Chapter 10 - Lightning of God's Fury

"Okaa-sama!" Akeno screamed, frozen in horror.

"Any last words?" The leader descended, standing over Shuri's broken form.

"Akeno... run... live..." Shuri coughed, blood trickling from her lips.

Akeno saw her mother was gravely injured and her hatred towards the fallen angels filled up to the top.

"Why! Why did you attack us?! Aren't you the same as Otou-sama?!" Akeno screamed as she glared at the fallen angels. Shuri wanted to say something but she couldn't even move her mouth anymore.

"Kekeke! Half-bred, do you really want to know why? Of course it's because Baraqiel told us to do so!" The fallen angel leader grinned and answered. Since both of them were going to die, he didn't need to keep the secret anymore.

"O-Otou-sama…?" Akeno was stunned. She didn't expect the answer.

"That's right! Your precious father is tired of your pathetic existence. He wants to be rid of the stain you and your human mother have brought to his name. He wants to live with another woman, free from the burden of a half-breed daughter and a weakling wife!" The fallen angel leader's grin widened as he saw the shock and despair on Akeno's face.

"No... that's not true... It can't be true..." Akeno's voice trembled, her heart breaking as the leader's words sank in.

Shuri's eyes widened in horror at the revelation, but she could no longer speak. Her vision blurred, and darkness began to close in. She fainted, her body unable to endure any longer.

"Okaa-sama!" Akeno cried out, reaching for her mother as tears streamed down her face. Despair consumed her, the weight of the fallen angel's words crushing her spirit.

"Goodbye, cursed child!" The fallen angel leader said with a smirk, and his subordinates all raised their hands, conjuring spears of light.

Suddenly, a deafening voice resonated, audible to all present.

[For Thou Who Seeketh Help, Thou Shalt Be Welcomed to Mine Humble Abode]

"Who?!" The fallen angel leader said, his caution evident as he frowned. He couldn't discern which entity sought to disrupt their task.

Akeno raised her head and saw a wooden door materialize on the side of the shrine where she lived. She knew that the door hadn't been there before.

Akeno, her resolve hardened, made a split-second decision. With tears still streaming down her face, she lifted her gravely injured mother onto her back and staggered towards the mysterious door that had appeared.

The fallen angels, realizing her intent, unleashed a barrage of light spears in an attempt to stop her. But to their shock and horror, every spear they threw bounced back, piercing through their own ranks.

"Impossible! What sorcery is this?!" the fallen angel leader exclaimed, his confidence wavering.

Akeno didn't spare them a glance as she focused all her strength on reaching the door. With each step, determination fueled her movements, despite the pain and exhaustion threatening to overwhelm her.

Finally, she reached the door and pushed it open with trembling hands. As she stepped through, she felt a surge of energy envelop her, carrying her and her mother away from the chaos and danger behind them.

The fallen angels watched in stunned silence as the door disappeared, leaving them bewildered and defeated.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"Well, your mother should be fine now." Ryuuga assured the little girl, who appeared to be a year older than him.

He had placed her mother inside a tank filled with healing water, an innovation he had created out of boredom. It was designed to aid those who entered Arcadia while injured.

In his past life, he could have simply used a Heavenly Healing Pill, but such ingredients were unavailable in this world. Alchemy, therefore, held significant value as one of the noblest professions.

Nevertheless, the healing tank proved effective. It could alleviate severe injuries within three days, so Akeno's mother should recover quickly.

"Thank you! Really…" Akeno bowed in gratitude, tears still streaming down her face, now borne of relief rather than despair.

"Well, you stay here for now. I want to see what happened outside." Ryuuga accepted her thanks with a nod, then walked towards the door, turning the knob to the left. It was the mechanism of the door: turning right led to his bedroom, while turning left led to the location Akeno had come from.

Without hesitation, he opened the door and exited Arcadia.

Arriving at the scene where Akeno had come from, Ryuuga witnessed several fallen angels lying lifeless on the ground, indicating their demise.

However, what piqued his interest were two remaining fallen angels: one with three pairs of wings, and the other with five pairs.

"Baraqiel! Are you kidding me?! You plan to kill me after I've completed your task?!" The fallen angel with six wings berated the other, who bore ten wings and was evidently named Baraqiel.

"Fool. I can't afford to let others know of this atrocity. You must perish." Baraqiel retorted with a grin, his short black hair and beard matching his muscular physique.

Ryuuga observed the intense confrontation between Baraqiel and the fallen angel leader, his presence unnoticed until he spoke up.

"Wow, your audacity rivals that of an Evil Emperor." Ryuuga remarked upon hearing Baraqiel's response. Evil Emperors were a group of highly cultivated beings with sinister powers, willing to do anything to increase their might. Ryuuga had once exterminated them due to their audacious threats against him.

Both Baraqiel and the fallen angel leader turned towards Ryuuga, their expressions morphing into a mixture of surprise and hostility as they realized they were not alone.

"Who's this?" the fallen angel leader spat, eyeing Ryuuga warily.

"Meddling human." Baraqiel's gaze narrowed as he assessed the newcomer. he muttered disdainfully, his tone dripping with contempt.

"Just passing through." Ryuuga shrugged nonchalantly, unfazed by their hostility. He replied casually, though his eyes remained sharp as he observed their movements.

He wasn't afraid of the fallen angel leader. What he was wary of was Baraqiel. Baraqiel's power likely exceeded his own, as he was already on par with a Satan-Class Devil.

