The air between them grew tense as the Gods faced off against a determined Elegy. His hand outstretched, beckoning for them to hand over the walkie-talkies.

"You would go so far as to threaten your Gods, boy?" Selz smirked cautiously.

"The things I have to resort to just for some privacy..." Elegy retorted.

"Never mind the talkies, we've got a bigger issue to address!" Pry worried, "You two, the hole up above us has almost closed up. We need to get out of here."

Though he did succeed in entering the hole before it had fully closed up, that doesn't mean that Elegy has much time left before they get swallowed by it. As it stands, he still needs to dig himself and them a separate tunnel that will lead them up to the surface before the hole's regeneration catches up to them.

"Hey, hey, didn't you hear me? I don't plan on having any of us die here." Elegy chuckled, "But I do get what you're saying, so how about a trade instead? You hand me the pickaxe, and Selz will hand over the walkie talkies."

"That's no trade." Selz refuted, "That's a robbery!"

"Ah, you got me~!" Elegy sang a tune, "But seriously, you guys need to learn to lighten up."

Pry cocked his head back, "Lighten up? Have you gone mad?"

"Be a bit more optimistic, will ya'?" He continued in spite of their confusion, "Sure, this right here is a robbery, but if you don't hand both of them over while things are still peaceful, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to take the pick from your hands myself."

"So the robbery will become an armed robbery instead..." Selz grinded his teeth in frustration.

"Hehe, they don't call you the Knowledge God for nothing! Gold star for you!"

Elegy had now laid out his terms for Them, however They still refused to move from Their spot. Inside this rather cramped hole, distanced just barely a meter apart from each other, They stood in silence, gripping the talkies and the golden pickaxe firmly.

"I see you're choosing the hard way." Elegy nodded.

The very next moment, Selz warned his teammate, "Now!"

The fight had begun. Elegy had already lunged at Pry to try and steal away the pickaxe from him, but it was thanks to Selz's quick thinking that Pry knew to dodge. Rebounding just in time to catch a flying fist headed his way, Elegy parried the attack and sent it back to Selz, knocking him into the opposing wall.

"Hrmph!" Pry swung the sharp-pointed pick, "Ngh!"

"Wobbly, slow." Elegy dodged it with ease, "You're letting the weapon swing you instead of the other way around. What are you, a baseball player?"

"This pick can even rip an angel's skin, you know!?" He swung a bit faster this time, nicking his shoulder, "There!"

"Hm." Elegy stared at the wound as it regenerated within seconds, "Should've followed up with a second attack if you wanted it to count."

Pry clutched the pickaxe's handle tightly, bracing himself for a counter from Elegy, "No...!"

Elegy clenched his fist for a mighty gut punch, the hit... not connecting! Just before it could, Selzion arrived to smack him away. Having created some distance between them once more, Selz called for a truce.

"We don't have time for this quarrel right now." He stated, "Elegy, have it your way."

"Eh!? W-Wait a second, we're giving him the talkies!?" Pry jolted.

"Just the pickaxe." Selz glared at the angel standing before them, "The walkie-talkies are negotiable."

Elegy made sure his words weren't empty, and that he would make good on his promise. Gauging their reactions for a while, he ultimately let out a sigh, "Good enough for me. Then, if you'll be so kind."

"Pry, give him the pick."

"About that, it's kinda stuck to the wall..." Pry whimpered.

Prylos' previous wild swings were alas a tad too violent, leading to him sticking the sharp object into the stone wall once he partially scraped Elegy's shoulder. It was a minor, almost comedic inconvenience that Elegy could easily rectify, so they didn't make too big of a deal out of this. Elegy grabbed hold of the pickaxe, yanking it free after a few strong tugs.

"Bah!" He fell on his back, "Oof, got it."

"Nicely done." Selz congratulated him, "Then, when can we expect..."

Elegy suddenly put his hand out, "Hold it, there's still something I'm gonna need done before I can dig us out."

"Oh no, what is it...?" Pry yelped.

"The talkies, you don't need to hand them over to me." He replied.

A sudden pardon from Elegy. What could this possibly mean...?

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"Huh?" Even Selz was left puzzled, "We don't?"

"I see now that I was being a bit too hasty with my demands. Yeah, you don't need to hand them over." He continued solemnly, "Instead, just snap them over your knee yourselves. That'll be enough."

"It's essentially the same thing!" They hissed.

"Nuh uh, this way I'll have to do one step less!" Elegy winked, "Ha-ha, but seriously—I'm not swinging this pick until those talkies are smashed into tiny bits and pieces."

As he said this, the gradually disappearing faint beam of light illuminating their surroundings had completely dissipated. The hole above them had closed up fully, meaning they were officially less than an hour away from getting swallowed by the ground around them.

"Clock's ticking, you Two." Elegy jeered, "I wonder what's gonna happen to the rest of Heaven 2.0 when its rulers die in a ditch."

"You...!" Selz grit his teeth, "Fine, have it your way."

Snatching Pry's walkie-talkie from him before tossing both of theirs onto the ground, Selz stomped the devices until there was nothing but stray bits of plastic left. They were officially off the grid, so to speak.

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***

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"Sab, Nerys, don't reply to this message." Elegy said on his own walkie-talkie, "I'm almost done here, I'll come back to you soon."

