[A/N: Sorry for the late release. I was sick yesterday and couldn't even type. I'm good enough to do it today, but I'm still a bit sick.]
General POV:
Now that his disciples were gone, Deacon Briar relaxed a little. Without their safety to worry about, he could now focus his attention on the demon.
Closing his eyes, a white outline begins to surround his arms. The hollow can see it's the same glow coming from his weapons but doesn't give him the dangerous vibes as it does. Remembering what the former Deacon said to him, he guesses that he's reinforcing his movements.
The hollow flexed his body. He didn't have time to notice it before, but he could tell that eating Phoebe's soul gave him a massive boost to his own speed and strength. Her boost wasn't like the one provided by the former Deacon, but it was quite the refresher.
Normally, the hollow would have opted to interrupt whatever the Deacon was doing right now, but he knew this was a veteran he was up against. As the glow was already around his arms in seconds, it was evident he was already done and just baiting him. In his previous life, he's been in his fair share of fights, as not every victim for the doctor could be ambushed successfully.
But this was a different world right now. He had no idea what any spells did, so he would always be at a disadvantage. Every action, from a simple gesture to foot placement, couldn't be taken for granted. He could only use his good sense and wits to come out on top of fights.
Deacon Briar sighed as he expected the demon to take his bait and attack him while he pretended to be focusing a spell. So far, when he attempted this any fights against a demon, every single one of them would attack. He would then counter and pelt them with overwhelming attacks of his own.
But he could tell the demon remained where it was, watching his movements intently. No matter. Whether he or the demon initiated, the result would be the same. Wasting no more time, he rushes the demon.
Reaching him, he swings his mace horizontally in front of him, making the demon step back to avoid it. The skill he's using removes the penalties of wildly swinging his weapon, making it not swing too far. So, to not give the demon any time to counter, he swings the weapon back in front of him again. Keeping the demon constantly in a state of retreating from his swings, he begins chanting.
The hollow hears him chanting and knows that he can't allow him to finish the spell. But the swings of the mace make it where he can't easily get in to attack the Deacon and get out of its range without getting hit himself.
As the Deacon brings back the mace to swing once again, the hollow brings a knife down, aiming to knock it off its trajectory to the ground. Unfortunately, the Deacon knew that he was backing him into a corner and would get desperate enough to try something.
As the demon successfully knocks the mace to the ground, he uses the butt-end of the mace to disarm the demon from one of its knives. The demon looks at him in shock, just in time to see the Deacon finish his chant.
An aura slowly starts at the Deacons chest, then suddenly grows larger, blinding the demon who was watching the spell. The demon's body flies back into the wall of a house, crashing it down on him. The Deacon smiles at his victory over the demon. While it was indeed above average, it lacked the capabilities to deal with him alone. That spell was enough to take down any low tier demon, regardless of its regenerative abilities. He just needed to deliver the final blow and his job would be done.
Walking over where the demon lay, he could see holes throughout the demon's body. After taking a second to study the body of the demon, he raises his weapon. Right before he delivers the final blow, a familiar voice rings out, stopping him.
"Deacon Briar, I have returned to provide you assistance."
Turning, he sees Jacob in the middle of the road. His usual relaxed demeanor changes immediately as he seethes with anger at the boy's reckless decision to return.
"I ordered you not to return and report this back and get reinforcements. What are you doing here?"
Jacob looks surprised at the sudden anger of the Deacon, but he steeled his resolve as he answers him.
"You never told us what to report. All we know is that we can't see the demon and that it wiped out a town." He explains to the Deacon.
His words momentarily stun the Deacon as he realizes that the boy was right. He never did explain the whole situation to them, and they would have brought incomplete information back, which would have resulted in trouble for all of them, as the church requires thorough explanations. Then, a bad feeling permeates throughout his body as he curses his rookie mistake and turns back to face his fallen foe.