I awaited something that had never happened throughout my life, and I thought only those who had passed away could reach this place. The moment I stepped out of the portal, all of my senses immediately experienced what could truly be called the greatest experience of my entire life.
I was greeted by a sky covered with clouds and a soothing golden light, the gentle breeze that felt incredibly pleasant to my skin, along with fields of lush green grass and magnificent shady trees. The beauty of the landscape was accompanied by High Heaven's futuristic buildings, colored white and adorned with gleaming golden ornaments. Ohhh... this scenery was truly even more beautiful to behold than it had been in the game!
I saw David seemed completely ordinary. Mendicore and Sherubiel quietly observed their surroundings for a moment. Perhaps it had been a very long time since the two of them had last been here. Were they afraid that their presence would once again be rejected here? However, Geriel's message yesterday did not imply that they were forbidden from returning.
"This is Johann's first time in High Heaven. Normally, only those who have already died are able to be here. This truly is an exception for someone who is still alive like you..." Sherubiel said.
"Yes... This is exactly as the people of my world have always described High Heaven. Where shall we go next?" I asked.
"We will head to the main building where Lord Geriel resides. It is rather far from here, so we will simply walk." Mendicore replied.
For a moment I considered asking Mendicore to create a portal to there. However, I wanted to walk while enjoying the incomparable beauty of Heaven. Even the road beneath my feet was astonishing, composed of golden mosaics that shimmered whenever we were stepped on, and my feet felt remarkably light and comfortable upon it. David continued walking without saying anything.
After walking for quite some time, I noticed more and more buildings throughout High Heaven. However, what gradually puzzled me was the fact that we did not encounter a single angel anywhere. Why did the High Heaven before us resemble a dead city? Yet every building appeared perfectly maintained, showing no signs of having been deserted for a long time.
"Where have all the angels gone? Isn't it strange that they have suddenly disappeared?" I confused.
"I think so as well, Johann. I also cannot detect any of their presences from afar..." Mendicore replied.
Could it be that they had all died during the failed purification operation? That seemed impossible. Surely they would not have sent every single angel aboard that gigantic flagship. I had clearly seen several of the smaller vessels escape.
Suddenly David stopped and faced an enormous towering structure that resembled a colossal pillar stretching endlessly into the sky. Only then did I truly notice it. What kind of building was so important that it had been constructed on such an unimaginable scale? David then walked toward it, and we followed out of curiosity.
"Do any of you know what that building is?"
"I don't know, Johann. That structure seems to have been built after I was expelled from High Heaven. Do you know anything about it, Mendicore?" Sherubiel asked.
"I don't know either, for the same reason as you. However, according to my visor, the interior appears to consist of countless chambers filling the walls from the bottom all the way to the summit."
Hearing that made me even more curious. Perhaps we would stop there for a while first, since someone like David had become interested.
When we entered through the enormous doorway, which had only an open frame without any door, what Mendicore had described proved to be true. At the base of the walls were technological machines characteristic of High Heaven, and dozens of meters above them stretched countless chambers stacked one upon another, each only large enough for a single adult.
However, that was not what shocked me into speechlessness. In the center floated countless human-shaped silhouettes of golden light, circling endlessly throughout the immense interior of this pillar. Even though Mendicore and Sherubiel had not yet explained what I was seeing, I instantly knew what they were.
Yes... they were all the souls of people who had died, gathered together inside this building. They were all clothed in white robes.
I... I felt no sense of wonder whatsoever because Sherubiel's story immediately came flooding back into my mind. My body froze, my eyes widened, and my mouth fell open.
"How can they have gathered this many human souls?! I clearly remember that the last time I was here, there were far fewer than this!" Sherubiel shocked as I was.
"I've examined them one by one, and I can hardly believe it either! Most of them appear to belong to the same race, specifically from Grivendal." Mendicore analyzed.
When I still stared to them, one human soul suddenly descended and gently landed upon the floor. She appeared to be a woman with shoulder-length hair and looked at me with a gentle smile. Once again, the felt of unbearable weight had struck my heart because I recognized her face too well. Tears instantly streamed from both of my eyes. I slowly walked toward her.
"M-M-Mom...???"
The human soul that was unmistakably my mother remained silent and simply continued smiling at me. I sobbed uncontrollably, unable to believe what stood before me. My mother's soul extended both of her arms toward me, and I instinctively reached for them, but my arms merely passed through her glowing form without feeling anything at all.
"M-Mom... why are you hereee??? P-Please leave this place, Mooom...!!! They will take away all of your good deeds, and you will disappear foreverrr...!!! I-I don't want that to happen to yooouu...!!!"
However, mother merely caressed my right cheek, said nothing, and continued smiling. A moment later she turned away from me and floated back toward the gathering of souls. I cried once again. But not long afterward, I heard a familiar voice speaking from behind us.
"So... you have already learned our secret, haven't you? Surely those two have already told you while you were living together with them..."
I stopped crying and turned around. Geriel was approaching us alone, without anyone accompanying him. My sadness instantly turned into anger as I saw Geriel's calm expression despite everything he had done.
