Chapter 45: Primal Fear"MARA!" Grace screamed, watching in horror as the Primal demon raised its massive claws above the fallen healer.

    Mara’s blood pooled beneath her, soaking into the corrupted ground. Her mace lay in pieces beside her, and her normally perfect light brown hair was matted with black ichor and sweat. Despite this, her eyes remained defiant as she stared up at the demon.

    [This can’t be happening!]

    Grace moved toward them, but she’d never make it in time. The Primal’s arm began its downward arc—

    "HEY UGLY!"

    A rock sailed through the air and bounced off the Primal’s head. The demon paused, turning toward the source of this new annoyance.

    "OVER HERE, YOU... OVERSIZED NIGHTMARE!"

    Another rock, bigger this time, hit the Primal’s shoulder.

    Grace’s jaw dropped as she spotted two familiar figures at the edge of the clearing. Alia and Zephyr, both holding armfuls of stones, their pink wings fluttering rapidly.

    "What the..." Diana mumbled beside her.

    Alia hurled another rock.

    "THAT’S RIGHT! WE’RE TALKING TO YOU!"

    Zephyr, looking slightly more terrified than her partner but no less determined, added her own projectile.

    "LEAVE OUR FRIENDS ALONE!"

    The Primal’s attention shifted completely away from Mara. Those cold purple eyes fixed on the two Love Sisters with unmistakable murderous intent. It straightened to its full height and took a step toward them.

    "No, no, no," Grace whispered. "What are they DOING?"

    "Saving Mara," Diana said, her face hardening. "Shit."

    Before Grace could respond, Diana launched herself forward, wings extended, sword raised. She moved with none of the hesitation she’d shown earlier, cutting through the air like a golden arrow straight toward the advancing Primal.

    "DIANA!" Grace shouted.

    Diana slammed into the Primal’s back just as it was about to charge at Alia and Zephyr. Her sword bit deep between its shoulder blades, drawing a spray of black blood. The demon roared, turning to swipe at this new attacker. Diana barely managed to duck under its massive arm, rolling away.

    "GET MARA!" Diana screamed at Grace. "I’LL HOLD IT OFF!"

    Grace didn’t waste time arguing. She ran to Mara’s side, dropping to her knees beside the injured angel. Up close, the wound was even worse than it had looked from a distance — a deep gash across Mara’s midsection that had torn through her blue robes and the flesh beneath.

    "Don’t worry," Grace said, placing her hands over the wound. "I’ve got you."

    Mara’s eyes fluttered.

    "G-Grace... the fallen..."

    "Shh, don’t talk." Grace focused, channeling divine energy into her hands. Golden light spilled from her fingers into Mara’s wound, the flesh slowly beginning to knit together.

    [Come on, come on... This is taking too long!]

    Grace’s Compassion attribute wasn’t high enough for rapid healing. This would take time they didn’t have. Behind her, she could hear Diana fighting the Primal, metal clashing against demonic hide. And somewhere beyond that, Alia and Zephyr were still shouting taunts.

    "Well, isn’t this touching?"

    [Oh, crap.]

    Grace froze at the silky voice directly behind her. She’d completely forgotten about the fallen angel.

    "Healing your friend while your other friends die," the fallen angel continued. "Very noble. Very stupid."

    Grace spun around, summoning her rapier to her hand just in time to block the fallen angel’s strike. The impact sent painful vibrations up her arm.

    "Leave her alone!" Grace shouted, struggling to her feet while keeping herself between the fallen angel and Mara.

    The fallen angel smiled, her corrupted wings spreading wide.

    "No, I don’t think I will."

    She attacked with surprising speed, her own blade — a corrupted version of an angel’s sword — slashing toward Grace’s throat. Grace barely managed to parry, immediately falling back on Seraph’s lessons.

    [Keep your guard up. Watch their eyes, not their weapon. Stay light on your feet; your tiny size is your best strength!]

    The fallen angel pressed forward, each strike coming faster than the last. Grace backed up, desperately trying to maintain her footing on the slippery, corrupted ground. Her defense was holding, but just barely.

