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The whole thing blindsided Jack completely.
This wasn't some high school shakedown or a honey trap gone wrong—hell no. This was a city of gods and demons.
If it had just been a few thugs, he could've handled it. He'd dealt with worse. But this? Some chick throwing around actual supernatural power? Yeah, he was seriously screwed.
How the hell was he supposed to know this world had things like that?
There was no time to wonder why she wanted him dead. Right now, survival was all that mattered.
He had to run. That was the only sane move.
If she'd chosen to attack him here, in the middle of nowhere, that meant she probably couldn't act openly in public. Which gave him a shot—barely.
He quickly replayed the route he'd taken to get here. He remembered every turn, every possible escape path. That had been his plan in case a fight broke out, and now it was paying off.
"Explosive charge!"
He shouted the words and yanked something from his pocket, hurling it straight at her.
Hearing his shout, the fallen angel flinched and instinctively dodged. The object hit the fountain rail with a sharp crack and shattered into glittering pieces.
A phone.
For a second, Yuma Amano —the so-called fallen angel—just stared. Then it clicked. She whipped her head around, but Jack was already gone.
"…Pathetic."
Her expression darkened. Wings spread wide, she launched herself into the air. The thunder spear in her hand shimmered with lightning as she dove, aiming straight for his heart.
The wind roared as she descended, the pressure almost crushing.
Jack's instincts screamed. He threw himself forward in a roll—just as the spear slammed into the ground behind him.
The impact cracked the pavement and sent debris flying. The shockwave lifted him clean off his feet and flung him several meters through the air.
The fallen angel sneered. To her, his movements were painfully slow. She flicked her wrist, calling the spear back into her hand, and with one powerful beat of her wings, she was suddenly right in front of him again.
Thud!
The spear drove straight through his body.
A numbing shock hit first—then a sharp, blinding pain that filled his head with static.
He'd been pierced clean through.
So this is it… I'm gonna die again.
But fear didn't take hold this time. He'd already died once before. Death didn't scare him anymore.
Hell, maybe he'd just wake up again somewhere else.
Still, dying like this—so pointlessly—felt way too humiliating.
Anger flared up inside him. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed her and pulled himself tight against her body.
"You filthy insect! Get off me!"
The fallen angel roared, slamming her elbow into his ribs—once, twice—hard enough to make him vomit blood.
But before she could shake him off, he yanked a small fruit knife from his pocket and jammed it straight into her eye.
Her scream tore through the night. Divine power surged from her body, blasting Jack away like a rag doll.
She clutched her face, expression twisted in fury, yanking the knife out. The wound began healing instantly, but rage boiled in her eyes.
She'd been hurt—by a human.
By him.
Unforgivable.
Her gaze flicked to the knife in her hand. It was just cheap steel, an ordinary blade from the mortal world. There was no way it should've been able to wound her.
Meanwhile, Jack lay on the ground coughing blood, barely propping himself up. His body was a mess of injuries, but his eyes burned with defiance.
Pain throbbed from the hole in his side, his life dripping away second by second. But he was calm.
Facing something that powerful, dying didn't seem so unfair. The fact he'd even managed to wound her was already a miracle.
He stared up at her, cold and steady.
Damn it, God. Not only did you not send me a beautiful angel girlfriend—you sent one to kill me.
Fine. I'll remember this. Next time I come back, you'd better be ready.
The fallen angel, Linali, froze for a heartbeat under that stare.
There was no fear in his eyes. None. And that only made her angrier.
She raised her hand, summoning the thunder spear again.
"Die, worm! Turn to ash! Curse the god who placed his relic inside you!"
"Relic?"
What the hell was she talking about?
So that's why she wanted him dead? Because of some divine artifact?
What a joke. He didn't have any damn relic.
…Or maybe he did. At this point, who cared?
If there was one—then come on out and help me kill this crazy bitch.
He glared up at the incoming light, strangely calm.
Then time seemed to slow.
Just as the spear's glow reached him, a flash of silver erupted from his chest—a smooth, gleaming shield materialized out of thin air, intercepting the blow with a thunderous crash!
When the smoke cleared, Jack was still alive.
His eyes widened. Floating in front of him was a silver shield, solid and radiant, and behind it—a matching longsword, its hilt adorned with a red gem.
A sword and shield.
Protecting him.
"A… a relic?!"
Linali staggered back, eyes wide in shock and disbelief.
Jack could hardly believe it either. He really had one?
Too bad he found out so late.
Without hesitation, he reached forward and gripped the sword's hilt.
Shing!
The blade sang as he drew it free, and power surged through his body like wildfire.
Blood still dripped from his wounds, his vision red with pain, but he tightened his grip and swung with everything he had left.
The sword flashed like a beam of light, splitting the air in two.
Linali's pupils shrank to pinpoints. The power behind that swing froze her in place; the pressure crushed down on her, pinning her to the ground.
She tried to move—too late.
The next instant, divine energy tore through her. Her dark feathers exploded into the air as blood traced glowing lines across her skin.
"No! Lord—help—"
Her cry was swallowed by the blade's light.
The park erupted. The ground split open in a jagged trench several meters deep, cracks spiderwebbing outward for dozens more.
Black feathers drifted down through the air like ashes.
"…Did I… kill her?"
Jack looked at the devastation, half in disbelief.
That one strike probably scattered even her ashes to the wind.
He sank to one knee, leaning on the sword for support.
"Not… a bad way to go."
He murmured faintly. His vision was fading fast.
Then—footsteps. Slow, deliberate.
Step… step… step…
Jack forced his head up, fighting the pull of unconsciousness.
Through the haze, he caught a glimpse of a figure. A flash of fiery red hair swaying in the night air…
Then everything went dark.
"..."
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