Editing Ultimate Antihero:Volume 3 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 7===

“Oi, that……”

“That’s, an angel?”

Floating high in the sky while looking down on Tokyo life sphere, was a young boy with dazzling golden wings and golden hair.

According to Innocentius, it seemed that it was an angel that was going to save this world.

Indeed, certainly his appearance really suggested that.

But, the reaction of the people looking up to the sky was mostly doubtful.

“Do angels really exist in the first place?”

“There are demons, so angels should exist too, shouldn’t they? I don’t know if that’s the real thing though.”

“That must be a fake anyway. If the real thing really does exist then why didn’t they save humanity until now, ain’t that the question.”

Due to the development of sorcery, these days, humans flying in the sky was not something rare.

Wings were also not something that needed to be flapped wildly so that the wearer could fly, the user just needed to spread them open slightly.

The boy above could even be seen as fake from what they could see.

In the first place, the words just now were coming from the man who expressed hostility towards them.

There was no way they were going to believe that.

However――




{O children of man. Listen well.

I am one of the <Archangels> under the service of the great father.

The person who is talked in the world as Michael.}




“ “ “…………――――a” ” ”

Those doubtful hearts were erased the instant they heard his voice echoing inside their mind.

It was a gentle voice filled with endlessly deep compassion.

His gaze of kindness could be felt by every person no matter how far they were soaking into them.

Without distinction of old or young, man or woman, other sect or atheist, that voice awakened the primitive intuition inside humanity and shook awake conviction that surpassed comprehension.

――That he was the real thing.

That boy was unmistakably, something different from human.

And yet he was different from demon, he was a being that loved humans.

He possessed something like that which could make everyone convinced passing over all process of understanding.

Most likely that was something that should be called authority.

And then, Michael that had proved himself to the humans talked about the reason he came to this land with his own words.




{In order to save mankind as the work of the great father, I descended to this earth once more.

I come here entrusted with the technique to create a barrier to shut the hollow that connects the demon world and the human world for eternity from the great father.

Using this, surely the world of man will be liberated from the threat of demons for eternity.

This earth will once again turn into heaven of the blessed people of god.}




There was not a single lie included in the words of this Michael.

He was truly coming to this earth from the heaven carrying the plan to save this world.

There was not even a single self-interest or calculation, he was just merely here for the purpose of granting salvation to the suffering mankind.

And then his sincere words that weren’t filled with lie were transmitted to the human heart.

The heart of the angel that wished for the peace of man was also conveyed to the people listening to that voice.

――He was going to save this world for real.

He would save mankind from the threat of demons.

The people believed in those truly sincere words of Michael and delighted.

“Oi oi, for real!?”

“We can live without fearing the demons anymore!?”

“Aah… lord! Thank you very much!”

The people had even forgotten the verdict of war proclamation from Innocentius and erupted in happiness.

It was not unreasonable.

After all… this was the arrival of salvation that mankind had continuously waited for these hundred years.

Some people yelled in joy, some people shed their tears in gratitude, they kneeled on that spot.

But that was… a truly human imprudence.

Toward those people trembling in joy of salvation, Michael was――




{――However, though the great father is fair, he is impartial.

The invasion of demons into this world, is not the work of only demons, but also the work of men that conspire with demons.

Revival of the dead, perpetual youth and longevity, transmutation of gold, panacea――

Since ancient times, humanity possessed desire beyond any limit and got led astray by the sweet words of demons, they came disturbing the world.

There is a need for mankind to redeem those sins before the salvation.

There the great father declared.

This barrier that brings about salvation.

The magic power for creating it… should be compensated by the souls of humans, he said.}




Declaring that, he spread his golden wings widely and deployed a fully giant magic circle in the sky behind him.

And then that magic circle was just like a halo that Michael emitted, with radiance that was brighter than the sun, it illuminated the Tokyo life sphere, in that moment

“……gi-!?”

“Wha, what, is this……!”

“Suffocating…………!”

Screams arose from everywhere, the people began to crumble on the ground and writhed in pain.

Being enveloped by the light, pain as if their entrails and bones were forcefully dragged out while they were still living attacked them.

But that was natural.

Because right now they were having their souls torn away alive.

And then it was beyond doubt, that the one trying to tear away their souls was Michael himself who just now was informing them of their salvation with sincere words from his heart――

“Why……!?”

“You will give us salvation won’t……”

Just why he did something like this?

Even though there was no lie at all in his words.

Even though he said that he would save them.

Doubtful gazes were directed high to the sky. In response, Michael who was collecting human souls as magic power said to them with a bright smile on his face.




{O child of man. You must not hold fear of taking part in god’s work.

Your souls are not disappearing for nothing.

It will be piled up as the wall that protected the country of the people of god for eternity in the future.

For mankind, there is no greater happiness than this.}




Having reached this hopeless situation, the people finally understood.

Of the difference in sense of values that existed between humans and angels.

The angel was a virtuous being, they wouldn’t be reluctant to throw away their life if it was for the sake of god’s will.

Being whipped, abused verbally, crucified by nail, they would even accept all that happily.

Everything was in accordance of god’s will.

That was an angel’s nature.

However, people were not like that.

They adhered only to their individual life.

Sacrificing themselves for other people’s sake.

Saying that was simple, but there were not many people that could put that into practice.

The gap of the sense of values that existed between the two people was so wide to the degree that something like mutual understanding was already something that couldn’t possiblly happen.

Based from that one point, …there was no difference between angels and demons for humans.

“NO WAYYYYYYY! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”

“IT HURTS! IT REALLY HURTS! MAMAA―!”

The people who comprehended that the existence of angel was not a convenient ally like what they imagined screamed, they dragged their body trying to escape from the light of the sorcery <Enforced Ascension>.

However, those agonized voices and appearances didn’t touch Michael’s heart.

Just as humans couldn’t understand the sense of values of angels, angels too also couldn’t understand the humans’ sense of values.

From the bottom of his heart, Michael believed that being a sacrifice for the sake of good was something to be happy for.

For that reason, no matter how much people grieved, suffered, and screamed entreating him to stop, he didn’t rest his hand from tearing away souls.

Under the conviction that the very best thing for humans was complying with god’s will, with overflowing love and affection that this was all for the sake of mankind’s happiness, ――he massacred them.

――No, he was going to, before.

But, such brutality――there was no way he was going to allow it!

“-――――!”

Immediately following the deployment of the magic power harvesting technique that was the <Enforced Ascension>.

In this world that was filled with golden light that stole the soul, a young man clad in jet black light was heading to Michael, exactly like an arrow racing through the sky he struck at the cheek of Michael.

Michael’s body collided into the magic circle behind him from the impact of the blow.

The magic circle was pulverized into pieces.

The light that was stealing souls vanished, the people that were liberated from the pain of having their souls torn away looked up to the sky and saw his figure.

Glaring at the messenger from heaven with a furious look, that was the appearance of the true protector of mankind.

“Oi the {{furigana|yankee|blonde}} there. What the hell did you do to Shiori and Sumika……!?”

In response, the angel that was just trying to massacre the people stared at this attacker with a gaze filled with a glint of hatred.

“As I thought… so you appeared to be a hindrance to the work of god. O abominable [traitor]……!”