The dense steam gradually dispersed, and Salomon used the tip of his sword to pick up the golden halo that had fallen to the ground.
This was an angel's halo, representing its rank and essence. Unless a Witch summoned creatures from the lower planes to devour the angel, or handed the halo to Rodin, the fallen angel craftsman, simply leaving it alone would allow an intermediate angel to be reborn before long. As for whether that angel would still be so ugly when the time came, no one could say. It was a spiritual being, after all, and could look however it pleased. Salomon activated the power of the Sacred Sword. Its scorching blade severed the halo as easily as cutting butter, utterly annihilating the intermediate angel's soul. That was the power of the Sacred Sword: it completely erased the essence of Extra-dimensional Beings. Every demon and monster would weep before this Sacred Sword.
He had overestimated that angel's combat ability. It had not even taken thirty seconds. The subway had only just left the Williamsburg Bridge, and the Witches were dealing with the Lower Angels rushing toward them. Jeanne had even less time to complain about Salomon stealing her prey.
"Constantine, Catherine, Aura. Report."
"I believe the Lower Angels in Hell's Kitchen, Greenwich Village, and Soho are no longer a problem, my lord," Catherine said cheerfully. In truth, because the enemy density was not particularly high, the heavy weapons teams often resolved the problem before the Sisterhood even engaged the enemy. Bolter rounds and plasma were more than the ceramic-shell bodies of those Lower Angels could withstand. Even if a few slipped through, whether it was a longsword crackling with electricity or a Chainsaw Sword, both could easily carve through Lower Angel flesh.
Catherine vigorously protested to Aura, demanding