Before Michael took on the name Michael, he still roamed the human realm.
Very long ago, Michael was actually only a cl.u.s.ter of elemental light that gained consciousness and power over time.
Everything is revealed wherever light shines upon. When he mastered the Law of light, Michael gained 'Eyes of Insight' at the same time, and all within the ordinary world couldn't escape his sight.
A thousand years ago, humankind, protected by the Witch of Life, had already entered a new era. The witch's power completely dissipated, but she also left behind some worries. The evil G.o.d that arrived in the Second Era, quietly biding its time to resurface on the Azir continent.
If 'He' resurfaced, humankind would perish.
This prophecy urged humans to eliminate that evil G.o.d, but humans' selfish nature... no, it should be their animalistic nature, their lack of care for whether the weak lived or died, that but instead desire the power of that evil G.o.d.
All the organizations that were established were basically centered around that evil G.o.d.
For example, Secret Rite Tower was founded to capture the power of the evil G.o.d.
A thousand years ago, no one ever coveted that treasure, or rather, time bomb sleeping in the Lower District. And Michael was one of them.
But Michael had obtained a book called The Bible.
This book outlined a paradise that had never been imagined before. It was a new path, a way to the dream realm. In that book, the master of that world known as 'G.o.d' sat with a total of thirteen angels, and these were the origins of the Path of the Flaming Sword's name.
The immense power that Lin Jie displayed now made Michael gradually lump him together with that 'G.o.d.'
Michael's thoughts seemed to go back more than a thousand years ago, until his comrades pushed him.
"Michael, what do we do now?" Metatron's helplessness sounded in his ears.
It was only then did Michael return from his memories and looked toward the bookstore owner to see him strolling over unhurriedly.
Gabriel, Sandalphon, Raziel, to Zadkiel, Kamael, and Raphael... Six of his companions were already gone. No, there was still the fellow behind him—'Haniel.' Michael turned around and found that Fitch was still behind, smiling at him.
He should have guessed it. This was an imposter. The real Haniel died long ago.
Ignoring Fitch, Michael touched his right eye, and then gently closed his left eye. At that moment, a green light began to emit from his right eye—
'Eyes of Insight' was what Michael used to observe all things, past and future, disasters and fate... Even beyond the world, nothing could escape him. He considered it a Supreme-rank weapon.
And it was precisely this pair of eyes that had brought him countless compatriots.
After closing his left eye, Michael used "Eyes of Insight" to lock onto Lin Jie and bellowed, "All things must come to an end! Lin Jie, let me see how you die!"
Lin Jie glanced at Michael indifferently. The latter in the distance was covering an eye and shouting out a warcry, which honestly reminded Lin Jie of a chuunibyou heroine from an anime he had watched before.
Moreover, Michael, with his golden hair and blue eyes, looked like a cut-out human, making him seem overly artificial.
Naturally, Michael wouldn't have known how Lin Jie was ridiculing him, but when he looked at Lin Jie, Micahel froze for a moment. Then, the corners of his lips slowly curled upward.
"...I've seen it." He was now grinning as disbelief could be heard in his voice. He never imagined that he would really see it.
"You're not the one true G.o.d. You're just a puppet of an evil G.o.d. This body is a mere container for that evil G.o.d. You are human through and through. I've seen the way you die clearly!"
Lin Jie tilted his head, watching Michael in slight bewilderment, who seemed like some lunatic raving.
Michael waved his arm forward and commanded Zaphkiel, "Transform this void realm into a place of utter destruction."
Zaphkiel didn't respond. He was panting heavily and clearly frightened by Lin Jie. He immediately opened his arms, and as the master of the void, he made the void devour everything.
As soon as Zaphkiel commanded it, a highly corrosive and poisonous air filled the void.
Joseph, standing amid the ruins of the bookstore with Franca, immediately burst into flames and expanded the blazes to burn away the poison while protecting Franca at the same time.
Lin Jie eyed the putrid mist floating everywhere and sucked in a cold breath. "Tsk." He instinctively raised a hand but was surprised to find that it was already starting to decay.
The mist wasn't any powerful transcendent ability and was something an individual like Joseph could easily avoid. However, ordinary folks were powerless against it.
"I wasn't wrong. Your body is indeed human and ordinary!" Michael said as he stared at Lin Jie with his right eye.
Lin Jie saw Michael's crazed look and sighed resignedly. Then, with a thought, his decaying hand started to regenerate. Other decayed areas had also started to grow back. Lin Jie looked down at his own body, then suddenly heard Michael cry out—
"Obliterate! Instant death!"
Michael suddenly opened his previously shut left eye, and a red light shone from it as Lin Jie's body continued to regenerate. "Where there is light, there shall be no shadow! Anything I see cannot escape the fate of death," raved Michael. "Now, this human body will turn to ashes."
Lin Jie raised an eyebrow in surprise as his body cracked like gla.s.s.
"It succeeded!" Michael nearly jumped out from elation. "Recently awakened evil G.o.d, no. Just an ordinary you who obtained this evil G.o.d power, indeed your body is ordinary flesh and blood. As the vessel, your mission is over," he said with a smile. In the next moment, Lin Jie's body shattered into pieces, leaving only the shadow behind.
"That shadow is the true evil G.o.d!" Michael said, then turned to Joseph, or more precisely, the person behind Joseph—Franca.
That girl should be an ordinary human, but the Law emanating from her body was special. Perhaps she might become the evil G.o.d's next targeted vessel, so she needed to be eliminated immediately.
The surviving 'angels' also regained some hope.
"It's too early to rejoice. That woman has to be killed first." Michael imbued power into his left eye and stared at Franca, who had listened docilely and had her eyes tightly shut.
"There are times I really wish I was just a vessel." A familiar voice spoke, making Michael stiffen.
The floating black mist re-entered Lin Jie's body, which had turned into ashes. The smile on Micahel's face disappeared.
"How can this be, this body has already..." Zaphkiel, who stood at the side, had a look of incredulity, no longer having the air the master of the void should have.
"Ancient Dragon blood!" Michael's pupils shrank as he watched the burning veins amongst the ashes of Lin Jie's body.
The Ancient Dragon bloodline left in the ashes started to reshape its own body, gradually turning into an old, withered, gigantic dragon that was like an ancient tree.
"In a certain sense, I'm neither a G.o.d nor a deity, because I can't fulfill wishes or listen to prayers," Lin Jie's voice sounded faintly from the body of the old dragon. "But you can consider me a G.o.d; after all, that is what you think, and I have no right to interfere."
"However," Lin Jie gazed down at the ashes on the ground. "I quite liked this ordinary human body that I've been using for the past two decades."