The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns-Chapter 399

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Chapter 399

I had heard of heavenly beings before.

Of course, the place I had arrived at now was not the true Heaven, but a midpoint between Lazarus and a projection of the Heavenly Realm.

To begin with, it was never easy for a heavenly being to descend into Lazarus, nor was the reverse any simpler.

From that perspective, the appearance of archangels bearing two pairs of wings was an exceptionally rare occurrence.

I silently stared at the angel clad in golden plate armor.

I had spoken with this one before.

Once, long ago—back when Lispa Elde was sealed.

The being who had stripped away a vast portion of her power stood right in front of me now.

The right hand of God.

God’s martial might.

The oldest and strongest among the current archangels.

Archangel Michael.

Neither Gabriel, who had brought me here, nor any other angel was in sight.

And Michael—acting as though I barely existed—was speaking to Lucifer instead.

The problem was that while Michael treated me as if I were irrelevant, Lucifer, in turn, seemed utterly uninterested in Michael’s presence.

What is this—drag someone all the way here just to leave them standing around while you chat among yourselves?

Before I could even voice my displeasure, Michael’s voice echoed out.

—What are you this time?

Displeasure laced every syllable.

Ignoring me entirely, the golden-plated angel slowly floated forward, armor clanking softly as he approached.

Then he extended his hand.

At that moment, the necklace resting in my subspace—already clutched in my grasp—began to tremble violently, as if being sucked toward his palm.

“None of the other archangels know this, but by sheer coincidence, I learned that you are the prototype of all current archangels.”

Michael remained silent.

Even from within the necklace, I could feel the hostility radiating off him.

This wasn’t the raw rage, hatred, or killing intent Lispa used to exude.

It was something far worse—an absolute, bottomless disgust.

—Khh… khhh…

That was when it happened.

A sinister aura seeped out from the necklace being pulled toward Michael’s hand.

The necklace reacted, resisting Michael’s power, and froze in midair.

—You there. Bearer of a soul engraved with repeated failure.

Lucifer addressed me.

“What.”

—Will you give this necklace to that thing?

“Do I lose anything by doing so? Looks like the other side needs the power to alter fate. And from what I hear, you’re the one who has it.”

—……

“And you’re the one directly holding Yog at bay. We’re not exactly allies, but we’re not enemies either.”

If Michael found a solution, it would save me the trouble.

Sure, this was a strange mess to walk into while Melissa was investigating Prince Paris—but still.

—Khh… khhhahaha…

Laughter burst forth from the necklace.

—Ahahaha! How amusing. To have eyes yet not see, ears yet not hear—what a delightful spectacle.

What is this lunatic babbling about?

“Not my problem.”

I shrugged mockingly.

—If that is your choice, do as you please. A mere necklace can’t accomplish much anyway. But there is one thing I must correct, or my irritation won’t subside.

Lucifer’s next words rang out, chilling to the bone.

—That thing is not on your side. Nor is it on the side of the extradimensional abomination.

His voice echoed again, darker still.

—If my power flows into it, one thing is guaranteed to happen: everything like that thing beside you will no longer be able to exist near you. You want the power to manipulate fate? Ridiculous. Twisting fate is an absolute taboo decreed by the Supreme God.

I punched into the empty air.

CRASH!!

The space shattered, cracks spreading as I shoved my hand inside and dragged out my demon sword.

“…Do not resist.”

BOOM!!!

Michael’s voice thundered as an overwhelming force slammed down on my entire body.

Even with a Grandmaster-tier physique, my body staggered.

But I didn’t retreat.

I grabbed the necklace still resisting in midair.

Lucifer is not a trustworthy being.

But Michael wasn’t one either.

At best, he could be considered a temporary ally holding Yog at bay—but judging by the archangels’ unchanged behavior even after gaining self-awareness…

They were beings who would ignore countless deaths so long as God’s system remained intact.

Even so, I had to confirm it.

If what Lucifer said was true, then the sole connection between me and him was something I would never hand over.

“Is it true?”

Michael did not answer.

Silence was affirmation.

A compressed, razor-sharp pressure burst out from my body like dense fog.

“Now I see why Lispa and Luna despise you.”

I struck first.

RIP—!!

My blade cleaved through the void, carving a colossal scar centered on Michael’s body.

Space, matter, life—everything was forcibly fixed by my blade’s law, leaving behind an overwhelming trace.

The surrounding space suffered catastrophic damage—but with a single gesture, Michael restored it all.

As if the Grandmaster-level strike had meant nothing, he advanced with heavy, confident steps.

