Shattered stones sprayed everywhere as Bi Xiao grabbed Gabriel by the neck and lifted him into the air.
As a Celestial, Gabriel should not have been so vulnerable. However, from the start, Bi Xiao had ambushed him and torn off his wings, the source of his power, leaving him severely injured. Moreover, Bi Xiao had grown astonishingly stronger than before.
Not to mention his ability to alter reality, even just his speed force alone gave him an exaggerated boost in strength. His overwhelming power was simply too strong.
Given the disparity, Gabriel's defeat was not so unfathomable.
But for Gabriel, it was impossible. His mind echoed with disbelief, and his handsome face was full of confusion. To him, Bi Xiao was just a Celestial, not someone who could surpass a Celestial, yet the opponent's power was astonishingly formidable.
Indeed, there were distinctions among the Celestials, just as Gabriel himself was to Yahweh. Yahweh was also a Celestial, and besides Gabriel, there were other Celestials in Heaven. But no one dared to betray Yahweh, even if there were conflicts of interest, they never involved Yahweh.
This was because Yahweh not only held authority over Heaven but also possessed the strongest combat power among all Celestial-level angels.
Yet a human, an unheard-of human, had such exaggerated power, even comparable to Yahweh.
"Do you know what you are doing, human?"
Gabriel clasped the hand around his neck with both of his hands and calmly said to Bi Xiao, trying to muster the holy light within him to break free, but he found an inexplicable force continually suppressing him.
"Your behavior is tantamount to declaring war on Heaven."
"You will bring about the apocalypse ahead of time."
Gabriel sensed a murderous intent. He could not believe that this human before him truly intended to kill him. Unable to resist the human's power, he could only resort to threats in an attempt to make the other relent.
Logically speaking, letting him go was the best choice.
No matter how powerful Bi Xiao was, he could not possibly contend with Heaven, as long as he was not foolish.
Unfortunately, Gabriel was wrong. From beginning to end, Heaven was just a side quest for Bi Xiao, and all the angels in Heaven, including Gabriel himself, were merely nutrients for Bi Xiao's growth.
"The theories you like to preach: God created the world, created humanity, created matter, and created life?" Bi Xiao exerted a little more force, pulling Gabriel's neck closer to himself, his gaze like a blade slicing through Gabriel's will, and said softly, "You call your words 'Logos.'"
"God said, how grandiose, and your so-called apocalypse, cleansing humanity?"
"The apocalypse is a rule, a rule set by the Lord," Gabriel frowned slightly, feeling an inexplicable unease in his heart.
"Thank you for your explanation. But now, it's my turn to speak." A cruel curve appeared at the corner of Bi Xiao's mouth: "I say, strip you of your archangel status."
An invisible, formless power, like a cold-hearted deity, erased what was most important to Gabriel.
The archangel status.
Or rather, the divine status. An angel who loses their status also loses the power of the holy light. The information recorded in their soul by Heaven would be erased, meaning Gabriel would no longer be an angel. He would have none of the attributes of an angel, unable to use holy light magic, and his soul would no longer be pure.
He lost Heaven's protection.
He would be rejected by Heaven and unable to return.
For an angel, especially an archangel, this was undoubtedly the most cruel fate.
Gabriel was no longer calm; his eyes widened in terror as he realized the holy light within him was gone. He could no longer sense the gates of Heaven, unable to summon or open them.
At this moment, Gabriel was reduced to nothing more than a mortal stripped of his angelic identity.
He was just a human.
A human he once scorned.
"This is impossible, you cannot strip me of my status, only the Lord can do that," Gabriel shouted in agitated anger.
Wisdom? The so-called wisdom no longer has any effect. The premise of true wisdom still lies in strength.
Moreover, as an archangel, only Yahweh can strip him of his status; not even the fallen Lucifer can do it.
Yahweh can do this only because He holds the authority of Heaven. In Heaven, Yahweh is God, holding the life and death of all the angels.
Why does a mere human possess such power?
This means that if Gabriel dies now, he truly dies, with no chance of rebirth.
Because Heaven no longer has his information record, it cannot reconstruct his body and soul through holy light.
For an angel, this is both despair and humiliation.
"Perhaps I am your Lord."
Bi Xiao softly said, then released his grip. Gabriel began to wail as his body disintegrated, leaving only a glowing blue orb—his soul.
The soul of an angel, which should have been protected by holy light, was stripped of its status, reduced to that of a mortal.
Bi Xiao easily invaded Gabriel's soul, extracting the information he wanted.
The vast information was Gabriel's entire life, containing many secrets of Heaven that the faithful longed for.
After reading the memories, Bi Xiao mercilessly crushed Gabriel's soul.
At that moment, with Gabriel's death, a surge of immense life essence entered Bi Xiao's body.
Boom!
A transformation, an unprecedented metamorphosis began at that moment, shaking the entire world. A divine aura swept across the globe, causing the seas to surge. Countless marine creatures leaped out of the water, and the animals in the forests instinctively knelt in reverence.
Humans felt a dreadful unease in their hearts.
