Leveling Up through Eating

Chapter 1101

The ugly and dirty devil sometimes wears the mask of an angel.

Strangely enough, these words were apt for the leader of the archangels, Archangel Gabriel. Although she was supposed to represent the greatest good, she acted no different from a demon after being blinded by honor and power.

Archangel Gabriel’s eyes grew bloodshot as the last bit of her pride was torn to shreds. Eyes burning with rage, she turned to look at Aemira.

Two of the archangels immediately grabbed Gabriel’s arms and began to drag her away. At the same time, Archangel Michael said, “We will now come back to the Boundary Between Good and Evil.”

Michael’s gaze landed on Aemira as he continued, “On behalf of the entire realm of Heaven, I would like to express our sincerest apology. Your innocence has been proven and you will now be released from your punishment.”

The archangels, those dragging Gabriel, and the millions of angels who fought a fierce battle against Minhyuk stood in front of Aemira and spread their beautiful white wings. Then, they put their hands over their left chest and bowed to Aemira simultaneously.

The scene left Aemira weak, her legs giving way. Minhyuk hurriedly helped her.

“It can’t end like this!”

At that moment, the last string of reason within Gabriel finally snapped.

[The leader of the angels, Archangel Gabriel, has used the Laws of Justice and Judgment.]

[Aemira, who was sentenced to a life of imprisonment, will only be released in death.]

A shackle made with golden light shot out from Gabriel and wrapped around Aemira’s neck.

“Keok!”

The shackle then dissolved and seeped into her neck.

[Gabriel has given the final judgment.]

[According to the rules of Heaven, the judgment can no longer be overturned once the final judgment has been given.]

“...!”

Aemira looked at Gabriel in horror. She thought that she could finally run free, that she could finally look at the sky, or even meet someone, fall in love, and talk happily with them.

But Gabriel took away even the smallest glimmer of hope before her.

“Keuhahahahaha!” Gabriel cackled wildly, her face looking more like a devil than an angel.

The archangels shouted in dismay.

“What have you done!”

“Can’t you see?! You have done something that you cannot undo!”

With this, the archangels could no longer help Gabriel. The punishment that she would receive would no longer be the light punishment of being imprisoned for a year or two at most. After all, she had committed another atrocity. This time, it was in front of all of the troops of Heaven. The punishment for this was at least fifty years of imprisonment.

“Fufufufufu.”

Even so, Gabriel felt like it was more than enough for her. After all, she believed that she could punish the next generation Battle God and Aemira for daring to look at her with contempt and disgust.

At that moment, the man drew his sword and started walking toward Gabriel after seeing the despair in Aemira’s face.

Shocked, the angels called out to Minhyuk.

“W-wait…!”

“Please stop right there!”

But he did not stop.

“I am the Battle God.” There was unbridled fury in the man’s voice, and the air around him seemed to turn incredibly cold. “You have to pay the price of deceiving my people.”

The look in Minhyuk’s eyes was enough to make goosebumps rise all over Gabriel’s body. Then, he swung his sword down on one of her arms.

Slash–!

[One of the powers of the Greatest Sword has been triggered.]

[The Unhealable Injury has been activated!]

Thud–!

Archangel Gabriel’s left arm fell to the ground. She looked at her severed arm incredulously. After a few seconds, she grabbed the stump and began screaming, “K-keuaaaaaaaaack!!!”

The other archangels hurriedly tried to heal her. However, the severed part had already rotted, which made it impossible for their healing to work.

Unhealable Injury was the very same power that left Nerva’s eye injured and untreatable. It was an overpowered force that could completely ignore the Named NPCs’ healing abilities, recovery, and healing powers of the priests. If this skill had been activated before an attack, anything severed could not be reattached or regenerated.

Minhyuk stared at Gabriel, who was screaming as her blood sprayed all over the place. Then, he turned to look at the other archangels. The archangels were left in a very difficult and embarrassing situation. Even so, they found holding Minhyuk accountable for doing something like this difficult.

