Q4

(Holy Artefacts)

I stood in the centre of an open area with Uriel to my left and Valder, also known as Mr. Two to my right. My hand came up to my face as I stared in thought.

Laid out in front of us on thick silver cloth were several pieces of heavenly gear. Armour from the Heavenly Treasury along with relics that hadn't been touched in centuries, and holy artefacts that still buzzed with holy power.

It was obvious they hadn't degraded yet. Perhaps due to the ambient energies of Heaven that could be helping out with that in some sort of way. From what I knew, most holy artefacts had been created by God or those under him. The select few that were no longer in the realm of the living.

Since Holy Power was most prevalent within Heaven's Faction. A fact I had found out from the Library. They were valuable. Not just in power, but in the abilities they possessed. And I'd let them sit unused long enough.

I looked over them, inspecting each one curiously and after inspection, I came to one conclusion…

These were marvels of creation. While not all of them were outright powerful, it was about the abilities they possessed…

Uriel tilted his head next to me, an easygoing smile on his face as he examined the holy artefacts.

"These are a few of the artefacts that caught my interest. I think they could be useful if they could be used in the coming battle. There only a few truly powerful God-class level artefacts such as Excalibur, Durandal, Caliburn, the armours that us Arch-Seraphs used to possess-"

"Used?" I questioned, interrupting him.

I had been listening keenly. This was important information.

He smiled awkwardly. "Yes, I'm afraid only Raphael and myself possess their original armour. Michael lost his when he decided to try to battle the four original Satans by himself when they started insulting your name, and… well. Gabriel on the other hand lost it in an ambush. I am unsure about the other lost Arch-Seraphs."

He was scratching his neck bashfully.

Yeah…

"In truth, the Devils somehow obtained powerful demonic artefacts to counter our armour and weapons." He tried to explain.

"They did?" I asked with a frown of concern.

"Yes, we believe that outside involvement was at play. Yet, all the Demons were sealed inside the pits, and most were thought to be dead. So we don't know how they were able to obtain it." Uriel explained with an equally concerned frown.

"Could they have found it? Maybe left behind when the Demons roamed free?" I questioned.

"Perhaps…" Uriel replied, clearly unsure.

I sighed. "I suppose this is a conversation to be had at a later date. More importantly, how do you even measure armour and artefacts?"

"You can't measure them per se. Durandal is extremely powerful but in the hands of someone weak, it wouldn't reach its full potential. It's the same as the Longinus Sacred Gears. They are supposedly God-killing weapons and yet they mostly never reach that level." He explained, crossing his arms. "So I guess it would come down to sheer potential and how much one can handle."

"Interesting…" I nodded. "Well, let's get started. Which one shall we start with?"

Uriel turned to Valder who had been waiting patiently.

"How about you start with this one?" He offered, as I watched both of them.

Valder nodded, raising a hand over one of the artefacts.

His Sacred Gear, Vagdors Hand.

The sacred gear started glowing with a dim, geometric light that rapidly spread under his palm.

Me and Uriel had come up with the idea to test this on Holy Artifacts while choosing who would be using these armours and weapons.

The copy wouldn't be perfect, Valder had told us but it was something and I wanted to see the limits of it. Could holy Artefacts be copied? Could we use these powerful objects filled with complex magical craft and holy power to be given to the entirety of Heaven's army?

Uriel had certainly become taken with the idea when I had brought it up.

I focused on the concentrated former Assassin. Who didn't speak until the process finished.

A duplicate formed beside the original, a smooth, shining artefact that pulsed faintly with energy.

Valder exhaled and looked at me. "It's done. But… there's a problem."

Uriel turned his gaze toward him.

Valder scratched the back of his head. "It'll only last a week. At full strength, I mean. Then it starts degrading fast. After ten days, it'll be unstable and gradually start to drain."

I nodded.

There was a reason this Sacred Gear wasn't a Longinus.

An entire week was still amazing. They would only need to be re-distributed four times a month.

Though the amount of copies he could make was a problem…

"Still useful. A week of full power is enough to go through multiple… altercations." I said, and Uriel nodded.

Uriel stepped forward and picked up the copy. He examined it closely.

"It's about ten percent as strong as the original," he said flatly. "The internal structure is stable. It carries both magic and holy energy. So it's not completely holy like the original."

I reached out and triggered its activation rune. A pulse of holy light spread from the centre, just as expected. It was functional.

After experimenting with it, we continued and Valder repeated the process.

One by one, we selected artefacts based on function and weight, ones that could be useful in combat or defence.

