"So you could say" confirmed the silver-eyed demigod, before turning to Cragar's son, "Look, we don't have much time before Aena is here, we have to hurry."

"I won't come with you. I have to kill her."

Marina didn't know what else to do but stall. Even though there were four of them, five counting Salix, she had a strange feeling that they wouldn't be able to block both 'Shirei' and that strange creature. She didn't want it to end this way, but their only hope was the divine mistress of love.

"You are wrong," replied Salix, "You will only attract the attention of the gods and condemn yourself to certain death. You've already been lucky once, but don't tempt fate again."

"What alternative do you propose?"

The demigods listened in silence, trying to figure out who those two really were.

"The boss said he wants to see you. You are the last piece missing to declare war on the Celestial World."

"I won't let the gods manipulate me again."

Marina didn't know what to say. His perfect little world seemed to slowly crack, as mysterious new information flowed in and stuck into his mind like needles.

"You leave me no choice, then."

A pink mist appeared around the son of Tefine and he sank his arms into it. When every crumb of dream particle had dissipated, Salix was holding a long chain in his hands, the dangling end was made up of a double-edged blade of dark metal. Marina wanted to stop them but didn't know what to do. From the dark pool that covered the ground around 'Shirei', two ghostly harpies suddenly emerged, their wings beating with an ominous cadence as they cawed menacingly. The boy raised his hands and, with a decisive gesture, the harpies were attracted towards them, as if a black hole were sucking them into a flow of darkness. Slowly, the ghostly creatures changed shape, transforming into two daggers glowing with evil energy. Marina observed the scene with disbelief painted on her face. She was awestruck by the display of 'Shirei''s hidden powers, who seemed to reveal incredible new abilities with disarming calm. She had invited Cragar's son there with the intention of tricking him into revealing the hidden layers of her power, but perhaps she had been unaware that she was not ready. In that moment, it was evident that 'Shirei' operated on an entirely different plane, one that eluded Ien's daughter's understanding and shed new light on the true extent of her abilities.

"Venorias, stop them from following me," the demigod said to his angelic soldier, "And you, Salvaterra, after I defeat you, give my regards to Rakion and tell him to leave me alone."

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Salix nodded, "As you wish, Calm Sovereign," he replied before charging forward.

'Shirei' grabbed Tefine's son's chain before it hit him. Soon after, the shadows began to swirl wildly around the two demigods. Marina didn't have time to react before they had already disappeared and, with them, the layer of darkness that had covered the ground had also disappeared.

A crashing sound filled the air. Marina turned to look in the direction from which the sound had come and saw the roof of one of the houses smoking.

Did they end up there? She asked herself, already taking a few steps.

She had to reach them but, before she could move away, the angelic creature summoned by 'Shirei' appeared in front of her.

Right, she gulped.

First, she should have worried about Venorias, as Cragar's son had called him. The dark angel advanced with the Blade of Discord aimed at her.

All right, she said to herself.

Marina stared at the creature as the entire world around her began to lose color. Soon her vision became limited to black and white. Every object in the vicinity lost its three-dimensionality and became a mass of brilliant lines indicating their simple dimensions. Numbers of all kinds continually appeared and disappeared, while living organisms revealed their nature before her eyes. It was the power of the sons of Ien: the analytical eye. Through it it was possible to reveal the essence of everything, including details imperceptible to the naked eye. Marina stared at Venorias, hoping to get what information.

Red for monsters, blue for demigods and mortals, green for creatures... she mused in her mind.

However, every thought became useless when she saw a purple aura replace the angel's body.

Purple!?

She had never seen an aura of that color before.

The only exceptions to the rule were... she shook his head, that was not the time to think idly.

She focused again on the figure of Venorias and raised her dagger, the only way to find out more was to face him. The angel was not long in coming and rushed towards her. Marina parried the blow by making the two blades clash against each other. She stepped back, his opponent's strength clearly greater than her own. She looked at Venorias again, trying to figure out where his vital point was. Usually, when she was in that state, she could also see the anatomical systems of living beings on command, but the angel was different.

Venorias, who meanwhile was waiting for her move, was devoid of all thoughts. It seemed empty, a shadow of something that was once alive.

Marina didn't want to admit it but, the more time passed, the more she began to get scared. It wasn't the thought of being defeated that scared her, but the total inability to act.

She didn't know what to do to fix the problem and that was known as the greatest terror a child of Ien could feel.

Dalia screamed and summoned some skeletons from the previously cracked ground. They were demigods, their remains still shrouded in fragments of worn and creased clothing. Their eyes, now only empty sockets, had been ignited by a sinister green flame, which danced with an aura of evil around the bare bones. Each skeleton held weapons, such as rust-encrusted swords or cracked shields, in their bony hands. Despite their lifeless nature, it seemed they still retained a sort of determination, ready to defend anyone who dared approach their summoner. Marina counted them, five in total. They closed themselves around Dalia, in her protection, while the girl placed herself between the demigods and the creature.

"Stand back," said Cragar's daughter, "These are none of your business, it's all my fault."