The Wretched Angel continued sucking Jenny's blood through her ruined nose. The lightheadedness intensified with each suck, and the taste of the creature's spittle made her want to retch as it slobbered all over her. This time, it didn’t even feel like this was happening to her. Like she’d detached already. It didn’t hurt. It didn’t sting. And she focused on the stripes on the creature’s face, particularly the long one that curved from one cheekbone to its jawline. She’d lost too much blood.

It was now or never. Once she'd activated the new skill, she wouldn't be able to access her others. She wouldn't be able to use her Energy for anything. She’d be... well, she didn’t know quite how she’d be, but she imagined she’d turned into a zombie. She found the thought curious as much as it was exhilarating.

But first things first. Golden light flashed, making the angel pause. Jenny's fingers closed around the now familiar firmness of her hatchet's handle.

The creature's eyes bulged. It held on to her arms, cocking its head, blinking. It recognized that something was amiss, but it wasn't attacking her. Its covering turned green as the blue light filled the lab room again. Blood dribbled down its chin and onto her chest. The angel seemed out of sorts.

Its cheeks appeared flushed, darker than the rest of its face. Its body swayed on top of hers as it sniffed her shoulder to shoulder. It kept readjusting its grip on her arms. The creature was unsteady. It reminded her of her mother and stepfather after they'd had too much wine.

Was it drunk off her blood?

But there was no time to wonder about that. The other Wretched Angel was still on the ceiling, carefully reattaching the sacs that had fallen earlier. Its tendrils streamed down, hanging loose but fluttering as it worked. It hadn't noticed anything yet.

The striped Wretched Angel stopped sniffing her. It licked its lips, sucking the bottom one clean as it stared down at her, breathing excitedly. Just as it prepared to latch its mouth onto her face again, just before the darkness that clouded her vision threatened to overwhelm her, Jenny activated her new Skill. Severed Spirit.

Like a bolt of lightning crackling through the night sky, a series of violent shocks stormed down her spine. She felt a pull in her tummy, right beneath her belly button, as though she was about to collapse in on herself. She cried out, gasping for air, spitting in the angel’s face as it stared back, brows furrowed over its narrowing empty eyes.

A grin stretched her cracked lips. She ran her tongue over her gums. Her senses waned and wavered as she inhaled slowly. Her nose gurgled, but euphoria filled her chest. It didn’t hurt.

Nothing hurt. It was as though a magician had snapped gloved fingers and said, Viola! All the pain... all the stinging and throbbing and aching had completely vanished. She was no longer trapped; she’d set herself free from the confines of her broken body. She’d cured herself of herself.

The angel's mouth opened, as though it was about to ask a question. The edge of her hatchet flashed as her arm shot upwards, swiping at the creature's face.

Too quickly, much more quickly than she'd intended. She thought she'd missed. The angel released her, jerking backward and tumbling over her feet and onto the floor. Its nose glistened for a second midair before bouncing off Jeny's armor and rolling away.

Her arm had followed through on the motion, her wrist hit her shield, and she heard an ugly snap in her shoulder. Extended and bent awkwardly, her arm lay across her chest, and she winced. But there was no pain. Nothing hurt at all, and she moved the arm without an issue.

She hadn’t even let go of the hatchet like she would’ve if she’d felt the impact of her wrist against the shield. She slid her legs off the table’s side. The angel was hissing, crawling over bodies and trying to get to her, scrambling and slipping, unable to right itself. A wild exuberance made her heart pound. And it was pounding harder and faster than it had ever before, like a war drum amping up for battle.

Rolling her arm back into place she took careful steps, half afraid this was a dream, and the agony would come rushing back.

The concept of feeling itself had disappeared. Her body and mind were disconnected like some invisible layer had squeezed between her insides and her conscious self. Her body still sent signals of pain, of texture, and feeling. She knew of the humid heat that filled the room. The strange itch that crept up and down her spine. The throbbing pain in her shoulder and arm that mixed with everything else in her damaged body. But they didn't hamper her, didn't suffocate her.

