Ethereal Ascendance: A Journey of Transformation

"So you can't come back with me," Adrian said matter-of-factly.

"Firstly, if we both go back, what would be the point of escaping in the first place?"

"Secondly..." He pointed at my wings behind my back.

"An angel like you already stands out in a demon-infested city. We can't sneak back in if you're flying, and it'll be too easy to expose us if you come along. There's no way we can blend into the city."

"But I can hide my wings, you know that..." I desperately tried to argue.

"Still too risky! Even if you hide them, like you said before, you were still recognized by that succubus! Plus, without any fighting ability you'll just become a... Anyway, your ability to fly is useless in the city now. It'll be safer if you go get help, that way we can make the most of your speed."

His words left no room for doubt. His reasoning was solid, leaving me no ground to stand on.

And I knew what that unsaid word meant. I was frustrated but couldn't come up with a good counterargument to bring me along.

"How about we check out that volcano first? It's not far. If it's really the teleportation spot we're looking for, we can split up afterwards. If not, we can find the right place first before deciding what to do next."

Left with no choice, that was the only suggestion I could give Adrian. If he was set on going back alone, we might as well thoroughly explore the area together first, since it'd be hard for him to leave the city again after entering.

To be honest, I hated being alone in this toilet bowl of powerful enemies.

"There may not be time for that..."

Adrian gave a helpless smile and rejected my plan.

"I understand what you mean, and I don't want to waste this chance either. But there are more important matters to attend to inside."

"More important matters?"

I didn't understand. What could be more pressing than investigating our escape route?

"I'm worried about the Captain and the rest..."

He didn't seem to want to tell me more, just casually mentioning it. But his words left me confused.

"Worried? What could happen?"

To be safe, the Captain and the others were staying hidden in our base the whole time during this operation. It was virtually foolproof.

"You're not tricking me again, are you?" I looked at Adrian suspiciously. It felt like he had tricked me a few times already. I wouldn't let it go until I got a clear answer this time.

"Fine, looks like you won't understand if I don't explain clearly."

Adrian sighed helplessly, turned to look in Val City's direction, and said gravely.

"You've only been here a short while, so you might not have noticed. But our squad has been trapped here for a week already. Our supplies and morale are both stretched to the breaking point."

"That bad? No way, right?"

I stared blankly at him. From my impressions, that seemed like a sensationalized statement.

"I understand the issue with supplies, that's why I went out to get demon beast meat to pad our stocks. But about low morale, Eleanora and the rest seemed quite positive!"

"That's because they've pinned all their hopes on you, the angel that appeared! It wasn't like that before you came."

Adrian glanced back at me and continued.

"So I dismissed it at first, didn't think the pressure on you was that great. But after this failed flying escape experiment, being chased by bone dragons in the sky but managing to escape in the end... What do you think the people below would be thinking?"

"Shouldn't their morale get a huge boost? They must've thought we were amazing!"

I asked uncertainly. After all, those were two Rank 6 bone dragons! We took them down and they crashed to the ground immobilized for now.

"How'd you get that idea... I told you, stop thinking about how others see and judge you all the time."

Adrian put a hand to his forehead, seemingly exasperated by my answer.

"My point is to look at the whole situation from the perspective of everyone escaping together..."

"Oh... Sorry."

Reminded by him, I realized I had thought incorrectly again. I quickly apologized.

"If looking at it from the escape perspective... And the only one among us who can fly has now left the city..."

It hit me the moment I thought it through, and my expression changed instantly as I grasped the gravity of the situation. Things were extremely bad on the city squad side now. All routes had been cut off, no paths left by land or air.

"As squad captain, the only plan Alfreed could push forward now is probably the conservative strategy I mentioned before - to hold our position and wait for the city exit to open."

Seeing I had finally got back on track, Adrian stepped in to provide his analysis.

"Actually with you the angel gone, who are the main target of the enemy, things might get much better for those left inside. But the rest might not realize that, they may lose faith to keep holding on, especially with no purification to process that demon beast meat..."

His tone revealed deep worries, seemingly hinting things could head in a very bad direction.

"Are you saying there may be disagreements... Or infighting?"

I frowned, lowering my head to think hard for a bit. It didn't seem too likely.

"That shouldn't happen right? There's not much left to disagree over. The only plan they can even push is the conservative one you mentioned. And Eleanora, Hayden and the rest don't seem like they would defy the Captain..."

"They're all old squad members who follow the Captain, usually won't be an issue. But Blanche is hard to say - she joined alongside me like you, and things could be even worse than infighting, possibly even betrayal..."

Seeing he had said this much already, Adrian just directly revealed the answer.

"Blanche? No way!"

That was my first reaction upon hearing it. I still remembered among the squad, aside from Alvled's Rank 5, Blanche was the only other one at Rank 5 in terms of strength.

Unlike Eleanora and Hayden, I didn't interact with Blanche very much. Aside from her short speech back when Alfreed asked me to recount the squad's experiences, we rarely exchanged a sentence.

My impression was that she was greatly valued by the Captain. She always went along when scouting outside, and was tasked with safeguarding everyone's storage rings. So I didn't believe she would betray the rest.

"You seem to have quite a good impression of her?"

Adrian looked at me very skeptically.

"You didn't think those words of hers were meant to help you, did you?"

I froze for a moment before reacting - he must've meant Blanche's questioning when Alfreed announced I would be attempting a flying escape from the city, alongside Selene and the others.

"Oh... Are you saying I was used?"

I could feel my face losing color. I hadn't felt that way before, but after Adrian's reprimand I could see Blanche's words were meant to push me into the fire pit.

"Not all concern... will be kind words..."

Seeing his grave look, I felt a little speechless. Truthfully I understood these principles, just that I had never tasted such trust from others all my life. For a moment it was hard to shift my mindset.

"But that's not enough to say she would betray everyone right?" I asked, puzzled.

"Maybe Blanche's intentions weren't pure when she encouraged me, but that's a separate issue! She was probably anxious to leave, which was why..."

I suddenly realized something mid-sentence.

"She..."

"The fear is she loses heart from waiting, and does something rash as a result.

Adrian looked at me heavily and passed me a piece of paper.

"This is about me?"

Seeing the wanted poster for an angel and a human, I tasted the feeling of being wanted for the first time in this place.

"I saw this with Blanche in the city yesterday when we were out," Adrian explained.

He pointed at the small print at the bottom.

"They also promise good treatment and transport home if willing to surrender."

"This can't be a trap right?"

I read every word carefully, feeling heavy-hearted. Looks like the enemies already guessed I came with Selene by accident, even knowing what our objective was.

"Whether it's a trap or not, it's undoubtedly very tempting. I didn't want to say it earlier to avoid anyone getting ideas. But after Blanche saw this notice, she disappeared for a period for no reason. She came back with lots of demon beast meat, claiming she went to find food, but I don't think it's that simple."

I felt my hands shaking while holding the poster.

"Are you saying she already snitched yesterday? Then why haven't any demons come for us?"

"Maybe not to that extent yet. My guess is she's started making preparations. But they definitely won't take it lying down after your failed experiment today..."

Adrian voiced out his speculations.

"What about Selene?"

I anxiously asked. Aside from the rest, she was my mission target. If this group effort fell apart with her captured too, how could I face the Church even if I escaped later!

"Don't panic!"

Adrian grabbed my shoulders.

"You can't enter the city now. I'll do my best to protect Selene!"

He was right. I was too eye-catching a target. Now I could only place my hopes on Adrian to prevent things from happening.