The Seraphic System

The Seraphic System

Chapter: 60

Pa/ t reon details below the chapter if you're interested in seeing some content in advance. I'll keep posting regardless. If you have any suggestions you would like to see added, I will try to incorporate what I can :)

(Not At all)

An Angel? 

The faint glow of the crystalline pod reflected off the jagged walls, casting eerie patterns of light and shadow. I stepped closer, every muscle tense as I scanned the chamber for threats. 

The figure inside the pod remained still, his features serene but unnervingly blank. His wings were folded against his back.

I quickly got over my shock. I can't say I had been expecting to find an Angel down in Hell? I wasn't entirely sure what to do. 

This wouldn't bode well. 

I had only come here due to the faint residual angelic mana here, I had found that finding an 'Ruins Of An Ancient War.' Was hard when Hell was seemingly massive. 

That along with being filled with unknown creatures.

I had run into a literal Demon. I didn't need the extra drama that would come with this. I wanted to find the second segment and leave as soon as I could. 

Considering that Demon had been in the ultimate class and had a title called 'Demonic Priest' I didn't want to know what that thing worshipped. 

The figure stirred.

The movement was subtle at first, a twitch of a finger and a slight shift in posture a moment later. 

Then, with an audible hiss, the pod began to open. 

My eyes narrowed, I hadn't done anything to open the pod. 

A wave of cool air rushed out, carrying with it a faint scent of angelic mana with something else. The angel's eyes fluttered open. 

They were pale, almost translucent and they darted around the room as if struggling to comprehend his surroundings. 

His gaze finally locked onto mine. He sat up slowly, his movements stiff and uncoordinated, like someone waking from a long slumber.

"Where… am I?" His voice was weak, cracking as though it hadn't been used in centuries.

'Appraisal'

Oh?

I observed him silently. I kept my expression neutral, though my mind raced. 

"You're safe," I said, careful to keep my tone neutral. "Can you stand?"

The figure nodded uncertainty and swung his legs over the edge of the pod. 

He pushed himself to his feet, wobbling slightly before steadying himself. His gaze swept the room again, lingering on the carvings and the faint remnants of angelic energy clinging to the walls.

The figure looked around in confusion, his eyes occasionally landing on me. 

"This place..." he began, his voice still shaky. "It doesn't look like it should look like. What's happened here?"

I tilted my head, feigning curiosity. "That's what I was hoping you could tell me. I found this place buried in ruins deep within Hell but it clearly wasn't always like this. Do you know what it is?"

The figure stared at me for a moment. 

He frowned, his brow furrowing as he struggled to recall. "It was... a fortress. Placed within the deepest parts of the underworld to fight back during the Great War." His hand drifted to his temple as though trying to rub away the haze clouding his thoughts. "But it's been defiled. The Wards and Formations are gone."

I nodded, my face remaining completely blank. Something he couldn't see due to the mask I still wore. He had been hidden, but the place he had been hidden wasn't that hard to find. Interesting. 

"What can you remember?" I probed. 

His face scrunched up. 

"I remember fighting. Then nothing."

I crouched a few feet away, resting my arm casually on my knee while keeping my Chakram within reach. "What's your name?"

He hesitated before answering. "Ezekiel. I was a Cherub. Tasked with guarding the Fortress during the Great War."

Ezekiel. 

I filed the name away, my mind working through the possibilities. 

I stepped closer but kept my guard up. 

"You said 'the war.' Which war are you talking about?"

"The Great War," he replied without hesitation. "The clash between Heaven and the Devils, the battle for creation itself." He turned to me, his expression haunted. 

I noted the strange way he said 'Devils'

"How long has it been? What has become of the world?"

I hesitated, giving him a moment of scrutiny before answering. "It's been centuries," I said carefully. "The war is long over"

Ezekiel staggered slightly, his wings drooping as the weight of my words sank in. "Centuries," he murmured, his voice heavy with disbelief. "All this time I've been trapped here. Forgotten."

"It fell," I interrupted, keeping my tone firm but not unkind. "Like many others. The angelic presence within Hell has become close to zero."

Ezekiel face shifted minutely at the mention of 'Hell'

"I see." He muttered. He sent a small look towards me. "How did you end up down here in that case?"

I smiled. "How about I tell you later, for now. I have something to attend to." 

He nodded in response. 

