The more time Judas spent inside the Soul Realm, the more naturally his power bent to his command.
Every minute... every second... his control sharpened, and his presence swelled.
The angel could only stare upward as Judas's aura continued to rise... higher, denser, heavier... reaching heights it could no longer comprehend.
'I can barely see the end of it.'
In other words...
'A monster.'
What stood before the angel was a young man wreathed in a brilliance so vast, so blinding, that even a celestial being could barely endure looking at him.
And then... its eyes widened.
A realization.
A truth crashing down like a divine hammer.
"...So it was you."
The angel's voice resonated directly inside Judas's mind.
Even as half its face was buried in the ground... its body pinned down and unmoving... its will forced the message through.
Judas frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
He intensified the pressure... another surge that made the space around them tremble.
"—Urgh!"
The angel let out a strained groan, cracks forming beneath it, yet it still managed to force out its words.
"The new chosen hero.."
"The one who received Heaven's favor..."
Judas narrowed his eyes.
"Heaven's... favor?"
He scoffed, though the angel's words did make him think of his skill [The Venerated One].
'Is it related to that?'
But what truly bothered him was that the angel referred to him as The Chosen Hero.
'Isn't that supposed to be Belle?'
He shook his head and dismissed the thought.
Whether he was chosen or not didn't matter.
If fate tried to bind him, then he wouldn't hesitate to punch fate in the face... if it had one.
"Don't joke with me. I don't need anyone's blessing, nor did I ask for it."
The pressure deepened.
The ground beneath the angel cracked like brittle glass.
Lines of light spider-webbed outward, unable to withstand the weight of Judas' unleashed will.
Judas clenched his fist, light surging around his arm.
"Last warning."
He raised his hand, his aura spiraling like a collapsing star.
"Leave."
The angel's breath hitched.
"Or I'll make you."
Before the angel could respond, a different voice resonated through Judas' ears.
"Ah, jeez. They went ahead and dumped all the work on me."
It came from some distance away... irritated, tired, and wholly out of place.
Judas turned, narrowing his eyes at the approaching figure...
A man with black hair streaked by two cadet-gray locks, and gray eyes that seemed to see everything.
'A god?'
Judging by his aura, there was no mistaking it.
"Man, I can't believe it... a mortal whose soul is nearing the level of divine."
The god let out a low whistle as his gaze swept over Judas.
Though his tone was relaxed, Judas caught something hidden beneath it.
'Hope?'
Strangely, the god's eyes glimmered the moment they locked onto him.
"Who are you?"
Judas asked, voice flat, neither raised nor lowered.
The god blinked, then made an 'ah' sound.
"How rude of me."
He shook his head in self-rebuke.
"My name is Erebus, the god who presides over Evil. It is a pleasure to meet you."
He bowed with polite elegance, then shifted his attention to Alfia.
"The champion of Hera... It's nice to see you again. Hard to believe it's been seven years since you rejected my offer."
"If you're here for the same purpose as this angel," Judas said, aura flaring, "then I advise you to leave."
The pressure spiked. Erebus' knees nearly buckled.
The angel... already on the ground... began foaming at the mouth before collapsing entirely.
"How scary," Erebus murmured.
Yet instead of fear, his face lit up with joy.
"Amazing... marvelous... so this is the hero chosen by Heaven..."
He chuckled despite the suffocating weight bearing down on him.
"Hahaha... next to you, the trials I created for Orario seven years ago feel almost worthless."
His smile widened.
"The search for the new hero... the Lower World's savior... can finally be put to rest."
Even as blood seeped from his eyes, nose, and mouth, Erebus continued laughing.
"You can release the pressure now. I was planning to interfere, but after seeing you, I've changed my mind."
Of course, Judas didn't relax his guard.
"Right... understandable."
Erebus sighed with a wry smile.
Despite everything, he didn't seem bothered.
"Oh, and... how are you planning to handle Alfia's disease? Even if you return her soul to its vessel, the illness won't magically go away."
"That's none of your concern."
Judas raised his hand and summoned a rift.
He wasn't surprised Erebus knew about Alfia's condition... gods in Heaven oversaw the Lower World constantly.
He gestured with a slight nod.
Alfia stepped through the rift without hesitation.
When she vanished, Judas exhaled, tension easing.
He turned back to Erebus, who simply waved.
"It was nice speaking with you, Judas Spade."
Even now, this supposedly evil god displayed no hostility whatsoever.
If anything, he seemed a little too amused.
'Well... that certainly made things easier for me.'
His thoughts drifted lazily as he tilted his head upward.
That was when he felt it... a prickle along his skin, a pull in his soul, like countless invisible threads tugging at him from above.
He didn't need to see them to know.
Thousands of gazes.
A sea of divine eyes, sharp and ancient, all locked onto him from far beyond this realm.
Curious. Intrigued. Measuring him.
Like spectators leaning over a balcony in a theater that spanned the heavens.
Judas inhaled quietly.
'The gods in heaven are a little too bored, I see.'
Of course they were watching.
After all, the commotion he caused in the soul realm must have rung in heaven like a bell.
Still, feeling all those divine eyes on him was... irritating.
He stepped forward without hesitation.
The rift welcomed him, rippling like a dark mirror as it folded around his body.
And just like that, Judas left the suffocating gaze of heaven behind and returned to the land of the living.
"Ah... I'm definitely getting scolded for this."
Erebus sighed, before glancing at the unconscious angel on the ground.
...
Judas opened his eyes.
He was back... standing atop the familiar city walls.
He let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
When he looked up, he found Alfia staring back at him, haggard but alive.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Hestia bowed deeply beside her, eyes full of gratitude.
Judas simply nodded with a small smile.
'I shared some of my life energy with her, so she should be fine for now.'
'To fully cure her... I'll need the 6th-tier version of Miracle Heal.'
Groan.
Just in time, Ais and Belle finally stirred awake.
'These guys...'
Judas finally slumped to the floor, the last of his strength ebbing away.
He lay there for a moment, staring at the sky above the training ground.
Slowly, he let his body relax, letting the exhaustion wash over him.
The distant morning light spilled across the ground, and for a fleeting moment, the world seemed peaceful.
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