//Here's your 300 P.S Bonus Chapter!
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Suzaku struggled to her feet. Although she had managed to block what was nearly a fatal blow, her body had still suffered internal injuries.
If she hadn't been consistently training her physical strength, she might not have been able to stand up again.
Though she fully understood the vast gap between her and Satanael, her role as the successor of the Himejima Clan meant she couldn't just let him leave unchallenged.
The moment she got up, several flaming birds in the shape of Suzaku shot forward once more, but Satanael simply conjured a blade of holy light and slashed through them with a few effortless swings, scattering the flames.
"As expected of the Himejima princess, your courage is admirable. But that's the only compliment I can offer you."
Satanael's voice was filled with undisguised amusement and mockery.
He didn't know where the remains of the Three Great Yokai had gone, but catching a lone Sacred Beast vessel wasn't a bad outcome.
If he could extract the Vermilion Bird from her body and place it into an artificial Sacred Gear… could it become a weapon to rival a Longinus?
With that thought, the corner of Satanael's lips curled into a deeper smirk.
But at that moment, a tremendous pressure suddenly descended on him.
It felt like a mountain had crashed down onto his back, his feet sank several inches into the floor.
Looking closer, a crimson Five Elements magic circle had appeared beneath him. Suzaku bit down hard and began chanting a complex incantation.
"By the power of the Ninth Purple Fire Star, become the flame of Mars!"
An overwhelming blaze surged from her body.
And almost instantly, the energy behind her formed into the majestic figure of the Vermilion Bird.
This time, it was far more enormous than the version she'd previously conjured in her palm, its resonant screech seemed to pierce the air itself.
For the first time, Satanael felt a flicker of unease. The gravity binding him wasn't too threatening, but that magic circle below definitely was.
And the next second, a pillar of fire erupted from the massive array covering most of the chamber.
Scorching heat roasted the surroundings. With nowhere to escape, Satanael was struck head-on. The impact triggered an immense explosion, the sound shattering the silence like thunder.
The blaze tore through the ceiling of the underground shrine and blasted a hole through the traditional tiled roof of the main hall above.
"Was that the sanctum?!"
"What's going on?!"
"That's Lady Suzaku's spirit flame!"
"Damn it, there's an enemy inside the main sanctum?!"
The explosion at the heart of the Inner Sanctuary left the exorcists shaken, while the yokai and Oz witches only fought harder, emboldened.
The tide had turned in their favor. If their leaders could just finish off the Four Sacred Beasts and the Four Fiends, the Five Great Clans would fall tonight.
Screams and explosions erupted in every direction as panic spread across the battlefield.
Fortunately, the Four Fiends' Sacred Gear wielders, accepted by the Great Clans, managed to hold the line, though no one could predict the final outcome.
…
Meanwhile, deep in the underground shrine, Satanael, who had just been played like a fiddle by Suzaku, stood scorched and blackened. His dark coat was charred, his battle suit melted in several places, and smoke curled from his pale skin. Even his once-Sephiroth-like hair now resembled a cartoonish black puffball.
Rod watched from the shadows, holding back laughter.
To think Suzaku's full-powered strike hadn't even managed to finish off Satanael, weren't fallen angel cadres a bit too ridiculous?
Back when he'd watched the original anime, fallen angels were basically mid-tier goons, talked big but got clapped by anyone important.
And now? Facing one in real life?
They were terrifying.
Rod thought to himself: even if all four Sacred Beast vessels joined forces, they might only manage a 40/60 split against this guy.
And this line of thinking reminded him of Himejima Akeno's background.
Her father was also a fallen angel cadre, Baraqiel, known as the "Thunderlight," said to surpass even Azazel in destructive power.
And yet, when Baraqiel left, the Himejima Clan still forced his wife to commit suicide and tried to hunt down his daughter.
Did they seriously think Baraqiel wouldn't come back for revenge?
Apparently… they were right.
…
Though Satanael hadn't died, he was clearly wounded.
But for a fallen angel cadre, this level of injury meant nothing.
What enraged him wasn't the pain, it was the humiliation of being played by a mere girl.
A dangerous expression twisted across Satanael's face.
He stared at the exhausted Suzaku, now alone and vulnerable, and gave a slow, cruel smile.
With a sharp metallic ring, Satanael summoned a sword, drawn from the void and sheathed in a cursed scabbard.
Its blade was pitch black. Where it should've gleamed silver, crimson runes pulsed violently, radiating an aura of madness and malice that chilled the air.
The moment Suzaku laid eyes on the blade, a murderous intent locked onto her like a vice.
She hastily formed a hand seal, but her spiritual energy was almost completely drained. She couldn't fight anymore.
Though she was the heir to the Himejima Clan, her mastery over the Vermilion Bird wasn't perfect. Her succession rested more on her being the clan's only shrine maiden capable of summoning the fire god Kagutsuchi.
But summoning a god required an elaborate ritual, the Dance of Flame.
And the yokai's attack had come too suddenly. She hadn't had time to prepare.
"To die by my hand… consider it an honor, human," Satanael sneered.
The eight black wings on his back spread wide, like the closing curtain of a tragedy, casting a shadow of despair over Suzaku.
And just then, a cold mechanical voice echoed through the shrine.
"Clock Up."
The sound was flat, emotionless, and unnatural.
Satanael instinctively turned, only to find nothing behind him.
But before he could react, his instincts screamed.
Death was coming.
His sword, originally aimed at Suzaku, jerked sideways, snapping up to guard his neck.
CLANG!
Sparks flew, scattering orange light through the darkness.
The force behind the strike made his arm go numb.
What the hell was that?! Satanael's mind reeled. Who had attacked him?!
But before he could think further, the same chilling sense of death slammed into him again, this time, straight toward his heart.
He swung his blade again, just in time.
Another flash of sparks.
Still no attacker in sight.
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