"What is your purpose for coming down here?" he asked. 

I hesitated.

"There is a certain fragment belonging to a certain weapon that I need to find, I don't suppose you would have any idea of where I could find any old battlefields "

My quest had given me a hint in its description. 

[Quest]

The Demonic Pit

Description: The tree of knowledge has provided you with a solution to your worry especially since you already have the 1st segment of [?]. 

The second segment of [?] has been lost in the demonic Pits in the deepest parts of the underworld. Known to humans as Hell. Use the first segment to form a portal leading there and quickly relocate the ruins of the ancient war to relocate the second shard. Lest you get stuck there permanently. 

Objective: Find the second segment of [?]

Reward: Knowledge pertaining to [?]

'Ruins of an ancient war.'

Ezekiel studied me for a long moment before nodding slowly. 

"I... understand. I know of a few places they could be." He seemed to consider this, his expression troubled. "There were many battlegrounds. One stands out. There weren't very many battles since 

A plan formed in my mind, I could make use of this. 

"Can you take me there?" I asked.

Ezekiel hesitated, his gaze dropping to the ground. "The way... I can definitely remember it. Though with how much time has passed, I don't know how much of it will still be there. It's a good thing demonic beasts find angelic flesh hard to digest."

I sent him a look. I frowned. "Think. If there's even a chance, we need to try. This fragment is something I need."

He nodded again. "I will do what I can. But tell me, who are you? I can tell that you're an Angel but I don't know who you are?"

I considered his question. 

"I'm a low-ranking Angel, Kai. No one of note really. It's probably why we never met." I replied easily. 

He couldn't exactly deny my statement. 

"Kai? A strange name for a fellow brother of mine." He replied.

I chuckle. "Yeah, the circumstances around my name are quite strange." 

Ezekiel seemed to accept this, though the flicker of doubt in his eyes remained. "It's nice to meet another one of my brothers in that case. I will guide you, though my memory may fail me."

I offered him a hand. He took it, his grip firm despite his earlier weakness. 

I let him go first and together, we began to ascend the stairs.

Leaving the chamber behind.

His movements were still slightly stiff and he often glanced around as if expecting an attack. It made sense considering we were in the deepest part of the underworld. It was passable. 

We passed through the ruins in silence. 

When we reached the entrance, Ezekiel paused, looking out at the desolate landscape beyond. 

"It is worse than I imagined," he murmured.

"Considering we are in hell," I said simply. "It's not supposed to be pleasant."

He rolled his eyes lightheartedly, shooting me a smile. "I meant the Fortress' condition, it used to be much larger and more fortified." 

I went to reply only for a screech to interrupt us. 

The screech came from somewhere ahead, echoing off the rock walls and reverberating through the desolate landscape. 

That alone wasn't enough to catch my attention, considering in the short time I had been here I had become accustomed to the occasional call of a Demonic Beast that seemed to roam these lands with a surprising force.

It was the multiple roars and other various assortment of noises that made me tense, my Chakram appearing in hand as my senses flared. 

Ezekiel froze beside me, his translucent eyes narrowing as he scanned the horizon.

Another screech followed, then another high-pitched and guttural, like a symphony of predators closing in on their prey. 

My Mind's Eye Of Kagura activated and I watched the gathering of demonic energy draw closer towards us. The very air around us thickened with the disgusting power.

Ezekiel's wings twitched. "A demonic beast tide," he said grimly, his voice low but steady.

"Tide?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the darkened horizon.

"A swarm," he clarified. "It's the name that we came up with when the Demonic Beasts gather in massive groups, attacking anything in their path. Even fortresses like this weren't spared." He paused, his gaze hardening. "If this is anything like what I've seen before, they won't stop until everything in their way is dead or consumed."

I sent him a curious glance, only for my attention to be taken as again a chorus of screeches erupted, closer this time, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of claws scraping against stone. 

The Demonic Beasts were converging on our location quickly.

Before I could say anything else, the first wave burst through the broken archway of the fortress. 

Creatures with twisted forms scrambled over one another in a frenzy, their glowing red eyes locked onto us. 

Some had elongated limbs, while others moved on all fours with rows of serrated teeth gleaming in the dim light. Their movements were all just as erratic, their bodies malformed, as though they had been born of nightmares.

"It seems we were lucky enough to get a beast tide mostly consisting of middle-class demonic beasts." He muttered beside me. 

