The Seraphic System A New Dawn

The Seraphic System

Chapter: 101

Disclair: I don’t own High School DxD or any other universe used in this story. However, all original characters, plotlines, and world-building elents created in this story are my own.

Pa/ t reon details below the chapter if you're interested in seeing so content in advance.

(A New Dawn)

-{Michael}-

Michael frowned thoughtfully as he slowly went about collecting a force for his Lord. A force that he felt suitable to guard his Lord. Despite his presence, he knew better than to simply rely on himself.

Sotis rely having another set of eyes and thoughts that were equally as intelligent as his own made a large difference.

His mind drifted to his Father's request. While he knew as a King it should probably be a priority to see the place where Heaven’s enemies were imprisoned, he wasn't quite willing to let him visit it.

Not before so heavy scouting at least.

During the battle of Heaven Michael had co to one startling realisation.

He had made a mistake and he didn’t know how to tell his Lord.

Michael knew he would have to speak up before they travelled and allow his Lord to decide what asures to continue with. Since he had co to possess the information, he had been busy deciding on the best way to word it…

So of the Gods that had attacked Heaven were supposed to be imprisoned within Cocytus... Which ans that the Prison had been breached. This raised concerns about potential traps being left behind or even a complete prison takeover.

However, not every being sealed in Cocytus had been part of the attack, aning they either hadn't been able to free them all or so simply chose not to participate. His Father had previously opted to return most of the evil Gods to their respective Pantheons to prevent them from taking further hostile actions.

So it wasn’t completely his fault.

The Egyptians.

They had been kept in the outer layer of the prison.

Since they were sealed and not in danger of escaping.

aning at the very least the outer layer of the unguarded prison had been breached.

Michael wanted to hit himself.

When Father had died he had withdrawn, calling back all Angels to Heaven. Including the large guard that was hosted at Cocytus. It had felt right at the ti. Since Cocytus was hardly defenceless with the seals placed around its periter.

This invasion had shown that the barriers weren’t as impenetrable as he had thought. He had allowed it to go undefended. Not even knowing of a break-in.

Michael felt pathetic.

Father was back. It was ti to reclaim his role, and yet every passing incident seed to remind him of how inadequate he was.

It truly worried him how powerful the Khaos Brigade was proving to be. Even if the barriers hadn't been properly maintained, they weren't weak by any asure.

As Heaven's General, he saw this as a demonstration of the threat they possessed.

This went beyond even their attack on Heaven. They had managed to breach barriers designed by his Father himself, barriers that had contained so of the most dangerous beings in existence for millennia. The implications were staggering.

Michael paused in his preparations, running a hand through his blonde hair.

It felt like this Khaos Brigade was the result of not having soone like Father in the world for so long. Sure, there were beings like Shiva, and the rest of the Trimurti. They were righteous like his Father, but they were indifferent to the suffering and evil others caused.

The worst part was knowing that Father would have handled this situation with ease.

Perhaps his Guardian project could assist in helping guard Heaven’s rightful prison. Michael was hesitant to spread forces beyond Heaven but perhaps it was ti the world ca to know them again.

His thoughts were interrupted by a group of Cherubs, and he went to speak only for his words to die on his tongue.

It was a shock, one that passed through him and shook his near-perfect balance.

His skin tingled and his very soul trembled.

His eyes beca cold as his eyes glowed, blurring as they looked around for the presud attacker.

The group of Cherubs seed to be experiencing the sa thing. Albeit they were on the ground with hot tears streaming down their faces. Concern shone in his stomach.

Currently, he stood within the third realm of heaven.

He had co here with the intent of collecting a large force, to take Father down to the Supernatural Prison.

That couldn’t be thought of anymore. As sothing else took his sole attention.

In a rare mont, Michael truly felt completely taken off guard. A gasp escaped him as an overwhelming surge of power flooded through his entire being.

His twelve wings erupted from his back without conscious thought, blazing with golden light that illuminated the entire area.

He glanced back in confusion, only for sothing unprecedented to occur. The light intensified, becoming so brilliant that it bathed the area in pure light.

The feeling that had been absent for all that ti ago ca back with a thunderous force. Two additional wings manifested, pushing his total to fourteen.

It was the number of wings he had used to have.

An Angel’s power could be seen by the number of wings they had. This rang true for all of Angel kind and didn’t change even if an Angel fell.

Fourteen wings had only been reached by three Angels before.

Michael, Azrael and Lucifer.

His Halo blazed above him.

It was spinning at a speed that caused pressure to build up around him.

Michael closed his eyes. His power continued to increase exponentially, not just in raw strength, but in every aspect of his angelic nature. His holy energy burned brighter, his connection to his Father deepened.