Shields, bracelets, blades, support tools.

Valder copied each one with care, adjusting slightly between each attempt. His face got more strained with every creation. Sweat formed on his brow by the time we hit the sixth.

Copying such Artefacts was quickly taking a strain on his impressive reserves.

"Do you wish to pause for now?" Uriel helpfully offered.

Valder took a breath, shaking his head. "Two more," he muttered.

Uriel nodded, a hint of respect in his eyes as he laid the next artefact in place. A mirrored circlet with its function tied to mental clarity, helping the holder focus and regulate their emotions. A simple but useful artefact.

Valder copied it. The glow of his gear flickered, but it held.

Last one: a pendant meant to amplify healing spells.

Valder's hand shook a bit as he finished. "Done."

He sank to one knee, breathing heavily.

Uriel knelt beside him, placing a hand lightly on his shoulder. "You did well."

Valder looked up at him like he'd been hit in the head. "Uh… thanks."

Uriel didn't respond. Just helped him up and tapped a rune on the side of the chamber. A pillar of light opened behind them.

"You need to rest, go through the pillar. It'll take you back to the Vatican." Uriel said kindly.

The Vatican. The place Valder had been staying, after accepting to join me he had begun living there.

Valder nodded, looking half-confused, half-satisfied. "Thank you, my Lord."

Then he vanished into the light. Once he was gone, Uriel turned back to me.

"That was interesting, and a rather good idea. Creation-type Sacred Gears are rare… I believe you once said they were the hardest to make…" Uriel commented. "I think I remember this Sacred Gears creation, it's a rather interesting one. Norse materials were used to make it."

"Norse?" I asked curiously.

"Indeed, a branch of Yggdrasil inscribed with a divine rune fragment 'Raða", rune of replication." He explained as if that made sense.

I needed to continue my artefact-making.

"How did we even gain that though? Did I seriously go around stealing stuff?" I questioned, somewhat amusedly.

The concept of Yahweh going around stealing things was funny for some reason.

Uriel raised a brow. "Of course not, if you needed a job like that Azazel was normally your choice. No, we traded for it."

"How'd you do that?"

Uriel sent me an amused look. "It wasn't hard considering Heaven used to be the largest trading Faction in the supernatural world."

"…"

That was… certainly a reveal.

"I believe Raphael wanted to speak to you about it so I won't ruin her fun unless you want me to?" He questioned with a relaxed smile.

"No, I'll ask her," I replied.

That was a topic I wanted to hear.

I shook my head. The fact I still know little to nothing about Heaven's history despite spending all the time I could trying to, just showed how old and deep Heaven went back.

I focused back on the Holy Artefacts.

"We'll need to decide who gets the originals," Uriel commented.

I nodded. "I've got some candidates in mind. The Holy Order could do well with some extra armaments. The rest we'll hold in reserve."

"All of the Seraphs already have armour and their weapons, as do most Angels who hadn't lost it in them in the Great War. But holy Artefacts were mostly made for humans in truth." Uriel revealed easily. "I'm sure many Angels would benefit from their usage."

"I suspect so, most of them seem to give effects that could be replicated with Angelic spells but I'm sure a lot of them could be useful," I replied.

"Indeed. I'm sure Michael will want to hear about this, considering he fancies himself Heaven's General." Uriel replied with a smirk.

I chuckled. "I also wanted to try something else regarding the Holy Artefacts."

"Oh?"

"I wanted to try to use Energy transmutation. To see if artefacts can be merged or converted." I replied.

It was going to be tricky, but I was curious. Could two Artefacts be merged to make one?

"That's going to take knowledge of its structure…" Uriel said thoughtfully.

"For that," I said calmly, "we'll need Brias."

Brias quickly arrived. He entered the area with heavy steps, though his large frame moved without sound. He gave a short bow, one of his many fists over his chest.

"My Lord," he greeted with a low, respectful tone. "You summoned me?"

"I did," I replied with a smile.

"Is this about the sword? I can feel its energy from the forge..."

I shook my head. "No, that's not what you are needed for at this moment."

That was another thing, my rather over-complicated and unique sword had begun emitting a strange energy.

He nodded once but didn't press. His posture straightened slightly, awaiting instructions.

I nodded my head towards the table filled with holy artefacts. "Me and Uriel have been doing some testing with more of the holy artefacts that were left behind by God before he died. And I wanted to get your advice on something."

Brias looked intrigued.

