Any movement from her would not only get her killed but put Yuki's family in danger. The mana radiating from them stung her skin like needles. At first it felt like one overwhelming pressure but as she focused, she could separate them. Three distinct sources. And none of them were weak.
Sweat began to form on her cheek.
Damn it. What do I do? What do I do?!
A male voice came from the other side of the fence, his tone almost mocking.
"Would you look at this? The Ruler of All, face down in the snow like a mutt. I should nail you to the ground so you never get back up."
Another male voice followed, dragging each word out like speaking itself was exhausting.
"Envy, don't kill her. Lucifer wants her alive." He sighed. "And can we hurry this up? I was in the middle of a nap."
Envy scoffed.
"Lucifer this, Lucifer that. Every single one of you puts him on a throne he never asked for. He told us himself we are equals. No Sin above another. And yet here you are, using his name like it carries more weight than mine. Next time you use Lucifer's name to order me around, you'll wish you hadn't opened your mouth. You lazy freak."
Shit! They're here but who is this third demon? Could it be Azazel?!
Conquest's fingers dug into the snow as she clenched her jaw. This was the worst possible outcome. She was nowhere near full strength and her mana regen had slowed significantly since waking up from her coma.
Not only that but something inside her was blocking her mana from fully recovering. Whatever it was, understanding the cause wouldn't help her defeat two Demons of Sin at this moment.
She pulled her face from the snow and a man stood on the other side of the fence, grinning down at her. He stood at least ten feet tall, his lanky frame hunched forward.
His skin was greenish and his eyes were yellowish with dark horizontal slits, like a goat's. He wore a black sweater underneath an unbuttoned white lab coat that hung all the way down to his ankles, its sleeves long enough to hide both his hands.
The other two stood on either side of him, much shorter. The one on his left wore a white cloak with the hood pulled over his face, leaning against the fence like he could fall asleep.
To his right, a figure stood tall in a black cloak that concealed their identity just the same.
From what she could gather, the one leaning on the fence was most likely the Demon Sin of Sloth. However, the other in the black cloak she wasn't exactly sure.
"Now, who told you to raise your head?"
Something shot out from Envy's sleeve. She barely caught a glimpse of it before it pierced into her back. The impact drove her flat into the ground, snow erupting around her as the force shook the earth beneath her.
The taste of blood filled her mouth.
"W-wha— ."
A sharp sting burned into Conquest's back. Something had latched onto her, pulling at her insides. She could feel her blood leaving her body, draining through whatever had pierced her skin.
Her eyes traced the source. A brown tentacle extending from Envy's right sleeve.
A laugh erupted from Envy as he ripped his tentacle arm from her back. Conquest's intestines came with it, spilling onto the snow.
A scream tore from her throat. Her fingers clawed into the frozen ground as her body convulsed, every muscle fighting against the shock.
Conquest's vision blurred.
"Yo— You will…"
Envy's face dropped down to her level. A red dot sat in the center of his forehead and a thin ponytail hung all the way to his ankles, swaying behind him.
He cupped a hand behind his ear, grinning.
"Huh? What was that? I couldn't hear you over all that screaming. Speak up."
Envy raised his right arm over her body. Pressure built from within his concealed hand.
"Umm, nothing to say? Then just die."
Conquest caught both cloaked figures grabbing Envy's arm.
What? Were they trying to stop him?
Before she could process it Envy's ability still went off.
Her wound had barely started closing but she forced her body to roll to the side to dodge.
An invisible force slammed into the spot she rolled from, crushing it into a small crater.
What! he just used my ability?! How is this possible?
"Did you two just grab me?"
Envy raised his concealed hand toward the black cloaked figure and swept it to the left.
Their body launched off the ground and crashed through the side of a parked SUV. The vehicle caved in, erupting into flames.
Then, Envy turned back to the white cloaked figure.
"Would you like the same treatment, Sloth? Say the word and I'll make it happen right here, right now."
Sloth adjusted his white hood, keeping his face hidden. But his hand slid out from his cloak, cold air rising from it like steam. The skin underneath was pale enough to blend with the snow around them.
"Just let Mazikeen do her thing already. I have zero interest in fighting you."
Envy cracked his neck and sighed.
"Consider yourself lucky I don't have much time left using this ability."
Envy turned toward the burning SUV where Mazikeen was climbing out of the wreckage.
"Go on then. You heard him. Let's see if you truly deserve to be forgiven for betraying your mother."
The black cloak had burned away. What remained underneath was a black suit and red tie. Her skin was dark, her black hair long enough to cover one eye. Rectangular glasses sat on the bridge of her nose.
Conquest's eyes widened. She knew who this was instantly. Sayuri Kanzaki. She had joined back with the demons. It shouldn't have been a surprise. Their alliance at the Sorcerer Mansion was never built on loyalty.
But seeing her standing on the other side still stung. She clenched her fists and pulled herself up from the snow.
"Hey! You three, I'm going to call the police if you don't leave my property right now!"
Conquest's heart dropped. She turned her head to find Yuki's father standing a good distance behind her, wearing multiple layers of clothing that made no sense for the temperature outside. His voice was shaking but he held his ground.
Through the kitchen window, Yuki's mother clutched Yukina to her chest.
Conquest's eyes went wide as she bit down on her lip.
No, no, no. They're going to kill them.