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Because I intended to employ my Fallen Angel golem against the Nightmare Steed, wherever the battle would end up taking place would undoubtedly be the most violent. Having Jeerah leave now would be best for her safety. However, a Devil’s way of thinking always revolved around one thing, and one thing only: themself. Naturally, they saw others in the same self-serving light as well; this was ingrained in them, and not something that could be changed easily. Trying to gain the trust of a Devil would never be an easy task, because even they couldn’t trust themselves.

“Oh my, looks like the lass doesn’t trust you.” Right on time as always, Ferti’nier came out to mess with me while I was mulling over Jeerah’s infuriatingly uncooperative behavior. “How about just tossing her out? Not only will she be a distraction for the Nightmare Steeds, it’s also a good chance to mount a counter attack.”

I knew exactly what she was trying to say. With their immense speed, there was no way my golems would ever land a hit on that Nightmare Steed unless something distracted it. Furthermore, even if they landed a hit on the Nightmare Steed, it would most likely end up accomplishing nothing as before. A decisive hit was needed… and that required my Fallen Angel Golem.

The temperamental Nightmare Steed wasn’t able to break through the defenses of my golems at all. Thoroughly frustrated by now, she glared at me from mid-air before shouting out to her companion Nightmare Steed. “Shadowfall! Don’t just stand there looking stupid, come help me!”

“So you finally remember I exist.” The Nightmare Steed known as Shadowfall calmly galloped towards the temperamental Nightmare Steed before continuing in a dissatisfied manner. “You’re always such a hassle to look after, Warsight.”

“You better watch that tone of yours, Shadowfall. I’m not one of those juniors you always deal with!” Temperamental though she was, the Nightmare Steed known as Warsight hadn’t lost her wits yet. Her squabble with her companion only lasted a second before she turned her attention back towards me. “Tough… and bothersome as well… those big lugs aren’t easy to deal with at all. Do you have any plans?”

“Those should be the Abyssal Golems of legends. There are no useful resources for us in the north, so we barely have any intel on this region at all. If I’m not mistaken, those with wings should at least have the strength of a Seven-stars… and so many too.” Shadowfall calmly assessed the situation. “But they are very slow. Their agility can’t even be compared to ours at all, and they can’t fly…”

“I got it! Shadowfall, team up with me!”

“But I… Hey… you’re not listening!”

“I said let’s team up!” Without waiting for Shadowfall to finish, Warsight had already sped off in a burst of flames.

“Blasted Warsight… at least let me finish speaking… this is why I hate partnering up with you…” No matter how exasperated he felt right now, he had to swallow it for now -who told him to partner up with a Warhorse that specialised in causing trouble for her own teammates.

With the entry of Shadowfall, there were now two Nightmare Steeds charging towards me. Unfortunately for them, the golems had no intention of leaving their posts at all. Based just on their numbers alone, the Winged Abyssal Golems didn’t have to do much at all and those two Nightmare Steeds would have to focus their attention on them. Perhaps they could actually reach me, but that would mean that my golems would hit them as well.

Based on how they didn’t try such a risky move, I could tell that the previous slap Warsight got hit with was a lot worse than I had initially assumed.

I could already sense their frustration just standing here. I was clearly some puny Four-star, but they just couldn’t kill me, unless they wished to suffer potentially severe injuries in the process.

The two Nightmare Steeds continued circling my golems, but my golems had no intention of striking back at all. They merely had to stand there, take the hits, and there would be no gaps in their defence.

The psychic magic of the Nightmare Steeds had no effect on them. Their darkness and fire spells were basically an insect’s bite to the golems. As for physical attacks… that needed no explanation at all… their strength might not even be as high as my Winged Abyssal Golems.

Yet just as it looked like the Nightmare Steeds were left no options, the ground suddenly shook violently. A loud rumbling swept across the battlefield. Frightened by this sudden development, Jeerah instinctively grabbed onto my arms like a scared little girl. Because of her proximity, her intoxicating scent started to bombard my senses. Unfortunately, she was too scared right now to notice this change.

“What’s the matter? Why is the ground shaking?”

I rolled my eyes at her and gently pushed her away. It was then that I could calmly answer, “Haven’t you seen it before?”

“Seen what?”

“The charge of ten thousand horses.”

The charge of ten thousand horses… If one connected the sudden rumbling of the earth, the departure of Warwraith, and these two Nightmare Steeds appearing before us, there really only was one explanation: the Warhorses were back for revenge.

“You need to be careful later. If you stand too far away from me, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

“And why should I trust you?”

‘Ugh…’ Her attitude truly was a turn off right now. With that in mind, I coldly said to her, “If you don’t trust me, just stay away then.”

“No!”

She latched on even tighter. I was basically like a rescue buoy to her now. She knew how complicated the current situation was for her. If she were to leave now, she would most likely end up dead.

“If you want my protection, hand over your soul.”

“Never!”

She only needed a second before rejecting me outright. She then proceeded to taunt me, as if to say, “throw me out, I dare you.”

‘Fine… you win.’

Perhaps it was because of my leniency with her before, Jeerah had basically sussed out my personality in the short time we had known each other. She knew that I would never abandon her, thus she needn’t hesitate at all before rejecting my offer of a soul pact.

Still, the situation wasn’t looking good right now. The helpless till now Nightmare Steeds had finally awaited the arrival of reinforcements. Turning around, Warsight was immediately greeted with the sight of a giant herd of Warhorses galloping over the horizon.

“Shade! What took you so long!”

A Nightmare Steed I was familiar with, Shade was the first to come galloping on the clouds, stopping right beside his companions who had halted their attacks for now. He first greeted Shadowfall, before explaining to Warsight, “They couldn’t keep up with our speed…”

“Those Warhorses are rather slow.” Warsight nodded, completely ignoring that fact that she was once such a Warhorse as well. “Must have been a pain too, looking after their various troubles.”

“It’s our territory, there’s not much that can threaten them here.” Having said that, Shade turned his eyes towards me. “But there are always some exceptions…”

Shameless Self-promotion

If you liked my work translating Devil’s Evolution Catalog, feel free to check out Song of Adolescence. Also, every comment is appreciated even though I might not reply. I do read them.