I Reincarnated as a Depowered Archangel

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm thinking," I calmly answered Jolger, observing the bandits from behind the bushes.

As I studied the scene seriously, my eyes scanned the bandit camp. The first thing that caught my attention was the number of bandits.

There were at least ten of them. Their leader, a bald and ugly man by my description, stood out with a sword strapped to his belt and two beautiful prostitutes clinging to him.

In addition, six more bandits were stationed as guards in different spots. That made a total of sixteen fighters. This was going to be difficult. I didn't have my usual weapons or any sharp objects with me.

Taking down the patrols would be good, but it would only be a matter of time before they noticed. Fighting men with swords using only my fists was impossible.

"Hmm? Jolger, go and make some noise," I said, turning my head and addressing Jolger in a commanding tone. His eyes widened, and he quickly protested.

"Are you trying to send me to my death?"

Before anyone noticed us, I swiftly clamped my hand over Jolger's mouth, squinting at him. "You fool, do you want them to hear us?"

He nodded quickly. Then I withdrew my hand and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck like a cat, tossing him close to where one of the patrols was stationed.

Jolger hit the ground before he could even comprehend what had happened. He covered his mouth to avoid screaming. One of the patrolmen furrowed his brows upon hearing the noise.

"I'll go check it out," he muttered.

"Hm," the other guard grunted indifferently and didn't bother. The patrolman, a middle-aged man with black hair, cautiously approached where Jolger had fallen.

Jolger quickly scurried away and dove into another bush just in time to avoid being seen. Still, the sound had made the patrolman alert. As he walked toward Jolger's hiding spot, I decided it was time to move.

I crept forward silently. The patrolman hadn't noticed me yet, too busy searching for Jolger. Thankfully, Jolger was skilled at evasion, sparing me from unnecessary effort.

"Must've imagined it," the bandit muttered, scratching his head and sighing. He was wrong, though. I sprang forward, grabbing his neck and muffling his mouth to prevent any cries.

"Shhh," I whispered into his ear, ignoring his struggles. One of the perks of being a soldier was expertise in close combat, including grappling and choking.

I tightened my grip on his neck, using all my strength to snap it. His lifeless body slumped to the ground, and Jolger emerged from his hiding spot with a gleeful grin.

"I always knew you were reliable, my friend! So, what now? Are we gonna beat those bandits up?" the rat-man chirped, his childish enthusiasm grating on my nerves.

Sensing my glare, he quickly coughed and returned to his calm demeanor. "So, Captain, what's the plan?"

"We're going to eliminate the bandits," I declared firmly, crouching to loot the bandit's belongings. I took his sword and sheath, as well as a small pouch that likely contained copper coins.

"I've heard looting the dead brings bad luck," Jolger remarked curiously. I squinted at him, and he swallowed hard, understanding the unspoken message.

"That's just a tale to scare children," I said sternly as I stood, examining the sword carefully. Instinctively, I knew the basics of wielding it. It was as if this knowledge was etched into me.

After all, Archangel Michael was the best with a sword. Even though his powers were gone, his experience and technique remained in my muscle memory. I'd felt this before, like the ability to sense others' emotions.

Although all Archangel powers were sealed, the connection wasn't entirely severed. It was faint, like a barely functioning modem.

Even with this weak link, the passive effects of the Archangels' powers were still present. The best way to test this was through combat.

My gaze sharpened as I turned toward the bandits, contemplating my strategy. Charging in recklessly would only result in all of them swarming me—a clear disadvantage.

Jolger, on the other hand, lacked combat skills. Trusting him was difficult, but he made a good decoy. When my eyes settled on him, he instinctively stepped back.

"Not again, right?"

"I won't push you too hard," I assured him. As ruthless as I could be, I was generous with potential subordinates. Despite his frail appearance, the rat-man had the courage and wit to steal something Heaven valued.

Wasting his potential would be a loss.

"Just run and draw their attention, Jolger."

"That's it?" Jolger was lucky he wouldn't have to be bait this time, but drawing attention wasn't much easier.

"Don't worry. There are no archers. Just run and scream."

"What will you do?" Jolger asked curiously. I raised the sword slightly and shot him a sharp look. "I'll kill them."

For a moment, Jolger looked at me in admiration. "I'd love to see that, but unfortunately, I'll be running."

I nodded in agreement. "Good. You'll run when I give the signal."

"Understood! You can count on me, Captain!" Jolger said enthusiastically, as if he'd been entrusted with an important mission. I slipped through the bushes, circling around to the bandits' rear. When two patrolmen appeared, I got ready and signaled Jolger.

"Hey, hey! You pigs!" Jolger's shrill voice rang out like a screeching alarm. The bandits immediately turned their attention to him. Their leader furrowed his brows but waved dismissively.

"Go teach that rat a lesson," he ordered.

At his command, five bandits chased after the fleeing rat-man, leaving the rest behind.

