Leveling Up through Eating

Chapter 1100

None of the beings from Heaven and Hell were allowed to enter the Boundary Between Good and Evil as they pleased.

But depending on the circumstances, the beings from Heaven and Hell could enter this place via a few methods. There were more methods available to those on Heaven's side. It was because they were the ones who managed the Boundary Between Good and Evil.

As for God of Death Louis, there weren’t many methods available to him. Louis only had one or two methods that could allow him to enter the Boundary Between Good and Evil.

One of them was the pass issued by the God of Death. It could only be issued to someone who the God of Death has recognized as his friend and could only be issued twice in his entire life. Anyone with this pass could be said to represent the God of Death himself. If physical harm ever came to the person possessing this pass inside the Boundary Between Good and Evil, the God of Death could enter and come to his aid.

Everyone thought that this pass would be useless. This was because Louis was such an uptight and gloomy man. One could count one's fortune by not becoming his sworn enemy upon meeting him.

So, how could he even become friends with others?

“He is my friend,” the God of Death said as he looked at Minhyuk.

Gabriel flinched. After hearing those words, she could not swing her sword down further. If she did so and cut Minhyuk’s head off, then it would be the signal that announced the beginning of the war between Heaven and Hell.

Upon thinking further, she felt something was wrong.

‘It has to be a lie.’

There was no way that the God of Death could have a friend. The God of Death likely wanted to use this opportunity to point out her error in judgment and her arrogance.

Gabriel barked, “Why are you trying to intervene?”

“My dear and precious friend has been hurt. Are you saying that I should just leave him be?” The God of Death retorted. He cleverly used the word “friend,” wielding it as a weapon against her. The moment Gabriel dared to touch the man in front of her, the God of Death would take that as an opportunity to attack everyone here.

“What nonsense!” Gabriel snarled, believing the God of Death to be talking nonsense under the pretext of being friends.

“It’s true. Minhyuk’s my friend. He… is someone special to me.”

At this moment, Minhyuk realized that the God of Death wanted to correct the wrong through him. But what was surprising was that his words did not seem to be a complete lie.

“He has saved my lover, Hella. Thanks to him, she was able to cross through the River of Reincarnation safely.”

But that was not enough of a reason for Gabriel. She demanded for the true reason.

“Hella told me. ‘I want you to make Hell prosperous. I want you to be a fair monarch and lead Hell without wronging the innocent.’”

The God of Death was the epitome of the word loner. That was why the words that his one and only lover left to him were very dear and precious.

“He’s the one who allowed me to meet Hella once again. He’s the one who allowed me to hear those words from her lips.”

One of the archangels pointed their sword imbued with special power at the God of Death. It was a sword that could discern between truth and lies. The sword shook. It resonated wildly and proved that the words that the God of Death uttered were true.

“It-it’s the truth.”

In a way, it could be said to be impossible. After all, who would believe them if they said that the God of Death ran to this place just to save the next generation Battle God?

‘Why?’

The previous generation of Gods of Death had never done anything for the sake of the Battle God.

The God of Death had another reason.

“As I’ve said. I intend to make a just and fair Hell. Archangel Gabriel.” The God of Death looked at Gabriel coldly. “The blunder of convicting the innocent? It seems possible for you, right?”

Gabriel just could not understand. The God of Death, who usually kept to himself, was speaking out.

“You covered up your mistake so your reputation will remain clean and untarnished?” The God of Death pressed on.

Gabriel remained calm. Even if that was the case, nothing would change.

She snapped coldly, “Do not try to meddle in the affairs of Heaven. That’s nothing but bullshit made up by the next generation Battle God.”

Gabriel then turned to Minhyuk, who had already drank a potion and recovered. “What should we do about the angels who died innocently because of the lie that you spoke about today?”

At this juncture, Gabriel could no longer back down. She even wanted to punish Minhyuk for daring to go against them.

“The fact that such a man is the next generation Battle God is quite questionable to me. As a person from the Land of the Gods, he raided Heaven as he pleased and even tarnished our realm with lies.”

Again, an arrogant smile adorned Gabriel’s face as she smirked, “Let me ask you. How did you, the next generation Battle God, learn about something like that?”

Minhyuk looked up at Gabriel with disgust. He could tell that Gabriel was calculating fiercely in her head.

