The shattered armor, reattached to Sonia's body as if time had flown backwards.
Spiderweb-like cracks healed automatically.
The "Hell Angel" was reborn from the ashes, and it continued to evolve!
It grew taller and more erect, muscular yet voluptuous.
The Hellfire Floaters surrounding Sonia were also mutating!
Besides the twenty-four black holes used to launch Hellfire, twenty-four more holes, gleaming red, appeared around it.
It felt as if thick blood was flowing from them.
Crackling...
Crackling...
From deep within the twenty-four red holes, the sound of metallic friction could be heard.
As Miles and Becky watched in astonishment, bloodstained, hideous chains, linked by blades, barbs, sawtooth serrations, spear points, tridents, meteor hammers, vises, and other weapons of various shapes, slid out of the red hole!
Twenty-four chains, each end connected to twenty-four different types of cold weapons.
Like a swarm of bizarre pythons, they hovered in the air, swam around Sonia.
What kind of monster is this?!
The same question exploded in Miles and Becky's minds.
Before they could comprehend the situation,
Sonia had already launched a counterattack.
Arms spread wide, toes tapping the ground, spinning at high speed, as if dancing a ballet!
Twenty-four animated chains danced wildly in the air with graceful movements.
The various weapons, driven by the chains, converged into a whirlwind of steel! Various weapons, dragging chains along with them, rained down on Miles and Becky, who were still stunned, like hail.
In an instant, both were covered in wounds.
"The situation has changed, retreat!"
Becky hurriedly warned Miles, braving the overwhelming barbed chains, swerving through the air.
After performing a series of breathtaking acrobatics, she finally escaped the storm of chains.
Bang!
Becky crashed headfirst through the skylight and flew out.
In the blink of an eye, she vanished into the night sky.
At the same time, Miles tore open the magic scroll, his figure disappearing in a beam of teleportation light.
Watching the two traitors flee in panic, Sonia's tense nerves relaxed a little.
Suddenly, she felt weak all over and couldn't help but kneel to one knee.
At the same time, her body shrank, returning to its normal form.
The twenty-four red holes surrounding her seemed to have exhausted their energy, retracting their spiked chains one after another and closing silently, leaving no trace.
As Miles and Becky fled, the demons also received the signal.
As if the tide were receding, they retreated.
A tall, muscular young man trotted over and helped the exhausted Sonia to her feet.
"Brother Allen, I'm so tired..."
Sonia draped herself in his arms, closed her eyes, and murmured weakly.
"My waist and legs are weak, I've almost lost all feeling..."
"It's like being in bed, tossed and turned by you all night."
Alan's mouth twitched.
"That metaphor is apt. Don't say it next time!"
...
The demons, from the moment they were born, their souls were firmly bound to the will of Hell.
Every devil automatically generates a merit meter in its mind.
Throughout its life, every action it performs that pleases Hell's will earns a certain number of merits.
To Allen, a devil's merits are very similar to experience points in video games from his previous life.
Once a devil accumulates a certain amount of merits, it becomes eligible for promotion to a higher-ranking devil.
However, being eligible doesn't guarantee promotion.
The only difference between the two is the approval of their immediate superiors.
It's like a person who owns a vast tract of land, possesses considerable wealth, and controls a large group of servants, claiming to be a manor lord.
However, they are not yet considered true nobles unless they receive a letter of appointment from His Majesty the King.
For a devil to be promoted, besides having sufficient merits, they also need approval from their superiors.
Having offended a superior, despite having made significant contributions, one is often suppressed and denied promotion for a long time. This situation is not uncommon in demonic society.
A noble title is merely the icing on the cake for a manor lord, a passport to high society.
Even if they fail to receive a title, it does not prevent them from continuing to accumulate wealth, acquiring more land and servants.
However, if a demon fails to advance, their power ceiling is capped, preventing them from ever breaking through their current social class.
This is devastating!
If a demon cannot secure a promotion from their superior, they will likely have to invest considerable effort to resolve this issue.
In demonic society, there are three common approaches to dealing with such situations.
First, seek to repair the relationship with the superior.
