Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented-Chapter 190

The ominous temple had a domed interior.

Adorning its walls were stone masks resembling the Demon King.

The masks emitted a faint light, serving as both decoration and illumination. As the light grew brighter, the dimness of the dome began to dissipate.

"......!"

In the center stood a massive statue in humanoid form—or was it truly a statue?

While its body was partly made of stone, the varying colors of its material suggested it had been pieced together, as though stone fragments were fused onto an existing body.

I recognized the kind of being created through such grotesque fusion.

"A chimera."

From the moment we encountered the mid-bosses, I had anticipated this.

The statue knelt in a posture reminiscent of prayer, its form unmistakably angelic. The half-exposed face bore a striking resemblance to the stone masks adorning the ceiling.

Was this the face of the Demon King from the past? No. At first glance, I had assumed it was, but something was different.

Most notably, it had only one wing. And it wasn’t the black wing associated with fallen angels—it was a pale gray, interwoven with the dull color of stone.

"Do angels all look the same?" Chris observed as she tilted her head at the statue.

Indeed, the faces of the mid-bosses—the Seventh-Tier Angel, the Ninth-Tier Angels—and this statue bore similarities. Upon closer inspection, each had subtle differences, but their general appearance was alike.

The Demon King Lucifer, as far as I knew, was once one of this world’s highest-ranking angels.

Up to now, the angelic figures I’d encountered—statues in the ancient dwarven temple known as *Berbeia's Ancient Shrine*—were mere guardians of the labyrinth, crafted from dwarven memories. Their faces hadn’t been rendered with such detail.

This was my first time seeing an angelic statue with such precise features.

The size of the Seventh-Tier and Ninth-Tier Angels had also varied. It seemed that the higher the angel’s rank, the larger their form. A surprisingly straightforward hierarchy.

If this statue was as large as it seemed...

"A high-ranking angel," I murmured.

Could this have been one of the angels destroyed during the war? Known to possess power rivaling the Demon King, such beings had reportedly perished long ago.

Lucifer, also called the *Fallen Angel Baliel*, had once been among the most prominent. And *Dominion the Archangel*—another name I knew.

But this one was different. What was its name?

As though to answer my question, the system’s interface appeared.

[Second Named Boss]

[Level 58 Archangel Uriel]

[HP: 1,000,000,000 / 1,000,000,000 (100%)]

"Archangel Uriel," I read aloud.

"One billion HP...! Is this another boss we need to weaken through mechanics?" Chris speculated.

"Possibly," I replied, my gaze steady as I watched the unmoving statue of the angel.

Questions swirled in my mind.

Did this angel possess strength equal to that of the Demon King? According to my understanding of this world’s history, all angels besides the Demon King should have died before my reincarnation. Yet here it stood—its patched body distinct from what it might have been in life. This chimera, or perhaps golem, must surely be weaker than the Demon King. But why would such a high-ranking entity appear as a mere raid boss? Even in my days as a hero, battling the Demon King had required my comrades and I to stake our lives. If Uriel’s power rivaled his, how could the system of the Astria continent allow for its existence?

I opened my mouth to speak.

"Chris, we shouldn’t treat this as an ordinary second named boss—"

"Kha-ha-ha!"

A laugh echoed through the air, drawing both Chris’s and my attention.

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The source of the voice materialized in the air, accompanied by violet flames of dark magic.

"The Gatekeeper, Bade!" Chris exclaimed.

"Well, do you like what we’ve prepared?" Bade smirked as he gazed down at Uriel’s statue with a look of satisfaction.

"What kind of demon are you?" I asked sharply.

"Hmm?" Bade’s expression shifted, then he laughed mockingly. "Kha-ha-ha! Just an ordinary demon, seeking to dye this world in our colors. What else could a demon desire?"

"No, you’re different. You know what state this world is in, don’t you?"

Though weaker than Crowbo, the northern legion commander who had grasped some of this world’s truth, Bade’s presence exuded an unsettling aura.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Who knows? Maybe I do, maybe I don’t."

Determined to uncover his secrets, I drew my sword. At that moment, his gaze turned cold, his eyes gleaming ominously.

"We simply revealed the truth. Their destruction was their choice."

"What...!"

"The goddess granted them free will. They acted according to their convictions."

The truth revealed by demons: Astria was merely a lower dimension, observed from a higher plane.

The ones Bade referred to—higher angels—had obliterated themselves in a war.

"Then what is that?" I demanded, gesturing at Uriel.

"Remnants of an angel," Bade replied casually.

So that’s what it was.

Archangel Uriel—a relic of the past. The corpse of a high-ranking angel.

This temple wasn’t just the resting place of the *Blue Tyrant King*. It was an altar of resurrection, meant to create a new legion commander or another *Demon King Lucifer* using the remains of an angel.

I bit my lip as realization struck. The dwarven craftsmanship in this temple’s architecture wasn’t a coincidence. The demons had enslaved dwarves to ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) build this place and stitch together angelic remains into a chimera.

And those dwarves were likely all...

Bade licked his lips as he gazed at Uriel’s statue. "In the end, it’s just a chimera. I had my doubts, but with enough sacrifices, it might serve as a strong piece. Even the Death Knight seems to have made up its mind."

His voice, distant and eerie, returned to its usual mocking tone as he laughed again.

Then he turned away from us, lifting his hands toward Uriel.

"Uriel, the time has come. O angel who once wavered in doubt, look upon the world now. It’s nothing but a plaything for higher dimensions. Rise, and act according to your convictions."

*Crack.*

The statue began to move.

Its lone wing twitched, gradually darkening to black.

*Crack! Crack!*

A blinding golden light erupted from Uriel, and a strange voice invaded our minds.

[[Offer your sacrifices!]]

"Rain!" Chris cried.

I quickly pulled her into my arms, shielding us with a *Sword Barrier* as the light surged around us.

Through the glare, I saw Bade’s body consumed by the light, his mocking laughter fading as he dissolved into nothingness.

Yet somehow, I doubted this was the last we’d see of him.

"Chris, ready yourself!" I called.

She snapped out of her daze, grinning as she readied her stance. "You owe me an explanation later about this world’s lore."

"Deal," I replied with a faint smile.

For now, the only thing that mattered was subduing the angel before us.

'Archangel Uriel' stood before us.

It demanded sacrifices to unleash its full power.

[[Offer your sacrifices!]]

[Second Named Boss]

[Level 58 Archangel Uriel]

[HP: 1,000,000,000 / 1,000,000,000 (100%)]