Amidst the rubble scattered across the red ground, a clawed hand suddenly shot out. Moments later, the entire body of the person surfaced.
"What the hell was that?!" Nivea exclaimed.
Her appearance had changed drastically from earlier. Now, she still possessed the horns that curled into a complete circle. Her ears were pointed, large bat-like wings protruded from her back, and a whip-like tail ended in an arrow-shaped fluke. The whites of her eyes had turned black, and her glowing green pupils shimmered faintly.
She stood atop the rubble, gazing at the once majestic castle in the distance. Suddenly, Reggie burst out of the debris, now bearing the same appearance as Nivea.
"Why'd you copy me?!" Nivea asked.
"Copy you?! I was just protecting myself from that weird attack from Methuselah. If anything, you're the one copying," Reggie shouted back.
"I came out first, so you copied me."
"Shut up!"
"No, you shut up! Hmph. It seems Father is still at the castle. We have to move—we can't afford to miss the show," Nivea said, wings spreading.
"Right ahead of you. Snooze, you lose," Reggie replied, taking flight.
"Wait, you awful hair-bang brat!" Nivea yelled.
"What did you just call me?!" Reggie turned sharply.
"Hmph!"
At the devastated castle, Valier sat on his throne, a puzzled expression etched on his face.
"Impossible... Why am I sensing the energy of another celestial from this mortal? Was he able to sign a contract with a second god? But that's impossible—mortals can only form a pact with one celestial at a time...
There has never been a mortal connected to two gods... Is this what Nyx saw in him?" Valier muttered to himself.
Before him stood Iode—his form darker, fiercer, transformed into the ENRAGED DRAGON MAN.
He lunged at Valier with explosive force, but was intercepted by the two lieutenants, their body armor partially destroyed by the earlier shockwave. The right lieutenant punched Iode in the face, flinging him backward.
But Iode was back on his feet in less than a second—as if he hadn't been hit at all. This time, the fiery glow in his eyes had vanished. His pupils now spiraled, pulsating and rotating slowly as they locked onto the lieutenants.
From Iode's point of view, words began to appear before his eyes:
[Clairvoyance of Flaw]
He stared at the two lieutenants standing between him and Valier. Their bodies emitted words that described them:
[Dagon – Valier's Right Lieutenant]
A devil with near-impenetrable skin.
Flaw: Too hasty and rash, abhors disrespect toward Valier. Fatal weaknesses at the armpits and joints.
Armory: Forged from divine metal and blessed by Valier, resistant to attacks from other gods.
Flaw: Vulnerable to bashing weapons blessed by other gods.
[Kaisellin – Valier's Left Lieutenant]
A calm, astute devil with tough skin.
Flaw: Hesitant and slow to act. Weak points at the armpits and joints.
Armory: Forged from divine metal and blessed by Valier, resistant to attacks from other gods.
Flaw: Vulnerable to bashing weapons blessed by other gods...]
Iode blinked, stunned.
"What in Heaters is this? Is this Nyx's gift? Why am I seeing this?" he muttered.
But the lieutenants gave him no time to think. Dagon, the right lieutenant, readied his spear.
[Weapon: Lance of Dancing Flames]
A divine spear imbued with black flame, capable of fatally wounding even celestials.
Flaw: The joint between the blade and hilt is brittle—can be snapped with sufficient force.
Skill: Raining Spears – A barrage of rapid, precise jabs.
Flaw: One-second recoil between each jab. Moves only in straight lines. Jabs are spaced 0.5 cm apart.
Attribute: Undying Flame – A black fire that cannot be extinguished, even by the wielder. Burns through anything.
Flaw: Weak against deep darkness. Ineffective on entities with extremely high heat tolerance.
"Flaws? More like weaknesses. I don't know what Nyx gave me, but I love it," Iode grinned.
He faced the spear barrage head-on. The black flames did not burn him—his body was cloaked in deep darkness. The spiraling pupils let him track the exact trajectory of each jab.
He evaded most of them. The few that grazed him barely left a scratch.
He advanced through the attack until he reached Dagon, who was too stunned to react.
Dagon tried to back away, but Iode gave him no chance.
"The eye told me his armor is weak to bashing weapons... and his body is vulnerable at the joints and armpits," Iode said, clenching his fist.
He punched Dagon hard in the knee. Dagon staggered forward from the impact. Iode swept his legs out from under him, then leapt toward his armpit and clawed at it—ripping the entire arm off.
Ordinarily, this would have been impossible, even with draconic strength. But Iode's body was infused with a celestial energy that did not belong to Valier—though he didn't know it yet.
"GAAH!!!" Dagon screamed, watching his severed arm fly.
But Iode wasn't done. Without hesitation, he slashed Dagon across the nape and kicked him aside like a ragdoll.
Reggie, Nivea, Kaisellin, and Valier were stunned. A gaping smile formed on Reggie's face.
Kaisellin was speechless. The energy radiating from Iode was overwhelming.
He glanced down at Dagon's unmoving form.
"He defeated Dagon?! Impossible! Even with that strange energy!" Kaisellin cried.
He fired a blast of black flame at Iode.
[Skill: Spiral Undying Flames]
A spiraling blast of black fire that spells doom for all it touches.
Flaw: Weak against deep darkness. Ineffective against high-heat-tolerant entities.
Iode smirked and walked through the flames, further shocking everyone.
Kaisellin tried to retreat, but Iode caught up. With swift precision, he slashed the temporomandibular joint—where the jaw connects near the ear...