Sparks scattered in the air . Two blades clashed both chipping away at each other .

Youre not half bad!

Thank you so much!

The battle between Fagall and Namsaar, which started before Luxuria and Avaritias, was continuing, in favor of Namsaar as controlled by Avaritias copy .

The rooms interior was almost unrecognizable because of the fighting .

Why dont you use your full power? Are you still playing around?

Either he decided to only use a certain extent of power or something was limiting him . Fagall couldnt tell by Namsaars slight changes in expression, but fully focused on it .

Defeat me and Ill tell you .

The thrust longsword was redirected by Fagalls twin swords . Namsaar was superior to Fagall in terms of muscular power, so clashing against him head on was not a smart strategy .

Fagall considered his options . He wanted to stop Avaritia and Luxuria from fighting, but he couldnt leave Namsaar unchecked . It was especially dangerous if his aim was the king .

There were also other workers and soldiers in the palace . Even if he was at a disadvantage, he couldnt simply ditch them and run .

It really doesnt feel like someone else is controlling you .

The swordplay was just like Namsaars . Fagall had asked why his opponent didnt come at him with his full power, but if he had from the start, Fagalls situation would be in a much worse now .

The longsword, deflected by Fagalls twin blades, stopped and abruptly changed direction to a horizontal slash .

Fagall jumped in the direction of the slash and put some distance between himself and his opponent .

Thats a nasty weapon you got there .

We knew that a devil was coming . We had to be prepared this much .

A kind of black smoke rose from Namsaars longsword, from the part that had clashed against Fagalls twin swords .

The blades Fagall was equipped with were the twin swords Regulus . They had anti-devil attributes, of course .

He had received them from Schnee when she had come to the palace to train the soldiers . Without them, the situation would surely be much worse .

You and that woman too, youre a pain in the ass with your weapons

Namsaar, controlled by Avaritia, was superior in terms of fighting prowess, but Fagall had better weapons .

Fagall thanked Shin mentally and went on the offensive .

The right Regulus was imbued with lightning, the left Regulus with flames .

Fagall used a different skill for each sword . It was the first and foremost advantage in using a two-sword fighting style .

Fagall swung the thunder-clad Regulus first .

Namsaar would recover quickly thanks to the devils power, but his movements would at least slow down .

He would either deflect the attack with his longsword or dodge it . So Fagall predicted, but things went differently this time . Namsaar, against all expectations, grabbed Regulus with his left hand .

Wow, this sure packs a punch!

The thunder attack ran across Namsaars whole body and slowed down his movements .

The gauntlet covered hand that caught Regulus emitted a sizzling sound, like water poured over melting iron . The grasp on the blade was still firm, though .

You, bastard!?

Its too early to stop, man .

Fagalls hesitation was punished by Namsaars longsword . The former managed to intercept the slash with his other sword, so he avoided being cut in half .

He couldnt fully block the longsword with just one of his swords, however: the left Regulus was blown away and Fagall was shoved against a wall, moaning in pain .

Looks like its time for the coup de grace . Youve delayed me long enough .

I got to sayIm honored to be considered so important

Fagall wondered why he received such special treatment, then thought: at least Sherlene was free to act .

Namsaars words, however, made him realize that he was wrong .

Ive already dealt with her . You people would be ready to sacrifice few to save manyI cant stop you like I did with the other guy . Besides, youre still worth using .

Namsaar readied his longsword .

. I see, thats why youre not concerned with Lady Sherlene then

Fagall let out a very faint whisper . The tone of his voice had changed .

In the blink of an eye -a speed that could not be described any other way- Fagall moved .

His twin swords drew two arcs in the air . One deflected Namsaars longsword, the other aimed for his neck .

Sheesh, that was close!

Namsaar touched the fresh wound . Regulus had undoubtedly reached his neck .

However, Namsaar didnt just let himself be attacked . He had twisted his body in order to limit damage to the smallest possible area .

His neck had been sliced up to the carotid, but his magic power quickly stopped the blood loss .

Never seen such a technique . You didnt even tell your comrades? You lonely bastard .

Fagalls speed was much higher than before: it was obvious for Namsaar to be wary .

Fagall didnt answer . He used Namsaars wariness to draw a deep breath .

!!

The knight then moved again . A lightning quick technique, lasting a fraction of a second .

