Interlude

"If you can convince me, then I will naturally be willing to leave."

Beelzebub waved his hand like a philosopher, and the two sat down. Beelzebub put his hands together, looked at Bai Mo in front of him, and then slowly asked a question.

"Outsider, in your eyes, am I like a human or a god? And are you a human or a god?"

"Ask yourself that question. As for me, I am, of course, human." Bai Mo answered without hesitation. Beelzebub said with some satisfaction, "From an appearance standpoint, there isn't much difference between angels and humans, except for wings."

He waved his hand, and the surrounding scenery changed again, bringing him to a magnificent manor. The faces of the people around him resembled those of starving wild beasts. In the bedroom, a pale-faced old man lay on the bed, on the verge of death.

"This is someone I once made a deal with. His desires were quite ordinary; he wanted wealth. Humans all love these cute little things, so he gave me his soul in exchange for worldly riches. But what was the result? He became arrogant, lost his friends, and his family members fed him small amounts of poison day after day, just wanting him to die quickly so they could inherit his wealth."

Beelzebub snapped his fingers, and everything around him was scorched by flames. The beautiful manor vanished like a dream, leaving only the heart-wrenching howls of people driven by their desires.

"I've never understood why God endowed humankind with these desires when He created them, making humanity, the rulers of the Daichi, imperfect. They should be like our brothers."

Beelzebub's words were full of sincerity; he opened his arms as if the whole world were in his palms.

"Thousands of years have passed, and humanity remains unchanged. By the rules of nature, this so-called Holy Grail War will only be a complete tragedy. Outsider, tell me, can you tolerate humanity's continued decline? The seeds of depravity have been sown in their souls, and only through repeated slaughter can they truly see their own sins."

Beelzebub stood up and questioned Bai Mo with an unquestionable tone. Bai Mo met his gaze, his eyes still filled with strong hostility and fighting spirit.

"When you were an angel, you often came into contact with humans, right? It seems that such contact has confused your own place in the world. If you can't even understand yourself, then this conversation is completely unnecessary."

Bai Mo stood up, and the two faced off. Their powerful auras clashed, like thunderclouds pressing down on the boundless Dahai, making those outside feel powerless. The threat of death was imminent. Without hesitation, Waver raised the Holy Grail.

"Let something that can stop this demon from descending!"

A burst of light illuminated the entire dark world, and from that gate of light emerged a young girl with long golden hair styled into a scorpion tail. Her pure white dress inspired no evil thoughts, and her swan-like wings compelled all to kneel in reverence. This was a true miracle.

If Gilder Ray were still alive, he would surely shed tears, for the girl's face was that of the saint he had longed for day and night.

The girl spoke, "Servant —Ruler, true name Metatron, descends here through the Spirit Origin of Jeanne d'Arc Arc. Beelzebub, the time for judgment has come."

Its wings were blazing hot, radiating light and heat like the sun. Besides the others present, a considerable crowd had already gathered around Ryuudou Temple. After the Black Mud dissipated, people were drawn to the unusual activity in the area.

"Great! We're saved!" Waver with joy, swinging his arm. The demon was now facing the angel who judged the demon. Surely the angel would knock the demon to its knees and behead it with a single sword strike!

Inside the space, Beelzebub raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised. Then, the towering figure outside disappeared, and Bai Mo and Beelzebub appeared in everyone's sight.

Illya called out happily, "Brother Bai Mo, you can leave the rest to her now. Come back quickly, you don't need to fight anymore."

Bai Mo, Beelzebub, and Metatron form a triangle, like three cowboys locked in a final showdown in a Western, each holding the other back, waiting for one of them to draw his gun and break the stalemate.

"Beelzebub, your evil deeds end here! In the name of the Lord, I bring you judgment!" Metatron transformed into a colossus, his hands placed in front of his chest in a somewhat eerie posture, like the women in maid cafes casting love True Magic on frozen omelets to make them taste better.

But none of that mattered. With its six wings outstretched, the powerful force dispelled the darkness. This power made it difficult for everyone to breathe, and the thought that such a powerful force was part of their fighting strength made everyone want to jump for joy.

"[The omniscient and omnipotent will rule.]" As Metatron's words fell, a powerful force shot towards Beelzebub. Everyone felt victory was assured, except for Bai Mo, who kept his eyes fixed on Beelzebub, ready to "draw his gun" at any moment.

Beelzebub whispered, and then a pair of withered, branch-like wings appeared on his four wings. He seemed to want to devour everything around him, and then he swung his sword, the dark magic colliding with the pure white holy light.

The next moment, everyone seemed to hear the sound of something being torn apart.

With a thud, Metatron fell to the ground, lying prone with a visible sword wound on her body. She pointed her right finger at Beelzebub, as if this was her last act of defiance.

Silence, a deathly silence.

"Why is it you? Metatron, the Holy Grail can't be summoned in its full form to begin with, and to make matters worse, it's an angel who's never experienced war. I thought it would be Michael or Gabriel."

Waver's emotions were like a rollercoaster as he looked at Metatron lying on the ground.

"No, isn't she the highest-ranking angel, known as ' Lesser Yahweh '?"

"You don't actually think the Holy Grail could summon the complete Metatron here, do you? It even needs to rely on this saint's Spirit Origin to appear, so it can't unleash much of its own power. If the person who came was someone like Michael, who has been through countless battles, that would be fine, but Metatron... who taught you to use up all your magic power the moment you meet him?"

Perhaps feeling sorry for Waver, Beelzebub actually started explaining things to him, prompting everyone watching to slap themselves on the forehead.

Metatron struggled to his feet and said to Bai Mo, "Outsider, Beelzebub's power is far greater than I imagined. I need to avoid his advance for now. Please lead me away first. Once my strength has recovered, I will once again bring judgment upon him."

"No, by then all the Japan will be dead," Illya blurted out.

Metatron replied, "My mission here is to judge Beelzebub; saving the people here is not within my purview. May the Lord's light bless your souls. Outsider, haste your time."

"Forget it, you should just rest." Bai Mo was also speechless. How could this messenger of the gods be so disappointing?

"I understand. I will decide on the next course of action based on your performance in the battle." Metatron stood up, tending to his wounds.

Waver, barely able to contain himself, said, "No, you're supposed to be Mahadeva, at least give Bai Mo a blessing or something."

Metatron shook his head. "Our primary objective right now is to try Beelzebub. I need to conserve my strength, therefore I refuse to take your suggestion."

"Then what can you do? Just watch?" Waver was on the verge of tears. After sacrificing Iskandar, all he got in return was this angel. He felt utterly helpless and wanted to cry.

"I'll cheer you on, come on, outsider." Metatron clenched his little fists to encourage Bai Mo, a gesture that made Waver have some difficulty breathing. His vision went black, his blood pressure spiked, and he almost fainted.

Now, only Bai Mo and Beelzebub are in the sky.