The Devourer's Fury

[Spatial Vortex]

Linfer felt his body being brutally sucked backward, momentarily losing control of his movements. Before he could react, Tzakiel and Morael appeared simultaneously at his sides, teleporting with deadly precision. Their lances shone in a flash, but they bounced off Linfer's sturdy wings, as if their attack were nothing more than a gentle breeze.

Uriel, taking advantage of the opening, pivoted quickly and aimed his lance at Linfer's torso. Linfer felt an intense heat beneath him. Lowering his gaze, he saw Luciel, her sword coated in golden flames, ready to slice him in two. He was surrounded on all sides.

A sadistic smile formed on his face. With a swift movement, he twisted his body to the left, dodging Tzakiel's new attack, which inadvertently gravely injured Morael. At the same time, he grabbed Uriel's wrist with his right hand and deflected his lance, forcing it to counter Luciel's flaming sword, which was rising to cut him.

*Boom*

A blinding explosion of light erupted, sending energy shards flying all around. Linfer, still being pulled by Raphaël's technique, used the momentum to turn around and grab Raphaël's face with a clawed hand. But just before he could reach him...

[Permutation]

With a cyan residual image, he disappeared, giving way to Celest, his massive sword already swung in a deadly arc. Linfer growled, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He swept the sword away with a backhand, slapping it like a mere toy, and then, without even glancing at Celest, he delivered a punch of unimaginable violence, propelling him backward in a geyser of blood. He used this blood to form a chain, attaching it to his neck, and, in a furious surge, he swung Celest like a living weapon before launching him with Herculean force against a group of angels.

*Crash!*

The bodies exploded under the impact, fragments of flesh and bone flying in all directions. But before Linfer could savor his victory, he felt the effect of permutation again.

He found himself in the midst of his enemies, a chain binding him firmly. Luciel appeared at an incredible speed, slicing the air with her sword, delivering a hundred blows in a second, but each blow was blocked by the organic blades that burst forth from Linfer's back, deflecting every attack.

Suddenly, Ezekiel appeared before him. But this only heightened Linfer's excitement. He broke the chains that held him with a simple gesture, grabbing Ezekiel's arm with a terrifying force. The sound of cracking bones echoed in the air.

"Ugh..." Ezekiel could only groan in pain.

Linfer spun his opponent like a mere puppet and used his body to block a new attack from Celest. With a cruel laugh, he tore off Ezekiel's arm and sent him flying with a kick to the chest, shattering his ribs under the impact. With a swift gesture, he avoided Morael's lance and, in a barbaric move, slapped the archangel with Ezekiel's severed arm. The sound of the impact resonated like a thunderclap.

"You're not taking me seriously, guys!" Linfer sneered, extending his clawed hand toward Morael's face, but before he could reach him, Uriel interposed himself and sliced off Linfer's hand.

Linfer smiled, unperturbed. "Too late."

A hand made of blood emerged from nowhere, materializing near Morael's neck. From his back, the red claws sank deeply into his flesh, tearing out his spinal cord.

"Morael!!" Luciel cried out, witnessing the death of her fellow soldier without being able to do anything.

In the same instant, Linfer drew his lance to him with his Intentio. When it reached his palm, it shimmered with a deadly red glow, and without hesitation, he launched it with phenomenal force.

Tzakiel, unable to react in time, was pierced through the chest. The ensuing explosion pulverized the upper part of his body, reducing it to a shapeless mass of flesh and broken bones, unable to regenerate.

"Damn, he's too powerful." Raphaël tried to grab him.

Transforming into mist, he took a step back, barely avoiding the explosion of golden flames.

The remaining angels watched the scene in horror. Their sacred formation was disintegrating under Linfer's brute strength. They tried to gather their forces for a new coordinated attack, but fear paralyzed them.

Linfer, with an air of disdain, slowly raised a finger toward the sky. "I had forgotten about you."

[Blade]

The sky seemed to collapse upon them. The blood that fell from the heavens began to pulse, each drop becoming a deadly weapon. In a split second, the rain transformed into an infernal storm, each drop becoming a liquid blade.

Before they could react, each drop of rain sliced their bodies into millions of bloody shreds.

Celest tried to protect them, sweeping the projectiles with his sword.

*He he he*

Linfer charged forward at blinding speed. He was so fast that he saw their attack in slow motion and was able to anticipate the movements of his opponents.

He reached the first group of angels, his fists clenched. Without slowing down, he delivered a straight punch to one of them. The sound of cracking bones resonated in the air as the angel was thrown backward, exploding a dozen others in its path. With a swift gesture, Linfer pivoted and struck another angel in the face, his fist tearing off the opponent's jaw with brutal violence.

His claws emerged from his fingers as he plunged into the enemy mass. He sliced mercilessly, each blow tearing through flesh and armor with disconcerting ease.

Linfer grabbed one of them by the throat and threw the body like a rag doll, colliding with three others that exploded under the impact. Without losing a second, Linfer delivered a circular kick. The impact shattered the ribs of ten other enemies, their cries of pain cut short by the bursting of their internal organs.

He never slowed down. His fists struck, his feet crushed, his claws tore. Linfer grabbed one of them by the neck, sinking his claws into his skull. He immediately followed up by projecting his blades through the throat of five other enemies who were trying to surround him. Their blood splattered his face. He leaped with his wings, his blades describing a circle around him, slicing three of them in mid-flight. The bodies fell in pieces into the bloody sea. He dodged an incoming sword aimed at his throat at the last moment.