“Sigh... Should I go find some shaman for him or something...?” Siegfried shook his head and let out a sigh. Since he was feeling frustrated just by watching Seung-Gu die in such an absurd way, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how Seung-Gu had to be feeling right now. “See! I told you! Kyuuu! Hamchi called it! Seung-Gu trolls not because he’s a weak troll but because he has absolutely shit luck!” Hamchi exclaimed triumphantly after being proven right. “Y-Yeah, I’ll give you that one. You really do know Seung-Gu very well,” Siegfried admitted. “Kyuuu! Hamchi knows everything about Seung-Gu!” “But more importantly...” Siegfried turned his attention back to the battlefield. Seung-Gu’s death was unfortunate, but what mattered now was wrapping things up. If the Seneca Kingdom’s battleship had somehow crashed into the final altar and destroyed it, then things would have been over by now. Unfortunately, that didn't happen; the battleship narrowly missed the altar, leaving it completely unscathed. “Kyuu! Let’s hurry up and finish the job, owner punk!” “Yeah,” Siegfried replied as he continued flying toward the final altar. He had no more allies left in the area, so he had to go and finish the job. A deep pulse resonated from the Celestial Gate hovering above the altar. Then, it slowly opened. Siegfried and Hamchi were shocked by what they were witnessing. The Celestial Gate's opening could only mean one thing. An archangel was about to descend into the world, leading an army of angels. ‘No! Absolutely not! No way!’ Siegfried panicked and shot forward like a bolt of lightning. This was a catastrophe. Siegfried knew better than anyone else what an archangel descending in their true form meant. This was no longer just an urgent matter. This was an all-out emergency. ‘I have to go faster!’ He infused even more mana into his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit, pushing it to its limits. The final altar loomed in the distance, and Siegfried zoomed toward it as quickly as he could. As the saying went, "one cannot save everyone." The Proatine Kingdom’s forces, led by Siegfried, failed to stop the ritual taking place at the last remaining altar, the Fifth Altar. Too many unpredictable things popped up here and there, throwing the entire operation into chaos. In the end, they couldn't destroy the altar in time. As a result, the Celestial Gate hovering above the Fifth Altar slowly opened. A radiant light burst forth, illuminating the battlefield as the angels began their descent. The worst-case scenario was finally here. “Ah...” Siegfried gasped the moment he arrived before the Celestial Gate. The gate was already open, which meant that there was no stopping the angels from descending upon the continent now. “Heaven’s wrath will cleanse this land with fire.” “Finally, we have descended.” One by one, the angels emerged from the Celestial Gate. “Kyuuu! What do we do now, owner punk?! Should we make a run for it?!” Hamchi shrieked. Siegfried gripped his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp tightly and replied, “I’m going to stop them. I have to try...” “Kyu?! Y-You’re planning to stop them?! How?!” “I can't stop them completely. However, I can at least make sure not all of them descend into this world intact. If I can cut down their numbers, even if it’s just one... it will be worth it.” Just as those words left his mouth— A quest notification popped up in front of his eyes. [Time to Save the World] [Destroy the Celestial Gate and stop the angels from descending into the world.] [Type: Time Attack Quest] [Rewards: +10 Levels, +500% Divine Power] [Warning: If the Celestial Gate is not destroyed within the time limit, Archangel Raphael will descend.] Fortunately, things weren't over yet. There was still time before Archangel Raphael upon the continent. Unfortunately, the Celestial Gate hovering above the Fifth Altar had tens of billions of HP. Even if Siegfried attacked it over and over again, there was no guarantee he could destroy it within an hour. Still, he was not the type to back down as long as there was a sliver of hope. Without wasting another second, he pulled out a flare gun from his Inventory and fired a signal into the sky. Then, he clenched his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp even tighter and charged straight toward the Celestial Gate. Hesitation? There was no room for hesitation now. At this moment, there was only one thing on his mind. ‘I have to destroy that Celestial Gate no matter what it takes...!’ Destroying the Celestial Gate was difficult—no, calling it "difficult" was an understatement, as it seemed almost impossible to get close to it, let alone land a hit on it. “Filthy mortal! Die!” “You worthless insect!” Angels poured out of the Celestial Gate, blocking Siegfried’s path. Siegfried activated Embrace of Despair and Eternal Flames, greatly weakening the angels. ‘And wipe them out with splash damage.’ He channeled Crushing Tremor into his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp and swung it with all of his strength, smashing every angel in his path. The angels dropped like flies after getting struck by his overwhelming firepower. However, the one-sided battle did not last long. The moment he struck an angel in the head— “Argh! How dare you! You wretched insect dares to...!” —The angel didn't die in a single hit. Instead, he snarled in anger and lashed out at him. Siegfried’s eyes widened in shock as he twisted in midair to dodge. Then, without missing a beat, he swung his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp again, striking the angel on his side this time. Even after taking two direct hits, the angel neither staggered nor winced. In fact, he roared and rushed at Siegfried once again. ‘What the hell?! Why is this guy so tough?!’ Siegfried shrieked inwardly, shocked by the angel’s sheer resilience. The angels Siegfried faced until now were nothing but pushovers against him. However, the ones who emerged from the Celestial Gate were different. While there was nothing special about their offensive capabilities, their defense and vitality were on a whole other level compared to the angels Siegfried had faced up until now. These angels would give even the sturdiest of tanks a run for their money. These angels were in their true form, allowing them to wield their true power. Instead of breaking through the angels, Siegfried found himself overwhelmed and surrounded by hundreds of angels. For every angel he struck down, more would pour out from the Celestial Gate to take their place. He was losing ground, and time was definitely not on his side. ‘I have to do something. If I can’t destroy the gate, then I have to at least stop them from pouring out,’ Siegfried decided and immediately activated Absolute Zero. A bright white light flashed, freezing the angels surrounding Siegfried. ‘Time to kill them all.’ With Crushing Tremor still activated, Siegfried struck the frozen angels and smashed them to pieces. Each hit triggered a chain of explosions that caused waves of splash damage that obliterated every frozen enemy in range. [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] He gained a ton of experience points, but he didn't have the luxury to pay any attention to it. Upon culling their numbers, Siegfried moved quickly to seal the entrance before more angels poured out from the gate. “Kyuuu! Leave it to me!” At Siegfried’s request, Hamchi summoned his magic wheel and started running on it. Siegfried, armed with Hamchi’s buff, headed straight to the Celestial Gate. ‘I’ll stop them here.’ The best course of action right now was to stop them at the entrance and strike them down the moment they crossed over. Yong Seol-Hwa and Gosran were the first to arrive. They rushed over the moment they saw the signal flare Siegfried fired earlier. “Don’t worry about me! I’ll hold the entrance! You two focus on destroying the Celestial Gate!” Siegfried shouted at them. With so many angels pouring out, he did not have the luxury to attack the gate himself. “How dare a mere insect stand in the will of the divine?!” “Taste heaven’s wrath!” Unless he had two bodies, stopping the angels from flooding out while destroying the Celestial Gate was impossible. Yong Seol-Hwa and Gosran were the first ones to arrive, but soon, the other Adventurers capable of using divine power joined the battle one after another. While they unleashed a barrage of attacks on the Celestial Gate, Siegfried was dealing with the angels. Meanwhile, Siegfried was on the verge of going insane. Holding back the angels coming out of the Celestial Gate was no easy feat. He had to kill the angels as soon as they emerged from the gate, which proved to be far more difficult than he initially thought. Fortunately, the Adventurers scattered throughout Iraxia were now attacking the Celestial Gate. The Adventurers slowly chipped away at the massive HP of the seemingly indestructible gate. ‘Good!’ Siegfried exclaimed after seeing that the Celestial Gate’s HP was dropping. Stopping the angels was no easy task, but he endured it and stood firm as he struck every single one that emerged from the gate. ‘Just a bit more... I just need to hold out for a while longer, and then I can finish off the gate myself.’ Based on his calculations, all he needed to do was endure for just thirty more minutes. About twenty-five minutes later, the Celestial Gate’s HP was finally about to hit rock-bottom. ‘Just a bit more! We’re almost there!’ Siegfried gnashed his teeth and struck down the angels while his comrades attacked the gate. The Celestial Gate suddenly turned crimson red before unleashing a powerful surge of energy. Siegfried was thrown back several meters away. The surge of energy was so powerful that he suffered burns all over. And he wasn't the only one... The Adventurers attacking the Celestial Gate were also blasted away in all directions. It seemed that the Celestial Gate, sensing its impending destruction, had entered a berserk state. “A-Argh... Damn it...!” Siegfried groaned in pain while pushing himself to his feet. ‘We’re almost there. If we destroy it now, then–’ The Celestial Gate was suddenly destroyed. Even though its HP hadn't depleted just yet, it self-destructed and vanished without a trace. [Alert: You have cleared the Quest – Time to Save the World!] [Alert: You have leveled up!] [Alert: You have reached Level 358!] [Alert: You have reached Level 359!] [Alert: You have reached Level 360!] [Alert: You have reached Level 361!] [Alert: You have reached Level 362!] [Alert: You have reached Level 368!] Siegfried gained ten levels instantly, which were the rewards for clearing the quest. ‘What the hell? What happened just now?’ Although he welcomed the levels, he was puzzled by the fact that the Celestial Gate had destroyed itself. ‘Why did it suddenly destroy itself?’ His heart thumped wildly against his chest, and a sharp, stinging sensation spread throughout him, making him feel as if countless needles were pricking his skin. Then, a shiver ran down his spine, and his legs shook uncontrollably. ‘W-What’s going on...?’ While Siegfried was still reeling from what was happening— “Judgement has come.” —A voice echoed from the spot where the Celestial Gate once hovered. Siegfried immediately turned around and froze in sheer terror. Standing there was none other than... One of the thirteen archangels, Archangel Raphael. He was looking directly at Siegfried.