It was like drowning in the ocean, except she could breathe the saltwater that filled her lungs and clogged her throat.

The Wretched Angel rose to its feet, swaying as it stumbled, clutching its face with one hand. It wasn't attacking right away. Did it think she wasn't much of a threat? Or was it actually drunk?

Jenny glanced at the ceiling again. The other one would notice soon enough, and she didn't want to get stuck fighting both.

Bodies squished underneath her boots as she closed in on the striped angel. She kept her shield up defensively even though the angel didn't look like it would attack, and then she swung, trying to be mindful of how much strength she put into the strike.

If there was any resistance, she didn't feel it. Its yellow covering crackled first before her hatchet snapped through its collarbone and chest, moving diagonally down to its hip. Its arms dropped to its side as blood burst out of the gash. It lumbered forward, unsteady and trembling, hissing softly. Jenny almost felt sorry for it, but then she remembered how it had hit Oliver. How it had broken that other girl's armor and sucked out her blood. And how it had touched Jenny.

She shoved the creature away with her shield. The top of its body separated from the bottom, and it collapsed in two heaps. Its guts splattered the floor, and Jenny wondered how much of that blood had been hers.

Its head lolled back onto Oliver's friend, who was still lying unconscious on the pile of bodies. Its white hair covered her face. The angel’s heart slid out between exposed ribs, beating grossly and glistening in the blue light, still attached by flesh and sinew.

No notification appeared.

Was it dead? It had to be... But before she could get a closer look, before she could crush its heart underneath her boot and be certain of its death, a deafening roar made her look up.

Jenny stepped back, swallowing and raising her shield defensively, eyeing the large dark Angel hanging off the ceiling by its claws. It looked like an enormous gorilla, its muscular legs swinging slightly. Its chest seemed larger than ever, and its tendrils slashed and whipped the air behind it.

Exhilaration coursed through her veins. Her heart seemed to beat even harder, the drumming in her head growing ferociously. Third time’s the charm, she thought, bracing herself. This time, she would win. This time, she’d fuck it up.

It dislodged from the ceiling and dropped down with a terrible crunch. Something wet and thick splattered her shield, and Jenny's stomach turned. It had landed on the girl who'd been drained just before Jenny and was still lying on the other table. Her head was completely flattened, and the angel's other foot had crushed her stomach. Blood and brain matter and viscera splattered all over.

Some of the spray had landed on the cocoon, casting shadows across the room. But the blood dissolved with a gentle hiss, as though being absorbed, and the light pulsed. Something wriggled inside, and for some reason, Jenny got the mental image of a baby kicking in the womb. A bead of sweat ran down her forehead and into her eye. It should've stung, but all she felt was the wetness, and she blinked that away, keeping her focus on the Wretched Angel.

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It crouched down and grabbed the edges of the table with its claws. Its tendrils snapped in the air as it bared its teeth and hissed. Its muscles bulged menacingly.

“C'mon,” whispered Jenny, bending her knees and bracing for impact. She wasn’t sure how her body would hold up. What if it just thrashed her again and she got trapped in a rotting, completely useless prison? Could she die? But she shoved the thought away, licking sweat and blood from the corner of her lips. When the cocoon’s glow faded again, the Wretched Angel attacked.

It threw itself off the table. A dark mountain rushed up to meet her, and it slashed the air, aiming for her head. Jenny ducked, one of her knees cracking loudly. The angel flew over her, its large body feeling like a plane flying too close to the ground. But its momentum drove it forward. It couldn’t stop, and Jenny used that to her advantage, remembering how it had swung its arm into her face when she’d tried to rush it before.

She raised her hatchet. The edge caught the angel’s sternum, cutting into its black covering before catching on its flesh. She held it firmly straight into the air, screaming with rage as blood splattered her shield from above, and the creature sliced itself open down to its crotch.

