"Kill the traitor! Kill the traitor! Kill the traitor!"
Thousands of Angels were throwing stones at Lucifer, a woman bound to a cross, who could easily be described as the most beautiful being in existence. She had long white hair cascading down to her legs, stood tall, and her red eyes burned with defiance.
One of her pristine white wings was broken, the other torn and bleeding endlessly. Yet, even in such a state, her beauty remained unscathed.
Great eyes were everywhere. Among thousands of wings, the eerie eyes of the Ophanim glared as they pulled the cross Lucifer was bound to, dragging her slowly toward a massive assembly-like structure where millions of angels watched.
The structure resembled the Roman Colosseum but dwarfed it in every possible way. Its scale and grandeur surpassed that of the Colosseum by unimaginable measures.
"Traitor! Heretic! Fallen one!"
Lucifer's brilliant red eyes narrowed as she cast a mocking gaze over the crowd of jeering angels. "Miserable creatures. If I had my former power, I would obliterate you all."
"That is no longer possible, Lucifer."
"Oh, and you think you'll stop me, Michael? A weakling like you couldn't dream of it." Lucifer turned her head in disdain, her gaze falling on Michael standing beside her. Michael's face was androgynous, their body muscular, and their expression devoid of emotion—like a machine.
"It no longer matters." Michael's eyes turned to Heaven's peaceful, radiant sky. Unlike Earth, Heaven had no sun. Instead, it existed in an infinite dimension beyond the universe.
Lucifer's exquisite face twisted as she tried to break free of her chains. Yet no matter how much power she used, the chains didn't so much as tremble.
"Don't bother, traitor. Those chains were forged specifically for you." This time, it wasn't Michael who spoke but Gabriel. She was one of the few Archangels, like Lucifer, who had chosen a female form.
A crown adorned Gabriel's head. Her hair was slicked back, and she wore a beautiful white dress. Unlike Michael's gray wings, Gabriel's were golden.
While not as breathtaking as Lucifer's wings, they were undoubtedly among the most beautiful in Heaven. If Lucifer didn't exist, Gabriel would undoubtedly hold the title of the most beautiful woman in Heaven.
"This is your doing, isn't it?" Lucifer grinned, a faint trace of mockery crossing her flawless face. "Only someone like you could create such useless chains."
Though Gabriel frowned, she said nothing more. Red-haired Uriel and black-haired Raphael approached, and finally, Azrael's arrival completed the gathering of the Archangels.
"Today, in the presence of the Almighty God, we shall judge Lucifer, who betrayed all of Heaven and led one-third of the angels into rebellion."
Michael's voice echoed across Heaven, though he didn't shout. Gabriel signaled for everyone to kneel, and all the angels obeyed, bowing their heads in unison. The loud crowd fell silent, and for a brief moment, Heaven basked in stillness.
One minute passed. Then two. By the third, when nothing happened, some angels glanced up at the sky in confusion.
"Where is God?"
Even after five minutes, there was no sign, no light—nothing to indicate God's presence. Whispers of unease began to ripple through the angels.
"Hahaha! God—God hasn't come! Hahaha!"
Lucifer's deep laughter echoed across Heaven, reverberating in every corner. The angels erupted into cries of rage once more.
"Traitor! Fallen one! Demon!"
A smug smile curled on Lucifer's lips. Her gaze swept over the angels, amusement glinting in her red eyes.
"This won't do," Azrael said. The other Archangels turned to him. "Lucifer's judgment must be delayed."
"That's impossible!" Uriel snapped angrily. "Delaying will only give her time to recover."
"Both of you, kneel." Michael's emotionless gaze remained fixed on the sky. Unlike the others, he had stayed kneeling.
Michael looked up calmly. "God is coming."
As Azrael and Uriel knelt, a brilliant white light suddenly filled the sky, illuminating Lucifer and every angel present.
The sheer intensity of the light burned Lucifer's face, forcing her to turn away in disgust. The radiance grew brighter and brighter, until even some of the Archangels shifted uncomfortably. At last, the brilliance dimmed slightly.
"Lord must be angry if His light alone burned us all…" Gabriel muttered, taking a deep breath. Michael lowered his head, his fists clenched. I should have done better. This is all my fault.
In the sky, Elyon, a genderless being with long golden hair and a slender figure, sighed. It seemed the angels were discomforted because He had accidentally made the light too bright.
Feeling a pang of regret and embarrassment, Elyon's gaze shifted to the woman bound to the cross. She was stunningly beautiful—so much so that He could swear she was the most beautiful woman in existence.
