Rookie

In the night, through different dimensions, light paints the sky with a panorama over Dubai. No one can see this light because it's beyond their vision. The light absorbs almost all the city's outlines in a matter of seconds, spinning rapidly.

Two mighty angels hold their ground, remaining alert in this compressed moment. Losing focus for just a millisecond could lead to defeat—or worse, death. Their scythe and spear clash at a speed almost too fast to perceive, creating a rhythm unlike anything heard before.

“You’re quite stubborn, aren’t you, boy!” Sariel grits his teeth, trying to maintain his focus. His sharp eyes are filled with anger and hatred as they lock onto Azrael.

“So are you, Senior! Your experience shows,” Azrael responds, furrowing his brow in concentration.

Their weapons continue to clash, neither giving ground or allowing the other a clear strike at the heart. Sariel thrusts his spear again and again, aiming for Azrael’s vital points, especially around his heart and solar plexus.

Azrael dodges with precision, using his scythe to block and deflect each attack. Azrael is dissadvantage in this situation. His main goal is to buy time for the Vita to survive, while Sariel is intent on taking his life.

“You really want to kill me, don’t you, Senior!” Azrael shouts, still dodging and parrying.

“Oh, you just realized?” Sariel’s voice is cold, dripping with contempt. “All traitors must face death. That’s true even under human laws.”

Sariel thrusts harder, and this time something changes. His spear begins to spin rapidly, creating a blur of light around it. “In the cycle of life, death faces life. Jalat Vidia!” The spear glows, emitting a cloud of glowing dust as it spins.

Azrael gulps as he watches the spear's terrifying speed. “It’s… so fast…”

Before he can fully react, the spear strikes him in the shoulder. “AAAAKH! It hurts!” Azrael screams, clutching his injured shoulder. The pain throws him off balance, and Sariel seizes the opportunity.

“Your defense is open!” Sariel thrusts again, aiming directly for Azrael’s solar plexus.

Realizing the danger at the last second, Azrael acts on instinct. Angels possess the greatest reaction time of any beings. He unfurls his wings and flies backward just in time, avoiding a fatal blow. His momentum sends him crashing through a nearby building’s glass.

“What?!” Sariel is shocked by Azrael’s quick reflexes.

Azrael, now inside the shattered building, grits his teeth. “Your spear is fast, but its range is short. I got hit, but... I won’t cry.” He smirks defiantly.

Sariel grits his teeth in anger. “What nonsense. How can a rookie like you think like that on the battlefield?”

“Maybe I am a rookie, but I trained hard when I was a Sharaq,” Azrael replies, standing up and flying closer.

Sariel suddenly looks confused. “Trained while you were a Sharaq? How is that possible?”

Azrael, equally puzzled, asks, “What’s wrong with training as a Sharaq? I was just trying to get better.” Now, Azrael hovers at the same level as Sariel.

“Angels can’t move without an order, and that includes Sharaq. You can’t train unless commanded to do so. This doesn’t make sense…” Sariel studies Azrael from head to toe. “What kind of creature are you?”

Azrael frowns in confusion. “I’m an angel. What else would I be?”

Sariel points his sword at Azrael. “I don’t think so. That gives me even more reason to kill you.”

Light begins to gather around Sariel’s spear again. “You said the range was small earlier, right? Not this time.”

Azrael gulps and backs away as the light grows brighter. Sariel chants, “For my lord, make the path straight again. Shooting Star!”

The light shoots straight toward Azrael, streaking across the night sky like a brilliant line. But this time, Azrael focuses and dodges just in time. “Wow… that was close…”

“Don’t think you can escape!” Sariel shouts, launching another attack.

Azrael, shocked, narrowly dodges it again, flying quickly. “If his attacks keep coming without any cooldown, this is dangerous.”

Azrael grips his scythe. “In the name of the Almighty, under the shining star, purify my soul and let it shine. Zanabi!” Azrael swings, releasing a slicing attack.

His strike catches Sariel off guard. “What the hell…” Sariel retreats slightly.

“It’s not over yet,” Azrael continues, unleashing more attacks. Sariel does his best to dodge, but each strike draws closer. Azrael's attacks repeatedly hit the glass buildings nearby, and he notices something. “The light is reflecting off the windows, making it even brighter…”

Sariel clenches his teeth in frustration. “You really are testing my patience, kid.”