“Are you saying that the man who will become the Battle God entered Heaven without permission and looked through our matters?” Gabriel continued to accuse Minhyuk, an incredulous laugh bubbling in her chest as she raised her arms and pointed at him. “There’s no way that there’s a story about me covering up for myself even after I found out that someone is innocent. But let me tell you this: anyone who crosses through another realm without explicit permission from the monarch of that realm will either lose their qualifications or be killed.”

It would not matter whether Minhyuk saw something or not. Entering Heaven just like that was already a huge problem.

Gabriel raised her voice, “How did you find out about that bullshit that you were spouting?”

Everyone followed Gabriel’s cold and calculating eyes as she looked at Minhyuk.

The God of Death frowned. ‘I did not expect things to go this way.’

If Minhyuk entered Heaven without any permission, then he would be deprived of his position or killed. But if he did not enter, then how would he prove that Gabriel had truly convicted the innocent?

“Why should I tell you that?” Minhyuk answered.

However, his answer was like telling everyone that the words that he uttered were lies.

Gabriel immediately retorted, “What do you mean by that? Why is it strange to ask you something like that? How dare you try to tarnish the reputation of an archangel? Tarnishing one’s honor is enough grounds to deprive you of your qualifications and execute you on the spot. God of Death, do you have any objections?!”

Things were turning for the worse. Unbeknownst to them, Minhyuk, who had observed everything calmly, had already found a way to respond to their allegations.

“Why do I need to tell you how I found out about it? I just found out about it like that? Ah. Also, I never entered Heaven illegally.” Minhyuk’s brazen answer made the situation even worse.

Gabriel, who thought she had caught onto Minhyuk, decided to go for broke. She said, “Then, I will call the Battle God here. He will definitely be fair in determining the truth of this situation.”

Even if the foreigners died, they would still come back to life. Executing Minhyuk right away would be meaningless. What Gabriel wanted was to deprive him of his position. This way, Gabriel could continue to hide the ugly truth beneath her mask.

The Battle God responded right away to Gabriel’s call. A solemn expression flashed in his face after hearing the entirety of the situation.

“Battle God, he has entered Heaven as he pleased and even dared to tell lies to tarnish my reputation. I called for you here to remove the qualifications of the next generation Battle God.”

The Battle God and the God of Death both turned to look at Minhyuk.

The God of Death, with disbelief flashing on his face, thought, ‘Why did he answer like that?’

He could not understand why Minhyuk did something like that and made the situation even worse. If things continued at this rate, then Minhyuk would not only be deprived of his qualifications, even he, the God of Death, would not be able to exert any influence. Of course, the same was true for the Battle God. If that happened, then Aemira would end up imprisoned once again.

The angels started to call for Minhyuk’s blood.

“How can the next generation Battle God do something like that!”

“You, who dare to tarnish the honor of the archangel, pay for your sins!”

“Bastard! Many angels have died because of you!”

Amidst their loud boos and reproach, Gabriel turned to look at the Battle God with her crafty gaze and said, “Battle God, give your judgment right away. If you do not make a move, then Heaven will.”

The Battle God did not take any actions. He was still very confused by the situation that was suddenly presented to him.

Then, at that moment, Minhyuk said, “I will say it again. I have never entered Heaven using the name of the Battle God and I have never told a lie.”

Gabriel narrowed her eyes, “Will you stand by those words until the very end?”

“So, what will you do if my words are proven to be true?” Minhyuk did not back down either.

Gabriel just laughed at him.

Minhyuk said, “If my words are proven true, I want you to grant me two things. First, stop making a fuss and release Aemira. And second, apologize to Aemira.”

Gabriel could not wait to put an end to this situation. So, she said, “Alright. I promise.”

[The Archangel’s Vow has been triggered.]

If Archangel Gabriel dared to break the Archangel’s Vow, then she would receive severe punishment.

Gabriel looked at Minhyuk and prompted him to speak right away. Then, she saw him walk toward Archangel Michael. Michael’s wings flinched, his face filled with confusion as he watched the man walk toward him.

Minhyuk explained, “There’s a simple way to determine if what I’m saying is true or not.”

“...?!”

Gabriel immediately understood what Minhyuk was trying to do. At this moment, she realized it was a big mistake. The sword of her most reliable ally could determine and reveal the falsehood in one’s words.

Minhyuk said, “I will speak the words that I have mentioned before, in front of the sword that distinguishes the truth from the lies.”

