Chapter 205: Devil Daughters -3

"Did it really break?" I murmur aloud.

Before the smoke clears, my sensitive ears catch a faint yet resonant voice.

"Azarath…"

I instantly jolt to my feet.

"…Metrion…"

"No fucking way!" I exclaim, my heart pounding.

As the smoke dissipates, a figure emerges from the center of the smouldering ruins. Standing atop the shattered fragments of the black ball is a frail-looking girl.

She is cloaked in a navy-blue hood, the shadows obscuring half her face. But the glow of her radiant purple eyes cuts through, brimming with raw magic. Her outfit—a long-sleeved dark navy-blue leotard—hugs her form, with a deep cleavage on display just beneath a crimson brooch fastening her cloak.

Her hands are raised, and through my Mana Sight, I see an immense surge of purple-black energy coalescing around her.

"…Zan…th…"

Before she can finish the incantation, her glowing eyes dim, her arms falter, and she collapses forward.

"Finally exhausted yourself, you running cunt. Where are you going to run no—" Satana begins, her grin widening at the sight of the girl falling in exhaustion.

But her words cut off mid-sentence as the ground beneath the girl shifts, warping into a swirling void. The girl vanishes into it, disappearing from view.

It was my doing. Acting on instinct, I had thrust my hand forward and used my power—Elemental Portal Creation. The ground beneath her had become a void, and another portal had opened up just in front of my uneven black terrain.

The girl emerges from the second portal, her downward momentum carrying through, and I quickly catch her. Her body feels unnervingly cold against my skin, a stark contrast to the fiery inferno of this hellish place.

"Don't worry, I have got you… Raven," I mutter under my breath, myvoice soft and steady. Without wasting another second, I cancel the portal and cloak both of us in Invisibility.

But the air around me feels heavy, suffocating. The sounds in the valley have ceased entirely, and I can feel them—dozens of burning glares from demons both in the sky and on the ground, piercing through our shroud. My invisibility doesn't seem to be working on them at all.

"Hahahaha, what a bold mortal soul," Mephista's voice booms with amusement from above, her laughter echoing in the eerie stillness.

"Hey, you! That's my prey—" Satana snaps, but I don't bother responding.

Instead, I conjure another portal in the air before me. There is no point in arguing with her—or fighting an army of demons and two powerful demonesses in their home turf, where they can regenerate endlessly. It would be a losing battle. Retreat is the only logical choice.

A part of me itches to fire off a snide remark, or perhaps even promise Grayfia that I will return for her. But the worry and confusion for the girl cradled in my arms overrides everything else. Without a moment's hesitation, I leap into the portal, sealing it shut behind me.

I find myself back in the valley between the two mountains where I had first arrived.

"Teacher, if you can hear me, this pitiful student of yours needs rescuing. But don't bring my astral body back—I have someone with me who needs to be teleported as well. I am somewhere in Mephisto's Hell realm. Please hurry, teacher!" I mutter aloud, projecting my thoughts with as much intensity as I can muster, hoping the Ancient One might hear me through some mystical connection.

Using my Data Warping power, I conjure a soft blanket on the cracked, blackened ground and gently lay the unconscious girl on it.

"I can't believe it's really you… Raven," I murmur, still in disbelief.

The shock isn't unwarranted. As the girl lying before me isn't Raven, the shapeshifting mutant from Marvel. No, this is Raven from the DC Universe.

Raven—real name Rachel Roth—is a founding member of the Teen Titans and arguably one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe.

Her immense power stems from her lineage, being the daughter of a human mother and an absurdly powerful demonic entity known as Trigon.

"Is it take-your-half-human-daughter-to-work day in Hell?" I ask aloud, the absurdity of the situation hitting me. Satana, Mephista, and now Raven—all of them share the commonality of having a demonic father and a human mother. Grayfia might also fit the bill—she certainly looked human enough.

"How and why are you here, Raven?" I ask, my voice tinged with curiosity, as I continuously channel Pheonix Flames into her unconscious body.

Now that she is before me, I take a moment to study her features carefully. Her short purple hair, partially hidden under her navy-blue cloak, is visible now, framing her beautiful face. Despite the exhaustion evident in her expression and the grayish-white colour of her skin, she is still undeniably stunning, exuding an otherworldly beauty.

My gaze briefly lingers on the small red gemstone embedded in the center of her forehead, but I know better than to touch it.

My eyes drift down to her lovely reddish-black lips and, further, to her provocative leotard. She is a slender girl, but the navy-blue leotard still showcases a deep cleavage as half of her ample grayish-white breasts are popping out. Even in her weakened state, her chest rises and falls slightly, assuring me that she is still breathing.