    "You fight well for one so young," the fallen angel said, not even breathing hard. "But you’re out of your depth."

    Grace didn’t waste breath responding. She needed all her concentration just to stay alive. The fallen angel was toying with her, testing her defenses, looking for weaknesses.

    Then she found one.

    A lightning-fast feint to the left followed by a real attack from the right. Grace fell for it, her rapier sweeping through empty air as the fallen angel’s blade slipped past her guard. The corrupted weapon slashed across Grace’s forearm, drawing a line of golden blood.

    Grace gasped in pain, her rapier nearly slipping from her fingers. The fallen angel’s foot connected with her stomach, sending her sprawling backward. Her rapier flew from her hand, landing several feet away.

    "Now then," the fallen angel said, advancing on the fallen Grace. "I may not be able to kill you, but I don’t need to. My friend can handle that part."

    She raised her blade for a stab that would probably keep Grace pinned to the ground.

    Grace scrambled backward, eyes darting frantically for her weapon. The rapier was too far away. She wouldn’t reach it in time.

    The fallen angel’s blade began its downward arc—

    —and stopped abruptly as something heavy crashed into the back of her head.

    Mara stood there, wobbling on unsteady feet, holding the broken shaft of her mace. The healing had stopped the bleeding, but she was clearly still weak, her face pale with the effort of standing.

    "Don’t touch her," Mara gasped.

    The fallen angel staggered forward, momentarily stunned by the blow. It was all the opening Grace needed. She rolled to the side, grabbed her rapier, and in one fluid motion, drove it straight through the fallen angel’s back.

    The rapier’s tip burst through the fallen angel’s chest, golden light blazing along its length. The fallen angel froze, a look of genuine surprise on her face as she looked down at the blade protruding from her sternum.

    "Impossible..." she whispered.

    Then the corruption began to break apart, cracks of golden light spreading across her body from the wound. The fallen angel screamed, her voice inhuman as her form dissolved into particles of light and shadow that faded into nothing.

    Grace stared at the empty space where the angel had been, her rapier still extended. She’d just killed an angel.

    Permanently. Just like a demon.

    "Grace!" Mara’s voice snapped her out of her shock. "The others!"

    Reality crashed back in. Diana was still fighting the Primal, and Alia and Zephyr were running around its legs, trying to distract it without getting caught. Diana’s earlier courage hadn’t faded — she was fighting better than Grace had ever seen her, her sword a blur of golden light as she darted in and out of the Primal’s reach.

    But she was tiring. They all were. And the Primal showed no signs of weakening.

    Grace helped Mara to her feet.

    "Can you fight?"

    Mara grimaced, one hand pressed to her partially healed wound.

    "Not well. But I can stand."

    "Good enough."

    They moved toward the fight, Grace’s rapier at the ready. As they approached, the Primal landed a glancing blow on Diana, sending her tumbling across the clearing. Alia screamed and threw another rock, drawing the demon’s attention once more.

    "We need a plan," Mara said urgently. "We can’t keep this up."

    Grace’s mind raced. How had she and Seraph killed that demon before? She’d gotten lucky, catching it by surprise. But this Primal was alert, dangerous, and—

    The Primal suddenly turned away from them all. It looked at the fallen angel’s remains, then at the dissolving corruption around the clearing. Something about its posture changed. It seemed... uncertain?

    And then it did something Grace never expected.

    It ran.

    [WHAT!?]

    The Primal demon turned and bolted toward the forest, moving with that unnatural speed that made it almost blur.

    "It’s getting away!" Zephyr shouted.

    Diana struggled to her feet, her armor dented and her face bloodied.

    "Let it go! We’re in no shape to chase it."

    But Grace remembered. She remembered exactly how she and Seraph had killed that demon in the forest.

    If they did that again...

    [... Thank Eternia I’m small.]

    "Diana!" Grace called out. "Throw me!"

    Diana blinked at her, confused.

