(Today is my birthday, I went to celebrate my birthday...)
To act like a fool is something that wise men should avoid.
Prometheus represents 'human wisdom', embodying foresight.
Epimetheus represents 'human ignorance', embodying hindsight.
Fear is humanity's greatest wisdom; it is through fear that one recognizes the strength of others, and it is through fear that one understands the true meaning of escape. It is precisely because of the existence of fear that humanity can find a path to survival in dangerous environments, thus achieving propagation and ultimately becoming the final victor.
When Roy saw Michael, an endless fear arose deep within him, in the ocean of his soul, warning him to flee, alerting him to the danger of the being before him.
If he were wise, he would surely choose to turn and run, for a wise man would never choose to strike a rock with an egg.
Only a fool would foolishly charge forward, shining brilliantly like summer flowers for a moment, only to be extinguished by the very fear he faced.
It is absolutely impossible to defeat Him; mortals can never triumph over the divine, this is the truth.
However, only a fool can find the one miracle within that truth!
"Chapter One, Verse Eleven of the Book of Law: People praise the fool; they and their gods are all fools!"
"...The final word that ends all is—Abrahadabra!"
"..."
Roy recited the contents of the original text from the Book of Law, activating the incantation within.
"Wow————"
As the incantation activated, Roy felt a sweet metallic taste in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood.
The original text of the demonic path inherently carries a deadly toxin; this toxin is not a material substance but a will that can pollute one's spirit. If one cannot comprehend the knowledge and content within the demonic path's original text, merely observing it is enough to cause death.
The Book of Law is the essence of Aiwass's knowledge, containing knowledge that does not belong to the mortal realm. Its numerous erroneous interpretations serve not to conceal the true knowledge within but rather as a defense mechanism to prevent fools from misinterpreting it and losing their lives.
And Roy, at this moment, was interpreting part of the knowledge within the Book of Law as a fool, using the correct method. Just this segment of knowledge brought him near-death agony, like a potent poison.
"Fool, this is not the mode of thought that humanity should revere. Let me tell you how foolish your actions are!"
If all human thought were to become foolish, humanity would have perished long ago, for only the wise can guide humanity forward.
Michael, who was preparing to chase after Metatron, was drawn by Roy's foolishness. When he saw Roy abandon his fear and muster the courage to run towards him, Michael understood his intent.
Michael was the victor in the battle against Metatron; he was not a defeated god on the brink of death, and there was no possibility of being slain by mortals.
No, even a god on the brink of death would not be killed by mortals, for slaying a god is an impossible miracle.
"Since you refuse to heed my warning, then like all fools, welcome your end!"
With a casual wave, the archangel, symbolizing 'fire', unleashed a heavenly flame capable of incinerating everything.
This was merely a casual strike from a god, but for an ordinary person like Roy, it represented the despair of doom.
"Ahhhhhhh——————"
Pain, pain, pain, pain, pain; his skin felt as if it were being scorched, turning to char like a shedding snake, revealing the flesh beneath. The agony transmitted from his peripheral nerves reached his brain, causing Roy to involuntarily cry out in pain to vent the unbearable torment within his body.
His brain wanted to activate its defense mechanism to make him faint, but Roy stubbornly resisted with his will, maintaining his last shred of consciousness and a glimmer of rationality amidst the brutal struggle against unconsciousness.
This flame was enough to turn Roy to ashes, yet under the protection of the Book of Law, it merely inflicted unimaginable burning pain, allowing Roy to break through that sea of fire with his skin nearly completely charred.
He knew this was the closest he had ever been to 'victory'.
This distance was less than ten meters.
"Huh?"
The righteous angel did not expect Roy to still be alive; a hint of surprise appeared on his handsome face.
"Fool, I must admire your bravery and fearlessness, but this is where it ends!"
The archangel Michael raised the red longsword in his hand, resembling a cross.
He had once used this sword to slay one hundred fifty thousand Assyrian troops.
He had once wielded this sword against the beast at the end of days.
He had once used this sword to imprison the ancient dragon Satan for a thousand years.
He is the most dazzling and renowned archangel in the Cross Church—Michael!
That unremarkable thrust of the sword, with its surging power and curse, was enough to shred any human to pieces.
Michael did not care at all about the fragment of the 'Lance of Longinus' tightly gripped in Roy's right hand. It was indeed a divine artifact capable of slaying a disobedient god, but that required the disobedient god to relinquish resistance.
A baby, even if it picks up a knife, remains a baby; it is impossible to defeat an adult. Even if a mortal obtains a god-slaying artifact, they cannot pierce the divine protection of the god.
Even if Michael stood there without moving, as long as he did not abandon his desire to live, he could not be slain by mortals using divine artifacts.
This would be yet another victory for the 'certain victory' Michael; for the archangel who possessed endless victories, this was merely an insignificant win in his life.
—It should have been so, but miracles trigger possibilities in the realm of impossibility.
"Activate, great magic—'Falling of the Angels'!"
At the moment Roy was about to be killed by Michael's longsword, he activated the angelic incantation he had previously set up in the ritual space.
As the ritual commenced, Michael's status fell from the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, landing upon the status of 'Kingdom', which belongs to humanity.
This incantation could only affect Michael for a mere second, but that second was enough to determine victory or defeat!
Roy did not try to block Michael's longsword, for that would cause him to lose his last chance.
He puffed out his chest and slightly shifted his position, preventing the longsword from piercing his heart, allowing it to merely pass through beside his heart. If this longsword were still the 'Sword of God', the curse upon it would be enough to instantly slay Roy, but under the influence of 'Falling of the Angels', this longsword temporarily became the 'Sword of Man', no longer sufficient to kill him directly.
Now, although Roy was gravely injured, he would not die immediately, allowing him time to struggle before death.
And as Roy was pierced by the longsword, he pressed the fragment of the Lance of Longinus into Michael's heart.
Immediately, the incantation of 'Falling of the Angels' was lifted, and Michael's status returned from 'Man' to 'God'. The 'Holy Lance Fragment', which had once killed the Son of God but was merely a sharp spear to humans, erupted completely.
In a mere second, Roy delivered the decisive blow that turned the tide into Michael's 'core', the characteristic capable of killing the 'Son of God' exploded within Michael's body like a cosmic explosion.
That one in a billion miracle appeared here.
The righteous and fearless angel, for a brief moment, displayed a look of astonishment on his handsome and beautiful face, followed by a hearty laugh: "…Well done, son of the fool! This is the conclusion I have long awaited, returning to the embrace of the Lord, maintaining the dominion of God before the Lord's throne!"
"…I am 'the God-like' Michael, the angel of 'certain victory', here to bestow blessings and curses upon the son of the fool!"
"Advance with my certainty of victory, advance with my fearlessness to annihilate all, until the final end arrives!"
In his dazed state, Roy seemed to hear Michael saying something; at this moment, he had already fallen into a complete unconsciousness due to his severe injuries.