Gabriel appeared, and holy light enveloped the earth.

The light was not dazzling, but it carried an indescribable warmth and weight. The golden tide solidified and surged in all directions from the center of the six-winged figure floating in the air.

Wherever it passed, the suffocating darkness began to melt and recede silently, like snow under the blazing sun.

The nauseating smell of blood and decay in the air was replaced by a fresh, forest-like scent after the rain.

It calmed the fear of the crowd below.

The hysterical screams and cries suddenly stopped.

Those people who were wandering around in the dark like headless flies, even trampling each other, all stopped moving at the same time.

They stared blankly as they looked up, their pupils, which had been constricted by fear, slowly dilated in the golden light.

The panic among the crowd gradually subsided.

In that endless abyss of despair, this ray of light was the only straw to grasp.

When people saw the six-winged angel bathed in holy light, they were moved to tears.

That figure was too perfect, too divine.

Pure white wings fluttered gently, scattering starlight; each feather was formed from the condensation of light elements.

He hovered above the sky, his six wings of light obscuring the terrifying red eyes of the demon, protecting everyone under his wings.

"Angels...?"

A young mother, her face covered in blood, held her child tightly in her arms, her lips trembling as she uttered her first murmur.

Then, more people came to their senses.

"It's God... it's God showing His power!"

"God has not abandoned us! God has come to save us!"

It's unclear who knelt down first, but then the crowd collapsed like dominoes.

On that ruin, tens of thousands of survivors, whether civilians or professionals, knelt down with tears in their eyes, worshipping the figure in the air.

That feeling of relief at escaping death, that yearning for light, transformed into the most devout faith.

If there really are gods in this world.

This is roughly what it looks like, right?

However, while some are happy, others are afraid.

For the humans below, this holy light is a warm salvation.

But for Kujo Masakage, who had completely transformed into the Demon King, and the group of Red Demons behind him who were corrupted humans, this light was the most deadly poison!

"Sizzle sizzle—!"

Under the golden light, the thick layer of black demonic energy on Kujo Masakage's body sizzled like roasting meat and emitted wisps of blue smoke.

A sharp burning sensation penetrated his skin and seeped into his bone marrow; excruciating pain seeped into his very bones and churned wildly within him.

"Aaaaaah—!"

Kujo Masakage's face contorted in a grimace as he let out a painful and furious roar.

His enormous fleshy wings flapped incessantly, attempting to stir up more dark demonic energy to resist the all-pervasive holy light and conceal his inner unease.

How is that possible?

Why does the Great Xia Kingdom have SS-level Holy-type professionals?

That's impossible!

An instinctive fear from the depths of his soul made him want to turn around and run away.

But he couldn't.

This is his territory, his home turf.

If even he, the Lord of a Hundred Ghosts, escapes, this newly established domain of fear will immediately collapse.

"Kill him! Kill him for me!"

With bloodshot eyes, Kujo Masakage pointed at Gabriel in the air and roared hoarsely.

"That's an illusion! It's just a special lighting effect!"

"Men! Don't be fooled by him!"

"If you don't want to die, then charge up there and tear him to shreds!"

To conceal his fear, Kujo Masakage's voice became loud and distorted.

Through a mental link, he forcibly issued a death order to all the Red Oni.

Abandon all other goals!

Prioritize besieging Gabriel!

"Roar roar roar—!!!"

Having received the Ghost King's order, the Crimson Demons, who had previously been somewhat timid due to the suppression of the Holy Light, once again let out beast-like roars.

Although the golden light made them extremely uncomfortable, their ingrained servility and obedience to Kujo Masakage overcame their instinctive fear.

"kill!!!"

More than a thousand red demons flapped their wings or stepped on the void, rushing towards Gabriel from all directions.

The countless black figures transformed into waves, attempting to submerge the sole golden reef.

Various dark skills, corrosive venom, and cursed bone spears rained down on Gabriel.

Faced with this overwhelming siege.

Gabriel remained calm and composed.

He didn't even lift his eyelids.

He let the skills hit him, but the health bar above his head didn't budge at all.

This scene left Kujo Masakage both shocked and furious.

"Is this guy immune to all damage?"

Kujo Masakage was somewhat confused.

Has the world developed beyond his comprehension in the hundred years since his death?

Little did they know, in some corner below...

A giant man is silently enduring all the harm for Gabriel.

Gabriel slowly raised his right hand.

A slender finger lightly tapped in the air.

There were no earth-shattering incantations chanted.

He parted his lips [N O V E L I G H T] slightly and uttered two authoritative words.

"Purify".

Buzz—!!!

A visible golden ripple spread out from Gabriel's fingertip.

The ripples appeared slow, but in reality they were swift.

Wherever it passed, the venom, bone spears, and dark magic that came rushing in vanished instantly, like stains on a canvas being wiped away, leaving no trace.

Immediately afterwards, the golden ripples collided with the Red Oni who were charging at the forefront.

"ah--!!!"

A piercing scream echoed through the sky.

The hard, indestructible bodies that the Red Demons were so proud of crumbled the moment they came into contact with the golden ripples, like wax figures thrown into a furnace.

There was no blood splattering.

Only rapid dissolution.

Their skin, muscles, and bones turned to ashes at a visible speed under the holy light.

"No...help...help me..."

One of the Red Oni who charged the fastest watched helplessly as his arms disappeared in the golden light, followed by his torso, and finally his head.

He was horrified to discover that his superhuman regenerative ability, which used to allow him to quickly regrow his head even after it was cut off, had completely failed him!

There was no black smoke coming out of the wound, nor was there any granulation tissue moving.

That was... permanent destruction!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

They exploded one after another.

All the Crimson Demons who were swept by the golden ripples, regardless of their level or the strength of their defense, instantly turned into green smoke and completely disappeared into the world.

It was just one strike.

The two hundred-plus Red Oni at the forefront were wiped out!

A large area of ​​the previously impenetrable encirclement was now empty.

The remaining Red Demons stopped in their tracks, utterly terrified.

They are not afraid of death because they know they are immortal in this field.

As long as the nine shadowy figures remain, as long as fear persists, they can be resurrected indefinitely.

But now.

Looking at the place where his companions had disappeared, he saw that even the traces of their souls had been completely annihilated.

The situation seems to have changed?

Before this six-winged angel, they were no longer immortal demons, but ants that could be crushed at will.