Third Person POV

Mai had teleported them back into their safe base, the Heavenly Star Palace, and Feldway screamed out of humiliation.

"Damn Rudra, quit messing around! What kind of a Hero are you when you couldn't even protect Veldanava-sama?!"

These were Feldway's true feelings, he was furious from the bottom of his heart. He had known that Rudra was strong, but he never thought he could be defeated while in possession of the <Castle Guard>. The breach of the invincible <Castle Guard> had been too unexpected even for him. Even if he did not have a cautious disposition, this would still be reason enough to choose to withdraw. That's why Feldway understood that this is nothing to be ashamed of, but he was still unable to control the anger welling up inside him. Although abhorrent, it's not as if it was a decisive defeat. Feldway told himself this and tried to regain his composure. He temporarily ignored his own defeat and turned his attention to the war situation with the others. As a result, he was shocked by an unexpected turn of events.

"Michael-sama, have you finished with Demon Lord Rimuru?"

He sent this 'thought' to Michael directly but did not receive any response. They were one and the same, sharing the same power. No matter how far apart they were, even if they existed in different dimensions, their shared will would never be severed. The only time where this would be possible was if one of them was in a critical situation where the other was unable to respond. But unlike Feldway, Michael was a <Parallel Existence>, so as long as a copy of himself remained, he could revive in any situation. Therefore, there should be no need for him to panic, though that should be the case, the lack of response was still unusual. Since the <Time Stop> has been released, the battle should have been won by now. Demon Lord Rimuru should not even be aware of the Suspended World. In other words, the plan should have been accomplished as soon as Leon was lured to the bait. Yet, a bad premonition was making Feldway's heart pound. And then, the message was delivered.

"Ah... my wish has been granted. Feldway, my only regret is leaving you behind..."

This was the 'thought' that Michael sent while he was disappearing with the last of his strength. Feldway could feel Michael's power inside him but his 'will' was no longer there. It was the confirmation of Michael's 'death'.

"It can't be... Michael-sama is a <Parallel Existence>, right? Whatever the situation, as long as I'm safe, it should be possible to revive him..." Feldway muttered in distraught

Michael was the first friend he had made, and the first friend he allowed himself to be open and honest with. He was always cautious and prioritized Michael's safety, taking a multitude of precautions until he felt absolutely sure that things were safe. Yet, there was no sign of Michael reviving. The <Justice King, Michael> itself had not disappeared, and there was a sign that the Manas had returned, it would respond to questions but it was without an ego. It was merely the power to control the Ultimate Skill in its pure form, a fundamentally different existence from Michael, a friend of his who wished to revive Veldanava of his own free will. Feldway had no choice but to admit that his friend had completely disappeared.

"Why... How did this happen?" He blurted these questions without thinking, but no one could answer them

He was stunned by this unbelievable event, and Michael's last words reverberated in his mind. What did he mean when he said that his wish had been granted? Feldway could not understand it but he felt a little better knowing that his friend did not die in pain. However, he could not help but feel jealous of Michael.

"How sly, to be satisfied with yourself and leave me behind."

He was lonely. As the head of the Seven Primordial Angels, he was the leader of the group, and all the responsibilities fell upon his shoulders. All decisions were left to his will, without the possibility of consulting others. When Veldanava left, there was no way to escape the pressure, and to everyone's dismay, Feldway remained at the forefront as a leader.

It was inevitable that Feldway, who usually made all decisions on his own, would be out of step with his colleagues. Feldway's flaw was that he did not care about what his colleagues thought. The accumulation of such a situation led to discord, and without him realizing it, he gradually lost grip of the group. As a result, the group lost their cohesiveness. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Feldway was unaware of this reality.

Fenn was also his friend, but he did not trust him enough to show any weakness to him. After all, there was no one, not even one person in the whole wide world, who could understand Feldway and heal his heart. Then Michael appeared. As a comrade with the same goal in mind, and as a friend who could understand each other, Michael fulfilled that empty part of Feldway. It was a joy he had never experienced before. Before long, Michael had become as important to Feldway as Veldanava.

