Eden had been praying in the deepest part of the Snow Shrine for as long as she remembered walking this earth. Once the angels had reasonably settled on the Snow Continent, she started praying Ilias while holding a barrier around the ruins of the Great Temple of Ilias. There was something deep inside that corroded the world and wanted nothing more than to come out to ruin this land. And, in the absence of her goddess, it was her duty to keep it inside, no matter the cost. And to think that her goddess was stuck inside with this… Thing that threatened the world! That fact made her blood boil to no end.
She still remembered that day, when angels from another world came to see her and tell her the whole truth: Ilias was indeed stuck inside, but the fake hero and the infamous Lilith Sisters were waiting for nothing more than for Eden to take down the barrier to step in and kill the goddess. That archangel named Uriela and her fellows came to give her their support, which she gladly accepted, even if she was surprised to see a different version of herself. She had to hold the barrier until the world was safe, and only then could they save Ilias, once and for all.
And so, right now, she prayed. She prayed for the strength to keep the barrier up, even as she could feel the force inside attack her spell harder and harder while her own strength faded more and more. She prayed for the success of her fortunate allies, she prayed for their safety as much as she cursed the succubi that wanted to slay the goddess of light, and she prayed for the day the Goddess Ilias would walk once again amongst them, guiding them with her words of wisdom… How could anyone want to stand against that? How could anyone want to kill the one responsible for illuminating their path against the abominations from the abyss?
She focused back on praying when she felt Gnosis patrolling behind her. The seraph's strange mechanical body disconcerted Eden. Why and how did Ilias create an angel equipped with strange makinas? What reasons would push her to make her like that? She shook her head and focused back: The goddess had her reasons that weren't her to question. She had her own duty, and it was to loyally serve without questions.
After a few hours, she could feel the world start to shake periodically. She turned toward Gnosis to silently inquire about what was happening, but the mechanical angel remained just as silent as her. Before she could word her questions, a cupid arrived into the Snow Shrine, flying at high speed and completely out of breath.
"Master Edeeen! Monsters reached the villaaaage! They're doing something creepyyyyy!"
Eden snarled, but before she could move, Gnosis finally talked in a mechanical voice.
"Our leader is standing guard there. Keep praying for the salvation of Ilias."
Eden returned to her posture, praying and gathering mana to keep the barrier up. Still, she could feel an anomaly in the mana around her. Suddenly, she saw a few plants digging up from the ground in front of her, and saw a few black flowers appear.
Her instincts instantly kicked in and she jumped back while incinerating the flowers with a fire ball. Gnosis turned and instantly started blasting the area as well while she spoke in her usual monotone voice.
"Aztec Rose presence detected. Analyzing source… Queen Alraune, World Tree." She punctuated her sentence by incinerating a larger bush. "The safety of Snow Shrine is compromised. Suggestion: Move focus point to Hall of Creation."
"Damn it!" Eden balled her fist in anger, but she evacuated the place none the less. The barrier should hold until she arrived at that new spot without issues. As she ran outside, she stumbled a bit. Was her strength drained that badly? She looked at Gnosis as the mechanical angel was staring in the direction of Snow Heaven. Eden squinted her eyes to examine the runes that were forming above the village.
"Is that…"
Gnosis accidentally knocked the wind out of the weakened seraph as she grabbed her to carry her away as fast as possible.
Uriela was pacing back and forth in front of Ilias Temple, torn apart between her self-affected duty of guarding the place should the barrier fall, and the desire to support Zion on the frontline. She turned toward the battalion of valkyries supporting her in her mission to guard the temple, and several of them turned their gaze down, afraid of the wrath of the Archangel.
Uriela stopped pacing around when she noticed some activity in Snow Heaven. Did someone directly teleport here? She sneered. It didn't matter. Eden and her angels would deal with the fools trying to attack them directly from behind. The seraph had already raised a barrier to get sure the succubus wouldn't escape the village, and soon, the abomination would be butchered as it should...