“If…” Minhyuk growled. “...you try to defend Archangel Gabriel, I will declare war against Heaven in the name of the next generation Battle God.”

The sharp look in Minhyuk’s eyes told them that it was not just a mere threat. Archangel Michael and the other archangels gulped dryly. They hurriedly shook their heads to indicate that they would not do anything.

Minhyuk walked back to where Aemira was.

Even though her entire body was wracked with pain, Gabriel still sneered and said, “Fufufufu! I may have lost an arm and will probably rot in prison for fifty years, but that woman has to die before she can be released!”

In fact, the notification about Aemira not being able to go anywhere beyond a 1.5 meter radius had already rang earlier. It seemed like her situation was no different from the past. The only difference was that the transparent barrier that created her prison had disappeared.

Aemira taunted, “Death is the only way for her to be released from her punishment!”

Minhyuk snorted, “Hey. Shut her mouth.”

“Hmph! Hmph!”

The archangels hurriedly summoned a gag made of light and forced it in Gabriel’s mouth.

At that moment, Minhyuk’s gaze turned to the person who had just arrived in this place. That person was the very same person who Minhyuk asked Verak to come here.

Aemira, who was shaking, looked up at Minhyuk. “Wh-what are we going to do now…? I don’t want to die anymore. I want to live.”

‘I want to live in his empire. I want to live by the side of this man who fought against Heaven to protect me.’

Alas, Archangel Gabriel also took that away from her.

Minhyuk’s soft and warm hand gently held Aemira’s shaking hands. “No. We’ll go back together.”

“Sob…”

Minhyuk wiped the tears from Aemira’s face and said, “Aemira, do you trust me?”

Aemira looked straight at Minhyuk’s eyes. She held no doubt for this man, who dared to raise his sword against Heaven for her sake. So, she slowly nodded in answer.

“Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.” Then, Minhyuk looked at the God of Death and said, “God of Death, can you give Aemira a painless death?”

“As long as she approves of it, I can give her death right away.” The God of Death affirmed.

The God of Death possessed the power ‘Death’s Comfort.’ The trembling Aemira slowly closed her eyes.

“Kgghk! Heuk!”

“It will only be for a moment,” Minhyuk said, as he hugged the terrified Aemira to calm her down.

At that moment, a red stream of energy slowly entered her body. Aemira, who had her eyes closed, was breathing roughly. However, she started to feel drowsy. Everything slowly faded away. Then, her breathing slowed down and her sobs grew weaker. Finally, her heart stopped.

Thump–

Aemira’s arm fell weakly on the ground. The expression on everyone’s face grew solemn. As for Gabriel, she was cackling through the gag stuffed in her mouth.

“Fufufufufufufu!”

Then, a single voice spoke.

“Regress.”

Light burst from Aemira’s body. Her time rewound back to exactly thirty seconds ago. Minhyuk smiled kindly as she watched her slowly wake up once again.

The person who Minhyuk asked Verak to call to Hell was none other than Akhan.

Minhyuk spoke gentle, “Congratulations on your release, Aemira.”

“...!” Aemira was overcome with emotion. She could not stop the tears dripping down her cheeks.

Verak watched the scene with his mouth wide agape. At the same time, a shudder run down his spine as goosebumps rose all over his body.

When Verak first met Minhyuk, he could not help but doubt him. After all, he looked nothing but a braggart. He even felt like he was very pathetic when he watched him eat. But when the man raised his sword for the sake of just one of his people, Verak thought that he was very cool. And when he saw him embrace the dying Aemira, he felt deeply moved.

When Verak saw him smile at her with the brightest and kindest smile as she woke up from death’s bed, he thought, ‘This… this is the kind of emperor that I am serving.’

Minhyuk stood up and looked at Gabriel. He sneered when he saw Gabriel blinking blankly at the scene in front of her. Then, he said, “Get her out of here.”

