Demons.
Creatures said to dwell deep underground in the abyss of hell or amid the flames of molten lava.
However, the places where demons actually appeared were neither underground
nor boiling lava pools.
Seeds of malice spilling over from another dimension called the so-called 'hell,' they were inherently heavily restricted when interfering with the material world.
As a result, demons fresh from summoning, not yet adapted to the material world, became extremely weakened.
For them, emerging in places teeming with energy and life force like the earth or volcanoes was practically suicidal, no different from throwing themselves to their deaths.
Thus, contrary to common knowledge,
the places where demons appeared were predetermined.
The sky.
A space of extremely low density compared to other worlds, where ascending to a certain altitude brought utter silence, free of any phenomena.
This was the perfect spot for newly arrived demons to catch their breath,
and simultaneously the ideal base for plotting their invasion of this world.
And now,
one of those mighty demons,
Diabolos,
one of the seven great demons ruling hell,
was setting his long-prepared plan into motion.
🔥 DEMONIC ROAR 🔥"At last... this day has come! The time has arrived for me to personally make those foolish, ugly mortals tremble in terror with my own hands!"
For a great demon of his immense power—not some ordinary fiend—to cross directly into the material world required an enormous amount of energy.
To that end, Diabolos had spent decades amassing vast wealth and power in hell and through his minions in this realm.
And finally, at this very moment.
Having gathered the desired amount of energy, Diabolos used that colossal force to tear open a rift in the dimensions and began his descent into the material world.
The location was, naturally, the safest and most comfortable for adaptation: the sky.
In the pitch-black darkness where the sun had vanished and night had fallen.
Even weakened by the material world's interference, Diabolos began revealing his overwhelmingly powerful true form.
Red flesh, massive horns symbolizing a demon,
and eerie yellow eyes blazing with the flames of hell.
The once serene and chilly night sky heated up in an instant with scorching fervor at his arrival.
🔥 DEMONIC ROAR 🔥"Kuhahahaha... Just wait a little longer, mortals! The sweet peace you've enjoyed until now is over! Now I shall personally engrave true despair and terror into your frail souls to the very marrow..."
At that moment.
🔥 DEMONIC ROAR 🔥"...Hm?"
A sudden, irritating sensation washed over him.
For a great demon like him, it was an utterly repulsive feeling, so Diabolos turned his head toward the source of that foul energy.
The sight that met his eyes immediately after.
It was a brilliant light hurtling toward him at terrifying speed.
An enormous mass of holy power too much for him, not even fully summoned yet, to handle.
And at its center was... a being with six pure white wings and countless red eyes...
🔥 DEMONIC ROAR 🔥"!?! N... No... You're... a Seraph... Keheuk!!!!!!!!!!"
A horrific wave of holy power struck his half-summoned body.
No matter that he was a great demon; in his current utterly drained state, this single blow was devastatingly fatal.
🔥 DEMONIC ROAR 🔥"Ah... N... No... Th... This..."
His hard-won half-body blasted away, his concentration completely shattered.
The resulting massive backlash
forced Diabolos' body straight back to hell.
[Hm? Did something just bump into us?][I... I'm not sure either. B-but Great Seraphim, this... this seems too fast...][We're almost there. Just hold on a bit longer.][Ugh... Y-yes!]
Great Seraph Seraphim and Arcroyal, clinging to his wings, soared across the sky toward the lofty heavens.
The result of their sublime efforts:
the great demon's decades-long plan crumbled to nothing in an instant.
It was summer.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The great archangel returned to heaven alongside Seraphim.
Arcroyal.
Her heart brimmed with resolve.
The Harmonizer of the Lofty Heavens, whom she had encountered by chance,
Seraph Seraphim.
Though their first meeting had been a total mess thanks to those humans who couldn't distinguish angels from demons, that great being had graciously forgiven her anyway.
And not only that,
he had taken her in—she, who had wasted time playing house among humans.
And he had shown her.
The ruins of heaven.
And the fates of the other angels, now vanished without a trace.