The Archangel tensed up, however, when she felt a signature of pure darkness fall like a meteor and shatter the barrier in a heartbeat. One second later, when she felt a distraught Eden trying to contact her and monsters started pouring in, she decided it was time to act.
"First line, with me! All the others, keep guard of the area!"
She then flew toward Snow Heaven at supersonic speed to be greeted by the sight of several angels fleeing while others were barely holding back the wave of dark monsters pouring in from the central plaza. She beheaded a vampire and shouted as loudly as she could.
"STAND UP! KILL THOSE INTERLOPERS! FOR THE GODDESS OF LIGHT!"
Most angels returned to their fights against the monsters, giving courage back to those that were hunted and the will to fight against their opponents. Uriela snarled as she laid her eyes on the battlefield: It was not one of those ordered battles she affectionate so much, with formations moving and eliminating their enemies in perfect synchronization all according to the omniscient Goddess' plans. It was a vicious brawl, with opponents unable to rely much on their allies and getting stabbed from behind by their assailants. A fight in which those damnable monsters excelled.
She could see an angel pinned and getting drained by a succubus. Uriela slashed the air and gruesomely cut the succubus in two from afar, allowing the angel to get up before she got snatched away by a vampire to be brought inside a building that the archangel proceeded to cut down in a storm of debris. A trio of valkyries supported by a pair of cupid were killing succubi and vampires left and right, but suddenly, darkness swallowed the cupids and they disappeared. Without their support, the valkyries found themselves overwhelmed and were only saved when she charged and killed a few more succubi.
Uriela snarled again: She had to be careful if she didn't want to cut down accidentally her fellow angels in her assaults against those monstrosities. Every monster that crossed her path was cut down into a single attack, but it wasn't fast enough for her. As she felt activity intensifying, she rushed to the central plaza to be greeted by the sight of Lilith and Tamamo No Mae weaving one of their malefic spell. Her heart tightened when she saw Eden imprisoned by the tails of the kitsune while being drained by the purple haired whore. She rushed at the succubus, but the latter managed to dodge her in a heartbeat and casted one pleasure spell on her back. It barely made the Archangel shiver, and Uriela faced the succubus, furious.
"Attacking from behind? Coward!"
Lilith offered her back a predatory smile. "You're one to talk. And I also prefer it from the front."
"Release Eden!"
Tamamo No Mae fanned herself as she smiled devilishly. "If this is what you wish…"
In a smooth motion, Tamamo spun and threw the unconscious body of the seraph at Uriela while accumulating energy.
"Moonlight Cannon!"
The attack completely blasted the already weakened Eden apart, reducing her to particles. A shocked Uriela only managed to barely dodge the attack. She accusingly pointed her sword at Tamamo as her mouth started frothing in pure rage.
"You… YOU… YOU! ARE! DEAD!"
She charged at the kitsune and engaged in a deadly dance, her holy blade meeting claws and a fan reinforced by the primordial power of the earth when the kitsune didn't completely dance around her attacks. All the while, however, she ignored Lilith who was still working on finishing the spell.
"From the darkest, most sensuous nights of the debauchery, in the largest room of the silkiest towers from once home…"
Uriela finally realized what the succubus was doing and tried to disengage herself from Tamamo No Mae to attack her, but the kitsune required every bit of her attention. A few talismans landed behind her, and Uriela was surrounded by copies of the fox. A magic dispel made them disappear, but it didn't affect the succubus nor the ritual she was preparing.
"From pleasure itself and its avatar, our mother, to the flesh, the mind and the soul."
Uriela started attacking more vigorously in hope of overwhelming the kitsune to reach the succubus, but her opponent didn't budge one inch. Even trying to blast either with her additional blades wasn't enough to overwhelm their defense.
"I cast thee, upon thee foolish that walk these lands, pleasure eternal…"
"STOP IT, OR YOU WILL BE CONDEMNED PERSONALLY BY THE GODDESS HERSELF!"
Lilith remained steady, ignoring the furious Archangel.
"Supreme Barrier of Babylon!"
"STAND STILL DAMN YOU!"
