******
Five years ago-
A young boy laid on a white bed at a hospital, seemingly sleeping. Both the hands of the young man were wrapped.
A doctor stood before the bed with a report in his hand. A few nurses stood behind him patiently.
The doctor gazed at the middle-aged lady who stood before him, concerned. "You're Azekiel's mother?"
"Y-yes." The woman nodded her head.
"May I ask how his hands got injured so badly?"
"I-i don't know. Even when he was awake, he didn't tell me anything, no matter how I asked." Azekiel's mother gazed at her sleeping son on the bed. "Doctor, he is going to be fine, right?"
"The operation was successful, and so far, the other reports seem normal, but that doesn't mean Azekiel will be completely fine. The damage was too much. It might take years to heal completely, or it might never heal completely at all." The Doctor gave the report to the nurse in the back.
"He won't have trouble in his day-to-day life, but you should still tell him that he isn't allowed to force his hands more than needed. Keep him away from boxing and any such thing which might hurt his hands."
"And more importantly, make sure whatever incident occurred which hurt him like this doesn't happen again. Next time, he might lose the ability to use his hands forever. He was really lucky this time."
"I-i will make sure!"
"That's better. We'll keep him in observation for a few more days, and if everything is fine, you can take him home." The doctor turned and left, leaving a grieving mother behind who was in pain, seeing her son in such a condition. More importantly, because she didn't even know what had happened to him."
****
Azekiel raised his right hand towards the sky, facing thousands of arrows that were flying toward him as he called forth his Weapon of Sin.
As soon as he called forth his weapon, a black light surrounded both the hands of Azekiel, making it impossible to see his hands.
The pitch-black light momentarily made it appear as if Azekiel's hands were swallowed by the great void, leaving him with nothing.
Fortunately, that void didn't last for long. It soon disappeared, leaving Azekiel standing in his spot.
Azekiel's hands... They weren't empty anymore.
"What is that?" Lia inquired as she gazed at Azekiel weirdly. "Is that his Weapon of Sin? Isn't that a bit... Weak?"
"Gauntlets of..." Raphael muttered in response. "I'm seeing it after such a long time."
"You know it?" Lia frowned. "How?"
"That's a long story. Just know that weak would be the last thing to call it. Those Gauntlets... At their peak, they are considered the King of Weapon of Sins."
"Honestly? Gauntlets? Can they even be called weapons, let alone being called King of Weapon of Sin?"
"You won't understand," Raphael muttered. "They are way more than what you see. However, if Gauntlets of Gluttony had made an appearance, won't that mean that will also..."
"What?"
"Nothing." Raphael closed his mouth. His face still couldn't hide his thoughts, though. He seemed a bit concerned for some reason.
****
Two beautiful gauntlets appeared in each of Azekiel's hands, covering up to his elbows. The Gauntlets appeared to be made from some strange metal. They had sharp claws instead of ordinary fingers like the gauntlets of soldiers had. In this department, they were somewhat different. They were like the claws of the fiercest beast in existence.
The claws appeared to be sharper than knives. They were something that could even slice the sharpest of metals.
Moreover, some strange markings appeared to be carved all over the Gauntlets of Gluttony that were unreadable.
As soon as the Gauntlets appeared around Azekiel's hands, he smiled. He could feel a strange power coursing through his body. "So this is what it feels like to use a Weapon of Sin."
All the arrows fell on Azekiel; however, none could hit him. A thin layer of protection appeared around the body of Azekiel that protected him from all the arrows.
"Passive ability of Gauntlet of Gluttony. Weak attacks can't even reach him. If your attack is weaker than the passive Barrier, it's useless." Raphael commented, noticing that Barrier.
"Why do you know so much about this Gauntlet?" Lia glared at Raphael. "Stop keeping the secret. We are a team. Tell me."
"I know about it because I was there when the Gauntlets were being created. The most majestic weapon in the universe. Something that can not only provide passive protection to the wearer but also... Frighteningly destructive offensive energy. Not only that, the Gauntlet…It's also called the Gauntlet of Immortality."
"Why? Does it make you immortal?'
" If you kill someone with the Gauntlet, you can steal their Life Energy," Raphael answered.
"Life Energy?"
"Yeah. In essence, this weapon... It was created for Immortality more than it was created to be used in Wars," Raphael explained. "The more life energy you steal, the slower you'll age. This way, you can live for an eternity..."
"The Gauntlets were created for him..." he added.
"For him? You mean for Azekiel?" Lia seemed confused.
Raphael shook his head. He let out a deep sigh. "No. Not Azekiel, these Gauntlets were created for him… the one who cursed me for this eternal agony."
"I don't understand how these Gauntlets ended up here. They shouldn't be here. Their appearance is giving me some bad feelings. I just hope I'm overthinking things."
While Raphael talked about the history of the Gauntlets, Azekiel had already started using them.
His speed was even faster. His strength was even higher. Moreover, while wearing the Gauntlets, he didn't need to worry about his hands. The Gauntlets protected them as well. Every blow was absorbed by the Gauntlets.
"Let the battles begin."
Azekiel's figure flickered as he finally moved. He planted his feet firmly on the ground before swinging his body as if he was clawing the wind before him.
A powerful wave of energy left the Gauntlets, taking the shape of a massive claw made purely of energy that shot straight ahead, killing every soldier that stood in the path.
[Level +1]
In a single attack, Azekiel had managed to kill hundred soldiers, gaining more experience and even a level up.
Until now, the Generals of both the armies were in suspicion as to who Azekiel was, but after seeing the strength behind his attack with their own eyes, they understood everything.
"That man! He must be a King too! Why is he there? Kings aren't supposed to participate in the Wars!" Coincidentally, both the Generals exclaimed at the same time.
Unfortunately, they didn't have time to think about it as Azekiel kept attacking. This was his feeding ground.
"Everyone, retreat! Fall back! We are going back! The battle is over!" The General of Empire of Pride commanded his men while turning his horse around.
The soldiers couldn't be any happier at command. The retreat was better than dying at the hands of the man.
The General of Empire of Greed also issued the same command. He was even more scared since Azekiel was advancing toward him.
While the soldiers of the Empire of Pride had a chance to leave, the Empire of Greed didn't. Their soldiers were in a worse condition since their speed was slower than Azekiel, who was only going to them for some reason.