I sent him a glance before exploding into movement.

I wanted to keep my abilities and angelic mana usage to a minimum, as he had said most of the Demonic beasts were merely of the middle-class which while dangerous in general was easily doable. 

My Chakram spun to life in my hand, its edges glowing faintly with sparks of electricity. I hurled it toward the oncoming tide, the blade slicing cleanly through the front line of beasts before returning to me. 

Dozens of bodies crumpled and I could see Ezekiel watch with impressed eyes, but more poured in to take their place.

Ezekiel moved beside me, his wings glowing faintly as he raised a hand. 

A blast of light shot from his palm, obliterating a cluster of beasts in an instant. 

His movements were still sluggish, but his attacks were precise.

My other Tempest Chakram appeared in my other hand. 

The demonic beasts surged forward, their sheer numbers impressing me. It was no wonder they were considered a threat if Ezekiel's words were to be believed. 

I had somewhat known of the phenomenon since it was stated that the residents of the Underworld had to deal with them on a somewhat occasional basis when you consider what they thought was quick and not quick. 

My decision to secure my aura had apparently shown itself to be wise, since the amount of Angelic mana I radiated was proportional to how powerful I was. 

I spun my Tempest Chakram's, slicing through a clawed limb reaching for my throat. Another beast lunged at me from the side, its maw snapping inches from my arm before I drove my foot into its chest, sending it sprawling back into the mass.

Both my Tempest Chakram were out of my hand a moment later as I allowed the auto mode it had to activate, lightning sparked as they flashed through everything around me. Circling back and leaving a path of limbs and demonic beast guts.

Ezekiel's voice cut through the chaos. "Low ranking Angel huh?"

I didn't reply, instead. I turned to see a larger beast barreling toward me, its body covered in jagged, bone-like protrusions. 

A high-class Demonic beast. 

I easily ducked under its swinging claws and used a heavy punch from the Luminous Impact Style, its weird bone structure cracked and a shockwave erupted around me from the sheer force as it was killed in an instant. 

My eyes glanced over to Ezekiel easily dealing with a particularly powerful beast. It screeched in pain, but before it could recover, Ezekiel's light blasted it into ash.

By now my Tempest Chakram had cut down a massive amount of them, leaving a large part of the horde dead. 

It wasn't long until we finished off the remains of the entire horde, not once did I use any angelic mana just in case. Though the same couldn't be said for Ezekiel. 

More screeches echoed in the distance, and the ground beneath us trembled. My eyes darted to the horizon, where another wave of beasts was emerging, larger and more frenzied than the first.

"Great," I muttered, stepping back toward Ezekiel. "Any brilliant ideas?"

He didn't answer immediately, instead sending another blast of light into the swarm. "The fortress is defensible," he said finally. "If we can lure them into a choke point, we could deal with them with much more ease." 

I remained silent for a moment. "Do you know how to get to the ancient battlefield ruins you spoke of? Now that you've stretched your wings a little bit."

He paused, clearly caught off-guard by the question. "Yes?"

"Perfect? Then we will be leaving, there is no need to continue taking on the Demonic beasts when we are so far away. We only took on that first tide since it was so close." I informed him.

My decision seemed to completely throw him off his momentum. 

"Uh-a ok?" He replied. 

"Let's get moving." I said, gesturing for us to move.

He nodded, jumping up into the air and flying in a certain direction. 

I followed him on the ground, an act that obviously confused him greatly. 

It wasn't hard, I simply jumped with all my strength and went shooting through the sky. 

Honestly, it was crazy to think how strong I had become. I don't think I could ever get used to not having this type of strength available ever again.

We were able to lose the demonic beast swarm rather quickly, our speed was a lot superior and it had only been a chance encounter in the first place. 

Ezekiel flew through the air with powerful beats of his wings. I followed suit, using wind manipulation in the air to control my flight. Something that drew Ezekiel's interest.

I had come to learn that actual elemental manipulation was rarer than one would think. Not to be mistaken with using a mediator like Angelic magic or the Devil's imagination magic to use it.

True manipulation would also be more potent and more cost effective than using something else to replicate it or using a lower version of manipulation like elemental bending.

The fact I had three different elemental skills, one in which was a higher tier of skill was downright rare. 

Ezekiel led the way, his path winding through the desolation of Hell. 

