Motionless, Too Afraid to Move

Not all angels have wings; only angels of higher 'Sacred Hierarchy' possess wings, such as the Seraphim Gabriel, who occupies the highest rank of 'Sacred Hierarchy'.

This is why Russell's appearance remained unchanged when using Asmodeus's stigmata, while Gabriel's energy resulted in him growing a pair of wings. This is because Asmodeus's rank was insufficient; before his fall, he was a wingless angel.

Essentially, angels are gods, spiritual beings without physical form. Therefore, Russell's withholding of energy cannot be explained simply by the Angel's Power; what he withheld was divinity!

In other words, as long as Gabriel doesn't reclaim his divinity, Russell is a god who can enter and leave Heaven.

Considering that divinity is a pure entity and cannot tolerate the existence of evil, he won't be a god for long. Perhaps after this battle, most of the divinity will have already left.

Flutter! Flutter!

Russell flapped his wings on his back, finding it quite amusing.

The Wings of Light, which are manifestations of divinity, are more symbolic than practical. Although they can fly, and fly very fast, they are actually a symbol of status, used by higher angels to show off.

In a world where religion is prevalent, this kind of pretentiousness can be displayed effortlessly. Lucian and the others knelt down devoutly, looking up at the wings behind Russell, each one extremely excited.

They had long suspected that Russell was an angel descended to earth, and now, seeing those wings that symbolized holiness with their own eyes, they were thrilled and wildly praised their own intelligence.

I've chosen the right person to follow!

Several dark creatures touched the Cross marks on the back of their hands, thinking to themselves that this investment was worthwhile and they had obtained the key to heaven.

Amelia watched Russell's retreating figure, her heart surging with emotion. She recalled Russell's earlier words, "To enter Heaven, one must rely on one's own efforts." She felt that these words made a lot of sense...

Rumble—

Beams of holy light descended from the sky, crisscrossing the battlefield with countless shadows. The violent energy surged and swept across the surroundings, raising the sky by three feet in no time.

Asmodeus wielded his Black Flame Greatsword, slicing down clusters of crimson Dark Energy. Deathly black smoke accompanied the attack, and the red energy spheres resembled flowers blooming in the darkness—enchanting and alluring, yet carrying the most malevolent curse.

With the Hell's Gate destroyed, Asmodeus lost the battle regardless of the outcome, but he was unwilling to accept it and wanted to corrupt Gabriel's will, causing him to fall and salvage some of his reputation.

With his divinity returning to his body, Gabriel's strength was now incomparable to what it had been before. As the Sword of Judgment slashed down, a beam of light pierced the sky, as if freezing the boundaries of time and space. The raging Dark Energy bowed down and vanished without a trace.

A fierce wind howled, and a sliver of moonlight enveloped Gabriel's three pairs of wings, leaving an afterimage in place before reappearing in front of Asmodeus.

The two longswords clashed, holy light and darkness violently clashing. The aftershocks of energy altered the celestial phenomena, causing lightning to streak through the clouds. Great Maelstrom had somehow appeared in the gloomy sky, resembling an overturned ocean, poised to pour down at any moment.

Accompanied by a sword shadow formed by holy light, the sea was split in two, collapsed and shattered, and moonlight once again shone upon the world.

The sky was shattered, and the atmosphere of death on the ground was more intense than ever before. The oppressive atmosphere that penetrated to the soul made it difficult for the onlookers to breathe, and they only wanted to escape from this place.

If you're not strong enough, you don't even have the right to be a spectator!

Russell hovered in mid-air, motionless, too afraid to move.

He discovered something incredibly frustrating: the Angel's Power belonging to Gabriel within the Stigmata was constantly draining away. The more he moved, the faster it drained away. Even if he remained completely still, he could only slightly slow down the rate of loss.

Gabriel alone could suppress Asmodeus, and Russell knew that if he stayed any longer, he would basically be out of the picture.

