Chapter 359: Prelude or author's ramblings?

(Auriel Perspective) (With Armor she looks like Auriel from Diablo III) (Without armor she looks like Marie from Shinza Bansho)

My feet were swaying as I had fun on a swing.

Eons ago I placed this swing in the brightest spot in my garden, but this is the first time I've been able to take a break to relax, eat some cookies and admire the flowers.

This is happiness <3

Because I'm always absorbing the pain, injuries, curses, and traumas of the members of Paradise, I didn't feel in the mood to sit on this swing.

I built it with the idea that this would be my place where I could retire when Paradise no longer needed my power and everyone could be happy without my help, but the endless wars and invasions of other worlds make that beautiful dream increasingly distant.

I have long accepted the reality that the pain of the multiverse will never end and my own pain would be eternal as well. This caused me a certain sadness, but it also made me happy to know that there are good people who can smile thanks to my sacrifice.

Since before I became the Archangel of Hope I knew that I cannot save everyone and sometimes sacrifices are inevitable, but I have never given up hope of seeing a multiverse where everyone can be happy.

I don't care if my hope is just a childish and impossible dream, I don't care about the ridicule of others either, I only care about knowing that there are good people who are willing to believe in my dream.

Now that I have someone I love and who will be my future husband, I feel that my dream is closer to being possible.

I understand that Luis will never share my values and ideals, but knowing his achievements made my hope grow. Thanks to him, I finally found a way to achieve coexistence with the Outer Gods and the Great Old Ones, which is a huge step forward in fulfilling my dream.

All manner of evil, chaotic, and violent beings exist throughout the multiverse, but only the Outer Gods are regarded as living calamities that are hated and feared by all races. The fact that these misunderstood and lonely people are willing to chat, joke and play together makes me happy.

Now my biggest worry is that Luis has too many problems on his back.

Right now I can't do much to help him directly as he has too many secrets in his body, so it's best to keep a low profile to avoid attracting more attention. Luis is already being investigated for his relationship with me and I don't want to cause him any more problems.

I feel a bit useless for not being able to help him more, but I'm also happy to feel that there is someone willing to help me.

Throughout my life, I have met many people, but the number of people I can call friends is very small.

The people I have helped are divided into three; those who adore me fanatically, those who value my usefulness and those who see me as a nuisance.

I'm used to some people not thanking me for help and instead wanting to use me for profit. That doesn't bother me since I like to help because it's the right thing to do and I'm not looking for gratitude, I just want others to be happy.

As for the people who have built temples in my name… The power of Faith does help me a bit to enhance my healing abilities, but it makes me uncomfortable to be adored and revered as I don't like the idea of superiority, although I also understand that my image as a symbol of Hope is important to bring at least a small ray of hope to the most unfortunate people.

The issue of fanaticism is very complicated and perhaps it is one of the few issues where I agree with the Emperor of Mankind. He doesn't like to be treated like a god either, but we've reached a point where we can't stop cults from being set up to worship us.

Ah, whenever I remember that man I feel depressed…

When I came to his world, I wanted to fix his relationship with his children, but some of those children ran away to other organizations or tried to kill each other. There was even a civil war where I had to do my best to protect civilians who kept being cruelly massacred.

In the end, the Emperor managed to stop the war between his children and fixed his relationship with some of them, but I have a feeling that he has only been manipulating his children to use them as generals.

Ah, I'm not good at analyzing the thoughts of cunning people, I can only pray that the father, mother and children can one day be a happy family.

It would also be nice if the mother and father of the children could put aside the irrational hatred towards other races…

That racism continues to influence children...

I managed to convince the Vulkan and Sanguinius children to put racism aside, but the rest of the children continue to profess human supremacy and accept only that races of divine nature are worthy of respect.

The endless discrimination that covers the multiverse saddens me...

I sighed and tried to put my sad thoughts aside.

Normally I have these thoughts since I know the cruelty of life, but my ideals allow me to overcome sadness. Fortunately, I no longer have to rely solely on my willpower to get out of the blues.

I got up from the swing and went to a table where one of my maids was waiting for me.

When I sat down at the table, the cute maid poured a cup of tea while she set up the tray of cookies.

I grabbed a cookie and closed my eyes while enjoying the moment of happiness that always manages to fill my heart with warmth.