The otherwise silent device briefly began to spew out static before cutting back out, which was Sab's way of communicating to him that the message was received. Now that this was over with, Elegy felt himself lucky to be in such a dark area. This way, the Gods could neither see his heart beating rapidly nor his brows sweating.

"Heh, truth is, we're not nearly done just yet." He laughed to ease the tension within him.

"It's a long way's up." Pry noted.

"Sure is, but I'll make it in time, so don't worry." He nodded, lifting the pick over his shoulder before turning around, "Then, please step back. As humans, your skin can't regenerate wounds, so I really don't wanna accidentally poke you."

"Of course. Elegy, you have our gratitude after all." Selz humbly thanked him.

The previous air around them that only propagated further hate and animosity between them had all but disappeared. Now that the matter of the walkie-talkies was settled, they really had no reason to not work together to leave this hole safely. This was Elegy's victory.

"Hyup!" Elegy grunted with each heavy swing, "Hngh, gyah!"

"Such speed..." Pry complimented him, "I'm impressed! So angels can achieve this level of strength without the aid of Godly powers!"

"Even humans can do this much, if not way more." Elegy glanced back, "You guys are just super out of shape."

"Save the disses for later." Selz groaned, "Mayhaps after we return to the surface?"

"Fine, fine, I got it..." Elegy continued digging, "So, what's the plan after this?"

"The answer will come in due ti..." Selz paused, "Ahem, the plan is to have you defeat the cherubim."

"Cherubim?" Elegy stopped mining.

The Gods still didn't know that he had already met the cherubim prior to this. In fact, as far as they were concerned, the others that were looking for him had for some reason gone radio silent. During that period, they had somehow located Elegy, handed him his walkie-talkie, and for some reason refused to return to the hole with him. Elegy used this chance to play dumb.

"That being...?" He turned around innocently.

"Have the others not told you?" Pry returned the question back to him, "Come to think of it, where are they?"

"On the surface." Elegy replied immediately, "Just 'cause I'm risking my life to save you doesn't mean they have to as well."

"But with the Shopkeeper, surely...?" Selz paused, "You're plotting something."

The Knowledge God saw through his lies all too quickly. The charade didn't last long, though Elegy was unperturbed nonetheless. So long as he kept the act up and found a reasonable excuse, he could continue this farce for just long enough to get out scot-free.

"I was hiding in my home." Elegy revealed a lie.

"Eh? But we checked that place already!" Pry protested.

"Sigh, no." Selz shook his head, "We never actually did enter the place, just stood in front of it."

"I heard you guys in front of the door, so I was pretty certain I would get found out, but turns out Energy bailed me out."

Throwing the brain under the bus was Elegy's way of removing suspicion from himself. The goal now was to make the Gods believe the other group was planning something instead of him, and so far this plan was working flawlessly.

"What purpose would he have to do that...?" Selz began to breathe more raggedly.

"He wanted to lead us away from you, but why?" Pry too was left confused.

"Beats me. I sure was thankful though, since it allowed me to stay hidden until Sab and Nerys eventually found me." Elegy explained, "They gave me a quick summary, but apparently it was a bit too quick."

The perfect cover up story. With this, the Gods no longer had any reason to suspect him. The fake story also gains more credibility when taking into account Sab and Nerys' overly friendly greeting once Elegy picked up the walkie-talkie instead of the others in their group.

"In that case, we should elaborate a bit more on the plan thus far." Selz sighed, "We need your help to take the head of a cherubim."

"This being has a very compelling aura around it that can easily sway the hearts of even the most determined angels." Pry added, "But you, Elegy, have an unwavering heart. This trait is rare and special, and is our only way of bringing Vastoria back."

"This head can heal her?" Elegy tilted his head.

"It will replace her previous one." Selz explained, "The cherubim can perfectly copy the likeness of a person, as well as their personality and memories. By taking its head and placing it on top of her body, we will effectively succeed in bringing "a Vastoria" back."

This information... was new, even to Elegy. It made him sick, so much so that he didn't hesitate to try and puke right then and there. The visceral reaction was disliked by the Gods, whom wished for him to at least understand.

"Migu had a much too similar reaction when she found out." Pry rolled his Eyes, "Humans can be so picky sometimes..."

"Picky?" Elegy kept swinging his pickaxe, refusing to look at them after this, "Is that how you see it?"

"You have only yourself to blame for destroying the Shrine bed." Selz scoffed, "Elegy, Vastoria cannot awaken anymore after the injury she had sustained. The next best thing is to replace her with a perfect copy, and we have deemed that to be the cherubim."

"That stupid wench is gonna replace Vastoria!?" Elegy's rage made him blurt this out.

There was no excuse for this slip of the tongue. He had given himself away to the Gods, whose Eyes were so wide open they were practically bulging out of the darkness, staring him down. Of course, he didn't mind. Elegy had grown to hate the cherubim from the bottom of his heart, for her methods of trickery were more despicable than any beast or human he's faced before.

"Elegy, you..." Selz realized slowly over time, "You already met the cherubim. Which means... the others are...!?"

"It's a bit dark in here, so I hope you can see the face I'm making." Elegy's brows were pointed sharply down as he announced, "This is the face of a man who will stop at nothing to retrieve his friends from your rat bastard clutches."