Michael turned to Raphael and said, “Long time no see, brother.” Raphael’s brow twitched as he growled in response, “Brother? Do you honestly think you have the right to call me that?” “You are a traitor to our kind! A disgrace who turned his back on our Father! And yet, you dare to speak of brotherhood?” Raphael was absolutely furious at Michael. “My brother, Raphael. This is not right. An archangel should uphold virtue far more than any other creature, yet you descended to this world just to commit slaughter. Is this truly just? What has become of mercy? Of forgiveness?” “Mercy and forgiveness...?” Raphael muttered. Then, a twisted smile crept onto his lips as he sneered, “Do those who have betrayed our Father deserve such things? Do the followers of those wretched demigods truly deserve another chance?” “This is divine judgement! We, the celestial beings, are handing out the punishment of these mortals in Father’s stead! There will be no mercy for them, and neither will there be any forgiveness.” “Does it truly have to be this way? What will change if you do this?” Michael asked, his voice tinged with sorrow. “At the very least...” Raphael said solemnly. Then, he flashed a twisted grin and continued, “Perhaps it will be enough to break our Father’s endless silence! If we continue to exterminate the mortals of this world, the demons, and every other wretched creature, then, perhaps, He will finally reveal Himself!” “Please, Raphael. There must be a reason for His silence—” Raphaeol cut him off, “Shut up! How dare you try to lecture me?! You betrayed your own kin! You abandoned our Father! And now, you stand side by side with the very demons who are our eternal enemies?! Is this truly the path of the archangel who once led us?! How far have you fallen!” “No, you are mistaken, brother. I merely wish to—” Raphael scoffed, interrupting him, “Ha! I feel embarrassed to have once followed you as our leader, to have believed you were my brother. To think you would now walk alongside those filthy beasts—” “Hey now, don’t you think you’re being too harsh?” Metatron cut through the tension and stepped forward. “Filthy? Who exactly are you referring to? Me? Or were you talking about you and your wings darkened by corruption?” As the son of the demon lord, Metatron was one of the demons with the purest blood in existence. Therefore, it was only normal for him to have an innate hatred for the angels. And now, hearing Raphael refer to demons as filthy beasts only further fanned the hatred in him. “How dare you try to join a discussion among superior beings, filthy beast?” Rapahel growled. Then, he shot a glare filled with pure disdain and said, “You creatures are nothing but our Father’s greatest mistakes. I can’t even begin to fathom why He would create such vile filthy—” “You are committing blasphemy, Raphael,” Michael cut him off, his voice sounding stern. Then, he added, “Our Father created both good and evil. He created us, the angels, and He also created the demons. An omnipotent and omniscient being like our Father would not make any mistakes.” Michael’s unwavering faith in their Creator led him to this belief. He believed that demons, too, were creations made with divine intent. However, Raphael and most of the angels did not see it that way. For them, demons were nothing more than vermin that had to be eradicated. “You filthy traitor... Now you even dare to defend the demons?! I will not allow you to live anymore!” In the end, those final words from Michael pushed Raphael past his limits. And so, the battle began. “Oh! Is today the day I get to kill an archangel with my own hands?! This is exciting!” Metatron exclaimed with a grin while licking his lips in excitement. Not long ago, he had the privilege of humiliating Archangel Auriel, who was no longer in existence. Today, he had the privilege of slaying an archangel outright. The sheer exhilarating thought of slaying his race’s mortal enemies sent a rush of adrenaline to his brain. “Brother! You must calm down! Try to discern what is right! Do the right thing!” Michael shouted. However, he, too, lunged forward, just like Metatron. Thus, the battle between Raphael and the unlikely duo of Michael and Metatron began. Siegfried watched the battle while sipping from the Infinite Flask. The clash between Raphael and the unlikely duo of Michael and Metatron was nothing short of intense. Given that they were some of the most powerful creatures in existence, the scale of their battle was simply staggering. Even while watching from a safe distance, Siegfried could feel the aftershocks of their fight on his skin. An ordinary person would most likely die instantly from the sheer pressure alone if they went anywhere near the battle. However, the situation didn't look great. ‘This is bad,’ Siegfried quickly assessed the situation. Michael and Metatron were in grave danger. No matter how powerful the unlikely duo was, it seemed nearly impossible for them to defeat Raphael. “Die, traitor of our kin! Die alongside your filthy beast!” Raphael roared, relentlessly driving the duo into a corner. Even in a weakened state, an archangel with strength equal to that of a demon lord was still beyond the level of a Grandmaster, so it was possible for him to toy with them. 'Things can't continue .’ Siegfried activated Embrace of Despair and Eternal Flames the moment he replenished a good chunk of his mana. Then, he also activated Discharge to cover an even greater area with his debuff auras. As he had yet to fully recover, he decided to support Michael and Metatron from a safe distance while resting. His support had an immediate effect on the battle. Raphael began to falter after getting afflicted by the debilitating debuffs, and the unlikely duo slowly started to gain the upper hand. This was the reason the Lord of Despair was an absolute nightmare to his enemies on the battlefield. Not only was he extremely powerful in direct combat, but he could also support his allies while doing so. The efficiency of the Lord of Despair far outclassed any Buffer or Healer. Siegfried continued drinking from the Infinite Flask whenever it went off cooldown to replenish his HP, Mana, and Stamina, all while maintaining the debuffs afflicting the archangel. Even though he was supporting them with his debuffs, he could tell that Michael and Metatron would eventually lose to Raphael. Thus, he had to be ready to jump in the moment the battle was tilting back in Raphael’s favor. And his instincts proved to be correct... Metatron was the first to get blasted away. “Die! Traitor of our kin!” Michael, too, was sent flying shortly after, crashing into a wall before being buried under the rubble. In the end, even Michael and Metatron were no match for Raphael. The only silver lining was that Raphael didn't emerge unscathed from the battle either. ‘Looks like I’ll have to finish the job,’ Siegfried thought, using his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp like a crutch and pushing himself to his feet. “Kyuuu?! Are you all right, owner punk?!” Hamchi cried out. “I’m fine. This is nothing,” Siegfried replied, patting Hamchi’s head to reassure him. Then, he stepped forward. ‘One clean hit, and this is all over. But I can’t let my guard down. After all, he’s still an archangel...’ Siegfried gritted his teeth and focused. Thud... Thud... Thud...! Meanwhile, Raphael staggered toward him, and he looked like an absolute wreck. The majestic splendor and radiance he once exuded were nowhere to be seen. His wings were torn, he was covered in deep wounds, and he was drenched in his own blood. Rather than an archangel, he looked more like a vengeful spirit that had ascended from the depths of hell. “I will punish you and... avenge my fallen brothers and sisters...” Raphael growled, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. Right after he said those words— —Raphael shot forward at blinding speed, lunging straight at Siegfried like a bolt of lightning. ‘I can’t make the same mistake twice.’ Siegfried did not forget the bitter memory of almost finishing off Raphael only for his weapon to be snatched in mid air and hurled back at him. He charged forward with renewed resolve to finish the job properly this time. The two clashed, yet Raphael still overpowered Siegfried using his monstrous combat prowess. “Die!” Raphael roared, thrusting his spear. Siegfried evaded the attack with one fluid movement and immediately activated World of Despair. With that, Raphael was now trapped inside the realm owned by the Lord of Despair. “The one dying here is you,” Siegfried said with a smirk. Then, he used Discharge to amplify the effects of Eternal Flames and Embrace of Despair. And he charged at the archangel, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks. His +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp mercilessly struck Raphael in the head, shoulders, face, back, and knees. The archangel was subjected to a vicious beating while trapped inside the World of Despair. He was a Level 700 NPC, but he had gotten a great pummeling from Michael and Metatron, so there was no escaping this one-sided beating from Siegfried while inside the realm under the Lord of Despair’s control. However, Raphael still managed to counterattack even in his battered state. The archangel’s spear pierced Siegfried’s abdomen. “Keuhk!” Siegfried gasped as blood gushed out from his mouth. However, he did not succumb to the burning sensation spreading throughout his abdomen. He grabbed the archangel by the back of his neck and pulled him in. Raphael grinned and whispered, “This is the end, Siegfried van Proa. I have finally avenged my fallen brothers and sist—” “No, this is the end for you, buddy,” Siegfried whispered right back. “Say hello to Auriel for me.” “Tell him I’ll be sending Lucifer to you guys next.” Siegfried swung his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp, which was charged up with Touch of Death, into the side of Raphael’s head. To give up one’s flesh in order to break the enemy’s bones! Siegfried deliberately allowed himself to be impaled by Raphael’s spear, all in order to get close enough for Touch of Death to hit. He had learned his lesson earlier after missing his chance, so this time, he resolved to suffer grievous injuries if it meant he could deal the killing blow. Raphael’s eyes shot wide open, but that was all he could do. In his battered state, suffering a direct hit from Touch of Death made him unable to move or speak. Raphael’s body, from the top of his head all the way down to his toes, started disintegrating into tiny particles. A crimson fountain erupted from Siegfried’s abdomen as the spear that impaled him was finally released. He collapsed to the ground. The moment World of Despair faded, Hamchi rushed over to him in a panic. “Ugh... Cough! Damn it... I thought... I was a goner...” Lying sprawled on the ground, Siegfried coughed up blood over and over again. “Kyuuu! You did it, owner punk!” “Yeah... Cough! I did...” [Alert: You have defeated Archangel Raphael!] [Alert: You have leveled up!] [Alert: You have reached Level 369!] [Alert: You have reached Level 370!] [Alert: You have reached Level 371!] [Alert: You have reached Level 372!] [Alert: You have reached Level 373!] Perhaps it was because he killed an archangel, but he gained five whole levels in one go. But none of that mattered to Siegfried right now... [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: You have fainted!] The moment Raphael was defeated, Siegfried fainted, and his vision darkened again. “Ah, screw it,” Han Tae-Sung said, throwing his hands up. Then, he popped open the cover of his VR capsule and logged out. He had done enough, so he decided to leave his character in Hamchi’s hands. What was he going to do now? He was going to rest.