In a small underground cave, dulanka, having returned from his black-mud form back to human shape, temporarily stabilized his signs of losing control.
"As expected of a high-sequence of the Tyrant pathway, truly strong. I simply cannot defeat him in a frontal battle… unless I'm given enough time to manipulate his anger."
"Hehe, but that's completely impossible. I might get killed directly before I even finish the manipulation."
Looking at his demon body, now tattered from the baptism of lightning and storm, dulanka was filled with fury yet couldn't help but sigh at the other's strength.
Since becoming a demigod, this was the first time he had suffered such severe injuries.
He nearly died here, and even lost his sealed artifact during the escape.
Thinking of today's encounter, dulanka's inner rage surged once more. It wasn't that he had never been hunted by demigods before—
But whether it was from the Church of Evernight or the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, none had ever been as mad as this demigod from the Church of Storms.
"Damn Church of Storms… damn Ternos… just wait, I'll make you all pay sooner or later…"
Inside the cave, just as dulanka was cursing Ternos and the Storm Church in his heart, his expression suddenly turned grim.
The demon wings behind him beat rapidly, wrapping around most of his body.
In the next moment, a thick bolt of lightning smashed through the soil above the cave and struck him directly.
Silver-white brilliance burst forth, arcs of electricity flashed wildly, illuminating the entire dark space.
After the lightning, a sudden tornado rose at the spot, sweeping up the paralyzed demon from the underground cave and carrying him back to the surface.
Wings spread wide, dulanka looked up and immediately saw that figure in midair, shrouded in wind and lightning.
It was the Church of Storms demigod Ternos—his relentless pursuer!
He actually managed to find him, despite not being skilled in divination—completely inconceivable.
No time for shock.
dulanka's demon wings flapped hard, attempting to flee again.
In his current state, he had absolutely no chance of winning against this disaster-class high priest.
"Trying to escape? Stay where you are!"
Seeing that the target was about to run again, Ternos did not hesitate.
A deep blue light flashed in his eyes as a black tide appeared around dulanka, surging inward.
Even before touching the black water, dulanka felt like he had fallen into the sea—
his movements slowed, body heavy, as if the next second, he would be swallowed by the black tide and sink forever.
"Can't touch this strange black water—no choice!"
With a thought, dulanka's demon wings trembled, shooting upward in an attempt to break through the range of the black tide.
Just as he rose into the air, a red glow flashed in his eyes.
The two broken demon horns on his head reignited in flame, beginning to manipulate the opponent's emotions.
At the same time, he stretched out his right hand and pulled from the void a giant longsword forged of magma, slashing it toward Ternos.
"Hmph."
Seeing the incoming magma greatsword, Ternos didn't dodge.
He let out a cold snort, and the silver-white glow in his eyes intensified.
With a deafening crack of thunder, a giant electric net woven from pure lightning formed in the void—
ensnaring the devil dulanka.
With a sharp crackling sound, dulanka screamed and fell from midair, the magma greatsword dropping with him, then vanishing.
Looking at the devil struggling on the ground, Ternos, still hovering in the air, threw a lightning spear—
impaling him and pinning him to the ground.
"Speak. Why have so many Rose School of Thought members attacked the Loen colonies lately? What exactly are you plotting?"
Landing beside dulanka, Ternos immediately began interrogating him.
"I don't know. Just kill me."
"Want to die? Not that easy!"
Seeing dulanka remain silent, only writhing in pain, Ternos grinned—
then summoned four more lightning spears, driving them into each of the demon's limbs.
Watching the howling, agonized demon struggling, Ternos's smile gradually turned cold.
Since he couldn't get answers, he'd send him into the abyss of death through lightning's torment.
He didn't have the leisure to play interrogation games.
For cultists like this, no answer meant death!
Suddenly, his gaze froze.
He looked under a distant tree—
There, at some unknown point in time, had appeared a figure clad in splendid golden armor,
wearing a bizarre mask, with long blue hair.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
As a demigod, he hadn't noticed when the figure arrived.
If that man had struck during the earlier battle, he—the one now lying on the ground—would be Ternos himself.
"Who am I? I am the Golden Saint of the Mirror God—Gemini Saga."
"Golden Saint? Mirror God?"
Ternos was baffled.
He understood each word but couldn't make sense of the sentence.
In all his knowledge, there was nothing about any "Mirror God" or "Golden Saint."
He suspected the man was lying.
"If he's telling the truth, then this means another secret existence unknown to the churches has appeared…"
Thinking it over, Ternos cautiously said:
"I am Ternos, Cardinal of the Church of Storms, currently handling a supernatural case. I ask Sir Saga not to interfere."
Faced with this strange figure, he had to tread carefully.
"This is your business. I won't interfere."
Hearing Ternos's request, "Saga" smiled and began walking toward him.
"Sir Saga, although I do not know which being this Mirror God of yours is,
given the situation, it would be best for both sides to remain rational."
Seeing the self-proclaimed "Golden Saint" approaching, Ternos's expression darkened, silver lightning rising in his eyes.
A sharp wind suddenly swept the surroundings.
Seeing the lightning spear appear in Ternos's hand, "Saga" stopped,
his blue hair fluttering loosely in the wind.
"Rationality? How can I be rational?"
"Saga" let out a soft laugh.
He raised his right hand, made a slight twisting motion—
"Not good!"
Seeing the action, Ternos suddenly felt something was very wrong.
In an instant, he realized—
His control over lightning was gone.
His mastery of wind—gone.
His ability to breathe underwater—gone…
Saga, the incarnation of Ael, had completed a theft—
stealing most of Ternos's supernatural abilities in a flash.
This was angel-level theft—
A power he recorded from the Sefirah Castle after Klein's departure,
by leveraging his own level to access the Castle's power and enrich his own skill library.