The tragedy that Yu IlHan had expected did not occur. Although Erta did glare at Liera as if she would kill her, when Liera hid behind Yu IlHan's back, she could only give up. Liera also did not provoke Erta more than needed. It was as if Liera was being considerate of Erta – this made Yu IlHan's curiosity rise even more, but the girls did not solve his question.
[Liera, did you completely abandon Heaven?]
"Yes, I did."
The once-an-angel and still-an-angel looked at each other. Emotions were exchanged between them through their gazes.
Liera, who decided to return to a lower existence to stay with Yu IlHan, and Erta, who had to leave Yu IlHan for a few years to pursue a new realm. At that time, the two each did what they thought was best, but the results were drastically different.
[Are you not planning to go back? Heaven will gladly receive you again.]
"I can live for several hundred years more even like this. And also..."
Liera hugged Yu IlHan's arm and made a warm smile. Yu IlHan had still not realized what was going on.
"I've decided to bet on IlHan's possibilities. If it's him, he'll be able to do it."
[....I really want to kill you.]
"Kyaak, protect me, IlHan!"
[Ugh....]
Erta's chances of winning were pretty slim in the first place. In the first place, the one who widened the gap was herself, so no good would come out of any resentment. But even if she did admit her loss, she wouldn't feel better about it.
Moreover, Erta was a higher existence. As it was not easy to move her heart in the first place, once he did, it was also nearly impossible to turn it back.
Yu IlHan, who didn't have the slightest clue about how Erta was feeling right now, just concluded that he wouldn't have to point his spear at her and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Anyway, it's good that Erta is not an enemy."
[Oh yeah, you. You really did try to go against me without the slightest hesitation, didn't you!?]
"Well, you said you were going to kill Liera, so….."
[Eeeeeeek.]
Erta stared daggers at both Yu IlHan and Liera alternately, her hands trembling, but eventually she let go of them with a sigh.
At the same time, she put up a barrier that covered herself, Yu IlHan, Liera and a few others. As Dareu had entered the realm of higher worlds, Erta was also not limited to using her abilities to use mana.
"Wao."
Yu IlHan was very shocked by her proficiency, speed, and, above all, the barrier's endurance. He newly realized that Erta was a higher existence after all.
"Is this a soundproof barrier?"
"It's not only that. Isn't this interfering with the Akashic Record? I think anything that happens in here won't even be recorded.... Erta, you've made progress, haven't you?"
To Yu IlHan and Liera, who were surprised by the unintended elements, Erta let out a low sigh once again before speaking.
[Please remember, Yu IlHan. That I will never go against you even if Heaven collapses.]
"Oh, yeah. We were still bound by a partnership contract."
[Even without that! No, wait, your faith in me is that little?]
Yu IlHan once again checked that anything that happened within this barrier would not be transmitted to Heaven's Army and replied to Erta.
"Well, I do believe you. But you're in a position where you can only obey if Heaven orders you to do something, are you not?"
[Uuu, it is definitely like that now, yes...]
Erta once again realized that Yu IlHan's heart had completely left the Heaven's Army. Perhaps he noticed the negotiations among the Heaven's Army, the Destruction Demon Army, and the Army of Brilliant Light. She couldn't even make up any excuses.
Heaven's Army priced Yu IlHan's value as too low. He was not a talent that they should overlook for one or two higher worlds. If they somehow made him an angel, then Heaven's Army would have leaped in power instantly!
However, right now, nothing good would come out of Yu IlHan becoming more distant from Heaven's Army. Even to Yu IlHan himself. Erta began to explain why she had come to look for Yu IlHan so quickly.
[Heaven's Army will also enter Dareu soon. Although the Destruction Demon Army and the Garden of Sunset Light had the advantage until now, a certain rising star from somewhere had destroyed that balance, and thanks to that, there was a gap for the Heaven's Army and the Army of Brilliant Light to appear.]
"Did I do something so big?"
[Of course it's a big thing.]
The fact that Yu IlHan had killed tens of higher existences belonging to the Destruction Demon Army and the Garden of Sunset may actually be quite small in comparison to the entire war.
However, they were only in the war's initial stages for Dareu. While both sides were scouting each other out, he wiped them all out. As a result, Yu IlHan called for a nervous response from both sides and narrowed their scope of action.
[I've volunteered myself in the Heaven's Army's scouts for Dareu. Of course, the main camp isn't here yet… but I realized you were about to use the Hourglass of Eternity, so I contacted you first. And I also did expect this to a certain extent.
"And how the hell did you do that?"
[I've used a pseudo-barrier that applied the flow of time only in the barrier put up by the Hourglass of Eternity, on me as well. Of course, as you know, I couldn't maintain it for long... Moreover, it did use up quite a lot of my mana and magic stones, but thanks to that, I could find you faster than anyone else.]
"Hm."
He couldn't understand a single thing.
However, he did understand that Erta's magical potential was exceptional, to the point of interfering with a god-ranked artifact. Liera said one before, but Erta did seem to be quite a talent even in the Heaven's Army.