"How have You managed to gather this many souls, Lord Geriel??? Don't tell me... You obtained them from those who died during Grivendal's great invasion, didn't You???" Mendicore asked in great disbelief.
"That is absolutely correct... But remember this! I didn't take them by force. They came here of their own accord simply because they possessed good deeds!" Geriel replied.
I slowly walked toward Him while continuing to glare at Geriel with anger. Once again, he merely stood there expressionlessly.
"RELEAASEE THEEMM AAALLLL...!!!" I shouted. Geriel stared at me sharply.
"And where exactly would they go if I released them??? Remember this as well! There are only two destinations for them: High Heaven or Hell. There is no other place left!" Geriel replied irritably.
"YOU DESTROY THEMM BY TAKINGG ALL OF THEIR GOOD DEEDSS LIKE LIVESTOCK JUSSTT FORR YOURR OWN BENEFITT, YOOUU DAAAMMNN BAASTTAAARRDDD...!!!" I shouted again.
"That is the absolute law of balance! Without it, High Heaven would collapse! You already know that we have been searching for an alternative through the Element of Desire! Your people once obtained the stones from Hell to create that energy, yet through carelessness they fell into the wrong hands and caused yesterday's catastrophe! I already gave you the opportunity to cooperate in finding a way into the Realm of Terror, yet once again you ruined everything through your foolish actions, resulting in one disaster after another until matters reached this point! You are the one who should bear responsibility for all of this! You were never meant to exist within this universeee...!!!" Geriel rebuked.
The moment I heard those final words, the memory of my nightmare suddenly resurfaced, because what Ruciphar had once said was strikingly similar. My entire body began trembling violently, and my breathing became ragged.
"DIIIEEE RIIGGHHTT NOOWW, YOOUU DAAMMNN BAASTTAAARRDDD...!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
"AND THEN WHAT?!?! WILL YOU ASK THOSE TWO TO REPLACE MEEE...?!?! REMEMBER THIS ONE LAST TIMEEE...!!! IF I DIE, YOU WILL NEVER LEARN THE ANSWE—"
Just as Geriel exploded with fury at my outburst, the center of his chest suddenly burst apart with a small explosion accompanied by the deafening sound of a gunshot. Geriel immediately dropped to one knee, supporting himself with one hand as bright golden fluid flowed from the gunshot wound. As though I already knew what had happened, I instantly turned toward the source. David had indeed shot Geriel with his magnum pistol. His expression showed that he was barely restraining his anger. He then walked over to stand beside me. Geriel painfully raised his head toward the two of us.
"I-I... a-already... k-knew... y-you... w-would... d-do... t-this... e-eventually..."
David holstered his weapon into that magical slot as usual, charged forward, leaped onto the back of Geriel's neck, locked it with both of his legs, and immediately began punching Geriel's face over and over again. After that, David grabbed one of Geriel's wings and brutally tore it off until it was completely severed. Geriel screamed in agony. David then slammed Geriel's body onto the floor. Geriel's handsome face was utterly deformed as bright golden fluid poured from his eyes, nose, and mouth. I approached David, who had already stood once again beside Geriel's head.
"You did this... to my family." David glared furiously at Geriel.
I immediately understood what David meant. His former family had died during the hellish invasion in his original world. Perhaps he had hoped to find the souls of his wife and daughter here. I noticed that Geriel was still smiling despite everything he had endured.
"I-I... u-understand... n-now... Y-you... t-truly... m-must... m-meet... H-Him..."
"H-He... i-is... Prime Desire... H-He... w-will... t-tell... y-you... e-everything..."
The moment I heard the name Prime Desire, my entire body shuddered. Who was that? Was He the one responsible for all these tragedies???
"HEEYY... Is He The Absolute One that I heard about from Mendicore?! Where can we meet Him?!" I shouted.
Geriel merely nodded. Then, with great difficulty, He raised His hand and pointed toward something behind us.
"It... k-knows... t-the... w-way..."
I immediately turned around, only to realize Geriel was pointing directly at Mendicore.
"I-I... d-deliberately... c-concealed... t-that... i-information... u-until... y-you... c-came... h-here..."
My anger only grew stronger after hearing that.
"YYYOOOUUU... You have been playing with me this whole timeee...!!!" I shouted.
I immediately drew the pistol from my own interface slot and fired a single shot into the same wound David had already made. Geriel merely groaned once before falling silent. He didn't die, however, as he still appeared to be breathing. Still breathing heavily myself, I walked over to Mendicore.
"I-I'm sorry, Johann... The moment we arrived here, He instructed me not to reveal this yet. He also ordered all of the angels to leave beforehand so that if Lord David acted again, none of His angels would be caught in the aftermath..."
"Don't think about it anymore! Now take us to the place Geriel mentioned!" I asked.
Mendicore created another portal before us. Before stepping inside, I looked once more at the countless souls still drifting through the air with deep sympathy.
"We will set all of you free once we finish this final task..." I said.