I'm very happy <3

…

I opened my eyes…

I… That feeling…

My connection with Luis has just been severed...

"Holy Lady, did something happen? Your face is pale…"

No NO NO NO NO… No, he is not dead, I can feel his heartbeat in my chest, I can also feel his emotions.

Worry, anger, anxiety, annoyance… Luis is alive, but he is in trouble.

I took a deep breath to calm down. I'm not very smart and I can't be impulsive or I can cause problems for Luis. I have to calm down and think...

Through my link with Luis, I can feel some of his emotions. Before our connection was severed, he didn't seem worried or anxious, just a little tired, but he certainly wasn't in trouble…

Our main connection was severed suddenly, so he must have been locked away in some kind of high-level dimensional barrier.

I have seen those types of barriers and they are very dangerous. Once an enemy locked me up to destroy me without my being able to call for reinforcements, so I had to fight alone for two hundred years until my allies were finally able to find me and help me.

Does anyone want to kill Luis?

Maybe…someone wants to hurt him because of me…

"Holy Lady!" – The maid screamed in panic because I bit my lip so hard.

"I'm fine" – I tried to show that everything was fine, but I'm so worried that I can't smile.

I quickly thought of the possibilities.

I'm not very smart and I'm not good at understanding a lot of things, but I have enough battlefield experience to form an idea of what's going on.

Gaia is an extremely valuable World that even my brothers and companions wish to conquer.

Gaia has long been considered a treasure chest that is difficult to capture due to the strange barrier that covers the World, so Luis's appearance will only secure Gaia's defenses as he is considered the most outstanding novice Hero.

The last trace of my bond with Luis comes from Gaia, besides, he has several Outer Gods, Great Old Ones, and miss Long Aotian by his side, so he should be safe.

With the strength of his group, he wouldn't be able to invade one of the big organizations, but it shouldn't be hard to destroy anyone who wants to invade Gaia.

The only danger would be the appearance of a Dimensional Gate. Luis could stop a small invasion, but if a large-scale invasion happens, then Luis won't die, but Gaia will fall into the hands of the enemy army...

Luis is not a martyr who will sacrifice himself to save the world, but he is a loving man who will do anything to make his loved ones happy. If he thinks that Gaia is valuable to his wives, then he will protect that world...

I think I get it. Luis is in trouble because someone found a way to bypass the barrier to invade his world.

Who did it? Who endangered my husband?

It could be anyone, even my brothers. Gaia is too valuable a world and my brothers would not tell me that they are about to invade a world full of innocent people since they know that I will try to stop them...

… I do not know what to do…

Seraph is still investigating the spies have infiltrated my troops, so I can't mobilize my soldiers.

If the invasion is caused by my comrades, then there is a risk that my army will disobey my orders and instead of protecting Gaia, they will try to take over the World.

On the other hand, if this isn't caused by my comrades, then heading to Gaia will let my comrades know that something bad happened on Gaia, giving them a chance to invade my husband's home.

This is the worst time for an invasion to happen on Gaia since I can't help Luis...

I'm so useless...

…

I clenched my fists from how agonizing the feeling of helplessness and worthlessness.

No, I can't drown in my own incompetence. I promised him that I would help him and I can't let him down.

I trust him and he trusts me.

Vulkan, Sanguinius and Ashura have a good impression of Luis, but they can't enter Gaia through the barrier, plus they are very flashy and that could cause more problems.

The best option would be to send a squad of veteran Heroes, but if there really is a large-scale invasion, the Heroes will only go to die, besides, Luis is an Outer God and practically all the Heroes completely hate the wielders of Madness …

No, wait a minute, I know someone...

A man who can take on an army of low level Higher Entities and was even able to assassinate a squad of mid level Higher Entities.

Most importantly, he is very loyal and he swore that he would do me any favor since I helped him get his best friend back, but… He is already retired and deserves to rest…

I feel bad for ruining the happiness of such a noble and kind person, but I need to help my husband.

"You can leave, I want to visit a friend" – I gave an indication to the maid to leave.

"…" – The maid nodded and left.

My home used to be full of attendants helping me keep my garden in perfect order, but Seraph has made sure to drive out the spies, so the garden feels empty, but that gives me a lot of peace.

I headed for a small path that cut through a sea of flowers.