He felt his previously agre reserves expand exponentially. The circulation of energy in his body has also sped up by a mile, his body was continuously being enhanced, flesh, muscles, organs, and even his blood were being purified.

"Father..." he whispered, his voice thick with emotion, and his throat ablaze with golden power that had spread through his whole body in just an instant.

-{Kai}-

I looked around curiously.

For so reason, I had expected sothing big to happen when I activated my new skill. Maybe so dramatic light show or a surge of power I could feel directly. Instead, everything looked the sa as before.

I had no Angels around , so I couldn't see if it had any effect.

Either way, assuming it worked, Heaven had just gotten yet another massive boost in power.

The divine shard was, beyond doubt, one of the most important tools in my arsenal to enhance Heaven AND myself.

A large smirk took over my lips.

Just like that Heaven’s power had been raised trendously. Along with my own power, I gained another way to utilise my chakra. Today was beyond productive.

Now what else do I have left to do?

While I wanted to train with the Rinnegan and its many abilities, but I decided to visit Raphael first.

There were multiple things that I wanted to discuss with her, so of them pertaining to Kokabiel and looking into the curse of the fallen while part of it was an excuse to see if the empowernt had worked.

In his ti here Kokabiel had rejoined the ranks of Angels with a warm welco. It seed my Angel's attitude had completely changed once I had accepted him back in.

I didn’t know if the Heavenly System had so sort of forgive button but I decided Raphael could be consulted on the subject. I was curious about her latest experints anyway.

I made my way through Heaven, towards her laboratory. When I reached her lab, the door opened before I could knock.

"Father!" Raphael squealed, wrapping her arms around . Her form was radiating power as she wore a wide smile.

"Raphael, I'm guessing you've felt the increase in power," I replied, amused.

"A 20% increase to be exact! Just like the old tis." Raphael replied and almost seed... high? "I doubt any Angel could ignore that. How did you do it?"

"I felt the seals on my authority over Angels and Heaven alleviate. I had been successful in reclaiming so of my lost power and suddenly had the option," I replied truthfully. "I probably should have made an announcent before using it, though. How do you feel?”

“Amazing. I can feel that our connection has beco so much deeper.” Raphael replied, composing herself.

“Good. And I can see you’ve gained quite the boost in power.” I said appraisingly.

“Yes! This will help with the nurous experints I have been working on.” She replied with an adoring smile. “But Father, you do realise the ramifications of this?"

"A morale and much-needed boost in power?" I replied, knowing that wasn't the answer.

"Father, all the Seraphs are now within the God realm..." Raphael replied.

And I paused.

"..."

I genuinely hadn't realised that.

It would be at the very low end of God-class, but still, that was huge.

"Along with possibly dozens of new Ultimate-class, thousands of new High-class and so on. The entirety of Heaven has just shifted into a higher realm of power," Raphael said, looking at with unrestrained reverence.

Then I ca to another realisation.

"Michael must have stepped into Super-class," I muttered.

That was big…

Another super-class Angel and one as powerful as Michael at that.

"Exactly." She bead, an excited gleam in her eyes. “That along with the deepened bond. I imagine my siblings are in an uproar, which is why there aren't any Seraphs around."

Her enthusiasm was infectious.

"This definitely needs a serious eting. This changes a lot of my plans.” I muttered.

Did we even need to fear the Devils and the Fallen? That was possible, however low the chances may be. I will need to bring the Fallen Angels closer to Heaven, to reduce the chances to zero.

Sigh. Even more work.

“I think another eting was well overdue anyway. Especially with all the chaos as of late.” I finally said.

Since the battle with the Architect, everyone had mostly been busy reorganising. There hadn’t been a chance to organise a eting. This seed like the perfect opportunity to have one.

Raphael agreed seriously and beca more sedate.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Heaven hasn’t seen chaos on this level for a long ti. Which has made it especially difficult to handle.” She said in agreent. “A eting would help compose what we’ve learnt and speak about the probable future.”

“That was along the lines of my thinking, I do think a eting will help everyone get on board,” I replied seriously.

Especially .

“When would you like to arrange this?” Raphael asked dutifully.

“Within the next few days, I’ll be going to Cocytus soon with Michael and Azrael. So it’ll have to be after that.” I replied thoughtfully.

Raphael paused. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Father?”

We began walking through her lab, passing various experintal setups and magical apparatus that humd with contained energy.

“Why not?” I replied curiously. “From the sounds of it, the place holds many enemies of Heaven. The fact that its defences are being left to magical barriers is a liability. At the very least I would like to see what can be done about it.”

“Ah, Michael hasn’t inford you yet.” Raphael sighed. “I imagine he’s trying to get all the facts before informing you.”

“What?”

