Inside a sealed room, a middle-aged man sat in a chair with his legs crossed, intently studying the object in his hands.
"Like this... then this..."
"Not bad, not bad! I have another new idea. With this, I can make a new toy!"
As he watched the intricate object in his hands gradually take shape, the corners of his mouth slowly curved upward.
It would be wonderful if days like this could continue forever...
"Researching Sacred Gears, creating Sacred Gears—nothing could be more enjoyable than this!"
"Of course, it would be even better with a few women around. Hahaha!"
Take a close look. This man's name was Handsome... Wait, no!
This man's name was Azazel. He was the Governor-General of the fallen angels, one of the three great biblical factions, and he himself was a twelve-winged fallen angel.
As the leader of an entire faction, Azazel was naturally no weakling. However...
Compared to the angels and devils, the fallen angels were naturally the weakest faction.
After all, the devils had beings who had surpassed their limits!
Meanwhile, the angels' light and holy power were the fallen angels' natural nemeses!
Azazel was also the only twelve-winged fallen angel among their kind... Was the disparity in strength not far too great? Even artificial Sacred Gears could not make up for much of it.
They could gain no advantage against the angels, and the same was true against the devils. Thus, the fallen angels were now completely trapped between the other two great factions.
Azazel possessed an exceptional mind. Otherwise, he could never have created something like artificial Sacred Gears.
He had foreseen the problems facing the three great biblical factions and predicted part of the future's course.
How should he put it?
Things were developing in a positive direction!
God was dead, the number of angels could no longer increase, and the devils were growing stronger by the day. Sooner or later, the three great biblical factions would have to unite.
Otherwise, when the other pantheons attacked, the devils and angels might fare somewhat better, but the fallen angels would undoubtedly be the first to be wiped out!
There was no helping it. The disparity in their highest-level combat strength was simply too enormous.
In the future, the devils will probably take the lead, won't they?
Sirzechs, Ajuka, and several hidden old monsters... The devils truly possessed a frighteningly deep foundation!
The combat power of those who had surpassed their limits was simply too terrifying. Azazel believed that even if all four Archangels attacked together with the advantage of light and holy power, defeating one would still be extremely difficult.
If Heaven did not change soon, it would fall into a dead end.
"But... that has nothing to do with me."
"Compared to fighting, I really do prefer staying here and conducting research!"
With that, Azazel once again picked up a new, half-finished artificial Sacred Gear, intending to begin another research project.
But at that very moment, something unexpected happened!
Boom—
There was no sound and no vibration. In fact, absolutely nothing in the room changed.
Yet Azazel abruptly shot up from his chair and stared incredulously toward a certain direction outside the window.
A familiar aura was coming from that location!
"The God of the Bible?"
Is this for real?
The instant he sensed that aura, Azazel thought he was dreaming.
During that great war, everyone had clearly witnessed the Four Great Satans perish together with God.
So why had He appeared again now?
Had He faked His death?
Was this an inheritance?
Countless possibilities flashed through Azazel's mind, but no matter how he considered them, they were all crushed beneath the weight of one colossal existence...
The God of the Bible!
As a former Seraph, Azazel understood far too well just how powerful the God of the Bible had been!
He was an existence above those who had surpassed their limits, a being on the same level as the Infinite Dragon God and Great Red...
A mon... Ahem! He had nearly said it aloud!
A powerhouse!
He was a powerhouse!
"This is bad!"
Cold sweat streamed down Azazel's face. No matter how thoroughly he had calculated, he had never expected the supposedly deceased God of the Bible to appear at this particular moment!
"No. There is no longer any point in thinking about anything else."
"The first thing I need to do is confirm the information as quickly as possible. I also need to speak with the devils!"
The three great biblical factions, which had already shown signs of moving toward peace negotiations, would inevitably be shaken anew by the appearance of the God of the Bible!
Heaven's strength would undoubtedly undergo a new transformation, while the fallen angels and devils would surely be suppressed or even exterminated!
"This really is terrible!"
Azazel gritted his teeth and rushed out of the room.
"I was just imagining the future a moment ago, and now look what happened!"
"We are about to lose our entire future!"
...
"This is Heaven!"
When Gabriel returned to Heaven with Elise and Ophis, they were greeted by countless angels.
Without exception, every angel hovered around Heaven's Gate, welcoming the Lord's return!
The three Archangels, meanwhile, floated before Heaven's Gate in full battle gear. Gabriel was no exception. The instant she saw this scene, she changed into her own battle attire and joined Michael and the others.
"My Lord! We have waited countless years for this moment!"
"We welcome the return of our Lord!"
As Michael's voice fell, the four Archangels were the first to bow. The remaining angels followed his example and performed the exact same gesture.
Every one of them lowered their heads toward Elise!
"We welcome the return of our Lord!"
Waves of light filled the entire space. Aside from the four Archangels, every angel channeled the power of light through their bodies, illuminating the pitch-black space.
For a moment, the atmosphere became intensely emotional.
However, Elise had never imagined that these angels would arrange such a welcoming ceremony...
Although I never intended to hide my identity, isn't this far too conspicuous? Was there really any need to make such a grand spectacle?
This is a little awkward...
Still, no matter how reluctant Elise felt, it had already happened. In front of so many people, she could not embarrass the other side.
"Yes, Michael. I have returned!"
That familiar aura appeared once more as Elise formally revealed her power before the angels.
The power belonging to the God of the Bible!
"You have all worked hard throughout these long years."
Her clear voice echoed before Heaven's Gate. Every angel present, along with the other factions observing through magic, listened intently to Elise's words.
Facing the gazes of so many people, Elise brought out the speech she had prepared in advance, doing her utmost to make this performance appear as perfect as possible.
Yes, this was merely a performance.
Elise was portraying the image of God before everyone, casting a smokescreen over the outside world so they could not discern Heaven's true circumstances.
At the same time, it would also buy her sufficient time!
Only by securing enough time could Elise proceed with the next stage of her plan and obtain Heaven's core...
The System!