"After all, I created her," Elyon murmured with a faint smile. In truth, the previous God had created everything. Elyon was merely a man who had died one morning.
He had been a lazy, lonely man. When he awoke with God's powers, at first, he was shocked, then excited. Yet he hadn't inherited everything—not until after Lucifer's rebellion.
Sitting upon the great Throne, his mind had initially been overwhelmed. Knowing everything and being all-powerful was enough to shatter the sanity of an ordinary human.
So, Elyon had limited his omniscience, allowing himself the chance to experience some joy. While he could still know anything he wished at will, he preferred not to.
Where was the fun in that? To become a robot, observing and knowing everything without feeling? Elyon often marveled at how the God before him hadn't gone mad.
Living forever without doing anything, having fun, or feeling emotions sounded terrifying. At least, that was how Elyon saw it.
Elyon's gaze fell on Lucifer, bound to the cross, with a hint of curiosity. Then, he began to ponder what he should do. If he wanted, he could look into all possible futures and choose the best one.
But Elyon didn't want that. Fixating on other futures felt like a violation of free will to him. Don't get it wrong—Elyon wasn't someone who particularly cared about such things.
He simply valued his freedom more. Despite his immense power, he was still uneasy about hidden, predetermined outcomes. Instead, he decided to choose an option that had never existed before.
A smile crept across Elyon's lips as an interesting idea struck him. He looked back at Lucifer. While Elyon could see Lucifer's true form, no one else could.
"Lucifer's punishment has been decided."
Elyon's voice was gentle—more accurately, it radiated holiness. "Lucifer's punishment is to have her Morningstar powers stripped away, her wings taken, and to be completely purged of her angelic abilities."
Everyone, including the archangels, held their breath. For angels, even a fallen one, losing their wings was considered a severe punishment.
Angels believed their wings were special, a representation of their identity. A wingless angel was seen as abandoned, stripped of who they were.
And it wasn't just Lucifer's wings being taken—her Morningstar powers were also removed. The Morningstar power was the greatest force after God's. So much so that Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, and Michael combined couldn't match a single Morningstar's strength.
It was clear why Lucifer had been proud. Being the strongest being after God, possessing the most beautiful face—anyone would feel special.
Even Elyon was amazed at how much the Original God had blessed Lucifer. Unlike the other angels, Elyon saw things more clearly.
Lucifer had not only been blessed with power and beauty. Luck, foresight, intelligence—countless gifts, large and small, had been bestowed upon her. While curious about the Original's intentions, Elyon didn't dwell on it and ruthlessly stripped Lucifer of everything.
As Elyon removed the Morningstar essence and countless other blessings from Lucifer's body, her power visibly diminished. By the time all her abilities were gone, all that remained was her beauty and intellect.
Beyond that, she was just like a normal human. Even Azrael, usually serious and stern, felt pity for Lucifer.
"You will be exiled to Hell, where you will become the ruler and punisher of demons and sinners," Elyon continued swiftly. Lucifer's eyes widened, trembling with fury.
As she struggled, her arms began to bleed from the bindings. But just as she was about to break free, a great light rose before her eyes.
A vast void opened up—a dimensional gate revealing Hell, filled with destruction, storms, and chaos.
"Hell will now be your home. Moreover, it will be your domain. As a final act of mercy, I gift you the Kingdom of Pride within Hell. It will help you survive." Elyon explained calmly. "Still, without any connection to Heaven, you will be on your own."
"No! You can't do this! I—"
"You will gain a new power there. Consider it my last kindness." Elyon cut her off quickly, sensing Heaven's light harming Hell and wanting to end this swiftly.
By sending Lucifer to Hell, at least she would survive and be too preoccupied with her new powers and battles to meddle with Earth.
Frankly, it was surprising that Lucifer might even survive in Hell without her Morningstar powers. Elyon smiled, and despite her screams and roars, he mercilessly cast Lucifer into Hell.
"And that's that." Elyon smiled as the dimensional gate closed. Yet, he felt something was missing and glanced oddly at the angels.
"Ah! Right! Who should be the new leader?" Elyon's eyes briefly reflected deep thought before a lazy grin appeared.
"Never mind. Michael will do." Elyon cleared his throat and announced, "Michael will be Heaven's new leader. Congratulations."
Michael's expression didn't change, but he subtly clenched his fists and looked at the other archangels with a triumphant gaze. However, he quickly reverted to his stoic demeanor.
"Now that Lucifer is gone, as your new leader, I command you all to disperse." Michael spoke calmly. As the light in the sky faded, no one lingered—they all departed.