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"Michael, compared to that, there are other matters we should be paying attention to. Do you understand?"
Anos's voice seemed to carry an indescribable resonance. The moment Michael heard it, he felt an impulse to kneel at his feet and listen to his teachings.
"May I ask... may I ask who you are?"
At this moment, Michael had no mind to listen to what Anos was actually saying.
He only knew one thing.
From Anos, he had sensed the aura of the Lord.
The aura of the Lord, which had vanished for who knew how long.
He would never mistake that aura.
At the same time, he was also very clear on one point. This aura of the Lord did not come from a holy relic such as the Holy Spear, the Holy Grail, or the Sacred Cross.
Instead...
It was real.
Genuine.
It felt as if the Lord herself were standing before him.
But...
But that should clearly be impossible.
He and the other Seraphs had personally witnessed the Lord's passing.
Besides, the gender was not right.
"Listen to me."
Anos raised his hand slightly and made a stopping gesture, signaling Michael not to panic too much.
Since he had chosen to reveal part of the truth at this moment, he naturally had his own purpose.
Unlike before, the current Anos already possessed the capital to show his hand.
In the Dungeon world, he had been able to use convergence resonance and several trump cards to kill Apollo, who possessed power at the transcendent level. On top of that, Apollo's power had catalyzed the growth of Anos's own strength.
Now, he could openly call himself the Biblical God.
Of course, he absolutely had no intention of remaining the Biblical God forever, constantly handling troublesome affairs as that kind of deity.
He had his own method.
"Michael, I know you must have many questions right now. So why not listen to me first?"
Anos said with a smile.
This time, he had come to meet Michael with the intention of receiving the inheritance of the Biblical God.
Naturally, he would make Michael believe that he had the qualifications to receive that inheritance.
Whether it was Heaven's faith system, Heaven's vast army of angels, or the great formation that composed Heaven itself, all of them were things necessary to form a top-tier divine faction.
He felt it would not be impossible to integrate the entire Heaven into Forbidden Heaven.
Of course, at the current stage, that was probably not possible. The existing divine systems in the world might fall into chaos because of it.
But in the future, it would definitely be possible.
Looking at Anos, who was surrounded by powerful radiance, Michael took a deep breath.
He was certain he had not mistaken it.
"You seem to have many questions. You can ask them later. However, all of this must be built on one premise."
"What premise?"
Just hearing Anos's voice and feeling his aura made Michael feel as if he had returned to the days when he was by the Lord's side.
"The premise is... I am not her. You can think of me as her successor. Although I may not completely inherit her will or way of doing things, at the very least, I will protect this world."
Anos reminded him.
"..."
Hearing Anos's words, Michael revealed a look of understanding.
That was true.
This explanation seemed to make sense.
The Lord had truly passed away. This was something he and the other Seraphs had confirmed countless times.
Although the Lord's will, or perhaps her lingering wish, still remained within the Sacred Gears, that trace alone could not serve as proof that the Lord still existed.
The Holy Spear, the Holy Grail, and the Sacred Cross could not maintain the operation of the angel reincarnation pool, nor could they provide support for the system's function.
"May I... may I call you the Holy Child?"
Michael thought for a while.
He felt that neither the previous title of Red Dragon Emperor, nor "Mr. Kanzaki," nor even "Lord" could properly express Anos's identity or Michael's respect for him.
Calling him the Red Dragon Emperor would diminish Anos's status.
Calling him "Lord" was also not quite appropriate, since the Holy Child himself had clearly stated that he was not the original Lord.
Then using the title Holy Child was very suitable.
The Holy Child had said himself that he was the Lord's successor, and that he would at least inherit part of the Lord's will.
Calling him Holy Child was acceptable.
"If you like it, then call me that."
Anos smiled.
He had not expected that after going in such a wide circle, he would gain the title of Holy Child in this world.
Although its meaning was different from the [Holy Child] title in the Dungeon world, it was still a kind of fate.