If Avaritia wasnt in control of his body, Namsaars head would be rolling on the ground .

Tch, youre pretty damn fast now .

Namsaars defense couldnt keep up with Fagalls speed . However, he wasnt defeated since he avoided lethal wounds and recovered at insane speeds .

Fagall couldnt inflict lethal wounds, while Namsaar couldnt keep up with his speed . Their bout continued, with neither able to break the stalemate .

However, the first to reach his limits, was Fagall .

Gradually, the wounds he inflicted on Namsaar were shallower and shallower, fewer and fewer . In the end he stopped, breathing heavily .

I see, youve been using your own lifeforce, reckless fool .

Namsaar understood thanks to his own draining abilities . Fagall was attacking one-sidedly, but losing strength in the process .

Fagall had used the support skill Overboost . It was a skill born from one Shin had used in the past, which provided better boosts than normal support skills, at the cost of ones HP .

Naturally, if used for a long time it would corner the user before the opponent .

Too bad you had to fight me . I guess you would have defeated anyone else with that .

. .

Fagall didnt answer . He was severely fatigued and had no way to recover .

Namsaar continued talking before his weakened opponent, taunting him to try to do anything .

Why work so hard? Your hero buddy isnt coming to save you . You should have turned tail a long ass time ago!

ToobadI cantdo that

Fagall felt like that was a possibility too, but he bit his lips to seal his weakness inside .

He remembered what his subordinates said when they saw the royal soldiers, under the influence of mental skills .

If lady Sherlene cannot fight, then I must stand

You? Youre weaker than her . What can you do?

In terms of stats, Sherlene was superior to Fagall .

Fagall himself was aware that, even if they were lauded as the two heroes, there was a gap in strength between them .

Thats easyIswore an oath .

What was that worth, though? If one was weak, they should let the strong handle everything .

That wasnt the point, though . That was wrong, thought Fagall .

I have taken upon the sword to protect this country . Even if I am weaker, I am still its hero . I shall stand in the way of those who threaten my country, till I draw my last breath!

Before finishing the sentence, Fagall activated a skill and attacked .

His HP was already in the red . If he didnt change strategy, his HP would reach zero in a matter of minutes .

He would either stop right before dying or just die . Fagall never tried before, so he didnt know if it would work . In any case, he wouldnt stop . He was ready to bring down his enemy with him .

He could only pray that Shin and the others somehow stopped Avaritias main body . That was his only regret .

OOOOOOAAAAHHHH!!!

Fagalls roar shook the very air in the room . His slash was even faster, even sharper, s it attacked Namsaar .

Guess Ive got to get serious too .

Seconds before the slash hit, Avaritia released his power . He had held back in order to keep using Namsaar, but if his enemy was going to self-destruct, he didnt need to anymore .

Namsaars body, with stats already equal to a hero, was further boosted by the devils power . Its movements even Fagall, who was consuming his own lifeforce to power himself up .

Fagalls slashes were all blocked by Namsaars longsword, now fully clad in black mist . Not only that, the devil-controlled captain of the guards even aimed to strike a counter .

Fagall wouldnt have been able to dodge or even defend himself against Namsaars new speed if he hadnt reinforced himself .

Just give up, youll feel much better .

I refuse!!

As he spoke, Fagall instinctively felt that the next attack would be his last, and focused every last ounce of his strength into it .

Thats a damn shame .

His right blade cut into Namsaars left side, while the left one slashed him from the shoulder towards the chest .

He failed to cut him completely, however, because of Namsaars resilience and the protection provided by his armor .

The sizzling sound of burning flesh rose from the wounds: Regulus managed to damage Namsaars body, but it was far from being lethal . The body was Namsaars, but the recovery speed was Avaritias . The wounds would be completely healed soon after the swords were removed .

Fagalls hands released his swords . He was not dead, but he did not have the strength to even stand anymore .

Namsaar extended a hand towards the falling Fagall . The latters life was almost spent: with the devils powers, it would be simple to turn him into a puppet .

!!!

Just before he could touch Fagall, Namsaar readied his sword again . The next instant, a spear emitting blinding light flew in from outside the room .

What the!?

Namsaar knocked away the spear, but the impact pushed his back to the window .

Looks like I barely made it .

