Chapter 159: Chapter 36: The Gates

I walked the pathway filled with nostalgia and sorrow. The same beautiful shops, stalls and homes were damaged, ruined and abandoned where the small halflings danced and made merry; blood and dirt now remained...

There was a feeling of anger but an even greater sorrow that filled my chest as we walked towards the castle gates with a small hope in both my hearts, one for each man.

"Flora, Lumina, are you sure you want to come with me first...?" I asked, hoping they would wait here just in case the news wasn't good and their fathers were no longer with us. No matter how close I am to them, both men were the fathers of my women...

Could I feel nothing if they were to be gone forever, leaving permanent scars on my two cute wives?

"Please let me come... I don't want to find out from someone else but with my own eyes." Lumia was the first to respond as she clung to my body even tighter, my steps becoming steadier and faster, knowing her feelings.

"Mmmm... I want to see Dad with my own eyes. Please, Rai, take me there." Flora was more shaken than I imagined, but she was very sentimental, so I held her tight, letting her sit on my arm as my pace increased.

From this distance, I could already see the door thanks to my enhanced eyesight, but some kind of strange barrier stopped me from seeing their vitals or if they were still alive...

It was frustrating and meant the people ahead either had a reason to wait and make this strange trap.... but could it be for?

With each step, I felt the pressure and weight upon my shoulders increase; this didn't mean physically, but the more I saw their distraught eyes and felt the trembling of both girls' bodies, my duty to protect them grew larger and more difficult.

Should they lunge at the enemy, my role would be to stop them getting hurt...

***

Finally, we arrived at the castle gate... the ramparts were filled with holes and broken stones from their initial barrage and attack.

The walls were destroyed, and it looked like a huge monster had pulled them down into the moat... the castle itself seemed more like one from a horror movie than the glorious place that once existed.

Now, it was covered in rubble, dust and debris... I looked to the centre of the courtyard... saw two corpses hanging by chains from hooks... however, Lumia and Flora trembled, calling their fathers loudly.

Silence...

"Dad!!"

"Father!!!"

They called again, louder with tears in their eyes and a shrieking tone; my feet were frozen still as their hands and legs kicked my arms, trying to get me to move... but I would not let them go over there.

The existence standing under their fathers was beyond either of them... so much out of their league, they didn't even notice him standing there while sipping tea from their father's special cup.

He was tall, dressed in a golden robe with black wings, and four pairs of wings exuded a pressure that caused Lumia and Flora to stop struggling and finally realise another was present. "Eh!?"

"When did he get there? What is he going to do with Dad?" Lumia panicked... Flora shook and trembled, clinging to my body tightly as the man glanced towards us lazily... he placed down his teacup before smiling.

"Oh... visitors! I thought the angels had finished slaughtering everyone on this god-forsaken planet. The only thing worth anything was this tea, which wasn't very impressive at best... Worry not, trembling lambs of filth. The men above me are still living, for now."

Arch...angel?

Was this guy one of them? The fabled higher angels of god?

Then I realised... this man wasn't some normal foe... I needed information fast... before deciding to gamble and ask a question.

"Why did you attack here, in particular?"

His eyebrow rose... before laughing loudly, "Direct and to the point... you amuse me, human... So, I attacked this planet because the mana is excellent... and..." His finger pointed at me, and then he smiled.

A strange feeling of friendliness came from his body. "You, to reach you, the one those upper fools are trying so hard to amass troops to destroy. He who unlocks the gates, seals them... whatever they call you."

Upper fools...? Gates and Seals?

"Who are you?"

He smirked, "Me? I am or was an Archangel. My name is unimportant as it was taken from me, The leader of the heavenly host, commander of the 72 generals of heaven... Satan."

Satan...!?

The fallen angel of God... why was he here and drinking wine with me... his smile widened, "Because I am bored of war with the upper fools; they wish to wipe out your race, so I decided to annoy them by attacking a planet they tried first. Except they managed to plant a few dirty insects into my troops... I had planned just to do the same as with their father's to all the people, forgive me.

I messed up, and half the world was burned to a cinder."

Satan sighed, shaking his head... "However, I sensed your presence... and oh boy, the upper fools went crazy... they began gathering armies to destroy you... Why? Who knows...

They call you so many names, fear you and worry you will seal them all in that tiny world again... Yet now they also believe if you die, all seals and all worlds will interlock and join together again."

"These old fools... why can't they let a grudge from millions of years ago fade." Satan sighed... I didn't know what he meant, but I understood the gist of the situation... this guy was powerful and bored, attacking planets to piss off his former comrades, and I was some key to open and seal things...

"So what now? Are we going to fight?" I asked, drinking the last of the wine, while Satan just smiled, shaking his head.

"Oh no, not now... I like my fights to have some excitement and danger. You could probably beat me now, but there would be a large deal of luck and coincidence in that victory... I want to fight you when you can defeat me, even without that luck or the coincidental happenings."

Satan vanished... his voice sounding from my shadow... "Come find me when you can challenge me fairly... little wolf, fufu..." Before disappearing, he snapped his finger as the strange feeling of the world became heavier on my chest...

I felt nostalgia as my hand lifted into the air, forming a brilliant golden light before I twisted my arm; the feeling was harsh, like breaking my limb; as it slowly turned, there was a deep, resounding click from the centre of the world...

"Good, now this world is safe. Ensure you visit the others and find me before I get bored!"

Somehow... as his presence vanished... I couldn't bring myself to hate the man; something about him was nostalgic, and thanks to him, I now understood...

HOW to seal the planets to stop others from getting inside.