# 1470
Chapter 1470: Fallen Angel Seraphim
"Is that you?!"
Michael saw the figure and furrowed his brow tightly. "How did you escape from under that volcano?"
Decades ago, when humanity first observed the seraph Michael on the moon, they also discovered the fallen angel Lucifer imprisoned beneath a North American volcano, assigning it the designation 004.
Since then, Lucifer had been sealed at the bottom of the volcano, showing no activity for decades, causing both humanity and other divine kingdoms to gradually forget its existence.
Until now.
Michael had no idea how Lucifer had escaped from the 【Mortal Divine Realm】. It hadn't sensed anything at all, not until Lucifer stood atop that mountain peak did it truly perceive the other's presence.
Above the peak, Lucifer's face lifted slightly. Its appearance, like Michael's, possessed an indescribable perfection—as if it were the ultimate endpoint of all living beings' aesthetic sense. The only difference was the faint hint of evil charm that permeated its features.
"Did you really think that just that 【Mortal Divine Realm】 could imprison me forever?" Lucifer said calmly. "Michael, you're being a bit too confident."
"Even if you broke my seal, I should have sensed something... What did you do?"
"There are existences in this world far more powerful than you." A smile curved Lucifer's lips, sinister beneath the pale lightning. "I merely borrowed their power."
Michael gazed at it, as if having thought of something, and spoke coldly:
"Cthulhu? You've actually joined them?"
"Call it what you will. As long as I can obtain greater power, I don't care how I do it... Don't forget, what I represent is 'fall' itself."
Lucifer said carelessly.
"So, you'd rather be Zeus's lackey?"
"Lackey?" Lucifer sneered. "Michael, it seems you've gotten something wrong... It's not that I joined him, it's that he needs me, understand? He's merely a chess piece of mine. Without me, how could he have obtained that thing and swept away the last Great Xia divine kingdom from the world?
I'm here waiting for you."
"The 【Key to the Gate】 fragment ruins—was it you who led him there?"
At this moment, Michael finally understood the full sequence of events. It had been wondering how Zeus had found the 【Key to the Gate】 fragment in the first place, and how a mere Supreme Guardian of Olympus had dared to risk Michael's pursuit to use the fragment to banish the Great Xia god... But if Lucifer had been backing him, everything made sense.
As the former number one combatant of Heaven, Michael's strength stood at the apex of this world. Few existences could match it, but the former King of Hell—the fallen angel Lucifer—was definitely one of them.
Countless ages ago, the Holy Sovereign of Heaven had taken the Heavenly Origin to the moon to seal the Cthulhu Faction gods. Michael and Lucifer had battled for three days and three nights on the mortal plane, unable to kill it. This alone proved how powerful it was. Now that it had joined the Cthulhu Faction gods, how much its strength had increased was anyone's guess.
"What if it was?"
Lucifer's two wings trembled, its form ghost-like as it shifted into the sky. A pitch-black longsword was gripped in its palm. The entire space was torn apart by two domains—one blazing gold and one deepest black!
"Michael... This battle, I've waited decades for it.
Now, it's time for a reckoning."
...
Great Xia.
Chennan Pass.
A plane slowly descended above the ruined pass. Shao Pingge, wrapped in a dark crimson cloak, stepped out of the cabin with one eye closed. Several figures were already waiting nearby.
"Captain Shao." Min Junliang quickly stepped forward.
Shao Pingge nodded slightly. "Sorry, I'm a bit late."
"No worries. You have to split your focus maintaining the 'Dream Net,' and then travel all the way to Chennan Pass—really辛苦了。" Min Junliang said with a bitter smile.
"Although the divine war has ended, the Gods of Great Xia have all vanished, and we're short-staffed. This is precisely when some foreign god agents with ulterior motives or other mischief-makers might slip into Great Xia. Your Dream Net can capture any self-aware consciousness that breaches Great Xia's borders—it's our final line of defense."
Shao Pingge sighed with a hint of weariness.
"At my current cultivation level, maintaining the Dream Net's existence is already extremely difficult... I may not have enough energy to handle Night Watch's internal affairs. This temporary commander-in-chief position, I'm afraid I'm not up to the task."
"Captain Shao, please don't worry. Right now, Chennan Pass is operating normally according to Commander Zuo's arrangements before he left. There aren't too many minor matters. You just need to keep maintaining the 'Dream Net.'" Min Junliang paused. "Besides, if anything truly comes up, there's myself and your old friend to help share the burden."
Hearing the words "old friend," Shao Pingge froze slightly.
He seemed to sense something and turned to look. There, being wheeled over slowly, was Yuan Gang—still bandaged—sitting in a wheelchair.
Seeing Shao Pingge, Yuan Gang苦笑着 shook his head.
"Really, what sin did I commit?... No matter where I go, I always end up working for you guys?"
Shao Pingge's gaze sharpened slightly at the wounds on Yuan Gang's body, but he still smiled and said, "Haven't you realized yet? You can't escape my grasp."
Shao Pingge walked behind Yuan Gang and nodded to the logistics personnel pushing the wheelchair. They immediately stepped back. He gripped the wheelchair's handles with both hands and slowly wheeled Yuan Gang toward the Chennan Pass Command Center.
"How are your injuries?"
"Nothing serious. I'll recover after some rest." Yuan Gang paused. "It's just a shame about Zhang Zhengting and the others..."
Shao Pingge's footsteps faltered. His closed eye trembled slightly as he asked softly, "They... were killed? Who else survived?"
Yuan Gang said nothing, only letting out a long sigh.
Shao Pingge was silent for a moment. "Did Commander Zuo make arrangements for their affairs?"
"He did. Their remains are being transported to their respective stations. After the war ends, they'll be posthumously awarded medals."
"...Alright."
"Never thought it would be you carrying the entire Night Watch on your shoulders in the end." Yuan Gang, seated in the wheelchair, turned to glance at him. "How does it feel? Is the pressure overwhelming?"
"To say it's not overwhelming would be a lie... Fortunately, I'm only the temporary commander-in-chief." Shao Pingge shrugged. "You should know, there are people better suited for this position than me."
Gazing at the ruined outer wall in the distance, a trace of worry appeared in Yuan Gang's eyes.
"Do you think... they'll be able to come back?"
"They will." Shao Pingge spoke with certainty. "They're the ones who held up our entire Great Xia... Others might be uncertain, but they—they will definitely return."