
Because we had to give up most of the power we had secured in the wild lands.
‘Why.’
Wouldn’t it have been better to have a fight between the Western and Eastern armies?
Why did Haragen give up even one match?
There was a reason.
An incident that moved Haragen’s heart, which Yuder does not know about yet.
Gail and Adelia.
Count Chase.
Three men annihilated an infiltration party that was trying to infiltrate the east via the south.
I told Haragen that there was no other way than a head-on confrontation, and Haragen made up his mind.
If you fail at whatever you plan, then do something you cannot fail at.
Let’s do something that our enemies cannot stop.
Because that’s better than a complete failure.
There was a time when the board had to be turned over.
The Wild Lands’ power was already half-depleted. In this situation, even if they had defeated the Eastern Army in a head-on battle, the damage would have been too great. With half-depleted power, they could not properly carry out their original plan.
So, let’s turn the tables.
Create a new board.
But even the most rotten of waters could not tell up to this point.
So, Uder stopped worrying about this.
First of all, I needed information.
This place right now was not a good place to continue my worries.
“Cordelia.”
Cordelia responded immediately to Uther’s call.
Her face was very stiff, as if she was also thinking about something.
“Let’s move first.”
“huh!”
It was at times like this that I had to cheer up.
Cordelia, who answered forcefully on purpose, ran ahead.
We didn’t say where we were going, but there was only one place to go at this point.
‘The underground passage left behind by Magellan’s high elves.’
Through Melissa, we were able to learn information that we couldn’t find in the original.
Magellan of the Magic Kingdom.
As is commonly thought, the Pleiades elves mostly lived in forests or mountains.
Even the dark elves refused to live underground unless it was absolutely necessary.
However, Magellan’s high elves built a city underground.
Most of the facilities were built in the mountains or underground, almost like dwarves.
‘It’s because of the dragon vein.’
Magellan’s high elves discovered the power of the stars within the earth.
They studied and studied again to somehow utilize the great flow, and as a result, they established a base for living underground, close to the dragon vein.
‘Infrastructure across the wild lands.’
High elves built infrastructure along the flow of the dragon veins.
And several facilities were installed to utilize the power of the dragon vein.
The facility located in the Sky Peak Mountain Range was one of those.
‘The dragon vein was originally different from what it is now.’
It was much thinner and had breaks in places.
But it was Magellan’s high elves who continued it.
The flow of the dragon vein was made smooth, and relay facilities were built throughout the wild land to strengthen the flow.
‘And thus the current dragon vein was created.’
And if things go as Yuder expected-
“Uder.”
At Cordelia’s call, Uther looked back at reality.
The two people had already returned to the underground passage.
Uder took a deep breath.
And then I thought again.
‘The door is open.’
Whatever else may be put aside, this one thing was clear.
Not only Cordelia’s feelings, but also the ritual altar that Garammaru was guarding told them about it.
So what should we do now?
Should I go around bursting the dragon veins in the west as originally planned?
‘There’s not enough time.’
In the original, the reasons for opening the gates of hell all came down to one thing.
Summoning a powerful being to the ground that cannot be summoned by normal means.
Haragen was a pushover.
Even the Devil’s Eye opened the gates of hell using a catalyst that was rare.
In that case, there was no way I could be satisfied with Kremler.
He wanted to call something greater to the earth.
How many days will it take?
If we calculate the time required compared to other events in the original······.
‘Five days at most.’
If it’s short, three to four days.
It was just impossible.
Even if we used the tunnels dug by the high elves, we wouldn’t be able to make it in time.
The wild land was too vast for that.
‘Town Portal.’
A space jump gate used by high elves.
According to Melissa’s review, there were still a few space jump portals alive in the West.
Once there, the return to the East itself could be expedited.
But there was no way to get straight to the space jump door from here.
Either way, it took some time.
Uther’s thoughts deepened.
I thought and thought again.
And Cordelia saw such a Uther.
