Chapter 21: Saint Part 2

If Michael, the Archangel, thought Elizabeth looked like a corpse lying in wait then now she looked more akin to a stature that froze over in the dead of winter. He could feel her energy pause the same.

But that in itself only lasted for a moment before she released her tensed muscles and sunk further into the bed.

"Oh." She said simply, her smile turning a bit sad with that word alone. He hated bringing any kind of news to his old friend and just wanted her live out her days in peace but this was a matter than involved her directly.

"Yasaka," He said, grimacing slightly at her silence," Sent letters to all the Factions announcing this a few days ago. Along side a request to renegotiate the...unfair terms that had been levied against her people."

The Archangel wasn't stupid nor blind, despite his human advisors thoughts and wishes. He knew they had used the Church's influence to press-gang the Yokai into giving up land and Spirit Plums. But it wasn't like he would scold them, after he had done the exact same as them all those centuries ago..

"I'm not surprised." She shrugged," But why come to me with this? I'm aware that I have some personal feeling pertaining to this but not nearly enough for you to come personally."

"I want get your opinion." He said, sinking further in the seat," Do you think it's real? And not just some plot?"

"She's telling the truth." Elizabeth said firmly," Yasaka might be a schemer and hold grudges like no other, but she wouldn't lie about this. Both because of her daughter and her respect she holds for him."

"Okay," Michael instantly scrapped a multitude of plans," Why did he come back now of all times?"

"From what I remember," She murmured," He said he was going into seclusion and to not to disturb him for any reason. Not even if the entire world was destroyed."

"Such a cold man.."

"Indeed."

"Then why is he backing Yasaka?" Michael asked," I imagine that he could've just disappeared without anyone ever knowing the wiser."

Frankly, the idea sent a spike of alarm down his spine. Having someone as dangerous as Yamato Iori just wandering about without anyone knowing a thing seemed like the worse case scenario.

"Simple." She said somewhat bitterly," She's his favorite. Always has been. He wouldn't turn her away if she genuinely asked for help."

"And knowing her," Elizabeth continued," She wouldn't ask for him to destroy or attack the other factions more like use his backing to even the playing field. Maybe if he appeared a century ago, she wouldn't have hesitated to allow him to bring the other factions to heel. But now? She has her daughter to worry about."

"That's good at least." He sighed in relief, honestly glad that the kitsune would be taking the more diplomatic approach. It meant they had some leverage to actually use. "Do you think we could take him?"

That question caused the old woman to pause in place, mind whirling as she tried to come up a satisfactory answer.

"I probably have 1 final battle in me," She said after a few seconds of silence, words heavy," But if he hasn't improved at all, then maybe if the Archangels, the Satans, the Grigori and if all my other fellow disciples helped out...then maybe we could achieve a pyrrhic victory.."

Michael grimaced at that. Those were a lot of 'ifs' and most of them were simply impossible to achieve. That man was a monster then and it was a fact that monsters like him only grew more dangerous the more time he had to develop. Back then he was capable of being a single person deterent towards every single superpower on the globe and while the world had developed and changed through his absence, the blonde knew it wasn't nearly enough to match up to that terrifying genius.

At least the idea of the 3 Factions working together was somewhat believable. They had been in talks for years now and only needed a few more to finalize the treaty that would finally unite long separated family. But he wouldn't risk his siblings and friends in this fight.

He especially wouldn't ask Elizabeth to make that sacrifice. Not just her life but also going against the very man that had raised her up from a mere throw away daughter to one of the most powerful being on the planet. And he also knew if it wasn't because of her kind heart, she wouldn't have even joined in on the accords all those centuries ago. But it was needed. They couldn't afford another Heavenly Demon rising up. Ancient Senjutsu needed to be altered for this new world that was leaning more towards peace than anything else.

Michael knew that the shame she would feel facing her master would do her in and no amount of healing magic would bring back a shattered heart.

And as for somehow gathering all the disciples of the Heavenly Demon? That was a joke. Not only were there only 4 of them who survived the onslaught of time through a variety of means but most of them were allied to other factions who wanted no part in any kind of fight that could bleed over to their part of the globe. So maybe he could gather one other from the Devils but that in itself would enact a hefty price.

"We won't fight him." Michael said, the bitter taste in his mouth made him want to laugh aloud. Was this how Yasaka felt for all these years? How poetic it was.

"Good." Elizabeth slumped back in the bed, her face turned towards the leaking streaks of sunlight. And the two just sat in comfortable silence, reminding him of the days just like this.

"Do you think he'll be angry to see me?"

Her voice was soft and sounded nothing like the strong woman he knew she was, it reminded the blonde a lot of how she used to sound as a youth. Tone always sounding as though she was holding back tears.

He knew she didn't actually want an answer to that rhetorical question.

"I don't know how he'll react when he sees me so old," She bit back tears as memories of those simpler days came streaming in," He'll probably call me a slacker and make me run until my legs fall off."

Michael only stayed silent as he watched the carefully wrapped persona that Elizabeth had built up over the years slowly unravel. The image of that smiling young girl overlapped over her bedridden figure. Those days after the accord, how listless she was and how she locked herself in her and cried at the unfairness at the world.

She was an idealistic girl who was sheltered by first her birth family and then by her master. Did she betray him? In simplest terms, yes. She trampled upon his legacy and worked together with allies to completely erase him from history. The age of sects reigning supreme was done. And the guilt of it had eaten her alive.

"The final trials before the Brave Saint System is fully implemented will be coming up soon." He said through the woman's quiet sobs.

The Brave Saint System was like the Devil's Evil Pieces in a way that acted as a form of reproduction. Allowing Angels to reincarnate humans and other supernatural entities into angelic forms to further build back up their ranks after the war. It was a project centuries in the making and had been first thought up as he saw his oldest friend age despite her mastery of Senjutsu. In recent years, only Gabriel's healing magic was capable of supporting Elizabeth until the project was done. And while he would rather wait until it was fully tested first, he couldn't stand seeing her so distraught like this.

"When the Devil first showed Iori Evil Pieces and tried to recruit him, you want to know what he said?"

"What?

He felt like wasn't going to like the answer but still asked all the same.

"It's a dead path." She said, deepening her voice to imitate the baritone from those memories," If you're willing to throw away pieces of yourself then the pinnacle will forever be unavailable to you. To change your race is to sever the path completely."

Michael suddenly knew exactly where her nonsense had come from and could only sigh audibly as she chuckled.

"But I'll do it." Saint Elizabeth said, sitting up with the aid of churning energy that bubbled up from years of being dormant," It'll be shameful to show Master Yamato myself in such a horrible shape."