Azrael watches as Sariel raises his spear toward the sky. “Oh no, he’s going to launch that thousand-stars attack again.”

“For the Almighty who lights the world… Thousand Stars!” Sariel summons a storm of glowing stars, sending them cascading toward Azrael.

Azrael knows there’s little chance of dodging the barrage. There’s no place to run. Then, he notices something. “This whole area is full of glass buildings…”

“DIE, TRAITOR!” Sariel shouts with a satisfied smile as his attack almost reaches Azrael. But Azrael lowers his scythe, confusing Sariel. “Is he really giving up?”

“For all living beings, the ones who create life, and the ones who take it... SALABI!” With light crossing from his eyes and necklace, Azrael beams the light at a nearby building.

Sariel looks perplexed by Azrael's actions but is suddenly stunned when the light starts to reflect. “What the… is he going to…?”

The massive light surrounds the glass building, dodging Sariel’s attacks and clearing the way. Sariel begins to panic, confused. “How does he know that? Did the Sharaq department tell him? Or…” His face turns pale. “Is this… knowledge?”

The earlier light reflects back towards Azrael. His ruby eyes and necklace deflect the light again, focusing it all on himself. “For the all-seeing, who witnesses all deeds of the universe…”

Sariel is bewildered by the scale of the attack. The light forms a shape and then concentrates in the center. “It looks like an eye…”

Azrael looks up with determination. “Sorry, senior. You better pass out for a moment.” The eye-like attack beams up. “AIN!”

“That bastard…” Sariel mutters as he tries to avoid the attack. It shoots through the atmosphere, penetrating the world and even the solar system. Sariel flies at his highest speed, barely escaping its full impact. He takes a deep breath atop a tall building. It seems to be the tallest building on Earth—Burj Khalifa.

“I… I’ll definitely make him pay for that…” Sariel looks around, trying to spot Azrael, but he can’t find him anywhere.

Then, he notices something beneath his feet. The light beneath the building grows brighter with every passing second. “What is this…” Sariel glances down. The base of the Burj Khalifa is already glowing with a red light.

“You’re not asleep yet, are you, senior?” Azrael flies up from the base of the building, making Sariel’s eyes widen.

“YOU’RE STILL NOT DOWN?!” Sariel snarls, struggling to maintain his composure.

Azrael smiles calmly, the light brushing against the Burj Khalifa. “I’ll make sure this is a proper lullaby for you.”

Azrael swings his scythe upward toward Sariel, and the light shoots straight up. The world’s tallest building shines a beam of perpendicular light into the sky, resembling a giant lightsaber. “KALED!”

The attack was massive, sending Sariel bouncing off the building. “That… that was a hard hit…” Sariel mutters, still impressed by Azrael’s power. He falls to the ground, his wings absorbing the momentum.

“Senior!” Azrael shouts in a panic as he flies toward Sariel, who has already crashed into the ground.

Sariel lays there, weakened by the damage. Even with his eyes closed, he glares at Azrael with hatred as the younger angel approaches. Azrael lands next to Sariel’s body. “Senior, I’m sorry if I was too harsh.”

“Don’t… don’t say that to your enemy! You fool! It’s… disrespectful,” Sariel grits his teeth, still staring at Azrael with hate.

“Of course, I wouldn’t say that to my enemy. I said it to you because… you’re not my enemy.” Azrael responds, his face filled with worry as he looks down at Sariel.

“Shut up, damn you! It’s shameful for me to lose to a rookie…” Sariel looks away, still fuming.

“You know…” Sariel begins, catching Azrael’s full attention. “I really thought, for a moment, that you were a demon because you disobey orders, but…”

“But what, Senior?” Azrael asks, moving closer, curious.

“In this universe, there is only one being that can stand on its own, who can push itself to the limit, and gain knowledge through effort.” Sariel looks up at Azrael, speaking with a hint of admiration.

“And that is…” Before Sariel can finish, Azrael’s expression shifts to panic as he looks upward.

Nearby, near the hospital, the spirit known as Vita rises once more, its form glowing brighter. “How… how is that possible?”

The light in Vita’s belly intensifies, growing larger. Azrael recognizes the danger—she’s about to attack. “SENIOR, WATCH OUT!”

Azrael moves quickly, trying to lift Sariel, but the attack strikes first. A massive explosion erupts, engulfing the area where Sariel lay. Dust and fire cover the scene, shrouding whatever lies beneath.

Whatever happens next, only God knows.