전생검신 89권 12화

Meeting the Angel King Metatron, huh?

I shot a suspicious look at Raphael, thinking his suggestion was a bit off.

“Why do I need to meet Metatron? What’s the deal?”

[You truly are a self-absorbed one… You’re given a chance to meet Metatron, the pinnacle of all angels and the Divine Being, and this is your attitude?]

Raphael looked dumbfounded, but I couldn’t help but scoff.

“Ha… Sure, in your world, Metatron might be the greatest, but here? Hardly anyone even knows about him. Besides, I’ve met some way worse guys than him.”

I wasn’t joking. No matter how epic Metatron was, he couldn’t compare to the Outer God.

Raphael paused, deep in thought, before replying.

[Expecting you to hold any respect for the Angel King seems futile. However, you may also need Metatron.]

“Need him? Why?”

[Only the Angel King can open the door to the ultimate hierarchy, the 10th level. Moreover, you can only pass through all high-level tiers of 6 and above with his permission, so meeting him wouldn’t be a bad idea.]

“…”

Hmm… So that’s the deal, huh?

‘So he’s basically the top dog in the Sephiroth system. Guess it’d be bad news if I get on his bad side while trying to climb the ranks.’

Having dealt with the emperor of the Great Bear Empire, I quickly understood what Raphael was driving at. But suddenly something felt a bit off, so I asked.

“Wait a second… I thought Saitan had the keys up to the 8th level? Why is Metatron the one with the 10th?”

[You’re misunderstanding. The previous Angel King, Saitan, could also open the door to the 10th level in the past, but he fell from grace and lost that right. Consequently, his powers dropped significantly, and now he only retains abilities up to the 8th level. The current Angel King alone holds the authority to the 10th tier.]

“Aha… I see.”

[How about meeting Metatron just once? It won’t bring you any harm.]

“…”

I hesitated.

‘This guy is awfully persistent about meeting Metatron… Still, I’m curious to see what he even looks like.’

The Sephiroth world and angels were clearly from a totally different dimension outside of my reality. And since Metatron was the ruler of that world, he might know some secrets that I had no clue about. Plus, if his help was essential for climbing the Sephira, it’d be better not to offend him.

After some thought, I nodded.

“If you’re insisting that strongly, I’ll meet him. But on the condition that you swear by your name it won’t cause me any harm.”

[You’re quite suspicious.]

“Hey, what if I get dragged somewhere I don’t know and suddenly get sealed? Plus, that Gabriel guy already disrespected me first.”

[… I understand. I promise on my name, Raphael, that you will come to no harm. Is that sufficient?]

“Alright, let’s go.”

With Raphael—who looked like a top-tier official from the angelic realm—swearing by his name, I figured at least I had some minimal safety net. After I agreed, Raphael chanted a strange incantation, and just like that, I was whisked away with him into a bizarre space.

Boom!

“Wait, are all those… angels?”

I was completely floored, seeing countless angels flying in this vast cloud realm. It felt like I was looking down on a continent from Earth’s stratosphere. The entire place was a cloud continent, densely populated with angels. The sheer number had to be in the hundreds of millions or even billions, and they came in all sorts of varieties.

Raphael replied nonchalantly.

[Correct. This dimension is under my rule, one of the seven heavens.]

“Seven… you mean those seven Archangels, including you? Each is ruling their own dimension?”

[Exactly. Metatron is in Keter, the upper dimension beyond the seven heavens, so you can’t access it in ordinary ways. You must ride a Phoenix from this realm.]

“Phoenix…?”

Raphael gestured, and from the vast crowd of angels, two gigantic celestial birds began to fly towards us. When they were far away, they looked like mere dots, but as they drew nearer, I realized they were colossal creatures the size of hundreds of normal birds. In reality, their size could easily rival Daji’s true form.

‘What the heck… This place is really vast!’

With a loud whoosh!

A massive blue-flamed celestial bird! It looked much larger than any giant race! It carried us on its back, and soon I was flying upward with Raphael on the Phoenix.

Whoosh —!!

The Phoenix soared at a breakneck speed, gradually morphing into light, and I felt like I was turning into photons as well. My vision warped wildly as we soared through a series of vibrant, surreal worlds.

Thud, thud, thud…!!

Each barrier we passed through made it clear that we were traversing dimensions, and I finally grasped Raphael’s meaning.

