The angel's appearance was overwhelmingly dramatic. Accompanied by blinding light, it tossed a person aside with ease. And not just anyone—Historia, one of the Six-Star Generals, known to single-handedly shift the tides of war.

Yet, even Historia's formidable body was nothing more than a leather ball in the face of such overwhelming power. She flew through the air, scattering the nearby golems and sending papers fluttering, eventually tumbling to a halt against the wall.

With a display of unmatched majesty, Amadeus landed gracefully before the Signalers, as soft as a feather.

The Signalers struggled to process the situation, quickly initiating their unique magic and exchanging rapid thoughts.

“Amadeus? But Amadeus shouldn’t have been summoned within Module I...?” “Is it Amadeus from another module?” “Objection. There are no modules within the Inner Circle’s central coordinates capable of controlling or observing Amadeus. It’s outside the effective range.” “Be cautious. That form doesn’t match Amadeus’s specifications. It might be defective…”

『How dare you measure right and wrong? Such blasphemy.』

The words were spoken as if Amadeus had directly read their thoughts. Realizing this, the Signalers collectively closed their mouths and ceased communication. Meanwhile, Amadeus, with wings radiating holy light, folded them one by one, gazing down at them.

『As expected, what humans create is incomplete. Even when cherished within a box, they inevitably reach out to the outside world. No matter how closely you replicate it, it’s never truly the same.』

The Amadeus that had appeared thus far engaged in monotonous conversation, transferring information and completing assigned tasks without any apparent will of its own. More akin to an object or system than an angel.

But the winged being before us now was different. This "true Amadeus" spoke in a solemn and imposing tone, like an envoy descending from the highest heavens.

『It is a pity, indeed a pity...』

"A Signaler? No, it's different!" "The Voice of the State…?"

Upon hearing its lamentation, the Signalers looked around uneasily, like children caught doing something wrong. They instinctively backed away, forming a makeshift barrier that left Amadeus and me standing face to face within a circle of people.

There was one other person.

Captain Ivy, recently freed from IA’s bind, was stumbling as if newly born. She looked as if she might collapse at any moment, but managed to steady herself, taking deep breaths and muttering.

"Yuel…?"

There was a spark of life in Captain Ivy's eyes. She was speaking and moving by her own will now. Unfortunately, her timing couldn’t be worse.

For just as she regained her freedom, the angel of judgment descended. How cruel fate could be.

『The creation closest to success… the only product I, and the State, watched with great interest, has now been defiled beyond all measure.』

"Signaler Yuel. Is that correct? Why are you…?"

『If you had remained untroubled, I would have existed as just another Signaler. I would have lived with you as a resident of a lonely room. But…』

Amadeus heaved another sigh.

It was only a sigh, but every hair on my body stood on end. A primal fear seized me, as if my life and death hung on its will. Like an ant before an elephant, I could only hope it remained indifferent to me.

『The invasion of barbarism into this country marks a great regression in human history. This cannot be left unchecked.』

But I know there’s no such luck. I’ll have to confront it somehow.

『I, and the State, will personally set everything right.』

My body felt heavy, my breaths labored. Light shouldn't have weight, yet the parts of me exposed to it felt submerged. The last time I felt this kind of presence was when I faced Tyr in the Abyss.

But the difference here is that unlike Tyr, who was indifferent to me, this angel… it’s my enemy, through and through.

"I suspected there might be something hidden here, but… wow. You were concealing a real angel inside an iron box."

Only as I spoke did I realize my voice was shaking. Instinctual fear gripped me and shook me, whispering that fighting this angel was a surefire way to die. My mind and instincts were in rare agreement.

This 'true Amadeus' is more powerful and dangerous than any foe I’ve faced before. Especially since I can’t read its thoughts.

Though it’s using IA’s body, it’s merely a tool for speech and action—its essence is something else entirely. In this place, I cannot fathom its thoughts or intentions.

“Man, it’s one mountain after another. I thought I’d be safe after slipping past most of the Six-Star Generals. But now I have to face an angel?”

My impression of this wretched country wasn’t great from the start. Soldiers are like machines following orders, schools cut with surgical precision along set curricula and assessment standards. Individuals have limited rights, and there’s no room for mind-readers to slip in. Mind-readers can’t read the mind of a nation.

And now, after evading the Six-Star Generals and sneaking in, the final obstacle is an angel? Unbelievable. As if it were made just to counter me…

Ah, could it be?

