CHAPTER 358: CHAPTER 347: HIS RISE

What had once been a realm of unending screams was now a cathedral of ruin — its silence heavier than the weight of its mountains. The rivers that once boiled with demonic essence ran black and sluggish, reflecting firelight like veins of molten glass.

Towers, broken at their bases, leaned like the spines of ancient beasts long since slain.

And high above it all, upon the shattered citadel that once bore Dagon’s banner, stood Atlas, the Prophet of Light — the one whom demons now called Guide, and favllens, their prophet.

His armor was still streaked with the soot of battle. The wind howled through the fractures of the balcony, carrying with it the scent of burnt iron and the dying mana of fallen kings.

Around him, faint motes of white light pulsed — the remnants of his divine resonance, still untamed, still trembling from the erasure he had unleashed.

Below, the armies gathered. Fallen and demon alike, their differences still there but for this moment, lost beneath a single banner of weary awe. Their eyes did not rise to him in reverence anymore, but in a silence that was half-faith, half-fear.

The third layer was now partially his.

Hell itself had begun to bend its knee.

Atlas’s thoughts drifted through the haze of the dying battlefield.

Five thrones of the third layer — five kings.

Orcus, erased.

Goliath, subdued.

Jenny, bound.

The Lion, sworn.

And now, Dagon, gone beyond even death.

He should have felt triumph.

Instead, he felt hollow. As his true goal was still oh so far away.

The title Prophet had once meant salvation to him. Now it felt like a sentence — a burden that hollowed him from within. Even victory had begun to taste of ash.

He knelt beside the ruined balcony rail. Beneath him, the landscape pulsed with faint, eerie light. Demonic banners burned where they lay fallen. He could still hear the echoes of their chants — Guide of the Depths, Shepherd of the Lost.

They had called to him, begged for direction, not out of faith, but desperation. And he had given it. Because it was all he had left to give.

"Faith is a fragile thing," he murmured, his own voice rough and distant. "It burns bright... until it blinds."

A tremor ran through the balcony as one of the fortress spires collapsed below. The sound was deep, resonant — like the heartbeat of the dying world itself.

He closed his eyes, and the silence spoke. Behind his eyelids, he could still see Dagon’s final smile — not of defiance, but of something close to peace. That haunted him more than the act of erasure itself.

Uriel was the first to come to him. Her armor still glowed faintly with the light of Heaven, though it was dulled now, tarnished by the soot of Hell. She carried her wings folded, out of humility or shame — Atlas couldn’t tell which.

"You’ve almost conquered the third," she said quietly, her voice like wind through broken glass. "The demons kneel. The Fallen chant. It should feel like victory."

"Indeed Ureil, Indeed...do they still fight? The demons and our fallens."

"..."

There was only silence as ureil looked down.

Later, in the great hall of the broken citadel, Atlas sat alone beneath a canopy of black flame. Before him lay the Book of Acclaim, open to a page written in his own hand — the scripture he had claimed was divine revelation.

"He who unites shadow and flame shall be the bridge between realms. Through him, the lost will find the path back to the Source."

The words glowed faintly upon the page, pulsing with quiet life — the ink itself infused with faith energy. Around him, faint whispers filled the air — the thoughts of believers, both demon and Fallen, woven into the page through sheer devotion.

He could feel the schism already forming.

Half of the third knelt to his name.

The other half sharpened their blades in silence. Maybe. He didn’t know.

Still, he believed. Not because of destiny, not because of God — but because belief was the only weapon he had left against despair.

He placed his palm upon the open page. The scripture flared with light.

{{{{{You do know the consequences of using this book, right?}}}}}

"... Don’t know... Don’t care."

{{{{{{....}}}}}}

Then the light dimmed, and all that remained was the echo of his own doubt.

He stood once more upon the balcony. The air was cooler now — if Hell could ever be cool. The flames along the horizon had died to embers. His reflection shimmered faintly in the black rivers below — fractured, refracted, infinite.

It was then that he sensed it — a ripple of power, faint but unmistakable.

Something pure.

Something holy.

The air itself vibrated with it.

And before he could fully comprehend the sensation, wings of radiant gold cut through the smog above.

Gabriel descended in a storm of white feathers and ozone, landing lightly upon the cracked stone beside him. His armor still bore blood — demonic, angelic, she no longer knew which. But her eyes burned with fierce conviction.

"oh prophet," he said, breathless. "He’s alive."

Atlas turned slowly, brow furrowing. "Who?"

"Michael." his voice shook. "The First. The Arch of Creation. His light... I felt it. All of us did. Across the layers."

For a heartbeat, time itself stilled. Even the air refused to move.

Michael.

The first Angel.

The original flame of Heaven.

Atlas’s heart stumbled once, caught between disbelief and something darker — fear, or maybe longing. "Are you certain?"

Gabriel nodded. "yes...Every angel felt it. His mana rippled through the divine lattice. It was faint, but unmistakable. He’s risen."

Atlas turned away quickly, hiding his expression. He stared down at his hands — the faint cracks of erasure still visible along his skin, glowing like veins of light beneath flesh.

He lied, smoothly.

"I felt it too."

Gabriel’s eyes widened, relief softening her expression. "Then it’s true. The war may yet turn. With Michael’s return—"

"The tide will shift," Atlas interrupted, his tone measured, distant. "But not as you expect."

He could not let her see his uncertainty. Not now. Not when his faith points still bled negative. Not when he had barely contained the fracture of his own soul.

Within the hour, the citadel’s grand hall filled again. Fallen archangels gathered — Uriel, Gabriel, Raphael — their wings folding like shrouds behind them. The flickering torches cast long shadows, stretching their silhouettes into monstrous shapes against the walls of obsidian.

Atlas stood before them, a solitary figure carved from gold and ruin.

"Michael lives," he said simply. "The first light of Heaven burns once more."

A murmur rippled through the hall — disbelief, awe, fear.

"What does it mean?" Raphael asked. His voice, calm but wary, carried the weight of endless calculation. "If he returns, will Heaven make their move?"

Atlas nodded. "I believe so.....I don’t know how he came to hell, maybe he was already here...but I know this for sure...THEY won’t stay silent"

Uriel’s gaze hardened. "what can those puny gods do but send their child like demi gods, the pact of heaven and hell still entails...."

He met her eyes without flinching. "Indeed, they can’t do nothing but watch..."

The firelight caught on his armor, reflecting faint halos of white and gold. For a moment, he looked almost divine — the perfect illusion of a god who believed his own myth.

But inside, he felt the tremor of doubt. The whisper that no one else could hear — What if they’re right? What if I am the heresy?

He silenced it.

"The war of acclaim," Atlas continued, his voice rising, "was never about destruction. It was about unity. Heaven and Hell will not be enemies forever.

I know, some of you still don’t appreciate these words of GOD himself but in the end Balance must be restored — even if it must be forced."

The hall grew still. Even the torches flickered lower, as if bowing to the weight of his conviction.

Uriel spoke softly. "does almighty really wants us to join hands with these devil’s..?"

Atlas looked at her, then at all of them — the angels who had followed him into damnation and still called him prophet.

"yes, Don’t doubt his way... believe my children... believe." he said. "Faith breaks. But belief... belief reshapes."

[Faith Points: +7,240]

[Emotion Ratio: Faith 81% | Fear 2%]

[Stabilizaing]