Beside Ian not too far away, Elise stood on the ground, channeling her power to her palm before sending blast to the ghouls. Although ghouls' movements were deadly, they were slow and knowing it, she used it as a chance to create distance, combusting some of the ghouls into ashes. 

After learning her own origin, Elise could feel part of her body and her senses became much sharper than before and she didn't know if her thought affect her senses. While trying to handle some of the ghouls alone, suddenly one of the ghouls had appeared behind her. Elise snapped her eyes behind, ready to launch her ability when she noticed that the ghoul had stopped on its feet again. 

She frowned, wondering if it was her angelic side from her mother was the reason for the ghouls to continuously stop before it could fully approach her. She was still unaware of the hidden assistance the two shadows that constantly making their appearance in time she didn't notice as the shadows tried every way to help her without being known. 

Not wanting to waste the chance, Elise turned the ghouls to shadow, continuing the action for a few time when she heard laughter from her left side that came from Colton. With narrowed eyes, Elise saw sharp black icicles sprout from the ground, going in a crisscross direction to pierce Ian, shock caught her by her feet and she felt relieved only when Ian escaped the icicles smoothly by flying with his wings.

Colton who looked at the wings at first cursed but then his eyes widened, "Feathers?" Due to the lack of light and his lack of attentiveness, it took Colton now to notice that Ian's wings were made up of black feathers. He frowned, "What are you? Those wings belongs to Angels, it is something not a Demon like you could posses."

"And neither a corrupted Angel like you would be blessed with," Ian answered, seeing his words pushed the thorn that were in the corrupted angel's heart. "Which mean I am above you, right?"

Colton's eyes snapped wide in anger upon the Demon claiming to be of a someone more higher than him, "In your dream!" In rage, Colton dashed forward, using his palm, he sent crystals to attack which Ian dodge easily as he was much faster than the corrupted Angel, but the moment a single horn appeared on the left side of his head, Ian's eyes narrowed, noticing that the corrupted angel's power took a sudden gain.

The crystal that passed by the left side of Ian's face which he dodges suddenly popped and grew more crystal like a branch of a tree, almost wounding him. Colton saw that he had gained an upper hand and smirked but his smile was momentary as suddenly Ian caught him by neck. He watched Colton trying to raise his palms next to his head to impale him to death with the crystal and his hold tightened. With a smile, he said, "See you in Hell."

Colton didn't know what he meant as the next moment Ian's wings spread wide behind him and with one heavy swing of his wings, he pushed Colton forward and like a bullet flew across the ground. Colton's back hit against the bark of the tree, and with the force Ian used, it broke into two and continuously break the rest of the trees that lined behind the first one. 

Sound of tumbling echoed throughout the forest floor. Ian only stopped when Colton had lost half of his consciousness. Standing on the air, Ian then stared at the corrupted Angel, "You had the wrong opponent there had never been a way for you to win," and upon seeing Colton coughing up blood, Ian took hold of the man's head and his shoulder before ripping him apart and threw him on the ground.

Elise, on the other hand, saw the tress falling and the sound of the fight stopped. When she thought they were done, and Ian had won, her heart felt relieved that didn't settle for long as Barner's scream in pain rings from her left side. She turned her body to see a man had appeared behind Barner, pulling him by his head and his hand hovered over Barner's neck.

Her eyes snapped at Barner who was writhing in pain as blood splurged from the slash that the man made across his neck. 

"No!" Elise whispered-scream, her eyes wide to see her last lead of her parents had been killed, and she raised her hand to send blast toward the new guest as she knew he wouldn't heed to her words or request, but before her energy left her body, her views tilted all of a sudden. 

The control Elise had on her body at once hit bottom, and she felt her head attacked by aching dizziness. Before she knew it, she had fallen on the ground with her head bent down. Her eyes that were pasted to look on the green grass of the ground, noticed the bright red liquid spots that dripped all over the ground which came from her body. Pulling her hand underneath her nose, she wiped it away to see blood.

"People have limits, Elise and you have reached yours for now. Did you think your power would run forever when it is your first time activating it fully?" asked the man as he threw Barner's body away, he swept his hands across the air to release the blood that stained his hand, "I remember seeing you the first time, with red hair just like blood. Your aunt had been such a stupid person, believing that you were cursed because you are a sweet child. That woman didn't know anything including that we both know she is also a corrupted Angel. She thought keeping it hidden would give her an upper hand when all this time she had been below us, moving according to the path we caved."

Elise felt her entire limbs go numb. She wondered if the man had been there the entire time or he had teleportated, or maybe he had used any kind of different means as she cannot see wings from him. All this time, Elise didn't notice that there were someone who had stood behind her due to his lack of presence which the man had done knowingly.She couldn't understand what happened and saw the man moved. Threateningly she pulled her hand before him, "You are Reinhard."

The man looked surprised for brief time before he smiled, "Yes, that is I. I was told not to kill you. I hope to see you again," and wordlessly he retired from his place when Ian caught him by his neck from above, grounding him across the floor.

"Running away?" Ian's smile last for a moment before it disappeared.

***

A/N: don't forget to vote, next chapter is a wrap for the ghost town~~