Be humble and flatter.
Fawn over their interests and be willing to offer gifts.
Follow their superior's lead and stand firm. If loyalty isn't absolute, it's absolutely disloyal!
Second, if the relationship can't be repaired, simply get rid of the boss!
Reporting, informing, betrayal, murder... all sorts of shady means are used to remove the stumbling block.
Of course, the risks are huge; if exposed, it could be fatal!
But if the job is done cleanly and without any evidence, isn't it a good thing?
There's one last option: change jobs. If this one doesn't want you, there will be another.
Change to a good boss, and many problems will be solved.
The prerequisite is that the job-switch can provide value to the new boss.
Otherwise, the new boss may not be willing to offend others for him.
In the battle at the research institute, Sonia, the sole survivor, single-handedly fought off the traitors, Miles and Becky, and preserved the last "Hell's Angel" intact.
A great achievement!
The merits accumulated from this battle alone were enough to earn her a promotion.
Before that, she had to first visit the director, Dr. Faust, and request his approval for the promotion.
Dr. Faust was also a tiefling of human descent.
The white-haired old man was well-dressed, elegantly spoken, and possessed a scholarly demeanor.
The doctor deeply regretted Miles and Becky's betrayal.
Even more heartbreaking was the sacrifice of ten pilots and a prototype construct, more valuable than human life.
Ten Hell Angels were destroyed in the battle, two were stolen by the traitors, and only Sonia's survived, a blessing in disguise.
The doctor was very pleased with Sonia's performance and readily approved her promotion, patiently answering her questions.
"Why did your Hell Angel mutate during battle?"
"My child, you find it strange because you don't fully understand the Hell Angel's potential!"
The doctor seemed excited as he spoke of his masterpiece.
"Hell Angels have the potential to grow and evolve synchronously with their pilots!"
"When you face despair and refuse to give up hope, you will awaken the dormant potential of the Hell Angels!"
"Your personal will to survive, combined with the Hell Angels' potential for evolution, ultimately creates a miracle!"
"My child, the Hell Angels' transformation in battle foreshadows a similarly drastic change in your own destiny!"
"Sonia, you will transcend your current level and evolve into a higher-level Devil!"
"What kind of Devil will you become? The Hell Angels have already predicted it."
"As for whether the prophecy will come true, it depends on your own dedication."
"At least so far, your performance has lived up to the Hell Angels' expectations."
The old man's words were rather mystical.
Frankly, Sonia didn't fully understand.
Alan didn't quite get it either.
But it didn't matter.
The important thing was that Sonia had obtained the promotion permit.
Returning to her single dormitory,
Sonia drew a magic circle on the floor for advancement.
She stripped naked and entered the circle.
Transforming her merits into the energy needed for evolution.
The circle hummed, raising a black wall of flame.
The inky black curtain of flames surrounded Sonia, igniting the permit in her hand.
Then it burned her body, tempering her soul.
The witch in the hellfire let out a low moan.
Sonia's body disintegrated in the hellfire, then reshaped.
Like ore melting in the flames, forged into steel.
When the wall of flames extinguished, Sonia emerged as a new person!
Officially promoted from a Spike Demon to a Chain Demon!
...
Born in Baator Hell, the Chain Demon is a mid-level devil.
She resembles a tall, muscular woman, her body swathed in animated chains.
These chains connect to different types of weapons.
Each weapon, including the chains themselves, is a Level 1 enchanted weapon.
As she dances gracefully, the chains soar, whipping wildly at nearby enemies.
At this moment, the Chain Demon reveals its cyan skin, alluring features, and... a bald head beneath the chains.
The "bald beauty" look is a bit unusual.
But after getting used to it, Allen finds it quite captivating.
"Brother Allen!"
Sonia twists her waist, dragging the rattling chains along as she walks towards Allen, a seductive smile on her lips.
"Do you want to ravage a cold-as-ice exterior, yet a sultry she-devil?"
"On lonely nights, she often whips herself with chains..."
"So, where is she?" Alan played dumb, playing along.
Sonia smiled shyly and lifted the hem of her chained skirt.