Ding! Ding!
In a void where white and crimson intertwined, the clash of two divine weapons echoed.
On one side, dozens of dead angels lay scattered behind him, their lifeless bodies strewn across the emptiness.
An angel with four pairs of wings, drenched in blood from head to toe, stood upright without wavering.
Opposite him stood four angels, each bearing five pairs of white wings. Silent, cautious, and distant.
The blood-soaked angel spoke through clenched teeth.
"How… can you turn a blind eye to this filth?"
One of them stepped forward. He slowly spread his five pairs of pure white wings. His green eyes burned with fury.
"Know your place, Thamiel. We are the ones who make the decisions here."
With his words, an intense killing intent flooded the surroundings.
Thamiel responded with a mocking smile.
"You have never been able to decide anything, Michael. You were indecisive… and you still are."
He took a step forward. Blood dripped onto the void below.
"Where are the others? Or do you think the four of you are enough for me?"
Before Michael could respond, Thamiel continued. This time, his voice carried more disappointment than rage.
"Maybe Lucifer was right."
A heavy silence fell over the void.
"We should never have allowed those filthy humans to be created. I understand him now…"
His breathing became uneven, yet he did not avert his gaze.
"They are destroying their own kind," Thamiel said.
His voice had grown hoarse.
"They slaughter newborns. They eat babies."
His eyes locked onto Michael.
"Even the animals you call primitive would never do such a thing."
His wings trembled.
"And you… you know all of this."
Gabriel stepped forward, his voice strained.
"Stop it, Thamiel. You know we can't do anything. All decisions come from the Father. We cannot act without His command."
Thamiel laughed harshly.
"Stop talking nonsense, Gabriel. Are you saying we can't do anything without the Father's orders?"
His eyes darkened.
"Shall I list, one by one, how many rules you've broken?"
Gabriel's pupils trembled.
"You… how do you know that?"
Michael could endure no more and stepped forward.
"Enough."
His voice fell like a verdict.
"According to the laws of Heaven, for intervening in the human world and causing the deaths of forty-seven angels, your angelic status has been revoked."
He paused.
"From this moment on, you are a Fallen Angel. You will live like a reptile."
Uriel rushed forward.
"Michael, you can't do this! There hasn't even been a judgment yet! An angel's fall has no return!"
Hearing his sister's voice, Thamiel smiled. Knowing that someone still cared for him warmed him more than he expected.
Raphael grabbed Uriel by the arm and pulled her back. Despite her tears and struggles, the coldness in his eyes did not fade.
"Please, Michael… don't touch Thamiel."
Michael ignored her.
He raised his right hand. Then brought it down.
The sky split apart. A sword, shining with sacred light, fell from above and pierced straight through Thamiel's spine.
Pain engulfed his entire body.
But Thamiel did not kneel.
Even as his celestial core shattered into thousands of pieces, even as his body begged him to collapse, he remained standing.
Unyielding.
Thamiel's once orderly wings, glowing with sacred crimson light, began to emit a dull gray radiance.
Dirty… as if decayed.
His white hair turned the same crimson as his wings. His black eyes filled with a blood-red glow.
It was as if death itself had taken form.
Michael raised his hand once more.
Eight divine blades fell from the heavens, pinning Thamiel's wings to the void.
Seeing what was happening to the brother she loved most, Uriel screamed.
"Michael! How can you do this?! Thamiel did nothing wrong! You were the ones who attacked him!"
As Raphael tried to restrain her, Uriel hurled him toward Gabriel. Gabriel caught Raphael with one hand and immediately moved to subdue Uriel.
Among the five-winged angels, Uriel was one of the weakest. She was stopped easily.
Before he fell, Thamiel spoke one last time.
"Goodbye, sister…"
His vision darkened.
"And rot together with your filthy rules."
With those words, golden chains extended from the void, dragging him downward.
The last thing Thamiel heard was the desperate scream of his sister, Uriel.