On the Duty

The celestial realm tensed up as three creatures resembling demons approached the gates of the Celestial Castle. Azrael studied the shapes of these creatures. They appeared hideous and terrifying.

One of them resembled a hybrid of an eagle and a man. It had the head of a bald eagle, wings attached to its back, and a muscular, deep black body. Another looked like a lizard with only one arm, with a large skull embedded in its back. The last one resembled a goat with a stone hand.

“Are they really demons? Why do they all look so different?” Azrael asked Elara, pointing to the demons.

“Demons are born from human sin. That's why each of them looks hideous and misshapen. They're meant to embody humanity's greatest fears,” Elara explained, glancing at Azrael.

“But what are demons doing here? You said before that no one could break the Celestial Castle,” Azrael said, doubting Elara’s earlier words.

“Well, I don’t know why they’re here, but I’m serious about the Celestial Castle being unbreakable,” Elara replied, smiling, leaving Azrael confused.

“Look, Angels! We’re going to destroy your high palace and set it on fire, so you know how hot and terrifying hell is!” one of the demons, the lizard-like one, shouted loudly. The skull on its back began to grow larger until it was five times its original size.

“What’s he going to do?” Azrael asked in panic. The skull, which appeared to be part of the creature's spine, began to ooze a green liquid that merged into one large, green mass.

The green fluid started to steam and was about to erupt like magma. Once it reached its peak, the fluid shot out like a giant cannon towards the Celestial Castle wall. “Take this, Angels! MARSH SAWAL!” the lizard demon bellowed.

As the fluid shot forth, the surrounding air became toxic, and the wind started to blow green smoke. “This could kill many angels inside with its toxic fumes,” the lizard demon laughed heartily.

“Oh no, guys. Wear these,” Liora said, taking some seeds from his bag and turning them into leaf masks. They all quickly put them on.

“If it’s really that toxic, I’m worried about the angels inside,” Elara said, watching the ball of toxic fluid approach the castle gate.

As it drew near, an angel emerged from the gate, clad in armor with iron wings. Azrael was slightly confused when he saw this angel. “Hey, which order is he from? Why are his wings made of iron?” Azrael asked Elara.

Elara looked at the angel and smiled. “That’s Rytom, the Vice-Captain of the Powers order. Now I can feel a little more at ease.”

“Huh? Vice-Captain?” Azrael questioned, studying Rytom as he stood proudly before the toxic cannonball.

“What a toxic demon. Is this what you do after spending your time in the creepiness of hell? You don’t appreciate the value of this beautiful castle that suits only beautiful beings,” Rytom said with a lilting rhythm.

He pulled out his iron shield. With firm eyes, he gripped the shield tightly. “IRON DOME!” he declared. As he said this, the shield created a large barrier that covered the entire castle gate. When the toxic ball entered the barrier, it was obliterated from existence.

The lizard demon panicked but didn’t retreat. “You think you scare me? Nothing is scarier than hell!” he growled. Then he drew his skull sword and commanded the other two demons to attack.

They began their assault, attempting to bypass the shield, but they too were destroyed upon contact. “It’s impossible for us to pass that dome, big bro,” said the goat demon.

The lizard demon then fixed his gaze on Rytom. “Attack that angel instead!”

The three demons rushed toward Rytom. He looked at them with calm eyes. “You found my weakness so quickly.”

As they prepared to strike, three more angels appeared behind Rytom. These angels also had iron wings, marking them as part of the Powers order. They launched their own attacks against the demons.

“You know, the duty of the Powers is to protect the realm from demons who try to destroy it. That’s why I said it’s unbreakable,” Elara explained with a smile. This time, Azrael nodded, finally understanding everything.

One of the Powers, named Rekel, engaged the lizard demon. Clad in tight armor resembling that of a Japanese samurai, Rekel was difficult to poison. He fought with his fists, landing multiple blows on the demon.

“YOU JERK!” The lizard demon began to grow its spine, covering its front body. It used the spines to attack Rekel, forcing him to step back after several strikes.

“Your spines would be great for acupuncture, but too bad…” Rekel tightened the armor on his hand and gripped it firmly. His hand grew large, resembling a massive robotic fist. “Too bad I’m wearing shoes.”

The lizard demon panicked, but before it could shield itself with its skull, Rekel attacked with his massive fist. “IRON GLOVES!” he shouted, delivering a perfect punch to the lizard’s jaw, sending it flying into a nearby cloud. Blood splattered around its body, making it clear that the demon was dead.

“BIG BRO! HOW DARE YOU!” the eagle demon screamed, trying to attack Rekel. The demon was fast and difficult to catch. But before it could reach Rekel, another angel blocked it with a swing of a large axe.

It was Ason, a new angel working in the Powers order. He attempted to swing his axe, but the speed of his attack was slow. Another Power angel approached him and said, “Hey, Ason. Don’t focus on him.”

“But, Senior, I have to fight too,” Ason said, still gripping his big axe. His blonde hair was tucked beneath his Viking helmet.

His senior, Roman, began attacking the eagle demon with the same intensity. “You're not a match for him. Take care of that goat!” Roman commanded. He wore crusader armor and wielded two swords.