I watched from below as Demonic beasts spotted us and our flight drew a lot of attention.

At this point though, I had burnt through the time I was comfortable spending time here and I needed to find the second segment quickly. 

"Do you have a specific route in mind or are we just winging it?" I asked, my voice carrying a mix of sarcasm and curiosity.

Ezekiel turned his head slightly, his translucent eyes glinting in the twisted light of the hellish sky. "The battlefield lies beyond the Obsidian Ridge. If we keep this pace, we'll reach it before the next tide catches up."

"Obsidian Ridge?" I questioned. 

He paused for a moment. 

"A name we gave to one of the landscapes mapped within the pits." He replied. 

I nodded. "Good," I muttered.

The last thing I needed was another swarm of demonic beasts distracting me, judging by the horde's being created below us by our presence we would have to be quick. 

The journey stretched on, silence falling between us as the desolation of Hell consumed all other sound. 

Every now and then, I caught glimpses of movement in the shadows. My sight was able to catch the watchful eyes staring from below and strange figures lurking just out of reach. 

This place was strange, I had confirmed the existence of actual Demons living down here but there seemed to be other things than just demonic beasts. 

None dared to attack, perhaps deterred by Ezekiel's faint angelic glow or something else. 

Ezekiel finally broke the silence. "I noticed something back there," he said, his tone neutral.

"Oh? Enlighten me," I replied without looking at him, keeping my attention on the uneven terrain ahead.

"You're strong, to be more precise far stronger than any low-ranking angel" he said, his gaze boring into me. "And even then. You held back, didn't you?"

I regarded him. 

"Yes."

"So you lied?" He asked, something more underneath his tone.

"No."

His face scrunched up. 

"I don't see how you could be a low-ranking Angel?" He asked. 

I was being purposefully vague. 

I also wasn't lying, technically I was a low ranking Angel. I hadn't been given a rank, thus making me the lowest due to not having one. It was skewed logic I know but it was what I was going for at the moment. 

He huffed, clearly unimpressed by my deflection. "Still, you're hiding something. That much is obvious."

"Everyone's hiding something, Ezekiel," I said lightly, 

He didn't respond immediately, but the tension between us lingered as we pressed on.

The obsidian terrain gave way to what could only be described as a wasteland of broken weapons and shattered armor. Bodies were scattered everywhere, some still half-intact. Angel's bodies didn't rot, so they must have been picked at my demonic beasts. 

Instantly, I knew this was the location. The sheer mass of bodies which I didn't waste time using 'Appraisal' on showed the bodies belonged to mostly Devils and Angels along with demonic beasts. 

Funnily enough, I couldn't find sight of any Demon corpses. You would expect some to be down here but perhaps I hadn't gone deep enough for that yet considering how large the battle ground stretched. 

This place had housed a serious battle with thousands upon thousands of bodies and weapons scattered around. 

"We're here," Ezekiel announced.

We descended, my legs hitting the ground. 

It looked surprisingly intact, like only a year had passed since this took place but in fact it had been much longer by hundreds of times. Thousands even. 

I slowed my pace, scanning the area with narrowed eyes. The energy here was chaotic, an unsettling blend of light and darkness that set my nerves on edge.

Even now, the energy of such a massive battle was still around. That alone would tell you how large it had been. 

"The ruins of an ancient war," I murmured, my voice barely audible. 

My quest log flashed briefly in my mind, the objective inching closer to completion.

Ezekiel knelt beside a broken blade, his fingers brushing against its surface as if mourning a lost comrade. "This place held probably what could be described as the biggest battle in Hell." 

I began to search the battlefield, our movements deliberate and cautious. The chaotic energy seemed to intensify the deeper we ventured, the mass of bodies becoming thicker.

I kneeled down to one corpse that was more intact than any ever, the corpse of an Angel. Her face made it look like she was in some sort of sleep but the massive wound in her stomach counteracted that.

Seeing so many dead Angels was making me feel a surprising amount of emotion. I could easily imagine Avael's face over the Angel's below me and I didn't even need to. 

Spending time with Gabriel and Uriel so much had made me more connected to the Angelic race as a whole, as someone who had observed them I knew for a fact that none of them had deserved this. 

They were all so innocent and kind, seeing them discarded like this. It pissed me off. 