"I want to try combining holy artefacts. Weaker ones, for now. You'll have more experience in identifying if it's possible or if they'll just cancel each other out." I explained. "If we can make them become more useful and use Valders sacred gear to temporarily distribute weaker versions to higher-ranking Angels it would serve to be useful in any potential battles."

Brias nodded his head slowly. "So you wish for me to make a schematic attempting this without destabilising any of the craftsmanship?"

"Yes." Uriel cut in. "More defence-based artefacts would be useful for them. There are a few that are meant for a lower level of combat but if we could boost them it'd be a great help and hopefully stop any of my siblings from finding themselves in a dire situation."

Uriel said, his eyes blazing. Holy energy was pouring off him and causing a small shimmer in the air.

I wasn't surprised by his strong reaction. Things were getting more tense in Heaven.

Michael was constantly at the gate as if waiting for the enemy to appear at any given moment, fully suited in his armour along with his sword. Raphael hadn't left her lab and her duties had been shifted to the Seraphs.

Gabriel was increasingly getting more concerned and had become amusingly even more clingy. Along with setting up a healing area by the gate. Uriel had become more serious and had taken to hosting training sessions with any of the Angel populace who was interested.

I didn't like it.

There was this weird feeling and I could tell they were anxious on my behalf. Constantly they made excuses for me not to even approach the front gate.

Brias became nervous in the face of a pissed-off Arch-Angel which was probably a good response.

Uriel relaxed.

"I'll see what I can do," Brias replied nervously.

I handed over a few of the less dangerous artefacts, nothing that would cause a backlash if it failed.

Mostly simple gear with supportive enchantments.

In truth, I wasn't ready to make anything like these yet. There was a reason artefacts weren't just commonly found.

Not even close. But seeing how they reacted under a smith's hand would help. I needed practice and the knowledge to proceed with that practice. Maybe even ideas for my own artefacts down the line.

It was funny.

The closer I got to learning about my predecessors, the more questions I gained as I wondered just who the hell this man was. The sheer power needed for some of the things he had created was mind-boggling.

Brias accepted the gear with a quiet grunt and turned toward the exit.

He gave one last nod to Uriel and vanished.

I smiled at his large retreating form, despite being so intimidating he was certainly a softie underneath it all.

Uriel glanced at me. "Is there anything else, Father?"

I shook my head. "That'll do for today. I think I'm going to present Dulio with the Saint's Armour soon. I want him to partake in this battle if possible."

It would be best if he had all the advantages he could since it would allow me to use him as my avatar in case my Semi-divine form ran out.

He gave me a short, satisfied nod and exited through the side corridor.

That left my next task, introducing Michael to the very ancient and powerful Elven woman.

Once alone, I focused inward and triggered zapping light, heading towards the Garden of Eden.

-{Ouryuu Nakiri}-

"So you want me to join Heaven?" Ouryuu asked, staring at his teacher.

"Yes," Tiamat replied with a grin.

"You plucked me here just to ask me this?" He questioned, folding his arms. "Wait, aren't you allied with the Devils?"

"So?" She replied, huffing.

"I think that matters Tia." He replied flatly.

She shrugged. "I made it clear that I could unally myself with them at any point and I did it to stop being hunted by upstarts. Now… I've found something much better to pursue."

The way her voice turned almost dreamy made Ouryuu wonder just what had happened.

He had known Tiamat for a while, stumbling across her by pure luck.

Well…

Lucky when you looked at it in the grand scheme of things, when he had accidentally bumped into the Dragon King she had simply punched him into a wall.

Then she had found him adorable and instantly had learnt of his abilities, deciding to take him on as a pet project.

For all the time he had known her… he couldn't say he had ever seen her so love-struck.

It was subtle, but training with the hardcore, uncaring, cold and downright demonic Dragon King had allowed him to read her facial expressions.

"You do realise I'm still technically just a teenager?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

She sent a disinterested look towards him.

"Your human customs do not concern me. Age hardly matters in the supernatural world unless you are under the age of twelve." She replied imperiously.

"Why twelve?" He found himself questioning before shaking his head. "When did you get so lovestruck?"

"Huh?!" Tiamat said, spinning around.

"Nothing." He quickly replied, taking a step back.

Tiamat stared into his soul before huffing. "Stay here, I'll be back. I need to get something in my cave. I haven't been to the Familiar Forest in a while."

He sent her a flat look. "Isn't this literally your domain?"

"It certainly was." She replied with a smile, two large dragon wings forming out of her back before she took off.

A small shockwave billowed out and he was nearly sent off his feet.

He sighed, acting in a way that was decades older than he should act.

At least she was still as spontaneous as ever.

