Danaga was the weakest Rank 9 expert of the Cult of the Goddess, but he was still quite dangerous due to his experience in tricking others.
Moreover, he was specialized in illusions, so he had been quite confident in surviving despite his strength before the fight started.
After all, he was different from the other Rank 9 experts that collaborated with the Goddess because he worked for the Goddess.
Shire wasn't a good match to someone specialized in illusions, but the other Rank 9 expert fighting Danaga was also specialized in illusions, so he was able to counter Danaga well enough.
After all, Danaga was specialized in illusions, but he was still quite weak using them, so although the other Rank 9 expert was relatively a young Rank 9 expert, he was still more than enough to counter him. Someone like Danaga wasn't really suited to practice until high levels. He would have died far before reaching Rank 9 if it hadn't been for the aid of the backers of the Goddess.
