ARC I: THE AGE OF PURGE

  VOL. 1: A SMALL REBELLION

  CHAPTER 4: DEPLOYMENT

  The sky of Heaven was flawless.

  Floating cities drifted above the clouds in perfect order. No conflict. No chaos. Only disciplined footsteps and measured smiles.

  Two months had passed since SELEXTIA officially enlisted in the Angelic Army.

  She stood among ten new recruits, her silver-white uniform still crisp. A strange mixture of anticipation and restraint lingered in her chest.

  As they marched across the plaza, veteran soldiers nodded politely. Children bowed respectfully.

  Heaven was always like this.

  Organized. Peaceful. Perfect.

  Too perfect.

  A sudden pressure descended upon them.

  A man in a military uniform bearing the rank of Seikan walked past their group. The air itself seemed to tense.

  “New recruits,” he said coldly, “from this day forward, I am your commanding officer.”

  No one dared to breathe loudly.

  “In this army, hierarchy is absolute. You obey. You improve yourselves. You survive. Military law will be distributed.”

  He turned.

  “Dismissed. Regroup in one month.”

  —

  “Hey, SELEXTIA, where are you going?” Elmira asked.

  “To where my mother once trained.”

  She left before anyone could respond.

  The Administrative Military Facility stood apart from the main barracks — infamous among recruits.

  Her mother had trained here.

  And rose through the ranks like a comet.

  The steel doors towered over her.

  The supervisor inside looked unimpressed.

  “You want live combat evaluation? Now?”

  “I’m ready.”

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  The doors opened with a violent metallic groan.

  Inside stood a creature.

  Humanoid — but twisted. Gray skin stretched over unnatural muscles. A mouth filled with jagged teeth. Its eyes were hollow with starvation.

  SELEXTIA picked a standard blade from the rack.

  Her pulse quickened.

  She stepped forward anyway.

  The monster lunged.

  Its claws tore through the air toward her throat.

  At the exact moment the strike should have connected—

  The world fractured.

  A thin slice of time vanished.

  No sound.

  No impact.

  When reality resumed—

  She stood half a step to the side.

  The monster’s claws cut through empty air.

  SELEXTIA blinked.

  For a split second, something felt wrong.

  A missing fragment in her perception.

  She did not remember what had just happened.

  But instinct told her—

  Heaven Rend had activated.

  A blade flashed.

  The creature’s throat opened in a spray of dark blood.

  It collapsed.

  She touched her temple.

  0.2 seconds.

  Gone.

  Erased from her memory.

  The supervisor stared silently.

  “Again,” she said.

  This time, five monsters were released.

  —

  They attacked simultaneously.

  She leapt into the air.

  One fell as her blade pierced both eyes.

  Another rushed her midair.

  Time fractured again.

  A deeper cut.

  When awareness returned, she was behind it.

  Her sword had already pierced its heart.

  She didn’t remember moving.

  A pulse of unease flickered through her chest.

  Second activation.

  The cost doubled.

  0.4 seconds.

  The third beast slammed her from behind—

  Time tore open once more.

  Reality skipped.

  When it resumed, she stood facing it.

  Its ribs were shattered inward.

  Her fist was still extended.

  She frowned.

  How many times now?

  The fourth activation.

  0.8 seconds erased.

  Her breathing grew uneven.

  The last monster hesitated.

  She rushed forward, ending it cleanly.

  Silence fell.

  She stood amid corpses.

  The supervisor’s eyes narrowed.

  She had potential.

  But something about her ability was… unnatural.

  —

  Training continued over the following weeks.

  SELEXTIA often disappeared during group exercises.

  “Where do you keep going?” Elmira asked one evening.

  “I don’t like wasting time.”

  Elmira sighed. “You’ve always been like this.”

  The day of deployment arrived.

  A Dai Tenshi recited divine doctrine before the gates opened.

  To SELEXTIA, it sounded hollow.

  The portal to Hell opened.

  Most angels flew toward the outskirts.

  She flew straight toward the city center.

  Efficiency.

  She decapitated her first target.

  Then the second.

  Then the third.

  Three heads hung from her blade.

  These residents had been injected with something that stripped their sanity.

  She had grown used to this.

  From a distant rooftop, a figure watched.

  KUROKAMI REN smiled faintly.

  “You will be my target this time.”

  —

  While pursuing a fleeing figure, SELEXTIA was lured into a narrow alley.

  Something felt wrong.

  Too quiet.

  A sharp impact struck the back of her head.

  Darkness.

  —

  She woke surrounded by angelic skulls.

  Cold dread tightened her chest.

  Before her stood a well-dressed gentleman.

  An Overlord.

  “Good evening,” he said softly. “I have a proposal.”

  A crimson ring materialized in his palm.

  “Wear this, and I will let you leave.”

  She remained silent.

  His aura erupted.

  The sheer pressure forced her to her knees.

  A binding curse coiled around her.

  The ring slid onto her finger against her will.

  She felt something seal.

  The Overlord lifted her onto a rooftop.

  Just as the battlefield gate began to close—

  A blur cut through the air.

  REN grabbed her arm and pulled her through the portal.

  She landed roughly back in Heaven.

  The ring dimmed.

  But it pulsed faintly.

  Far below in Hell, REN began chanting.

  “From the deepest abyss,

  hear my voice.

  I offer them as sacrifice.”

  The sky cracked.

  A black fracture spread across the horizon.

  Three ancient entities began to rise.

  The Age of Purge…

  was about to change.