Chapter 126: Tobias and Zephyrus
Seraphel
Every route we tried to take was swallowed by Complete ruin. As Uriel and Sariel rushed me through the palace grounds, the sky continued to rain down furious, chaotic fireballs.
The grand marble halls of the palace of Asmodeus were obliterated, with over half the palace already reduced to burning rubble and shattered stone.
The air was thick with the suffocating stench of ash and copper, and the ground below was littered with the bodies of fallen guards and panicked court members. Yet, no matter how many we bypassed, the demon horde kept pouring through the rift, endless and relentless.
"This Tower of Prosperity... what does it actually do?" I asked, turning my head toward the shadow clone of Sariel floating beside my platform to guard me.
The shadow clone bore the same sharp features as the real Sin of Envy. It glanced at me with a slight frown, its amber eyes scanning our immediate surroundings for approaching threats.
Finding a brief moment of calm—since Uriel was busy trapping a cluster of demons in a cage of crimson flames off to the left, while the real Sariel cleared the path ahead alongside his other shadows—the clone finally answered.
"The Tower of Prosperity is an ancient mechanism divided into seven core domains, each tied to one of the seven princes," the shadow explained, its tone flat and focused. "It is an automated fail-safe designed to activate the moment the kingdom faces destruction. Once triggered, it instantly teleports the people to safety."
"To safety?" I pressed, leaning forward. "Where does it send them?"
"To a secondary domain—a newly generated realm that mirrors this one entirely," the shadow clone replied.
I stared at him in stunned silence. I had never expected such a vast, intricate piece of lore from him.
A twin world? If I had read the main novel more thoroughly instead of skipping straight past the non-smut plotlines, I would have known all about this.
The moment a Chapter lacked intense scenes, I used to skim or jump ahead without a second thought.
Now, that habit was coming back to haunt me.
"If the tower teleports everyone," I asked, a sudden wave of panic hitting me, "does that mean the invading demons will be warped to the new world too?"
The shadow Sariel shook his head. "No. The secondary domain filters out hostile celestial and demonic signatures. It will be a safe world, just like..."The clone froze, its eyes widening as it picked up a sudden spike in divine magic.
"Watch out!" the shadow screamed.
Before I could react, the clone grabbed my wrist and forcefully hurled me backward off the floating mist.
In the same second, a blinding, translucent sword burst straight through the shadow clone’s chest. The tip of the blade erupted through its back, shattering my protective green barrier like fragile glass before the clone dissolved completely into a cloud of golden dust.
"Sariel!" I shrieked, hitting the stone floor hard.
In a flash of light, the real Sariel materialized directly in front of me, throwing his arm out to shield my body as Uriel landed heavily at my side.
Sariel’s amber-gold eyes blazed with intense power, shooting out a blinding ray of celestial light.
A deafening metallic clash echoed through the courtyard as an unseen weapon parried his attack. The sheer force of the impact sent a tremor through the ground, vibrating right through Sariel’s frame.
"Zephyrus," Sariel hissed through gritted teeth.
My breath hitched. Zephyrus? I strained my eyes, looking past Sariel, but the space ahead was shrouded in a heavy, unnatural white fog.
Wasn’t Zephyrus supposed to be high up in the sky, locked in combat with the other sins?
How could he possibly be standing down here? Had the other princes been defeated already?
Uriel let out a sharp, ragged gasp from beside me, his eyes fixed on the mist. "Tobias..."
The name echoed in my mind, ringing an instant bell.
I scratched the back of my neck, my heart hammering against my ribs as I desperately searched my memories. Where had I read that name before?
Then it clicked.
Tobias was from Uriel’s character route in the original book—an arc I had skimmed through in a hurry.
Tobias was Uriel’s tragic love interest, but also the son of a high-ranking goddess from Elysium.
The main plot had diverged so much already, yet here Tobias was, standing alongside the very deity leading the attack on Katula.
"How are you standing here, Tobias?" Uriel asked, his voice shaking with a mixture of disbelief and hurt. "You told me you were secluded in your domain, cultivating in peace... yet you led a host of demons directly to my brothers and me?"
The fog parted rapidly, revealing two figures stepping into the courtyard.
The first was Zephyrus, unmistakable in his constellation-embroidered robes and glowing star crown, his face concealed behind an ornate, impassive mask. In his right hand, he held a shimmering light sword—the very weapon that had parried Sariel’s strike.
Beside him stood Tobias. He had long, golden hair tied back in a high ponytail with two intricate braids framing his face. He wore elegant, flowing white robes that closely mirrored Uriel’s celestial style, though the silk was embroidered with intricate, crossing sword patterns along the hem and collar.
"Hello to you as well, Sariel, " Zephyrus spoke first, his voice carrying an echoing, authoritative weight that sent an icy shiver down my spine. The pressure radiating from his divine aura was so overwhelming that my stomach turned, making me physically nauseous "And to you, Uriel."
"If you are standing right here," Sariel demanded, stepping forward as his sword glowed with dangerous intensity, "then who is leading the demons in the sky? No one wields the Spear of Light except you. How are you in two places at once? If you are here then who the hell are my brothers fighting? How did you disappear so fast? How!" Sariel shouted pointing a finger at him.