Gabriel ordered the retreat as he created an opportunity for them to escape by creating some sort of flashbang. Ark and Lilith were unaffected by the blinding light as they are beings of light, but the others were. Gabriel also used a skill that created a powerful pulse of light that knocked backed all of them.
Ark was about to give chase, but Vayu stopped him as it would not be wise to follow enemies that fly at a fast pace. The angels are also more used to aerial combat compared to them which is why they might lose. There might also be a chance for other angels to aid them which might get them captured.
Ark wanted to chase the angels badly, but he knew that defeating Gabriel and Pristina combined will be difficult. They already used their most powerful forms, but they were not able kill them. If Lilith was not here to contain Gabriel, then the fight might have a vastly different outcome.
"I am glad that you are fine, brother. If you see one of the Seven Angels again then you must call for me again. For now, I shall return and sleep as I have yet to stabilize my energy. It takes quite a toll on my body to move in the outside world." Lilith stated as she suddenly bent light and darkness to create a portal back to her pocket dimension.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"We already completed our mission here anyway. We have destroyed the thing that prevents the energy of the sun to fall into the ground. We also lost quite a lot of people as we did not expect the strength of the opponent. We might have been too optimistic or confident which is why we must revisit our mistakes." Vayu stated as all of them tear up the teleportation scroll that was given to them.
All of the surviving members returned back to the Temple of the Sun with a rather passive attitude. They would have been more enthusiastic if they did not suffer huge loses. Adrian saw the faces of the ones that returned and asked one of the guild members to relay what happened.
"I see. It was not something that you expected to happen. I bet all of you would have easily defeated them if Pristina was not there. She was always a very powerful NPC even before I came to this game. You guys should be happier that you actually made her have a difficult time. That is a success in my book if I do say so myself." Adrian stated.
"We would have been much happier if we managed to kill Pristina." Ark lamented as dealing with her would be a huge blow to the angelic army.
"She could actually heal herself back to full health with a five minute cooldown spell. She is a walking cheat when the aspect of the Goddess of Light descends on her." Basil grumbled as her attacks would just get healed back up.
"The only thing that made her healing get decreased was my arrows that were cursed. The only problem is that she can easily create a wall of light to block them." Pana added as he felt dejected.
Adrian then looked at the other members and they were a bit dejected as well. Soleil is actually quite sad as she did not have much impact on the fight since Regulus was sent flying. Adrian expected this as they did not practice much against aerial battles but it seems that they must if they are going to fight against the angels.
"I hate to sour the already heavy atmosphere but it seems that the device that all of you have destroyed was not the only one." The Sun God Ra stated as rested in absorbing energy when it is at night.
"You mean there are other floating castles as well? How could they create something gigantic like that without being seen? Then again, they made it invisible by bending the light around it. The question is where do they get the materials from?" Adrian muttered.
"The angels have been plundering civilizations since time immemorial. They always said that they are doing so because of the wrath of the Goddess of Light but they just wanted to steal things that they need. Their plundering antics only stopped when the Gate to the Silver City was sealed." The Sun God Ra stated as he was able to converse to the other western continent gods.
"If there are more of them then we must prepare! We will destroy every floating castle as revenge!" Ark suddenly stated with great enthusiasm.
"I agree! We should also bring some of the dragons! I am sure they would gladly assist us in destroying things that are made by the angels." Basil added.
"If all of you are going then I am going as well." Pana joined in.
Some of the guild members that survived also agreed with them as they burned with the fires of vengeance. They wanted to kick the angels where it hurst as they did not expect such a result as of today. Even Soleil is pumped up as she joined them in their huddle.
"I am glad that all of you are pumped up but be sure to rest. You must remember that the angels are not our only problems as of now. The Shadow of Apophis is still a looming threat that is quite sooner than the angels.
You have succeeded in letting the sun energy descend on the western continent once more. That is the reason why all of you went to that place in the first place. There will be ample time in dealing with the angels but the Shadow of Apophis is our priority." Adrian stated as to remind what they are really after.
Adrian then saw the reports that the Followers of Apophis gathered towards the Shadow of Apophis. They were constantly praying and giving strength to the fragment. He also knows that those followers will gladly sacrifice their lives to make sure another clone descends.