For a moment, Vesuvius silently watched the cloudy landscape around him. Everything was perfectly bright and white—not a single trace of dirt or dust in sight. Even the air he breathed was pure and pleasantly scented, reminding him of gold.
Small flocks of angels flew in the distance, yet none spotted the group. Lucifer held his hand raised, the light visibly bending around, shielding them from sight.
Vesuvius refocused on the task, his gaze falling onto a large white structure, shaped almost like a Greek temple, floating on the clouds below them. It was guarded by a group of angel soldiers: eight-winged cherubim with luminous, radiant forms, armed with swords of light, and four-winged powers, each armed with spears of light.
"Let's move; I have other things to do," Satanael blurted out, flapping the wings on his demonic form and slowly gliding downward. Vesuvius and the rest followed, their wings cutting silently through the pristine air.
Vesuvius remained cautious, his eyes scanning the surroundings. He could feel a magical barrier charged with divine energy enveloping the vault, and from the briefing, he knew its purpose.
'Detects movement, life force, unknown auras. Almost everything. Too hard to trick.'
Suddenly, a bright light burst amidst the clouds, nearly blinding in its intensity. A holy aura followed, spilling over the surroundings.
'A high-ranking angel is coming.' Vesuvius tensed, and the rest of the group paused. Yet, they all remained visibly calm, none of them moving to attack.
The aura quickly drew closer, the clouds swirling chaotically, the light intensifying. An angel with nine pairs of wings, entirely formed of light, descended. Its feathers were like burning flames, its enormous form distinctly humanoid yet monstrous. A prolonged hand of light held perfectly balanced scales, with a pitch-black shadow visible amidst the light where its head should be.
Feathers of light rained down as the angel descended toward the vault.
Vesuvius silently exhaled in relief, recognizing the angel of justice in their true form, their insider.
As Justice approached, all the guards turned to her. The brightest cherubim flapped their wings, flying to block her path.
"Lady Justice, the vaults are to be locked by the commandment of the holiest god of light, our lord."
"Do you think I don't know the lord's commandments? That is not my purpose here, cherub. Even though your diligence to our lord's orders is a praiseworthy act."
Beside Vesuvius, Lucifer muttered, "One of the reasons why I am glad to no longer live in heaven. I can't listen to this endless praising and ass-kissing."
Even Vesuvius could understand it; he was already tired of hearing praise for the god in every sentence the angels spoke.
"Guards, to me. I will bless you to help with your holy duties as you have passed through my test of faith."
Instantly, all the surrounding angels flapped their wings and flocked toward Justice, kneeling midair.
"Praised be our lord!" they all chanted in perfect sync.
Seeing the chance, the group flapped their wings, quickly approaching the temple. Vesuvius's heart pounded as they drew nearer to the barrier surrounding the vault. He could feel the divine energy crackling in the air.
"The barrier is close, I must cancel our camouflage, or we will risk triggering it. We do not have much time." Lucifer spoke as they finally reached the barrier, the warped light around them disappearing, fully revealing their forms against the white and blue backdrop of the heavens.
The god of knowledge stepped forward, her eyes glowing with an intense light as she began to analyze the barrier. Her hands hovered just above its border, fingers twitching slightly as if feeling for hidden mechanisms.
"I see, quite a problem," she whispered, her focus unwavering.
Behind them, Vesuvius could hear Justice continuing to stall the angels. "Your faith and loyalty are commendable. It is through such dedication that we shall prevail against the darkness and injustice."
The cherubim and powers responded with fervent cries of devotion, their attention fully on Justice. But Vesuvius knew their time was running out.
Knowledge moved along the barrier's edge, her eyes glowing even brighter as if searching for something. Her movements were precise.
In the meantime, Vesuvius could hear the fanatical angels already getting impatient. Their time was quickly running out.
"Lady Justice, even though we are grateful for your praise of our dedication, we should return to our guard."
"Of course, angel, your dedication is truly great to forfeit praise for the sake of your duties! Let me bless you once more!" ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
"Praised be our lord!" they all chanted in perfect sync, again.
'Freaking fanatics!' Vesuvius had almost an urge to use his domain to slow down time, but with the barrier so close, it seemed like a risky move.
"Found it. Come here," Knowledge waved her hand over a small portion of the barrier, revealing a rune. "Freeze this rune in time. Add some celestial energy to make it persistent."
Vesuvius didn't waste a single moment. He waved his clawed hand, separating a tiny piece of his domain. The rune began to light up, but before it could fully activate, he infused it with both divine and celestial energy, flicking it toward the rune.
The rune seemingly froze in time, its light encased in an icy stillness.
'Still hard to use.' Even after becoming a king, Vesuvius found time manipulation more challenging than space manipulation.
"So be it, return to your posts and continue your sacred duty. Also, send a message to the guards inside; I would like to bless them too, to help them with their holy duties," Justice commanded in the background.
Lucifer snapped his fingers, the barrier of light enveloping them once more. The vault's barrier pulsed in reaction, yet nothing happened.
'It truly is disabled. No, not disabled—still existing, just broken.'
A four-winged angel emerged from behind the temple's corner, their glowing eyes sweeping over the group before moving away.
"Let's go in! Let's rob those feathered chickens!" Satanael flapped his wings and passed through the vault's border barrier. The rest followed.
Vesuvius's heart pounded as he crossed over the barrier, as he could sense the intense smell of riches coming from inside.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter