Amid flames and shock waves that nearly blasted away the smog and cleared the sky, two dazzling streaks of light flew upward against the sunlight, swiftly piercing the absurdly low clouds and climbing several hundred meters into the air.
The two streaks differed slightly in color. The one in front was blue tinged with purple, its momentum overwhelming. The one following was azure-blue, but strands of black flame ran through it, as though various powers had been blended together.
They collided several times before separating in midair, gradually condensing into human forms.
As the purple flames receded, the outline of a man became clear. He stood over 1.8 meters tall, wore a full suit of iron-black armor, and had long, deep-red hair hanging loosely behind his head. A pair of extravagantly designed golden earrings hung from his ears, and his handsome features held a delicate refinement. His brown eyes turned toward the Demoness nearby, who had likewise returned from flame to human form. A smile still lingered at his lips, but his brows were tightly furrowed.
As a Sequence 3 of the Hunter pathway, a War Bishop who presided over the authority of war, Snearna Einhorn could confirm that the other party's flame abilities, though weaker than his own, were sufficient to keep pace with him. They did not come from a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact, but were genuine supernatural powers she could wield at will.
Was she an Iron-Blooded Knight who had become a woman through some appearance-altering Sealed Artifact? But what about those diseases, threads, and black cursed flames... Or had she advanced from Iron-Blooded Knight to a Sequence 3 Demoness, obtaining the abilities of both pathways?
As he pondered this, Snarner continued using Mind Communication to contact the various airship squadrons below, directing them to keep advancing