“Forget about using charity on your demon,” Raphael said and took a step forward. He was standing on the burning table, but he didn’t seem to mind. His clothes were also unharmed by the flames, rustling about his body as if he were in water. “Are you not going to yield your eyes to me, harpy?”

“That’s not something I can forget about,” Raea said and spread her wings. “You’re the ones who told him to trust you. Now you’re attacking us and he still trusts you?” A hand made of flames surged towards Levy, grasping the demon by her neck and lifting her into the air. She squirmed and struggled but didn’t retain any burns. A reflective barrier covered her body, keeping the flames a centimeter away from her skin. Raea narrowed her eyes, and the flames increased in intensity. The beds in the room started to smoke. “Use your powers on him.”

“I don’t care about whether or not you trust us,” Raphael said. “I just want my eyes back!” The flames on the table rose into the air behind the angel and took the shape of a bird. Black flames poured from Raphael’s back into the phoenix, creating detailed contours on the bird’s body. It opened its eyes and let out a shriek before flying towards Cory. Even though Raphael couldn’t see, he could still target a specific person by creating something that had sight.

Cory’s eyes widened as the phoenix rushed towards her, growing larger in size as it traveled. She leapt into the air, but the phoenix shrieked and chased after her. Cory tried to create distance between herself and the bird, but it was faster and more agile than her. She tried to fly behind Raea, but the flames coming off the angel’s body prevented her from approaching—she would’ve been burnt more badly than if she let the phoenix hit her. “Stupid bird!” Cory shouted and turned around in the air to face it. She crossed her wings in front of her chest and narrowed her eyes. Loud popping and crackling sounds thundered over the roars of the fire as white lightning descended from the sky and struck the phoenix.

Raphael coughed up a mouthful of blood as the phoenix was battered repeatedly by the lightning bolt which had dissociated from the sky and assumed the form of a snake. It wriggled through the air, constricting and biting the flames despite the phoenix’s best attempts to escape. “What’s happening!?” Raphael shouted as sharp pains wracked his chest. His stomach cramped, and he hunched over, clutching his abdomen. A fountain of black blood spewed out of his mouth as the phoenix let out a final shriek before it was consumed by the snake.

Cory blinked twice. “Wow, I’m strong,” she said and tilted her head. The lightning snake nodded before lunging towards Raphael, its jaws widening enough to swallow the table whole. Raphael screamed as the lightning made contact with his body. His hair radiated outwards like an afro as his body spasmed. His clothes were disintegrated as burn marks laced his skin. The table exploded with a thundering sound that forced everyone to clasp their hands over their ears. Levy and Asura couldn’t; as a result, blood ran down the sides of their faces, coming from their ears.

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Raea frowned at the aftermath. Though the table had exploded, the shards were floating in place and reassembling itself. The wooden fragments that had entered Raphael’s charred body flew out, dripping with blood, and also took their previous places. Creed was floating in the air, directing the repairs of everything in the room. Despite the size of Cory’s attack, the room was relatively unharmed. Raphael had taken the brunt of the blow. Palan, Cleo, and the headmaster were safe; though, there was an ugly expression on Palan’s face.

Uriel and Camael were sitting on their beds, having retreated from the table when it was set ablaze. “White lightning?” Camael asked and raised an eyebrow. “What kind of ranking is white?” He frowned and raised his hands. Black lightning flickered from finger to finger. He narrowed his eyes, and the strands of lightning increased in size, but the color stayed the same shade of black.

“Well, it could eat Raphael’s flames,” Uriel said while rubbing her chin. “Even though his flames are a weakened version of Asura’s…. Interesting. We’ve waited for so many centuries and no beings beyond archangel appeared. Now there’s four at the same time?”

“Maybe Raphael just got weaker?” Camael asked.

“I did not!” The charred corpse in the center of the table stirred. The burnt skin flaked off as Raphael’s body trembled. Like a phoenix rising from its ashes, Raphael sat up and dusted himself off, leaving behind a massive pile of black flakes. His skin was unharmed, perhaps even glossier than before, and even his flowing silver hair had returned. But he was still missing his eyes.

Cory’s body tensed as Raphael climbed off the table, expecting another attack. Maybe she should strike him with lightning again. Yeah, that’d be a good idea. Raphael dusted off his legs and cleared his throat. “I admit I lost—”

Boom!

The night sky temporarily turned to day as a lightning bolt split the heavens and struck Raphael upon the head, killing him instantly. Cory blinked as the people in the room turned to look at her. “What?”

Creed glanced at Raphael’s body which was beginning to twitch again. “Nothing,” Creed said and shook his head. “He can’t use any powers for a while after he revives, so there’s no need to kill him. He’ll always come back to life anyways.”

“Isn’t that cheating?” Cory asked.

“Well, he can’t leave the room,” Creed said and shrugged. “Anyways, I think we’re forgetting something very important here.” He glanced at Levy whose usually pale-white body was turning red from the heat coming off Raea’s flames. Even her carapace was turning orange like a cooked crab’s.

“Levy will use it! Levy will use it!” Levy said as her body thrashed around. “No more flames!”

Raea reduced the intensity of her flames and lowered the twitching demon to the floor. Levy trembled as she met Raea’s gaze. Though Levy wasn’t scared of dying, she wasn’t immune to pain. Raea had kept her at the right temperature to cook her while keeping her alive. “Sorry, Asura,” Levy said and clasped her red hands together. “This lady is much scarier.” An invisible rippled passed through the room, washing over the inhabitants.

Palan’s already ugly expression turned even darker as he glared at Asura who was still sleeping on her bed. He stood up, but before he could take a step forward, the metal door in the corner of the room swung open. An aged angel froze midstride as everyone turned to stare at her. Sariel cleared her throat as her feet came together and her posture straightened. “Guests?”