If Asmodeus is killed, the World Quest cannot be completed. Alternatively, he could go to Hell and wreak havoc, forcibly taking Asmodeus's head.

This is clearly not scientific!

"How can one find a way to have it all, to be true to both Buddha and to my beloved..."

Russell recited a poem in a refined manner, then raised his hand and pulled a Holy Light Longsword from the void. There is no perfect solution in this world, and although he was extremely reluctant, he had no choice but to give up the Angel's Power.

Rumble!!

High in the sky, Asmodeus gradually weakened, and with a fierce expression, he let out a roar of unwillingness.

The Black Flame Greatsword, like a raging storm, frantically slashed out black shadows, layer upon layer, creating an impenetrable net that locked down all of Gabriel's possible escape routes.

Having withstood this wave of attacks, Gabriel had essentially secured victory, a fact he was well aware of. He raised his longsword high, unleashing condensed holy light as he met the overwhelming net.

In an instant, half the sky was filled with black and white. Amidst the violent roar, the spatial rifts recklessly spewed out energy, leaving the mountains below in a mess.

Asmodeus's eyes flashed with malice, and he swung his sword with increasing speed. Each collision sent Gabriel staggering back a hundred meters. After hundreds of exchanges, the ferocity on his face grew even more ruthless.

"Go to hell..."

Asmodeus shouted, then abruptly stopped mid-sentence, turning to raise his sword in defense.

Russell, wielding his sword with both hands, forced Asmodeus to plummet a hundred meters through the air. A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes; the sneak attack had failed, and it wouldn't be so easy next time.

Asmodeus was furious. He glanced at the Wings of Light behind Russell, a fierce glint in his eyes, barely suppressing his anger. "A new face in Heaven, who are you?"

Russell, mimicking Gabriel, adopted a cold and aloof expression. "Asmodeus, you blasphemer, prepare for judgment!"

"You?"

Asmodeus laughed in exasperation. Gabriel had no problem saying that, but who did Russell think he was, daring to speak so arrogantly in front of him?

"That's right, just because..."

Boom!!

Two giant Silver-white Giant Wolf launched a short-range attack, slapping Asmodeus on the face from both sides, turning his handsome features into a blackened mess.

"Asshole!!"

Asmodeus swept his sword across, cleaving through the rising black mist. Russell was nowhere to be seen. Upon closer inspection, he was already standing next to Gabriel.

"Archangel, shall we all attack together?"

Gabriel stood leaning on his sword, shook his head slightly upon hearing this, and said calmly, "It would be an dishonorable victory!"

Holy crap! If you don't go, how am I supposed to steal kills?

Looking at the enraged demon king, Russell acted decisively and righteously, saying, "Archangel, Asmodeus is the demon king of hell, who has recklessly opened the Hell's Gate and plunged humanity into war. There is no need to talk about unfairness in dealing with such a devil; he should be killed immediately to prevent further complications and endanger humanity."

Gabriel didn't speak, staring at Russell without uttering a word. Although his face was expressionless, you could see a few words on it: You're no better than me!

Russell felt ashamed under her gaze. Although angels have no physical form and no gender, the Left Hand of the Divine Throne implied that Gabriel was female. "Archangel, I know I am excellent, but what you are doing is... not appropriate."

Gabriel's hand holding the sword trembled, and he flapped his wings and rushed towards Asmodeus. In that instant, Russell felt the Angel's Power within him dissipate even faster.

Ugh, I have to annoy you before I'll do anything. Even if I were God, I wouldn't like you.

Russell grumbled inwardly, but dared not say it aloud. He slowly approached the battlefield, brandishing his Holy Light Longsword back and forth on the outer perimeter, occasionally aiming at Asmodeus's vital points to distract him and prevent him from fully engaging Gabriel.

It's a perfectly normal tactic. When fighting two against one, you have to make full use of your numerical advantage, and to deal with bad guys, you have to be even worse than them!