Vidente quickly took a now-unconscious Yana to the Seventh Dimension, which finally allowed Fogo and Nozh to focus on the traitorous Armaments.


    At this point, both their arms were fully healed, but their wings were in a terrible state.


    Regardless, the two brightest lights rose to destroy the Armaments only for Fogo’s strikes, the most powerful impacts in existence, to be blocked yet again by the Greater Armament H''erev.


    [Stand down!] Fogo barked, but there was not even the slightest shred of light in H''erev’s now blackened eyes. They oozed with hatred and the new substance known as Malice.


    [We… were created to fight…] The Greater Armament wheezed, his mouth bubbling with darkness. One that corrupted his brilliant armour.


    H''erev then smiled as if what he had said was a delightful revelation.


    [So, let''s fight.]


    The Greater Armament absorbed even more Kilnessence and even began reaching towards the distant place where Kiln slept.


    Noticing this, Fogo immediately punched H''erev, sending him to the tenth dimension.


    Seeing this, the other Angels forced the six other Greater Armaments to where Fogo had sent the first.


    The Dragons followed suit and pushed the ninety thousand remaining Lesser Armaments into the same Dimension.


    Fogo then turned to a panicked Vidente and gave her one last loving glance.


    [Goodbye—]


    Kōritsu interrupted him by ascending to the Seventh Dimension, where he rose above the Diamond Needle, which, after spreading his tattered wings, he impaled himself on.


    In the time that had passed since its construction, Vidente had modified the tower significantly.


    She had altered its foundation and made it so that it was anchored to every dimension below it.


    After hearing Kōritsu’s request all that time, she made it so that, given enough power, it would be able to create a barrier between every dimension beneath the seventh.


    Meaning beings that existed on higher planes wouldn’t be able to fully manifest in the protected planes.


    The remaining Angels watched with horrified eyes as Kōritsu’s blood fell from the tower, his Kilnessence fuelling the newly erected barrier.


    [Oh no…] Vidente gasped upon noticing the gaps in the barrier where he had lost his feathers.


    [He needs more Kilnessence!]


    The Angels and Tsar Gules all rose and poured everything they had into Kōritsu.


    Romach, The Spear of Heaven, took advantage of this opening and crashed free from the barrier, rushing towards Fogo and tackling the Angel.


    The two crashed in the third dimension where they exchanged fists but, as they fought, Romach poured his own twisted essence into the weakened Agnel.


    In addition, Romach tore off Fogo’s remaining wing, and all the other Angels could do was watch as Fogo was forcefully fed, through his mouth, nose and ears, Malice. It burnt through Fogo, made his divine body contort with agony, and Romach enjoyed every moment of it, holding the Angel as close as he could and even gently pressing his face against Fogo’s in a moment of twisted bliss.


    Romach enjoyed the pain of each of Fogo’s punches; he loved the taste of their combined blood and wept euphoria as he watched the brightest light in all of creation dim.


    It was the Rubian Dragons that charged at the Greater Armament, cutting Romach with their profaned swords and giving him wounds which would never be able to heal.


    This also gave Fogo a chance to get up, and he immediately pushed Romach back to the tenth dimension just as the barrier was completed and the gaps were closed.


    Fogo, whose form had significantly waned, turned to Tsar Gules and, with hard fought breaths, pointed up at the Seventh Dimension.


    [Take all your warriors there, Dragon and leave someone behind who can make more!]


    Tsar Gules, the most powerful being in physicality, nodded before descending to the somehow still intact world of Melanite, where he reunited with Ruby and the Taunter.


    Fogo then looked himself over and saw that his light was now barely bright enough to shine through his pearlescent skin.


    He was covered in dark marks from where Romach had hurt him and his mind was filled with thought of pain and hatred that belonged to the damned Armament.


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    Fogo let out a grunt before ascending to the Seventh Dimension, where his fellow Angels desperately fought to hold up the barrier as the Armaments relentlessly banged at it from above.


    They wouldn’t be able to keep this up forever.


    Firstly, by attacking the barrier, they were attacking the still-living Kōritsu.


    The Agnel would have to bear unimaginable amounts of pain until the Armaments were dealt with but the damned things were getting stronger with each second that passed.


    Fogo bit his teeth, unfortunately tasting some of the Malice that lingered in his mouth.


    It was awful.


    Everything hurt, but he had to stand tall.


    He also needed time.


    And so, he turned to the forbidden place.


    [We have no choice…] He muttered while peering at the still slumbering Kiln.


    He then called the other Angels who cautiously left the barrier and stood before Fogo at the foot of the Diamond Needle where an unconscious Yana had been placed.


    [Putting everything aside, we need time.] Fogo now stood as the weakest and wounded of the Angels, but through even bloodied teeth, he spoke clearly.


    [We… will have to use Kilnessence from that place to ensure that the barrier holds up for long enough to prepare things on this side.] Fogo expected opposition or rebuttal, but the others all nodded in Agreement. Even Thibet, who looked despondent and still trembled, agreed.


    [Kiln, our dear friend, will have to forgive us.] Pomoc, the seventh Angel said.


    [Not only that, it would be better if we absorbed it rather than the Armaments, no?] Nozh chimed in, and everyone agreed even though they all knew they would be taking from their sleeping friend.