“Father, so of the Gods that attacked Heaven were ant to be sealed in Cocytus.” She replied seriously.

I paused at the new information.

They were sealed out of Cocytus by Khaos Brigade? Or did they escape on their own? No, that wouldn't make much sense. Did Khaos Brigade possess soone who could best the seals and traps placed by God himself?

Sigh, this just keeps getting ssier.

“Why didn’t Michael tell that?”

Raphael rely smiled. “He never did like presenting serious situations without an in-depth comprehension of them. I imagine he was planning to tell you soon and most certainly before you left.”

That made sense. Michael, despite being a terrifying ancient Angel, was too eager to please.

Still…

“That ans it’s not as secure as I thought it was,” I said, feeling a pit of concern. “I’m guessing we didn’t see the full extent of Cocytus residents, did we?”

“No. There were many that were missing if they sohow managed to break out all of the prisoners in Cocytus as well." Raphael replied thoughtfully. “That could an they were only able to break the outer layer or the princesses didn't find their knights in shining armour appealing enough.”

“Who were the Gods that were within Cocytus?”

“The Egyptians.” She replied imdiately.

“Why were they held in the outer layer of Cocytus anyway?" I asked confusedly.

That didn’t seem wise.

“They weren’t considered able to break out due to their situation. Unlike so in the deeper bowels of Cocytus.” Raphael replied.

“So there’s a chance those being held within weren’t reached?” I asked.

“Yes, there were a lot more defences inside. But that doesn’t an they won’t or haven't already tried. They could be sitting there and working on it as we speak.” Raphael replied with a frown. “Are you sure you want to go?”

“Positive,” I replied seriously. “I’ll have Michael and Azrael with . Along with the cohort of the best of heaven, I would be much safer.”

I wasn’t too concerned. I had grown powerful enough to be confident about escaping alive, if not defeating whatever awaited there.

She gave a tired smile. “If that’s what you desire. I trust Michael and Azrael enough to know that they’ll probably smother you to death instead of letting you be in harm’s way.”

“I’ll be careful,” I said, noticing her worried expression. "Onto a less bleak subject. How are your experints going? You've been stuck in your lab for days," I asked, changing the subject.

Raphael's smile reignited. "Thank you again for that large cannon you gave to experint with. It's been incredibly useful for understanding the underlying magical principles that the magical canon uses."

"Have you been able to research it?” I questioned eagerly.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to recreate it fully but I have started on making so smaller versions. Which could serve as extra firepower on the walls though to a lesser degree.” Raphael said. “The large cannon has massive destructive and piercing power.”

“Good work. Even having lesser replicas will serve us well.” I said with a nod.

Even small cannons would be worthwhile if they could distribute powerful shots. They were essentially artefacts that allowed for amplification of power and output. Which was why they were worth more than just using pure magic.

“Do you have a thod of powering them?” I questioned next.

“The standard mid-class to high-class Angel maintaining one cannon each would work. I’m working on developing an auto-detecting system but that’s always difficult.” Raphael said, giving an insight into her works. “I have been developing a custom magical battery though, which would save a lot of angelic power.”

“That would be useful, I imagine a Seraph alone could store an insane amount of power by simply sacrificing a few hours’ worth of angelic power,” I said, liking the idea. “Once more, amazing work. I'll have to join you one of these days.”

Her eyes practically shone. “I-I’d love that Father!”

Perhaps due to the angelic empowernt, Raphael seed to be in a needy mood and it was strange for her to be so unrestrained. The normally composed Angel practically hung off .

It was cute.

“I’m afraid that right now I’d just be a hindrance, but I’m a fast learner and I’ve surpassed the purely theoretical stage,” I replied boyishly.

I couldn’t deny that the thought of making artefacts ignited sothing within . My energy transmutation could be put to use.

“I’m sure you will surpass .” She said excitedly.

My gaze landed on a massive armoured being behind her and I paused.

“What’s that?” I questioned.

She froze and a bashful expression ca over her.

“Oh… yes. I've been working on a project with Michael and Uriel as well. It's finally finished, but Michael had planned on surprising you with it." She said with a hint of bashfulness.

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Care to give a hint?"

“I think I’ll let Michael tell you, lest he starts to give the cold shoulder.” Raphael laughed. “Though I don’t think it’s hard to make an educated guess, even if there’s a lot more than ets the eye.”

“I’ll have to ask Michael then,” I said, genuinely amused.

“Father, may I ask what brought you here anyway? I assu there is sothing else, forgive if I’m wrong.” Raphael said, adding the last part worriedly.

“You aren’t wrong, while I did co here rely to spend ti with you. I do have sothing I wanted your help with.” I said.

Raphael listened eagerly.

Ishtar.