To Yu IlHan, who completely accepted this situation, Erta continued to speak.
[The Heaven's Army will request an alliance from you. And Yu IlHan, the alliance at this point in time, regardless of their views and objectives, will be of help to you as well. No matter how prepared you are, going against four higher existence factions is worse than allying with one of them, even for your allies as well.]
Erta was speaking with the possibility of the alliance breaking up later in mind. She understood Yu IlHan's vantages roughly. Perhaps the reason she put up the barrier was also because of this.
However, despite that, Yu IlHan had a hard time believing her words.
"Will there really be no problem even if the alliance breaks midway? There's no way their work is so sloppy."
[Yu IlHan. It was you who said that we're still bound by a partnership contract. To them, you are being recognized as an ally even without having to request them for an alliance.]
"Aha!"
He understood immediately. However, wasn't that a bigger problem? As long as Yu IlHan had the Angel's partner subclass, he could not betray the Heaven's...
[Yu IlHan.]
At that time, Erta slightly closed her left eye and reopened it.
Yes, she winked.
[I have a way. I've prepared for this until now.]
"Ok..."
Yu IlHan, who never imagined that the cold her would do something so cute, blinked several times in confusion, but he roughly understood why she did it. Although he didn't know what she had prepared, given her enormous confidence, it would be reasonable to believe in her.
"Ok, your eyes are pretty. So what?"
[Y-you've advanced a lot, flattering women so naturally.]
Even though her words sounded pouty, Erta's face was colored in red. Although unintentional, her disappointment about Yu IlHan seemed to have been washed away a little with this flattery. Liera laughed at her in a small voice.
"Simple woman."
[Liera...!]
"Let's talk in more detail. What exactly are you going to do?"
[For that, I'd have to explain a little more about myself, but... fine. I'll reveal everything.]
Erta made a slightly boastful expression. Her calm green eyes contained some playful light.
[In the past, I was a talent that all the higher-existence factions wanted.]
"Ah, so despicable."
[However, that's the truth; unlike Liera, who was number one on the Destruction Demon Army list thanks to her violent, barbaric tendencies.]
Yu IlHan subdued Liera with both arms as she took out her spear to attack Erta, and urged her on.
"Continue."
[Amongst them, the Garden of Sunset still wants me. Like how you're screwing up the war on your own right now, it is very possible for one exceptional person to decide the outcome of the war.... and not too long ago, I've accepted their proposal.]
"...You'll betray the Heaven's Army and join the Garden of Sunset!?"
Liera, who was struggling within Yu IlHan's arms, abruptly widened her eyes. Erta's expression while replying was also quite strange.
[Do you really not want me that much? I'm only using them to return to being a lower existence safely.]
"Such a thing is possible?]
[The magic I've prepared until now is precisely for that purpose.]
"....Huh?"
Yu IlHan looked at Liera to see if he was the only one who didn't understand, but Liera's expression was confused as well. He was relieved.
[No, it's not that difficult. Yu IlHan, I'll use the simple terms you like so much. First, think up the process of a magical girl transformation.]
"First, they activate the magic while clothed, and the moment the clothes are stripped, an annoying light appears to conceal the naked body, and some ribbon-y stuff comes out and equips the girl with the magical girl outfit."
That light. That resentful light that turns that beautiful scene into a thing for 7-year-olds! Just as Yu IlHan was burning in rage, Erta asked.
[And if a bad guy attacks midway through the transformation?]
"They would be kicked off naked. That's one kind of bad guy right there."
[The magic I've prepared is precisely that bad guy.]
"Are you an exhibitionist?"
[There's no way that's true!]
Of course, there's no way that Yu IlHan didn't understand after all that. The explanation was definitely simple. Right now, she was saying that she would activate a magic to return to being a lower existence, in the process of transforming from an angel to a member of the Garden of Sunset.
"You... will you be alright?"
[I won't. That's why I need you to help me. To be exact, I need you to protect me from the assault from both Heaven's Army and the Garden of Sunset.]
"Well, I was planning to make them enemies in the first place, so, yeah. Leave that to me."
Despite the fact that this was about turning two higher existence factions into enemies, Yu IlHan's answer had no hesitation. Erta was slightly taken aback by his reassuring reply.
"Oh."
On one side, Yu IlHan realized one thing midway.
"So that's it. If you return to a lower existence, our partnership will naturally crumble. And like that, you'll dissolve the alliance between the Heaven's Army and me. You're saying that, right?"
[Correct.]
"If that's so, there's another obstacle in our way."
Since the story reached here, Liera could also realize.
"IlHan is still bound to another angel through a contract."
[Yes. That is why there's one more thing you need to do before you cancel your alliance with the Heaven's Army. Something that you need to resolve in a place like this barrier, where no contract will affect you.]
Erta's eyes glistened. Her eyes contained a hint of hesitation, resolve and decisiveness.
[You need to... settle it with Spiera.]