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162<br />
Guardians of the Seal<br />
He spoke to Gabriel for the first time in a grating voice. “For your sword to<br />
cut through my attack like that, I have underestimated you grossly. I want to<br />
fight you for real now, so I might as well tell you my name. I am Beelzebub, lord<br />
of the flying demons. Since I consider you strong enough to know my name,<br />
you must tell me yours.”<br />
Gabriel shook his head at Beelzebud. He seemed to be as powerful as a<br />
demon lord would be, but he was not one of the demon lords Gabriel knew of.<br />
“There is no need to tell you who I am,” Gabriel said. “What is your purpose?”<br />
The demon laughed derisively. “Since you will be destroyed here, I might<br />
as well tell you. The last guardian has all the seals in his possession now and<br />
he will soon find the keystone.”<br />
“He cannot find the keystone. I am the custodian of the keystone. It is wellhidden,”<br />
Gabriel said with bravado. But his mind raced to where it laid in the<br />
mansion. For the first time in his angelic existence, he questioned if he had<br />
heard God's instruction correctly.<br />
“That is what you think, but you underestimate my lord Lucifer, the greatest<br />
schemer who sees multiple steps ahead of all his foes. You will be surprised,<br />
angel without a name. And when Lucan finds it, what do you think he will do?”<br />
“He will not find it!” Gabriel said emphatically.<br />
“You angels have not studied humans as well as we have, you do not know<br />
them as well as we do. Lucan feels he is alone, with no one in this world. We<br />
have driven him to the point of despair. He blames his carelessness for the loss<br />
of his comrades and the inadequacy of his strength for the loss of his woman. A<br />
heart in despair will cling to anything that will soothe its despair. There is only<br />
one direction we want him to turn in his despair, and we must keep him in that<br />
state for long enough for him to make that choice, since he has his blasted<br />
freewill. The woman you take to him will break the hold of this despair over him.<br />
We cannot have that happen, so I must stop you, and the woman. It is that<br />
simple.” With that, Beelzebud spread his wings and began to beat them<br />
vigorously. As he did, he began to transform. Gabriel wondered what the<br />
demon's eji form would look like. He did not have to wonder for too long. When<br />
the transformation was complete, a huge wasp-like creature, much larger than<br />
the initial housefly form, hovered before him. The tail was elongated and<br />
curved forward like that of a scorpion. It waved the tail from side to side twice.
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