“Hey, care to tell me what just happened?”

  Hikari answered me with no delay, her expression more serious than I had ever seen her. “We are being attacked. Some sort of supersonic projectile.”

  Attacked?! Don’t tell me…

  A familiar voice rang out from the path from which we came.

  “Intruders? And powerful ones at that.”

  The owner of the voice materialized from the darkness. In the center of the group of three people was the archangel I had already met before, Michael. Flanking him on both sides were two other people.

  One of them I recognized from Shiina’s memories: Archangel Gabriel. She was a woman who looked to be in her thirties. She had square-framed glasses, dark-blonde hair, and an expression of disgust. She looked somewhat like an overly-serious secretary.

  The other man had to be the last of this trio of crooks, Archangel Raphael. He was a handsome young man that looked straight out of a boy’s band. His jet-black hair was styled with gel, but his expression was one that wouldn’t attract many female fans.

  Both were dressed in robes similar to Michael’s, but adorned with different colors: red for Gabriel and blue for Raphael.

  So these are the archangels, huh. What an eclectic group of crooks. At least their garments are consistent with each other.

  “Hey, hey! Aren’t you that brat Ayumi’s boyfriend?” Michael asked.

  “I also didn’t want to see your face again, Michael, or whatever your name is. Yet, here I am,” I said, trying to control my tone to sound calm.

  Thankfully, he ignored me.

  “And you over there—you’re that useless ex-angel.” In response, I heard Shiina shriek behind me. “Now this is a surprise. Hey, tell me. How did you two manage to get here, hm?”

  “It’s probably that girl’s doing,” the woman said, keeping her gaze fixated on Hikari. “I don’t recognize her though. You, Raphael?”

  “I don’t either.”

  “For you to defend Raphael’s strike like that, I can see you’re no ordinary angel,” Michael said, his eyes also glued to Hikari. “Who are you, and how did you meet those humans?”

  Hikari smirked.

  She was facing the most powerful angels in existence, yet she maintained her posture completely intact.

  Just where is her assurance coming from? Or is she that good at bluffing?

  “Sadly for me, we know each other very well, Michael. After all, you were the one who assigned me to monitor Ayumi this whole time.”

  It appeared that Hikari’s speech was enough to remind the archangels of who they were speaking with.

  “So you’re Hikari, huh. Of course I wouldn’t recognize you while you are still undercover.”

  “I’m sorry I did not present myself as usual, but time has been in short supply today. Mostly due to someone’s stupidity.”

  “Hmph. I had a bad feeling when you of all people accepted that mission. But that’s water under the bridge. So tell me, how did you get involved with these two, hmm?”

  “Let us just say it was fortunate that a fault—or should I say a glitch—happened at the right place and time for me to get involved.”

  “Sigh. So you already figured everything out, hm?” Michael asked, changing his tone. “You seem to have accepted everything rather easily for a senior angel.”

  “Oh, you jest,” she replied with a giggle. “It was the most difficult decision in my entire life. But faced with such compelling evidence, there was no other way I could deal with this situation.”

  She looked up at the sky as if searching for an answer she knew wouldn’t come and continued with a low voice.

  “The world is virtual… Even now, it still sounds feels a joke. Part of me wishes this was all a misunderstanding, but I cannot ignore the truth.”

  Trampling all over her introspective moment, Michael continued. “Why did you come here? Think you can stop us and save everyone, hm?”

  The angel took her sweet time returning her gaze downwards.

  “Of course,” she replied, her voice returning to its usual poise.

  “Ahahaha! You must be joking. The Illumination has already started. It’s just a matter of time before all angels get erased from this world and the new system is installed. There’s no stopping that anymore.”

  “No, I’m sure there is.” Hikari’s words made the archangels flinch. “Judging from the way you are guarding the Shrine, I’m sure the Controller is inside, and you cannot risk anyone going in.” Then, unexpectedly, she turned to me. “So, Takeya. Can you open the doors?”

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Aye.”

  Without much resistance, the doors opened with the strength of my palms alone. With it, the inside of the forbidden shrine was bare for all to see.

  Michael made a low grumble in anger. “Now that it has come to this, we need to take drastic measures. We can’t let them bring the brat back inside. I have a feeling she hasn’t stayed quiet this entire week. Raphael, if you could.”

  Without warning, another sound of glass breaking cut through the air.

  “Now, now. What are you doing? This will not do at all. Would you kindly remain quiet over there?”

  “Pfff. You think you can boss us around, little girl?” Gabriel retorted.

  “I will let you know I am much older than you. I deserve some respect. And yes, actually. I can boss you around.”

  That little provocation seemed to be enough to light Gabriel’s fuse. “What did you say?! Don’t you know—”

  “That the archangels are the most powerful angels? Yes, I have always known that. And I’m certain that held true for the previous archangels. But you see… raw power is not everything. In practical terms, I would even argue that you are weaker than Shiina was.”