“W-wait…!” Gabriel tried to stop him right away.

Alas, Minhyuk had already started talking, “I have never entered Heaven illegally nor did I enter using the name and the face of the Battle God. And I have never told a single lie.” Minhyuk felt his heart jump to his throat as he spoke those words.

Minhyuk was only able to enter Heaven because of his high holy power. In a way, it could be said that Heaven accepted Minhyuk. That was why he deliberately worded it that way. The problem was: would that be considered illegal or not?

Of course, he also wanted them to think more about Gabriel's atrocities, so he made the situation develop like this.

Archangel Michael, the angel who could determine the truth and the lie, pointed his sword at Minhyuk.

Vwoooong–

Michael’s pupils trembled fiercely as he looked alternately between Gabriel and the sword in his hands.

“It-it’s true…!”

Minhyuk pointed with his chin and said, “And there’s a way to prove what I’ve been saying about Gabriel as well. Point the Sword of Truth at Gabriel. Then, you will see if what I’m saying is the truth or not.”

The tide turned in an instant.

The Battle God looked at Gabriel with a frown. Meanwhile, the God of Death immediately prepared for war.

Michael’s arms trembled as he raised his sword and pointed it at Gabriel. “Gabriell, go on. Please speak. Please say that you have never done something like that.”

Michael and the other archangels desperately hoped that the one who led them and represented the good, the very same person who acted righteously every single time would not do something like that.

But Gabriel did not speak. She pushed away the sword that was pointing at her. “P-put that away…”

This action alone proved that what Minhyuk said was true. Now that the tables have turned, his actions were akin to a catalyst.

A huge force burst out from the Battle God’s body and swept away the entire battlefield. Then, he said, “You dared to insult my successor and even question his qualifications?”

“Did you just insult my friend?” The God of Death said, his gaze cold and sharp enough to threaten the entire realm of Heaven.

At this moment, Gabriel realized that she was now standing at the edge of a cliff. However, shockingly enough, the one who mediated for her was Minhyuk.

“Let me end this on my terms.”

Minhyuk knew that the Battle God and the God of Death would be the ones to suffer if a conflict broke out right here and now. The situation might even develop very badly and lead to a war between the three realms.

“Isn’t it a bit too tasteless to shed blood just to deal with a dirty liar like her?”

At the same time, he did not forget to drag down and trample the honor and prestige of Archangel Gabriel. After all, it was this high honor and prestige that allowed her to cover up the truth.

The disdain, contempt and disgust in Minhyuk’s gaze was enough to make the veins in Gabriel’s temple pop. She chewed her lips to the point that they started to bleed and clenched her fists so tightly that they turned white.

“Of course, it’s a given that you should release Aemira. Also, remove all of the penalties and restrictions that you have put on me when I hit the prison. Ah, and don’t forget to give me a reward. Make sure to satisfy me.”

“Urghh…!” In the end, a groan escaped Gabriel’s mouth. It seemed like she could no longer bear it. The ones to answer were the other archangels.

“Yes, we will do that.”

“As for Archangel Gabriel, we will discuss it and take appropriate measures. We will make sure to discipline her well.”

The angels wanted to clean this up themselves and cover and protect their own kind. What punishments would Gabriel receive? Perhaps it would be a year or two in prison at most? Or maybe she would be deprived of her position for two years?

Although the punishment that she would receive was only that much, Minhyuk knew that that was the end of it. He could no longer cross the line and demand more. Thankfully, the biggest “punishment” was yet to be given.

“Apologize.”

“...”

Verak supported Aemira.

Gabriel could already guess what would happen to her if she did not apologize here. Even though this was a disgrace to an archangel like her and she felt as if she was being suffocated, she still bowed.

Aemira was the one who was angrier and sadder than anybody else in this place. Yet she was also the calmest and most rational out of everyone present. Knowing that Gabriel would only be punished for a year or two at most, she wanted to give her the greatest punishment that she could give.

“There’s this phrase that I have seen in this book.”

Gabriel slowly raised her head. That was when she saw the expression on Aemira’s face. There was disgust and contempt in her eyes. It was as if she was looking at a dirty bug.

Aemira spat out with every fiber of her being, “The ugly and dirty devil sometimes wears the mask of an angel.”

“...!”

Her scathing words were far more painful and lethal than shattering one’s bones and turning them into dust.