James stared menacingly at Fiona.

**It's the same officer with Wenton. Did the demon already take full control? It doesn’t seem like much time has passed.** Fiona tightened her grip on her sword, ready to attack.

"Hey, do you know this guy is getting married in two months? Ha! He’s such a good guy. When Wenton's wife couldn’t find her husband and child, he was the first one she called. In the middle of the night, he went to help her. Too bad you’ll have to kill him to get to me." The demon spoke through James, smiling deviously.

**He’s unstable. I can stall and figure out his name, then exorcise him. But finding his true name will be the real challenge.** Fiona thought, her mind racing.

"I went to Wenton's house before coming here to destroy all evidence. Do you know what I did first after possessing him? I killed Wenton's wife. I can send the rest of the children, including his daughter, to the cult. They’ll make fine sacrifices." James’s voice turned cold.

Fiona’s anger flared, and she lunged forward with force. James’s skin on his hand melted, his fingers entwining and merging into a massive black blade. He clashed with Fiona’s sword, forcing her back, though she landed gracefully.

**I need to lure him away from the children.** Fiona focused, steadying her sword as her pure blue aura gathered around the blade. She swiftly leaped to the left.

James sneered. "You think you can slash me from the si—" He froze, confused and shocked.

Fiona was on one knee, pointing her sword at him like a gun.

*Boom*

A beam of pure energy surged from the tip of her sword, speeding toward its target. James quickly morphed his hand-blade into a shield, surrounding it with his blood-red demonic aura. But the pressure was too sudden and strong; he was flung back, crashing meters away from the house.

“Keuk,” James spat blood. **That sneaky bitch got me good. Using her sword like that—she's creative. But I’ll crush her today. I can’t let her grow any stronger.**

Fiona was already approaching, ready for a follow-up attack.

James morphed his both hands into blades, flooding them with demonic energy. He slashed them together in an X-formation, sending a massive aura slash toward Fiona.

She concentrated pure energy into her feet and leaped high into the air, avoiding the attack. As she came down, she channeled all her energy into her sword and aimed a powerful slash at the demon.

The demon crossed his twin blades to block her strike. The clash of demonic and pure aura was so intense that the ground beneath them crumbled, the road reduced to shattered concrete.

**Tch. If only the leader had allowed me to come in my true body… This one is too unstable. I need to gain full control of his mind.** The demon was pushing deeper into James’s psyche.

**He’s attacking the officer’s mind. I need to distract him.** Fiona increased the speed and force of her slashes.

"Damn it! You’re getting more annoying by the second!" The demon’s frustration boiled over.

**I can’t keep slashing forever. If he gains full control of James’s mind, there’ll be no saving him. I need to act quickly.** Fiona retreated to gain some distance.

**It’s 2:15 AM. I have 45 minutes before the hour of the demon starts. Once that happens, he’ll fully take over. If he does, I might not be able to defeat him, and I can’t call Gabriel for help during that time.** Fiona stared at her sword, her mind racing.

"Hey, did you lose your will to fight?" The demon sneered. "If so, surrender now, and I’ll make it quick."

"As if I would." Fiona took a battle stance, determination filling her eyes.

“If you won’t kill me, I’ll gladly kill you.” The demon lunged at her, his menacing aura covering his hand blades.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

She jumped over him, and while in the air, she pulled a vial from her jeans pocket, swiftly throwing it onto the demon’s back. The vial shattered, and holy water spread across his skin.

“Waaagh!” The demon wailed as his back sizzled, burning from the holy water.

“You bitch! I’m going to give you the worst death possible. You wanna play games?” He morphed his hand back to normal and pulled out a revolver that James had kept for emergencies.

**Is he planning to shoot me? I’m fast enough to dodge bullets.** Fiona thought, but the demon had other plans. His hand began to melt, fusing with the gun until it became an extension of his muscles.

Fiona raised her guard instantly as the demon took aim and fired.

The bullet, covered in demonic aura, was much faster than normal. Fiona barely managed to dodge it, but it grazed her shoulder, and she began bleeding heavily.

**These bullets are too fast, even for me. If I get hit, I’ll die instantly. I don’t have much time. If I can’t exorcise him, I’ll have no choice but to kill him.** Fiona’s resolve wavered, guilt gnawing at her. How many more innocents would she have to kill in this war?

