Dean dropped to one knee, pressing his left hand over the wound on his shoulder. He looked at Sam's waist, where the last demon weapon remained—the dagger with the Incantation markings Lohr had given them. The other one had been knocked away earlier.
He looked ten meters away.
The dagger was still embedded in the ground, its hilt trembling slightly, as though responding to something.
Castiel saw it too.
It turned and walked toward the dagger, unhurried, like a hunter certain of victory approaching prey caught in a trap.
"An interesting toy." It bent down and reached for the dagger. "The Incantation markings on it... are ancient. They aren't from this era. I'll study them carefully—"
Before it could finish, Dean moved.
He did not charge at Castiel. Instead, he rushed toward Sam, crouched beside him, and pulled the spare demon blade from his waist.
Then he turned and hurled the demon blade with all his strength.
Not at Castiel, but at the marked dagger.
The demon blade spun through the air, its tip striking the end of the dagger's hilt with perfect precision.
Clang—
The impact sent the dagger springing out of the ground and into the air.
"Sam!" Dean roared.
Sam struggled to lift his head. His eyes were bloodshot, but a dark red light flickered deep within his pupils as he forcibly unleashed his demonic power.
He extended his still-mobile right hand, fingers spread wide, and unleashed his telekinesis at full force.
He was not controlling the dagger, but the air.
Centered on the dagger, the air within a three-meter radius was instantly compressed to a density like solid matter. The dagger hung suspended in midair, like an insect trapped in amber, though it still trembled faintly.
Castiel froze for a moment.
It had not expected an