One of the prostitutes wrapped her arms around the leader's neck, smiling seductively. "My lord... you were so impressive..."

The leader grinned, patting the blonde woman on her waist. Pleased with the flattery, he replied, "I know, darling. Would you like me to show you something even more impressive?"

Hearing his lewd words, the prostitute smirked. The other one feigned a pout and leaned against his chest. "Will you show me too?"

Amused by her cuteness, the leader nodded, indulging their attention.

In the meantime, I swiftly stabbed the first bandit in the back with my sword. Without hesitation, I moved on to slash another's throat. Before the remaining bandits could react, I advanced quickly.

For an ordinary human, my speed was extraordinary. The third bandit fell to my blade as their blood stained it.

"An attack!" a young bandit shouted, drawing his sword in panic. I remained calm, stepping forward to slash the abdomen of an older bandit who had raised his weapon.

"Ahh!"

As the man fell to the ground, the leader, startled by the commotion, shoved the prostitutes off him and stood. Grabbing a dagger, he glared at me.

"You bastard, what did you do to my men?" the leader growled arrogantly. The prostitutes screamed in horror at the sight of the blood and dead bodies.

I grunted, not bothering to answer. A young bandit charged at me, but I swiftly sidestepped and executed a precise slash toward his neck, my instincts guiding the blade effortlessly.

As the last of the bandits fell, only their leader remained. I shook the blood off my sword and stepped forward, one step at a time.

Meanwhile, the bandit leader drew his massive weapon, a hammer fitting his bulky frame. He furrowed his brows and glared at me angrily, clearly displeased by the death of his men.

"I'll take your head!" he roared, charging at me with his hammer. I grunted and nimbly dodged his attack.

Blocking the hammer with my sword was out of the question. The bandit leader was relying on his size and brute force to crush me, but that would be his downfall.

The first thing I noticed about myself was my unnatural speed. Even a nearly dull sword in my hands felt as sharp as a razor.

My strength was sufficient, far above average for a human. If I were to categorize myself, I'd fit into the "superhuman" class.

My speed was leagues ahead of the bandit leader's. Moreover, despite only defending against four of his attacks, he already seemed exhausted.

"Stop running and die!" the bandit leader yelled, exhaling heavily. When he swung his hammer at me again, I decided to attack. I swung my sword upward in a crescent motion.

"Ahh!"

The bandit leader's hands were severed, and his hammer fell to the ground. Without hesitation, I kicked him in the stomach, sending his massive body backward, and drove my sword into his throat.

As the light faded from the bandit leader's eyes, I turned my gaze to the camp, now filled with the corpses of dead bandits.

In my previous life, I had seen blood and death. I had become accustomed to the deaths of comrades and friends.

Now, nothing was different. In fact, I felt even more indifferent. After all, there was no societal pressure from a modern world weighing on me anymore.

As a ruthless soldier, I was now unchecked…

I then glanced at the fleeing women. I watched their retreat with disinterest. I had no business with them; I didn't fear them posing any harm to me.

"Michael!"

"Finally, you've arrived."

Jolgen ran toward me. Despite the sweat dripping down his face, seeing me safe and sound seemed to make him happy. He didn't even glance at the corpses around us.

"Where are the other bandits?" My demanding gaze shifted to the rat-man. Jolgen took a moment to catch his breath, then smiled. "Those fools have probably died of exhaustion by now."

Laughing at his unfunny joke, Jolgen sighed when he saw I wasn't amused. "They should be here any moment," he added.

As he predicted, the bandits arrived. My gaze shifted to the incoming group. Aligning my sword, I glanced at Jolgen. "Can you fight?"

To my disappointment, Jolgen shook his head and declined. Fearfully, he said, "I'm terrible at fighting. I'll leave this battle to the honorable you."

I grunted at the cowardly rat-man. How had this guy survived all these years? Whatever, this wasn't the time to question it.

"Curse it! There's the rat!"

"Finally, we've got you!" The bandits approached, angry and exhausted. Their foul stench made me grimace.

When they saw me, they were surprised, but their shock turned to fear when they noticed the corpses and their fallen leader.

"What happened here?!"

I took a step toward them. The boldest among them guessed my intent and charged at me to stop me.

"We outnumber you! Let's go!"

The bandits regained their confidence and ran at me in disorganized chaos. I grunted and was startled by a sudden memory surfacing in my mind.

I didn't bother analyzing it. Instead, I followed the instinctive memory, holding my breath and tensing my muscles.

For a moment, time seemed to slow. Even the smallest movements of the bandits were clear to me. Then, in a flash, I leapt forward.

I easily slashed the first bandit's throat. Moving like a dancer, I passed him and inflicted a deep cut across the chest of the next.

My attack was swift. Before the remaining bandits could comprehend what had happened, I passed through them. Blood spurted in my wake.

The bandits fell to the ground in unison. The last sound I heard behind me was Jolgen's awestruck gasp.