Chapter 77

Orian and Grace both looked up at the ceiling as the mansion shook. *What's happening up there?* they both thought before Orian focused back on Grace. No longer gripped by paralyzing fear, he swiftly sent several blades of wind towards her. *I poured more mana into those—they should kill her!* he thought, but as the blades drew closer to her, Grace swatted them away effortlessly, not even bothering to look at them as she remained focused on the ceiling.

"What?" Orian exclaimed in shock. *She shouldn't be able to do that! Weaker ones damaged her before! Was she holding back!?* Panic began to set in—another first for The Deadliest Man in Aetheria. *I should ask birdbrain what's going on,* Grace thought to herself before she heard something swishing open; the sound muffled. She brought her gaze back down at Orian and was surprised to see an opening behind him, resembling a portal with its edges made of shadows.

"Oh no, you don't!" Grace exclaimed as she rushed forwards to grab Orian, who was stepping into the portal in a panic. But as Grace got close, she felt a presence to her left. *What the?* she thought as she turned to see a near-translucent dark green figure about to hit her with its arm.

Her instincts screamed at her to dodge or die. Reacting swiftly, she twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the figure's arm. However, where it had swiped its arm, a powerful blade of wind had formed and launched into the wall, cutting through it and past it, severing the very foundations of the mansion.

*So much power!* Grace thought, stunned, as Orian had already stepped through the portal to make his escape. It closed behind him, the near-translucent figure disappearing as he left.

"A spirit, huh?" Grace said aloud, assessing the situation. She then turned her attention to the wall where the slash from the spirit had hit. "If that had hit me at full power, I would've died," she remarked, tracing her finger along the cut.

Next, she retrieved the device the angel had given her. "Hope this still works properly," she muttered under her breath as she pressed the button on the side of the device and spoke into it. "Hey, birdbrain? What's going on up there?" Silence greeted her inquiry, and Grace clicked her tongue in frustration. One of Orian's wind blades had damaged the device earlier, but she had repaired it along with her clothes using light magic. Despite her efforts, the device no longer seemed functional.

"Whatever, I just have to go back up and check," she decided, stowing away the device. But as if to mock her, the ceiling suddenly collapsed, and debris started falling atop her, threatening to bury her alive. *I see,* she thought, her eyes returning to the wall where the spirit's slash had landed. *This was your aim, huh? Good job,* she conceded mentally before the debris fully engulfed her, plunging her into darkness.

**Back to the angel**

Flying straight up, the angel gripped the guitar tighter than necessary, his nerves betraying him. *The hell are you nervous for? This is what you're made for, damn bastard!* He cursed himself mentally as he approached eye level with the demons hovering in the air in front of them.

"An angel? What are you doing here, little birdy? And where's the rest of your flock?" mocked the noble demon, earning a glare from the angel. "The damn bird puns aren't going to work on me, not from you," he retorted sharply, his tone laced with defiance. Despite his confrontation, none of the demons showed surprise or concern at the sight of an angel before them. The only ones visibly shaken were Verandez and Mincs, the latter lingering in the back.

"So, he wasn't lying. There really was an angel protecting Wolfdale alongside a demon," Verandez remarked, taking a step back. The smoke demon, curious, asked, "Huh? There's another demon that came here besides Eriza?" Eriza nodded in confirmation. "Yes, but no need to worry about it. That demon was bound by contract," she explained before turning to the noble demon. "But with your arrival, my lord, the contract is void, meaning that demon is now our ally!"

The angel's glare deepened upon hearing Eriza's words. "Don't lump that priest with all of you. Not a single one of you is in the same league," he stated firmly, Eriza bristling in response. However, before she could retort, another demon spoke up. "You have a lot of nerve speaking like that in front of a Demon Lord," remarked a demon with a masculine body, two sets of arms, two mouths, and multiple spider-like eyes.

The angel gritted his teeth, knowing as soon as he spotted a human among the demons that it was a Demon Lord. But there was a part of him that had hoped, prayed even, that this was just a demon taking human shape.

"Hah, you think I care? I'm going to send you all back to hell, no matter what fancy title you have!" He exclaimed in false bravado, his words ringing hollow in his own ears. The Demon Lord smirked in response.

"Should I take care of him, my lord?" asked Kazon, but the Demon Lord shook his head, replying, "No, you're too strong for the birdy. I want to give him a smidgen of a chance." He then turned to another demon, one with a masculine body made of bones and coal-like flesh, with leathery wings protruding from his back.

"You go, Argath. Show the birdy how outclassed he is," the Demon Lord ordered. Argath gave a slight bow before flapping his leathery wings, preparing to attack. The angel was about to strike a chord on the guitar, but before he could, Argath was already in front of him, his arm reared back for a punch.

*Fast!* the angel exclaimed internally, quickly bringing his wings in front to block the blow. As the punch landed on the angel's wings, they slightly bent inward, and he was sent flying back from the impact. Managing to stop himself by flapping his wings, the angel locked eyes with the empty sockets where Argath's eyes would be.

"Nice hit, but I ain't getting caught off guard again," the angel said defiantly, while Argath let out a yawn, clearly attempting to provoke him. Despite his anger, the angel managed to stay calm, placing his hands on the strings of the guitar, ready to fight the demons.