Shin was nearly decimated by the attack. He was flung far from the impact of the punch, crashing against the side of the abandoned church building. His momentum was so strong that even the wall couldn't stop him; it shattered, leaving half of his body lodged inside.

Though Shin managed to manipulate his mass—a common ability among demons, allowing them to quickly change their body mass and composition without using aura—he cushioned his fall by concentrating mass on his vital parts. He ensured to protect his head, knowing that a head injury could render him unconscious.

He had done his best, but using that ability had drained much of his blood. While he avoided additional injuries from the crash, the punch from Wenton still left him with severe damage. His right femur was broken, nearly piercing through his skin. His shoulder blade was shattered into pieces. His ribs were crushed, his hips dislocated, and most importantly, his right hand was completely blown away in his attempt to shield himself. Despite all this, Shin fought to stay conscious and recover.

**I can barely stay awake. I used my right hand and morphed it into a shield to protect myself. If I hadn’t, he might have crushed my spine.** Shin winced in pain but refused to give up. Still, even standing seemed like a miracle at this point.

The voice that had been silent for a while couldn’t resist taunting him in his weakened state. **Ke ke ke ke, look at you, Shin. You were once the invincible demon who crushed lesser high-grade demons like they were nothing. And now, here you are, getting beaten by a mid-grade demon with divine blood. It’s time, Shin. If you start listening to me again, like in the old days, I can save you. We can achieve so much more. What do you say?** the voice hissed sinisterly.

"Fuck off. I don’t have time for your nonsense. You can have my body when I’m dead," Shin growled through clenched teeth.

**That won’t do, Shin. I’ve never been interested in your body. I’ve always been interested in you. You may deny me, but I’ve always accepted you. I am a part of you, Shin. One day, you’ll accept me again.** The voice lingered in the air, its tone dripping with malevolence, before falling silent once more.

**A part of me? Don’t make me laugh. You were never a part of me—you were always a tool used to control me.** Shin thought with disdain.

Shin had recovered somewhat, but he lacked the blood necessary to heal properly. He used his senses to check for others around him. There were four children nearby; three of them had deep, even breaths, indicating they were asleep. But one child was crying, breathing rapidly and gasping for air. More importantly, Shin could sense the child’s pure energy—it was stronger than the others. The child was hiding behind some rubble.

**Damn. Did he see me regenerating? I was too distracted to notice. If he’s still there, maybe I can use this.**

"Hey, kid! Come out! I’m here to save you!" Shin shouted. But the boy, terrified, remained hidden.

**Dammit. Maybe if I call his name, he’ll trust me.**

"Hey, kid! Is your name Manny?" Shin tried again.

Finally, the child emerged, sobbing and trembling.

"D-did my mom send you to save me, mister?" Manny asked, his voice shaky with fear.

"Yes, yes, she sent me," Shin lied, relieved he had guessed the right name.

**Whew, lucky guess on the first try.**

"M-mister, but you’re really hurt… d-did the monster do that to you?" Manny asked, wiping his tears.

"Yes, Manny. That’s why I need your help. You seem like a good kid, and good kids are heroes, right? Do you want to be a hero and save your friends?" Shin coaxed, his voice gentle.

"B-but I’m not a hero… I’m weak. The boys in my class bullied me. The only hero I know is Talia—she saved me from those bullies. Even though she’s a girl, she beat them up good. But they... the evil guys they took her and Shawn away," Manny whimpered, tears flowing again.

**Talia fought with boys? No way. If she keeps doing that, people will call her a delinquent. But it was because of those bullies... Damn, I’m gonna—** Shin stopped himself. **No, focus. This isn’t the time.**

"I’m glad my daughter helped you, Manny, but don’t feel bad. You have the chance to help her father and be a hero yourself," Shin said, attempting to smile, though the pain made it difficult.

Manny, still sniffling, looked at him with wide eyes. "Y-you’re Talia’s dad?"

"Yes, Manny. Now listen, I need something from you. I have powers, but I’m hurt badly, and only you can help me. If you don’t, the monster will kill me, you, and all the other kids," Shin pleaded.

"M-Mr. Shin, I’ll do anything to help!, Talia always told me that you were like a superhero." Manny replied, his voice trembling with determination.

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**He cries a lot, but he’s brave when it counts. No wonder his energy is so pure.** Shin thought, impressed.

"Okay, Manny, bring your hand closer to me."

"O-okay, but what are you going to do?" Manny asked, hesitantly.

"Don’t worry. I’ll take a small bite and drink a little of your blood to heal myself. Then I can save your friends," Shin explained, smiling as kindly as he could.

Manny’s face froze in shock. "Wh-WHAT?!" he shouted, recoiling.

*Back to Fiona vs. James.*

Fiona and James faced each other, the tension crackling between them. Fiona, cloaked in a brilliant golden aura, held the holy sword Durandal, which glowed with an intense light. James, possessed by a demon, radiated a malevolent dark energy, his arm fused with a demonic gun, aimed directly at Fiona.

Without warning, the demon fired. The bullet, cloaked in dark energy, whizzed toward her at an unnatural speed. Fiona barely managed to twist her body, the bullet grazing her side and sending a sharp pain across her ribs.

