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Chapter 125. The Seven Celestials

“Ah…”

“Hey, Instructor, my sword broke.”

“...Oh, y-yeah, I see that.”

I reported the state of my shattered sword to the instructor, who had frozen in place, staring in the direction Ars-senpai had been blown away. Well, no wonder. Pouring that much magic into a blunt-edged training sword and smashing it against an unbreakable shield—it was bound to shatter. It didn’t so much “break” as it completely “crumbled”.

Still... even after hitting it with all that magic, while Ars-senpai himself got knocked away, [Zaphkiel] remained completely unscathed. No doubt about it—that shield truly is meant to protect people.

“Whew... I didn’t think brute force would work on me like that.”

“Really? I couldn’t think of any other way to deal with it.”

“That’s... actually fair.”

I mean, if all your attacks are blocked, the natural next step is to target the person holding the shield, right? But if even their reactions are sharp enough to counter backstabs and sneaky tricks, your only option is to just blow both them and the shield away.

The strongest shield is strong, sure, but it’s only strong because Ars-senpai wields it.

“Still, you didn’t end up using your Grimoire.”

“Well, it’s not even about going all out or not. My Grimoire is practically made for killing. There’s no way I could use something like that in a sparring session or a class drill.”

“That dangerous, huh? Well… I suppose such Grimoires exist.”

In fact, Jeremias’s [Michael] also has insanely high lethality, making it unsuitable for mock battles. It’s probably common for Grimoires to lean heavily into combat potential.

As Lucifer mentioned, if all Grimoires stem from the powers of the Celestials, then it makes sense for many of them to focus on destructive abilities. After all, they were always at war with the Demon Tribes. A shield like [Zaphkiel] is likely the exception, not the rule.

[Zaphkiel was a man who rarely stood on the battlefield. His role was to protect the weak... wielding the shield that symbolized the Protector of All, he devoted himself to safeguarding others.]

“...Wait, even you couldn’t break through that shield?”

[Fool. Do you even know who you’re talking to?]

Yeah, yeah, the strongest, got it.

Recently, I’ve been chatting with Lucifer a lot. Not specifically to learn about the Celestials, but more about the magic she’s seen, the personalities of the Grimoires tied to them, and their legendary exploits. Her tales always end with her declaring herself the best, which gets old, but her insights into the Grimoires of those around me are fascinating.

“Hm...”

I meticulously jot down what she tells me, though I don’t have much to share in return. Lucifer insists she has no expectations, but I find that unsatisfying.

“[Raziel], [Michael], [Gabriel], [Sariel], [Ramiel], [Sandalphon, Abaddon]… these are the Grimoires I’ve encountered so far, right?”

“That many already?”

While jotting notes in my usual spot in the archive, Princess Elissa suddenly peeked over my shoulder. She was close—uncomfortably so.

[Hmm… you fought [Sandalphon] and lived?]

“Well… yeah. I mean, just barely.”

I did win, but if I hadn’t, I’d probably be the one lying down. That’s how formidable [Sandalphon]’s power was. Even Lucifer admits it was exceptional.

[Sandalphon occupied a unique role among the Celestials. Unlike the others, it wasn’t granted a rank but existed solely to counter threats posed by the other Celestials themselves. Yet it cherished humanity, elevating gifted individuals to lead others.]

“That would be… my ancestor.”

[Indeed. The lineage of Kuria stems from that choice.]

To think the Kuria royal family has persisted through so many calamities. It makes you wonder—were they repeatedly reestablished throughout history, or were they replaced by heirs carrying the name?

[Sandalphon was peculiar. Its lack of rank might explain its perspective, but its creation as a countermeasure against the Celestials themselves remains intriguing.]

“A countermeasure... So, does that mean it opposed Claudius?”

[Yes. In hindsight, Sandalphon may have been right to insist there was no need to oppress humans excessively. After all, it was our pressure that led to the emergence of Claudius.]

Perhaps that’s why Frodil-sama, wielding [Sandalphon], tried to resist the apocalypse. It might have been following Sandalphon’s will.

[I told you—it was unique among us. Even now, it might still guide its wielders as I do with you.]

“So Frodil’s unfounded sense of urgency could make sense, then?”

Wait, does Lucifer think she’s been advising me this whole time? I thought she was just chatting out of boredom.

[Still... with [Michael], [Gabriel], [Sariel], and [Ramiel] in play, the gathering of the Seven Celestials feels too intentional to be a coincidence.]

“...You mean they came together to oppose Claudius?”

[Who knows… Not all the Celestials may have retained their consciousness. But for those once called the Seven, I doubt merging with human souls would erase their will.]

“So… they’re staying quiet on purpose?”

[Humans are not so resilient as to endure constant interference from beings like me. You, however, seem less fragile.]

Did she just imply I’m not human?

The Seven Celestials... If their power could be fully harnessed, perhaps Claudius could be defeated.

Jeremias with [Michael], Hilalda with [Gabriel], Ivy with [Sariel], and Riester-san with [Ramiel].

These four—are they the key figures in this battle?