An Angel

Arthur wanted to proceed quickly, but he remembered the promise he made to Maric and Sharron. He feared that if he accepted too quickly, he might fall into a deep sleep like the protagonist in an anime he had watched. Additionally, tonight was a full moon, and their plan was likely to take place then. He decided to wait until he received their message.

...

At 10 o'clock at night, in the alley behind the Bravehearts Bar, Klein, dressed in a black double-breasted frock coat and matching half-top hat, walked around the bar once before heading to the nearest street as if on a leisurely stroll.

As he exited the alley, a carriage stopped in front of him. Maric's brown eyes, which still showed signs of suppressed malice, appeared behind the glass window. Klein adjusted his hat, grabbed his sturdy cane, and calmly boarded the carriage as though he had hailed it himself. He sat down and straightened his bow tie like a gentleman attending a banquet.

"That outfit isn't suitable for battle," Maric, wearing a white shirt, black vest, and tights, remarked, sizing Klein up with a frown. He still doubted Klein's strength but chose to trust Sharron.

Klein smiled casually and explained, "My Beyonder powers are different from yours, and so are our fighting styles. This outfit won't hinder me; it's actually quite suitable. It has many pockets for storing different items, which helps avoid mistakes and potentially fatal errors."

He then pulled out three sedatives from a concealed pocket, specially concocted by the Apothecary. Just as he finished speaking, a figure appeared in the carriage window—a woman in a long black regal dress and a small soft hat: Sharron, the Sequence 5 Beyonder of the Mutant pathway.

"You explain too much," Sharron said in an ethereal tone. "Not natural enough."

Klein laughed dryly, admitting, "Probably because I'm a bit nervous." Before she could respond, he handed the three sedatives to Maric.

"Take them at the right moment. You're more experienced than I am, so you'll know not to take too much or too little, and not too early or too late."

Maric examined the sealed glass test tubes and said, "Two and a half. Any more and I'll be too sedated to do anything for a while."

"Very good," Klein praised before turning to Sharron. "Have you decided on the ambush spot?"

Sharron nodded. "We're on the way there," she replied without revealing the location directly.

"Should we do it now?" Maric asked, glancing at Sharron with a mixture of anticipation and concern.

"Yes," Sharron nodded decisively. She turned her gaze toward Klein and said, "We're going to pray and seek the blessing of a certain existence. You can step away if you're feeling nervous."

"Why?" Klein inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"Because our enemy possesses an artifact called the 'Scarlet Lunar Corona,' which can cause us to lose control at midnight. We will pray to avoid being affected by it," Sharron explained, her tone calm but serious.

Without further ado, they began to chant in unison:

"Elder of Ancient One;

Sovereign of Stars;

The Lord of Everything;

The King of Nothing."

Suddenly, the air above them seemed to warp and distort, and a space formed within the confines of the carriage. An angel materialized, its presence both awe-inspiring and terrifying. It had twelve pairs of pure white wings, each feather shimmering as if made from stars themselves, creating a mesmerizing spectacle. The angel's eyes glowed with an ethereal light, and it exuded an aura of immense power and divinity. It noticed Klein, and with a mischievous glint, it winked at him.

The divine being's form overlapped with the illusory figures of Maric, Sharron, and Klein, their expressions betraying their shock and awe. Even Sharron, usually composed and unflappable, couldn't hide her surprise.

"An angel..." Klein thought, his mind racing. He was so entranced by the sight that he momentarily forgot about the impending battle. "One, two, three... twelve pairs of wings... This must be an angel of the highest rank, according to the canon descriptions of the various Churches."

Klein tried to process what he was seeing, his thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and fear. "How did this happen? Am I truly witnessing an angel? This presence feels overwhelming like I'm a mere insect before a colossal beast. My survival is entirely at its mercy."

Maric and Sharron were equally stunned. They stared at the angel with blank expressions, unable to fathom that the King of Nothing had sent an angel to bless them. The angel's radiant aura enveloped them, making them feel both insignificant and inexplicably honored.

Klein's mind was a maelstrom of questions. "Why did this angel wink at me? Does 'She' know me? Or is 'She' naturally mischievous? I've heard that the higher one ascends in the sequence, the less one feels. But who exactly is the King of Nothing? I've never heard of such a deity in the churches or even in Roselle's diary. Could this be a new god or the revival of an ancient one? And if so, what is 'His' pathway?"

He was overwhelmed, grappling with the enormity of what he had just witnessed. "What does this mean for us? For me? The angel's gaze felt like it pierced through my very soul. How much power does this King of Nothing wield, to send an angel of such rank?"

The questions buzzed in his mind, but no answers came. The only certainty was the angel's presence, a reminder of the mysterious and unfathomable forces at play. As the angel continued to radiate its divine light, Klein felt a mix of fear, awe, and an unsettling sense of destiny.