“Devil’s Castle is sure a lot nicer than this. I mean, just ewww.”
“I can’t believe what’s happened to it…”
In the central core of All a Lijeh, Emilia and Laila winced as they looked around. The area Gabriel called the “research unit” didn’t look anything like the home of the world’s greatest enemy or the mastermind leading the world’s angels. The air was dank and moldy. Thick layers of dust occupied the corners of the hallways. The shine to the metal used to construct this certainly spoke of an advanced civilization, but the sheer lack of maintenance meant this setting was like nothing they’d pictured for the final “assault on heaven.”
“Was it always like this?”
“I don’t think it’s changed much since Satanael took part of the research unit to the demon realms. But…”
Laila hesitated a bit as she looked around the entrance.
“It was definitely a lot busier. I left here a long time ago…but even that was after All a Lijeh landed here. I can’t believe everyone disappeared in such a short time… Gabriel, what happened in here?!”
“Yeah, I’ll admit that the maintenance wasn’t exactly first-class…but this is just weird. I’ve only been involved with you guys for the past year. The first time I went down to Sasazuka, it was nothing like this… Hell, it hasn’t been half a year since that battle in Efzahan… Hey, and where’s my Regiment…?”
Gabriel could no longer hide his agitation. If he had gone down to Efzahan, he must have been ordered to. At that point, All a Lijeh was still in its normal, familiar state. Or it should have been.
“So where would Ignora be?!”
“Well, up to now, she had her own floor in the general research unit, but…”
But if Gabriel was acting this concerned, it was safe to assume his assumptions about All a Lijeh no longer applied. After all, no matter how well-built this research unit was, they were non-military buildings—they’d fall quickly if subjected to intense warfare.
“Where’s Raguel? Or Sandalphon, even. They’ll know what’s going on here. I’m sorry, Emilia, can I go look for Raguel and my Regiment?”
“…You want to go solo?”
“Please,” Gabriel replied, expecting this. “Like I told Amane, I’m never gonna double-cross Mikitty.”
“Maybe I could join him? I could probably handle Raguel by myself if I needed to, and Gabriel’s Regiment wouldn’t try to defy me.”
“All right,” Emi said, Urushihara’s offer quelling her concerns. “You do that, Lucifer. But if you find out anything, come back to me immediately.”
“I’ll join them, too. If I follow the internal voices of the angels, maybe I can find where people are.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Emilia, not wanting to waste a single moment, accepted Copyhara’s request as well.
“Oh, good. I might look the same as him, but you actually trust me, huh?”
“Stop reading my mind.”
“Okay, Gabriel, let’s go.”
“Right. Thanks, guys. But, really, what’s going on…?”
Watching Lucifer, Copyhara, and Gabriel disappear into the research unit, Emilia turned to Laila.
“We should look somewhere else. Gabriel acted like nobody’s around, but we just ran into Camael’s forces, so watch out for others.”
“Yes… I remember here very well, too, and I think I know where people would be. There’s a residential floor adjacent to the research unit. This way!”
Emilia let Laila guide her along. They snooped around, carefully looking for signs of life. But all they found were the classic signs of abandonment—damp, heavy air, and clouds of dust rising with every footstep.
“Why is nobody here?! It’s so strange… Walking this far, and not running into anyone…”
“Gabriel said there weren’t many survivors in the first place, right?”
“Yes, but we still numbered nearly a thousand living here. They didn’t all have the power of Gabriel or Camael, but most of them were at least strong enough for space travel and long, healthy lifespans. And there were just as many Heavenly Regiment members called in from Ente Isla.”
“Seeing this so deserted is weird, then. If it’s a research unit, you’d think they would at least clean it…?!”
In a flash, Emilia caught up to Laila, grabbing her waist and pulling her to a halt.
“Look out!”
“Ahh?!”
Then, with a loud roar, a giant hole opened in the wall Laila was just walking past. Satan and Acieth barreled into the corridor.
“Damn it… What a punch…”
“What on the earth is going on?!”
“Satan!”
“Devil King?! Acieth! What happened?!”
“Emi, get back. He’s become a pretty decent fighter. Don’t bring Alas Ramus to the front…”
Satan slowly hefted his large body up from the rubble. The scratches and bruises here and there indicated he was struggling.
Emi, sword at the ready, carefully peeked through the hole to the outside. There she discovered two figures floating in the air.
“Who’s that next to Camael?”
“Yeah, that’s a problem. We gotta rescue her.”
“So is that Malchut?”
“Her name’s Eleos, apparently. She’s way more of a handful than Camael.”
“Wanna tag out?”
“Acieth’s pretty helpless. I think Malchut’s a measure stronger than Yesod…but they’re still just the foot soldiers. You guys need to find Ignora now!”
“Why she joins their side, I have none of the ideas! Eleos! Please, open the eyes, you!”
“All right. Acieth! Take care of the Devil King for me!”
“Aye, the stick, I drew short end of it! Eleos! Round two! Hngh!”
Acieth got up before Satan, zooming toward Camael—but Eleos stepped in between, parrying her closed fist. There was a loud thunderclap, but even Emi could tell that Eleos was overwhelming Acieth. She tried her best to target Camael, but Eleos refused to give her an inch.
“So Camael is fused with Eleos?”
“Maybe. But let’s leave this to those two and find Ignora! We can worry about other people later! I have to make Ignora tell us what’s going on!”
“Y-yeah… You’re right!”
Emilia gave Laila a hand over the rubble as they ran for the research unit. Acieth and Eleos were behind them, and they could hear what were likely the sounds of Satan and Camael fighting.
“Ugh, I’m completely lost! What is Ignora thinking?! What’s going on?!”
Laila was almost in hysterics.