    "What?"

    "THROW ME AT IT! Seraph did it last time and it worked!"

    Understanding dawned on Diana’s face.

    "That’s the stupidest—"

    "JUST DO IT!"

    Diana cursed but didn’t argue further. She grabbed Grace’s arm, spun her in a quick circle to build momentum, and hurled her toward the retreating Primal with all her remaining strength.

    With the added momentum, Grace spread her wings and flew through the air, rapier extended before her, her small body cutting through space like an arrow. The Primal must have heard her coming — it started to turn, those purple eyes widening slightly in what might have been surprise.

    Too late.

    "AAAAAH!" Grace yelled in a battle cry as her rapier sank into the Primal’s back up to the hilt, the force of her impact driving the blade deep into the demon’s core. Golden light exploded outward from the point of contact, spreading through the Primal’s body in a network of glowing cracks.

    They fell, tumbling on the grass. The Primal froze, its massive frame rigid with shock. Then, slowly, it began to dissolve, particles of darkness breaking apart to reveal the golden light consuming it from within. Grace clung to her rapier, feet dangling above the ground as the Primal disintegrated beneath her.

    And then it was gone. Grace dropped to the ground, her rapier clattering beside her.

    For a moment, nobody moved. Nobody spoke. They all just stared at the empty space where the Primal had been.

    Diana limped forward, her sword hanging loosely from her hand.

    "Holy shit," she said finally. "You actually did it."

    Grace looked up at her, too exhausted to stand.

    "I-I did."

    "GRACE!" Alia’s voice shattered the moment as she barreled across the clearing, tackling Grace in a hug that knocked what little breath she had left right out of her lungs. "YOU WERE AMAZING!"

    Zephyr approached more sedately, though her eyes were just as wide.

    "That was... I don’t even have words."

    "What are you two even DOING here?" Diana demanded, sheathing her sword. "You were supposed to stay at the village!"

    Alia grinned, still clinging to Grace like a particularly affectionate octopus.

    "We got worried! And we figured you might need some Love Sister energy for morale!"

    "So you decided to throw rocks at a Primal demon?" Mara asked, limping over to join them.

    "It worked, didn’t it?" Alia replied, unrepentant.

    Grace finally managed to disentangle herself from Alia’s embrace. She looked around the clearing. The corruption was receding, the twisted trees slowly straightening, the cocoons dissolving into harmless mist. Without the fallen angel to maintain it, the nest was coming apart.

    "Is it over?" Grace asked quietly.

    Diana surveyed the clearing, her expression grim but satisfied.

    "For now."

    Mara nodded, pressing a hand to her wound with a wince.

    "We should get back to the village. Report what happened."

    "And maybe get some actual medical attention," Zephyr added, eyeing Mara’s injury with concern.

    They gathered themselves up, supporting each other as they prepared to leave. Grace retrieved her rapier, wiping the black ichor on the grass before sheathing it.

    The quest notification appeared before her eyes:

    「Quest Completed: Demon Extermination」

    「Reward: +10 to Bravery, New Skill Unlocked: Aura Cleanse」

    「Description: Ability to purify minor corruption from living beings without killing them」

    Bravery: 38/100

    [Well, that would have been useful about an hour ago,] Grace thought wryly.

    As they made their way out of the clearing, Diana fell into step beside Grace.

    "Hey," she said, her voice low. "About earlier. What I said..."

    "You don’t have to explain," Grace replied.

    "I’m not explaining. I’m..." Diana struggled with the words. "I’m saying thank you. For not... judging." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Grace looked up at the taller angel.

    "We all have our... uh, demons."

    Diana snorted.

    Ahead of them, Alia was chattering excitedly to Mara about their heroic rock-throwing, while Zephyr tried to keep her from bouncing around too much. The forest around them was returning to normal, birds cautiously returning to the trees.

    They had won. They had faced a Primal demon and a fallen angel, and they had survived. More than survived — they had won.

    Grace couldn’t help but smile.

    Not bad for a former turnip farmer.