“Five bullets left—more than enough to kill a pest like you,” the demon taunted, aiming again.

“Looks like I have no choice. I’m sorry, officer.” Fiona stood up, preparing herself.

The demon fired again, sending another bullet her way. It detonated in a massive explosion.

**Good. I made that bullet explode before she could dodge. She’s dead. I’ll use her body for the ritual.** The demon smiled, satisfied with his handiwork.

Suddenly, a faint voice echoed.

“From the ancestors who guard the sacred land...” Fiona’s voice reverberated with determination as she stepped out of the explosion, a golden aura shield protecting her, cast by Gabriel, the angel behind her.

“I ask thy will to grant me power, O great Lord.” Her voice grew louder.

**What is she doing? That brilliant light behind her... Damn it! She’s an angel contractor!** The demon's panic set in as Fiona radiated with a majestic golden light.

“Awaken, Durandal!” Fiona’s voice was as sharp as her sword, which now glowed with a radiant golden aura. It was a sight of pure majesty.

**You called me just in time. Your arrogance reminds me of my brother, thinking you could fight such a strong demon alone.** Gabriel’s voice echoed in Fiona’s mind.

**I just wanted to save him.** Fiona replied with regret.

**You can’t save someone possessed by a demon with your weak mindset. You’re fighting him like he’s human. If you want to win, attack him like you intend to kill the demon. He’ll regenerate anyway. When his power is drained, then think about saving him.** Gabriel advised.

**Sometimes, I doubt you’re really an angel.** Fiona thought, surprised by Gabriel's words.

**Fiona, even a fight for justice isn’t fair. You need a stronger mindset.** Gabriel said with a grim wisdom.

"Hey, demon, this is your last chance. Leave that body now, or you’ll regret it," Fiona called out, her confidence unwavering.

“To think you’d get so cocky just because your sword is glowing. You think an angel can protect you? I’ll devour your soul before it reaches heaven!” The demon sneered.

“I’m going to wipe that ugly grin off your face.” Fiona gripped her sword tightly.

*Meanwhile, back in the forest...*

Shin did his best to stay hidden from Wenton.

**That blood... it was divine heritage's, but it wasn’t Talia’s. He must’ve taken it from the other child.** Shin thought.

*Boom*

Shin barely dodged a massive blow that destroyed the trees he’d been hiding behind like nothing. Wenton was a monstrous abomination, now four times his original size. He looked like a giant, mindless ogre, but Shin knew better. The divine blood had amplified not only Wenton’s power but also his senses. He could locate Shin by his faint breathing alone. His fists were huge.

**Damn, he’s catching up. It’s been ten minutes since he transformed, but I still have 50 more minutes before he explodes from the clash of positive and negative energy.** Shin calculated.

“Hey, ogre! Can you even hear me? Who gave you that blood? And you drank it without knowing what it would do to your body.” Shin taunted as he dodged another attack, moving swiftly through the forest.

“Don’t think you can provoke me with your words! I don’t care what you say; I’ve never felt this strong!” Wenton bellowed, trying to catch Shin.

“Too bad for you. In about 50 minutes, you’re going to explode. I’ve seen demons drink divine blood before. There were four of them but they were low-grade. Three died by my hands, and the last one exploded after 25 minutes.” Shin continued to provoke as he evaded Wenton’s strikes.

“I don’t care if that’s true. I’ll kill you before that happens. At least I’ll have the satisfaction of dragging you to hell with me!” Wenton grinned maliciously.

"You're truly hopeless," Shin said, his voice full of distaste. **That's why demons like him always end up as pawns—played and sacrificed by stronger demons,** Shin thought bitterly.

Shin moved quickly, but with each passing moment, his stamina and aura were depleting, and Wenton was closing in on him.

**Damn it, if only my inner seals were lifted, I could do something,** Shin thought, trying his best to gather all the remaining aura into his legs.

He managed to outrun Wenton for about 20 minutes, but he was nearing his limit.

"Only 30 minutes left. If only I could hide from him," Shin thought, feeling drained. He had no aura left to use.

Wenton finally caught up and gathered all his power into his right hand, which had now grown to six times the size of Shin's head.

Shin tried his best to move, but all he could do was watch as the massive fist, made entirely of muscle, hurtled toward him at an astronomical speed. It was about to crush him, and in that moment, only four words crossed his mind.

**Shit, I am dead.**