Zion was tiring of fighting the sea monsters near the coast. They kept harassing her with hit and runs attacks, and, with each passing second, her worries about the reactions of her fellow seraphim and Uriela grew.
She threw her flagpole like a spear at a sea monster who dodged the projectile with ease as she moved naturally through the water. Another ice bolt came from behind, and she managed to dodge it in due time, but before she could counter-attack, the monster was back into the water.
Zion snarled, as she could feel more and more activity around the Snow Cave she was supposed to defend. Once again, she let her impetuousness get the better of her, and her fellows were not going to be happy with that one…
She felt a shift in the assault of the monsters, and finally, the ice barrier that kept her away from Snow Continent collapsed as monsters scattered. She called back her flag before shouting as loudly as she could.
"You really think you will escape like that?! DIVINE PUNISHMENT!"
Her wings released a beam of pure holy energy she swung into the sea for several seconds. When she was done, the half-disintegrated body of Zenovia, the undead scylla queen, resurfaced as it was gradually disappearing.
Zion smirked in satisfaction at the result, before remembering her goal and rushing back toward the Snow Continent. She entered back into the Snow Cave to see utter chaos, as a group of monsters were attacking her fellow angels, with that whore Morrigan attacking either group indiscriminately. She charged the succubus who managed to dodge her, and Zion nearly ended up impaling one of her fellow angels before stopping herself. Morrigan started stimulating the seraph, getting her attention. The two started exchanging blows at high speed, leaving the party of monsters to deal with the angels.
"Now you finally die, you filthy whore!"
"Oh that's cute! You think you stand a chance against me!"
Zion could see the other monsters back up as angels were overwhelming them. Her alert eye noticed they were falling back in orderly fashion, helping each other. She focused back on and Morrigan, and charged the succubus by using the pole of her flag as a spear. Morrigan parried the assault with her sword and dodged the seraph's mechanical fist before using her aura to torture the seraph again. Zion managed to keep her composure to the great displeasure of the succubus who started slashing at her again and again. As blade and fist locked together, Morrigan smiled.
"You know… You remind me of my sister…If you surrender, I can make it very, very pleasant and maybe even get you a spot on our team…"
Zion laughed back.
"You really think I would even consider joining you? A lion does not meddle with filth!"
"You're right." Morrigan dashed back, making Zion stumble forward. "A lion first plays with its prey before eating it instead."
She started torturing Zion with her aura once again, but even before Zion could counterattack, the succubus stopped her assault to focus on a duo of angels who had attacked her from behind. She dodged on the side and drew out an agonized shriek from one of her victim who collapsed, her corpse dried up.
Zion charged back with her mechanical fist raised and punched Morrigan across the room. The succubus left a huge impact on the wall, but recovered in time to welcome Zion with a thrust from her sword. Both weapons connected in a metallic screeching as they locked once again, but this time Zion was gaining an advantage as she enjoyed the support of all the angels present, their minor enchantments strenthening her. She started grinning madly as the succubus scowled, sweating heavily as she was slowly but surely pushed back.
Then Zion felt faint for a sparse second before recovering. The succubus managed to push her back and repositioned herself at the center of the cavern. A stupid tactical error, the succubus was going to get mobbed from every side…
Zion felt a wave of concern take hold of her when she realized none of the other angels stepped in. Most of them were stumbling and babbling around in a mix of ecstasy and arousal, while the succubus was looking more and more invigorated.
"Oooh, now we're talking! Thank you Lilith!" She taunted the seraph by making vulgar gestures. "You know, in a certain way, you'll help me avenge my sister just fine..."
An enraged Zion lunged back at Morrigan, and once again, their attacks clashed against each other in a deadly dance.
"Woah! What's that?! It's more powerful than the time Alma Elma lost control during her practice!" Neris punctuated her sentence with a creepy giggle.
Tamamo's ears started fluttering uncontrollably. "That'd be the Great Barrier of Babylon, a spell to raise the excitation of humans to its maximum level… It was forbidden for being just deadly, and was to be only used as a last resort." The kitsune swallowed loudly and started fanning herself as the already heavy ambiance became almost unbearable. "It looked like they did enhance the spell a little bit and made it effective against angels as well… Luka! Ilias!"