"No… Maybe I’ve been thinking about this the wrong way."

This country wasn’t made just to counter me… I’m not that self-absorbed. But I’ve realized the core of my suspicion.

Fortunately, I had someone before me to clear it up.

"This country shuns humanity. Obsessively. Did you intentionally exclude humanity when you built this place?"

Amadeus looked at me in silence for a moment. I could sense it was thinking, but I couldn’t read its thoughts.

Or rather, it wasn’t that I "couldn’t read them now," but that I hadn’t been able to read this country’s thoughts from the beginning.

Because the State isn’t human.

『The State is not human.』

Are you a mind-reader? How did you just voice my exact thoughts?

"If the State isn’t human, then you must not be the State either."

Amadeus didn’t let my words throw it off balance. Like a slow-paced salesman building suspense, it spoke in measured, deliberate tones, dragging out the tension to a suffocating degree.

『The nation is more important than its citizens. Laws take precedence over lives. Justice is nobler than self-interest. Ideals exist above reality.』

"Old-fashioned monarchy, is it? Does this angel offer free lectures these days?"

Amadeus continued speaking, undeterred by my sarcasm.

『God is greater than humankind, even if that includes a king.』

"A theistic viewpoint, I see. Can you explain it so that an atheist can understand?"

No answer. Instead, the pressure on my body intensified.

Tsk. Looks like talking won’t work here. Seems more like a fanatic. I should start preparing.

The one saving grace is that I can still read IA’s thoughts.

IA isn’t in control right now, is she? Correct. She’s practically a golem at the moment, having surrendered her body to Amadeus’s unique magic.

But unlike a golem, IA is human. Just as a golem specialist can instantly identify a malfunction, I can read human bodies.

In short, I can’t sense her movements before she attacks, but the moment she does, I’ll know.

『…Be gone, barbarian! Just as you were banished in the first year!』

Just like now!

With a shout, Amadeus lunged like a beam of light. At almost the same moment, I caught the signal and yelled out.

"Captain Ivy! Get out of the way!"

I shoved Captain Ivy aside with a rough kick and, in one fluid motion, pulled a wide cloth from my card deck as if drawing a sword from its scabbard.

The Queen of Diamonds, the Cloth Queen. The thick fabric that had protected Tyr from countless lights.

When flipped with its back facing out, it acts as a blackout curtain… but when reversed!

"Rainbow Reflection!"

A thick cloth suddenly spread between Amadeus and me, serving as a mirror for it and a blackout for me. With our vision blocked, the blade of light clashed against the mirror surface, causing flashes around the edges of the blacked-out field like lightning strikes.

Ha, good thing I’d slowly infused it with alchemical transformations beforehand. Otherwise, I’d already be dead.

But… that doesn’t mean I fully blocked it.

『Pathetic.』

With a cold voice, the blackout fabric sank inward. From my side, it looked as if the Cloth Queen herself were coming to strike me down.

The Cloth Queen’s fabric is durable enough to deflect serious attacks—arrows, bullets, even. It’s practically impervious, as Aji has carried it in his mouth, deflecting attacks with ease.

But the strength of an angel is beyond arrows and bullets. It’s insulting to even compare.

A hand burst through the blackout, striking my abdomen.

The first pain I felt was in my head. My body suddenly surged backward, and my head couldn’t keep up, leaving me dizzy and reeling.

Ah, I’m finished.

If it hurts this much already… how much worse will my stomach feel?

My head spun as I seemed to tumble backward rather than fly. At this rate, I’d crash, breaking bones for sure.

But the expected impact never came. Instead of slamming into a hard wall, I was enveloped by something soft, feeling a buffered impact as if filtered through layers of paper. Historia had caught me, taking the impact against the wall herself.

"Huy! Are you alright?"

Phew. She saved me. I can usually predict human attacks well enough to dodge or deflect, but you never know how a fall or wall impact will end up.

I groaned to show I was okay.

"Ugh… Damn, I’ve never been hit like this. Not even my mom hit me…."

"Looks like you’re fine."

Historia got the message. She unceremoniously pushed me away, and I tumbled backward, still dazed from the shock.

But I couldn’t complain, as ahead of us, the winged angel walked forward, unfurling its wings.

It could have pursued me when Historia caught me, but it didn’t. Instead of following, it gazed at Historia and let out another lament.