Azekiel picked up the Hammer of Gluttony, changing it back into the form of the Gauntlets of Gluttony, bracing for the Dark Spirits that were coming to attack him.
The Dark Spirits were just a few meters away from him by the time he got his Gauntlets back, but it's also when a change happened.
A terrifying aura spread everywhere, following a roar from Raphael.
The screeches of the Dark Spirits intensified, this time appearing less like screams of anger and more like screams of pain.
Azekiel noticed a bright arc of light that sliced the Dark Spirits who were surrounding Raphael, momentarily creating a colorful ring around him as if Raphael was the Saturn and the bright ring around him was what belonged there.
The ring of light slowly disappeared, revealing Raphael, who appeared like an entirely different person now. There was a beautiful dark Armor around Raphael, having two wings carved on them, which seemed to be similar to the wings of Raphael.
There was a heavy sword in his hand, which appeared like the heaviest Sword that Azekiel had ever seen, but the Sword was held effortlessly by Raphael.
Raphael gazed at the Dark Spirits who were around Azekiel. His figure flickered, appearing before Azekiel. His speed was so fast that for a moment, Azekiel thought that Raphael had teleported to him.
It was only when the Dark Spirits split in half and dispersed that Azekiel realized it wasn't teleportation. Raphael had flown here, and along the way, he attacked the Dark Spirits. Everything was so fast that even Azekiel couldn't see it, despite his high perception.
Even Azekiel was amazed at Raphael's strength. Just what was this Armor and this sword that even he hadn't known about? It was like Raphael was a completely different person now.
"That was... Incredi-"
Azekiel was just complimenting Raphael when he saw Raphael's figure tilting to the side.
"Raphael?" Sending his Gauntlets back, Azekiel rushed to hold Raphael.
He grabbed Raphael's shoulders just as he was about to fall. "Raphael? Are you alright?"
Raphael's sword dropped to the ground from his hand before disappearing. His Armor also vanished as his eyes closed.
"Raphael!" Azekiel carefully placed Raphael on the ground before checking up on him. He was still breathing even though his breathing was weak.
Lia also rushed to Raphael.
She checked Raphael, placing her hand on his forehead. After a long time, she sighed in relief. "He is fine. Just a bit tired and weak, it seems."
"So, nothing wrong with him?"
"Not that I can find. It seems he exhausted himself too much. I don't know what that burst of energy was, but I'm sure that's what caused him to be in his state. That exhausted him. He should be fine after a little rest."
As soon as she saw Raphael faint, she had assumed the worst. But now that she knew he was fine, she was relieved. Raphael might not speak much, but she really liked having him on the team. He was also good for their mission, and he had also become her friend. It was an unlikely equation being formed. Fortunately, that equation was still intact.
" If he just needs sleep, that's good. I thought it might be worse." Azekiel patted the chest of Raphael lightly. "You worked really hard. Rest for now."
Azekiel left Raphael lying on the ground, telling Lia to take care of him. He had some things to take care of and didn't want to disturb Raphael.
First, he walked where the small house used to be, which was destroyed in Avila's attack, wondering if the two books were from there. He didn't expect them to be intact.
However, he was surprised to find that the two books were still there. There was not a single tear on the pages. It was as if something protected the books. It was still on the page of the maps.
Azekiel memorized the maps once again before closing the books. He walked back and placed the books near Raphael.
"I just need one more thing. I'll be back."
He left once again, but this time, he didn't need to go far. He walked to the Soul Demon's body.
He placed his hand on the Soul Demon's chest before using the Soul Snatch.
As soon as he used the Soul Snatch on the Soul Demon, he received a massive strength boost, even more so than he had received from the two Kings he killed before combined.
This single Soul Snatch refilled his Soul Bar entirely, even bringing it to an overload. Unfortunately, he wasn't given the option to summon another Familiar this time either, as if excess Soul Energy wasn't enough.
"That option didn't appear this time either. I'm sure I received enough Soul Energy this time, even more than I had in excess when I summoned Lia. Then why didn't that option appear? Could there be more behind this familiar summons that I don't know about? Just how much soul energy in excess do I need to get that option again?"
Azekiel was slightly disappointed. He had been wanting to get that option again since he believed having more familiars was always beneficial, especially after what happened here. Both his Familiars directly came to help. If he had more, it could've been better. Unfortunately, that option was nowhere to be seen.
"Just what am I missing? Do I really need that crazy amount of Soul Energy, or is there another criteria that I'm missing?"
He just didn't understand what it took to get another summon like that. There was another strange thing he noticed. This time, his Gluttony of Knowledge didn't activate at all. He didn't receive any memories from the Soul Demon, which was his real goal.
He wanted to know more about Avila, and only the memories of the Soul Demon could answer who she was or what her weaknesses were.
Unfortunately, there were just no memories that came to him. Disappointed, he stood up. There was just nothing there.
"Hmm? This key?" As he was about to walk back, he noticed a key lying near the man.
"The key to Castle of Infinity?" Even though he didn't know what it was, he did remember his system mentioning the key to the Castle. If he had found a key here, that could only mean one thing.
He moved closer to the key and picked it up. Just as he expected, a notification appeared before him.
[Congratulations. You have received the Key of Castle of Infinity]
[Tap for more information on the key of Castle of Infinity]