However, reality was cruel. The friend he had finally made disappeared, leaving Feldway behind, and for the first time, he felt weak.

"What do I...?"

"Hey, General, quit your sulking and tell me what to do next."

For a split second, Feldway was stunned by the speaker. It was Vega, who is usually known for his lack of discretion, he has called out to Feldway without consideration. Mai just remained silent and kept a quiet eye on the situation. Vega was the only one who was indifferent and Feldway was offended as he looked at Vega.

"Shut up. We just lost contact with Michael-sama. You must understand that this is not the time for you." He spat out

"Hah? After all his bravado, that Michael guy still lost. How pathetic." Vega scoffed, not reading the air

Feldway was furious by his words, "I am telling you to shut up!"

In his anger, he launched an aggressive and vicious attack on Vega.

"Ggh, this guy is amazing..."

The difference in strength between them was like heaven and earth but even after realizing this, Vega did not shut up.

"Hey, hey, are you saying I'm wrong? Michael lost because he was weak. This is a world where might makes right, so there's no justice or crap if you die! Am I right?" Vega spoke his true feelings, despite it sounding like an incitement

"Don't you dare talk about Michael-sama like that!" Feldway screamed as he threw a punch to shut Vega up again

But Vega still continued, "What the hell are you talking about?! Look, you didn't give a shit when that bastard Cornu died, and you didn't even care when I ate Oria and Arios, right? Come on, that's because you thought I was right, isn't it? Am I wrong?"

Vega wasn't wrong. Feldway wasn't saddened by Cornu's death but was displeased by the failure of his mission, and was busy thinking of the next course of action. This was the same attitude he had toward Oria and Arios, whom he considered nothing more than pawns and insignificant beings. So when he learned that Vega had eaten them, all he felt was that it would not be a waste if it had led to Vega's growth. Thus, he did not even blame Vega and even thought that it served to strengthen their military force. Nevertheless, Feldway was still upset that his feelings were detected by Vega.

"Tch, impudent loudmouth..."

Vega huffed, "Heh, that's just my nature."

"What would you know? I pursue a higher purpose, and in order to achieve it, I will sacrifice anything-"

Vega cuts him off with a shout, not fazed by the pressure in the room, "Shut up, don't be so naive! My boss, Yuuki, was trying to resist all that absurdity. Well, looking back on it now, I wonder how he could have done it with such a small amount of strength. But even so, I believed in that person. I was ready to take his head if he showed any weakness, but Yuuki had a tricky character, he never let his guard down. And sure enough, he pretended to be manipulated, didn't he?"

"... So what? Even he was defeated after that."

"Yes, that's right. Even Yuuki couldn't do it. In the face of such an insurmountable gap in strength, no matter how idealistic or righteous one may be, it's all meaningless. A world where everyone can live happily ever after is just an illusion, after all. That's why there's no choice but to be honest, right?" Vega questioned

"'Honest', you say?"

Vega nods, "That's right. As long as the immutable truth that might makes right remains unchanged, the only right thing to do is to stand at the top. You are strong, General. Even Jahil, who defeated Yuuki, is no match for you. That Velzard woman is also a monster, but I think you're better than her. Of course, you're better than that Michael guy. That's why, from now on, you're the boss. No one's going to have a problem with that."

"... You're a simple man." Feldway finally said

"Cut out the flattery, I'm embarrassed."

"I didn't mean it as a compliment..." Feldway thought with a sigh, "Power, huh? Certainly, there is little to lose in that regard."

Although he had lost Michael, the power was returned to Feldway. There was a little loss, but that was because Michael had summoned the last of his strength and entrusted it to Feldway. It was proof that Feldway's friend cared for him. If so, he would not let it go to waste. It may be wrong to intentionally take away the power of a comrade like Vega did, but the result was still the same. Feldway did not intend to blame Vega, and now, Feldway even felt a sense of kinship with Vega.

"Very well. From now on I will be king in place of Michael-sama. I swear to you that I will defend the throne until Veldanava-sama is restored."

Now that he has made up his mind, all he needed to do was act on it. Since he had always been submissive to Michael, he had kept his true body hidden in order to keep a low profile, but now there was no longer a reason for him to hold back. So to fully utilize the power Michael left him, it was time to unleash everything and dwell in the main body he had hidden in the Otherworld.