Just as they were about to kneel in worship, the divine aura vanished without a trace.
Everything returned to calm, as if nothing had ever happened.
The human world was puzzled and debated over this event that lasted less than a second. Meanwhile, Bi Xiao, the cause, had successfully taken that step, fully entering the level of the Celestial.
Floating quietly in the air, he gazed into the distance.
The sea beneath him surged, as if cheering for the birth of a god.
"What is he doing?"
Not far away, Pietro, who arrived beside Wanda in a burst of white lightning, asked in confusion.
"He is observing," Wanda said thoughtfully.
"Observing?"
"Yes, he is observing this world, observing the truth of this world. He is a god, Pietro," Wanda said, her delicate face full of excitement.
She understood what had happened and knew the reason behind it.
Wanda was happy for Bi Xiao's ascension to godhood.
Her heart was full of admiration.
Pietro, hearing Wanda's words, looked up at Bi Xiao in a daze, as if trying to see the results of his observation.
As Wanda said, after Bi Xiao stepped into the role of the Celestial, everything became active. His immense mental power grew further, allowing him to see into the micro level and gain insights into some unknown aspects.
The previously vague information became clearer.
Keenly, he captured one clear piece of information. Massive data flowed into his brain, revealing something incredible.
A giant, seemingly asleep, was slumbering at the Earth's core.
It was a celestial being, a newborn of the Celestial race, with Earth acting as its "womb." When intelligent life, humans, reached a certain number, their life force would be absorbed by this Celestial being, allowing it to fully mature.
In essence, the life force of intelligent beings served as nourishment for this celestial being's growth and birth.
The Earth would be destroyed with the birth of this Celestial.
These so-called Celestials are actually the gods of the Celestial Host.
One of the most powerful groups in this universe, the Celestials, is an almost immortal space deity race whose consciousness has existed in the form of living galaxies for over a million years. Once a Celestial is deemed valuable, it is encased in nearly indestructible armor.
This armor is called "Mystic Principalities."
Each Celestial has its specific purpose. To achieve their goals, the Celestials traverse the universe conducting genetic experiments. They then return millions of years later to evaluate the results of these experiments. If the outcomes are favorable, further experimentation is allowed; otherwise, a reset occurs.
The most well-known groups are the Eternals, the Deviants, and the Primordials. Over time, conflicts between these three groups escalated into wars, eventually leading to the Deviants becoming the sole surviving race, now famously known as the Skrulls.
These Celestials are extremely powerful. At least Odin was taught so.
Bi Xiao speculates that he might be able to fight against a Celestial, depending on which one it is. Some Celestials are not particularly skilled in combat, making them manageable opponents. However, against a battle-hardened Celestial, the outcome would be as dire as Odin's, who lost an arm and was severely beaten.
Although Odin's achievement of fighting 1v9 is impressive, it is surprisingly exaggerated.
Receiving this information from an unknown dimension astonished Bi Xiao. He had previously suspected that Earth's core might be nurturing a sleeping Celestial, given the infinite possibilities in this universe. After killing that Cthulhu-like monster and significantly boosting his psychic powers, he explored not only outer space but also the Earth's core, finding nothing.
So, Bi Xiao assumed there was no Celestial within Earth's core.
However, the new information suggested that there indeed was a Celestial hidden in Earth's core, somehow shielding itself from his psychic exploration.
Bi Xiao, rather than panicking, felt excited by this revelation.
If a nurturing Celestial could be killed, how great would the benefits be?
As for the consequences of killing a Celestial, he did not care.
There are strong and weak Celestials. Those who plant Celestial seeds on Earth are usually experimenters, not powerful. The real threat lies with the more formidable Celestials.
He now understood why Dormammu and other evil gods from various dimensions were particularly obsessed with Earth. Apart from Earth's unique nature, the presence of a Celestial inside Earth made it a significant source of nourishment for them.
His biggest fear was that the Celestials' strength and characteristics in this universe might differ from his memory.
Perhaps some insights into the Celestials' power levels could be gleaned from the Ancient One. If that doesn't suffice, he could inquire further after meeting Odin in Asgard.
For now, let the Celestial sleep.
It is not going anywhere.
Other than this information, details from the unknown dimension remain vague. However, Bi Xiao is convinced that the micro-dimensional plane is highly special, possibly the legendary Dark Dimension.
The Dark Dimension records every piece of information about the universe, human thoughts, every action, past, and future.
If this dimension is indeed the Dark Dimension, Bi Xiao would gain information about the entire universe.
And perhaps not just this universe, but other multiple universes as well.
"This is too interesting."
Bi Xiao suddenly felt that this seemed like another unactivated golden finger.
After memorizing this information, Bi Xiao floated down. Pietro and Wanda approached, and Bi Xiao glanced at the bewildered Tony Stark and his still unconscious bodyguards several kilometers away.
"You spared him."
Wanda shook her head gently, "He is not my mortal enemy, but I think the next five years will be tough for him."
Turning a playboy into an ascetic for five years is certainly a form of torment.
However, Bi Xiao felt that this might be a good thing for this guy; at least he saw a future in him.
~~~
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