The other apprentices had their speed dragged down by the Demonic Beasts that slipped through from time to time. Angel's speed, on the other hand, increased because of it, but the sky above him remained a sea of mist, so he did not dare fly too quickly.
After flying for nearly another half minute, Angel suddenly caught a faint scent of blood drifting down from above.
"Quick, dodge back! The Sickle-Wielding Blood Demon's avatar has fallen!" Madeleine's voice, heavy with panting, reached Angel's ears.
Instinctively, Angel took a step back as Madeleine instructed.
But the moment he retreated, Toby let out a warning cry. Angel turned around in confusion, only to see a greasy, terrifying face close behind him. It wielded two enormous cleavers, brandishing them menacingly at him.
Angel was startled by the sudden appearance of this "person." Less than a meter separated them.
"Hehehe, my human meat pie is still missing just a little ingredient. So fragrant. I'm going to chop you to bits." A strange, floating voice came from the blood-red maw split wide across the figure's face.
When that voice entered Angel's ears, he first thought it was Madeleine's voice. Yet in the next instant, it reminded him of Sanders, Nausicaa... even Gloria. It shifted unpredictably, impossible to distinguish!
Clearly, the voice he had thought belonged to Madeleine had not been hers at all. This strange-voiced Demonic Beast had been luring him.
It was a bloated fat man, gripping a serrated cleaver in each hand. A huge iron pot was strapped to his back, while black chains bound his entire body. His ears resembled pig ears, enormous as palm-leaf fans, and they flapped constantly, serving as wings to keep him aloft.
As he spoke, his cleavers were already chopping furiously toward Angel.
They were too close.