**These bullets are a real pain. He’s putting more aura into them than before.**

Another shot rang out, but this time, Fiona deflected it with Durandal. The impact reverberated up her arm. **I can’t block them for long. I need to get close, but I can’t rush in recklessly.**

Fiona dashed to the side, trying to get out of his line of sight. **I can’t keep dodging forever. I need a plan.**

The demon chuckled darkly. “What’s wrong? Not so brave now, are we? I’ll enjoy watching you squirm.” He fired again, and Fiona narrowly dodged, rolling behind a nearby tree.

**He’s too confident with that gun. He’s relying on it too much. I can use that against him.**

A loud crash echoed from near the building, followed by a faint aura. **Shin... I need to finish this quickly and help him.**

With that thought, Fiona leaped from behind the tree, rushing forward. The demon grinned, raising his gun. “Foolish!” he shouted, firing again. But this time, Fiona wasn’t dodging.

Mid-run, she threw a vial of holy water directly at him. The demon instinctively shot at the vial, shattering it. Holy water splashed across his chest and arm.

“Arrgh!” the demon recoiled, his skin sizzling where the water touched him.

**Now’s my chance!** Fiona closed the distance, her golden blade flashing as she brought it down. The demon reacted quickly, raising his gun-arm to block. Durandal clashed with the demonic weapon, sending sparks flying.

“You think that’ll stop me?” the demon snarled, swiping at her with a clawed hand. Fiona ducked, narrowly avoiding the strike.

She jumped back, narrowly deflecting another bullet. **He’s fired all five shots. Now’s my chance.**

Suddenly, she slammed her hand into the ground, sending a shockwave through the debris, blinding the demon for a moment.

Fiona dashed through the dust cloud, Durandal glowing with radiant energy. Just as she was about to strike, the demon smirked.

*Bang.*

A bullet soared toward Fiona. The demon laughed. **Classic trick of lying. The revolver had seven more bullets, not five. She’s done for.**

But instead of panicking, Fiona smiled. Brilliant golden wings appeared behind her, allowing her to dodge mid-air. Durandal gleamed even brighter as she closed the distance and sliced deep into the demon’s arm.

“AARGH!” The demon howled in pain, stumbling back as black ooze dripped from the wound. His gun-arm was damaged, the connection to his body weakening. Fiona could see the corrupted flesh pulsating, struggling to hold the gun in place.

“You thought I would fall for your trick, I have dealt with enough of you to know how wicked you bastards are.” Fiona said coldly, her eyes narrowing.

The demon snarled, raising his gun to fire again, but his aim was off. The bullet went wide, missing her by several feet. He was losing control.

**He’s panicking. Now’s my chance.**

Fiona’s eyes flicked toward the revolver. **If I can destroy that gun, he’ll lose his biggest advantage.**

She dashed in again, this time aiming for the gun directly. The demon swung wildly, trying to defend himself, but Fiona was too fast. She feinted left, then pivoted, bringing Durandal down in a powerful slash.

The golden blade cleaved through the demonic revolver, shattering it in an explosion of dark energy. The demon howled, clutching his arm as the remnants of the weapon disintegrated into black mist.

“No! NO! You’ll pay for that!” The demon’s voice was filled with rage, but Fiona could see the fear in his eyes. Without the gun, he was vulnerable.

**Now to finish this.**

With a swift motion, Fiona raised Durandal high, the blade glowing brighter than ever before. The demon staggered back, but Fiona didn’t give him a chance to retreat. She charged forward, slashing at his chest with precision.

Golden light erupted from the wound, and the demon let out a blood-curdling scream. His form flickered, the possession weakening as the divine energy tore through him.

Fiona pressed the advantage, striking again and again, each slash pushing the demon further back. His movements grew sluggish, his strength draining.

“You... you can’t do this...” he growled, but the fear in his voice betrayed him.

“I told you, demon,” Fiona said, her voice cold and unwavering. “This ends now.”

With a final, powerful strike, Fiona plunged Durandal deep into the demon’s chest. Now powerless, the demon collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

Fiona withdrew the blade, its divine power slowing the demon’s regeneration. She wiped the blood from the sword, then scratched her thumb and used the blood to draw a large pentagram encircled by strange, ancient runes—the ancient sigil used to trap demons.

She lifted James’s body and threw it inside the sigil. Standing over him, her chest heaving with heavy breaths, Fiona watched as Durandal’s glow gradually faded. Its task was complete.

**It’s over,** she thought.

"I can feel Wenton's aura nearby. I have to move quickly and help Sh—" Fiona suddenly sensed something more sinister, a darker aura coming from near the building.

"What is this? I thought he was down... How is he even more powerful than before? The building... the kids were there... Don’t tell me—" Fiona's eyes widened in alarm as she rushed toward the building.

"If you’ve harmed any of the children, I will never forgive you," she muttered, speeding up, hoping Shin hadn't done anything terrible.

"The kids are okay," Gabriel said, flying beside her, matching her speed. "For now, let's get them out of that building. Shin can handle the demon."

"Can’t you just teleport them to safety?" Fiona asked, frustration creeping into her voice.

"I can't. I can lend you more power, but anything beyond that is not permitted by God," Gabriel explained.

"You and your strange rules," Fiona muttered, launching herself forward with even more speed toward the abandoned church.