At the same time, the massive spear in his hand shone brilliantly.

Golden beams erupted from the ground, binding my arms, legs, waist, and neck.

My body slipped beyond my control.

I couldn’t even properly raise my voice—retaliation itself felt denied.

Fine.

I’ll admit it.

As strong as a Grandmaster may be, I couldn’t overpower the strongest of the archangels.

But that didn’t mean I was out of options.

With nearly my entire body immobilized, I flicked a single finger—like pulling a trigger.

Bang!

A clear chime rang out.

An enormous surge of necromantic mana poured forth, forming magic circles on its own.

[9th-Circle Necromancy]

[Reversal of Life and Death]

The inverted forces of life and death wrapped around the authority binding me, corroding it.

The golden restraints melted away—and didn’t stop there.

They surged toward Michael as well.

[Authority of Death]

[Thanatos]

I layered death atop reversal.

Let’s see how you handle this.

I couldn’t see his expression, but there was no hesitation in his response.

Light overflowed from his spear, spreading golden waves across the ground like ripples on water.

My magic was swallowed whole—vanishing instantly.

Even a 9th-circle spell was erased.

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So that was his purpose all along.

He hadn’t summoned me to talk.

He wanted the necklace.

“You don’t break trust like this.”

Maybe Michael truly believed he was protecting the world in his own way.

But that didn’t justify taking Luna from me.

“Luna Basilin Raphaelia.”

His wings flared with radiant light.

“She must reclaim the rank of archangel.”

“And?”

“The being she carries possesses unprecedented potential.”

“Stop dancing around it.”

“Raphael’s restoration. And the being within her can be born as a complete archangel—a child of God. Do not obstruct the greater cause.”

Absurd.

“You treated her like garbage, so she left.”

BOOM!!

“Look at the greater good. Raphael’s return and the birth of a complete archangel could eliminate the root threat to all life—including humanity—and reshape fate itself.”

His meaning was clear.

Use fate-twisting power to restore Luna as an archangel and consign our child to become God’s spear.

Sure—maybe that would improve things.

Maybe the odds weren’t zero.

But—

There was no universe in which I would allow that.

I stepped forward.

In an instant, I was within striking distance.

Using the Nameless Sword’s method of momentary power amplification carried heavy physical risk—but at Grandmaster level, those penalties were greatly reduced.

CLANG!!!

My blade met his spear in a flash of light.

CRACK—!!

A tiny fracture appeared in his spear.

“Do not ruin everything over personal emotion. For one who seeks to escape the threat of the Outer Gods, your conclusion is childish.”

I said nothing.

Arguing with lunatics only exhausts you.

But one thing became clear.

In the closed world, I gambled the world to protect my family.

And now—despite the differences—I was doing the same thing again.

“I won’t hand over anything related to Lucifer. I won’t interfere with your ‘saving the world,’ but don’t drag Luna or our child into it.”

CRACK—!!

The fracture deepened.

His left hand released the spear and shot forward, gripping my throat and lifting me.

But before he could fully seize me, an enormous bolt of lightning slammed into his body.

Freed in that split second, I rose and extended my hand.

The demon sword Elekstra, which had been flung aside, flew back into my grasp.

For a demon sword, it was absurdly durable.

Luna had always told me to treat it with care—but this was beyond expectation.

I raised my blade, sharpening my killing intent, as the golden archangel emerged once more from a swirl of light—unscathed.

Negotiations were over.

Now that I knew he was after Luna and our child, there was only one thing left to do.

Drive him back to the Heavenly Realm—and make sure he never pulls this kind of stunt again.

Michael twirled his fractured spear casually and stepped forward.

Even with the cracks audible, he paid his weapon no mind.

“Do not resist. This is for the greater good. Do you even comprehend the consequences of your actions?”

“At the very least, we aren’t disposable parts for your cause.”

“Raphael was born from God’s embrace. And the being within her was destined the same.”

The probing phase was over.

Now it was time to fight in earnest.

There was no denying Michael held the advantage.

Which meant I’d use everything I had.

“Lucifer. Care to lend me some strength—just for a moment?”

Even sealed, he was surely watching.

If even my closed-world self had needed to risk catastrophic injury to face him, then even through a necklace, some power must leak out.

—Sorry, but I’m sealed. Asking for power now? If you release the seal, then perhaps…

“Don’t play games. I know you’ve got ways to interfere even while sealed. Hand it over.”

If Lucifer misunderstood one thing—

It was that while I might be a stranger to him,

I already knew far more about him than he realized.

And I was certain of one thing.

He had a way to turn this situation upside down.

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