Clang—
The dagger Angel had thrown finally arrived, embedding itself in the wall and knocking down a small shower of plaster.
Close behind it, she reached toward the spot where Ms. D had vanished, but her hand found only solid wall.
"She passed straight through the wall and left?"
She murmured to herself, pulled out the dagger, and went to the nearby window. Its glass had been shattered by the several explosions earlier, leaving only the wooden frame swaying in the breeze.
She had turned transparent, then passed through the wall. Had she used some ability from a Grazed soul? Or the effects of some Mystical Item?
Angel speculated as she tried to use her night vision to locate Ms. D in the shadows of the garden outside, but found nothing.
After hesitating for a moment, she ultimately did not leap out the window to pursue her.
She lacked a Seer's tracking abilities. Even if she went outside, she would not be able to find the Shepherd who had infiltrated the shadows and swiftly fled. Besides, even if her spirituality had been depleted, a Sequence 5 Beyonder was not someone Angel could handle alone. Fighting the versatile Ms. D while enduring the imminent negative effects of the Magician Pocket Watch would likely be no different from throwing her life away.
Having realized that, Angel put away her dagger and returned to the entrance of the devastated hall. It had endured several explosions; the surrounding tables, chairs, and ornaments had vanished without a trace, leaving only the relatively sturdy marble floor and battered walls.
The Aurora Order member who had self-destructed had become a broad smear of flesh and blood across the floor, giving off waves of bloody stench. Beyond that radial splatter lay the Nighthawks sprawled across the ground by