"It's been a long time since I revealed my true self."

Feldway, the first servant created by Veldanava, was very much like his creator. In contrast to his creator's long, jet-black hair that seemed to hold the radiance of the stars of the world itself, Feldway himself has long, silvery white hair that represented a shining light. His slitted eyes were cool, shimmering like blue stars, rather than beautiful, it would be more correct to call them divine, and in those eyes, there was a will of steel filled with determination. As befitting of his 'beauty', he had a tremendous presence.

All the powers that Michael had gathered now belonged to Feldway. Under the control of Manas 'Michael', there were four Angelic Ultimate Skills excluding the three, <Knowledge King, Raphael>, <Covenant King, Uriel>, and <Hope King, Sariel>. The related powers associated with the Skills were also still alive and well in the form of information. In addition, the factors of Velzard and Velgrynd, two True Dragons, had become flesh and blood. In terms of strength, Feldway was now more substantial than ever before. He was radiating such a powerful energy that he was no longer the same person as before.

"Amazing... Really, he's a monster..." Vega swallowed while muttering his true thoughts unintentionally

"Vega, you have woken me up. I thank you." Feldway said

Vega smiled, a little embarrassed, "Heh, it's okay. But don't forget. I'm always aiming for you. I'm no match for you now, so I'll follow you, but if you show any weakness, I'll eat you!"

This was still Vega's true intention, even if he was trying to hide his embarrassment. Feldway nodded his head happily even as he understood that.

"Hm, I'm counting on you." He said with a chilling smile as his calm thoughts finally concluded another thing, "... I'll make use of that girl's power to revive Michael-sama too. If Rudra can use it, then I can as well. Let's see if I can search for her presence. The Herrschers have a unique signature, so meeting Rimuru Tempest once was enough to understand which one is which."

He orders Mai to bring up a projection of the Cardinal World and looks at the markers left on the board, carefully looking for familiar magicule signatures and crossing them out of the list if they weren't the ones he was looking for.

"Two are at Lubelius but none belongs to that girl. What about Hua? They couldn't have separated in such a short time considering Feiyun's condition back then... But her presence is not in the Empire."

Feldway considered possibilities in his head as he tried to figure out where his target was. Until... like a divine intervention, the <Justice King, Michael> suddenly gives him a clue.

"Part of its power is lacking, as if it was taken by someone... In that case, who has it?"

His eyes hovered over the projection again while he checked the Ultimate Skill over and over again until he found the faintest presence of <Michael>. Though it was integrated, it was still once the <Justice King>. The presence was too faint to be on the surface world, so there were two possibilities. The Labyrinth or...

"... So that's how it is. If you're not in the labyrinth, then someone has hidden you in another dimension. Let's see how long you can hide, Feiyun."

He may have hidden these thoughts for now, but his intentions were clear. He had plans for the next attack and he would make sure it comes into fruition.

...

Feiyun was startled awake, gasping aloud, and startling Hua, who was speaking to Kondou through the monitor Su had left for them.

"Feiyun?!"

Hua immediately climbed onto the bed and ran a quick analysis on Feiyun as she catches her breath to calm herself.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Hua asks

Feiyun shakes her head, wiping away the cold sweat that was forming on her forehead, "... No, it's nothing... It's... nothing..."

"... What was that sudden rush of evil intent I felt? Was it a warning? Who was emitting it? And why did I feel it?" Feiyun questioned these in her thoughts but could only come to one answer, "... <Justice King, Michael>... If it's not Michael then there's only Feldway left... What is he planning?"

"What's the situation outside?" Feiyun asked as she propped herself up on the bed with Hua's help, "Has it been a day already? I need to go out there!"

"It's only been two hours since Su left. Besides, can you even move your legs yet?" Hua asks

"I can move just fine without them! It's just a little prickly!" Feiyun huffs as she pulls out of Hua's grip and moves to the other edge of the bed to stand, "See?! I'm fine- Ah...!"

Hua was quick to reach over and pull Feiyun back onto the bed before she could collapse onto the floor.