My chakra eyes activated and I searched around for what I was looking for, many angelic swords lay on the ground and I took them just for the sake of retrieving them for Heaven. 

It was around thirty minutes of searching while speaking with Ezekiel until I finally sensed something, an energy similar to the Hilt and that was all I needed. I moved swiftly, the pulse growing stronger with every step until we reached a massive, crumbling statue. 

At its base, partially buried beneath rubble, was a fragment of something glowing faintly with golden light.

I knelt down, brushing away the debris to reveal the shard. It pulsed in my hand, resonating with the fragment I already possessed.

"The second segment," I murmured, a small smile tugging at my lips.

[Quest Completed!]

The Base Of the [Flaming Sword]

Description: The Base of Flaming Sword. Divine Pommel made of the purest of Celestial Wallafram and Orichalcum etched with Heavenly Runes & Aetheric Crystals. A part of the [Flaming Sword] Crafted by God.

Abilities:

Key of Heaven: In the hands of [YHWH-ASHER-YHWH] acts as the official Key to Heaven which can be used to bypass its many wards and defences to directly enter and exit. [Sealed]

Holy Fire Source: The base for the most potent Holy Fires which [YHWH-ASHER-YHWH] can use to channel the Might of a sealed Quasar and counterbalancing Gravastar. Other users can make weapons of Holy Power proportional to the compatibility and Holy Power & Angelic magic mastery. Failsafes ensure instant sealing of unworthy attempts to use it inside the shell of the Gravastar.

The flaming sword? 

"Did you find something?" Ezekiel's voice called out.

I stored the base into my inventory. 

This was tricky. 

The Key Of Heaven was right there, but I couldn't use it because it was sealed. I would need to unseal what it could do. I needed at least twenty minutes of focus to do it though. 

"I didn't find the shard." I replied. 

He sighed. "It's going to take a while searching for it around here, perhaps if you tell me what it looks like I can be of more help?"

I chuckled. "That would be hard since not even I know what it should look like."

He sent me a flat look. 

"I've got an idea, let's split up. Go pick up everything you can and I'll do the same. We will meet back in ten minutes to see if we found anything." I suggested.

Ezekiel blinked. "Ok."

"We will meet back here in ten minutes. It'll allow us to search over the battlefield much faster. That demonic beast horde will catch up to us if we don't move soon. They saw us flying after all."

He seemed confused but obliged. 

I nodded in satisfaction. 

That would work.

-{Ezekiel}-

Ezekiel walked back to the meeting place in silence after he had just picked up the sixteenth weapon he could find.

He had found a mixture of Devil weapons and Angels weapons, he didn't know which one Kai was looking for so he just brought a mixture of both. 

Truthfully he didn't know what the strange masked Angel was looking for, he knew it was some sort of weapon. Which admittedly intrigued him. Adding to a list of intriguing things he had found about the Angel. 

He blinked as the place lit up, looking below him a massive angelic golden symbol had lit up underneath him. A massive amount of angelic mana spread up. 

Ezekiel couldn't help but let out an amused sigh. 

There was a hint of admiration in his expression as he took a step back, acknowledging the trap.

"Good play." He nodded.

The golden symbol reached its crescendo. A massive column of light erupted from the ground, shooting skyward with an explosive force that rattled the very air around him.

-{Kai}-

My form blurred through the air as I sped across the landscape of Hell at a record speed.

The air parted around me as I made my best attempt to get the fuck out of any area even close to that monster. 

I had known what he was from the start, playing along had seemed like the best course. Especially since he had led me to what I needed. This path had been of the most benefit. 

Perhaps asking for more time to gain more ground away from it would have been a better option but I didn't want to give away the fact I knew what it was.

That Angel hadn't been real. 

My appraisal screen showed me this.

{Name: Ezekiel}

{Race: None (Illusion)}

{Power level: N/A}

That had left the question as to how he had been killing Demonic Beasts, I had sensed that the light he used wasn't real and was in fact demonic energy but that had been real damage. 

It had taken me a while to find the being behind the illusion that was trying to trick me for a reason I hadn't been able to discern, I had only caught a glimpse of it but in that time, I used appraisal and the results had sent a cold shiver down my spine. 

My eyes scanned back to the appraisal screen. 

{Name: Eizel}

{Title: Prince of Deceit}

{Race: Demon (Mutated)}

{Power level: 51,100}

-END-

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