The sight of her long-abandoned homeland reduced to desolate ruins struck Arcroyal, who had been frivolously playing among humans, with piercing self-reflection.
And it made her vow.
To absolutely rebuild this lofty heaven... the place the great Seraphim called paradise.
As his loyal servant, alongside him.
And the first step in that endeavor was...
[Um... S-so... We shouldn't help humans without compensation... Is that it?][Exactly. There's an old saying: continuous favors become... rights. Humans—no, all living beings fundamentally act on desire.]
Seraphim patiently explained the ways of the world.
True to his status as a genuine great archangel, unlike her who was only in name, he demonstrated profound insight into human psychology and ideology.
[God teaches them to suppress it and do good, but their nature doesn't change easily. That's why He gave the world laws. The Golden Rule, called 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you' (Matthew 7:12). Give as much as you receive, receive as much as you give.]
He also taught her about the heavenly laws she knew little of.
[I... I didn't know there was such a precept... My studies are lacking...][Hmm...]
Seraphim shot her a look that seemed to say, 'What do you even know?'
Knowing full well her own knowledge was sorely lacking, Arcroyal could only meekly watch her great master and teacher's expression.
[Well, no matter. You can study now.]
Despite his glance, Seraphim offered comforting words.
Heartened by his gentle tone, Arcroyal refocused on the lesson.
[In any case, we must carefully observe and select humans. Helping them limitlessly just because they belong to a church is foolish and, in the worst case, could sow chaos in the world. Didn't you just help those humans without even knowing they'd harmed people as undead moments before?][I... I'll keep that in mind! Great Seraphim.]
Thus, reflecting on her past foolish life,
Arcroyal nurtured ever-growing respect for Seraphim—not just for his mighty powers, but for his vast knowledge as well.
Being the sole servant to such a being filled her heart with profound pride.
At that moment,
a certain human's image suddenly surfaced in Arcroyal's mind.
The human woman who oddly grated on her now, the one Seraphim had first helped right before her eyes.
[Great Seraphim. What is your relationship with that human wench? The holy knight we met before.][Eva, you mean. She's bound to me by contract, my relay for gathering information. This form of mine might provoke disgust in humans, after all.][W... what? ...Disgust? Your beautiful form, Great Seraphim? H-how could...][Hm?]
Arcroyal voiced her genuine confusion.
Seraphim, in turn, tilted his head with wide eyes, so she spoke carefully yet with firm conviction.
[No... Isn't it? These six radiant wings, your majestic true form exuding dignity, and those countless eyes signifying boundless wisdom. You embody beauty and grandeur in abundance. How could anyone feel disgust?][You're saying that... sincerely?][Sincerely? Are you saying I'm lying? I don't understand. Those fools from Sodam called my frail, ugly body beautiful, yet how could they mistake your perfect, flawless form for a demon?][...]
Arcroyal spoke with pure, unfeigned sincerity, without a hint of flattery or deceit.
Hearing this, Seraphim fell silent for a moment, averting his gaze unconsciously.
After a brief pause,
[Ahem... Well, I'm grateful you see it that way, but humans do find my form burdensome. That's why I'm observing the world through Eva for now.][I don't quite get that part... but yes, understood.]
Muttering inwardly about how she couldn't comprehend humans' crude sense of beauty, Arcroyal accepted it as knowledge for now.
Seraphim's form was simply too beautiful for mere humans to appreciate.
[A-anyway, since her name came up, let's check on her for a moment. What Eva is doing.][Yes, Great Seraphim.]
With those words, Seraphim projected Eva's vision—linked through holy magic—into the air like a beam projector.
But...
[Oh... This is.][...Ah...]
Eva's viewpoint and voice appeared before them.
The moment they grasped what it was,
intrigue laced Arcroyal's voice,
while disbelief half-erased Seraphim's.
She, who elicited such dramatic reactions from the two angels,
Holy Knight Eva,
was shouting at a group of people in a room.
"Everyone! What is God? A name we long for always! The name of salvation we've thirsted for through the ages! God is none other than Great Seraphim! Everyone!!!"