[A few minutes ago]

Emma hummed in faint curiosity when she sensed no Devil approaching her.

More than half a minute had passed without a single one appearing. That alone was strange, especially with how frequently she was using Aether.

'Did William do this?' The only change she could think of was his arrival at the front lines. Had he somehow drawn the attention of the ranked devils?

"…!" Emma froze.

She felt it. A massive presence, rushing straight toward her.

For a split second, her mind went blank under the sheer weight of malice pouring through the air. But she had already faced something far worse on the island. Compared to a General-ranked, this pressure wasn't enough to root her in place.

She inhaled slowly, steadying herself, and her lips began to move in a chant.

From the distance, a crimson figure came into view, charging without hesitation.

One of its arms was bound in a grotesque sling of flesh, the mass coiling around and imprisoning its left arm. Three eyes stared out from its face, two clustered on one side, while a wide, grinning mouth split the other.

Each step it took fractured the ground beneath its massive feet as it barreled straight toward her.

Pouring a significant amount of aether into her spell, Emma chanted Spiral Ward.

In an instant, multiple large barriers erupted between her and the Devil, layering the space with dense, spiraling defenses.

They were strong. Strong enough to halt any Devil she had faced that night.

But this was a ranked-devil.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG

One by one, the barriers shattered, snapping out of existence as if they had never been there.

Emma clicked her tongue, her lips moving once more as she began another chant.

She had expected the monster to push into the town. If that happened, she would need to intercept it before it reached any civilians.

But it was coming straight for her.

'No!'

She abandoned the spell instantly and threw up several barriers around herself.

"Gahaa!" The devil leapt, attempting to crush her beneath its stomp. But the silverhead reacted in time, springing away. Using the barriers as stepping platforms, she vaulted upward, each jump carrying her higher.

Just as she was about to land atop a nearby rooftop, a sudden weight pressed down on her body.

'Huh?'

Her eyes widened. Her feet failed to reach their mark, and in midair, her body lost all lift.

She began to plummet straight toward the ground.

DOOOOM

Her body slammed into the ground with enough force to knock the air from her lungs.

Emma groaned and healed herself instantly. But the moment she tried to rise, something clamped around her waist. Her body was wrenched upward before she could react.

Three pale yellow eyes filled her vision, paired with the monster's grotesque, widening grin as it held her aloft.

Emma hissed in pain and struggled against its grip. The harder she fought, the tighter its hold became, crushing the breath from her chest.

Then she hurriedly chapter a spell, no refinement, just desperation. Two spell circles flared into existence around them. From the glowing patterns, several dark chains burst forth, snapping toward the monster.

Each one coiled tightly around its body.

But with a single, violent slam of its feet against the ground, the spell circles shattered, breaking apart like thin ice, and the chains vanished with them.

The devil suddenly hurled her into the air and brought its hand down in a savage slash.

"Ah!" Emma didn't even have time to retaliate or escape before her body was smashed into the ground with far greater force than before.

DOOOOOM

Concrete fractured outward, framing the silverhead as her consciousness flickered, nearly slipping away.

She was lifted again, but this time not by any physical grip. Gravity itself seized her, dragging her upward before—

DOOOOM

Her vision blurred, her thoughts dulled, and her body screamed in protest.

At that point, only one option remained to her.

Divine Manifestation.

Just as she was about to invoke her final trump card—

CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK

The pressure vanished. Her body was suddenly freed from whatever invisible restraint had pinned her down.

She slowly pushed herself up and looked toward the Devil.

"What…?" Her eyes widened at the sight before her.

The same monster that had brushed off her chains moments ago was now bound by similar restraints. This time, it was struggling.

"GHRUAAAHH!"

The Devil howled, thrashing violently in place, trying to tear itself free.

But every time the restraints groaned under the strain, something restored them instantly, mending the chains and leaving the Devil utterly helpless.

Emma was utterly baffled when she suddenly heard a voice from behind her.

"Why are you losing hope now?"

She turned slowly.

A violet-haired woman approached, dressed in a nun's habit, a serene smile resting on her face. The air around her carried potent aether, but what truly caught Emma's attention was the fabric wrapped around the woman's head.

The woman stopped beside her and spoke calmly, "You have much more in store. You simply lack confidence, afraid you might lose control."

Emma looked toward the ruined houses around them. "I have a reason behind it."

The woman gently placed a hand on Emma's shoulder, her touch warm and grounding.

"Trust your heart and break your mental restraints, child," she said softly. "You have so much hidden within you. Don't let anything shackle you."

Emma frowned but didn't question the woman.

She turned toward the Devil, which had already torn away two of the three chains binding it.

Drawing in a deep breath, she began her chant.

Aether wrapped around her body like an intimate embrace, her aura shifting as her focus narrowed to the single source of disturbance before her.

Several spell circles flared into existence around the Devil.

The Titan's Grip.

The effect did not manifest instantly.

Emma's brows knit together as she poured everything into the spell, forcing the gathered power into a single point. The spell circles began to draw closer, merging and condensing, their glow turning dense and oppressive.

"GAHUUUUU!"

The Devil screamed in agony as the compressed aether closed in on it.

Using both hands, it seized the final restraint. With a violent surge of strength, it tore it apart, shattering the older woman's spell at last.

The Devil stared at Emma, its gaze overflowing with pure hatred.

Clenching its fist, it took a step forward—

DOOOOM

In an instant, its body was crushed into the ground. Bones snapped, internal organs ruptured, and its form collapsed into an ugly, lifeless mass.

Emma slowly opened her eyes, her breathing ragged as she took in the sight before her.

The Devil was dead.

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