The sopotamian goddess had been sitting in my inventory like a particularly dangerous piece of luggage since I'd had Michael knock her unconscious.

While I could leave her there indefinitely it would be a waste. Especially with the knowledge she had. And unlike Ares, her pantheon wouldn’t cause trouble.

"I'm going to finally question Ishtar. Since you're here, I could use so help. Though I didn't want to distract anyone from their tasks, especially with everyone being so busy," I replied.

Azrael had found herself focusing more on reclaiming her duties, while Michael was preparing and presumably undergoing his massive power change.

And Gabriel had found herself on the first Heaven... the situation with her had beco strange as she mysteriously kept vanishing.

Raphael pouted. "You know you can call us whenever you need, right?"

"Yeah, but you've been so busy on your projects-“

"That doesn't matter, especially with how powerful Ishtar is." Raphael frowned. “What’s your plan?”

I ignored the warmth that her response gave .

“She's unconscious and I've got a way to restrain her," I replied. “The sa thod I used with Ares but she’s quite a bit more powerful.”

“I can add so enchantnt and additional bindings to be safe, since we are dealing with such a powerful God," Raphael offered. "My recent experints have yielded so interesting results in regards to containing divine energy."

“Very well, have you anywhere to put her?” I asked.

“Yes,” Raphael said. “I have a perfect place for her.”

A chamber seemingly opened up in the wall and I had to wonder just how large her personal lab was. I knew that Heaven had a massive lab but Raphael’s personal lab was a lot more equipped.

Actually, everything looked a lot bigger on the inside than the outside. There was obviously so space-fuckery going on.

I let Ishtar out after a long ti. Her body appeared and barely had ti to even hit the ground properly before I used Mokuton to create thick wooden vines and restraints infused with chakra.

Raphael worked alongside , adding her own magical bindings that would suppress Ishtar’s divine energy. The place was already enchanted to prevent teleportation or dinsional travel.

I was surprised as the large vines were covered with Angelic runes, with them taking over most of the surface.

Within minutes, we had constructed a containnt system capable of restraining Gods.

The wooden restraints would drain her power while Raphael's bindings would prevent escape attempts. Even a goddess of Ishtar's calibre would find it impossible to break free in this situation.

"This should hold her," Raphael said, examining our work. "The power-draining properties combined with the dinsional locks should keep her contained indefinitely."

"Thank you. I think I’ll give her so ti to think about her situation instead of waking her up now. I’m sure Michael will be done with his preparations soon, so it’ll probably be after my visit to Cocytus." I replied.

"I promise to look after her until you co back," Raphael said seriously. "She won't be going anywhere."

We spoke a bit further about her experintations and the results Raphael was producing. It turns out she had also been creating pseudo-Sacred Gears. And the energy bracelet was going to work as the next base of a Sacred Gear idea she had.

Many of the sacred Gears I had seen hadn’t worked but a few did, and they were incredibly powerful. I wasn't surprised. Sacred Gears weren’t easy to make.

After that, I set off through the corridors of the sixth Heaven, making my way towards the dinsional gateway that would take to the crypts.

As I turned a corner, I bumped into Gabriel.

"Oh! Kaiel!" she exclaid, her cheeks flushing slightly as she steadied herself.

I observed the Arch-Seraph.

There was sothing different about how she was acting around lately. More nervous in a sense.

"Gabriel," I said warmly. "I was just heading to the sub-dinsion."

She fidgeted with her hands, not quite eting my eyes. "I... I see. How is Raphael doing with her experints?"

"Extrely well.” I replied easily. “She's made significant progress on the cannon replicas and her work with Sacred Gears is going smoothly as well.”

“And I think she’s enjoying all the new resources.” I added.

Gabriel nodded, still acting strangely. “I can’t imagine so, Raphael has been especially excited as of late.”

"Yeah, she's switching to smaller cannons since the large one was too difficult to replicate," I replied, observing the beautiful Angel. "It should give Heaven's walls so actual firepower."

She humd, rely staring at .

"We could really use that," Gabriel replied softly. "Heaven's relied on those barriers for so long that seeing them bypassed, even temporarily, was genuinely frightening."

The way she kept glancing at and then looking away, that slight tremor in her voice. So different from her usual composure. I knew what was causing it.

I closed the distance between us.

Her eyes t mine, and sothing shifted in her expression. That confident, kind look wavered for just a second.

It was strange. My Arch-Seraphim were mostly emotionally stable… relatively speaking when not dealing with the subject of… .

But tis like these showed that they had a tendency to hide things from .

I reached out, my hand gently cupping her cheek, feeling the softness of her skin beneath my fingertips.

Her breath hitched slightly.

