Chapter 67 Arc 2 - Jacob Awakened

Jacob stood as he stared at the three angels, confused. The young man wore a light brown robe tied around his waist and sleeves hanging over his shoulders. He wore no shirt underneath it, showing off his chiseled physique. His muscular arms were covered by black tattoos made from Lucas's mana.

"W-Who are these people?" he asked his mother, who still knelt before the angels.

"You're awake!" Lucas's eyes lit up with excitement, and he ran to Jacob's side, who was completely recovered and fused with Lucas' mana. Lucas clasped Jacob's arm tightly, his gaze intense and sparkling as he intently surveyed him. "How does it feel?" He asked with wonder evident in his voice.

"I'm alright," Jacob muttered, trying not to show how much pain he felt. "My body feels better... but my mind..."

Lucas smiled softly and gently ran his hand through Jacob's hair to soothe him. "It's okay," he murmured. "You'll get used to the bloodlust. It may take some time, but you can let out your anger on criminals if you need to. Are you feeling better?" He gazed deeply into Jacob's eyes, and the corner of his mouth curled into a slight smirk as the blond angel replied. Lucas appeared to be pleased with the answer, although he was genuinely worried about Jacob – something the angel was unaware of.

Jacob's face turned crimson as he struggled to keep his composure, his bottom lip trembling. Tears brimmed in his eyes, and his body shook with fear. With a shaky voice, he croaked out, "W-Who are you?" He quickly averted his gaze toward two angelic creatures standing a few meters away, both of whom were sneering and conversing with each other in hushed whispers. Fear and confusion contorting his features, Jacob asked in despair, "Who are those monsters?!"

"Oh, dear... We're so sorry for scaring you!" Araniel said in a sad voice while shaking her head in dismay. "We are king Lucifer's servants."

"Indeed!~" Salanthiel added, "Servants and sisters-in-law."

Lucas and Jacob stared at the angel girls with wide eyes as their wings twitched slightly, seemingly unsure of how to respond to them. Then, Lucas with Jacob exchanged glances.

"They're not." Lucas quickly said, "This is literally the first time I've seen them." He turned to look at them again before continuing: "And stop spouting this bullshit! I don't know if I even trust you!"

Araniel glared at him and placed one finger on his chest. "Don't be like that," she spoke through gritted teeth. Her gaze softened and became sympathetic, almost pitying. "We could help you with your little project!~" she pointed at Jacob.

"What?" Lucas exclaimed curiously.

Araniel blinked as if she couldn't believe what he had asked. She let out an exaggerated sigh as she rolled her eyes. "We will teach you to raise the dead correctly," she replied matter-of-factly. "Don't you want that?"

Lucas's brow furrowed, confusion written all over his face. "You know what I want to do?" He whispered quietly while staring at Araniel's lips.

The blonde angel's mouth curled up into a smirk, and she nodded. "We're angels. We know everything."

The dark-haired girl chuckled under her breath. "Almost everything."

Lucas stared at them, feeling worried. His thoughts raced about why these girls knew about him and his plans; who were they really? And how did they get here? Had they followed him from the capital? What were their intentions? Did he dare trust them? But as far as Lucas could tell, both of the women in front of him weren't lying. However, their telling the truth doesn't mean they don't have malicious intentions.

He looked down at Jacob and wondered. 'They could help me make more powerful angelic humans.' It would certainly benefit him if he made stronger warriors for himself but was it worth trusting them or not? They needed to come clean with their intentions if he decided to trust them. He sighed softly before looking back at Araniel. "Alright. I'll listen to what you two have to say. Just know that you'd better be honest with me because I can find out easily."

The blonde giggled as she wrapped herself around Lucas's arm. "Yes, sir."

Araniel smirked as she gave Lucas a hug with her wing, pressing her cheek against his head. The blond let out a slight laugh, his cheeks turning bright red again. She smiled at him sweetly and winked: "Follow us. We'll prove how useful we can be!~" She took Lucas's hand and pulled him into the portal leading to another world.

Meanwhile, Salathiel's gaze turned cold as she looked at Alena and Jacob. Her voice echoed across the chamber in an ominous tone, "Since the king revived you... It is your duty to protect the temple." she pointed at Jacob, whose eyes went wide when he heard those words. He started trembling like a leaf on the wind. "Don't worry, you may be weaker than us, but your body is as durable," she said before leaving towards the portal.

Alena gasped loudly, her eyes widening as well.

"Dear... Gods chose you two to be the temple's guardian!" Alena blurted. "This is such an honor!"

Jacob glanced over his shoulder one last time before muttering, 'What the hell happened while I was gone?' When he died, and his soul was stuck in a dead body, he wasn't aware of anything that happened around him. In fact, he didn't even remember dying until now; he had been unconscious for a very long time and remembered nothing about his journey back from death. And now that he's awake, he became a guardian of the Red-eyed god's temple. "This is too much..." Jacob whispered as they entered the next room.

His mother explained everything to him when he awakened, meeting Lucas, his glorious fight against the Holy kingdom's soldiers, and how he revived Jacob.

Alena placed her hand on his shoulder and looked up at him with adoring eyes. "I am so proud of you." she mumbled. "Work hard for the Red-eyed god!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. "You're the best boy in all of heaven!~" she kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, mom." Jacob smiled shyly, embarrassed by his mother's praise.