There were three major routes leading into the town of Danysveil.

However, only one of them was a true cause for concern. The route facing the northern side, the exact direction where the Death Sinks had opened.

Brutus's plan distributed the forces accordingly. Emma was stationed at the eastern corner, Bardy took the west, and the team captain himself occupied the red zone.

Emma raised no objections. She was here to gain experience, but that did not mean she would blindly plunge into chaos and call it character development.

What, then, was William's role in all this?

Perhaps out of consideration for his still healing wounds, Brutus assigned him as their radar. His task was to watch from high above and warn them of any incoming danger well in advance.

William had no complaints about the role. If anything went wrong, keeping his eyes on everything would allow him to dictate the battlefield.

To secure a clear view of the city, he chose the highest structure in the premises: the church.

"He really has no fear of heights, does he?" Emma chuckled to herself as she spotted her beloved standing atop the church's tallest spire, nearly a hundred feet above the ground. Even then, there was not a trace of nervousness in his posture.

[It's windy up here,] his voice echoed in her head, [but the view is gorgeous.]

Emma was amazed. I can hear you so clearly even from this far away.

[That's because I'm using Nyx right now,] William explained. [There's such a dense concentration of Nyx in the air that I doubt anyone could sense even a trace coming from me.]

Emma nodded. True. Her brows knit together as she stared ahead and muttered, 'When Devils remain on the mortal plains for too long, they can permanently alter the terrain.'

[Doesn't that mean these people would have to abandon their homes forever?]

Emma nodded again. 'That's right. And considering how many Death Sinks are appearing at once… this won't be the first town, nor the last'.

There was no response from William.

Being reminded of the frequent Death Sink appearances left a bitter taste, yet turning away from reality was never an option.

Emma let out a slow sigh, her shoulders sagging.

Things had diverged far too much from the canon. By now, the academy should have been ambushed by a Ranked Devil, one that Kevin would have defeated with the help of Emma and the others.

In a way, the named characters had grown stronger than their canon counterparts. Not just Emma, but Kevin, Natalie, and several others as well.

Yet it felt as though the world itself was enforcing balance. The adversaries they now faced were consistently stronger than they were meant to be.

Just then,

[Emma, incoming. Three Devils.]

The warning hit her like a cold breeze. Her body tensed, eyes sharpening as she snapped to attention.

Now fully alert, she could feel it too, the looming danger drawing closer.

It's laughable how they don't fear my presence. The thought was not born of narcissism.

Emma's Aether was exceptionally pure. Under normal circumstances, her mere presence should have been enough to frighten away small fry like these.

But these Devils were drunk on power. With so many of their kind roaming freely, they had begun to believe themselves invincible.

Her eyes brightened as Aether clung to her skin, wrapping her in an ethereal glow.

The sudden concentration of energy only drove the Devils into a more violent charge.

Three demonic bulls surged forward, red runic patterns etched across their bodies. Each stomp of their hooves sent tremors rippling through the ground.

Emma's lips moved in a quiet chant, her stance fearless as she watched the raging creatures barrel toward her.

She spun lightly on her toes, then pressed her palms softly against the earth.

"Third Circle: Spiral Ward."

In an instant, more than ten barriers manifested before her, each layered larger than the last, all standing firmly between Emma and the oncoming Devils.

William narrowed his eyes from the spire.

He had seen that spell before, back when Emma faced Hayden, the untamed Phoenix of the academy who had challenged her position in the Goblet of Honor.

At the time, her confidence had been shattered. Hayden had torn through every barrier as though they were nothing more than paper.

For a fleeting moment, William prepared himself to intervene, wary of history repeating itself.

Then he regretted ever doubting his lover.

TING

The first barrier broke, but the leading bull paid the price. Its head snapped backward from the impact.

TNG

The second barrier shattered under the combined charge of the two uninjured bulls. Even so, their united force was blunted, their momentum visibly slowed.

TING

DHAK

By the third barrier, one of the three had already collapsed, its neck snapping as it tried to force its way through.

CLANG

The fourth barrier, far smaller than the first, still endured the Devils' assault.

Their hooves slammed into the ground again and again, driven by anguish and frustration as they struggled to break through.

Emma's eyes turned icy. "Foolish brutes." With a subtle motion, she manipulated her barriers.

Two smaller shields peeled away from the formation and drifted to either side of the barely surviving bulls.

Emma lifted her right hand and slowly curled her fingers into a fist.

SLAM

SQUELCH

"WAAAAH!" William cried out in excitement as he watched the two bulls reduced to meat paste, crushed mercilessly when Emma yanked the barriers together with brutal force.

Emma huffed and rested her hands on her waist.

Turning toward her lover, she said, It wasn't that impressive. I'm sure you could've done it much faster.

William shook his head.

[Maybe I'm efficient, but your way of fighting instills fear in your enemies.]

He meant it. Emma broke her opponents mentally, crushing every shred of hope before finishing them off.

[I really find that side of you hot.] he added, and even from this distance, he could see her cheeks flush.

She huffed again and turned away, arms crossed. Still, the smile on her face was impossible to miss.

Just then, William froze as he sensed something massive approaching from the northern side.

He pivoted on his heel and frowned. Stronger than a common Devil, but definitely not a Ranked one. What he saw was a giant wolf charging straight toward Brutus.

For a brief moment, William considered staying silent and simply hoping for the best.

But then,

[Incoming.]

He sent a short warning, knowing Brutus would have sensed it regardless, before calmly sitting down on the platform.

Let's see just how strong you are.

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