He waited for a few minutes, patiently sitting on a boulder. The silence that had entered the strange forest was only broken when a demonic circle suddenly formed.

Ouryuu tensed.

A man formed, with green hair and two cold, sharp bespectacled eyes that didn't waste their time honing on him.

"Greetings." He said, his voice cold.

"Hello…" Ouryuu replied slowly.

"You wouldn't have happened to see a woman with pale blue hair walking through here? Or a tremendously large western blue-scaled dragon." The man asked smoothly.

"Are you talking about Tiamat?" Ouryuu asked, re-evaluating the man.

Anyone crazy enough to seek her was probably at least ultimate class…

Something cold flashed through his eyes and he felt like he was being analysed, deeply.

"Ah." A smile formed, one that didn't look quite right. "Perfect, I am a friend of Tiamat's. Am I to assume she has left you here?"

"Yeah, Tia will be back soon." He replied, seeing no harm in it.

She was a Dragon King of immense power after all.

"So she's still as spontaneous as ever," the man said, adjusting his glasses slightly. "I imagine she hasn't mentioned any particular change in her interests recently?"

His demeanour had completely changed.

Ouryuu tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Just that she's been difficult to track. Leaving her usual places. Traveling more. It's been hard to get into contact with her, much harder than usual." He added.

Ouryuu didn't answer immediately. He noted the slight emphasis on that last part.

"She's always done what she wants," Ouryuu said eventually. "That's not new."

"But this new fixation is," the man said smoothly. "I know her well."

Ouryuu didn't react. After a few seconds, Ouryuu sighed. "Yeah, she's been acting a little different, a lot less cold. Something's pulled her attention hard. Or rather well someone-"

A crack sounded out behind him and Tiamat appeared, breaking him out of whatever weird state he had gone into.

Shaking his head he stared at the devil in bewilderment.

That felt weird. For some reason, he had felt like the man was trustworthy.

Tiamat glared.

"Ajuka."

-{Kai}-

I stepped into the Garden of Eden.

The moment my foot touched the soft grass, the warmth of its power surrounded me. Birds sang from high trees, rivers shimmered with strange purity, and the air buzzed faintly with holy energy.

I didn't stop to admire it this time. I quickly made my way to what I knew to be God's study. I stepped in to see Frieren calmly lying down on the soft ground, staring at the sky blankly. I approached quietly.

She didn't look at me.

"Hello Frieren, how are you feeling?" I asked, stopping just a few feet away.

She turned her head slightly. A faint smile pulled at the edge of her lips.

"Good," she said softly. "Your world is fascinating. It's much larger than mine."

I had left her with a few books to study. It seems she hadn't wasted time reading them.

I wondered if telling her Heaven had a library was a good idea or not, fearing the elf may go into seclusion for a couple of years until she had read everything.

Her hunger for knowledge had become quickly apparent.

I sat down nearby, just close enough to talk.

"Too large sometimes," I muttered.

Even with my foot halfway into the doorway that was the powerhouses known as God-class I still felt widely unprepared. It would be a step in the right direction though.

Frieren blinked once, slowly. She looked at me fully. "I think I can see your point of view. I can sense you are close to a breakthrough. Yet, from the basic books you gave me. I doubt you think that's enough."

I decided to be honest with her. "No, I don't. From what I know myself. There's only one official class above the class you are in. Then the names vary for the very few beings in the realm power above that."

She tilted her head in intrigue. "I see. This world truly is fascinating. In my world, I believe I was nearing the peak of power. To think that I've been summoned to a world that is so… deadly." She said, completely relaxed. "I noticed. The number of magical systems, the way power flows is deadly and chaotic."

"Then again, I suppose that would happen when you introduce a world to multiple different religions and gods, with monsters to accompany those religions." She hummed.

"Especially when most of those Gods don't seem to care, I guess that's what makes Heaven different," I said, more to myself as I felt the shard shift within me.

A new understanding making my divine shard gain an entire 0.1% boost.

She made a vague sound of agreement.

Her eyes drifted back to the sky. "You left me with good books."

"I figured you'd like them," I said. "It'll also help to grasp the fundamentals of this world."

"Humanity seems a lot more evolved in some ways and yet very helpless in others," Frieren replied.

We were interrupted as someone entered the private area, stepping inside curiously. Only for that curiosity to turn into a sharp look. Michael looked directly at her, gaze sharp but not aggressive.

"Father." He greeted me.

I wanted him to be the first to meet Frieren before everyone else did.

"So, is this the ally you were talking about?" He questioned, a deathly calm washing over his features.