Leaning in, I pressed my lips to hers, feeling the soft curves of her mouth against mine. It was a gentle and chaste kiss at first, but soon a tentative exploration of our tongues soon followed and the kiss quickly deepened.

Gabriel's hands found their way to my shoulders, her fingers digging into my flesh as she pulled closer.

Our bodies pressed together, the heat between us intensified with each passing mont. I could feel her heart racing, matching the rhythm of my own and our kiss grew more urgent.

My hands ca to her lower back and ran through the back of her long hair, the soft and silky strands parting through my fingers. Her body molded to mine in a manner that allowed to feel the curves of her massive breasts pressing against my chest.

When we separated, Gabriel's face was completely red and she was staring at with wide, innocent eyes.

"Kaiel, I..." she murmured, her voice barely audible.

My hand remained over hers, just in case she considered fleeing again.

"There's no pressure to explain anything," I said softly, drawing her closer to my body. Gabriel seed to lt at my touch, a comforting warmth spread through as she settled against . “You don’t need to be so nervous.”

For a minute there was only a comfortable silence that I found myself enjoying.

"I've missed this," she admitted quietly. "I've been overwheld with duties lately."

"Is that the real reason you've been keeping your distance?" I asked, a hint of amusent in my tone.

She froze mid-step, her composure fracturing. "Forgive . I... I'm just struggling with how to navigate this."

I paused, surprised to see Gabriel in such a state.

She was typically the pillar for other Angels.

They sought her for guidance and comfort. So seeing her like this was beyond strange. But perhaps it was expected? An Angel that had never gone through love? I had expected Gabriel to have prior lovers but that didn’t seem to be the case.

I cupped her face gently and she continued pressing into my palm.

"Navigate what exactly?" I asked curiously.

"All of this, these feelings... I'm scared I'll ruin it sohow," she said quietly.

I blinked at her straight honesty, but rembered that Angels were different

"You couldn't ruin this," I reassured her, my thumb tracing her cheek. "Things moved fast, sure, but we've always had sothing between us. This just... makes it official."

A soft blush colored her features. “I-I’m not sure I can rember us kissing and touching each other in such a way.”

She was adorable.

“‘Well, in that sense it has changed greatly.” I replied with a smirk. “Or do you not enjoy it?”

She panicked. “N-no of course I-“

And then she seed to catch on. “Don’t tease .”

“Just had to make sure.” I replied cheekily.

Gabriel smiled beautifully before sighing.

“It’s just… I’ve harbored these feelings for so ti, but never imagined they'd be reciprocated. Particularly given all the won who surround you." She drew a steadying breath.

"You've been with from the start," I said gently. "I wasn't thinking about it that way before, but we've always been close. So just... be yourself. You don't need to act differently."

Gabriel nodded slowly.

"I've never felt like this before," she admitted, a hint of shyness in her voice. "I'm always the one people co to for support. Being the one who's... uncertain? Vulnerable? I don't know how to do this."

“Oh? You want to show you what to do? I’m not exactly experienced myself.” I replied with a grin.

“Still…” she said with concern.

I pressed her body to mine. Her breathing was uneven against and I took a mont to observe just how beautiful she was.

How she had avoided dating was against or any other scholar in this world.

Her skin was healthy and flawless, giving way to her long, wavy, blonde hair reaching past her back like a flowing river of gold. Her erald eyes sparkled and her pouty lips were slightly parted.

In all honesty I was only going off of my instinct.

My relationship history wasn’t exactly a thing to take notes from. That goes without saying for an Arch-Seraph, whose beauty put most Gods to sha and whose personality was of pure kindness.

"You know," I said with a slight grin, "you're literally the most beautiful woman in all of Heaven. I'm surprised that you of all people are feeling self-conscious.”

She responded to the statent with characteristic indifference.

"What others think has never concerned much, but you’re different… but does my form please you?"

I sent her a flat stare. “It’s certainly a nice add-on but I think I prefer you.”

She giggled into .

We simply stared at each other for a mont before I pulled away.

“Now that’s sorted.” I said, giving her a soft look. “I was hoping to see your new ring in action later. I wanted to see if perhaps it could be used to make Kokabiel and the Fallen Angels with him angels again."

Gabriel's eyes lit up. "The ring of purification? I... I think it might work. I’ve been practising.”

She stared down at her ring with an intense zealous gaze.

"We'll test it when I return.” I replied. “For now, I was heading to the Heavenly Crypts, would you join ?"

"I would love to," she said imdiately, clearly eager to spend ti with .

As we walked together, I noticed how she kept stealing glances at with amusent.

The entrance to the Heavenly Crypts looked the sa as it always did.

Massive stone doors inscribed with prayers and protective wards.

I walked through the entrance alongside Gabriel.

I surveyed all the stone slabs near the front that were empty from my previous resurrections.

Hundreds of Angels had already returned to active duty thanks to my efforts, but that was barely a fraction of what was available. It never ceased to make feel any less somber as I looked at just how many had died.

The connection I had with them was that of a family. Even the Angels I hadn’t t.

The crypts stretched out like an underground city. Thousands of slabs in perfect rows, most of them still empty.

I moved deeper into the complex, Gabriel following silently behind. We passed the empty slabs, the sections I'd already cleared on previous visits.

She watched with a sad smile, peaceful. She knew what I was planning.

All the casualties from the battle with the Architect had been revived. That alone was insane to think about.

With my current power levels, I could afford another attempt. My angelic power had grown strong enough that the number of Angels I could bring back made it worth depleting my reserves completely.

Before, mass resurrections hadn't been practical. Spending all my angelic magic would only revive a handful compared to the cost of halting my training progress entirely.

It had been a grim calculation, but prioritizing my developnt had proven necessary. The results spoke for themselves.

This couldn't beco routine, though.

Depleting my reserves this frequently would cripple my advancent, and that was unacceptable.

I clenched my fists.

From my inventory, I withdrew the precious tal I'd been accumulating for this mont. Golden ingots glead in the dim light, each one carefully collected to serve as a conduit for the resurrection ritual.

The wealth before could have brought kingdoms to their knees. Though in the supernatural world, such riches ant considerably less.

I raised my hand and began the incantation.

"True Resurrection."

The spell activated imdiately, and I felt the massive drain on my mana reserves.

Energy began to swirl around the slabs that the dead Angels lay upon.

I felt the drain on my power imdiately.

This was orders of magnitude more intensive than my previous attempts, drawing on reserves I didn't even know I had. The True Resurrection spell consud enormous amounts of mana, but its effects were absolute.

The first Angel's eyes snapped open, fully restored.

Then another.

Then dozens and onto hundreds as the resurrection wave swept through the section.

Gabriel gave a beautiful smile and after making sure I could stand, she imdiately began gently comforting and coordinating the Angels.

It was ti for Heaven to rise once more.

With this and the Angelic Empowernt, Heaven’s power would continue to skyrocket.

-{Azrael}-

Azrael gasped as the power that hit her finally settled.

That feeling left a residual power flowing through her veins.

She sighed contently, a smile flashing on her face as she felt the angelic empowernt flowed through her, the sa energy Father had radiated when He was alive.

Fourteen pairs of wings blazed behind her. The already substantial amount of power she possessed was further boosted and she could sense the qualitative change in all of her siblings.

She sat beneath the massive twin trees, watching her twelve new siblings with Hestia.

Azrael watched them stumble around with a hint of amusent. Tiamat and Hestia looked slightly confused and panicked.

After a minute, Seraphael joined the new angels, seemingly coming to the rescue much to Azrael’s amusent.

Azrael watched from beneath the twin trees as Seraphiel gathered the twelve newest Angels in a circle.

Their faces showed clear confusion about the sudden surge of power they'd felt.

"I know it's a lot to take in," Seraphiel said. "But what you're feeling right now? That's a good thing."

Avael raised her hand hesitantly. "What is it exactly? It's different than before."

"That's the empowernt taking hold. Your connection to your Father." Seraphiel's expression softened. "It also ans you don't need to hide in this sub-dinsion anymore. You can actually go out into Heaven now."

The twelve Angels looked at each other. Confusion shifted to sothing like excitent. Zakiel and Tamiel started to smile.

Sohow that turned into questions about their wings.

Seraphiel spread hers wide. "They're not decorative. Your wings channel angelic power. Understanding how to use them makes you stronger."

Ariel spoke up from the back of the group. "Why do they matter so much? I heard mother Hestia speaking about them.”

Hestia perked up, a warm smile on her face.

"Because they represent your connection to Father’s spirit," Seraphiel explained. "Every Angel is part of that Holy Force. When you feel that energy flowing through you, that's the Holy Spirit. That's what makes you an Angel."

Azrael noted how the confusion completely faded from their faces, replaced by genuine wonder and enthusiasm.

She watched on calmly, eyes trailing to the twelve Angels watching intently.

Then, Azrael glanced into the soul realm, humming thoughtfully. Their unusual souls puzzled her as well. How had these new Angels been born? The third generation, as she'd begun thinking of them.

Her smile faded though, her mind kept returning to the troubling discovery she'd made.

That also led to yet another anomaly, the new Angels couldn't fall.

Likely an oversight from her Lord.

And it worried her.

Azrael was one of the few who knew why the Falling System really worked, beyond both a punishnt and chance to let any who didn’t want to serve free.

