Solomon locked his eyes onto Uriel. The blood rushed to his ears and entirely drowned out every other sound in the ruined cathedral.

The surrounding cathedral walls, the unconscious bodies of his newly met companions, and the floating chat interface all melted away from his perception. Only the towering angel remained in his line of sight.

Uriel turned his golden eyes toward the ruined entryway.

The angel spotted the pristine steel of Eden’s Penance and physically recoiled. He dragged his boots backward across the marble tiles, instinctively retreating from the executioner’s sword.

It was the weapon that had slayed his kin and nearly ended his immortal life centuries ago was suddenly pointed directly at him again.

A sudden cracking noise echoed off the high walls. The stone altar at the far end of the cathedral violently shattered apart. Chunks of rock crashed against the floorboards, exposing the Crown of Eden resting untouched within the rubble.

The massive gemstone embedded in the gold band pulsed with a blinding light, actively reacting to a hidden presence in the room.

Uriel flared his three pristine wings and his three bleeding stumps simultaneously. He lunged toward the altar to snatch the glowing artifact.

Suddenly, a silver arrow streaked across the room to intercept him. The projectile struck the angel directly in the shoulder and instantly shattered into useless splinters against his invulnerable skin.

Vlad lowered his recurve bow and glared at the winged monster. "Solomon!" Vlad shouted across the ruined hall. "Move your feet and attack!"

Uriel stopped his advance completely and snapped his head toward the boy holding the greatsword. Hearing the ancient Paladin’s exact name drop from Vlad’s lips forced Uriel to widen his golden eyes in absolute shock.

Solomon remained completely unresponsive. He stood firmly planted near the collapsed boundary, gripping the metal hilt with stark white knuckles. His chest heaved erratically as the inherited trauma completely hijacked his motor functions.

Vlad tossed his useless bow aside and reached over his shoulder to pull a long spear from his back.

He flooded the shaft with his golden aura until the metal glowed with blinding intensity. The royal abandoned his usual composed demeanor, twisted his entire torso, and hurled the spear.

The glowing weapon became a streak of light moving far faster than the human eye could track, aiming straight for the angel’s chest.

Uriel grabbed the spear, although he was pushed back a little because he didn’t expect it to have so much power. He then tossed the spear when it ran out of aura.

Immediately, Vlad drew a pair of steel axes from the armory strapped to his spine. He hurled the left weapon directly across the vast cathedral.

The spinning metal crashed violently against the flat of Eden’s Penance. The kinetic shock traveled down the hilt and jolted Solomon completely out of his blinding trance.

"Solomon! Get your shit together!" Vlad roared Solomon’s name across the ruined hall.

He charged straight toward the colossal angel with his remaining axe raised. He flooded his legs with golden aura to cover the distance instantly.

A mortal warrior stood absolutely no chance against a divine entity without wielding equal power. Uriel simply raised a pristine hand and summoned a spear of pure blazing light.

The angel hurled the magical projectile directly at the charging royal.

Vlad immediately dropped his offensive stance and pulled a massive shield over his shoulder. He curled his body completely behind the reinforced steel. The spear of light slammed into the barricade and exploded on impact.

The violent kinetic force tossed Vlad backward through the air, sending him crashing onto the tiles directly next to the shattered altar.

It seemed so natural, as if that was Vlad’s plan from the beginning.

[LazyCat: VLAD IS GETTING THROWN AROUND LIKE A DOLL!]

[GoonLord: THAT BIRD MAN IS ACTUALLY A GOD!]

[BloodKnight: A standard shield cannot block holy magic. Vlad is surviving entirely on his aura output.] 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Vlad pushed himself off the rubble and looked down at the Crown of Eden resting inches from his boots. He snapped his head up and locked eyes with the towering angel.

They had a two second stare-down before Uriel flared his three remaining wings and lunged toward the altar.

Vlad kicked off the stone tiles and dove for the artifact simultaneously.

