Chapter 208: The truth of heaven (2)

The handcuffs had a pattern engraved on them similar to the Hena they had seen in the refuge of Nor. They seemed fixed to space, did not move at all, and not even magic could be activated.

It was not a method they would use simply out of fear of mere humans.

Amy remembered a frog trapped in a laboratory.

Before dissecting it, its limbs are tied, not because the frog is frightening.

At that point, a chill ran through her body.

That meant something was waiting, something that would naturally make one resist with all their strength.

Perhaps thinking the same, Tess and Arin also remained silent.

As if, by not making any noise, that extreme tension could last forever.

At least, there was a small comfort Tess no longer had the drone on her wrist.

Upon arriving in Jebul, she had sent it away without Ikasa noticing.

It was the ingenuity of someone trained as an observer.

‘What is happening? Why can nothing be seen?’

But her effort was useless for now.

The drone could guide Shirone and the others so they could arrive as quickly as possible, but nothing appeared on her retinal screen.

She did not know that space itself was isolated by a function of the meca system.

Kariel was inspecting the machines about 70 meters from the star cluster.

It was a huge pillar that reached the ceiling, with thousands of panels emitting lights of different colors.

Kariel floated about ten meters high, with his arms crossed, observing the screen.

The screen was filled with complex symbols that Amy and the others could not understand.

Amy observed Kariel’s halo.

It was a ring so enormous and clear that it could not be compared with Ikasa’s.

Within the limits of the ring, diagrams and formulas appeared and disappeared like afterimages, and each time they did, the screens of the devices changed rapidly.

— System check completed. The Liquor of Life will begin. Please input the molecular structure of the genetic material.

From the ceiling, the unsettling voice of a woman was heard.

Not even Arin could analyze the machine’s voice. And trying to use mental perception on Kariel would be madness.

After observing the screen for a moment, Kariel flew toward them.

A deep vibration was heard, like that of a double bass.

He was a young man with a beautiful appearance. He measured 2 meters and 30 centimeters and wore a white robe. His halo was so bright that it seemed to open a hole in space.

Amy gathered her courage and stared at him.

If something was going to happen, she intended to be the first to face it. She did not want to even imagine Tess or Arin suffering before her.

“Are you not ashamed, being an archangel? Why do you not take these handcuffs off us already?”

“What a low thought, typical of humans. As an archangel, I have restrained you to fulfill my duty.”

Arin, who was staring at Kariel, bit her lip.

It was the first time she experienced something like this.

She could only see vibrating strings. Those vibrations stirred, forming a figure, but even that was imprecise.

Kariel existed only as probability.

Amy spoke up again.

“Your duty? What do you plan to do to us?”

“Right, I forgot to introduce myself. I am the archangel Kariel. Under Ra’s orders, I have been sent to occupied territories to execute the Liquor of Life. I will also apply it to you. It is an honorable mission, so you should accept it with gratitude.”

“Do not talk nonsense! You have us tied up and you come to say stupid things! First take this off!”

Amy struggled. Since the handcuffs were fixed at the height of her waist, the only thing she could do was kick like a child.

Tess, reflecting on what Kariel had said, asked with suspicion.

“Wait. Occupied territories? You mean heaven is attacking other worlds?”

Kariel sank into thought. Laws are always correct. But to persuade humans, another way of speaking was needed.

“We only transmit Ra’s will. God loves humans and wishes them to exist eternally. Your world will also end up submitting to Ra’s will.”

A terrifying thought crossed Tess’s mind.

From what she had just understood, Ra was a tyrant of the universe. Even the believers of heaven might have been inhabitants of conquered worlds.

Amy shouted.

“We saw the Liquor of Anecdotes! Is that how you love humans? That is no different from a perverted murderer!”

“You do not understand. Humans confuse love with power. Do not think that being loved by someone is a great ability. Ra values you only because you are beings capable of giving names.”

Amy remembered the life record. The fairies regulate the life of believers through names.

But can not anyone give a name? What did that really mean for Ra?

Tess spoke with sarcasm.

“Then what do you plan to do with us? Since we are handcuffed, are you going to whip us while you love us?”

“You have an important mission.”

“Mission? What mission?”

“To conceive my child.”

The faces of Amy, Tess, and Arin turned red at the same time. A chill ran through their bodies as irritation surged.

Amy shouted, her jaw trembling,

“P-pervert! Do not even think about touching me! I will not just stand by!”

“What a pathetic reaction. Do not worry. I will only transmit the information of an angel into your bodies.”

That angered Tess even more. It was the kind of language perverts use to disguise the obvious.

“In short, you want to take advantage of us.”

Kariel showed displeasure.

“Human language is truly vulgar. The Liquor of Life is an advanced technique that only I can execute among the archangels. Do not compare it with the reproduction of inferior humans.”

— Preparation of the Liquor of Life completed. Information accumulation rate at 100%. Do you wish to proceed with the copy?

At that moment, the female voice echoed from the ceiling.

Kariel rose into the air, as if there was nothing more to say.

“Copy.”