This garden is the place where I have placed the treasures and gifts that I have received throughout my battles, so it is full of life and colors.

Normally I like to walk leisurely along this path among the flowers as the sweet smell of life is soothing, but now I hastened to a deep region of the garden.

In the depths of my garden, there are small pocket dimensions where small Worlds inhabit that I decided to keep to prevent my brothers and companions from harming the innocent inhabitants.

I was only able to use this method with Wandering Worlds with completely peaceful inhabitants as they don't have the strength to defend themselves, plus I always made sure to take the Worlds that were willing to be brought into my garden as I don't want to impair people's free will.

I can't protect someone who doesn't want help as some people find happiness in a sense of place to protect their own families and homes. That is something I respect, although it is sad when such brave people perish in the face of the cruelty of reality.

After going through several paths that branched out like an endless maze, I finally reached the small world where the man who can help my husband is.

At the entrance was one of the inhabitants of this small world, so I approached the girl.

"Ah, Lady Auriel!" – The adorable girl jumped in surprise when she saw me and quickly curtsied. – "We did not know that you would come to see us, allow me a moment to prepare the welcome party!"

This world is so small that it has less than a thousand inhabitants and all the inhabitants are adorable people, so sometimes I like to visit them to feel more calm, although sometimes I feel guilty since I can't help but think that these people are like small and adorable pets, especially since there is only one human and the rest are intelligent animals. Well, it's actually two humans, but the person I'm looking for is not a native of this world and only rests here because his homeworld was destroyed.

"I'm sorry, Isabelle, but I don't have time for a party" – Maybe it's because I'm feeling anxious, but I went into my commander mode, which made my voice and expression so serious that the girl freaked out a bit. – "I need to talk to William"

The adorable girl named Isabelle got a little flustered, but she nodded. – "William is fishing with Daisy on the pier"

I know this place like the back of my hand, so I nodded and was about to go to the pier, but Isabelle's voice stopped me.

"L-Lady Auriel... Will William have to fight?" - Isabelle asked with concern.

I stopped for a moment. William and Isabelle are almost like siblings and she was the one who offered William a home when he lost his world.

I suppressed my sad look and nodded sincerely. - "I need to ask him a favour"

Isabelle lowered her gaze sadly and said no more.

I clenched my fists angrily. War will never make sense and only causes pain.

I feel miserable for bringing a good man back to the battlefield, but life isn't always fair.

I went to the dock and there I found the person I was looking for.

In this small world, all the inhabitants look like little children or animals, so that man stood out too much even when he was just sitting and fishing quietly.

Muscles robust as mountains, face expressionless as stone, hands stronger than steel, and scars that even my skills could not heal. In every way he is the ultimate soldier.

I sighed and walked over to the man.

"Um" – The man looked up and his expression relaxed when he saw me, which made me smile slightly.

"You are no longer on the battlefield, but you are still cautious" – I sighed and sat next to him.

The man nodded and didn't speak since he was never one for many words.

…

This is uncomfortable…

I met William on one of my early war campaigns, it was even called The First Holy Crusade of Hope.

At that time I was young, foolish and impulsive. I used to think that demons, witches and beings with Negative Karma were evil creatures, so I led several invasions against Worlds ruled by demonic entities.

By chance I came to a world that had almost been conquered by demons and there was only one man left willing to fight against the infernal forces.

Currently I know that my power exists to bring hope, happiness and peace to suffering people, but at that time, I saw my power as a tool to get soldiers, so I made a deal with the man. I revived his best friend and in return, he became one of my best soldiers.

As time went by, I achieved many victories, but I was equal to my brothers, so the worlds I saved were not happy, they had only changed tyrants. That is one of my biggest regrets.

For a long time I only saw my soldiers as tools and I didn't care that they suffered, but there was an event that made me realize my mistake.

Long ago Paradise faced its greatest danger. Azathoth suddenly appeared within our territory and attacked our citizens, our armies and our home.

Although our strength, coordination, and teamwork was impeccable, Azathoth's power was beyond all logic, so countless soldiers were utterly annihilated.

Even though I could heal any wound, a single touch from Azathoth could tear my soul and body apart in such a way that I couldn't regenerate. That was the first time I felt afraid of death.

Honestly, I thought about escaping like many of my brothers and colleagues, but something inside me prevented me from backing down. Maybe it was a foolish sense of responsibility or simple stubbornness, but I couldn't escape.