He made a groaning expression and began to worry in the same way.
Is there no way?
Isn’t there a solution?
“Ugh.”
This kind of worrying was neither my taste nor my aptitude.
That’s why Cordelia groaned and stamped her feet.
But I didn’t stop thinking.
And then at some point.
“ah!”
Cordelia suddenly raised her head.
He grabbed Yuder’s shoulder urgently.
After forcibly pulling Yuder out of his tangled thoughts, he told him about the idea that suddenly came to his mind.
“how is it?”
A vague idea.
Just an idea.
Uther looked at Cordelia. He didn’t even blink, and in response Cordelia slumped her shoulders and made a sullen expression.
Wasn’t that so?
That’s what I am.
I guess it’s not something you think about.
That’s when Cordelia started digging the ground.
Uder suddenly burst into laughter.
He smiled coolly and hugged Cordelia tightly.
“Hey, Yudera?”
“You are the best, after all. My princess, my angel.”
“What, what did you say?”
My what?
Cordelia bristled at the creepy choice of words, but Uther paid no attention.
I tried to think again to make Cordelia’s idea a reality.
But at that very moment.
Uther and Cordelia looked at each other again.
I focused on the voice in my head.
&
Thanks to the heroic sacrifice of the Blade Song, the Eastern Army was able to withdraw from the front line.
But too much blood has already been shed.
“Even so.”
The Great Storm looked west with sunken eyes.
I looked at the gates of hell, located far away, emitting an extremely ominous aura even at this very moment.
A very long distance.
But it was the eye of a great storm looking far and wide from high above.
Even at this very moment, he could see the monsters crawling out through the gates of hell to the surface.
That is why he declared.
“It must be closed.”
It was a great storm that knew little about the gates of hell.
There were few wild gods who remembered the days when the Magellan of the past fought against the Overlord of Hell.
Excluding the Golden Dragon King, it would not be an exaggeration to say that there were no wild gods active at that time.
Because of this, the wild gods knew little about demons.
I couldn’t even guess how long the gates of hell would remain open or what kind of beings would come out of them, so I thought of a more decisive response.
“No matter what the sacrifice.”
If the gates of hell remain as they are.
If more demons crawl out onto the ground.
The wild lands could no longer exist. They were just small hells ruled by the demons of Hell.
“Brother, the rough snowfall······.”
The Great Storm looked back. The beautiful Snow Wind was sobbing, its face soaked with tears.
She didn’t usually like the song “The Blade Song” that much, but that doesn’t mean she hated it deep down.
But the Blade Song saved everyone and died.
He made a heroic sacrifice.
Even his own tribe, even the children of the many wild lands.
But now even the traces of the rough avalanche have become unclear.
The tears never dried from the eyes of the gentle wind.
I couldn’t stop crying.
But the Great Storm reached out and took her tears away for a moment.
He said it with a forced smile.
“It’ll be okay. Even if he loses his power, he’s still a wild god. He’s lived longer than us.”
It was just a misstep, no lives lost.
“I guess so?”
“That will happen. That will happen.”
The great storm hugged the gentle snow wind tightly and patted its back.
It was an action similar to soothing a child, and in fact, if you look at the human form alone, it was a taller Snowstorm than the Great Storm, but she didn’t care about that. She swallowed her tears while being held in the Great Storm’s arms.
“We must gather the wild gods.”
It was necessary to gather all the wild gods of the East without leaving any out.
The surviving main force and the remaining troops in the east had to be combined to form a final suicide squad.
Bladesong and his children sacrificed their lives to give the East – no, the Wild Lands – another chance.
So I had to live up to their song.
“Gather the children, beautiful snow wind. Gather the wild gods.”
The gentle breeze nodded. After wiping his face a few times, he turned around and ran.
The great storm looked at the back of such a gentle snowstorm. Then it turned around and looked west.
“The gates of hell.”
The Great Storm brought to mind the Song of Blades.
I remembered the wild gods of the West whom I had not seen for a long time.
