Zee slowly rose to her knees, holding her head, her vision disoriented, and her entire body throbbing with pain. As she looked up, Xain appeared before her, his worried expression evident even through her blurred vision. "Zee, can you stand?" he asked, concern etched on his face.
"Don't worry about me, Xain. Are you okay?" Zee asked, but even before hearing his response, her eyes widened. Behind Xain, drops of blood trickled down from the splinters embedded in his back. Panic gripped Zee as she exclaimed, "Dear goddess, Xain!"
Driven by concern, Zee swiftly pushed through the pain, rising to her feet. Despite the agony from her fractured bones, her primary focus was on Xain's well-being. "Well, that answers my question. Come on, Zee, let's get you out of here," Xain said, placing his arm around her waist and guiding her with her arm over his shoulder. Zee began to protest, "Xain, you don't have—"
"I know I don't have to do anything, Zee, but you know I still will," Xain interrupted, determination in his voice. Realizing there was no point in arguing at this moment, so Zee let Xain help her. As he helped her out of the church, Xain turned his head to glance back at the ongoing fight. "Good luck," he muttered, before getting Zee away from the battle, leaving the demon and Grace to fight the angel.
"Light magic, huh?" the angel remarked, eyeing the glow around Grace. Unfazed, Grace taunted, "What? Are you going to fly away like the little bitch you are?" With a snap of her fingers, she aimed to provoke the angel, hoping to exploit any resulting mistakes. To her surprise, instead of anger, the angel broke into a smile, followed by hearty laughter. *What the hell is up with him?* Grace wondered.
Meanwhile, the demon had transformed his left hand into a drill, while his right hand became a shield. "What's the reason for your laughter, little angel?" the demon inquired with a hint of curiosity. "Stop calling me that, damn bastard," the angel retorted, ceasing his laughter. He then turned to Grace and explained, "With you thrown into the mix, the odds aren't in my favor anymore. But thanks to you, I can finally use this." From his leather jacket, he produced two black bracelets adorned with intricate designs, not easily discernible from a distance.
Grace, maintaining her bravado, teased, "You trying to win me over or something? 'Cause I'm not into birds." The angel shook his head dismissively, replying, "I don't need a human to be into me, brat," as he confidently donned the bracelets.
"Are you planning to bore us to death with your shit taste in fashion?" Grace continued taunting as she began walking around the church, snapping her fingers. The angel sighed, visibly irritated. "By Michael, you're an annoying little brat, aren't you?" he retorted.
Ignoring her provocation, the angel raised his right hand in the air, and the intricate designs on the bracelets started glowing green. The demon focused on the bracelets, but no memories surfaced. "I do not. However, I can discern that they are your trump card," the demon replied.
With a slight chuckle, the angel declared, "Well, you're about to find out. So, let's rock!" The angel clicked the bracelets together, producing a sound of electricity. Black lightning crackled out of the bracelets. Anticipating an attack, both Grace and the demon prepared to either block or dodge. However, just as the black lightning arrived, it abruptly disappeared.
"What the...?" Grace muttered, her eyes widening as she saw the angel holding an unexpected item—a guitar.
The angel's vibrant guitar, mostly red and purple with hints of gold and black, left Grace bewildered. "That's your trump card?" she questioned, her confusion evident as she ceased her circling and snapped her fingers.
A cocky grin adorned the angel's face as he replied, "Did you not hear the demon over there? Never underestimate your opponents, brat." With a swift motion, he raised his hand, striking all the cords of the guitar at once. Fully unfurling his wings, the instrument emitted a powerful note that reverberated through the church. Simultaneously, red electricity shot out towards the demon at lightning speed. The demon attempted to block it with its shield-morphed hand, but the sheer force cost it an entire arm.
The angel reveled in the moment. "That's what I'm talkin' about!" he exclaimed with excitement. Jamming with the guitar, he unleashed neon lasers from the top, aiming them at Grace. Swift on her feet, she dodged behind a pillar, using it as cover. "What's wrong? Too scared of an angel with a guitar?" the angel taunted, his punkish attitude radiating through his words.
Undeterred, the demon charged at the angel, its drill arm whirling as it aimed for a piercing strike. The angel, however, blocked the attack with his wings, simultaneously adjusting the pegs of the guitar. With another strike of all the cords, a focused gust of wind erupted, propelling the demon across the church.
The demon managed to land on its feet and swiftly regrew its entire right arm, as well as the priest's coat. "Wo! Come on! I'm starting to have fun!" the angel exclaimed enthusiastically. The demon nodded and, maintaining a calm and collected tone, inquired, "I see, you lack magic, do you not?" The angel's excitement disappeared, and he retorted, "The fuck do you mean?" with anger in his voice.
"You do not possess a halo above your head. Not only that, you have yet to reveal your name. Similar to me, you lack one, indicating you're either a very young angel or, like me, insignificant in your home. You compensate for your deficiency in magic with weapons," the demon explained. Gritting his teeth, the angel growled, "That's it, you're fucking dead!" He clicked the bracelets again, and the sound of electricity returned. This time, when the black lightning dissipated, a sword made of pure magic—composed entirely of holy light, roughly shaped like a sword—appeared in the angel's hand. "Time to end it!" the angel declared, charging at the demon with his wings.
However, just as he began his assault, a snap resonated through the church. In an instant, he found himself in a different part of the building, and standing in front of him was Grace. "What the—" he was cut off mid-sentence as Grace delivered a powerful punch to his face, knocking him out of flight and launching him a few feet back onto the ground.
The angel winced in pain, clutching his jaw as he sat up. He eyed Grace, who was nonchalantly massaging her knuckles. "Thanks for babbling like an idiot for so long. If you were smart, I couldn't have set up this place. Now, time to clip your wings," Grace said with a grin as she cracked her knuckles.