"Today is a good day."
High in the sky, a pitch-black shadow flashed past. Because it was so far above the ground, anyone below would at most assume that a crow had flown overhead.
Little did they know that this so-called crow was actually Azazel, Governor-General of the fallen angels and leader of one of the Three Biblical Factions.
"Though I say that, the weather is merely pleasant. The actual situation still isn't looking any better."
Ever since the presence of the God of the Bible had been felt some time ago, the entire world had been shaken!
As a former twelve-winged Seraph and a current fallen angel, how could Azazel possibly fail to understand the power of the God of the Bible?
Thus, he had immediately begun making preparations.
Soon afterward, he held negotiations with the devil faction. Although they were called negotiations, the two sides had not actually met in person. They had merely communicated through projected images.
Even so, the fallen angels and devils still reached a consensus and simultaneously began investigating Heaven and Elise.
Unfortunately, despite all the time that had passed, they had still obtained no information whatsoever. Elise had not even appeared before any of them.
Could it all be fake?
We've expended so much manpower and so many resources, yet we still haven't uncovered anything.
Could Heaven merely be bluffing?
Some of his fallen angel subordinates had already begun entertaining such thoughts, but Azazel did not agree.
It was precisely because he had experienced the ancient war, witnessed the divine might of the God of the Bible with his own eyes, and once been a Seraph of Heaven himself!
That was why he knew it absolutely could not be fake!
Admittedly, many powers in the world specialized in imitation and could easily reproduce the presence of the God of the Bible.
However, even if the presence could be imitated, could that overwhelming power be reproduced as well?
It was like manufacturing a nuclear weapon. One could make the exterior look identical, but the effects produced by a true nuclear weapon were not something an ordinary person could replicate.
Therefore, Azazel was completely certain that whoever possessed that power had to be the God of the Bible!
But... why had He still not appeared after so long?
And who exactly was this Elise?
Azazel had a theory of his own.
The God of the Bible was skilled in resurrection. Although He had perished together with the Four Great Satans during that war, who could guarantee that He had truly died beyond recovery?
Honestly, as someone familiar with Heaven, Azazel still found it inconceivable that the God of the Bible, an existence so powerful that He even stood above Super Devils, could have been forced into mutual destruction by those four Satans...
Although he had considered that possibility before, the God of the Bible had remained absent for so long that he had not dwelled on it.
But things were different now. The God of the Bible had very likely succeeded in reincarnating!
Barring any surprises, the being named Elise was the God of the Bible!
That was why every fallen angel had mobilized. This was no minor matter, but a major event concerning the survival of the entire fallen angel race!
The possibility of defeating the God of the Bible was simply too low. Azazel therefore had to rack his brain for a way to ensure the fallen angels could continue to survive. Yet no matter how much he thought, it was all futile, because...
"The God of the Bible is just too damn unfair!"
With all the fallen angels dispatched and every subordinate organization assigned a mission, how could Azazel possibly have the nerve to hide in his laboratory and continue researching Sacred Gears?
Thus, during this period, Azazel had rarely displayed the dignity expected of the leader of a great faction and had begun wholeheartedly handling the fallen angels' affairs.
It was only moments ago that Azazel had received a request for assistance from several fallen angels...
"A Church squad? Judging from their composition, they seem to be among humanity's elites."
Upon closer inspection, nearly everyone in the squad possessed either a holy sword or a Sacred Gear. Their standing within the Church was probably quite high. Perhaps they were even the Church's next generation of successors?
"I never expected those fallen angels to run into such powerful opponents. No wonder they couldn't win. Hahaha."
Azazel quickly learned what was happening on the side of the fallen angels who had called for aid.
To be honest, Azazel greatly disliked troublesome matters and was not particularly fond of killing people.
What a joke. How could killing people possibly be more interesting than researching Sacred Gears?
However, whenever killing truly became necessary, Azazel would not hesitate.
But right now...
Obviously, Azazel could not touch these members of the Church.
The God of the Bible was already showing signs of revival. Killing members of the Church at such a critical moment would be no different from throwing the entire fallen angel race into a vat of boiling oil!
That would be suicide!
Clearly, killing them was absolutely out of the question. As for fighting them... it would be better not to do that either. If that old bastard, the God of the Bible, found out, wouldn't He reduce me to ashes on the spot?
"Honestly, I should put an end to this troublesome affair as soon as possible."
"Even though they're only two-winged and four-winged fallen angels, it'd still be a little painful to lose them outright."
"Forget it. I'll just take them away."
Having reached that decision, Azazel no longer hesitated and began flying leisurely in their direction.
...
"All the stray exorcists on my side have been eliminated!"
"Same here! Not a single one escaped!"
Following the defeat of the stray exorcists, the members of the Church began clearing the battlefield.
However, this was still a battlefield. Even though they had already won, the Church's warriors did not lower their guard.
Their leader had already told them that fairly high-ranking fallen angels were present here!
Otherwise, there was no way so many stray exorcists could have gathered in one place. During the previous battle, none of those stray exorcists had shown the slightest intention of fleeing...
That further proved the existence of someone capable of suppressing them and preventing them from escaping.
With that thought in mind, the Church members began investigating the deserted little village.
Searching alone was naturally impossible, so the ten members of the squad divided themselves into four groups and began conducting a thorough investigation.
Apart from the priest leading them, the other nine members divided into three groups of three and began searching the village.
Whether due to luck or fate, three young women happened to be assigned to the same group.
Xenovia Quarta, wielder of the holy sword Durandal.
Irina Shidou, wielder of one of the Excalibur fragments, Excalibur Mimic.
Asia Argento, wielder of the Sacred Gear Twilight Healing.
With two attackers and one healer, they formed a fairly capable team.
The three groups of Church members searched separate parts of the village, while the priest leading them stood at the village's exact center.
That way, regardless of which group encountered the enemy, they would be able to hold them off for a short time and at least protect their own lives.
When that happened, the leader stationed in the village center would be able to reach them immediately!
Although the plan had been formulated on the spot, it was more than sufficient for dealing with the current situation.