The falling system served as protection from the Seven Deadly Sins, without it, corruption could take hold unchecked. Corruption was its own domain. Many people overlooked that detail.

She'd need to tell Him about this.

An enemy that eclipsed anything they'd faced before. They couldn't afford to get comfortable. The demons weren't as gone as she'd believed.

Her Lord's recent encounter proved that much.

They hadn't all died out. They'd just been waiting.

The Khaos Brigade showed signs of their interference. So did the creation of Devils in general.

The True Lords of Hell weren't as dead as the world thought.

Ti would tell.

For now, she returned to the Two Trees, closed her eyes, and let herself feel the renewed bond with her Father.

-{Kai}-

I sat hunched over the workbench in the God's study, surrounded by scattered notes on angelic script and the remains of my latest failed experint.

The ring in my hands was made from a decent magical alloy, nothing spectacular, but it should have been more than adequate for a simple enhancent artifact.

Another two days had flown by.

My training with the Rinnegan had been slow. Intentionally so.

I have been spending more ti with Gabriel, who had beco clingy after our talk. Much to everyone’s amusent and Azrael’s strange distaste.

So of my ti had been spent with Brias who had been somber since Uriel’s death. The giant had beco quiet and more of a recluse since that incident. The two had beco close and even my promise of reviving him didn’t help much.

Anyway, back to what I was doing.

I had been trying to make an artefact out of the tal ring. I had carefully inscribed the angelic characters along the inner band, each symbol flowing into the next in the precise pattern I'd morized.

The characters were inscribed by a sharp pen without any ink. It was solely channeling my angelic magic, a golden light streaking as letters were left in its wake.

The art of actually using angelic runes wasn’t easy.

It was basically solidifying power and leaving it to burn into an object.

The script itself was beautiful, elegant curves and sharp angles that seed to pulse with potential energy. I'd spent the better part of yesterday learning the proper formation of each character.

With my new Artifact Inscription skill active, I began embedding the magical formula into the tal.

The concept was straightforward enough, creating a matrix of power that would amplify the wearer's magical output.

Angelic script and Artifact Inscription together was a deadly combo. Angelic script was essentially leaving instructions and Artifact Inscription enhanced the flow of energy and gave it direction.

Unfortunately it wasn’t as easy as just writing words.

The inscription process felt like trying to thread a needle while wearing thick gloves.

There was no spit involved as well.

The magical formulas were correct and even the inscriptions were precise. However, sothing was wrong with my execution. I could feel the energy building up, growing unstable as it failed to properly integrate with the alloy.

The ring grew hot in my hands. Too hot.

A sigh escaped , as I already knew what was to co.

A sharp crack split the air and the ring shattered, sending fragnts of superheated tal across the workbench. I jerked my hands back, cursing as a small piece bounced off my cheek.

Flatly, I chucked the remains into the pile of broken rings that had been steadily growing over the past two days. The pile was getting embarrassingly large.

I looked at the words I had tried engraving on its surface.

“Thul maelon thuverim na veridian tel.”

Allow power to flow through this ring.

Perhaps I was being too vague? Or less assertive?

I should try another string next ti. Perhaps ‘Power flows through the ring.’ would have better results?

In any case, my progress was explosive according to Raphael. Therefore, despite my failures, I wasn’t too disappointed. I had gone from not being able to add one letter yesterday to inscribing an entire line of words.

So the improvent made it bearable and I couldn’t deny I was having fun.

Sighing heavily, I leaned back onto my chair and rubbed my temples.

I had a newfound appreciation for Raphael's successes. What I'd initially thought as relatively doable craftswork was proving to be an intricate art form that required perfect balance between magical theory, material science and raw power control.

Artifacts were essentially words of power embedded into physical objects, with their effects dependent on both the quality of craftsmanship and the materials used.

The better the base material, the more complex the enchantnts it could support.

Sacred Gears existed in a realm far above standard artifacts, they were basically soul weapons, rare even among the most powerful pantheons.

The fact that Heaven possessed so many Sacred Gears suddenly made understand why the other factions held us in such high regard. Creating soul-bound weapons was beyond most gods' capabilities.

I picked up another ring from my supply pile and started again, this ti focusing on an even simpler enhancent.

A durability boost.

I was mostly playing around for now but the progress couldn't be denied.

Ten minutes later, I was adding another broken ring to the pile. I tried different approaches. Simpler formulas. More complex power matrices. Different inscription attempts.

I looked over to a cluster of Artefacts laid out on my table. The artefacts that the Egyptian God Set had used to empower his host. I had them set down for later usage and study.

After the sixteenth failure, I decided to try a different approach entirely.

