A few moments later, Alpha had laid out a plan for them.

She did not waste time on dramatics. There was no grand speech, no attempt to rally hearts or sharpen resolve with hollow words.

She was a warrior speaking to warriors, and a warrior had but one motive.

Alpha knelt in the dirt between them, traced lines with the tip of her blade, and spoke in a voice as flat and precise as the strategy itself.

Instead of engaging, they were going to split into their squads and surround the village's north, west, and south exits, ignoring the east because of the canyon.

Next, once in position, they would watch and react…

After all, their initial goal had been to attrit their enemy — a slow bleeding of strength, morale and options.

Unfortunately, it seemed the villagers had at least managed to contain the fire to one area. But that also meant there were still materials to be gained even if they acted passively.

Plus, the villagers would be weakened not only by smoke inhalation but also by the fact that the areas they could maneuver in their own village would be limited.

The next prong of the plan was to simply run away if the villagers tried to attack; engage only if they were an equal match.

Also, they were to attack with projectiles when possible.

So, that's what they did.

Alpha went with Stacy's group to hold the west. Diana's group would go north. And Edith would stay stationed on the south side, where they had met up.

As Toy and Diana's group made the long march, she couldn't help but worry for her master, who was in the midst of those flames.

'I hope… I hope she's okay.'

Her master left with no backup.

***

Salome gritted her teeth and dropped to her knees as her flesh crackled and popped.

Ophelia's visage was hidden behind a wall of flames, watching Salome suffer.

'Agh!'

Salome's outfit caught on fire, and a piece of her cheek started to slide off. Her eyes were beginning to melt, only kept solid by shapeshifting.

Another beam of wood cracked and fell toward her.

Salome dodged and rolled to the side as it crashed into the ground, but that beam's descent caused two more to fall in its wake.

'These inhuman cultist bastards!'

Just when Salome thought she might finally escape the burning building, another zealot appeared, running through the flames. Despite his flaky skin sliding off his body, he threw his arms around Salome and began punching holes in her wing with a dagger.

"Get off of me!"

Salome reached through the man's back, through his ribs, and gripped his heart.

Quickly, she absorbed as much Aether as she could with Vitality Drain.

'These bastards!'

While her constitution improved a bit, each person was so lacking that it did little to heal her. The flesh that had fallen from her cheek reformed but immediately threatened to slide off again. She could still feel her organs being cooked alive.

Salome screamed in a hoarse voice as she ripped her hand out of her victim.

"Ophelia!"

Two more people ran through the blaze and dove at Salome.

The two young men screamed as their bodies burned.

"For the Goddess!"

"For the Goddess!"

Salome shoved both her hands through their chests and healed herself once again.

She screamed as she shook the two off her claws:

"Quit it already!"

Yet, not only was each one so weak that they barely provided her Aether, she could feel a malignant tug at her soul as she consumed more. It felt like a poison seeping into her very being.

After spinning around, Salome spotted a piece of the roof that caved in.

'Finally…'

Salome looked to her side and saw more crazy bastards running into the burning building in an attempt to keep her there longer. With no room for hesitation, she flapped her torn wings and put all of her remaining strength into a jump toward the gap, but she saw the glint of steel reflected in the opening as she shot closer.

'One of the wires!'

Salome twisted her body just in time not to be bisected by the fine line, but the razor-sharp edge sent a thin slice across her neck.

Soon, blood began to pour down her body as she stumbled atop the building.

'Argh!'

In all of Salome's years, she'd never faced foes who could whittle her confidence down to this degree. She'd never faced foes who'd used even more damnable tactics than herself.

She'd been facing mindless beasts for centuries, or beasts like the chameleons, who were brutal but humane.

She'd never faced intelligent savages.

The light in Salome's eyes began to flicker as the cultists looked up at her with bows drawn — Ophelia among them, with a smirk on her face.

Ash and soot covered her face as tears soon followed.

Ophelia threw her arm forward and spoke for the first time:

"Rot in hell, dirty bastard."

A volley of arrows shot up at her. At the same time, the blood loss caught up, and Salome tumbled backward into the scorching house.

Below, a pool of burning men and women waited, as if they'd known she would fall.

Her arm got sliced open by the wire during her fall, and she could feel her spine rattle as she hit the floor.

'Ah… shit.'

The burning cultists began kicking and punching her as she lay on the ground.

'This is seriously how I go?'

Salome coughed up blood as she clutched at her throat. She tried to dodge the blows, but it was simply impossible.

'Ironic, really.'

'I only die when I begin to find a reason to live for myself.'

As Salome's vision began to fade to black, she noticed the blows coming upon her ceased.

She forced her eyes open just wide enough to watch as the heads of her attackers thumped to the floor, beheaded by an expressionless young man with pale skin and long black hair.

Mias had finally revealed himself. Though to Salome, it felt all too late.

The Reaper of Knowledge knelt next to the succubus and shoved his hand into her mouth, letting it transform into smoke.

"Drink to your content…"

Salome didn't have much will at the moment, but she forced herself to slowly begin draining Mias, a bit of vitality returning to her at last.

More beams collapsed, but Mias knocked them aside with solid smoke, while also creating a dome to hide their bodies.

Eventually, Salome healed her throat and began coughing while gasping for air. She tried to sit up, but Mias stopped her.

"I'm sorry, stay down…"

Mias had an odd look in his black eyes as he continued in a whisper:

"This is how you beat an oracle."

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