Hōrō no Tenshi
Chapter 1: Good
Celestial Kingdom
Holy Fields
Well...
What happened?
...
...
...
I think...
It seems I was lying among the flowers. I don't remember what I was doing near the Sanctuary Gardens. I think it was... the Lake of Wishes? Was it daytime? I think so, though it could be night. Damn, it's hard to tell just by looking at the sky, it's always so bright and radiant...
What was I doing? What was I doing near the Sanctuary? What was I doing there at that moment? Eh? Why am I bleeding...? My-my wings?! What happened to my wings?! It hurts.
It hurts so much...
It's unbearable...
...
...
...
Please...
Someone help me...
"Sigh"
- ANNA!!! HEY ANNA!!! Where did you go?
- Good morning, Mila! What are you doing?
- Hello Luz, have you seen Anna by any chance? I've been looking for her all morning and still can't find her. I needed to inform her about her next patrol shift…
- Oh, I see. Well, if I find her, I'll tell her you're looking for her, okay?
- Thank you. By the way, where were you going?
- Oh, me? I was going to pick cherries from the Mystic Bush. Did you know the Divinity likes cherry juice?
- Cherry juice?
- Yes, that's right. The other day, I accidentally discovered it while I was snacking on cherries with the Divinity. Suddenly, when I dropped one, the earth beneath the Divinity consumed it in the blink of an eye!
- That definitely didn't happen. You must be hallucinating, Luz.
- What are you saying?! Then I challenge you to see it with your own eyes! You'll see that I'm right and it's not a hallucination.
- Let's go then…
Mila and Luz head towards the Mystic Bush when they suddenly notice a strong smell of blood...
- Wait, what is that smell? Do you smell it too, Luz?
- No, it can't be... Blood?!
- Over there, at the Lake of Wishes!
Mila runs towards the Lake of Wishes.
- H-help me... please... someone help me...
- ANNA!!!
The scene in front of Mila was terrifying. Anna was on the ground with her wings shattered, scratches, wounds, and blood everywhere...
- Mila, what's happening?! Eh? A-anna..., hey ANNA!
- Don't make noise! 'He' knows we're here…
- 'He'?
- The demon.
- A demon?! Here?!
- Come.
Mila and Luz hide behind the bush where Anna was.
- I saw them, there are three.
- Three!?
- Sshhh, don't make noise. (Damn, there are three... that's too many at once!)
- Mila, what are we going to do?
Think...
...
- I've got it. But there's only one chance this will work. If we fail, none of us will come out alive.
- What?! Hey, hey, I don't want to...
- Okay, here's the plan, listen: The three demons are in the tree in front of us, across the lake.
I'll go after all three, you grab Anna and take her to the Sanctuary where the other angels are. Run as fast as you can and bring reinforcements, okay?
- No no no no, hey, I'm not as fast at running as you, sister. Besides, I'm the best angel in the entire Celestial Kingdom when it comes to fleeing or dodging blows, remember?
- But, sister…
- I'll be fine, don't worry. Go! Save Anna! I'll take care of these three.
- Well, alright, hey...
6 minutes.
Just hold out for 6 minutes, and I'll be back here with the others, okay?
Do you think you can hold out for at least 6 minutes?
- Of course.
- Good, then let's go, Luz. On my signal...
3...
2...
1...
Now! Go!
The plan to save Anna began. But just as Mila tried to lift Anna, she thrashed and screamed in pain, probably with most of her bones broken.
- Damn it, Anna...! Get up...
- Hey Mila! Leave Anna here with me, I'll keep an eye on her. You go and get reinforcements!
...
Mila hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to run and call for reinforcements at the Sanctuary.
- Ahh, aghh, faster, I have to run even faster!
Mila ran with all her strength...
- Please, Divinity, help me, give me more strength! HELP!!! PLEASE, I NEED HELP!!!
Meanwhile, Luz...
- Alright, I see them. HEY OVER HERE! I'M HERE, DEMONS!
The three demons stop above the lake, one on each side, forming a triangle, and start laughing wickedly.
- What? Why are they laughing...?
Should I attack them?
Suddenly, the three demons began flying rapidly around the lake, increasing their speed until they formed a tornado. And the worst part was that Luz was inside...
- So, a tornado, huh? You think you can attack me with that? You're not fast enough to—
"Slash" "slash" "slash"
- A rain of cuts?! Damn, there are so many slashes…
I'm lucky they aren't deep wounds. Well. Now it's my turn...
I've been experimenting with this technique day after day. I think against you demons, it could be very effective…
Luz grabs an arrow from her back, brings it to her mouth, and... cuts her tongue with it?!
- Ahh, ah, yes... a little of my blood on the tip of this arrow is all I need to finish you off...
So? Who will be first?
Got you.
Luz generates a Light Bow from her hands, grabs the arrow, and aims at the rightmost demon.
She pierces his head with immense precision.
Meanwhile, Mila...
- The Sanctuary! Finally!
Mila enters the Sanctuary.
- HELP!!! IT'S A CODE ORANGE FEATHER!!!
- Mila! What's going on?
- Anna has been mortally wounded at the Lake of Wishes. My sister stayed behind to guard her, please, we need reinforcements!!!
- Anna?! Her again, getting into trouble...
Alright, let's go! Hey, Marlon, we need reinforcements. We're heading to the Lake of Wishes, it's a Code Orange Feather.
- A Code Orange Feather, huh? Say no more, let's move!
The three hurried toward the Lake of Wishes...
Meanwhile, Luz...
- Well, well... what's wrong, Demons? Are you writhing in pain? I see...
Well, that's the same agony you put Anna through!! Heartless creatures!!
The demons continued to writhe in pain, screaming, and one even began to cry...
- Papa... da-daddy…
- What the...? Did he say 'daddy'? Where's Mila?! There's one minute left before the six minutes I gave—
666
For the first time in history, the Celestial Kingdom had turned to night. The sky had changed to a dark color... dark as death...
- Don't be afraid, Daddy's here…
Suddenly, one of the other two demons began to mutate, taking on a terrifying form, more demonic than any other, the personification of evil itself... he was...
L u c i f e r
- Hey, what does all this mean...? Wh-who are you?
With a single glance, he inflicted a deep slash directly on Luz's neck.
- Agh, ghm, I-I can't...
Y-you're not just any demon, r- right?!
- How dare you torture a baby like that? And you call yourselves 'angels'? People like you can only live in one place…AND THAT'S HELL!!!
He raised his arm, and with a single gesture, inflicted a deep, mortal wound on Luz's abdomen...
- Luz?! Wh-who are these beings?! Luz?! LUZ?! HEY, LUZ, ANSWER ME!! WAKE UP, LUZ!
- A-nna… p-please, don't die... you don't die, alright? Take care of my sister, p-ple...ase...
- LUZ!!! NOOOOO!!! NO LUZ!!! DON'T LEAVE ME, PLEASE!!!!
- One life for another.
- Wh-who, WHO ARE YOU?!
- Lucifer, God of evil. Goodbye.
Suddenly, red clouds appeared, and Lucifer, along with his three demons, vanished into the beyond.
-LUZ! LUZ! WHERE ARE YOU? COME HERE, I BROUGHT ASH AND MARLON WITH ME!!
LUUUUZ!!
LUUUUUUUUUZ!!!
- Hey... Mila... come here... please...
- Anna?! What's wrong—
...
...
...
Mila stood frozen in front of her sister's shattered body...
END of Chapter 1