At that time I thought that my soldiers would abandon me since I was never nice to them, but contrary to my beliefs, my soldiers stayed by my side even though they were just as scared or more scared than me.

Thus we fought to the bitter end and finally managed to buy time until my brothers formed a ritual to drive Azathoth away, but the cost was terrible.

My army used to be one of the three largest armies in Paradise, but in that battle only one soldier survived. On the other hand, I technically died, but the consciousness of the multiverse was kind to me and allowed me to revive, or that's what I think since I have no other way to explain my resurrection.

When I came back to life I didn't feel happy, I just felt overwhelming pain knowing that only one of my soldiers survived, and it was all my fault for refusing to escape.

It was at that moment that I decided not to underestimate or despise people again. No matter what the origin, race, belief or identity, I vowed to respect each person even if they were my enemy.

In this way, I founded the Harmonious Paradise faction. I did it to find a space where all races could live in peace since I realized that no one should be discriminated against because of their race.

After the battle with Azathoth, it was necessary to rebuild my army, so the only surviving soldier became my right-hand man, but there was a problem. I know how to command at the front of the battlefield and he knows how to fight, but we both don't know how to handle politics.

My army was never the same and my authority faded until I became a symbol of harmony, but no longer a respected general.

With the passage of time I realized that wars were meaningless and I stopped fighting to conquer worlds, I only focused on protecting people, but that also brought problems with my prestige and authority, although honestly that has never mattered to me.

After many battles, I realized my soldier has a strong will and was willing to fight for the rest of eternity, but he didn't really want to fight. He just wanted to live in peace with his family, but he didn't leave the battlefield because of his gratitude to me.

As a show of gratitude and respect, as well as an apology for my past mistakes, I had my soldier retire so that he could live in peace. Since then, he has lived peacefully in my garden.

Looking back, I feel very sad for all the people I couldn't protect, but I'm also happy for the chance to experience love. It's a bittersweet feeling.

I don't want to regret my cowardice and ineptitude again, so I have no choice but to call my soldier again...

"Do you want me to kill someone?" – William's voice surprised me since he doesn't talk much. – "I recognize that look… It is the same look you had before a battle"

"..." - I sighed. – "I need your help, it is not to kill but to protect someone… My husband"

"I see, congratulations" – William nodded expressionlessly, although I think he had already noticed the ring on my hand.

I haven't celebrated my wedding yet, but I decided to show that I already have someone in my heart.

"I'm sorry, I know I promised you a peaceful life, but…" – I looked down sadly. War is the greatest torment and it saddens me to send my most loyal soldier back to that hell.

"No problem" – William looked at his lap.

On William's lap was a small fluffy ball of fur sleeping comfortably.

"I'll ask Isabelle to take care of Daisy" – William put down the fishing rod and stood up while gently holding his best friend and pet. – "Where is the battle?"

"In Gaia…" – I put aside my feelings of guilt and spoke seriously. – "I need to make preparations so that you can enter that World, for now I will take you to my office, also, it has been a long time since you were on the battlefield, so we will need to update your weapons"

William nodded without asking for more details. He was always the kind of warrior who doesn't wait for information and prefers to fight until the enemy is exterminated.

Through the secure communication device, I contacted Eriko to ask her to come to my residence to check William's weapons.

A while ago, Seraph made some deals with the residents of Gaia, so we can use a group called Vaticano to create a small portal. That portal isn't enough for a Higher Entity to access, but William is a Hero, so the Laws of the World don't affect him too much.

I need to hurry. I can feel Luis's emotions, and although he doesn't seem to be in any danger, I can feel his frustration and mental fatigue growing, which worries me.

Oh, that reminds me of something.

I looked at William who was waiting quietly while Eriko made modifications to William's armor.

"Ah, these things are fossils… Don't you really want new weapons?" – Eriko frowned ass he quickly moved her hands to work as fast as possible. – "Although I admit that this armor is not that bad, but it can be improved…"

"…" – William remained as still as a statue. – "I will accept new weapons, but my current armor is enough"

"It's really hard to talk to old people…" – Eriko snorted while he finished upgrading the armor.

