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“Levy died again?” Levy sat up and scratched her head, her hair dripping blood onto the floor. The usually pristine room was a mess with blood and bits of internal organs and bones scattered about the walls and floor. The demon’s brow furrowed as her head swiveled from side to side. “Why aren’t you saying anything? How’d Levy die?”
Raphael frowned at the confused demon by the foot of his bed. While she was in the middle of twirling around the room, controlling the avatar, her head had exploded. A beam of white that was brighter than the two suns had lit up the room as it traveled overhead. “You don’t remember?”
“Levy was talking, then nothing,” Levy said and pouted. Her head tilted to the side. “Were those two that strong? I’m going again!”
“Stop,” Asura said and grabbed Levy’s shoulder before she could call upon the lightning clouds. “Raphael said he’d only revive you one more time.”
“Last time wasn’t fair!” Levy said, shaking her head so her hair flew parallel to the floor. “It didn’t count. I wasn’t ready.”
“Don’t you feel bad for Raphael, making him spend so much mana to revive you?” Asura asked and flicked Levy’s forehead. Levy pouted as Raphael finished bringing Camael back to life.
“Asura feels pity?” Levy asked, her eyes widening. “Are you really Asura?” She reached up and pinched one of Asura’s heads’ cheeks. “Eh? You really are?”
“It’s because your brains splattered on her bed.”
Levy and Asura focused their attention on the corner. “So you woke up, Uriel,” Asura said and nodded two of her heads. “Was that the Creator’s contract bringing you back?”
“Yes,” Uriel said and sighed. Her face was pale with dark bags underneath her eyes. Her hair had grown down to her waist, and it seemed like she had aged by a few years. “He wouldn’t let us die just like that I suppose.” Uriel winced as she climbed out of bed, her body naked. She reached underneath her bed and pulled out a chest filled with clothes, rifling through it before choosing a simple dress. As she fixed her hair, she asked, “By the way you were talking earlier, it sounds like that wasn’t the first time Levy died. Was it always the white beam that killed her? I think that’s what killed Creed and me earlier as well.”
“No!” Levy said and placed her hands on her hips. “There’s these two people who Levy’s trying to catch.”
“And they killed your lightning avatar?” Creed asked. He was lying in his bed, eyes still closed. Clothes flew from underneath his bed into his blanket.
“They’re strong,” Levy said and bobbed her head up and down. “One’s pride and greed. Another’s wrath and envy.”
Creed’s eyes flashed open as he sat up straight. “And they’re strong enough to kill you?”
“And me,” Camael said as he cracked and rubbed his neck which was stiff from being removed. Receiving the same damage from his lightning avatar annoyed him, but it was a fair price to pay. “Well, one of them at least. The demon’s only an ordinary archdemon of pride. The angel’s like us—not very angelic.”
Uriel snorted. “Which part of me isn’t angelic?” she asked and crossed her arms over her chest, sitting back down on her bed.
“The horns,” Levy said and pointed above her head. “And those breasts are unnatural.”
Uriel glowered at Levy before turning her head away, unwilling to argue with the childlike demon. Creed scratched his chin. “If the demon lives for a few more centuries, I’m sure it’ll evolve to our status. But still, an archdemon of pride isn’t anything you should be calling ordinary.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Camael said. “Let’s focus on how to bring him over to our side.”
“I can tell you forcefully capturing him isn’t the way. Making him submit isn’t the way either,” Creed said and shrugged. “Do you know why there are so few pride archdemons? It’s because they never run away from a fight until the other side submits, dies, or kills them. An archdemon of pride must’ve gone through thousands of fights in Eljiam without losing once—even against those stronger than themselves.” He made eye contact with Levy and Asura. “Right?”
“Prideful demons were always the worst kind of demon to deal with. Just looking at them the wrong way could bring about a fight to the death,” Asura said.
“How do you look at someone the wrong way?” Uriel asked.
“Making eye contact,” Asura said.
Levy shrugged. “I just squished them and they went splat like everyone else,” she said with a bright smile.
Raphael cleared his throat, causing the rest of the people in the room to turn their attentions on him. “Isn’t it good that the demon’s pride then? Naturally, it’ll come to us when it finds out Levy’s still alive,” he said. “Then we’ll need that gluttony being that appeared earlier.” His head swiveled around, making sure to face each person even though he didn’t have eyes. “And after that, we’ll finally be free.”
“Levy doesn’t want to wait! We should bring them here right now!” Levy said and puffed her cheeks out.
“Think back to when you first came here,” Raphael said. “Wasn’t it the Creator that formed contracts with you and brought you here? We don’t have to do anything. The Creator will make sure they arrive.”
Camael rubbed his chin with the tip of his scorpion tail, spreading green fluids on his skin. “That makes sense,” he said. “But are you sure they’ll accept the Creator’s proposal? It’s a pride demon we’re talking about. According to sleepyhead over there, pride demons sound like they won’t submit that easily.”
“Didn’t all of us come here voluntarily?” Raphael asked. He lowered his head. “Though knowing what I know now, I probably wouldn’t make the same decision. I believe the Creator will find a way. He’s the one who wants to gather us the most after all.”
“But like I said,” Camael said. “He’s only an ordinary archdemon. The Creator didn’t come looking for us until after Levy evolved past archdemon. What if he dies before that happens? I really don’t want to wait for a prideful person to naturally appear. We should capture him and help him evolve.”
“Then … shall I go?” Asura asked and raised an eyebrow. “He shouldn’t be able to resist my persuasion.”
“You’ll need Sariel’s permission to leave the room,” Creed said. The door to the room swung open with a bang, and Sariel stepped inside. Creed laughed. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”
Sariel gulped as if she were a lamb thrown in front of six lions. “Y-yes?”