"Yes, Holy Child. May I ask, Holy Child, why have you only appeared before me now? Why did you not contact everyone in Heaven before?"
Michael voiced the greatest doubt in his heart.
Indeed, just as he said.
If Anos had gone to Heaven, he could clearly have received better protection.
"What kind of impact do you think it would have on this world if the news spread that the Biblical God had a successor?"
Anos asked calmly.
"That is indeed true. In that case, Holy Child, did you only recently awaken? Were you undergoing reincarnation in the human world before this?"
Michael frowned.
Indeed.
Putting aside the world as a whole, even among the three factions alone, this news might reignite war.
After all, the other two factions believed that their greatest achievement had been bringing down the Biblical God. If the Biblical God had a successor, how could they let that pass easily?
"Then, Holy Child, did you choose to reveal your identity now because the situation among the devils and fallen angels has stabilized?"
Michael asked again.
He did not doubt Anos's identity.
Just as the Lord had created the Seraphs, why could the Lord not create a descendant of her own?
Asexual reproduction and similar things were perfectly normal for angels.
That could also explain why the Holy Child's power was almost identical to the Lord's.
"Michael, the current Four Great Satans of the Underworld are different from the old Satans of the past. Azazel and the top fallen angels no longer possess the same will to struggle as before. Is that what you mean?"
"Although that is one reason, the true reason... is not that."
Anos smiled as he spoke.
"May I ask what the true reason is?"
Michael held his breath and asked solemnly.
Was this the difference in level between himself and the Holy Child?
He felt that he could not understand the Holy Child's thoughts at all.
Of course, he also felt there was no great need for him to understand.
All he had to do was follow the Holy Child's revelation.
"The true reason..."
"It is because now, the time for change has arrived."
The opportunity for change had come.
The order that had continued for a thousand years was about to be rewritten.
That was more or less what he meant.
"Change."
Michael repeated the word.
Change.
What was the purpose of that change?
Surely it could not be change for the sake of change.
Or was the Holy Child's purpose in appearing merely to ensure that the three-faction meeting would proceed smoothly?
Michael now remembered that Anos had previously killed Kokabiel, who had wanted to destroy the peace.
Had he acted because he wanted to maintain the current peaceful environment?
Although that sounded reasonable, Michael still felt that his own vision and level could not compare to the Holy Child's.
The Holy Child must have been talking about something else.
And the facts proved that Michael's thought was correct.
"This change is not the change of the three great factions. It is the change of the entire world."
Anos spoke calmly.
"The change... of the entire world."
Michael narrowed his eyes.
What exactly did the Holy Child mean?
Actually, it was not a complicated matter.
That was why he understood Anos's meaning quite easily.
He simply found it difficult to believe.
If what the Holy Child said was true, then it was exactly as the Holy Child had said.
The time for change had arrived.
...
"So this is what I need to do? Holy Child, I will definitely prepare everything."
After Anos finished assigning Michael his task, Michael gave his assurance.
Aside from this being something he should do, it was also something Michael himself felt he absolutely had to do well.
"Mm. I believe you will handle it properly."
Anos said with a smile.
The probability of Michael handling the matter properly was above ninety-nine point seven five percent.
"By the way, Holy Child, in that case, would you like to return to Heaven with me later? With your power, Heaven should be able to resume proper operation."
"Whether it is angel reincarnation or the operation of the system left behind by the Lord, all of it requires your power, Holy Child."
Michael sincerely suggested.
"I cannot return yet. At least, not openly."
Anos narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
So far, everything had developed according to his plan.
The probability of Michael not believing him had been far too low. His current strength and the things he had done had become a solid foundation proving his identity.
If he had gone directly to Heaven and revealed his identity back when he was still weak, there might still have been more than a fifty percent chance he would be believed.
But compared to now, there was simply no comparison.
Now, the degree to which Michael believed him had reached the point where Michael would fill in the blanks on his own.
"That is true. If you returned openly, the world would definitely be shaken ahead of time."
Michael nodded solemnly.
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