Devourer: Rise Beyond Celestial

Suddenly, an intense heat enveloped him from behind. A massive fireball, enhanced by wind magic, was hurtling towards him. Linfer, without missing a beat, flashed a mocking smile.

"Be more creative, I'm only at one percent, guys."

With a swift gesture, he grasped the air to his left. At the same moment, hundreds of angels exploded in a burst of blood, pulverized by an invisible force. Linfer manipulated the flow of blood with terrifying ease, raising it into an impenetrable barrier that absorbed the fiery attack without effort.

"Form a circle!" one of the angels shouted, trying to rally the troops in the chaos.

The angels regrouped, forming a tight circle around Linfer, their shields closing in on him, advancing slowly, determined to capture him.

Linfer looked at them, a scornful smile on his lips. "War formations are only effective... against the weak."

[Mist]

Linfer's body suddenly dissipated into a dense, cold mist, sweeping across the battlefield. Wherever the mist passed, the blood of the angels slowly drained from their bodies, leaving them screaming in pain and terror. Within a matter of seconds, the celestial soldiers collapsed like flies, their blood completely drained.

The mist condensed again, reforming Linfer's silhouette, a cruel smile stretching his lips.

His sharp claws tore through flesh and armor with disconcerting ease, turning the soldiers into bloody shreds. The battle had lasted less than ten minutes, but over a million of the army had perished.

Linfer rushed towards the ranks of the celestial army at a blinding speed, his red eyes sparkling with a calm, predatory gleam. The angels saw only a shadow as he plunged into their formation, dodging their lances and striking with devastatingly powerful punches and kicks. An angel attempted to attack him, but Linfer, in a fluid motion, delivered a blow so powerful that it tore the angel apart from top to bottom, sending shards of flesh and bone flying into the air.

In a single fluid movement, his claws slit the throat of one enemy while eviscerating another, their entrails spilling into the air. A dozen adversaries, seized with horror, tried to surround him. But before they could react, his organic blades pierced them through and through, turning them into bloody sieves.

*Whistle*

Time seemed to stop. Linfer twisted his body in an abnormal manner, like a serpent, narrowly avoiding Uriel's lance as it hurtled towards him. Their gazes locked for a moment, and a carnivorous smile stretched across Linfer's face. "Missed!" he cried, sticking out his tongue, savoring the archangel's failure. But at that precise moment, behind him, Raphaël grasped the air.

[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 without effect, as if their attack was nothing more than a gentle breeze.

Uriel, seizing the opportunity, 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 curved his lips. With a rapid movement, he twisted his body to the left, dodging Tzakiel's attack, which inadvertently gravely injured Morael. At the same moment, he grabbed Uriel's wrist with his right hand and deflected his lance, forcing it to clash with Luciel's flaming sword, which was rising to cut him.

*Boom*

A blinding explosion of light erupted, sending energy shards flying in all directions. Linfer, still being pulled by Raphaël's technique, used the momentum to turn around and grasp 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 swatted the sword away with a backhand, treating it like a mere toy, and then, without even glancing at Celest, he delivered a punch of unimaginable force, propelling him backward in a geyser of blood. He used the blood to form a chain, attaching it to his neck, and, in a furious motion, he swung Celest like a living weapon before hurling him with Herculean strength against a group of angels.

*Crash!*

The bodies exploded on impact, sending pieces of flesh and bone flying in all directions. But before Linfer could savor his victory, he felt the effect of permutation once more.

He found himself surrounded by his enemies, a chain binding him tightly. 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 erupted from Linfer's back, deflecting every attack.

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

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

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

"You're not taking me seriously, guys!" Linfer sneered, extending his clawed hand towards Morael's face, but before he could reach him, Uriel stepped in 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 deep into his flesh, tearing out his spinal cord.

"Morael!!" Luciel cried out, witnessing the death of her comrade-in-arms, powerless to stop it.

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