Ason turned his attention to the goat demon. The goat was slower than the eagle, so Ason decided to attack it. He swung his axe at the goat demon, but before it could land, the ground within the cloud beneath the angels surged up, forming a stone barrier around the goat.

Ason was momentarily confused, and the goat demon grinned. “Not so fast, Viking boy!” Then the goat punched the ground, causing stones to erupt and strike Ason in the belly. He was knocked back but managed to stand up, protected by his armor.

“He's got ridiculous power,” Ason muttered, holding his stomach. He glanced behind him to see Roman and the eagle demon still battling. They clashed swords at high speed, but Roman seemed to have the upper hand. Determined not to fall behind, Ason charged at the goat demon again. He tightened his grip on his axe and attacked directly.

“You haven’t learned anything, have you, Viking boy?” the goat demon taunted.

The goat demon punched the ground once more, creating a lump almost as big as a hill. But Ason didn’t back down. “SHUT UP, DEMON! Creatures like you should vanish from the universe!” he shouted. He swung his axe with all his might, “BLIXSTNEDSLAG!” His swing cut through the hill-sized lump, creating a small shockwave and kicking up dust that reached where Azrael and the others stood.

“Wow, that Power boy sure is strong for his age,” Samael remarked, coughing from the dust.

“Well, that’s how the Power order should be,” Elara added with a smile.

Meanwhile, Roman had already taken down the eagle demon, cutting off its wings. The demon fell, and everyone smiled, including Ason, who stood amidst the dust cloud created by his swing. But one person wasn’t smiling.

“HEY, WATCH OUT!” Azrael shouted, his face filled with panic. His eyes were locked on Ason.

Ason frowned in confusion, but through the dust, a massive stone creature resembling a goat emerged. Ason barely had time to react before the creature punched him, sending him flying to the next cloud island.

The impact created a loud noise and a new cloud of dust nearby. The creature's voice boomed, “What did I say, little angel? It’s too soon to celebrate.” The stone creature was enormous, with one of its feet as big as an angel’s shack.

“If that demon can create a lump as big as a hill, of course, it won't go down just because one of its limbs was cut off,” Azrael said, and everyone there nodded in agreement.

Then Rekel and Roman started to attack the creature but quickly realized that the stone was incredibly hard, made from Cloud Island soil as tough as coral. “Maybe you thought that lizard was the strongest and the leader among us demons…” the goat demon's voice echoed from inside the creature. “But in truth, I'm the strongest. That’s why I’m the goat.” The stone giant began to attack the angels.

Rekel and Roman struggled to dodge the attacks, which covered the entire area. Roman tried to use his speed to strike the giant stone creature. “You think I’m afraid of a little fly?” the goat demon taunted.

The stone giant then released a cloud of dust from its body, making it difficult for Roman to see. “What a tricky demon,” Roman muttered, coughing through the dust.

Seizing the opportunity, the goat demon smirked and swatted Roman like a fly. “Got you!” he exclaimed.

“ROMAN!” Rekel shouted. He glared at the giant stone creature. “YOU BASTARD!” he roared, tightening his fist.

He then enlarged his fist to the size of the stone giant. “You’re going to pay for this. TETSU KEN!” he yelled, colliding his iron fist with the giant. Naturally, iron triumphed over stone, and the giant stone hand shattered into dust.

But the goat demon had one last trick. He used his other hand to punch Rekel while he was blinded by the dust, sending Rekel flying. The goat demon laughed again. “You’re no match for me,” he sneered.

He then turned his attention to Ason, the new angel who lay helpless on the ground. “At least I’ll kill one angel in my life,” the demon declared.

Elara gulped, terrified by the situation. She felt helpless, unable to do anything but watch the impending massacre. “There’s nothing we can do…”

“Excuse me!” Liora asked nervously. “Isn’t it the job of the Power order to fight demons that invade?”

Elara looked at Liora, confused. “Of course it is. That’s why we’re not supposed to fight that demon ourselves.”

“Including Archangels?” Liora added.

“Yes, including Archangels,” Elara confirmed, still puzzled.

“But…” Liora pointed at something, his hand trembling. Elara and Samael followed his gaze, their jaws dropping in shock.

They saw Azrael approaching the giant at incredible speed. “THAT FOOL!” Elara shouted in frustration.

As the stone giant began to raise its fist to strike Ason, a red light streaked toward it. Azrael, with his sickle drawn and his ruby eyes glowing, closed his eyes in concentration. The jewel in his sickle shone with a deep red light. “In the name of the Almighty, in the shine of the star, make my soul as pure as crystal and let it shine…”

With precision, Azrael swung his sickle, creating a red light that slashed through the air like a comet. “ZANABI!” he cried out. With a single slice, the giant stone arm was split in two, leaving everyone watching in awe.

Elara’s eyes widened in surprise. “So, this is the power of the highest angel order, the Archangels.”

With his ruby eyes gleaming, Azrael declared, “I’m going to turn you into grilled goat.” He took his fighting stance, ready for battle.