Chapter 77: The Celestial Realm

When I woke up, I finally confirmed that I am the strongest cockroach in history.

Except... where is this?

"You're awake," a gentle voice said.

Michael?!

I bolted upright. "Where is this?"

"The Celestial Realm," he smiled.

I used to think the Celestial Realm would be filled with winged angels flying to and fro; I thought the sky would be thick with feathers and the land populated by countless handsome men and beautiful women...

But it turned out I had read too many comics. Well, I wasn't actually disappointed, because I hadn't come to the Celestial Realm for sightseeing. I had been imprisoned by Michael, though I had no idea what had happened before or how I had mysteriously ended up here.

Where was Samael? Where was Alastor?

Since I wasn't dead, Alastor should be fine as well.

Squatting on the barren ground, I leaned against the bars and stared blankly into space, acting as a responsible and well-behaved prisoner. My life behind bars...

The Celestial Realm is divided into seven heavens. This was the fifth heaven, Mahon, where the prison for angels is located. Michael had thrown me here a long time ago. Aside from the little angel guarding me, I hadn't seen a second person—or rather, a second angel.

I was locked in a specially made cage, making escape impossible. Honestly, there was no need for such measures; as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but desolate ruins. Even if they let me out, I wouldn't necessarily be able to run away.

I looked down at the jade ring on my right index finger. When I was first brought here, the little angel guard acted as if he were facing a formidable enemy. According to him, those imprisoned in the fifth heaven were all heinous criminals. Upon hearing that I was the legendary fallen angel, Lilith, he became even more high-strung, hardly leaving my side for a moment. He even tried to remove this jade ring—which he claimed was an evil object of the demon race—just in case. Unfortunately, despite using all his strength, he couldn't remove the ring, which seemed to have grown into my skin and become a part of me.

Ever since Albus died, I discovered that no one but myself could remove this ring that had turned into jade.

There was no day or night here, no sun, moon, or stars. I couldn't keep track of time and could only wait in silence, even though I didn't know what I was waiting for.

I didn't know what had happened. I didn't know why I had appeared in the Celestial Realm. Before losing consciousness, I was clearly killed by mistake by Samael in the Candy House.

But when I woke up again, I was actually in the Celestial Realm.

Michael had thrown me in here, and I had become a prisoner of Heaven.

"Little angel, little angel..." I wailed out of sheer boredom.

After being subjected to my verbal poisoning for days, the little angel guarding me had learned to treat my noise as if it were non-existent. But it turns out that holding back from talking is truly painful; these days spent staring at nothing were comparable to purgatory.

"I'm breaking out! I'm breaking out!"

"You've used that one already," the little angel said, fluttering his wings as he appeared before me.

I chuckled. "Well, you came out, didn't you? So it still works."

"Stay here and wait for your judgment. Do not dream of escaping; the Almighty God is watching you," the little angel said sternly.

"I won't run. Just stay and chat with me," I said, wearing a thick-skinned smile.

The little angel remained impartial and ignored me.

"I'm going to sue you for prisoner abuse!"

Silence.

"Aren't angels supposed to be symbols of justice and holiness? As a just and holy angel, is this how you treat an old colleague who is currently in repentance?! You are simply heartless, soulless, and devoid of compassion. This violates the holy image of an angel and the merciful image of God..."

The fluttering little angel stumbled slightly and turned around. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Just a casual chat to pass the time," I said, leaning against the wall with a smile. "Isn't it boring for you to stand guard in this place where birds don't poop and chickens don't lay eggs every day?"

"This is my job! This is my glory! How could someone as fallen as you ever understand?" The little angel grew agitated, his small wings flapping as he spoke with righteous indignation.

"Alright, alright," I shrugged. "Then, besides work, do you have any entertainment activities?"

"Entertainment activities?" The little angel blinked, looking confused.

"Yeah, you know, like going to a KTV to sing, or strolling down the streets, or going to a cafe for a cup of coffee... or maybe afternoon tea?"

"KTV? Strolling streets?"

I shook my head and sighed. "You've never heard of them?"

"Hmph, the language of devils," the little angel snapped, turning his head away disdainfully.

The corner of my mouth began to twitch.

"Then you definitely haven't heard of 'stargazers' or 'fans,'" I said with a mysterious look.

"Chasing stars? Why would anyone chase stars?"

"How should I put it... For example, you admire Michael, right?" I blinked and smiled.

Upon hearing this, the little angel's eyes immediately lit up. "Lord Michael is the greatest!"

"Exactly! That's it! In the human world, if you admire someone, you ask for their autograph!"

"Autograph?"

"It means having them write their name down, so you can look at it later and think of them!"

The little angel looked lost in thought.

"Sigh, by the way, how long have I been locked up here?" I asked, stretching.

"Not long."

"Ah... I feel like centuries have passed..."

I sighed inwardly.

"When will God judge me?"

"Why do you want to know that?" The little angel looked at me warily.

"Nothing, I'm just concerned about the date of my death..." I said weakly.

The little angel looked at me, perhaps thinking I looked quite pitiful. After a moment's thought, he said, "I don't know. Lord Michael didn't say."

I nodded powerlessly.

Argh... I was already dead, why do I have to die a second time!

Utterly depressed, I lay down and slept for a while. When I opened my eyes, I was startled to see a pair of deep gray eyes. I froze, my brain stalling for a long moment. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you... alright?"

I stared for a second and then burst out laughing. It was quite funny hearing those words come out of his mouth.

"I'd be better if you were willing to tell me why I appeared here," I said meaningfully.

"I promised not to say."

I was speechless. As expected, an angel is an angel; they never lie.

Michael passed through the bars and stood before me. He slowly reached out and placed his hand on top of my head, his eyes filled with an indecipherable emotion.

I closed my eyes and didn't look at him.

Looking at him was also a kind of pain.

I wouldn't be able to stop myself from seeking that warm embrace.

Because... I was very cold.

"Are you hungry?" His voice sounded softly in my ear.

I opened my eyes and looked at him in surprise.

At some point, a crystal cup had appeared in his hand, filled with a crimson liquid.

"You..." My eyes widened. In the Celestial Realm, he actually dared to openly...

"Aren't angels supposed to be symbols of justice and holiness? As a just and holy angel, how could I treat an old colleague in repentance this way?! Wouldn't that be heartless, soulless, and devoid of compassion? Wouldn't that violate the holy image of an angel and the merciful image of God?"

My mouth hung open. Weren't those the exact words I used to tease the little angel earlier? He had been listening all along?

Dazedly, I took the crystal cup. I was indeed hungry.

I drank it in one gulp; the taste was a bit strange.

"Ah! Lord Michael!" The little angel's voice suddenly rang out. He was incredibly excited. "What brings Lord Michael to the fifth heaven?"

The little angel's expression was exactly like that of a child meeting an idol.

"I came to see her," Michael said with a smile, calmly putting away the empty crystal cup. I was speechless.

"I watch her all day long, never leaving her for a single step!" the little angel said, hurrying to take credit.

Michael smiled but remained silent.

"Lord Michael... could you give me an autograph?" the little angel suddenly stammered.

"Eh?" Michael raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That... that..." The little angel glared at me—since I was watching the show—and moved to put away his quill pen.

Michael glanced back at me, but he actually took the quill, signed his name, and then vanished into the air.

The little angel held the signed paper, grinning from ear to ear.

"See? I was right. Since you admire him so much, you can take it out and savor it often in the future. You could even stick it on the wall as a goal to work toward," I chuckled.

"You say... the human world is all like this?" The little angel carefully tucked away the autograph and looked at me, blinking.

"Yeah, pretty much," I nodded.