"I want him to be dead." The words of Lucifer stunned even Michael, who hadn't expected to hear such a thing.
A confused expression graced his face as he heard the demand of Lucifer. "You want that rat dead? Even though I don't have any good feelings for that insect, I also don't hate him enough to kill him."
The young man placed his chin on his hands as he thought for a little longer before ultimately shaking his head. "I can't do it. What will others say about me if I just killed a random commoner who works for me for no reason? You know my reputation is everything to me."
"You can't kill him without reason? Then find a reason. Get any reason and make it happen," Lucifer lazily stated. "Don't tell me you can't even come up with an excuse?"
Michael thought for a little longer. This did make sense. He could find a reason, but still, he wasn't convinced.
"Sigh, that I can do, but it's certainly too much work to kill one person. I'm not sure if I want to do it. Why don't you just do it yourself? Won't it be simpler? You kill him. As a show of revenge, I'll kill a random porter of yours. Everything will get back to normal," he refused again. "I won't stop you. Not like that insect matters to me. In any case, I'm not going to be the one killing him."
Lucifer took a brief pause. "I can't kill him. I promised someone that I won't do it. Moreover, it's just easier if you do it."
"Alright, I might think about it if you tell me why you want him dead? What did he do to you?"
"You don't need to know that. Just tell me if you'll do it or not?" Lucifer asked with knitted brows.
"Is that the attitude you should keep when asking for a favor?" Michael smirked as he took another sip of his wine. "How can I sympathize with your cause if I don't know why you want it to happen?"
As Michael asked his question, he only received a glare from Lucifer in return, as if he really wasn't going to answer that question.
He changed the question to what truly mattered. "Fine. You don't have to answer that. Let's get to the main point. Why should I do something you want? What will I get from it?"
Throughout the conversation, he had been drinking. His glass was already empty by now. He reached out his hand to pick up the wine bottle, but before he could even touch it, the bottle was picked up by Lucifer.
Lucifer gazed at the bottle, which was barely empty but didn't pour any into the glass of Michael.
"King of Pride, Michael. I have the Ruler Title of the Seventh Floor, the Eighth floor, and the ninth floor. You haven't been able to snatch a title of a Floor in years. Doesn't it hurt your pride? Your reputation has started falling amongst your own people. Don't you find it insulting?"
"If you're here to rub salts on my wounds, you can leave." Michael rolled his eyes. "I don't have anything to discuss with you anymore. As for the Ruler Titles, I will get the titles of other floors soon."
"That soon certainly won't be on the tenth floor," Lucifer responded, taking a sip directly from the bottle. "I am this close to clearing the floor. If I cleared the tenth floor before you, just imagine how insulting it would be for you? Losing four floors in a row to me? Things don't have to be like that."
"What are you implying?" Michael grimaced.
"I won't clear this tower. I will step back, and I'll let you clear it first. I'll let you take the title of this floor. You will get the worshiping gazes of your followers again. You'll once again become a star in their eyes. Doesn't that sound good?" Lucifer inquired, observing the expressions of Michael. "However, that will be the case only if you agree to kill."
Michael thought deeply, closing his eyes. This was an offer he certainly couldn't refuse. He could see the advantages of the plan. If Lucifer was indeed close to clearing this tower, this was terrible news for him. He desperately needed this win, and he was willing to take it no matter where it came from.
He let out a tired breath before opening his dark eyes that were filled with malice. "Fine. I promise you that Azekiel will die. And you won't clear this floor in return."
"It's a deal then. I won't clear the floor. But if you fail, you'll pray you wouldn't have accepted this deal." Lucifer stood up and calmly left the tent, taking the wine bottle from him.
No one was supposed to know the conversation that took place between the two. Unfortunately, it was the memories of Michael that betrayed Lucifer's trust.
****
As Azekiel saw this part of Michael's memories, his expressions twisted in confusion. He remembered he never even talked to Lucifer, let alone offending him. He didn't even interact with anyone that worked for Lucifer, so why would this guy want him dead?
The memories didn't stop there though. They continued and showed how Michael went into extremely dangerous places on the tenth floor with his Porters with the intention of having Azekiel be killed by a beast, but Azekiel was lucky. The beasts didn't attack him even though there was a flaw in the defense, which Michael intentionally left.
From then on, Michael kept trying to trap Azekiel to have an excuse to kill him. He couldn't just kill him for no reason as it was going to look bad to people.
Fortunately, that excuse came on its own when he was informed that Azekiel had taken a fruit without his permission from his plate. He knew it was a small thing that was at best worth banishment from his team, but he exaggerated this into something much worse. He brought Azekiel to Floor Zero and declared the death verdict before everyone.
The memories continued to Michael meeting with Lucifer after the death verdict and telling him that Azekiel was going to be dead soon.
In return, Lucifer allowed Michael to clear the tenth floor first, and that's what Michael did. The same day that Michael cleared the tenth floor was the day when Azekiel died and traveled back in time. From that point on, the memories were blank since the timeline was broken at that point.
The incoming memories stopped as Azekiel sat down, looking defeated. The more he knew about his fate in the past, the more complicated and absurd things became.
He thought that he had died because Michael was a bastard who was a psychopath who didn't like him eating one fruit, but that was just an excuse for his death… It wasn't just Michael who killed him. It was also Lucifer, even though he was indirectly involved.
Both of them had worked together to set this narrative that could kill him.
"Are you alright? You look… angry? Did something happen?" Raphael sat on his knees before Azekiel to see his shocked face. He could see something was wrong.
"That's because I am angry." Even though Azekiel's words stated that he was angry, there was not a single frown on his face. "It turns out that what I thought to be the truth wasn't the entire truth."
He slowly closed his eyes as he raised his head up.
No matter how hard he tried to remember Lucifer to know why he hated him, he couldn't find any reason. He hadn't known Lucifer from outside the tower. And even inside the tower, there was nothing between them.
In fact, even on the day when he saw Lucifer coming to meet Michael, he was extremely respectful to him.
Without even realizing it, Azekiel started laughing out loud as he dropped to the floor of the Library of Sin, gazing at the roof.
Azekiel kept laughing… and laughing… and laughing until there were tears in his eyes.
"It's so funny! Isn't it Raphael?" he asked after a long time amidst his laughter. "A man comes with a desire for your death, and you respectfully escort him to your own killer! What an amusing fate I have had..."
"Hahahaha!"
Raphael didn't know what Azekiel found out, but he could feel that he was somewhat hurt. All his happiness from before was gone. Even though he was laughing now, there was a burning rage hidden behind that laughter, and he could feel it.
After a long time, Azekiel sat up, feeling extremely refreshed. He stretched his arms lazily as he gazed towards the portal of the second floor.
"All this while, I was in complete darkness. But everything is clear now... Crystal Clear..."
As Azekiel was lost in his own complicated thoughts, a notification was also sent to the entire tower.
As soon as Michael had died, notifications started resounding all over the Tower of Sin.
[King of Pride, Michael, has been eliminated by King of Gluttony, Azekiel]
And with that notification, the name of Azekiel reached far and wide in the most shocking way possible. It was the first time a King had been killed! And that King was Michael, who had just cleared the Fourth Floor!
The Lord of Lies and the other two Lords who had met Azekiel and heard his threat were the most shocked! They couldn't believe the kid they just saw managed to kill Michael, and that too within a day of his declaration to them that he will destroy Michael! Now they were really thankful that they hadn't attacked Azekiel before by underestimating him.
The news also reached the other Kings... Everyone realized that the Tower was going to go through a massive change! A King had been slain!