The hero was stumbling and shaking his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. "I'm… mostly fine..." He then focused and meditated, his body glowing in the dark for the shortest period of time. "Better now."
Ilias showed her ring, which was adorned with a strange heart. "I'm fine, thank you for your gift. I really appreciate it right now. I hope it won't find more use than that."
"At least Uriela's off… Even if it's to fight another me." Tamamo's eyes narrowed in the darkness. "I never expected she would be back so soon. It looks like our plan to create a diversion is going horribly right."
"And the one to get rid of the Lilith Sisters horribly wrong."
The group was waiting in the dark in their hideout, scanning for any sign of the barrier surrounding Ilias Temple weakening, their weapons at the ready.
"I hope Yao, Erubetie, the other Alma Elma and the king managed to escape…"
"I can feel it from there." Nero repositioned his glasses. "They're doing fine, and already teleported away."
"Good."
After a moment, the magi in the group felt the barrier surrounding the temple collapse. Nero and Tamamo stood up at once.
"Ok, let's move in!"
"About time!" Granberia readied her sword, while Alma Elma stretched herself as much as the small space around her allowed her to.
Tamamo ended up digging away the last few centimeters of rock that separated the party from the inside of the Snow Continent. The cave they had spent the night digging ended not far from Ilias Temple. Every effort had been deployed to make the group impossible to detect until it was too late, now, it was time to check if it paid off…
Neris and Alma Elma were the first to come out, soon followed by Luka and Granberia, and finally, Tamamo, Nuruko, Ilias and Nero came out, carefully checking their environment. There were no defenses around the temple, only by its main entrance.
The ground quaked as a wave of chaos escaped from the temple, shaking the valkyries that were now guarding its entrance. Without their leaders to guide them, the battle angels looked uncomfortable, and, even from afar it was apparent the distant spell was taking a toll on their minds and bodies as they shivered regularly.
Another quake shook the area as another wave of chaos hit, this time surprising even the group of adventurers coming from the other direction.
"That… Was faster than last time. We really have to hurry."
Ilias was looking around her, ready to shot down any apoptosis that would appear. "I don't suppose we can teleport in safely?"
"No, the flow of energy is beyond twisted. In the best case, we'll alert angels, and in the worst, we'll end up in a wall."
"You gave me a good idea actually."
In front of the eyebrows raised, Tamamo made her way to one of the wall of the temple and started digging through, using her tails to remove chunks of rock. Wordlessly, Nero came in to support her with his own magic. In barely a few minutes, they reached its insides, and were greeted by the sight of a room where a river of lava and a thick forest were cohabitating under a snowy weather.
"Ok, this way…"
The party followed Luka as the hero tried remembering the path leading to the center of the temple. The place was even more chaotic than in his memories, with space and time corroding left and right rather than just in the central room, and not a single trace of consistence in the environment. A few angels turned apoptosis attacked them, but they were all quickly dispatched by the elite team. After yet another quake shook the ground and further accelerated the degradation of the environment, They finally arrived in the deepest part, where Ilias herself was located.
It didn't even look like the goddess in front of them was still in this world. She didn't even turn or say anything as the party entered her inner sanctum. She didn't even emit a single sound as her counterpart shot her in the throat with an elemental arrow, ending her life once and for all. Everybody turned toward the small Ilias with inquisitive looks on their faces.
"Don't look at me like that. It is a mercy kill, nothing else."
"Still… I'd wish I had talked to her…" Tamamo sighed.
"Kyu!"
"You're right, let's get out of here…" Luka grabbed a harpy feather, but felt a barrier surrounding the whole of Snow Continent, blocking teleportation. "Of course, it was too easy."
"Wait… Is that the same barrier that surrounded the area around Puppeteer's Tower when... That one time?"
Luka nodded and steadied himself. The easy part of their mission was successful. Now was time for the real challenge…