It tumbled onto the table where she’d been lying, landing with a thick, wet thump. Lying on its front, the creature retched violently, its legs kicking, feet inches from Jenny's face.

She wanted to set the creature on fire. To burn it to nothing and erase every trace of its existence. Rage and vengeance and a maddening twisted pleasure struggled inside her. Before the angel could recover, Jenny stepped over a body and brought her hatchet down on one of its wriggling legs. The edge flashed through its meaty calf, and she felt a jolt when she struck bone. But the hatchet cut all the way through.

The angel let out a hideous cry as its large dark foot bounced into the pile of bodies. Thick globs of blood burst from its severed leg, spraying everywhere as the angel writhed in pain. Jenny’s shoulder tingled. Her fingers were numb, but she readjusted the grip on her blood-covered hatchet and readied to strike again.

She aimed for its spine this time. If I can just paralyze it...

But with a raging roar, the Wretched Angel whirled on the table. Its guts and blood squeaked beneath its abdomen as it struck her side with a large, clawed hand.

Sparks erupted where the claws found her. Scales cracked and went flying, and Jenny was thrown back. Her feet slid on blood. She tripped over a body and flailed. Her helmet bounced off the edge of the other table and she landed on her side beside Oliver's friend.

The cocoon glowed a few paces away, seeming even larger than before. The Desecrated Angel floated inside, seemingly undisturbed by what was happening in the lab room. But the creature seemed different. Larger with something extending from its back.

Jenny blinked repeatedly, her vision blurry. Her head spun from hitting the table, and something else caught her attention.

Oliver's friend was awake. Her face was screwed up with pain as she tried to sit up. She flicked the dead angel's head off her, and it rolled away, eyes staring blankly. The girl opened her mouth, shouting, but it sounded more like strained yowling. Her hand flitted up and her fingers formed shapes, but Jenny couldn't understand what she was trying to say. And there was no chance to decipher it.

A gurgle came from the other table. The Wretched Angel had crawled over bodies, leaving behind a disgusting trail of its inside, to grab its severed foot. It bit into the foot like an apple, its teeth closing through the heel. The sounds of bone crunching reminded Jenny of their fight in the hall.

Fuck that, she thought, desperately searching for her hatchet. She couldn’t give it a chance to heal. She had to act quickly.

She spotted the glinting edge when the blue light shone brightly again. Picking it up, she climbed to her feet. One leg foot was stuck in the pile of bodies. Blood ran down her side, little rivers between her scales where the angel had ripped through her armor.

Golden light enveloped the Wretched Angel, the tendrils flashing. Jenny yanked her foot free from the tangle of limbs and stomped forward. Her ankle popped. Her leg gave out, and she sank to her knees, eyes wide. But she wasn't going to waste the movement. With a wild cry, she brought her hatchet down on the angel's head. The edge sunk through the spiky black covering and landed with a satisfying thunk.

The golden light of its healing ability blinked out, and the angel went rigid, its back arched, and its head still raised so that its eyes stared back at her. What was left of the foot dropped from its mouth.

A distorted squeal came from its lips. Jenny stayed on one knee, staring down at the dark blood gushing down the angel’s face. She knew her lungs were burning, but all she felt was a dull aching in her chest. She sucked in a deep breath, wondering if the incessant drumming of her heart would ever slow.

How long could she keep the skill active? How much agony will hit her once she turns it off?

She’d need to make sure she had enough Energy for healing. Her ankle was busted, and she hadn’t felt it break or anything. That almost cost her the fight. If she’d tripped and fallen right into the angel’s grip, it would've bitten through her neck instead of its foot.

