The Angel Fell (Sad)

Bang!

The deafening sound gave everyone inside the museum at the base of the Statue of Liberty a massive jolt.

Those near the entrance looked out, only to discern that whatever it was, it had to be coming from the statue itself.

The eerie black rain had already left them terrified, and with the area's internet cut off and the faint sound of sirens drifting from across the bay a short while ago, their fragile nerves were being shredded.

Bang-bang—bang!

More sounds followed, accompanied by vibrations from above, finally confirming their fears: the Statue of Liberty was collapsing!

As soon as the thought was voiced, some people ignored the danger of the black rain, grabbed whatever was nearby to shield themselves, and bolted outside.

Seeing others take the lead, the rest of the crowd, already panicked and losing their wits, also concluded that the statue was indeed about to fall.

As the tremors intensified, more and more people fled.

"No, it won't collapse! All of you, come back! The one leading this is Old Mo; he doesn't understand the glory of America at all! Americans would never allow the statue to fall! It's impossible for it to fall!"

The Asian woman's gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a twisted, snarling rage as she roared at those around her, causing the few who had stayed to instinctively recoil from her.

Wooo—

A wailing sound came from overhead, but they soon realized it was the screech of twisting steel—perhaps it could even be seen as the Statue of Liberty's own death cry.

"Honey, shouldn't we run outside?"

"I don't know about anything else, but I trust the sturdiness of this base. Besides, if it were going to fall, wouldn't a statue this tall have to fall in a specific direction?"

"Th-that actually makes some sense!"

"Let's find a corner, just like we would for an earthquake."

The dark clouds churned frantically as if they had a life of their own, while lightning snakes danced in celebration of some entity's birth.

As the copper plating on the face gradually peeled away, what kind of monster was revealed beneath?

Countless eyeballs of varying sizes were stuck to a mass of pitch-black sludge; a single glance was enough to shatter a person's sanity.

Even through a screen, one could hardly bear to look.

"Commander-in-chief, give the order! This is no longer the Statue of Liberty we take pride in! This is a blasphemy!"

"General, please, give the order!"

Inside the command center, everyone looked toward Mark's superior; he could read the humiliation, fury, and fear on every face.

He dialed a number.

"Yes."

"I understand."

He hung up the phone, and just as he was about to announce the order, the angel on another screen began to move.

Michael spread his arms, and his "bronze" wings shattered instantly. Then, flames that seemed as if they would never extinguish began to bridge from the ground to his back.

A pair of flaming wings gradually took shape—stretching—expanding—surpassing!

Two wings, four wings, six wings!

They were even more massive than the giant dragon from before. As they spread, they seemed to cover the sky and blot out the sun. Even the torrential rain could not extinguish them; it could only be vaporized, rising back into the sky as steam.

From afar, the Archangel Michael had become a new sun!

"Let me see just how troublesome you are, you demon gathered from so much malice." Shiraishi Wataru grew interested; he finally had a decent opponent.

Even if this opponent was one he had created himself.

Wielding his flaming sword, Michael's six wings beat once, creating a sonic boom on the spot. In the next instant, he had already appeared before the statue.

He swung his sword!

Boom!

Several deformed hands smashed through the copper plating, firmly catching the descending blade of fire. Despite being made of flammable material, the flames were trapped by the hands, unable to spread.

"￥@@!##"

It was an unintelligible sound, one that even [Listen] could not decipher.

Shiraishi Wataru exerted sudden force, the flames erupted violently, and the demon let out a shrill scream.

"Now I understand you."

The statue could no longer withstand the pressure. Amidst the demon's roar, it shattered with a thunderous crash, sending fragments flying everywhere—some even reaching the opposite shore.

However, the base held firm, perhaps because the force hadn't been directed that way.

But those who had hidden outside without cover were out of luck.

The shards of copper and steel were too dense; they scattered in a circular pattern like buckshot, treating every exposed life with equal lethality.

The monster before them had fully taken shape.

It was multi-eyed, multi-armed, and elongated, writhing like a creature of sludge.

Shiraishi Wataru struck first, unleashing a flurry of wild sword strikes. Sparks flew, and he certainly looked imposing.

However, this monster seemed to have high fire resistance. It looked a bit disheveled, but that was only because it hadn't yet adapted to Shiraishi Wataru's fighting style.

He had a plan in mind. Since this was likely a demon he couldn't completely eradicate for the time being, then, it was up to you! World Police—America!

Shiraishi Wataru began to hold back, and the flaming wings behind his back shrank to a few meters in size, as if his subscription had expired.

The demon seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

It slapped the angel with one palm.

The angel crashed heavily into the water, but he stubbornly launched another charge.

However, the demon's size was simply too massive, and its strength was clearly terrifying. Even a six-winged angel appeared tiny in comparison.

The angel fell again.

He flew up once more.

I don't know how much time passed, but his fire sword had long been snapped, and his six wings had been reduced to tattered single wings from repeated injuries, yet he was still fighting!

The believers watching this scene covered their mouths, their hearts twisted with agony.

Enough! You don't have to fight for humanity anymore! Oh God, recall your angel; let the demons of the human world be dealt with by humans themselves!

The angel threw a punch, but it was sluggishly caught by the demon. The two wrestled, and in the end, the angel was overpowered, his arm snapped off!

The demon threw the angel away again—

Hm?

The demon was somewhat puzzled: Didn't I throw it into the sea? How did this thing curve mid-air and crash toward the opposite shore?

Unfortunately, with its intellect, it could not comprehend Shiraishi Wataru's superb acting skills.

Rumble.

The angel was buried under the collapsing buildings.

This time, he could not stand up again.

But no one dared to mock the angel for being weak; his strength was beyond doubt.

"Everyone, although the angel has fallen, we humans have not failed. His spirit will forever inspire us to fight the devil, until the bitter end!"

"Let's blow this hellish thing to pieces!"

"Initiate Plan A. Let the devil know that the times have changed! Let it experience what modern exorcism is all about!" General Mark roared.

Fighter jets that had been prepared long ago taxied down the runways and took off one after another.

Cannons were aimed at the demon, and missile silos were ready to fire at any moment.

The demon, unaware that it was about to be subjected to a barrage of concentrated fire, sensed the dense presence of life on the opposite shore and instinctively headed into the sea, walking toward it.

Bang, bang, bang—

The artillery and the navy were the first to let out their roar.

The shells lived up to expectations, slamming into the monster, but they only bloomed into ripples; even the explosions seemed to be swallowed out of thin air.

As the artillery fire became increasingly dense and the fighter jets dropped their payloads, the sea area around the demon and even Liberty Island were met with wave after wave of explosions.

However, whenever an explosion occurred on the demon, it would silently vanish.

After the first round of strikes, beneath the smoke, not only had the demon not sustained a single injury, but even the wounds the angel had painstakingly inflicted seemed to have healed. Not only that, but its body size had even expanded.

At this moment, humanity finally realized just how powerful the angel had been, and just how troublesome the demon before them truly was.