Chapter 342: Drawing Him Out-I

Gabriel narrowed his eyes sensing that something was out of place. The Demon in front of him was surely a powerful Demon, but was the word powerful enough to describe the enormous Demonic power which Gabriel could sense despite being far away from him? He had noticed this since Ian was trapped to barrier which the dark sorcerer set. The power that Ian hold suppress even Beelzebub's who was a high Demon.

"We can use other method than killing each other," said Gabriel who didn't want to start a fight.

Ian raised his brows, Angels and their problem, he thought. "Does Heaven deny fighting for Angels even if they are against Demons? I thought they hated Demon, maybe since time had passed, it changed?"

"I don't know if hatred of Angels and Demons had changed but it is different for me. Demon is also a being, they goes against the teaching of Heaven and the right path but they don't deserve to be killed," said Gabriel, the Angel go against the idea of killing unless it was unnecessary. "I can tell that you are not a bad Demon, we can have a light talk instead of fight."

"Bad Demon, has there ever been a good Demon?" Ian questioned back, his smile showing a dangerous glint. "This isn't your first time following Elise, isn't it? You don't need to lie anymore, we have heard from the woman you spoke with in Saltige. I heard you had badmouthed my bride." Ian said to see how Gabriel would react unexpectedly the Archangel seemed to be surprised.

Gabriel raised his brows, "Saltige? I have never went there. It is my first time to meet Miss Elise."

Ian could tell the Angel didn't lie and there was the saying that Gabriel wouldn't lie. Although he didn't know how much of that was true, it was evident from how Gabriel didn't know who Elise was that he wasn't the same person who had told Karen Elise was cursed.

"How much have you heard from the conversation you eavesdrop from us?" questioned Ian, trying to see if he could pull more information from the Archangel, taking advantage as he had reply to his earlier question. "What do you know about the secret child of Angel? You are an archangel you must have caught a wind about it." And his words seemed to be correct as Gabriel's brows suddenly retracted.

Instead of replying Gabriel replied, "What is your relationship with Lucifer?"

"A person who I dislike," came Ian's quick answer without thinking, "And Elise don't even know who he is. Coincidentally I think you might be able to help us. Elise is searching for her long lost father and the corrupted Angel from earlier said he is the son of Satan. Does it ring a bell on you?"

"It's Hell's affair, I know nothing of it. Hell's romantic affair had been much more complicated than the ones in Heaven, you might want to find it out in Hell, yourself," replied Gabriel, who frowned when he thinks about Elise. She was the granddaughter of an archangel and the King of Hell, such a little human girl yet bears the power that could almost shake the three realm. Gabriel didn't even want to begin and guess the extent of her power. "Your wife she is..."

"Dangerous," Ian stole the word from the Archangel, as if he could read the angel's mind.

"I was going to go with powerful," smiled Gabriel who didn't want to offend her, "I find it strange how you are a High Demon yet I never know you are a resident of Hell."

"I don't often gather in Hell's banquet," Ian humored the angel's words.

But was that enough reason for him who was an archangel to not be aware of him? In Hell unlike Heaven, the amount of High Demon was more compared to the archangels but most Archangel would be aware of High Demons whose power exceeds normal Demons, and Ian should be no exception to this yet oddly enough he never knew this Demon. As if someone had been blocking the Archangels from being aware of him or perhaps it was Ian doing himself? wondered Gabriel, "What's your name in Hell? Your Demonic name."

Ian spread his smile evenly and he parted his lips to speak and at the same wind blew to cover his voice. Gabriel seemed to caught his words with a look of shock, "You are Caleb's successor."

Hearing Caleb's name after a while from a person who appeared to know the late Demon, Ian felt a sense of nostalgia which didn't last long as he had Elise who was waiting for him. "Now Archangel Gabriel, since you seem to be unwilling to speak. I have one last question for you. What will you do now knowing Elise's existence and her powerful bloodline? If Heaven try to entertain the idea of killing her," Ian's eyes narrowed sharply, "You will have to lay your life today."

Gabriel could feel himself who was a heavenly being having a headache with the amount of matters that he needed to take care now. He met Ian's red eyes, speaking with solemnity, "I don't lie, which why I will tell you, I don't know."

"That doesn't sound positive to me," and within second, Gabriel's eyes snap wide when he saw Ian's hand circled around his neck and his sharp claw was ready to rip apart the Angel's neck.

Gabriel used his wings to push Ian and dodge the deadly claw. He thought he was successful in escaping yet a trail of blood dripped from his fair skin. Gabriel pulled his hand and touched his neck, seeing the blood that was drawn. "It seems that we cannot talk peacefully anymore, do we?"

"I have never been able to talk peacefully with my enemies you see, especially if Elise is involve here," Ian's mischievous smile fell to a serious expression. "I will have you dead or have your tongue cut out for being a threat to us."

Gabriel wiped away the blood from his neck and the cut immediately healed when his fingertips brushed over it. "You won't be able to do that. High Demon could never win against an Archangel alone."

"We will see," Ian grinned, not the bit fazed that he was facing an Archangel. The fight begin with them on the ground. When it come to hand fight, Ian didn't lose from the Angel. He barely used his demonic ability to go against the Gabriel, and before the seventh minutes had passed, he had pushed the Angel from his initial position, cornering him to the tree.

Gabriel couldn't understand where Ian's strength came from. Without doubt that Ian had a power that set him aside from other Demons, placing him in his own league. Gabriel had went against some High Demons who wanted to kill Archangel yet Ian was more powerful than all of them combined. 

After a while, Gabriel decided to retreat. Using his wings, he blew a powerful gust of wind toward Ian's side and soared to the sky. He expected Ian to chase after him but what he didn't expected was the feathery black wings that Ian had. The black wings were identical to his brother Lucifer when he decided to turn his back from Heaven and choosing Hell. Almost in that moment he realized which of the two children was related to Lucifer as all things begin to add up.

"You shouldn't have looked away," Ian commented and from behind, he kicked the Angel by his stomach, sending him down to the ground to create a hole on the ground. Smoke covered the scene and when sensing something wrong, Ian used his wings to blew away the smokes, finding Gabriel had disappeared, leaving only traces of blood from the injury he received.

"Tch, that slimy one."

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