As Michael fell to one knee, his gaze drifted to the side — straight toward Raphael's lifeless corpse.
The sight hit him like a physical blow. His brother — his own blood — lay there, chest split open, the core missing. The weight of it crushed something deep inside Michael's mind. His resistance crumbled further. Tears welled up in the archangel's eyes, golden and bright, before sliding down his cheeks.
He had lost everything in a single moment.
Gabriel looked down at him with a mocking, almost pitying gaze. Then he casually kicked Michael in the chest, sending the once-mighty archangel sprawling backward onto the ground.
Turning away from his fallen brother, Gabriel faced the rest of the angel host.
"BOW," he commanded again, voice ringing with new authority.
