Lucifer’s expression shifted; Ye Wen’s words seemed to imply another angel was lurking nearby? If that were the case, things were suddenly very unfavorable. He immediately began scanning the surroundings without making a sound, but no matter how hard he searched, he could find nothing amiss.

This made him wonder if Ye Wen was simply talking nonsense. But just as he entertained this suspicion, a familiar voice sounded not far away.

“Oh my, I’ve overheard something quite significant!”

Accompanying this statement was an angel dressed in robes primarily white with golden patterns as accents. He had neat, short hair and a smile as bright as the sun; merely looking at his smile could make one forget all worries and feel a shared sense of joy.

At this moment, the seemingly young angel ran a hand through the hair on the back of his head and greeted Lucifer: “Didn’t expect to run into you here, Lucifiel!”

The instant this newcomer revealed himself, Lucifer’s pupils contracted sharply. He could never have imagined such a presence had been hiding nearby. “Raphael… did the God of Light send you to monitor me?”

The Supreme Deity, the God of Light, or God—all referred to the same being. Those who had followed this deity for a long time were accustomed to calling him the God of Light, but Michael and several other Archangels preferred the term Supreme Deity. Even the deity himself favored that title, perhaps to satisfy the psychological need to be the one and only supreme existence?

Lucifer’s lack of favor from this God was likely due to his persistent use of the title God of Light—what did that even mean? Was he suggesting that Lucifer was good for nothing but light?

As for Raphael, who now stood before him, he was one of the Archangels seated before the God of Light. Currently, the Heavenly Pantheon boasted four Archangels: Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel. Lucifer was of the same rank as them, but because he commanded the legions of the Fallen Angels, his name was omitted from that list.

Originally, the Heavenly Pantheon had many Angels of the highest tier, the Angel Lords or Archangels, who represented the pinnacle of the army’s fighting strength. Regrettably, after years of conflict, the angel legions had undergone several reorganizations. Now, they were divided only into the Archangels (or Angel Lords), representing the highest tier, the four-winged Angels of the mid-tier, and numerous ordinary angels.

Several Angel Lords had also fallen in battle, leaving only the four Archangels, including Raphael!

Surviving through so many upheavals was proof enough of Raphael’s strength. Moreover, Raphael was an Archangel especially skilled in the divine art of healing, making him a rather troublesome opponent for Lucifer.

He had never expected this individual to be sent by the God of Light to spy on him. More crucially, he hadn’t detected him at all. He had the Easterner to thank for pointing it out; otherwise, his meticulously laid plans might have been thwarted from the very beginning.

“How did you manage that?”

Compared to everything else, Lucifer was more concerned with how Raphael had managed to conceal himself so close by without being detected. By sheer power, Raphael was slightly weaker than Lucifer; such a situation shouldn't have occurred. Besides… none of the angels were supposed to excel at stealth and concealment.

Raphael scratched his head again, then sheepishly produced a strange object. “His Majesty discovered this in one of the worlds, but we never knew its function. Its known uses are to heal all manner of injuries… even near-death states. Anyone bathed in its light can recover!”

Lucifer patiently listened to Raphael’s explanation, knowing the main point was yet to come. Meanwhile, Ye Wen watched with curiosity, simultaneously feeling a strong sense of déjà vu regarding the described effect.

“Besides that… it has another miraculous effect: it can isolate things. For example, like this…”

Raphael squeezed the inconspicuous object in his hand, and it began to emit waves of light, enveloping the space around him. It was as if a shimmering, luminous shield had wrapped around him.

Almost simultaneously, Lucifer’s expression changed drastically. He could physically see Raphael before him, yet within his perception, he could not sense Raphael’s existence in the slightest. Clearly, his senses had been neutralized by that strange object!

Or rather, his power of perception passed right through the space where Raphael stood, extending into the distance. The resulting information was: There is nothing here! As for visual concealment, that was hardly difficult for an Archangel; a little effort sufficed.

“See! Like this!”

Raphael retained his smiling demeanor, but he quickly shifted his gaze to the silent Ye Wen: “However, it seems not to work on this gentleman!”

His tone and smile carried a comforting familiarity, like a younger brother from next door greeting you. But Ye Wen knew that this young man, who looked less than twenty, was one of the top combat forces of the Heavenly Pantheon, and his strength should not be underestimated. Even though he was speaking cordially now, it didn't mean the man posed no threat.

Remaining guarded inwardly, Ye Wen maintained his own smile outwardly and nodded: “My eyes are somewhat unique!”

If not for his Glazed Pupils, he might not have sensed the presence of this angel. Even so, his Glazed Pupils only registered a strange mass of energy nearby; he couldn't see precisely what it was. Fortunately, the faint aura emanating from it was the familiar Light Power most commonly used by angels, which allowed Ye Wen to judge that an angel was indeed lurking nearby.