— Initiating the copying of genetic material. Estimated time, 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Kariel’s halo expanded into a ring more than 20 meters in diameter.

As he brought his index and middle fingers together, a sphere of light the size of a marble appeared at the tip of his fingers.

It was small, but its intensity was enough to illuminate the entire Great Hall of the World.

Kariel returned the halo to its original state and went back to the girls.

At the tip of his fingers, where the light had disappeared, a diamond-shaped glass panel emitting a violet glow formed.

“This panel contains an amount of life information close to infinity. Do you understand? To create a human, the information of all the life forms that existed before them is required.”

“What does that matter! Whatever it is, we will not do it!”

Amy shouted. She was already quite indignant, and on top of that, hearing explanations only made her anger grow.

But Kariel, proud of his technique, continued explaining as if he had an audience.

“The information of an angel is delicate and complex. Therefore, when a woman who has already given birth tries to have a nephilim, the success rate decreases drastically. In that sense, you are lucky. You have received the honor of directly housing the offspring of a great angel.”

“And what do you want to create nephilim for?”

“To send them to another world. In this case, it will be yours.”

“Is it to reform the humans of that world and offer them to God?”

At the direct question, Kariel fell silent.

In the end, that was it.

To make the women of occupied territories give birth to nephilim, reform the humans of that world, and then guide them toward God.

Tess understood that nephilim were, in essence, spies.

That they were free from the laws meant exactly that.

It would not make sense to impose their own laws on soldiers infiltrated into enemy territory.

Kariel extended the panel floating at the tip of his fingers.

“Do not worry. It is only about transmitting information, so you will not feel shame.”

If the glass panel were placed on the forehead, from it would emerge spikes that would embed into the brain like roots.

Through those roots, the angel’s information would penetrate and generate life from the woman’s body.

Kariel brought the panel close to each of their foreheads, as if measuring whether it fit.

All of them had clear and well-shaped foreheads, suitable for the roots to be implanted.

“Hmm I see. Do you want to decide it yourselves? Who will be the first to receive this honorable technique?”

The three shouted at the same time.

“Me first!”

Without having expected that reaction, the girls looked at each other.

The fact of being together gave them courage again.

Kariel seemed satisfied.

For the Liquor of Life to succeed, the angel’s information had to be precise, but the role of the host body was also very important.

The probability of success was approximately one in thirty, and in case of failure, the brain suffered a shock that caused death.

However, the stronger the mind and the better the physical condition, the greater the probability of success.

In that sense, the three were excellent candidates.

— The copying of the genetic material has been completed.

The voice descended from the ceiling, and Kariel raised his hand.

On the sides of the glass panel floating vertically, two more identical ones appeared.

“What united sisters. Since I cannot decide which is better, I will implant all three at the same time.”

The three panels separated from his hand and floated in the air as they approached.

Amy and the others were overtaken by an uncontrollable rage.

Now they understood it clearly.

The archangel Kariel was the worst kind of pervert.

***

Rian and Canis arrived in Jebul.

As soon as they crossed the wall, the landscape they saw was that of countless discs expanding outward. It was like a floating city built on a lotus.

Just as they had anticipated from outside, the interior of Jebul was a dimensional labyrinth.

The method of moving between spaces was too complex to calculate with human logic.

There was surely some kind of rule, but they did not have time to think about it.

Following the memories that Peophe had transmitted to them, they advanced guided only by coordinates.

After moving several times to the same place, Canis finally found the portal to Ingris.

“Let us split up here. Knowing the path is one thing, finding it is another. It is better that at least one of us arrives first.”

“Are you sure? If you cannot deactivate the meca system, it is useless for me to arrive first. If there are enemies in Ingris, it might be more effective to eliminate them together.”

Canis looked at the portal.

No special mechanism could be seen, but according to Peophe’s memories, that was undoubtedly Ingris.

So far they had not encountered anyone, so the probability of enemies was low.

But if there were any, they would be at least at the level of mara.

In that case, perhaps it would be better to go together, as Rian said.

Even so, Canis did not change his mind.

He did not know how long it would take to deactivate the meca system. In any situation, wasting human resources was not a good strategy.

“There is nothing certain. Going together does not guarantee it will be easier. Let us do what each of us can. Right now, that is the best.”

Rian accepted. After adjusting the Signa and the Exd that he had received from Rena, he headed toward the east of Jebul.

Canis took a deep breath and stepped onto the platform.

He did not need to do anything in particular. As soon as he stepped onto the coordinates, a crack opened in the ground and an explosion of light burst forth.

In the time of a blink, the scenery changed.

The library of the angels, Ingris.

Unlike the warmth its name suggested, it was a completely mechanical place, without any trace of humanity.

From the central control device extended corridors in the shape of a cross, and the walls were covered with rectangular panels placed vertically.

Harvest appeared, clearly uncomfortable.

For him, who perceived the world through vibrations, Ingris was a space completely saturated with them, without the slightest void.

Canis observed cautiously to see if there were enemies.

He would probably have to check every corner, but for now there was no visible presence.