Gabriel’s mind reeled. A mortal?
The idea clawed at him, unsettling in a way he hadn’t felt in centuries. This man — no, this creature — had once been human? It was unthinkable.
Mortals, most of them perished in the Selection Stage. Those who survived were nothing more than tools and pawns molded by them, higher powers. They were never meant to reach this kind of stage in their strength.
Yet this mortal now stood before him, his blade drenched in abyssal energy and Gabriel can feel Angelic energy stored inside him, his presence an unnatural fusion of Angel and Demonic power, maybe even something else.
He was proof of something that should not exist, and that makes him more uneasy.
Gabriel’s hesitation because of his reeling mind lasted only a moment, but Clyde seized it.
Clyde’s relentless assault resumed, his attacks become sharper, faster, and hungrier. He moved with a lethal precision that defied reason, each strike testing Gabriel’s defenses.
Gabriel snarled, parrying blow after blow, his grip on his golden blade tightening. He was an Archangel. One of Eden’s mightiest warriors. He would not falter.
Pain lanced through his hand as Clyde’s blade carved a thin, precise cut across his gauntlet. A bright line of divine blood, shimmering red and gold, welled from the wound.
Gabriel’s eyes widened. Impossible.
He hadn’t bled since the last war against the Demon Kings.
Clyde smirked. "Not so untouchable after all, huh?"
Gabriel’s jaw tightened. Fury burned inside him, but he forced himself to suppress it. This was more than just a fight now. This was wrong.
He gritted his teeth and thrust his free hand outward.
A wave of divine energy blasted from his palm, hurling Clyde backward. Dust and debris exploded around them as Clyde skidded across the battlefield, his boots digging trenches into the broken earth.
Gabriel took a steady breath, disengaging just for a moment. He needed to think.
He had been certain that Clyde was simply another dangerous enemy, another anomaly that eventually will be crushed beneath Archangel’s will. But now, the cracks in his understanding widened.
A mortal had become this.
This was not an accident. This was not natural.
Something had made this possible.
Gabriel’s expression darkened. Clyde could see it — the slight tension in his jaw, the subtle flicker of his wings, the way his grip on his sword tightened ever so slightly. The Archangel was disturbed. This is good thing.
But Clyde wasn’t at ease either. His smirk remained, his stance firm, but his body knew the truth.
His reserves were not limitless. He had spent a significant amount of magic power battling Uriel and Gabriel was stronger. If he kept fighting, it would only be a matter of time before the Archangel overwhelmed him.
"This fight isn’t worth it," he thought. "I’ve already made my point."
Uriel lay broken, her radiant armor shattered, her divine blood staining the earth. That alone was a message loud enough to shake Eden’s arrogance.
And now, with Gabriel standing before him with shaken and unsure feeling, Clyde knew it was better to retreat than to push his luck.
"Tell me who you are," Gabriel demanded.
His voice no longer carried the same overwhelming authority as before. It was still powerful and commanding but there was something else there now. Uncertainty.
Clyde hadn’t expected the Archangel to ask again. He must truly be desperate for answers.
He tilted his head slightly, watching Gabriel with measured amusement.
"I can only tell you one thing," Clyde said with calm voice. "Your reign as higher beings will be over. I don’t just mean the Archangels. The Demons, the Celestials—all of you. Your time is coming to an end."
Gabriel stiffened. His golden eyes burned with intensity as he processed the words. "All of us?"
The idea struck something deep within him. Eden had stood unchallenged for eons. The Demons fought them, yes. The Celestials played their own divine games, yes. But the order of things, the balance, had never been broken. Not truly.
Yet this mortal spoke as if everything was about to change.
Gabriel’s wings flared, and he took a step forward.
"How can you say that?" His voice was lower now, edged with something dangerous. "What power do you wield that makes you think such a thing?"
Clyde said nothing. He only smiled.
And Gabriel hated that smile.
His mind churned, piecing together what he had seen.
Clyde’s unnatural fusion of Angel and Demon power, his impossible strength, his utter lack of fear in facing an Archangel. He had to be connected to the corruption spreading across creation. He had to be involved.
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. "Are you the one causing this corruption?"
Clyde’s expression didn’t change. "Not me."
And before Gabriel could respond, Clyde reached into his coat, fingers closing around the amulet in his chest.
It looks like a simple thing. But the moment his fingers brushed against it, power surged through his body, weaving through his veins.
He channeled his magic power into the amulet, willing it to activate.
A low hum resonated through the air. The space behind him shimmered, bending and twisting as a portal began to form.
But it wasn’t instant. It needed time.
"Damn it," Clyde thought. "This is kinda slow."
Gabriel’s eyes flickered toward the forming portal. Recognition dawned in his gaze.
"You’re trying to escape," he realized.
Clyde just smirked again. "What? Afraid you’ll lose me?"
Gabriel’s jaw clenched. He wasn’t about to let this anomaly slip away without answers.
With a single motion, he raised his free hand, light gathering in his palm. Divine chains of radiant gold formed in an instant, crackling with holy energy.
Clyde tensed and get ready to fight again.
The chains shot toward him. He swung his Elderglass sword and activated [Pure Lightning] while also channeling Demon power into it, causing the lightning surging from his body to turn blue with black streaks.
Gabriel was once again shocked to see him wielding yet another type of power.
The lightning struck the chains heading toward him, blasting them away.
The portal behind him opened.
Clyde locked eyes with Gabriel in the final moments before vanishing into the portal.