They all died.
And now more wild gods might die.
But even so,
“It is our calling to protect the wild lands.”
The great storm swallowed its cold breath.
I am prepared for the final battle.
&
Haragen looked at the gates of hell.
The gloomy aura of hell gave him new strength.
Haragen smiled.
With his powers strengthened, he sensed the one approaching from beyond the gates of Hell. He saluted him.
Demon Prince.
A devil with a title.
A being on par with Bykazel, who caused the tragedy of the Paragon Kingdom in the past, surpassing the Great Demon Kreimler.
Haragen’s smile turned bitter.
Maybe it was because of the atmosphere of hell, but my thoughts also changed.
‘This was my calling.’
What if it wasn’t the capital of the Kingdom of Seilun?
It would be enough if the Demon Prince descended. He would personally lead the demons and destroy the wild lands. He would march on the kingdom of Cailun.
The demons and monsters that came through the gates of hell did not go through the process of making a contract.
Because of this, they did not follow Haragen’s control.
But it didn’t matter.
Because the demons and the devils knew too.
The Demon Prince is coming.
That it was their calling to follow his commands.
“Haragen-sama.”
Haragen turned around at the voice mixed with fear.
The ever-loyal Sharphorn was looking at him with eyes full of hesitation.
It can’t be helped.
The Western Army was destroyed, and the Angry Horn Tribe, who had accepted the energy of Hell, were no longer human.
Because even at this very moment, human sacrifices are continuing to keep the gates of hell open.
Haragen saw the sharp horns.
He too was no longer human. He was a being closer to a monster.
He still had a human heart left, but it was only a matter of time. So Haragen showed him some mercy and told him the story he wanted to hear.
“Not bad. It went well. Just follow me as you always have.”
Sharphorn nodded at Haragen’s words. He abandoned his fear and blindly believed his words.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to bear the current situation.
“Wait, for greater glory awaits us.”
Haragen smiled brightly and looked at the gates of hell again.
I waited for the moment of descent while enjoying the atmosphere of hell.
&
“Lena?”
Cordelia’s call was answered.
It wasn’t a specific story, but it conveyed a clear feeling.
Lena woke up.
The Holy Angel has descended to this earth again.
That’s what it means.
Another possibility arises because of this.
“Lena.”
Uther and Cordelia could tell.
She spreads her wings of light.
Leaving the holy land guarded by Bluebeard, he flew towards the west.
The connection was lost.
But it was enough.
Lena conveyed her will to both of them.
When she realized that the gates of hell had opened on Earth, she took action.
“Lena woke up.”
There was excitement in Cordelia’s voice.
It had to be that way.
Because Lena woke up.
Saint Angel Lenaga, one of the five heroes who ended the tragedy of the Paragon Kingdom.
But that wasn’t all.
Why Cordelia was excited.
The reason why Uther wanted to hug Cordelia once again.
The two of them had the same thought at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled, and Uther opened his arms. But instead of embracing Uther, Cordelia stepped back and smiled brightly again.
He took out the object he had always carried with him since he first got it, and kept it within sight even when he was bathing. He placed it in front of Yuder, which he had been carrying on his back.
“Heavenly judgment.”
The Sword of Divine Punishment, forged by the Angel of Judgement, Auriel.
A sacred weapon that only angels can use.
And one more possibility.
Something we can try now that Lena is awake.
“My angel.”
Uther spoke with a sense of emotion and tried to hug Cordelia, but Cordelia backed away in disgust. But soon she smiled bashfully. She spoke with her fangs flashing.
“I’ll show you something cool.”
The battle that will unfold ahead.
There must be more than one angel that walks through the sky.
Uder nodded and smiled with a look of conversion.
Because it is completed at this very moment.
The best strategy.
“As expected, it’s our family’s Yuder.”
Uther was satisfied with Cordelia’s smile.
We have started working again for a perfect happy ending.
&
< Chapter 43 - The Holy Angel > End