"Alright, stop being stubborn! You're getting some bad habits from Elysia!" Hua chides her as she lays her back onto the pillow, "Besides, you were ordered to rest, so stay here until Su says that you're really fine!"

"Huh?! You're calling me stubborn?! That's rich coming from you, Old Timer!" Feiyun spat out, "You can stay here if you want, but I'm going out there! Feldway will target you too if I stay here!"

Hua pauses at that statement, "What are you saying? Did Feldway find out about this bubble world?"

"... No, he didn't, it's just a hunch!" Feiyun countered as she pushed Hua off her, "That guy may not look like it, but he had complicated thoughts before and made his way of planning obvious! I'm just saying things!"

"... Kondou." Hua called as she turned to the monitor where the man was awkwardly watching their exchange, "Get someone from Tempest to contact you, and find out what is going on out there."

Kondou nodded immediately, "Got it. I'll give you an update later."

"Thank you."

The monitor screen closes as Hua returns her attention to Feiyun, pulling the blanket up while the girl huffed like she was offended.

"Old Timer!"

"Be quiet and sleep, Feiyun. I already told you, if you want to head outside, then you must recover first. However, if you must insist on heading outside, then I'm following you, whether you like it or not." Hua said and continues before Feiyun could say anything else, "We're in this together. Last time, I did things by myself and didn't think about your feelings. So this time, if you're heading out there to fight, then I'm going with you. We're going to fight together, even if Feldway is our opponent."

"You... Do you know what you're up against?! As if you're going out there to fight him!" Feiyun countered

"Then I should say the same to you! You have no reason to stay outside and get yourself caught in your condition!" Hua retorted

Feiyun startled for a moment before gritting her teeth, "... I don't care! He can't do anything to me! You need to stay away from him! I'll handle things outside!"

"In your condition?! You must be joking!" Hua scoffed, "You can barely fight in perfect condition like this! Will you please listen to me and just stay here?!"

"I can't!"

"Why?! Are you hiding something from me?!" Hua questioned relentlessly, "Why won't you tell me?!"

"That's...!" Feiyun paused as something wet dripped on her cheek, "Old Timer...? Why are you crying?!"

Hua shakes her head slightly before leaning down to pull Feiyun into a firm hug, settling herself on her shoulder as the girl awkwardly leaves her arms hanging for a moment before finally returning the hug.

"Old Timer?"

"It's nothing... Nothing at all..." Hua mutters as a distant memory flashed in her mind

I want to know what I can do.

Don't rush things, you'll have a lifetime to think about it.

"... You can't leave me behind... I won't allow it..." Hua muttered

Feiyun was flustered for a moment before awkwardly changing the topic, "A... Alright, alright...! I won't leave! I'll stay here! Happy now?"

She sighs quietly in mild relief when Hua finally nods on her shoulder and lets her go before wiping any stray tears away from her face.

"You better promise me. If you need to go outside, then we're going together. No more going alone." Hua demanded

Feiyun clicks her tongue, "... Fine, fine! I get it! We'll go together!"

Hua nods, "I'm glad you understand. Now, just rest first. Once Kondou gets back to us with his report, we'll get clearer information of what's happening outside."

Feiyun sighed, plopping her head back on the pillow, "... Okay..."

.

.

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Su checks the Seed of Sumeru to observe some of the happenings around the world but judging from the blinking lights on the screens, there weren't many changes in the war happening in the old ruins of Eurazania and the approaching Giants that were heading straight for Lubelius.

"Both sides don't need our help but Kalpas and Sakura are already in Eurazania, so the insectars shouldn't be a big problem." He ponders and continues to observe, "... Lubelius has just fended off someone's attack, and is still on alert but I doubt Hinata will make it back in time with the Holy Knights. Also, there's the ability to stop time... If the enemies still have that..."

"Judging from this, Mobius and Vill-V stationed at Lubelius with Griseo and Kosma for now but if the situation gets bad... Velzard's appearance might change things if we aren't careful."

"Our only chance to at least cripple her is the <Anchor of Destruction>..." Su concluded, "... I hope it doesn't come down to that..."