Sherlene caught the deflected spear and prepared to defend Fagall from Namsaar .

What the, how the hell did you regain your senses?Ahh, no need to answer, I got it .

Looking at Sherlenes spear was enough to know the answer . The sacred aura emitted by the holy spear Guildern was clearly felt by those in the room .

Just like Fagalls Regulus, it wasnt just a powerful weapon .

Well, lets see how long you can last, with that weight on your shoulders and all!

Sherlene parried Namsaars longsword with the hilt of her spear . He was still at full power, so a single blow was enough to force Sherlene to her knees . Fagalls twin Regulus swords were still lodged in Namsaars shoulder and stomach, but there was no blood .

You had to dodge that, so the weight would be gone too . Or do you want to finish him off yourself? I can wait that long, go ahead .

Youre a pretty chatty fellow .

Sherlenes expression clearly showed how dire the situation was . She had used a recovery potion on Fagall without being noticed, but maybe because he had pushed his body to the limits with the power-up skill, his limbs couldnt move yet .

I didnt want to kill you off, but I guess I have no choice .

Namsaars longsword pushed against Guildern . Even if the spear was a superior weapon, Namsaars own stats were higher . The jet black sword was closer and closer to Sherlenes face .

In the end you just bought some time . Why did you even attack at that timing?

Just say, whatever .

The blade and hilt grinded against each other . It was just a matter of timeanyone would say so, but the next moment, they all felt something burst out: it struck Fagall, Sherlene and Namsaar too .

There was no sound, but all of them felt something propagated throughout Erkunt .

What the? GahGHAAAAAHHHH!!!

When this something passed through Fagall and Sherlene and reached Namsaar, the situation completely changed . Namsaar, who was pressuring Sherlene, started screaming in pain .

Fagall, who barely managed to stand back up, saw black mist rising from the wounds his Regulus had inflicted on Namsaars body, leaking at a very high speed .

Soon enough, the black mist formed a sort of black puddle next to Namsaars body .

What in the world . . ?

I dont know . But whatever just passed through our bodies seems to be on our side .

Fagall walked next to Sherlene . He was feeling much better all of a sudden . Looking at the progressively disappearing mist, he felt that the devils power was fading away .

Namsaars armor and longsword were gradually returning to normal too . Soon after, the mist completely disappeared from Namsaars body . The Regulus blades fell on their own, leaving no wounds behind . Namsaars body collapsed to the floor, unscathed but powerless .

WhAt . . DIdyOu

The mass of black mist forced out of Namsaars body spoke . The two heroes did not know what it was, but readied their weapons nonetheless .

They did not reply . Without a word, Sherlene thrust Guildernand Fagall swung Regulus .

The shapeless mist reduced in mass after every blow, as if blown away by the wind . The area struck by the weapons disappeared along its surroundings, so it did not take much time until the mist completely vanished .

Is itover?

Possibly . Sir Namsaars body seems to be healed too . This time were always getting rescued, arent we

Sherlene replied to a sigh to Fagall, their nerves finally relaxed .

The threat wasnt completely gone, but they were confident that the end was near .

The people under the devils influence were all freed . Shin received this message just as Luxuria had been swallowed by the Lifedrain Sludge .

!!!

The moment he understood Hilamees message, Shin kicked the ground with all his might .

The cocoon had already formed . Though he didnt know how devils absorbed each other, he had no intention of giving up .

Shin passed by Avaritia with one step and leapt towards Luxuria with the second .

I hope its not too latehaaaAAAAh!!

The Ark sliced through the cocoon, which put up little to no resistance .

Shins momentum made him land behind Luxuria . The following instant, an explosion of light burst behind him .

What the!?

Shin got back on his feet, turned around and saw light seeping out of the cocoon . He also saw Avaritia, his arms crossed to protect his body, being pushed back . The light from the cocoon was burning his whole body .

The cocoon is breaking down?

Cracks extended all over the cocoon from the gash cut open by Shin .

Dozens of seconds later, the cocoon crumbled . Luxurias silhouette, as it was before the fight, was nowhere to be seen .

Thats

Luxuria was there, but in human form . However, she was much different than what Shin remembered .

Luxuria, floating inside white light, was wrapped in white bandages, shining as strongly as the light . A bright halo was even shining behind her .

