Though fallen angels wielded light-based power, a flashlight's glare was still jarring.
As enhanced beings from the Biblical, they retained minor human weaknesses under normal conditions.
It felt like deliberate provocation.
"Who's this guy?" Mittelt snapped, shielding her nearly blinded eyes.
She glared at the figure waving the flashlight.
"Hey, brat! Keep shaking that light, and I'll end you!"
"Why're you yelling so loud?" Roy shot back.
Mittelt froze, stunned.
Her temper flared, but uncertainty about the intruder's identity and purpose held her back.
Otherwise, she'd have hurled a spear of light at him.
"So many people already here?" Roy said, lowering the flashlight and ceasing his scan of the church's interior.
The other three fallen angels turned to Kalawarner, the statuesque fallen angel.
"No, don't look at me!" Kalawarner protested, waving her hands.
"Even if I were desperate, I wouldn't call a guy here during our meeting, would I?"
Fallen angels were angels who succumbed to desire—often lust, the most primal urge.
Legend held that even Azazel, once an archangel, fell for such reasons.
Kalawarner's own fall stemmed from her promiscuous behavior.
"Really not you?" Raynare asked, eyeing Kalawarner skeptically, as if her denial was a flimsy cover.
Mittelt and Dohnaseek shared her doubt, their expressions turning wary.
"Fine, he's my type, but I'm not reckless enough to mix pleasure with business," Kalawarner said, exasperated.
Was her reputation that bad?
"You say that, but how can we trust you, Kalawarner?" Dohnaseek's demeanor lending weight to his words.
"Instead of grilling me, just ask him!" Kalawarner huffed, feeling unjustly accused.
Sure, in another time and place, she might've charmed the boy into a hotel for a "chat," but not now.
"Hey, kid, who are you? What're you doing in this abandoned church at night?" Dohnaseek asked, his voice stern.
After the Three Factions War, angels, Devils, and fallen angels relied on humans for survival, leading to an unspoken truce.
Killing ordinary humans was frowned upon, especially for low-ranking members like them.
With no status to shield them, a misstep in Devil territory—like Kuoh Town could backfire.
Keen to avoid trouble, Raynare and her group opted to shoo the human away rather than kill him.
"Who're you guys? Didn't Akizuki Kosan call you for the courage test?" Roy asked.
"Tonight's not a masquerade, is it? Why the weird outfits?"
"You're the weird one, kid. This outfit's perfect for my figure," Mittelt retorted, bristling with confidence in her gothic lolita dress.
"Don't you lot get hot in this weather? And you're a bit old to be calling me 'kid,' no?" Roy said, rolling his eyes.
"Hmph! Stupid human, you think I'm affected by mere weather?" Mittelt smirked, casting a disdainful glance at Roy.
She ignored the age jab—filtering such comments was second nature.
"Enough, Mittelt. No time for bickering," Dohnaseek said, cutting her off.
Mittelt, the chatty gothic lolita, could ramble endlessly once engaged.
"Kid, get lost. This isn't a playground for your courage games," Dohnaseek barked.
Roy glanced at the system interface:
Full Replication: 25,000 Dimensional Points
Fallen Angel Bloodline: 20,000 Dimensional Points
Light-Based Power: 10,000 Dimensional Points
Full Replication: 25,000 Dimensional Points
Fallen Angel Bloodline: 20,000 Dimensional Points
Light-Based Power: 10,000 Dimensional Points
Full Replication: 30,000 Dimensional Points
Fallen Angel Bloodline: 20,000 Dimensional Points
Light-Based Power: 10,000 Dimensional Points
Full Replication: 50,000 Dimensional Points
Fallen Angel Bloodline: 20,000 Dimensional Points
Light-Based Power: 10,000 Dimensional Points
Sacred Gear Extraction Technique: 30,000 Dimensional Points
'Raynare's got what I want,' Roy eyed the panel.
'System, replicate the Sacred Gear extraction technique.'
[Consuming 30,000 Dimensional Points. Sacred Gear extraction technique replicated successfully. Use now?]
A complex thing like that needed careful study back at the villa.
Feigning a reaction to Dohnaseek's threat, Roy pretended to text on his phone, muttering about being pranked.
With a few curses for show, he turned and headed down the mountain.
"Not that simple, though," Roy mused.
He doubted the fallen angels were so easily fooled.
Their restraint was expected.
As a seeming passerby, Roy faced little immediate danger unless he provoked them outright.
"Mittelt, Kalawarner, tail that kid. Make sure he's just a stray," Raynare ordered, watching Roy's fading flashlight.