“Kghhhhhk!”

The archangels dragged Gabriel away. Her rage-filled eyes did not leave their figures until the very last moment.

“I’ll go back. Hmm,” the Battle God said as he looked at Minhyuk.

His expression clearly said, ‘Please try not to cause any more troubles.’ Since things went well, the Battle God said nothing more and just hummed at him.

Then, the Battle God looked at the God of Death. He thought, ‘This is quite unexpected.’

The God of Death was someone who kept to himself and had never intervened in other matters. Yet he got himself involved this time.

Minhyuk also turned to look at the God of Death.

“...”

“...”

The moment their gazes met, the air grew extremely awkward. The God of Death swatted non-existent flies around him while Minhyuk scratched his head awkwardly.

At this moment, the angelic and beautiful Aemira was given a new lease in life. With the happiest smile in the world, she decided to do all of the things that she had seen in the book. So, she spread her wings widely.

Minhyuk could not help but be surprised when he caught sight of her wings. This was because it was of a different color from the angels’ ordinary wings. Her left wing was white, while her right wing was the color of the earth.

Now that she had become one of his people, Minhyuk had the authority to examine her status, so he immediately did so.

(Aemira)

Rank: Archangel Candidate

Type: Vassal

Level: 701

Attack Power: 3,559

Defensive Power: 3,683

Holy Power: 8,650

Special Abilities:

•Passive Skill: The Ruler of the Earth

•Passive Skill: The Ruler of the Sky

•Passive Skill: The One Releasing Sacred Power

•Active Skill: The Ruler of Nature

•Active Skill: Angel’s Wings

•Active Skill: Noblest Angel

Potential: 135

Experience Value: 31% / 100%

Description: She is the only angel who possesses the power to rule over the sky and the earth. She might become one of the archangels in the future.

Aemira’s powers did not end with just creating auspicious sites and ruling over her own piece of land. She was the only angel with the power to rule over and borrow the powers of the earth and the sky. She even inherited the talent of her mother Aevira and her father Banedron, and could become an archangel in the future.

With her wings spread wide open, Aemira knelt down on one knee and spoke awkwardly yet solemnly. She said, “I will live for your sake for the rest of my life, Your Majesty.”

Aemira’s voice was teary as she looked up at him with a smile on her face.

Minhyuk nodded and said, “Welcome, Aemira. Come, let me show you the new world where you’ll live.”

***

Crash–!

This was the very first time that Aemira heard the calming sound of the waves crashing against the shore. It was also the very first time that she smelled the salty yet refreshing smell of the sea.

The first place that Minhyuk brought Aemira to was near the sea.

Aemira ran barefoot on the sandy beaches. As she ran, she looked up at the sky. This was the vast and wide sky that she had only ever read about in books. There were white, fluffy and soft-looking clouds blooming beautifully above her. Her breathing turned ragged as she ran as much as she wanted. For the first time, she realized that running like that could make someone feel short of breath.

At that moment, she recalled the words Minhyuk had asked her when he held her back then.

–How is it? How does the world beyond your small 1.5 meter space feel?

Aemira shouted at the top of her lungs. “It’s so cool!”

Then, she recalled another question.

–It’s just ten steps but you have already gone far away from the hellish prison that trapped you, no? How is it?

“I am so happy!”

She spread her arms and let the cold wind blow past her as she ran as hard as she could. It left her out of breath and gasping yet she was very happy.

This was the place that she had only ever seen in her books. This was the beautiful and vast place that was twinkling and glittering under the rays of the sun that she had only ever read about. This was none other than the sea.

She looked back and flashed a huge smile at the monarch that she chose to serve, the man that she chose to cherish in her heart.

***

After taking Aemira to the sea, Minhyuk ordered Verak to bring Aemira to the Beyond the Heavens Empire. Then, he returned to the Boundary Between Good and Evil. It was time for Heaven to pay the price for the sins that they had made.