Together headed into the final room of the hideout, the supposed command room based on the tattered signs dotted around the hallway. We instantly caught all the devil's attention, although their gaze didn't concern me.
There was someone else's gaze that induced a fit of shivers to run along my skin, the piercing gaze of a hardened killer locked onto mine.
He raised his hand to his men, silencing their movements. They all stiffened, their faces adopting the look of a stunned animal, all assuming a position along the walls, no longer directing their gaze at Liliana and me, keeping their eyes rooted to the floor.
"Third String, Evernight. You've been carving quite the bloody path throughout this little hideout. All those lower-level devils killed by light's unyielding gaze, how tragic. Do you feel strong now you've killed a few starved insects?"
"Of course not, devils such as these ones don't put up much of a fight. Is there a reason for that, or are they just normally weak?"
"Hehe, so you noticed."
I signalled for Liliana to move back, staying near the door. I wasn't wearing my protective cloak anymore, so I had to be more observant of my surroundings as I approached the devil commander. He was leaning against a large map of Grandheart.
From the doorway, I couldn't see much of his face, but as I approached, his face became clearer to me. Four skeletal wings were affixed to the back, vibrating slightly, and two grand horns were spouting from his forehead.
There was one thing about the devil that really caught my eye: his jaw was completely made of steel, and multiple angel feathers were attached to its surface.
His sharp eyes locked onto mine, not even trying to contain the immense amount of aura and malice spilling from every inch of his body.
"These Famine Devils are nothing but traitors stripped of Famine's blessing. That is why they are so weak; they have long since lost the gaze of Famine. They only exist to sow the seeds of unrest into this city. But it appears our little mission has come to an end, meaning they no longer have any use."
The lines of famine devils cowered back in response to his words, every inch of their bodies breaking out into a fit of uncontrollable shivers.
"Something tells me that you are not one of these traitors, tell me are you a famine devil or something else?"
"Oh? So you truly know nothing of devils, that's quite foolish for a Servant of Order. I haven't met a single angel as negligent as you. It's pitiful."
"You know of me, all the way down to my negligence, but you have yet to introduce yourself."
The devil's iron jaw twisted upwards, producing an unsettling smile, a hideous screeching sound following his every movement. His fist banged down on the command table, but it didn't seem to be out of anger.
I briefly glanced back towards Liliana, ensuring that all my vision of the devil wasn't lost. She was idly tracing letters into the dusty floor, twirling her hair in her fingers, looking bored. I'd expected her to be scared or adopt the behaviour of the other devils, but she seemed totally unfazed. I underestimated her spirit.
"Baha! How rude of me, I hope you'll forgive me, oh great wingless one! I am the warden of these little traitors, Karravok, the Third Seat of the Heralds of War. But many call me the Iron Maw."
"So there are more races of devils, then? Interesting. This world is getting more fantastical with each day. I can't wait to discover more."
"You talk as if you have been kept in the dark for many centuries. I believe you will be a worthy opponent to face me in battle. You should be honored."
"So you're not going to explain the different races to me, disappointing, and here I thought we were getting along."
"Bahaha! You're a unique one. I've never heard such a thing before. Since you are scratching my need for comedy, I'll give you a little taste of devils, but nothing more. There are four races of devils: war, famine, pestilence, and death. Although there aren't many death devils anymore, their creator has long since gone silent."
"The creator of death devils is dead?"
"Nope. Death changes a person deeply; you should know that. Once you have millions hanging over your neck, you can no longer stomach the trials of war. Well, that's just my opinion. Anyway, enough explaining, let's fight!"
Karravok merely picked himself up from the table's edge, and in a shadow of a second, he completely disappeared from my view.
I tried to look around, but my attention was drawn to my solar plexus as Karravok's iron fist crashed into it, launching me into the air at a staggering speed.