Nemesis of Hell and Evil

Chapter 9: Sealing Cruel Fate

I let out a weak laugh of disbelief. "Archangel of Justice, huh? Raguel is also the protector of the weak, are you that as well? Do you even know how much injustice has occurred after all these years?" I ask with a rising voice.

"Injustice has always existed since time immemorial. Demonkind has waged open war on humanity and us angels, but what would you have us do? To purge every sin and injustice is to purge everything and everyone. Sins can be forgiven, but they cannot be erased, and no amount of intervention will change this harsh truth," Raguel responds.

"Inaction is an action. Often an unjust one," I counter.

"Perhaps. Now, wouldn't you agree we have better things to do? There is a portal to hell we need to take care of."

I look at Raguel, confused. "You came here to do that?"

"Didn't you?"

"How do you—"

He shakes his head. "No questions need be asked. I'm no paradigm, no omnipresent being who watches over humanity, but I will fight against the idea of a world Astaroth and his like poise to instil." He turns around and takes a few steps before looking at me again. "We can't make choices for others, but we can make our own. For the likes of us, then, isn't the choice to save others from having to make this choice the most righteous one we can ourselves make?"

His words are surprisingly welcome, coming from an angel. "I wouldn't wish for anyone to live a life void of peace and love..."

"Neither would I. Come, then. Let us make our choice. Whether fate is sealed or not, the battle we fight is not yet forfeit! Meet me at the heart of this tragedy," Raguel says before leaping up into the sky in a daze of light, moving towards the centre of Paris.

I don't know what to think. Could it be that someone other than the right kind of human can want to fight for our cause? Is this all a deliberate setup? Well, whatever the case, his words strike true. Never thought that'd be my verdict, but it seems Grant was right. Maybe allies are what we need, maybe their kind doesn't matter. But trust is hard to gain, and yet so easy to lose...

A thought hits me. This suit has upgraded boots which newly function as jet boots. This is my ticket to following Raguel. I brace myself and launch myself into the air, promptly activating my jet boots. It doesn't take long for me to accustom myself to using them and before I know I'm flying over the terraces of Paris, following the faint glow in the distance as the sky becomes yet dimmer and dimmer.

The number of demons is also increasing, and I must start steering clear of them to avoid any unnecessary danger.

Finally, after a few minutes of flight, I can see something glowing in the distance. It's huge and hangs above the ground just like the ashen fog hangs beneath the sky.

Raguel's glow heads down into an alleyway not far from my position to which I head. I fully expect to see demons converge on the location, but it's only him whom I see. He looks ahead at the portal.

"That's the source of Astaroth's power in this region. Close that, and he won't be able to open another one for a while," he says.

I cross my arms. "How do you know all this?"

He lets out a single dejected giggle. "I am an archangel, am I not? If I didn't know, then my life taken up by all sorts of teachings would have been of no help to my mission."

"Even angels seethe of misery, huh? Wonder why Abaddon changes sides," I say.

Raguel swiftly turns around. "The Angel of Death did not change sides. He was corrupted by sin, just like the first fallen angel."