I activated my energy transmutation ability and the pile of rings vanished, only giving half of what it was worth due to the failures. I began drawing on the substantial energy reserves I'd built up.

Instead of using the common magical alloy, I would create sothing better.

I grabbed a ring, one made of Arcsteel. A Magically conductive alloy that channels energy with ease.

Then after making a circuit for my intended outco. I focused on the molecular structure of Annar-Mithril, the legendary material that I had added to my sword.

While all these materials like Arcsteel were good to channel energies, they all had varying degrees of success and power. Annar-Mithril had proven itself to be an entire realm above Arcsteel.

Perhaps what I was trying now simply too powerful.

Annar-Mithril would allow more leeway.

Pure mithril was my end goal, but if I could create even a small amount…

The energy drained from my reserves as I forced the transmutation, restructuring the basic magical alloy at the atomic level. The tal began to shimr, taking on the distinctive silver-white luster of mithril.

Success.

Before I could begin inscribing the new ring, the study door opened and Michael walked in.

"Father," he said, his voice eager. "I've assembled our cohort for the journey to Cocytus."

I set the quasi-mithril ring aside and turned to face him.

"Good. Before we leave, though, I assu you have so things to inform about?" I replied knowingly.

Michael's expression shifted, becoming more serious. "Yes, actually. There are so developnts regarding Cocytus that you should know about before we-“

"I already know," I interrupted.

Michael blinked, clearly taken aback. "You... what?"

"Raphael told about the gods who were supposed to be sealed in Cocytus. The ones who escaped during the attack." I replied amusedly.

Michael's face fell into an almost comical pout.

I couldn't help but smile at his expression. "Did you find anything else? Any additional information about the breach?"

Michael sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "No. The prisoner god we captured doesn't know anything about it. Either they weren't involved in the planning, or the information was compartntalized."

I briefly wondered if god flesh would be useful for artifact creation before pushing the disturbing thought aside. "I see, we will have to be careful in that case. Perhaps a bit of scouting would be prudent.”

“You still wish to go? I know you don’t shy away from danger, but they could have left so sort of trap or may still be there.” Michael questioned.

I sent him a look. “Azrael will be coming with us so I’ll hardly be undefended. If Cocytus has been taken over then that’s even more of a reason for it to be reclaid. It’s ti for Heaven to take back what’s ours.”

Michael looked at akin to how a child would look at their comic superhero showing up in real life and I blushed slightly.

“You've prepared a force?" I asked next.

Michael's deanor imdiately brightened, the pout replaced by an almost boyish grin. "Of course!"

He gestured toward the study entrance and Azrael stepped in, looking genuinely excited. Behind her ca a legion of Angels, all of them radiating a strong presence. Wearing expressions of awe and devotion as they looked at .

I grinned, feeling a surge of excitent. "How are we getting to Cocytus?"

Azrael stepped forward, her expression becoming more focused. "I can move freely through the lower realms. I have a better grasp of the terrain than most and I can transport the entire group without alerting anyone nearby."

The Angels began activating various artifacts, amulets, rings, and bracers that would ward off the lethal cold of Cocytus. The temperature there was below what most beings could survive, even Angels.

Apparently I wouldn’t need anything due to my innate power, neither would Michael and Azrael.

Azrael waited until everyone had their protective gear activated and properly tested.

“Are you ready my Lord?” She asked.

“I think we are.” I said, eting the eyes of my preening Angels.

"Good. Please stay close to once we arrive. Cocytus is a deadly place to wander around.” Azrael asked.

She raised her hand and space began to fold around us. The familiar sensation of teleportation gripped and I allowed it to wash over without resistance.

We materialized in a barren wasteland of ice that stretched endlessly in every direction.

The ground beneath our feet was solid ice, so thick and ancient that it appeared black in places. Jagged formations jutted up like frozen mountains, their surfaces reflecting what little light filtered down from the grey sky above.

There was only a mont before the cold hit .

This wasn't just low temperature. this was cold that wanted to leach life from everything it touched.

My breath ca out in crystalline clouds that fell to the ground like snow. The silence was absolute and oppressive. No wind, no sounds of life, nothing but the occasional crack of shifting ice in the distance.

So this was Cocytus.

One of my Angels shivered slightly and imdiately I allowed my Holy Power to surround us.

The very air fizzling as the demonic cold tried to fight .

They all relaxed and I saw Michael smile.

We turned as one toward the horizon, and there it stood, a massive structure that dominated the frozen landscape.

its black stone covered in magical frost walls stretching impossibly high into the grey sky. Towers twisted upward at unnatural angles, and even from this distance, I could see the faint glow of containnt runes carved into its surface.

For a mont, I felt myself stunned.

If it was going for intimidation then I had to admit, it was perfect.

-END-

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