I stop myself from ogling her shapely thighs, also fully on display thanks to her leotard. Her attire really leaves little to the imagination. "DC heroines always had the best superhero suits," I mutter, giving a fully satisfied 5 stars to whoever designed it.

There were no visible marks or scars on Raven's body, and her outfit appeared surprisingly clean too, but her exhaustion was undeniable. It was etched into her face, and even her body felt like a chaotic mess of mana when viewed through my Mana Sight.

As I continuously feed her body the soothing blue Phoenix Flames, my thoughts drift to the stone which led me to her: the pink shard—the shard of the M'kraan Crystal—it had surprisingly stopped vibrating and glowing. If I had to pinpoint the moment, it seemed to coincide with when I caught Raven from the portal.

"There must be some connection between them," I mutter under my breath, deep in thought.

Suddenly, Raven knits her brow, her expression twisting in pain as the black mana in the surroundings clashes violently with the darker mana within her. She looks tormented, and for a moment, I consider activating an Anti-Magic Region to block the surrounding oppressive magic from approaching. However, doing so could potentially disrupt Raven's own magic, making things worse.

Instead, I decide to intensify the Phoenix Flames, hoping their healing properties might soothe her inner turmoil. That is the only option I have as my Holy Powers will most probably harm her more, due to her demonic heritage.

Just as I briefly entertain the thought of trying mouth-to-mouth—who knows, it might work? I even convinced myself that it was purely for her sake!—her eyelashes tremble. Slowly, she opens her eyes, and my green gaze meets her mysterious violet ones.

"Raven, can you hear me?" I ask softly, a pang of phantom pain stirring in my chest. It was surreal and unsettling to see someone I had once admired as a powerful figure in DC media now so frail and vulnerable before me.

Her unfocused eyes slowly begin to regain clarity, though she struggles to keep them open. With visible effort, her crimson lips part.

"T-Titans," she whispers weakly, the word barely audible as it escapes in English before her eyelids flutter closed once more, her brows knitting together in pain.

"What about the Titans? Are the other members here too? Raven? Raven!" I call out, gently shaking her shoulders, but she had already slipped back into unconsciousness.

Before I could process further, a haughty female voice rings out from the front.

"Found you, thieving bastard!"

I look up just in time to see a massive, menacing ball of flame hurtling towards me and Raven. Without hesitation, I extend a hand, conjuring a towering Psionic Shield in its path.

BOOOOM!!

The flame ball explodes with a deafening roar, sending a shockwave reverberating throughout the narrow valley. The black mountains on either side tremble as if groaning under the force.

"Well, well, looks like the mortal has some skills," comes a sultry, amused voice from behind. Turning my head, I see her: Mephista, the red-skinned beauty with large black wings lazily flapping as she hovers in the air, her orange eyes locked on me.

"Of course he does," the first voice chimes in as the smoke clears, revealing Satana, her fair skin almost glowing against the swirling flames that she had conjured in her hands. "Otherwise, how else could he have stolen the girl from right under my nose?"

"That doesn't sound like much of an accomplishment," Mephista replies with a smirk, her tone laced with mockery.

"You little—!" Satana's eyes flare with anger as her hands ignite with even darker fresh flames, her temper boiling over.

Mephista, seemingly delighted by the reaction, conjures her own flames, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

"Ladies, ladies… why are you both fighting? In fact, I am quite the pacifist myself. Why don't we talk this out and settle our differences?" I speak aloud with a charming smile, keeping my hands casually behind my back. At the same time, I form an invisible psionic forcefield around Raven, taking two deliberate steps forward towards the two demonesses.

I had anticipated this confrontation. Satana had already mentioned earlier that she had been chasing Raven for days, meaning she had some means to track her. As for Mephista, this was her father's realm; hiding from her was practically impossible. Sure, I could teleport away, but they could do the same. That would only lead to a futile chase, especially with Raven's safety in the balance—a risk I couldn't afford. Negotiation seemed like the smarter option, at least while their demonic minions weren't around.

"Haha! Now you want to talk, when you are cornered like a rat? Why didn't you try that before you stole her from me?" Satana sneers, her mocking tone sharp.

"I don't mind hearing what this handsome mortal soul has to say," Mephista adds, her glowing orange eyes scanning over my body from top to bottom.

"Well, the thief is handsome," Satana admits with a sly grin, descending gracefully to the ground. Her tone turns seductive as she begins to approach me, her hips swaying in an exaggerated, tantalizing rhythm. "Hey, handsome, how about a kiss from this lady?" she purrs.

I could tell she was attempting to ensnare me with her succubus enchantment magic, but my Psychic Immunity seemed to have easily shielded me from her influence.

"How about we strike a deal?" I suggest, keeping a smile on my face.

***

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