"Yes, this is Frieren," I replied easily.

He hummed. "An Elf? Are you from the Norse Pantheon?"

"No," Frieren replied, equally flat-toned.

With no elaboration from the relaxed elf, Michael moved on.

"I sense some magic, but not a lot of it," he said after a moment. "But I can tell you're powerful. How interesting."

"Not as powerful as you." She commented, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face. "You're strong."

"And someone like you should be well-established." Michael commented, tilting his head. "Tell me, why are you serving my Father? He would have told me about you if you were a pre-existing ally, so I'm assuming you're new."

"Your 'Father.' Is the fated enemy of all demons, I like that." Frieren's unbothered voice replied with a hint of… admiration?

Michael blinked. "You're serving Father because he's the enemy to all Demons?"

"Well… primarily." She sent me a look. "The books that depict him terrifying even the strongest of Demons who could probably destroy my home really interested me."

"You're being serious…" Michael said, analysing the elven girl.

"Yes, his magic also interested me. I looked forward to exchanging knowledge." Frieren replied.

It quickly had become apparent this girl was a magical nerd of huge proportions, mainly since it seemed to excite her more than when she had first been summoned to an entirely different world.

Michael sent her a firm stare. "You understand Demons haven't been seen for a very long time?"

"They tend to do that." She replied.

He sighed. "I suppose you are trustworthy enough, I can sense you are being truthful and I don't think I'm in any capacity to complain. Especially when Father is restoring Heaven so quickly with powerful figures."

He paused. "Do you intend to introduce our newest addition to everyone else?"

"I do." I affirmed.

He paused.

"Father, may I ask why you showed me first if you intended to show everyone?" Michael asked dutifully, as if trying to discern my motive.

I smiled innocently. "So I have a partner in crime of course? Gabriel isn't going to be happy."

He froze, and I let him think about that revelation as I turned my focus to Frieren.

"Shall we go? I wish to give you the Two Trees' blessings." I said, heading towards the exit.

She was up in a flash and already standing next to me.

"Blessing?"

"Yes."

I also wanted to see if Galadriel had awoken from the strange state she had entered.

"Lead the way." She said eagerly.

We walked toward the permanent portal that opened into the sub-dimension. Frieren kept pace with me, looking around in pure curiosity as we located the permanent portal that had been created for free access to the sub-dimension.

We stepped through, and she paused

The two massive gold and silver trees washed over her with their light. Her eyes gained a subtle hint of a golden ring. While her smooth pretty silver hair gained a sheen and her long ears grew just that bit more pointed.

She stared directly at the two massive Trees.

"So that's what you mean about a blessing," she said, blinking.

"It should give you a slight boost in strength as well as a boost in senses, among some other potential benefits."

I was curious to see how the blessing would affect an Elf. It had given Medusa control over her curse and Grizella a racial evolution.

She smiled, the most expression I'd seen from her yet. "That's the least of what this blessing does. I can feel the barrier on my power has been lifted."

What?

Michael nodded beside us. "Indeed, that barrier you've hit should make it easier to train. The natural barrier that comes with rising in power should be easy to overcome. The Trees are truly special, but then again. Father created them. So they were bound to be."

Yeah… not quite. That did make me think about the success I had with Mokuton as of late.

Maybe I wasn't far off from being able to though.

Frieren looked at me with shining eyes as she heard I had created them, a hint of admiration flashing through her.

The first part of what Michael said caught my attention though.

I turned to him. "I never realised."

He tilted his head. "You didn't know?"

"Father, why do you think all the Arch-Seraphs and Seraphs have been training so much lately? We assumed you knew. As soon as we got this blessing, we felt that limit that was set on us since our creation disappeared and allowed us to grow."

I hadn't known that.

The information stuck in my mind.

"It's not fast growth," Michael continued, "but we've noticed that we are growing in strength nonetheless which is incredible."

This made the blessing even more valuable if it gave my subordinates room to grow at their level of power, no matter how slow.

Looking at his power levels, I realized Michael had indeed grown by a few stat points. Not much, but for an ageless being, that was insane.

Frieren looked at Michael with interest.

Maybe it was worth getting all my Angels to get the blessing of the Two Trees… But it would take a long time if we had to do it individually.

"You were created?" Frieren asked.

"Yes, by Father's hand." Michael replied.

Frieren processed this information, her expression unchanged. "How curious." Her deadpan delivery made it impossible to tell if she was impressed or merely stating a fact.

"Michael, would you show Frieren to the mansion and introduce her to everyone?" I asked, looking away.

