"Boom!"
A deafening roar echoed in the previously silent night, shaking the entire area where the amusement facility was located.
Wisping smoke rose from where the sound originated, blowing away rubble and debris with the blast, looking exactly like the aftermath of a powerful missile strike.
There was no fire, but the shockwave transformed into the most violent force, churning the air and unleashing wave after wave of impact.
Yukinoshita Yukino, who was entangled with several Exorcists not far away, was startled, feeling a typhoon-like gust coming at her, forcing her to raise her hand to shield her face.
Around her, a white mist of freezing air surged, freezing all the incoming rubble and debris into ice, preventing them from touching Yukinoshita Yukino.
The Exorcists' abilities were not as strong; they were either blown away by the air currents or hit by the incoming rubble, managing only a few short gasps or cries of pain before falling to the ground in the distance.
In such a destructive scene, Leo was the only one unaffected, with six demonic wings spread behind him, his figure suspended in mid-air.
He still held the unconscious girl in one arm, while his other hand was extended forward, surging with terrifying magic, telling everyone who had caused the destruction.
"Ugh…"
Sharon's figure appeared in another direction; it seemed she had narrowly escaped the Magic Circle that surrounded her at the last moment, avoiding a direct hit from the astonishing magical impact.
However, her current state was far from good; her nun's habit was torn in many places as if scraped by rubble, and her exposed fair skin was covered with tiny wounds and bloodstains.
Even her once beautiful face was smudged with dust, making her look disheveled and completely without her usual image.
"You…"
Clutching her injured arm, Sharon looked up at Leo, who was flying in mid-air, her eyes completely changed.
They were filled with shock and anger.
"When did you become so strong?"
Sharon looked at the three pairs of demonic wings behind Leo and felt the astonishing magic rising from him, her heart filled with shock and fury.
Although she hadn't dealt with Leo for a while, it had only been a few months.
About three months ago, she received an order from headquarters stating that there were unusual movements from the Fallen Angels, and she was instructed to investigate.
So, she had actually left Chiba Prefecture during that time, going to the Church headquarters, and only returned recently.
During this period, she also received news of Leo's promotion to a High-Class Devil, and thus was mentally prepared to encounter a stronger Leo upon her return.
But she never expected that Leo, after being promoted to a High-Class Devil, would have undergone such a drastic change.
Six wings?
Wasn't he a two-winged demon before?
And this magic, this destructive power—how could this be the strength of a newly promoted High-Class Devil?
This power, compared to the monster she encountered three years ago, was not far off, was it?
Sharon couldn't help but recall a deeply impressive incident.
It was before she was transferred to Chiba Prefecture.
At that time, she received news from the Church that a demon, sealed there since ancient times, had been discovered in a remote countryside location.
That demon possessed extremely dangerous power, and if it were to return, it would undoubtedly cause considerable trouble.
So, she and a group of elite Exorcists sent by the Church entered the sealed area, and they encountered a group of people from an unknown force who had also received the news and were preparing to break the seal.
The two sides clashed fiercely, but the result was mutual destruction.
However, the reason for the mutual destruction was not the conflict between the two forces, but because the unsealed demon went berserk on the spot, unleashing a massacre that turned the scene into hell.
That day, Sharon narrowly escaped with her life, while all the other Church members perished on the spot.
The people from the unknown force, after paying a huge sacrifice, managed to take the unsealed demon back with them.
To this day, Sharon still remembers how powerful that demon was; it was said that this was even without it unleashing its dangerous power.
If that power had been fully unleashed, even the top combatants of various factions would not dare to underestimate it.
The original Leo would never have been able to compare to such an existence, but now, in terms of magic alone, he was not far off from that demon.
This left Sharon both astonished and furious.
"Haven't you heard the saying, 'One should look at a scholar with new eyes after three days' absence'?"
Leo looked down at his old rival, who had always pestered him, and seeing her disheveled state, he immediately broke into a cheerful smile.
"You and I haven't seen each other for months; it's more than just three days.
Isn't such a change perfectly normal?"
Normal?
To go from two wings to six wings in just a few months, with his magic increasing by who knows how many times—is that considered normal?
Sharon's chest heaved, and her once modest nun's habit was now tattered, revealing glimpses that invited imagination.
"Sister Sharon!"
"Lady Sharon!"
At this moment, the Exorcists in priest attire staggered over to Sharon's side.
