Chapter 126: Probing Questions

{Diana}

Diana’s sword sliced through a demon’s neck like it was made of warm butter.

Black blood splattered across the mountain path. The creature’s head bounced down the cliff while its body dissolved into smoke.

“That’s twelve,” she muttered, flicking gore off her blade. “Twelve random strays.”

[Nice try, assholes.]

She launched herself at them, wings spread wide enough to block out the sun. The first demon barely had time to open its mouth before her sword split it from crown to crotch. The second one actually tried to run.

[Cute.]

Diana’s thrown blade caught it right between the shoulder blades, pinning it to a tree trunk. It twitched for three seconds before dissolving.

“Pathetic.” She yanked her sword free. “At least make it interesting.”

The mountain path stayed quiet except for that hectic rain and the occasional salmon plummeting from the sky. One fish smacked into a rock near her feet, flopped twice, then vanished.

Diana blinked.

[The fuck is wrong with this place?]

“Having fun?”

Diana whipped around so fast her chest jiggled. Venus leaned against a boulder like she’d been there the whole time, completely dry somehow.

“Shouldn’t you be in the village?” Diana growled. “I was just dealing with some stragglers.”

“Oh, they’re fine.” Venus’s smile could’ve melted steel. “I left them with some… entertainment.”

That smile said everything about what kind of entertainment. Probably involved a lot of moaning and very little clothing.

“Thought I’d check on our brave guardian,” Venus continued, pushing off the rock.

“I don’t need checking on.”

“Of course not.” Venus sauntered closer, hips swaying like she was on a runway instead of a muddy mountain path. “You’re Diana the Unbreakable Bravery Sister. Terror of demons. Professional warrior. Never needs anyone.”

Diana immediately narrowed her eyes. Venus was clearly using her “I want to mess with you” tone. Diana didn’t like it.

“What do you want, Venus?”

“Can’t I just enjoy your company?”

“No.”

“So suspicious.” Venus circled her slowly, like a shark that had spotted blood. “Fine. I’m curious about something.”

Diana’s eyes narrowed. Venus curious was never good.

“Spit it out.”

“When did you start crushing on Grace?”

Diana’s sword slipped right out of her hand. She caught it before it could impale her foot, but barely.

“Excuse me?” Diana had one brow arched up so high it damn near hurt.

“You heard me.” Venus kept circling, each step deliberate. “When did our precious little turnip farmer steal that heavily guarded heart of yours?”

Diana cackled.

“Alright, I’m exaggerating,” Venus admitted, hands up defensively. “But, really, you eye-fuck each other every time you’re in the same room.”

“We don’t eye-fuck!”

“I’m fairly certain you do.”

Diana’s jaw clenched hard enough to crack teeth.

“Stop talking bullshit.”

“Bullshit. Uh-huh.” Venus stopped right in front of her, golden eyes sparkling with unholy amusement. “So you’re saying you didn’t fuck her against the armory wall last night?”

“Oh, come on, that was just—”

“Stress relief?”

“Exactly.”

“Riiight.” Venus tilted her head.

“You’re imagining things,” Diana said flatly.

“Am I?”

“Yes.” Diana wiped demon blood off her sword. “Can’t you go bother someone else?”

“But you’re so fun to tease.” Venus examined her nails. “Especially about those long stares during training.”

“I don’t stare.”

“Sure you don’t.”

“Venus.”

“Fine, fine.” Venus pushed off the rock. “Oh, there might be some demons east of here too. Don’t take too long playing with these ones.”

“Got it.”

Venus vanished in pink light, finally leaving Diana alone.

[Thank fuck.]

A demon tried to sneak up behind her.

Diana spun and decapitated it without looking.

“Not today,” she muttered.

Another demon tried to sneak up behind her.

Diana impaled this one, throwing it aside with a flick of her blade.

“Fuck off,” she told its dissolving corpse.

Another demon charged from the bushes. Diana’s sword went through its chest before it could even roar.

[Definitely gonna be a long day.]

—

{Grace}

Grace paced to the right. The demon in front of her stared her down, daring her to move first with its mindless… dumb face.

Calm. Patient. Grace inhaled slowly before dashing forward with a burst of speed.

“…!?” The demon didn’t say anything but its widened eyes made Grace think it would have said something like “W-WHAT!?”