He gave me an exasperated look. "Yes Father," he replied, clearly picking up on my desire to check on something else.

As they headed toward the mansion, I turned my path toward where Galadriel, my snake, was resting in her cocoon. I needed to see if there had been any change in her condition.

The cocoon had grown considerably larger… and divinity was radiating out of it.

So that means something was successful right?

"Interesting new addition you brought." Hestia commented from beside me.

She stood close to me, seemingly appearing from nowhere.

"Hello to you too." I replied in amusement.

She crossed her arms. "Yes, hello. I assume Frieren is the ally to talk about gaining from the quest?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"She is, what do you think of her?" I questioned.

Hestia was very good at judging people.

"She has an old soul, I'm truly surprised I haven't heard of her before. She is older than some Gods and her power matches that of a Major God." Hestia commented. "Just how did completing that quest gain you such an ally? By the sounds of it she has agreed to join Heaven."

"It's complicated." I commented.

She sighed, looking slightly hurt. "Am I still not worthy of holding your secrets? Have I done something wrong?"

"Ah, no." I quickly said.

She took a single step closer to me, staring me deeply in the eye. "Then?"

"The reward I got from the little quest helped in summoning her. And convinced her further from there. Mostly because she hates Demons and Heaven is aligned with that ." I replied dryly.

"Are you sure? I sensed her loyalty was a bit deeper than just that." Hestia said, looking thoughtful.

"That's all she told me."

She simply sent me a flat look. "On another subject Michael has told me that things in Heaven have become more tense." Her demeanour shifted into silent worry.

"They have. I think everyone can feel it now. That breach wasn't just a warning, it was basically confirmation that it's happening." I replied seriously.

Hestia frowned.

"Have you thought about reaching out to other Factions for an alliance? You've already become the friend to my brother, and I'm sure helping Pontus has gotten you good will and with Moirai tilting scales will help the Greeks accept an alliance." Hestia asked concernedly.

"I have thought about it," I said, watching the light pulse off the surface of Galadriel's cocoon. "But showing any kind of weakness right now could do more damage than good. God has many enemies from what I know, going around sealing every God who was acting out was bound to do that"

Heaven had drastically improved as of late. Much had been done. The two Legendary Summon Tokens had been a lucky find. That divine quest had been annoying and dangerous but it had made everything worth it.

Excluding Tiamat, Aphrodite, and Hestia.

We had Jeanne, Frieren, Dulio and Vasco. That had essentially doubled the number of major players in Heaven's Faction. The sheer increase in Ultimate Class brought within our Faction had rocketed as well.

Twelve new low-ultimate class Angels.

Galadriel, Medusa, Grizella.

It was all coming together. With the Angels in general seemingly having regained a fire in them, Heaven's army was quickly being rebuilt. Still. None of it had been easy. And now we were closer than ever to making Heaven something to be respected from a distance.

Letting other factions think we needed help would bring inquiries. The best case was that they came to us.

Hestia nodded, slowly. "You may be right. Sadly. I can't say Gods are the noblest of beings, not many of them."

"Except you and Aphrodite." I commented slyly.

Her head shot back up to me. "W-what?"

I glanced over at her, a teasing smile on my face. "You were only told any of this because of my complete and utter trust in you."

She turned her face slightly. Her expression stayed neutral, but with the addition of pinkness on her cheeks.

"You shouldn't trust so easily," she muttered.

"Trust me I don't." I chuckled.

Before she could reply, light shimmered beside us and Gabriel appeared. Her arms were crossed.

She didn't look mad. Which was a good sign.

-{Tiamat}-

Tiamat narrowed her slitted crystal-like eyes.

She wasn't remotely surprised that Ajuka had appeared, after all she hadn't been subtle.

Kai had taken all of her attention, dragging her into a whirlwind of activity that made her feel like she had done more in the last few months than in hundreds of years.

So she was sure she had missed many attempts to talk from Ajuka, ignoring her duties as an ally to the devils which was watching over their little Rating Games.

Even if Ajuka hadn't seen her… moment. He would have been suspicious regardless.

"Ajuka." She said coldly, her long pale blue hair blowing behind her.

She glanced at a paling Ouryuu.

"Tiamat. It's been a while." Ajuka said, the facade she had caught a glimpse of fading into nothing.

"Tiamat," he said calmly. "You've been quite busy. You haven't been back for a while."

Ajuka adjusted his cuffs slightly. "You went silent after that meltdown. The meltdown where you destroyed half of your own territory in a fit so loud it woke several sealing wards. if you don't remember."

