The gale roared like an enraged beast, carrying sand and gravel as it furiously ravaged the land. Everyone was forced to lie prone on the ground—because even raising one's head slightly would cause the fierce airflow to pounce like a wild beast, instantly suffocating them.
For a moment, the world seemed enveloped in a thick, gray curtain. Visibility was nearly zero.
"Damn it! Everyone! Find something to hold onto! Don't get blown away by the wind!!!"
As the team leader, Hayakawa Aki was burning with anxiety and screamed at the top of her lungs. But amidst the howling gale, her voice was barely a whisper.
The Angel Devil also lay flat on the ground, struggling against the onslaught.
The wind was so loud she couldn't tell who had shouted. She only caught a few scattered words. Since Renji was closest, she assumed it was him. She reached out and grabbed his coattail, shouting.
"Ugh! What did you just say?! I couldn't hear you!"
Renji's constitution, bolstered by the barrier Noble Phantasm Avalon: The Everdistant Utopia, was slightly stronger than the others'. He turned his head and yelled back.
"It wasn't me! But never mind! Just stay down! Don't grab my clothes! Hold onto something else! Don't let the Typhoon Devil take you!"
[Ding~ Detected Angel Devil's 'troublesome' emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
"So troublesome!"
"Damn it! At a time like this, you're complaining about trouble?! If you get blown away because you can't be bothered, you'll really die!"
Renji shouted in exasperation. He wanted to say more—but Reze had already flown up to him, grabbed his armor, and lifted him, preparing to hurl him toward the Typhoon Devil.
"Reze! Wait, wait! Don't throw me! My magic is almost gone! If you toss me over there now, the Typhoon Devil will tear me apart!"
"It's fine even if you die. I'll revive you, Renji."
Golden light flared around Renji's body. He deactivated his transformation, his casual clothes reappearing. He pulled out the Teacher Devil "cup" from his person and threw it to the ground.
At almost the same moment, a blizzard of white paper sheets materialized from thin air like ghosts, mixing with the gale and fluttering wildly.
One sheet, light as a feather, drifted between Renji and Reze, blocking both their views.
Reze felt her consciousness blur. When she came to, she found herself sitting on a stool in a space of pure, flawless white.
Before her was a large desk with a test paper. A pen rested in her hand.
The Teacher Devil "cup" began expanding at visible speed. In the blink of an eye, she transformed back into her voluptuous form, clad in a tight teacher's uniform.
A close-fitting pencil skirt hugged her hips. Her long, soft legs were faintly visible through sheer black stockings. A delicate pair of black-rimmed glasses sat on her nose.
"Alright… she's trapped now… Huh? —UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!!"
Before the Teacher Devil could finish her sentence, the gale caught her completely off guard. The powerful wind instantly swept her into the air, hurtling her toward the distant Typhoon Devil.
Fortunately, she managed to grab a railing on a rooftop, stopping herself from being carried away.
"Renji! You scoundrel! You're even worse than the Hunger Devil who abandoned me! At least she treated me like a Devil! You treat me like a disposable tool!"
Golden light flared again. Renji reactivated his transformation. The Clothesline Pole materialized in his hand.
"I'm sorry! It's an emergency! I'll make it up to you later!!!"
Renji jammed the pole deep into the ground—but the gale still lifted him, his body trailing behind, head forward.
The white paper that had trapped Reze was plastered against a nearby wall. Renji couldn't clearly see what she was doing inside, but he hoped she wouldn't break out with sheer strength like Quanxi had.
"What a mess! Ugh!"
The Angel Devil's slender form was too fragile. She couldn't withstand the violent hurricane much longer. Her figure was mercilessly swept up like a falling leaf, hurtling toward the Typhoon Devil.
Renji, quick as lightning, grabbed the hem of her white Public Safety shirt.
Instantly, the shirt was stretched taut in Renji's grip, pulled like a string on the verge of snapping.
And what was worse—with Renji's forceful tug, an ominous tearing sound truly came from the fabric.
"The shirt's going to rip! Grab me—quickly!"
The Angel Devil's face was tight with anxiety, her beautiful eyes wide with terror. She flailed desperately, trying to reach Renji's clothing.
But in this raging gale, even turning her body slightly was incredibly difficult. At best, she could only barely reach Renji's hand—the one gripping her shirt—by extending her own arm.
"Don't look! If you really can't, just grab my hand!!!"
"No, absolutely not! If I do, you'll lose lifespan—I'll drain you!!!"
With a sharp rrrrip, the Angel Devil's shirt finally gave way, tearing open a huge gash.
From Renji's angle, he could clearly see her ribs protruding faintly beneath her excessively thin frame.
"Ah—! Ugh…!"
Renji gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead as he hauled the Angel Devil toward him with all his strength.
The Angel Devil looked at his face, twisted with effort, and for some unknown reason, she suddenly smiled brightly.
[Ding~ Detected Angel Devil's happy emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
[Ding~ Detected Angel Devil's excited emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
"Forget it! That's enough! Let go of me! Let go—otherwise you'll get dragged down too!"
"Damn it! I'm risking my neck to save you and you're smiling?! Are you serious?!"
"Because you're a man! A legendary man! And right now, you're risking your life to save me! I'm a woman! Of course I'm happy! And thinking about how jealous other Devils will be makes me even happier!!!"
"Your personality is terrible!!!"
"I may look human, but my heart isn't! I'm a Devil! In your human eyes, of course I'm awful!"
Renji was so angry he could barely breathe, nearly spitting blood on the spot.
"Can you just stop talking?! Grab my hand first!!!"
"Let me die! Today is my dying day! Even if I survive this, I'll just work until I drop anyway!"
Patreon Rene_chan for 20 advanced chapters