‘Given the Phoenix’s speed, we’ve already passed through hundreds of dimensions. There’s no way to reach Keter through regular means.’

From my experience, crossing just one dimension generally required at least the strength of a Great Immortal. To breach hundreds of such barriers would be impossible unless one was a deity or above, especially with the rulers of the seven heavens and billions of angels blocking the way. I truly felt the severe control and management of the Sephiroth world was more stringent than I’d expected.

[We’ve arrived. This is the audience chamber of Keter.]

As Raphael spoke, I dismounted the Phoenix and entered a colossal palace. The size of this palace was no joke; it dwarfed the enormous Phoenix, making it appear like a tiny insect by comparison. The grandeur of the palace far exceeded that of even the largest mountain ranges in the human realm. I was stunned by the sheer scale of this angelic world.

‘Wow. If I hadn’t experienced countless adventures, I might have been overwhelmed…’

Luckily, I had witnessed greater spectacles before, so I managed to stay composed. I steadied myself and asked Raphael,

“Past that massive door lies Metatron, right?”

No answer came. When I turned around, Raphael had vanished without a trace. I couldn’t help but mutter in disbelief.

“What the heck… Why didn’t this guy guide me to the end?”

Despite my disbelief, I headed towards the gigantic door. The door’s enormity hit me instinctively, dwarfing me even amidst the vastness of this palace surrounding me. I gauged the distance to that door.

‘… It must be at least a thousand miles away. Its size might measure up against a continent.’

For a normal human, getting to that door would take forever. But I smirked, ready to leap.

Soul Removal Technique

Ultimate Completion

Heavenly Destruction Step!!

Boom —!!

I dashed towards the door like a beam of light. In an instant, it felt like I leapt over three hundred miles, and after a breath or two, I found myself right in front of the massive door. The moment I reached it, I concentrated the acceleration of the Heavenly Destruction Step into my fist and threw an open palm strike with all my strength at the door.

Soul of the Four Gods

Fire Spirit

Phoenix Palm

Kaboom!!

In an instant, I unleashed the maximum power of the Fire Spirit from the Soul of the Four Gods, combined with the force of my accelerated attack, crashing into the gigantic door that was as massive as a continent. The door felt as though darkness was enveloping my entire vision, but as it collided with my strike, it emitted a strange sound and flew back.

Boom!!

‘Got it!!’

With the power of my Phoenix Palm perfected to a high degree, I felt confident my attack could break through any barrier. And it proved true! Not only did I have overwhelming strength backing me, but my ability to manipulate heat into chaos played a huge part.

The moment the door opened, I was thrilled, but it quickly turned into shock.

“…?!”

W-what’s this?!

A universe?!

Sure enough, before my eyes was an expansive universe alongside a majestic heavenly path. But at the center of that universe, filling my vision, was the World Tree of Sephiroth, with a being standing atop it. Both the World Tree and the figure upon it were colossal, leaving me dumbfounded.

What’s with that size?!

Around the Sephiroth tree, nebulae dotted the space like stars, while galaxies spiraled like small whirlwinds. The slightly larger masses seemed to be the clusters of galaxies I had heard of. And the sheer size of the Sephiroth tree dwarfed everything else, defying human comprehension.

Suspended above the Sephiroth tree was a gigantic angel, whose size dwarfed entire galaxies! The surrounding objects were enough to confirm this. Possessing a multitude of impossible giant wings, the being radiated a sacred silver glow, and I felt an overwhelming divine power emanating from that light.

Simultaneously, countless divine eyes appeared around the angel, with numbers exceeding hundreds of thousands. I felt a deep chill, as each of those eyes exuded a dreadful ‘authority’ of its own, predicting unimaginable chaos in their wake.

Shwaa —

The shimmering light streaming from the golden crown upon the angel signified its status as the Angel King.

“……!!”

The divine power scraped against my skin, causing sharp pain, and I had a gut feeling.

‘This guy… is for real… a High-Level Existence!!’

It was an instinct developed from encountering numerous divine beings. A reflex to categorize existence levels without thought. And that instinct screamed that this being was definitely something rivaling an emperor or an evil god. The oppressive divine power blazing across my skin vividly reminded me that even if I were to use my power in the World Tree, I’d still be no match against him. Maybe he wasn’t as strong as those at the peak of their powers, but that was likely because he wasn’t exerting himself fully.

Moments later, I heard a divine voice from the massive silver angel.