The shining halo was projecting a kind of pattern, as tall as Luxuria was . There were 4 of such patterns on her right and 4 on her left, looking just like wings .

Is that reallyLuxuria?

The moment she appeared, a wave-like something expanded in the surroundings . It passed through Shins body, but he didnt feel anything .

The only one affected seemed to be Avaritia .

GWAAAAAHHHHHH!?!

Avaritias whole body distorted and contorted . He had to be in indescribable pain .

Who knew something like this could happen

Pale blue and white light shone from Luxurias hands, the same color as her wings . She shot repeatedly spears of light, which stabbed Avaritias body, still in the throes of pain, opening large holes in it .

Y . . yoUthAts

Do you even need to ask? Any devil could tell . I was really surprised too, though .

A deVIltuRnIng inTo an AngEl? GivEme . . afUc

Avaritias body then vanished into smoke . What remained was just the Drop of Avaritia, proof of his defeat .

Shin was confused by the sudden development, and Luxuria looked at him, chuckling .

Oh my, did I scare you?

Luxuria descended next to Shin and asked him a question, cocking her head to the side .

Ive just never seen or heard anything like this . To be perfectly honest, I dont know if its a good thing or a bad thing .

Before disappearing, Avaritia mentioned the word angel . Seeing that she had defeated a devil, it was fair to think that she would be an ally .

However, Shin -despite his vast knowledge of THE NEW GATEs bestiary- had never seen an angel . The games producers had hinted at their existence, but no player ever reported encountering one .

Angels were often depicted as the counterparts of devils . Just like devils, however, they were categorized as monsters . As long as they were monsters, there was the chance that they would antagonize humanity .

I understand where youre coming from, but I have no idea why this happened . But I do understand that Ive turned into an angel, and still have my memories as a devil . I remember you all too, of course .

So angels really existed

I suppose they were a transformation of Deadly Sin devils . I kind of felt it after transforming, but it looks like Im the protector of Love now .

The virtue opposite to the deadly sin, I guess? I heard that they arent officially established as opposites thoughanyway, theres no need to probe deeper into that right now, I suppose .

Shin tried recalling what he had read when researching about the deadly sin devils, but did not remember much in detail .

Whoa, I almost forgot . Now that Avaritias defeated, I have to go into town . The summoned monsters are going wild .

No need to worry, thats already taken care of .

. what?

Shin was about to leave to go help Schnee, but Luxuria stopped him . According to her, the first wave of energy thing she released Saint Wave erased both the magic circles influenced by devil power and the monsters they summoned .

Shin checked the map and confirmed that the presences of monsters across town were indeed nowhere to be seen .

Amazingand I thought that we had still a lot to do .

It only work against devils and their influence . Though, I could only do this thanks to you . If you didnt cut open the cocoon, I think I would have been assimilated by Avaritia .

If you have to thank someone, thank Hilamee . They freed all the hostages, thats why I could act .

Shin was forced to do nothing while Luxuria was suffering Avaritias attacks, so he felt guilty instead .

Dont say that . I could do my best because you were there .

Before transforming in devil form, Luxuria had sent a message to Shin, telling him to not do anything until the hostages were freed, even if she were to lose .

She had asked Avaritia if he would withdraw after absorbing her for the same reason . She had fought while considering her assimilation a viable option .

Even if I lost, Avaritia would be defeated by you . Thanks to this experience, it would be possible to prepare countermeasures against hostages in the future . Thats why my sacrifice wouldnt have been in vainafter I realized that, I felt a weight off my chest .

You

Shin was about to say that she shouldnt even think about things like that, but Luxuria smiled and put a finger on his lips .

Im free to choose who to be grateful to, so you dont need to concern yourself with anything . Isnt there anything youd like me to do, instead? Im not a devil anymore, so you can entrust your whole self to me, you know? Incidentally, Im not wearing anything at the moment, up here or down thereso Im a bit chilly, I would love to be warmed up, honestly .

Hey! Tell the truth, youre still half a devil, arent you? Or maybe youre an angel, but the angel of lust

Luxurias words quickly took a turn for the romantic after she mentioned Shin entrusting himself to her, causing Shin to sigh in disbelief .

Stopping Luxuria from removing her belt, he was relieved that at least one major threat was over .