Judging by their bruised and battered appearance, it was clear they could no longer continue fighting.
"…Retreat."
Sharon suppressed her anger and gnashed her teeth as she gave the order.
"But our mission…"
A priest hesitated, speaking up, seemingly with some reservations.
They had come here, naturally, not to confront Leo, the High-Class Devil, but because intelligence indicated unexplained disappearances in the area, strongly suggesting the presence of a Rogue Demon.
That's why Sharon was leading the team to investigate and eliminate it.
But now, they hadn't even entered the mission site's gate when they encountered an existence countless times more dangerous than their mission target.
Leo Erigid, he was the representative of the local demons in Chiba Prefecture, an existence who had been active in this area for fifteen years, whom the Church had never been able to defeat.
It was said that he was the last bloodline heir of the extinct Erigor Family, with half pure-blooded demon blood and the other half from an Exorcist belonging to their Church.
As the descendant of a prestigious family, he was continuously monitored and supported by the Underworld, making him a thorny and troublesome problem for the local Church in Chiba Prefecture.
After he was promoted to a High-Class Devil, the local Church in Chiba Prefecture even issued an order allowing local Exorcists to abandon their missions and flee immediately if they encountered him.
However, the person in charge of this mission was Sister Sharon, who had always been able to contend with him, so they hadn't considered abandoning the mission directly.
Instead, they tied up Yukinoshita Yukino when Sharon made her move, preventing outsiders from interfering.
Who would have thought that indeed, one should look at a scholar with new eyes after three days' absence?
Sister Sharon, who could originally contend with him, was reduced to such a disheveled state in the blink of an eye.
His strength had grown exponentially, and he had even reached the six-winged demon class.
Was there still any need to continue this entanglement?
"Mission canceled.
I will be responsible for submitting the follow-up report."
Sharon seemed to have calmed down, saying, "Besides, the purpose of his appearance here seems to be the same as ours.
Perhaps the Rogue Demon has already been eliminated by him, so we haven't failed."
However, compared to the news of failing to eliminate a Rogue Demon, the news that Leo himself had been promoted to a six-winged High-Class Devil, his strength having advanced so much that even she was no longer a match for him, would be the worst news for the Church, wouldn't it?
Sharon could already imagine the Church officials looking at each other, finally helpless.
"Go!"
Sharon made a decisive decision and, without further hesitation, stared intently at Leo for a moment, engraving his image deeply into her mind, before leaping into the darkness behind her.
The Exorcists in priest attire immediately followed suit, not daring to hesitate for a moment, fearing Leo's pursuit.
Leo, however, merely watched Sharon and her group leave, doing nothing, until the presence of these Exorcists had completely faded away.
Only then did he retract the wings on his back and descend from mid-air.
"Aren't you going to pursue them?"
Yukinoshita Yukino also came forward and, seeing that Leo was fine, subtly let out a sigh of relief before asking.
"If I wanted to do something to the Church's Exorcists, why would I wait until now?"
Leo shook his head, saying, "The three factions are currently in a truce period, after all.
It's one thing for me to kill a rogue low-ranking Fallen Angel, but if I were to go on a killing spree against the local Church Exorcists, that would truly be a diplomatic incident."
This was also a kind of unspoken understanding between them; they could fight fiercely and contend with each other, but it was best to leave some leeway for future encounters.
Otherwise, if Leo, a descendant of a pure-blooded demon, was so brazenly stationed in the Church's territory, and if the Church truly wanted to eliminate him, they would have sent top-tier Exorcists long ago.
Why would they let the local few insignificant Exorcists keep pestering Leo?
Sharon was indeed ruthless and unscrupulous when facing demons, but she might not dare to disregard Leo's supporters and directly kill him.
That's why she had been pestering him for the past three years, likely due to hesitation and unwillingness in her heart.
Leo also had no intention of bickering with this woman, especially since she had initially used a honey trap on him, which had given him quite a bit of pleasure… Thinking of this, Leo couldn't help but smile, while also regretting that there were too many people around this time.
Otherwise, this "pure Sharon" might have given him a little more pleasure.
"What are you thinking?"
Yukinoshita Yukino suddenly asked, somewhat suspiciously, "Why are you making such an annoying expression?"
What kind of expression was that?
Leo swallowed a question that almost blurted out and rolled his eyes at Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Let's go home."
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