"I remember," she said flatly. "I wasn't exactly in a social mood."

"Clearly," Ajuka replied, unbothered. "I gave you space. But you never came back. Not to the forest. Not to your post. You stopped showing up to the Rating Games. Including the important Gremory and Phenex match, which you were scheduled to observe."

"I said I've been busy." Tiamat replied, knowing that the answer wasn't going to satisfy the super-devil in the slightest.

In truth, Ajuka was the best out of the lot. The only one who kept his manipulations to a minimum and didn't try to lock her in any binding agreements like the rest.

Serafall hadn't wasted time in attempting to secure her in a marriage agreement when she had joined. When that had failed it had become almost a routine affair to have something that would bind her more closely thrown at her and annoyingly some of the schemes had worked.

She didn't blame the woman, but it was annoying.

Then there was Sirzech. He was fine enough, respectful even but he relied on his power for most things. He had a habit of expecting everyone to do as they were told, which was mostly because everyone did what he told them to do.

"I'm sure you have. But busy doing what?" he asked. His tone didn't change, but his gaze didn't waver either. "Is it about the Angel?"

Ouryuu was slowly trying to sneakily get away, and she almost idly grabbed him by the scruff. Making him hang limply by her side.

Tiamat didn't respond right away. Her expression remained level, voice calm. "I don't see how that concerns you."

It definitely concerned him.

They had a history going far back regardless of the rather forceful way Tiamat had become an ally to the Devils.

"It does concern me." Ajuka said. "Unless it affects our alliance. And I'm starting to think it might."

"I'm still neutral. Still non-hostile. That hasn't changed." Tiamat replied.

"But your silence has. You're pulling away from the Devil Faction, and you aren't bothering to cover that up. Which further interests me." He paused. "So tell me, Tiamat. What is going on? You understand I am willing to assist if this is regarding the Angel."

"What are you getting at?" Tiamat deflected.

"What I'm getting at, as you so aptly put it, is if you're still with us." Ajuka replied. "I haven't brought this to my fellow Satans yet, but the subject will be brought up. Especially with this strange shift."

Tiamat looked at him without blinking.

"Stop trying to intrude upon my business."

He sighed. "I see."

With nothing else he turned and left.

She sighed next.

Kai had expressly told her not to make any big moves that would draw attention to Heaven, and the fact that she was looking for an Angel while distancing herself from the Devil Faction wasn't exactly helping that. But coming face to face with power hungry Ishtar had worsen her mood and she wanted to get back to Kai as soon as possible.

Truthfully, she hadn't minded the Devil Faction. Even if the circumstances around it was more of a necessity.

But she wanted to be with Kai.

"What a mess." Ouryuu voiced her thoughts, still hanging limply.

She glared. "What did you tell him?"

He raised his hands. "Nothing much. Just that you were acting differently."

She dropped him.

"It's probably best if we stay here for a few days. I'll have Kai keep close contact with me in case there's an attack." Tiamat decided.

-{Kai}-

My breath was only slightly short as I finished my physical training session.

It felt like I had hit a wall. Both in physical and magical power.

I was painfully close to the God-class, I could even be considered at that small amount of power that was considered the peak of the ultimate class realm. I didn't know what constituted that ascension that supposedly happened, but it didn't seem to be happening yet.

Having access to Gravity Magic had made my physical training start anew. While training in Heaven had helped a lot, considering the realm just seemed to be stronger generally. Having Gravity magic both helped me practise with it while making my training almost unbearable.

I had given Uriel my Gravity Bands, they seemed to be helping him out a bit. Uriel had quickly come to find that they had a limit in the amount of gravity press they could produce.

A simple boulder became the weight of a building under the usage of gravity magic.

The talk with Gabriel had been uneventful. She had merely been worried. Which led to her deciding to spend the rest of the day with the elf in order to see if she was hiding anything.

I let out a breath and took a moment to rest. I focused back on my next objective.

Finding better ways to use my incredible light control.

So far, I had been mostly making light based constructs and weaponry attacks, which while effective weren't exactly how the element of light was made to be used.

I needed something better, something that wasn't just throwing beams or blowing things up.

Particles of light formed around me, small specs that shone like stars. I pushed my authority to a different level. Light was very much tied with creation.

The particles formed tight rings around me.

I pulled the light inward, bending it across invisible lines until it began to shape into a massive arc above and behind me.

The first attempt cracked in half, unstable. Second time, it shattered before it fully formed. Third held for a few seconds before buckling under its own energy. I didn't stop.

On the fourth try, it stabilized.

