Uriel scoffed at the crushed Vlad and kicked his limp body aside. "You harbor pathetic delusions of equality with actual divine entities, but a diluted royal bloodline means absolutely nothing against me."

The angel turned his burning eyes toward the altar. He flared his three remaining wings and launched himself directly at the meditating boy.

Solomon kept his eyes completely shut while gripping the massive hilt, relying on the screech of rushing wind to alert his senses.

He ripped Eden’s Penance from the floorboards and swung the pristine steel backward to intercept the charge.

A blinding flash of holy light abruptly erupted across the hall. Uriel vanished from his trajectory and materialized directly behind Solomon’s exposed flank.

Solomon swung the sword in a split second, but a glowing fist buried itself deeply into Solomon’s ribs, launching him entirely across the cathedral.

He tumbled violently through the air while his fingers lost their grip on the executioner’s sword. The massive weapon dropped and embedded itself securely into the floorboards.

Solomon crashed through a row of towering marble pillars and collapsed under a massive pile of rubble.

Uriel landed gracefully amidst the debris and reached directly into the shattered stones. He grabbed Solomon by the throat and hoisted him high into the air. Blood poured from the boy’s severed wrist and injured body to paint the angel’s pristine armor.

Uriel flashed a twisted smile and violently slammed Solomon face-first into the broken floor tiles.

"How dare you consume my divine essence!" Uriel screamed, repeatedly stomping his golden boot onto Solomon’s spine. The angel delivered a series of savage punches to the back of the boy’s skull. "You defile my relic, and you dare claim the name of my executioner!" Every brutal strike cracked another bone and sent fresh blood spraying across the cathedral ruins.

"I am Uriel of Eden!" the angel announced, placing a golden boot directly over the boy’s throat. He spread his arms wide and looked up toward the fractured stained-glass ceiling. "Devouring that gemstone will finally restore my cracked halo. I will regenerate my wings, ascend past these pathetic earthly ruins, and reclaim my absolute dominion over the heavens."

Solomon stared blankly at the glowing ceiling. A literal waterfall of dark blood spilled from his crushed ribs and severed arm to pool endlessly across the marble.

His vision swam with black spots as the sheer physical trauma completely overwhelmed his nervous system. His eyelids fluttered shut, and his consciousness plunged directly into total darkness.

Uriel reached down with his pristine hands to rip the boy completely open.

"Now, the moment I have been waiting for centuries has arrived. I will finally—" The angel abruptly halted his advance and froze over the ruined uniform.

His golden pupils dilated as he actively scanned the crushed torso. The brilliant signature of the divine essence had completely vanished from Solomon’s body.

Uriel pushed himself away from the crater and frantically searched the surrounding rubble. He kicked aside shattered floorboards and overturned broken pillars to find the missing jewel.

The glowing artifact remained absolutely nowhere to be seen among the bloody debris.

"Where did it go?" Uriel grabbed a chunk of marble and crushed it into dust. "A filthy human vessel cannot possibly devour and absorb such a massive amount of divinity. The sheer energy should have completely vaporized your pathetic flesh from the inside out."

A harsh, mocking laugh suddenly echoed from the opposite side of the cathedral. Uriel snapped his golden eyes upward and glared across the ruined hall. Vlad dragged himself onto his elbows and spat a glob of blood onto the tiles.

The royal swordsman offered a wide, bloody grin.

"It finally happened." Vlad bared his red-stained teeth at the towering entity. "I honestly thought he was going to die before his body actually finished the assimilation."

Uriel furrowed his pristine brow and pointed his blazing weapon at the wounded prince. "What kind of nonsense are you babbling about, royal?"

"You winged freaks always believe you sit in absolute control over our reality." Vlad let out another wet laugh and slumped back against the broken stones. "The heavens are actually going to fall to pieces today. You just gave Solomon the exact catalyst he needed to finally awaken his talent."

Vlad forced his trembling legs against the broken marble. His muscles shook violently while he struggled to stand upright. The royal swordsman reached down and wrapped his bleeding fingers around the silver hilt of his fallen weapon. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Uriel threw his golden head back and laughed loudly. The angel pointed a pristine finger at the battered prince. "You claim the heavens are falling over a pathetic human? Why would I ever fear a mortal merely awakening a talent? I am Uriel, a divine entity forged from absolute perfection! I am destined to claim the title of Archduke and reshape this ruined kingdom into my personal sanctuary."

Vlad tightened his grip on his sword. ’I just need to keep him talking until Solomon finally wakes up. We are both bleeding out, and taking this angel on directly is complete suicide right now.’

He wiped a trail of blood from his chin and flashed a mocking grin at the towering entity. "You asked me earlier which god my royal family actually serves. We worship the Lozdos, God of the Dark."

Uriel furrowed his pristine brow and lowered his arm. "I have absolutely no knowledge of a deity with that specific title. Tell me exactly what happened to God Lumina. How many worlds does the creator of Eden currently rule over?"

Vlad let out a wet, echoing laugh and leaned his battered body against a shattered pew. "I do not know any god by that name. Lumina was probably slaughtered by rival deities centuries ago."

Uriel stomped his golden boot against the floorboards and flared his wings. "That is entirely impossible! Lumina personally promised me absolute power! The creator of Eden cannot perish!"

The prince maintained his bloody grin. He had successfully bought the precious seconds he desperately needed. "Even if I just lied to you, that statement will soon become reality."

Uriel instinctively snapped his golden eyes away from the prince and looked directly at the crater. Solomon stood entirely upright amidst the rubble. The boy’s eyes were completely open and glowing with a brilliant silver light.