But it was dead. The Wretched Angel was dead, and she couldn’t help but feel relief. She’d gotten her revenge. She’d overcome this terrifying creature. Now all that was left was to get Oliver and the others safely to the library. She’d keep Severed Spirit active till then. There was still the cocoon and all the sacs above and whatever else lay waiting outside the lab, but for now, this angel, this stupid creature that had given her so much trouble was finally dead. Now she could-

With a roar that shook the floor, the angel pushed itself up and onto Jenny, its jaws wide open.

She fell backward, her legs folding beneath her. She couldn't tell if she was screaming or if it was the angel, but she managed to bring her shield up, jamming the edge between its teeth before it could bite her.

The angel bit down on the shield instead. Metal crunched. The edge of the shield cut into the stretched skin on the corners of its mouth. The black covering on its face cracked, spiderwebbing over its nose and cheeks. Its eyes glowered furiously, wide and bulging and bloodshot, and blood continued to gush from the wound on its forehead. Her hatchet stuck out like a horn.

Screaming and hissing, it jerked its head from side to side, trying to rip the shield away. One of its clawed hands crushed her torso. She blocked the other with her right elbow as the angel struggled, trying to claw her to bits and pieces.

Rage burned so hot in her throat, she almost thought she could breathe fire. Just fucking die. But instead of flames, she screamed back at the creature and relaxed her shield arm, just the slightest shift in force. The angel's grip loosened, and Jenny flicked the shield.

The edge the angel was biting snapped downwards. With a sharp crack, its bottom teeth gave away, raining down on Jenny's armor as the flat face of the shield sprung up to hit the creature in the face.

The motion knocked the hatchet deeper into its skull, and the creature slumped forward, its entire body giving out with a shudder. It landed on her shield with a heavy thump.

Jenny shoved it off. The angel was flung back onto its feet, and it stumbled backward, its body limp and askew as one of its legs was still a bloody stump. Its lower jaw hung loose, clacking against the covering of its throat, its tongue limp and bouncing. But it didn't drop dead. It remained upright like a marionette from some nightmare.

It wailed at the top of its lungs. It swung its arms wildly, lashing out. Its claws whooshed through the air, and it turned this way and that, fighting countless invisible opponents, screaming bloody murder as it splattered everything with blood. It hobbled on its injured leg, making its entire body flail as its intestines spilled from the gash down its center. How was it not dead?

There was a motion to her left. Jenny turned to see the girl crawling forward, a knife in her hands. Jenny moved to stop her, but her legs were still folded beneath her, and she couldn’t react in time.

"Wait!" cried Jenny, her voice hoarse. But the girl either ignored her or couldn't hear anything over the Wretched Angel going berserk.

Oliver's friend got to her knees and then jammed her knife into the angel's hamstring as soon as it stumbled near her. It hissed and turned, swinging at the air over the girl's ruined knight helmet. But she'd held on to the knife, spinning around the angel’s body so she could climb up its back.

Jenny rolled over and straightened her legs with her arm. The Wretched Angel stumbled into the cocoon as Jenny grabbed the table and used it to stand. The girl was now on the angel's shoulders, her legs wrapped around its hanging bottom jaw and neck. She grabbed the hatchet, using that to steady herself as she raised the knife in her other hand.

But she never got the chance to strike.

Jenny saw it happen almost before it did. As though time had slowed and bent inward on itself. The Wretched Angel's claws found the cocoon. The blue skin-like casing tore open, and light blossomed into a blinding display, brighter than anything she'd ever seen before.

A jolt went through the floor, shattering every window and every light bulb overhead. Sacs rained down from the ceiling. A few bounced off Jenny's helmet and shoulders.

There was a momentary pause, as though the entire world was choking on its breath. Jenny turned, trying desperately to find the spot where Oliver was unconscious. Dread seemed to condense inside her chest; she had to get away. She had to get Oliver as far away as possible from this thing.

The floor beneath her feet gave way. A terrible scream shuddered through everything around her, and for a blistering second, the bodies, the Wretched Angel, the bursting cocoon, and the girl seemed suspended in midair. Then everything went crashing down.