Without warning, the fallen angel leader launched himself towards Ryuuga, his wings unfurling as he prepared to strike. Ryuuga sidestepped the attack with ease, his movements fluid and precise.

Baraqiel seized the opportunity to deliver a devastating blow to the fallen angel leader, his attack catching him off guard and leaving him vulnerable.

"W…hy...?" The fallen angel leader was stunned, uttering his last words from his deathbed. He didn't expect Baraqiel to launch a sneak attack on him. He thought they would deal with the puny human first.

"Do you think a cadre like me needs the help of a weakling to deal with a brat?" Baraqiel smirked, and the fallen angel leader died upon hearing the answer.

Ryuuga watched the exchange with keen interest, his expression impassive as he waited for the right moment to intervene.

"Now, brat, die." Baraqiel glanced at Ryuuga and unleashed his power. Though he knew Ryuuga was just a human brat, he sensed some kind of power from him, so he wanted to kill him directly.

His special power is called Holy Lightning, fitting for his name, Baraqiel, the Lightning of God. Essentially, it's just lightning, but forged from Holy Energy, exclusive to Angels and Fallen Angels.

Zzzz! Zzzz!

The clouds above them darkened, crackling with lightning bolts that began to streak down one by one.

As crackling bolts of Holy Lightning streaked towards Ryuuga, he focused fully, effortlessly dodging each strike with precision.

"Is that all you've got, Baraqiel?" Ryuuga's voice cut through the chaos, his smirk a challenge to Baraqiel.

"You dare to mock me, puny human? You will pay dearly for your insolence!" Baraqiel's fury twisted his expression as he watched Ryuuga evade his attacks with ease.

With a burst of energy, Baraqiel coated his fists with Holy Lightning to enhance his attack power. Preferring close combat over flashy displays, Ryuuga followed suit, charging his fists with Qi.

Grinning, they clashed, the sound of thunder echoing with each of Baraqiel's punches. Despite being a rank lower, Ryuuga's power output allowed him to hold his own against Satan-Class beings.

As their fists collided, a shockwave rippled through the air, sending debris scattering in all directions. Ryuuga and Baraqiel traded blows with incredible speed and precision, their movements a blur of motion as they engaged in a fierce battle of strength and skill.

With each strike, the ground trembled beneath them, the force of their attacks leaving deep gouges in the earth. The clash of their powers filled the air with crackling energy, the intensity of their confrontation escalating with each passing moment.

Despite Baraqiel's formidable strength and mastery of Holy Lightning, Ryuuga proved to be a formidable opponent, his own power matching the fallen angel blow for blow. His focus was already at maximum as he searched for Baraqiel's weak points and openings.

"Haa!" Sensing an opening, Ryuuga seized the opportunity to unleash a devastating counterattack. With a swift and precise motion, his fist opened, and his palm turned into a blade as he coated it with his Qi.

As Baraqiel moved to strike, Ryuuga met him head-on, his hand blade slicing through the air with unparalleled speed and accuracy. With a single fluid motion, he delivered a powerful strike that severed Baraqiel's arm, sending the fallen angel reeling in agony.

With a roar of pain and fury, Baraqiel staggered backward, clutching his wounds as blood flowed freely from his injuries. Despite his injuries, however, he refused to back down, his eyes burning with unbridled rage and determination.

"You will pay for that, human!" Baraqiel snarled, his voice filled with venom as he prepared to unleash his wrath upon Ryuuga once more.

"Sorry, the one who killed you won't be me. Prepare for the day when your daughter kills you, Baraqiel." Ryuuga shook his head and replied. He didn't want to spend his energy just to fight Baraqiel. After all, there's no benefit in doing that.

It's better for Akeno to be the one to kill him because he could get more Destiny Energy from that.

"STOP!!!" Baraqiel roared, but Ryuuga had already disappeared from his place. As he saw that the one who decapitated his arm had disappeared, he punched the ground with his right arm in fury, causing a slight earthquake.

What he hadn't yet noticed was that the fallen angel leader and his subordinates had also disappeared alongside Ryuuga.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"Here." Ryuuga said to Akeno as he extended his hand, offering Baraqiel's left arm with a smile.

"This..." Akeno was dumbfounded and quite afraid. Why would the boy suddenly offer her an arm?

"This is Baraqiel's arm." Ryuuga explained, seeing her confusion. He also recounted what had happened when he left Arcadia.

As Akeno listened, her hatred towards her father deepened. She loathed him to the core. Not only had he cheated on her mother, but he had also sent an army to kill them both!

"Can you give me power for revenge?" Akeno asked Ryuuga with resolution. He felt a sense of deja vu. Two months ago, there had been a blond-haired girl who had said the same thing to him.

"Oh? What can you give me?" he responded with a smile. What could she offer him? He wondered.

"All of my life. Whatever you want to do to me, or whatever you want me to do, I will never resist or deny." Akeno answered with a serious face.

"Well, from now on, you will be my Caster too." Ryuuga accepted, summoning the Caster Card and using it on her.

In this magical world, he could gain more Casters than other types of servants.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

The next day.

"So this is the power of a Fallen Angel, huh?" Ryuuga remarked as four pairs of crow-like black wings sprouted from his back.

He had finished his research on the corpse of the Fallen Angel he obtained earlier. As a result, he gained the ability to use Holy Energy and the wings of Fallen Angels.

The Holy Energy of Fallen Angels seemed different from that of Angels because it was more corrupted.