Ye Wen felt immense relief. Without these divine pupils, he probably would have suffered setbacks in countless situations! Furthermore, the effects of these eyes were not limited to detection; if necessary, they could launch a sudden attack.

Based on past experience, even if that strange device possessed the power to isolate everything, it could not sever the Glazed Fire projected by these pupils. Because Ye Wen could attack anything he saw, that was the nature of that technique. While the device could isolate the aura, it couldn't hide Raphael from sight, meaning he was still within Ye Wen’s range of attack.

Mentally calculating how to deal with Raphael, Ye Wen felt considerably more confident, and he appeared increasingly composed and calm when speaking to Raphael again.

“Indeed, they are a pair of very beautiful and powerful eyes!”

Ye Wen’s eyes were currently shifting in color, radiating a seven-hued, flowing light, making them naturally stunning. Raphael could clearly sense the immense power contained within them, which made him regard the Easterner with a higher degree of respect.

However, in his view, the most dangerous person present remained Lucifer. Unlike Ye Wen, whose capabilities were entirely unknown, Raphael had witnessed Lucifer’s strength more than once. Now that he had exposed Lucifer’s plot, this man surely wouldn't let him leave easily.

As expected, Lucifer soon let out a long sigh. The black robe on his body dissipated, replaced by magnificent black armor.

The dark greatsword that Ye Wen had seen before was now grasped in his hand: “What a pity… it seems the battle between you and me must commence before I face the God of Light directly!”

Raphael’s smile remained unchanged, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of caution: “Indeed, a pity… but what I mean is, this battle probably won’t unfold as you wish. I think reporting what I just heard to His Majesty is far more important!”

He had no desire to engage in a protracted fight with Lucifer here; it would be utterly pointless. Moreover, in terms of raw power, he was indeed slightly inferior. And he wasn't facing just Lucifer either—though he didn't know the Easterner’s strength, anyone capable of cooperating with Lucifer couldn't be weak, right?

“Do you think… you can leave in a situation like this?”

Lucifer didn't immediately attack; he kept talking to Raphael, causing Ye Wen beside him to roll his eyes repeatedly: “Can’t you stop the verbal assault?”

“Under normal circumstances, no! But have you forgotten, Lucifiel… this item in my hand!” Raising the strange object in his hand, Raphael’s smile held a hint of mischief, as if he’d successfully pulled off a prank. “This thing doesn't just isolate auras, you know? Your attacks will have virtually no effect on me!”

Lucifer’s expression finally grew grim. The look he gave Raphael was no longer the proud pity he’d shown earlier for someone he considered as good as dead. Now, his eyes burned with rage because events had once again spun beyond his control.

“Is that so?”

With a sweep of the longsword in his hand, his movement was almost too fast to track. A chasm instantly opened on the snow-covered ground, appearing bottomless at a glance. The sheer power of the sword qi unleashed by that single strike was something even Ye Wen dared not meet head-on. However, just as the sword qi was about to strike Raphael, the brilliant, shining shield before him vibrated slightly, then brightened momentarily, and the formidable sword qi vanished without a trace.

“The déjà vu is getting stronger!” Ye Wen smacked his lips. “If he pulls a greatsword out of that thing next…”

Before he could finish muttering, dazzling light burst from the object in Raphael’s hand, a holy radiance almost as bright as the midday sun, making it impossible to look at directly. Fortunately, Ye Wen and Lucifer were not ordinary beings, allowing them to calmly observe all the changes happening in Raphael’s hands under such intense light.

The initially plain object slowly elongated, finally forming something resembling a rectangular prism, looking much like a large box, floating before Raphael.

Raphael then reached out and pressed a hand against the box, his hand sinking into it. At this moment, Raphael began to speak: “Actually, before I came out, the Supreme Deity was worried about potential accidents, so He entrusted this weapon to me for self-defense…”

Lucifer’s eyelid twitched. Immediately, he felt a surge of holy power so immense it made even him apprehensive and uneasy, emanating from Raphael’s hand submerged in the box. He had felt this sensation many times before; it belonged to one of the Supreme Deity’s sacred weapons.

“Steelbreaker?”

Raphael slowly pulled his hand out. As his hand reappeared in their sight, a hilt inlaid with a magnificent and beautiful gemstone came into Ye Wen’s view. Following that, the golden crossguard and the blade glowing with holy light were revealed.

“Holy cow, there really is one…”

When the entire longsword was drawn, the mighty aura of holy light almost dominated the surrounding space. Even Ye Wen felt a sense of suffocation under such terrifying might.

