301 Following the Rules
As soon as the angel heard my question, a faint smile crossed her face.
[I am the guardian of this door, after all. Anyone who is below the 7th stage can pass through without any difficulties, but those above that level need to pass through my trials.]
"7th and below... does that apply to demons too?"
[The system was set for demons originally, but it's also applicable to anyone who wants to pass through this door, like you guys.]
"A system? You mean, you let the demons pass through regularly to the human world?"
Although we need to rush to where the others were, extracting information from this beyond-god-level angel should be just as important.
[It was made so that the demons wouldn't become too powerful. I allow those who reach a certain standard to travel to the human world and be exterminated, limiting the growth of demons here...]
The angel raised its head, looking around as if scanning the entire field. After one sweep around, she turned to us once more.
[But I was sealed for too long, and I could feel that some of the demons already approaching my level.]
I see...
So this angel, the gatekeeper, is technically culling the demons who reach the 7th stage by sending them to the human world? All for the purpose of not letting them gain too much power in here.
However, after being sealed for too long, along with the exit, the culling stopped. That led to the demons gaining power slowly over time, even reaching god-level now.
"Wait, some are even approaching beyond god level, you say?!"
Her words only registered after a while, making me act flustered.
After all, just her casually plucking her lyre was enough to hold us in place. In other words, our lives were nothing before her. Just like little flowers that she could pick off at any time she liked.
And now she's saying that there are others on the demon side that are reaching her level of power? That's extremely alarming!
[I would need to go there and eliminate them before they realized that I was unsealed. But before that, you four would need to pass through the gate first.]
"Ugh..."
And here I was hoping that she would just let us pass through without doing anything. I guess it wouldn't go that smoothly.
[Don't worry. As thanks for unsealing me, I would not use my Lyre and would even hold back. As long as you can touch the door, then you can go to the human world instantly.]
As soon as the angel finished her words, the lyre vanished from her hands. Instead of the said instrument, however, dozens of javelins, about three times as long as the ones before, started floating around her.
[Now, come! Pass through me and race to your comrade's rescue!]
"..."
It looks like that's all the information I can extract from her. The javelins around her were all ready to fire at any moment. She was literally waiting for us to start, like an athlete who was waiting for her opponent to fight her fair and square.
"Well, she's already holding back, so I guess that's more than enough as thanks..."
I can't imagine us passing through her defense in one piece with her lyre after all.
Although I was wondering why she couldn't just let us pass freely, I guess it's related to the rules and restrictions of her system. Maybe she'll be penalized if she lets us pass through without doing her job properly.
Turning around, I faced the three who were left together with me. Igni and Threya had scrunched-up faces, with sweat pouring down their foreheads. I guess the pressure of facing a beyond-god-level monster was beyond their tolerable threshold of intimidation.
With them like this, I guess I can't expect them to perform at their optimal state.
"Igni, Threya, here's the plan..."
I quickly explained the way we would pass through. However, rather than a plan, it was more like an "I'll handle everything; you three just run" kind.
"... Are you sure about this, Will?"
Threya asked with doubt covering her face. I guess claiming that I will protect them from this angel while they run is a little unrealistic, knowing the enemy's power. However, that was the only way we could escape with all of us.
"I guess all I can say is for you to trust me."
I patted her shoulders before turning to Igni, who looked like she wanted to say something.
"My Lord... please allow me to fight with you!"
Her face recovered a little, but it was still pale. I guess she can exert around half of her maximum strength, but that's not enough.
"Igni, don't worry about me. Just focus on reaching the door as fast as you can. Alright?"
Igni looked like she was about to raise her voice in protest once more, so I quickly placed my finger on her lips, sealing it.
"As I said, just focus on running. This is an order."
Emphasizing the word "order," which I seldom use, Igni quickly backed off, acting all meek but with a fire burning brightly in her eyes.
Although I'm still a little worried, with this, all preparations are done. I turned to face the angel and pulled out my sword. Breathing in and out deeply, calming my nerves, I waved my sword lightly.
"Alright... Run!"
At my signal, the three of them ran a few steps ahead of me. As soon as they did, the light javelins started falling on us like rain. Without hesitation, I used Lifeblood at half potency and kicked off the ground.
Not all of the javelins were aimed directly at us, as expected, so defending wasn't as hard as it seemed. However, each javelin packed more power than before, making it harder to push away.
"No choice!"
Before it was too late, I quickly activated Lifeblood at full capacity. Thanks to the extra strength, I was finally able to easily deflect the incoming projectiles. I made sure to keep my feet on the ground, ensuring flexibility in my movements. After all, it's hard to move in the air... Yes, it's just hard, but not impossible.
After deflecting the tenth javelin, more and more started to approach us with better accuracy. Still, I only had a single sword in my hand, and it was getting harder to respond to all the attacks that would definitely hit. Although it is hard, I had to do it!
I counted up to the hundred javelin before giving up on counting. I had no more leeway to spend on counting, after all. The attacks were getting more intense as we approached the door.
The distance from our initial position to the door was only around fifteen meters—just a few steps, literally. However, those few steps felt so far. After I destroyed the probably thousandth javelin, the three were only halfway through!
'Can they make it in time?!'
If I could, I would be shouting at them to go faster, but now that I think about it, not even a second has passed yet. The exchange continued, with the speed of the javelins staying at the limit of what I could handle.
This angel really was pulling her punches, seeing her not adding more javelins or adding more power to each.
To me, who was concentrating to the limit, time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl. It was similar to the view when I was using [Echoing Thunderclap], but time was passing faster than the almost complete stop of the skill.
As I was getting accustomed to deflecting the javelins, I started to see the most efficient "path" for my sword. Like a fine thread connecting several javelins in a row, I let my sword follow it, letting my body follow the sword's whims.
With a single swing of the sword, dozens of javelins flew to the side, veering greatly off target.
By then, we had already passed by the side of the angel, with the exit literally five steps away. However, the difficulty increased slightly as we were nearing the finish line.
'The javelins got stronger!'
Before, I could still redirect them with a single strike, but now I would need three consecutive strikes before I could ensure the attack would miss.
Four steps away. The javelins started focusing on targeting Threya and her pug. I quickly worked my way around her, eliminating all the threats. However, that was a little too close for comfort!
Three steps away, and the same thing happened, but this time aiming for Igni. I was completely unable to handle the doubled volume, so I created a shadow clone to handle one side.
Two steps away, the strength increased another step. My shadow clone was unable to resist the impacts of deflecting the javelins and dissolved, increasing the burden on me.
One step away, the volume of attacks was too much for me to cover, so instead, I turned around and grabbed Igni and Threya, pushing them into the door. One javelin managed to hit my leg, however, causing quite a significant injury.
Zero.
Finally, we cleared the test!
As soon as we reached the door, a bright flash of light covered all of us before we vanished from that god-forsaken place. However, it was still too early to let down our guards.
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