Grace’s rapier carved through the demon’s flesh like it was made of wet paper.

Another burst of shadow and sulfur. Another set of red numbers fading from her vision. Another rush of pure adrenaline that made her whole body sing.

[Holy shit, is this what being strong feels like?]

She’d lost count after twenty. Maybe thirty? They kept coming, drawn by something—her energy, the Tempest’s chaos, sheer bad luck. Didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the next swing, the next dodge, the next kill.

Her sword sang through the air, each movement perfect. Every dodge came naturally, like her body knew what to do before her brain caught up. The Bravery attribute wasn’t just making her stronger—it was making her into something else entirely.

Grace ducked. A demon’s claw whistled past her ear, close enough to ruffle her hair.

[Whoa.]

She twisted left. Another claw slashed the space where her ribs had been a second ago. Her body moved before the thought even formed—duck, weave, strike.

Her blade flashed up, catching the demon under its jaw. Black blood sprayed as it stumbled back, clutching its throat.

[Did I just—?]

The demon lunged again, desperate now. Grace sidestepped. Not a panicked scramble like before. Just a simple shift of weight, like stepping around furniture.

Her sword found its heart.

The demon’s eyes went wide. Probably would’ve said something like “How the fuck—” if it could talk. Instead it just dissolved, leaving Grace standing there, not even breathing hard.

[Holy shit. I didn’t even have to think about that.]

A Level 67 demon dropped from above, all claws and teeth and bad breath. Grace sidestepped like it was moving in slow motion, grabbed one of its horns, and drove her blade up through its jaw into whatever demons used for brains.

It exploded into nothing, coating her in more black goo.

[Gross.]

The power rush was incredible. Intoxicating. No wonder Diana walked around like she owned the world.

[Am I the strongest angel now? Could I take Seraph in a fight?]

The thought made her laugh out loud. Then reality kicked in.

[Okay, slow down there, chief. Celestia exists. Azrael could probably sneeze and delete you from existence. And Diana… Diana could definitely still pin you down and—]

Three more demons charged from a cave, interrupting that dangerous train of thought.

Grace met them head-on, blade extending into a whip of pure light that caught all three at once.

They burst like balloons.

“Next!” She actually bounced on her toes, energy crackling through every nerve. “Come on! Is that all you’ve got?”

The mountain path wound down toward angrier clouds and weather that looked personally offended by the concept of physics. Grace followed eagerly, hunting for more prey.

Then she felt it.

Cold. Not normal cold. Not even magical cold. The kind of bone-deep, soul-freezing cold that reached into your chest and squeezed.

Primal Demon.

Grace froze mid-step. Every instinct screamed at her to pay attention. Her enhanced senses searched for the source, finally pinpointing it half a mile down, hidden in a cluster of dead trees that looked like skeleton fingers.

The presence felt massive. Ancient. Like the mountain itself had grown teeth and learned to hate.

And it was watching her.

But not moving.

[Okay, that’s… weird.]

Grace gripped her sword tighter, knuckles white. The smart move was obvious. Go back. Get Diana and Venus. Face it together like a responsible adult who didn’t have a death wish.

But god, part of her wanted to charge down there right now. Test her new strength against something that could actually fight back. See just how strong she’d really become.

[No. Bad Grace. No suicide via demon. This is literally the only thing in existence that can kill you. Don’t be stupid.]

The Primal’s presence shifted slightly, like it was adjusting its position. Still watching. Still waiting. Patient as death itself.

Thunder crashed hard enough to make her teeth rattle. Lightning turned the entire sky white for a heartbeat.

[In any case, this Primal is probably gonna be a problem. A big, nasty, problem. But, not a problem I need to deal with right now. Back up, Grace. Leave it alone.]

Grace backed away slowly, keeping her eyes on the cluster of trees. The Primal didn’t follow. Its presence stayed fixed on that spot, patient and immovable as a mountain.

She’d have to deal with it eventually. But not alone. And, also, not without knowing why it was here.

[Yep. You’re not stupid, Grace. You can be smart every once in a while.]

Grace turned and headed back up the mountain.

Behind her, she could still feel that cold sensation. Amplified by the feeling of being watched. It didn’t matter. Grace wasn’t about to get into that fight just yet.

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