“Is the weapon of that God of Light really this terrifying?” Ye Wen couldn’t help but be astonished. Only now did he understand why the Heavenly Pantheon had managed to become so powerful! They indeed possessed immense strength to back their standing. Based on this weapon alone, he could roughly deduce that this so-called God of Light was likely even stronger than Poseidon or Hades. As for why the Olympian Gods hadn’t been annihilated, perhaps Zeus’s strength was sufficient? Or maybe the Olympians simply had more top-tier powerhouses, making Heaven hesitant to act rashly? In any case, this Heavenly Pantheon was definitely not easy to deal with!

Ye Wen even secretly surmised that even if he reached the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm, he might not be able to defeat this alleged God of Light—assuming the God of Light’s power matched what he inferred from this weapon.

Compared to Ye Wen, Lucifer felt much worse. Although he had always believed his strength was close to that of the God of Light, sensing the God of Light’s divine power always irritated him intensely, especially now that he was a Fallen Angel—the almost completely opposite power attributes only amplified his discomfort.

“His Majesty said… it has been too long since He displayed His divine power. So long that many have almost forgotten the greatness and glory of the Supreme Deity. Thus, it is necessary to demonstrate it once more! If that person still refuses to repent, then let him experience it again…”

Raphael’s face was devoid of smiles now, replaced by an expression of solemnity. He held the longsword with both hands, and the rectangular box had vanished.

Simultaneously, his white, magnificent robe was gone, replaced by a suit of shining silver armor accented with gold, featuring cross patterns on the chest plate and shoulder guards.

Three pairs of pure white wings unfurled behind him. With a slight flutter, white feathers drifted away, and Raphael himself floated into mid-air.

The holy light emanating from the longsword merged almost completely with the holy light radiating from Raphael himself. The imposing presence Raphael now exuded skyrocketed. Previously, Raphael was subordinate to Lucifer in terms of power before the sword was drawn; now, he completely suppressed Lucifer.

“While I think reporting your treason to the Supreme Deity is the correct course of action, I now feel that eliminating you on His Majesty’s behalf is what a true Archangel should do!” Lucifer gritted his teeth, feeling immensely frustrated that things had escalated this way. He finally perceived what was happening: “God of Light… do you think I can’t tell? You are using Raphael’s body as a vessel to unleash your divine power… this act can’t last long, can it?”

Raphael’s expression remained unchanged, but a flicker of pity appeared in his eyes: “Even a very short time… is enough!”

Only then did Ye Wen understand that the radical shift in Raphael’s demeanor was because the God of Light, using that longsword as a medium, had possessed the Archangel Raphael, employing his body to wield divine power.

“So that’s how it is… It’s likely the God of Light was prepared from the start; no wonder the sword unleashed such terrifying might when it was drawn…”

He glanced at Lucifer beside him: “But this assessment was completely wrong! Lucifer’s strength is indeed slightly inferior to this God of Light, yet a mere ‘avatar’ existence is enough to crush this Fallen Angel! If he faced the main body…”

Just as Ye Wen began contemplating whether cooperation with Lucifer would yield the desired results, Lucifer on the other side erupted.

His black wings thrashed violently, and a plume of dark smoke, seemingly capable of swallowing everything, began to dissipate slowly. Little by little, he clawed back the disadvantage until his holy aura formed a stalemate against the holy light radiating from Raphael.

Lucifer’s expression was still grim, but it was much better than before; at least he no longer looked completely helpless. Then, Lucifer swung his longsword fiercely, as if severing something, and a terrifying, chilling aura exploded outwards.

Ye Wen narrowed his eyes and took a closer look. A silver cross pattern seemed to have appeared on Lucifer’s forehead, which slowly began to crack before shattering into fragments.

As the pattern vanished, Lucifer’s aura surged dramatically, firmly suppressing the holy light emanating from Raphael: “I didn’t expect…”

Lucifer’s voice sounded as if coming from a great distance, ethereal and faint. “One unexpected event after another. Even this trump card of mine has to be revealed prematurely!”

In the final moments, he was almost entirely enveloped by the black smoke. Ye Wen couldn't see clearly what happened. When the dark clouds dispersed and Lucifer reappeared in his view, Ye Wen was completely dumbfounded.

His ears had transformed into a pair of small wings. The three pairs of wings on his back had become four pairs. Moreover, an extra wing-like appendage had appeared at each ankle.

Counting them up, Lucifer now possessed six pairs—twelve wings—far exceeding the Archangel level. What astonished Ye Wen most was that his usually pitch-black long hair had turned silver, radiating a faint halo. Lucifer’s current appearance was utterly dazzling to the extreme—this was the exact aesthetic popular in overly dramatic comics on Earth.

And what left Ye Wen most speechless was that Lucifer’s habits had even changed with his new appearance. He raised a hand, curled his little finger elegantly, and lightly smoothed his silver hair, then glanced languidly at the astonished Raphael: “But now, the one who should be surprised is you, Great… God of Light… Your Majesty!”