"The archangel." the Fallen confirmed.

"It IS him. He is in the process of falling, himself, but intends to complete his goals before he finishes." he said further.

"He's been a wonder and a boon to us all. He is the saviour we need." he added happily.

'BLASPHEMY!' Ash raged internally, doing his best to hold back.

"Also, yes. Yes she IS a nice score." the Fallen agreed.

"She is the key to it all." he told her. "We thought that we'd need the pure-aligned necromancer, but we might not. Or, if we do, Gabriel and Uriel will take each other out, making the necromancer easy pickings." he laughed.

"Ah, excellent!" the Fallen responded.

"Michael will be glad to hear that." he told her.

But before they could say anything, they turned a corner and saw Michael standing there, hands crossed over his chest.

"Glad to hear WHAT?" he asked, before seeing Anya and Ash, and raising an eyebrow.

"And what's all THIS?" he asked further.

Michael was silent for a moment, staring at Ash and then at Anya.

He looked at the Fallen and dismissed him, before looking back at Anya.

"...I... see." he said.

"Ananiel? Is that you?" he asked her.

'Ananiel...?' Ash thought.

"It's been a very long while." Michael commented.

"And what do you mean by 'a trade'?" he then asked suspiciously.

'Brother!?' Ash exclaimed mentally. 'Anya was an ARCHANGEL!?' he realised, his mind blown at the concept.

"Hmmm." Michael murmured.

"A trade." he repeated.

"Yes, I suppose the destruction of Ascalon WOULD make him unpopular." he admitted.

"Though tell me. What would you want from ME?" he asked her, before pausing.

"...how about access to Emelie's mana?" he offered. "I have it in a crystal in the very structure." he told her.

"Would you like access to it to effectively use the power of GOD to grant you one thing you want?"

Michael grinned. It was confident, it was sincere. It was a grin that showed that he was NOT bluffing. What he was saying was the absolute truth. Or, at the very least, he wasn't knowingly lying to her.

"I did." he said.

"It took timeless planning. But when things aligned JUUUUUST so, and I had the opportunity to be alone with her... I did it." he confirmed. "I got... ALL her mana from her." he stated.

"Take the chance and just FEEL the atmosphere in here." he told her.

"I know we can't sense mana, but surely you, as an archdemon, can feel her sort of... presence... here." he said further.

"It leaks out from the crystal a little, but it stays around it. It's here. I have it trapped here." he declared proudly.

Michael looked over towards Casey, and smirked. She was beaten and battered, and also restrained. Her hands were tied together in front of her, her ankles were bound together, and she had a collar around her neck, which was chained to the wall. She did not look good, though.

And Ash wasn't happy about it.

"Yes, well, her mana IS strong." he admitted.

"..." he was then silent, before narrowing his eyes a little.

"Hm." he muttered. "Before we make the deal, though... I want to make sure this is on the level." he told her.

"I want you to command your little pet to do something. Something he wouldn't want to do. If he does it, then the trade is a go."

Michael accepted the hair and grinned.

A cruel grin.

"You." he said to Ash.

"Your daughter is a few rooms down." he told him. "Go and get her. And bring her here. To me." he said further.

"If you're really under her control, you won't be able to take advantage of this opportunity to rescue your daughter." he reasoned. "You're a parent, after all." he chuckled.

Inside, Ash was freaking out a little, as his body started to move to do just what was ordered of him.

Michael shook his head.

"I intend to honour the deal if you do." he said.

"As for what I'm planning?" he asked.

"I intend to end it all." he whispered.

"This world, this life, this realm? Worthless." he told her.

"I intend to destroy this realm, and flee to another dimension."

"..." he was silent, before walking over towards one of the windows in the castle, looking out into the distance, folding his arms behind him.

"I guess I started thinking." he said.

"Heaven... Hell... Earth... it's all... pointless." he told her.

"The Earth realm is just war after war, conflict after conflict, some go to Heaven, others go to Hell, it never ends." he continued. "Nobody seems to realise that existence is... well... it's suffering. And for what? For what reason? Because some omniscient being decided it? Pfeh." he spat.

"I intend to end it all. Release everyone from their pain and misery. To embrace nothingness is to find true freedom. And I will show all the dimensions that." he continued, before looking over towards her.

"...what do YOU think?" he asked, his tone almost... hopeful, now.

"...I don't know." Michael responded.

"All I can do is hope all my preparations will strengthen me." he told her.

"If I don't make it... then may the void disintegrate my soul, so I as well can rest in peaceful nothingness." he went on.

"And yes, someone probably WILL try and stop me, should my dimension jumping succeed." he admitted. "...but with each new dimension I go to, I will become stronger. And stronger." he reasoned.

"Eventually... nobody will be able to stop me." he said.

"And I will keep going until I collapse under all that power. And perhaps the ripple from my death will cause an unstoppable domino effect on all dimensions going outward."