As the demon appeared by his side, it was already performing some hand movements, and with it, it swapped Astaroth and Phoenix in space.
When switching places, Astaroth had already equipped his Ironbark Shield and pulled out the Ad Astra, in shortsword form, ready to take the hit instead of her.
With his shield already raised before him, he felt like a bullet train had just slammed into him, and the force behind the hit was all contained in a single spot on his shield, where the tip of Titania's blade was pushing him back.
She stopped her advance when she noticed the different target in front of her and clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"I will deal with you after. Wait for your turn."
Her words were spat with a certain disdain. Almost like Astaroth wasn't worthy of her time, as long as she didn't want to give it to him.