A wide crescent of compressed light hovered overhead, curved like a wing, vibrating faintly with raw force.

I moved it, rotated it, shifted its density, testing how much control I had over every particle.

My hand flicked.

The blades disappeared, the only proof that they even existed being the multiple lines that appeared at my target before promptly exploding into massive bursts of holy heat.

Certainly an improvement.

It was better than many of the attacks that I normally used.

Attacks I realised were woefully uncreative.

Still, this was hard to make. The attacks were much faster and packed more of a punch though.

Particles of light surrounded me one more time, and I decided to try another attack. The particles gathered light and with complete focus, formed into a multi-beamed attack.

The ground shook as my target was obliterated.

My next attack was a swarm of these particles gathering into a mass of burning light. I sent them towards another boulder and instead of outright exploding, the boulder simply collapsed as hundreds of small holes weren't burnt through its rocky torso.

I continued like that, attempting to push my light embodiment skill that hadn't ranked up in what felt like ages.

Once the last of my magic drained after an intense magical training session, in which I tried to further my control on light along with incorporating multiple magics into a single attack.

I sat down, my thoughts moving to another matter.

The download I was downloading.

Again, I had decided to go for something more powerful and an ability that would overall help my current abilities a lot.

Mostly my gravity magic.

The Rinnegan.

I couldn't say that it wasn't partly due to me wanting to have a Dojutsu literally dubbed 'The Eyes Of God' but I could see several ways this would compliment my current skill set without forcing me to divert even more attention to learning some other powerful skill.

First, it would give me more ways to use my chakra beyond just Mokuton or enhancing my body. I hadn't really explored its full potential, and letting it sit unused felt like a waste.

Chakra was a completely different energy compared to my angelic magic, which meant that if I could fully tap into it, I would technically have double the energy reserves most beings at my level could dream of.

Second, there was the elemental boost. Even a minor increase in all elemental affinities would help with versatility.

And of course, there were the abilities the Rinnegan would unlock. That alone made it worth pursuing. I couldn't say what it would give me access to since I believe every user had their own unique abilities but I was excited to find out.

I dusted myself off.

That was about all the time I had for that.

My next stop was the Heavenly System.

I still had two slots open for my Holy Order and I had a candidate in mind.

-{Artemis}-

She knelt upon the soft grass, breathing in the scent of her hunt.

Something had passed through recently, multiple things…

Instantly from a glance she could tell that they weren't beings of nature, rather yet a group of monsters. An occurrence that had become a lot more common over the last few months.

It was interesting, especially to the ancient Goddess.

Her delicate fingers traced through the grass.

It felt strange to see things devolve into utter chaos so quickly after passing centuries away in silence.

This sudden movement and change had gradually been making itself known, and she could pinpoint exactly when this change had arrived or more accurately, who it had arrived with.

The Angel. Word of his battle with Ares had naturally spread like wildfire throughout Olympus as quickly as news of his betrayal had.

Artemis hadn't been surprised.

Ares was the worst of men, his betrayal was expected.

She stood up, nodding to a few nearby hunters who charged forward.

Admittedly, she wished she had taken more interest in the Angel. Especially when she had noticed the bond he had seemingly created with her aunt.

She had witnessed Hestia's unusual fixation on the Angel. And she couldn't deny he had gained the attention of many Gods. It was incredibly rare to see an Angel these days.

Artemis' stunning-cold silver eyes narrowed as she spread out her divine senses attempting to locate the ancient and powerful consciousness of her aunt Hestia.

Her first glance was towards the camp that housed the spawn of her family. The place where most of her consciousness normally resided. Surely enough, she wasn't there… again. She tilted her head, silky silver hair that shone with an almost unnoticeable light, akin to the light of a moon, shifted behind her.

Her senses spread over Olympus noticed by many other major Gods who simply sent a somewhat curious look back at her. Even checking the entirety of Olympus, she wasn't to be found.

This had become common. Her aunt had been disappearing for prolonged times and she thought she knew why.

She didn't know what to think of him, and her auntie's absence worried her. Artemis' gaze sharpened, her divine senses slowing and folding back into herself.

She seemingly couldn't find answers, but she knew where they could be found. The Demigods he had befriended. The daughter of Athena and the spawn of Poseidon.

Perhaps a visit to the camp that housed the many spawns of her unruly family was in order.

Then she could get closer to finding out why her aunt had gained such an interest. Hestia had always been kind and loving but this was beyond that, Artemis could see that much.

And then, she could find out if this Angel was a threat to her beloved Aunt or not.