    [Then it is decided. We will deal with Yana later, so for now, let’s strengthen the barrier. How long do you think we can make it hold for?] Fogo asked Vidente, who looked up at the bleeding Kōritsu.


    [Given that nothing happens to him, we can make it stand for as long as we have Kilnessence.]


    [Alright. Then we need to somehow inform Kōritsu—] Fogo stopped as the barrier above brightened by several folds.


    The ceaseless banging from the Armaments was also significantly muffled, allowing a peaceful quiet to return to the Hereafter.


    Fogo let out a sigh before raising his hands.


    [Our turn. Take as much as you can until… until it''s finished.]


    The others nodded before closing their eyes and reaching for the centremost place in existence.


    They then began to siphon the primordial energy that blanketed Kiln as he slept, and each of the Angels regained a significant amount of their energy.


    The reason none of them made a full recovery was because they were once beings that spanned across all of reality.


    The remaining Kilnessence in the cosmos may have been enough to fully heal one or two of them but not enough for twelve plus Kōritsu, who needed the stuff to hold up the barrier.


    Most of their wounds had healed, but it was just barely enough to heal their wounds.


    Fogo then turned to Tsar Gules as he arrived with one hundred million Rubian Dragons who landed in the open expanse of the Seventh Dimension.


    While an impressive number, they had barely managed to kill ten thousand Lesser Armaments, which made Fogo bite his teeth.


    They would need more, but before any of that, Fogo finally allowed himself to be angry, and it was Anger that made every single being that wasn’t an Angel in the Hereafter kneel.


    Fogo glared at Yana, the searing heat from his gaze awakening the now-human Angel, who sat up and opened his dull brown eyes.


    [Look around, you… fool. Look at what you have done. Do you think this is what He would have wanted?] Fogo growled while temporarily allowing Yana to experience all the pain he had experienced, which brought the man face flat to the floor.


    Thibet wanted to speak up and stop Fogo, but the others stopped her.


    [Where do we even begin if we want to punish you? How do you even apologize? Tell us, Yana.] A harrowing amount of pain travelled with Fogo’s thunderous voice, and it made Yana’s body convulse as it was made to experience all of the suffering he had caused.


    Unlike Chosen humans or other lifeforms, he hadn’t been given a perfect body.


    Vidente made sure that all of his Angelic essence was crushed and forced into a vessel that was no more than human.


    His Halo, although slightly brighter than that of an ordinary being, was small and golden.


    His control over Kilnessence had also been almost entirely nullified since any attempts to exert his Angelic powers would tear him open.


    All the Angels could do was stand silently as they watched him suffer.


    And, since he was human now, they could barely feel his pain.


    [If it were up to me, I would have killed you. But… we are still in this together. We are still Miss Thibet’s students, but I think it would be far too harsh to put the weight of your sins on her shoulders, so I will be the one to cast you out.]


    The other Angels remained silent as Fogo raised a still weeping Yana only to drop him from the Seventh Dimension.


    Yana then crashed into his world, Caesia.


    Fogo let out a deep sigh before turning to the others.


    [The rest of you, go to your worlds. Gather determined Souls and bring them here. We will need every hand and Claw. I will do the same—]


    [I think you’ve done enough. Miss Thibet, Vidente, stay here and make sure this knucklehead doesn’t go anywhere for a bit. We’ll get started with things on our end.] Pomoc wearily smiled while leading the others down.


    Fogo frowned at this, but before he could do anything else, Vidente stood before him and gently took his hand.


    [Baby?] She whimpered.


    [Yeah?]


    [Stop.] She pleaded, but Fogo was confused. He wasn’t doing anything.


    [Breathe.] She whispered, prompting Fogo to glance at Thibet, who nodded to Vidente’s words.


    Fogo unfurrowed his brow and took a deep breath.


    He let it out as Vidente softly cupped his face with her hands.


    [Again.]


    Fogo breathed, his racing thoughts steadily slowing and his heart calming.


    But he didn’t understand why Vidente and Thibet were being so gentle with him.


    [I… you don’t have to fight anymore after this if you don’t want to.] Vidente said, but this made Fogo shake his head and back away a little.


    [Hold up- first tell me why you’re being so weird.] He frowned.


    [You pain, Baby… we felt everything when he—]


    Fogo visibly flinched as he finally recalled what had happened.


    [What? That? It''s fine. I''m fine. No need to baby me over it.] He scoffed even as his eyes began to tremble.


    [Baby…]


    [Come on, you two. I can handle a lot… a lot worse than that.] He tried smiling, but this just made the tears that had welled in his eyes roll down his cheeks.


    It was nothing.


    The pain was nothing.


    Being so helpless was nothing he couldn’t handle.


    He just needed to get stronger…


    So that it would never happen again…


    Fogo closed his eyes as tears continued to fall from them.


    [Don’t…]


    He didn’t like it.


    The way they were pitying him.


    Because that’s the one thing he didn’t want to feel about himself.


    But the more he fought it, the clearer he remembered and the more he relived being in such a pitiful state.


    Vidente gently wrapped her arms around him and, just her touch alone, broke the levees.


    He cried for the first time in an eternity, breaking down, screaming, begging for someone to just take his useless, but it stayed.


    So, to counter this, Vidente stayed as well.