  Hikari’s bold declaration, which seemed so unreasonable as to be interpreted only as a joke, hit everyone like a curveball.

  In the sudden spotlight, the main star of the gag spoke. “But… Hikari…”

  The angel turned to her former companion-in-arms. “Shiina, from your actions last week, I inferred that you were not a very powerful angel. But still, you were an angel, nevertheless. If you were on Earth, then you must have completed your education. That fact alone makes you more powerful than these phonies over there.”

  “P-Phonies? What in the world is wrong with you?!”

  “You act like you do not understand the first thing about how angels’ powers work, Gabriel,” Hikari retorted, her tone severe. “You see, latent power is not the whole story. What matters more is how you use it. The techniques you have mastered. The training behind your every move. Trust me, I understand that better than anyone else.” Hikari paused and took the chance to turn to Michael. “Back on Earth, you faced the trio of Ayumi, Shiina, and Takeya, and erased their memories. When I went through them, I could not believe what I discovered. How could such a sloppy job be done by an actual angel?”

  “W-What? S-Sloppy?” Michael hollered.

  Wait, did he not realize that himself?

  Are these guys… just phonies?

  “No angel worth their title erases memories without leaving some impression behind. That is one of the first rules we learn. Even if you were in a rush, you should never have made such an incompetent mistake. You may possess great latent power, comparable to the previous archangels you succeeded, but it is meaningless if you lack the skill to use it.”

  After her explanation, Hikari finally let a smile bleed onto her face. A smile of defiance. A grin so sarcastic I couldn’t imagine how it felt to be on the other side of it.

  This time, the archangels remained silent, grinding their teeth.

  “So, I ask again. Can you stay quiet over there? Or do you think you can beat an angel with decades of experience like myself?”

  “You silly girl. What’s stopping us from banishing you on the spot?” Gabriel howled.

  “Banishment indeed requires direct contact from two archangels. But can you even get close enough to me to do that?”

  That was the breaking point for Gabriel. She lunged forward with murderous intent; however, her mad rush never reached Hikari.

  She collided with a wall.

  A wall of air, that is.

  The impact was so violent that the recoil made the woman fall flat on her back. She quickly regained her footing, though, so it looked like she hadn’t gotten injured.

  “Another barrier? Tsk. This will take a while to dispel,” Raphael said.

  “It surrounds you on all sides, so there is no escape. And there are many more where that came from. I thought I had warned you. In a battle of skill, I have you outmatched.”

  That’s a checkmate for them.

  The archangels appeared to have realized this themselves, but still tried their hardest to escape, pulling all sorts of fancy moves. They threw mysterious light projectiles like baseballs at the barrier, but they were absorbed and dissipated. When light-based attacks didn’t work, they resorted to straight up punching the invisible barrier. Along with them, their verbal abuse and the sound of glass breaking did not subside either. But nothing they did reached the steadfast angel standing in their way.

  “You think you got us, huh? Even if these humans enter the Shrine, they’ll never figure out the way to access the Controller itself. It’s the end of this pathetic crusade!” hollered Michael, his mind far gone at this point.

  “Takeya, Shiina, I know I just boasted of being able to hold them here but to be frank, my aether supply is limited,” Hikari whispered. “In a battle of skill, I have the upper hand, but they can overpower their way out eventually.”

  Damn… I, too, was fooled by her bluffing. She’s too good at this.

  “I need you two to go inside and find a way to bring Ayumi back to us. With the Illumination already underway, that is our last hope.”

  “Okay. You got it,” I said with all the confidence I could muster.

  With my self-esteem at its highest point, I’ll admit I had forgotten a little detail.

  I was about to enter the Shrine, which Hikari had thankfully lit up with one of those balls of light, when…

  “Huh? Shiina, what is the matter?” The angel asked.

  When I turned around, I saw the girls staring at each other. Shiina was stuck in place, not making an effort to move at all.

  A few seconds passed.

  But she wasn’t able to break free.

  “I’m s-sorry, Takeya… Hikari. I can’t… I can’t go inside,” Shiina apologized, her head hanging low.

  She’s refusing to go in? Even after all this?

  No, wait. Of course she is. This is the most sacred place for angels. She’s never seen this forest her whole life, let alone the inside of the Shrine. Even if their mythology is a sham, she can’t let go of it.

  It’s a part of her.

  It’s too important.

  She’s still stuck.

  “But…” Hikari began, but Shiina’s nervous eyes made her stop. “Very well, I understand. My apologies for making you go through all this.” The angel then turned to me. “It seems you have to go alone, Takeya. I apologize for placing you in such a predicament.”

  “Nah, it’s okay. I get it. I’ll bring Ayumi here for sure.”

  With a weak thumbs up, I turned my back to the girls and climbed up the last step leading into the Shrine.