The royal knight closed the distance a fraction of a second faster. Vlad snatched the crown from the dust and spun on his heel.

"Solomon!" He threw the artifact completely across the hall while shouting Solomon’s name. "Eat it!"

Uriel reached the altar a heartbeat later. The angel swung a glowing fist and punched Vlad squarely in the chest. The brutal impact sent the royal swordsman crashing violently through a row of wooden pews.

Solomon tracked the flying crown and sprinted forward. He hauled the executioner’s sword onto his back and extended his right arm. His fingers wrapped securely around the band of the crown. The central gemstone pulsed brightly against his palm.

A blinding arc of golden fire flashed across his vision. Solomon crashed onto his knees. His right hand hit the polished floorboards a few feet away with a sickening thud. His severed fingers remained clamped entirely around the glowing crown.

[GamerGuy: HOLY FUCK!]

[User12: HIS HAND!]

[NewbHunter: SOMEONE CALL A HEALER RIGHT NOW!]

Blood poured freely from his wrist and pooled across the cathedral tiles. Solomon stared at the bleeding stump of his arm while grinding his teeth together.The agonizing pain spiked through his nervous system and forced a harsh gasp from his lungs.

He had endured worse injuries during his training in the Paladin’s world, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t feel the pain.

Nonetheless, the physical injury faded entirely beneath the sudden flood of the ancient knight’s memories. His vision tunneled directly onto the winged entity, forcing a guttural snarl from his throat as the foreign urge to kill hijacked his entire nervous system.

It was as if the paladin’s rage had possessed his body and wasn’t letting him think straight. The feelings and emotions weren’t his, and that was driving him insane.

Uriel threw his golden head back and laughed loudly. The angel stepped over the shattered pews and walked directly toward the kneeling boy. He pointed a pristine finger at the massive executioner’s sword resting on the floorboards.

"Holding that specific blade and sharing his cursed name changes absolutely nothing." Uriel sneered. "You are just a pathetic mortal playing a game with a dead man’s legacy."

The angel shifted his golden eyes toward the opposite end of the cathedral. Vlad struggled to push himself up from the rubble of the broken altar.

"Stay exactly where you are, royal." Uriel flashed a twisted smile. "I will mount your head on a spike the moment I finish devouring this divine artifact."

Uriel stopped inches away from Solomon and scoffed. He stared down at the boy’s completely unblinking, bloodshot eyes.

"Why exactly are you glaring at me like that?" Uriel tilted his head. "Do you genuinely believe your pathetic little stare can actually harm a divine being?"

The owl hovered frantically around Solomon’s shoulder, projecting a rapid stream of text across the blue interface.

[GoonLord: HIS HAND IS GONE! SOMEONE HELP HIM!]

[LazyCat: WHAT IS GOING ON?!]

[BloodKnight: Vlad needs to intervene right now!]

Uriel snapped his gaze toward the floating drone.

"What kind of creature is this?" He raised a pristine eyebrow and reached out, crushing the mechanical owl within his golden grip.

The drone exploded into a shower of sparks and metal fragments, completely severing the live broadcast.

The angel casually reached down toward the severed hand resting on the marble tiles. He grabbed the gold band of the crown and pulled it upward. Solomon’s dead fingers slipped completely off the metal.

Uriel pulled the gemstone out and raised the artifact toward his face. He unhinged his jaw to consume the glowing gemstone.

Solomon completely abandoned his severed limb. He grabbed the hilt of Eden’s Penance with his left hand and anchored his boots against the floorboards. He twisted his torso and swung the massive greatsword in a brutal horizontal arc.

The pristine steel sheared completely through Uriel’s wrist, cleanly detaching the angel’s hand.

The severed limb and the glowing crown launched high into the cathedral shadows. Solomon kicked off the marble tiles and propelled himself upward.

"No!" Uriel screamed.

He opened his mouth wide and caught the brilliant gemstone directly between his teeth. He swallowed the crystallized divine essence in a single gulp before gravity pulled him back to the ground.