Eriko is a Higher Entity, but she has lived less than a millennium, so it's normal that she sometimes has that attitude towards people who still don't understand the rapid progress of technology. I still don't understand the social networks that Seraph taught me...

"William, my husband is a bit of a peculiar man…" – I can't forget to inform William about something very important. – "I ask you not to judge him or his allies, it is also possible that he does not want you to protect him and tells you to protect other people… If he gives you an order please listen to him, he knows what to do"

"I understand" – William agreed.

As always, he is a man of few words.

"Done, I already repaired this junk" – Eriko shook her hands as if she had dust even though her body is impeccable. – "Well, I modified the ability to absorb the energy of any entity and not only demons, I also placed some enhancements to nullify the negative effects of Madness and this will also help you keep your sanity even if you go into a frenzy, I also put a auto repair system and automatic equipment"

"Fine" – William nodded and grabbed the armor.

The armor separated into plates and quickly covered William's body.

Seeing William in that armor brought back a lot of painful and nostalgic memories.

If it were possible I would like to personally go to help Luis, but the barrier around Gaia prevents me... That saddens me, but it's good that the Higher Entities of high level cannot enter Gaia.

"Well, I have to go back to my laboratory" – Eriko did some stretching to relax. – "Auriel, you owe me half of your portion of cookies"

... I sighed. – "Thank you, Erika"

"You're welcome" – Eriko wao about to leave, but she smiled at William before opening the door. – "The man you are going to help gave me something very valuable and I owe him a lot, so I placed a bomb in your armor… If something bad happens to him, you will die"

…. Erik…

"I understand" – William didn't even show interest. After facing Azathoth, all danger feels insignificant.

"Good" – Eriko smiled. – "It was a pleasure working with the legendary fossil… I wish you luck, Mr. Doomguy"

Doomguy… I haven't heard that nickname in a long time.

William nodded and readied his weapons.

After Eriko left, I received a message from Seraph. - "Lady Auriel, I have contacted the natives of Gaia, the portal is ready and they will guide the reinforcements to the location of the Hero of Harmony"

With everything ready, I gave directions to William to go to the Temple of Hope. Sword Maiden is in charge of supervising the Dimensional Gates, so she can guide William.

I can feel how Luis's frustration and anger continue to grow... I hope he is safe...

---

---

---

(Luis Perspective)

These fucking idiots are unbearable...

"Hey Listen! Look at his resentful bitch face hahahahaha! This fucking loser may have a giant penis, but it's only good for penetrating his own ass!"

"You're disgusting... But it's true, having a horse penis only serves to satisfy homosexual furries... Nee, senpai, would you sleep with a furry girl or just put up with a kemonomimi?"

"In fact…. Kemonomimi is the first step for a furry, so Luis is 30% furry since he likes girls with cat ears "

"Pfff hahahahaha the dog is furry!"

"..."

"Don't insult my husband..."

"Calm down, dumb with no personality, anyway, senpai is a masochist, so it's okay to make fun of him~"

"… Fine"

"Hey, Dickwizard, why don't you use your genderbender magic on this jerk? It will be funny to see him squirm like a nympho in doujin NTR"

"Oh, not a bad idea, but we'll need tentacles too, all hentai desecration needs tentacles"

"I don't know, he's an incubus and maybe he'll enjoy it…"

"Old man… How do you know that?"

"…Ahem, it was a healthy research on magical girls for purely scientific purposes"

….. I hate not being deaf….

My only consolation is to look at the idiot who is dying on the ground.

I believe that chewing on the bones of male sexual demons is a good therapeutic remedy.

"By the way... where did that dog come from?"

"She's my friend"

"Hello, woof"

"Fou Fou (What flavor does it have?)"

"Tastes like pork chop, woof"

"Did the dog just talk?"

"We just slaughtered a bunch of sex demons hiding in a mackerel in the middle of the woods. Are you really surprised that my dog can talk?"

"… Good point"

Ah, this is so exhausting...

[Paranoia: Two known presences have been detected approaching. They are not hostile entities... The activation of two threads of fate according to a romantic plot has been confirmed]

…

I'm starting to miss my vacations….

---

---

---

Author's Note:

In case it was confusing, the Doom Slayer was retired and resting in Animal Crossing.

Why in that cute place?

Well, the meme became canon and the Slayer is Isabelle's friend. Depending on the place, she is also known as Canela or Shizue.