[You, who have repeated your end countless times through death. You possess the ability to choose your desired conclusion, yet you’ve reached for our world.]

“…”

W-what?

What did that guy just say?

I felt dizzy from the shock of Metatron’s words. Because what he said symbolized one crucial thing.

‘Repeated my end countless times… that means…!!’

The Angel King Metatron knows I’m a Reborn Person!!

That’s not something you could just know without having a clue!

I had no intention of acting oblivious or arguing with Metatron. Instinct told me that the being before me was not someone who could be trifled with like an emperor or evil god. The immense gravitas he radiated made me realize I might have compared Metatron to the emperor or an evil god instead.

‘What the hell! Where did this monster come from…!!’

Is this the level of power the supreme being controlling the rulers of the seven heavens should possess?!

I grit my teeth in nervousness and addressed Metatron.

“Selecting a desired conclusion? What do you mean? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

Instead of answering, he made an odd statement.

[I am ‘the one who serves the Throne’… Elevation is something I have no concern with. I merely seek to uphold fairness, traversing the paths of predetermined cause and effect.]

“……”

[Your only remaining role in this world is to serve as the future of yet another conclusion…].

W-what does that mean?

Metatron’s vague words were hard to decipher. Simultaneously, I recognized that he was deliberately being vague, implying something significant. That meant the Angel King Metatron knew the truths of our world’s conclusion and the Throne at a deep level, unlike other rulers of the angelic realm.

I mustered all my courage and spoke to Metatron.

“If you know something, please share it!! Or help me!! That’s why I’m here!”

I realized something.

‘Metatron clearly doesn’t care at all about the resurrection of the previous Angel King, Saitan! He’s confident he could take him down if he revived!’

He likely just invited me here because I’m a Reborn Person, so I had to grab whatever insight I could and return!

[…….]

It felt like Metatron was quietly scrutinizing me. As I noticed the tens of thousands of glowing eyes around him, I felt an icy chill. Since earlier, I sensed those countless eyes held something menacing about them.

‘Could it be that… with all that divine power they’re giving off…?’

I almost dismissed the wild thought but shook my head. It was just too far-fetched.

If my wild imagination was correct, then the Angel King Metatron would indeed be a real monster. No average divine being could hope to face him head-on without being crushed.

[You must prove yourself with your abilities… That you could become the new Aion in this age of endings… I, Metatron, shall lend strength to you, should you break through the trial.]

It dawned on me what Metatron was implying, and I furrowed my brow.

“… So you’re saying you won’t give me any special treatment, and I have to pass the Sephira on my own?”

[Getting this far alone is already a privilege…].

“…?”

[In that case… I shall grant you an opportunity to duel against the test champion of the 9th level… so you may feel the depth of power you must overcome to reach the pinnacle of the Sephira.]

“Wait a minute, didn’t Raphael promise I wouldn’t come to harm?”

[Don’t worry… whether you win or lose, you’ll safely return.]

With a flick of Metatron’s hand, something materialized in front of me.

Boom!!

Suddenly, a colossal entity landed, blocking the heavenly path in front of me. It wasn’t the monstrous size I had seen before, but more like a giant three times my size. Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling of overwhelming pressure emanating from it.

‘W-what…? He’s strong?!’

The tension was palpable, similar to when I faced Metatron, but of course not as intimidating.

The being appeared human-like but had the head of a chicken and its lower half was a snake. Clutched in its hand was a whip, likely its signature weapon.

As the chicken-headed serpent man saw me, it gripped the whip tightly and smirked.

“Hohoho… Are you the swordsman possessing peerless sword skills? I’ve heard plenty about you.”

Despite speaking in fleshy tones and not divine words, I could feel divine power radiating from every word. Its divine power was undoubtedly at a dizzying level.

“Who are you?”

“Honored to meet you. I am Archon Abraxas, the test champion of the 9th level… and the one and only officer directly under Metatron.”

With every word it spoke, the surrounding space distorted. Its overwhelming strength was warping the very fabric of reality.

I chuckled and replied.

“Officer? What exactly does that mean?”

“When the rulers of the seven heavens rebel against Metatron, I am the one who judges them.”

“……!!”

What? It can judge Archangels?

An unsettling premonition washed over me, so I quickly drew my sword, noticing the serpent man’s eyes gleamed with a blue divine light.

“I too, Archon Abraxas, have longed for a duel with a strong opponent… Please, let us engage!”