But more than the fear of the power gap, the root of Haniya's anxiety, the source of his deep-seated terror, was doubt. This doubt even shook the image of the Creator God in his heart.
*If the angels are good, if He is good, why didn't God grant them the power to rival the demons? Instead, He created someone like Lucifer, so overwhelmingly powerful that the gap between them is imperceptible.*
Lucifer, his presence concealed as he stood on the beam, felt a flicker of mockery in his eyes.
He laughed at these angels, like delicate flowers raised in a greenhouse. He laughed at Jehovah for nurturing his favored angels into such weak, inept creatures, so fragile that a single setback could shatter their resolve.
Yet Yahweh's calm voice reached Haniya: "Beyond his innate talent, Lucifer also worked incredibly hard."
Behind immense power often lies the sweat of relentless effort.
"Many people's efforts go unrewarded, but his will always be rewarded."
"Why?" Haniya was astonished by Yahweh's certainty.
"Because he will continue to strive until he obtains what he desires."
God had long known Lucifer was on the beam. He wasn't trying to comfort Haniya; he was simply stating the truth he saw.
Arrogance was more than just arrogance. Before his fall, as God's most beloved Seraphim, God had never denied his own recognition of him.
This recognition was not one-sided; it was something Lucifer had painstakingly worked to make God see.
But the figure on the beam suddenly softened his aura, becoming like a cat retracting its claws in an instant.
Lucifer was indeed stunned. For the first time, he felt genuine disbelief that even today, as the Demon King, he could still hear someone defending him like this.
"He was once an angel, stubborn, just like you," God said, referring to Haniya's habit of secretly practicing swordsmanship at night.
"I'm nothing like him!" the angel retorted instinctively, but then he realized this was the first time anyone had explicitly confirmed that Lucifer had truly been an angel.
"Isn't stubbornness a good thing?" Regardless of his own stubbornness, at its core, stubbornness was a form of perseverance. "Why did he become this way?"
"Because he became greedy. He demanded more than he could bear."
This sounded like an indictment of the demon's insatiable greed, but if his greed could have been satisfied, wouldn't Lucifer have avoided falling in the first place?
Haniya fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Yahweh, are you very strong?"
"Yes."
"Stronger than Lucifer?"
"Why didn't you kill him back then?"
Wouldn't that have eliminated this troublesome dilemma in Hell?
"Why should I have killed him?" God countered.
"Because he almost killed me!" If Yahweh hadn't intervened, he would have died.
"He had already lost the will to kill you. You wouldn't have died," God stated matter-of-factly.
"But what if he hadn't lost that will?" He stared into Yahweh's eyes, searching for any flicker of emotion, but the eyes remained as indifferent as their owner.
"When you reach a certain level of power, you realize that killing is the most meaningless act."
Haniya had assumed Yahweh was either unable to defeat Lucifer or had some other reason. But it was simply that he found killing meaningless?
He felt a crushing blow, as if his own death meant nothing.
"You can say that because you're stronger than him, but would he agree?" He didn't wait for the answer that might shatter his heart and instead asked, "You say killing is wrong and fighting back is wrong. If demons were to slaughter angels, what should we do?"
"So we should just stand here and let him kill us?"
If killing is wrong, how should angels respond to the demons' provocations?
How could there be any distinction between good and evil in this world?
"Indeed, there's no need for such distinctions," God said calmly, his expression placid, unlike Haniya's agitated state.
"Killing only increases sin. When you punish sin, you yourself come into close contact with it, and the sins you commit are reflected in your own being."
This is why, when Holy Wars occur, regardless of whether the cause is just or unjust, the world begins to generate sin.
"This world will be destroyed one day."
Though it might seem distant, in the eyes of the Eternal Lord, that day will inevitably come. When it does, no creation will escape judgment. Those with lighter sins might endure less suffering.
Haniya murmured, "So, to avoid suffering on that final day, the best course of action is... to do nothing?"
"I believe that's the best course," God said, gazing at Haniya. His tenderness was as natural as his cruelty.
Haniya shivered, sensing Yahweh's...