Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,181
complicated, capable of caring and of wanting multiple conflicting things. Those things do not necessarily corrupt.”
“You’ve killed without guilt.”
He had me there.
“You’ve broken rules.” He stepped toward. “You, like the human side of you, are capable only of destruction. Man treats life like it means nothing but flesh and bone. Therefore it will no longer mean anything more.”
My stomach hollowed. “So, God wants this? Wants the end of the world?”
Gabriel smirked. “God no longer wants anything.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means that the infallible has failed, and I can no longer stand by and do nothing. I will not stand by. There will be a new God as this Earth is cleansed and only the truly righteous will remain until they, too, cease to exist and none will be left when all is said and done. This beautiful Earth will return to how it was meant to be.”
I exhaled roughly. “And that God is you?”
“Don’t sound so dismissive, child. If I have learned anything watching over humans,” he said, sneering at the word, “it is that they will follow and believe just about anything as long as it’s easy.”
Well, yet again, he had a point. “I don’t think ending the world is easy.”
“It is when you don’t know it’s happening until it’s too late.”
I stilled.
Gabriel chuckled and the sound was beautiful, like rolling waves. “I will undo both Heaven and Earth, and no one will know until it’s too late, until nothing can be done. Then God will know that the words of the messenger were true.”
He sounded...insane.
Like, if he was some random person on the street, someone would call the police. But since he was an archangel, he also sounded downright scary.
“With this portal, I will open a rift between Earth and Heaven, and a being born of true evil and the souls who belong in Hell will enter Heaven,” he said, a dreamy look settling over his features. “Evil will spread like a cancer, infecting every realm. God and the spheres of all the classes will be forced to permanently close the gates to protect the souls there. Heaven will fall during the Transfiguration.”
Oh my God.
“Then, every human that dies will no longer be able to enter Heaven.” His smile returned, a thing of pure joy. “Life on Earth will be rendered pointless as those trapped souls become wraiths or are lured into Hell to be tortured and fed upon. There will no longer be a need for demons to remain hidden since angels and God can no longer interfere. With only Wardens and humans left, Hell will reap this Earth.”
Horror swamped me. “Why? Why would you want to do that? To billions of people. To Heaven?”
“Why?” he shouted, causing a bolt of fear to pierce my chest. Sulien whipped around. “Why? Have you not been listening? Mankind does not deserve what they’ve been given, what they’ve been promised! God has failed by refusing to hear the truth! I’ve been shunned because I dared to speak up! Because I dared to question. No longer have I been sent to spread the gospel or to lead. I’ve been relegated to the lowest spheres. Me! The voice of God! His evermost faithful!”
“You want to end Earth and Heaven because you got fired from being God’s hype machine?” I was dumbfounded.
“You know nothing about loyalty.” His chest rose and fell with deep, heavy breaths.
I thought of Thierry and Matthew and Jada. I thought of Nicolai and Danika, and all the Wardens in DC. I thought of Roth, the Crown Prince of Hell, and Layla, and Cayman. I thought of Zayne, and I shook my head. “I know what loyalty is. It is you who has no idea.”
“And it will be you who helps me complete my plan. How does that feel?”
“How do you think I’m going to help you?”
“During the Transfiguration, this area will be charged with power—the kind that can create that rift. With my blood and the blood of Michael, the gateway to Heaven will open,” he explained. “Since Michael knows better than to risk being caught on Earth, your blood will do just fine.”
Summoning my grace, I let it take hold, and as the Sword of Michael formed, he smiled. “I’m partial to my blood, so no thank you.”
The archangel dipped his chin. “Silly girl. It was no request.”
41
Gabriel came at me, his arm extending as a blinding golden light flowed down it. A sword with a semicircular blade formed.