Chapter 25

Zee and Grace were still struggling to come to terms with the fact that Demon Lords, the terrifying beings they thought were fictional, are real. Meanwhile, Xain was confused about why the angel lied and why the demon was telling him not to mention anything about Ercale.

"If a Demon Lord is there, then what do we do?" Zee asked the angel, her voice betraying a hint of panic. "Die. There will be no point in fighting; just accepting death at that point will be better," replied the angel, his voice missing its usual punk edge.

"Is there seriously nothing we can do? Can't those bracelets of yours be of any use?" Grace asked, despite having gleaned her answer from the angel's thoughts even before he spoke. "I'm a nameless, halo-less angel, the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the corporate hierarchy. Sure, there are things in here," he gestured at the bracelets, "that can harm and maybe even kill a Demon Lord, but I ain't anywhere near powerful enough to fight one. Only Archangels and Heaven's Operators can match their strength, speed, and magical powers."

Zee and Grace found themselves utterly flabbergasted, lost for words at the seemingly dire prospect that, in the face of a Demon Lord, their efforts might be futile. Aetheria, overrun by demons, loomed as a distressing possibility. Grace turned to the demon, desperate for any sliver of hope, and asked, "You have to know something, right? Anything that can help?"

"Both of you are too focused on the chances of a Demon Lord appearing. Let me assure you, the likelihood is astronomically low, with only a 0.3 percent chance," the demon reassured, attempting to ease their anxiety. The angel chimed in, a touch of annoyance in his voice, "I mentioned that too, but the both of you ignored me." Grace sighed with relief, finding some comfort in the statistical reassurance, although the slim chance still lingered.

Meanwhile, Zee, not well-versed in mathematical intricacies, struggled to understand the odds of a 0.3 percent chance. "It's close to a 3 in 10,000 chance, Zee," Xain clarified, surprising her. "Thank you, Xain, but I didn't know you were that smart," She inadvertently caught him off guard, and in his mind, Xain questioned, *That was basic math, though? How low do you think of me?* Pondering the apparent lack of faith in his intellect, *First Erkie, now her. Why do people think I'm as dumb as Lennix?* (Poor Lennix, still getting hit by strays despite not being here.)

"Well, then we can only hope we don't run into one," Grace sighed, her gaze lingering on the worry that still clouded the air. "Alright, kid, you're up. What can you do?" the angel asked, directing his attention to Xain, signaling it was his turn to tell about his abilities and magic.

"I'm a top-notch meat shield. If you need someone skilled at getting their butt kicked, you won't find a better candidate than me," Xain quipped, attempting to add a touch of humor to his self-deprecating introduction. However, Zee quickly interjected, shattering the comedic tone. "That's not true, Xain! You took down a vampire all by yourself," she declared. The angel and Grace both registered surprise at this newfound information.

"Hold up, you beat a what now?" the angel asked, his disbelief evident in his tone. "That was luck, and even if it wasn't, beating Lennix isn't exactly a big accomplishment," Xain said, attempting to downplay his achievement, especially considering he had to resort to using the Hatred. Zee shook her head in disagreement, "I know Lennix isn't smart, but still, he was a vampire far above most in terms of physical strength and abilities. Don't put yourself down, Xain," she encouraged.

*Zee, your confidence in me is appreciated, but now is not the time!* Xain shouted in his mind. He was meant to play the role of a lackluster thief, not a superhuman capable of defeating a vampire alone! Grace, picking up on his thoughts, understood why he wanted to downplay his achievement due to using whatever this Hatred was. However, she couldn't fathom why he consistently portrayed himself as weak when, in reality, he was the furthest thing from it in the eyes of most.

The angel grabbed Xain by the shoulders. *Why does everyone grab me like this!* Xain thought to himself in annoyance as the angel asked, "How old was the vampire?" There was an unmistakable excitement in the angel's tone as Xain replied, "Over 150, I don't exactly know." The angel let go of Xain's shoulders and turned around, enthusiastically pumping his fist. "Well, we know who's leading the charge now," he declared, facing Xain again, leaving everyone, except the demon as usual, utterly shocked. "Excuse me, what?" Xain questioned, and unlike the last time he uttered these exact words, this time it was genuine.

"Listen up, you're the one who's going right through the front gates of the Rasanto estate, taking on whatever comes at ya. Don't worry; that armor you're wearing is enchanted, so it'll protect you from a lot," the angel explained, prompting Xain and Zee to raise their hands in protest. "Hold on a second, man! Why am I the one leading the charge?" Xain asked, and Zee chimed in, "Yeah, Xain isn't strong. He can't lead the charge." Xain shot her a look, thinking, *You just said the opposite a moment ago!*

"If he can beat a vampire solo, he can handle demons head-on. Most of them will be weaklings anyway. Besides, we're trying to stop an invasion, remember? Not fight in one. So there ain't gonna be a lot of demons in the first place," the angel explained with a grin. Grace interjected, "Don't just say that he will go in headfirst; it's his choice if he wants to do that." The angel looked at her in annoyance, but she just glared at him, and he turned away. "Fine, if he doesn't want to do it, then whatever," he admitted. Zee breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goddess. Anyone's better than Xain in that scenario, right, Xain?" she teased, smiling. Xain, however, pondered, *I wanted to help these people. If not for me, Zee and Larkin wouldn't be here. Zee wouldn't have needed to help stop a demon invasion.*

"The one leading the charge would be facing the most danger, right?" Xain asked the angel, who nodded in response. "Guaranteed, it will be the most dangerous position." he confirmed. With that in mind, Xain returned to his thoughts, *Then there's only one thing I can do.* Grace, already aware of his thoughts, sighed as Xain declared, "I agree. I'll be the one leading the charge."