The Demon Lord Is An Angel
Chapter 361: Shelter

Chapter 361: Shelter

As the battle between Maledict and Santina began, it soon became obvious that the floating tower was no safe place.

Every shock shattered more of its facade. Split floors and halls. Exposed the dim and drained core composed of a mana crystal that could have been a tower by itself.

Malz held onto Anko as the demoness swore vociferously with every rumble, trying to keep them both safe as the building crumbled around them.

She punched a falling piece of ceiling out of the way with her upper fist before skidding to a halt as the stairwell crumbled onto the floor below.

Before Malz could protest, she leaped down, narrowly avoiding the collapse of the section she’d been standing on.

Malz felt the force of their landing as it cracked her back. And almost as if the floor were waiting for them, it too began to crumble the moment Anko landed.

"Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck," the demoness swore as she short-hopped between falling sections, almost dancing in the air as she used every stable moment to change her direction using the shards of falling tower, making her way to the window before - "Fuuuuck!"

They cleared the tower, but there was still a six-story drop.

In such close contact, Malz could feel the mana shifting in Anko’s body as she reinforced her legs as much as she could.

She landed hard and rolled, sheltering Malz with her body as she took the brunt of the fall.

They both wound up sprawled against the metal floor, Anko on top of Malz.

"Holy fuck! I can’t believe we survived that!" Anko burst out laughing.

"Heavy... please..." Malz groaned, "Please get off me..."

"Oh shit." Anko pushed herself off the floor and helped Malz stand. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Malz answered, testing her wing to make sure it wasn’t injured.

"The tower was the safest place in the city..." Anko grimaced as another floor crumbled away.

"I’d have gone with something made of iron," Malz replied, and was rewarded with a laugh from Anko.

"Yeah. I guess we should get as far from that as we can."

Maledict was violet-edged darkness robed in flesh and bone as he fought Santina, whose colors were similar but blue. Two titanic demons, five measures tall, casting spells that could vaporize them even without a direct strike.

And below them, the floors glowed. Drinking up every stray bit of mana.

Malz only had a moment to realize this before Anko grabbed her by the wrist.

"Come on. I’m sure we’ll find something if we head further in."

Further in meant more demons. Less of a chance Malz could escape...

"I know a place that’s safe!" Malz shouted as she was dragged.

Anko didn’t even stop as she pulled Malz past her before scooping her up into three of her four arms. "How do you know that?" she asked.

"I-it was on the map Maledict had!" Malz lied quickly. "A place called, uh, s-safe shelter! Safety shelter!"

A beam of magic carved its way through the black sky overhead, striking the built-up, petrified layers of mycelium that formed a ceiling above them. Large chunks began to fall, breaking against the towers of the city and crushing the demons who failed to outrun the deadly storm.

"Where is it?" Anko shouted as she dodged the falling rocks.

"Other side of the city from the prison!" Malz shouted when she had an unjumbled moment.

Far above them, the caretakers began to swarm, flying circles around the damaged mycelium as they buzzed and chittered and screeched.

Malz recognized the right place by the doors. The hexagonal, horizontal doors whose edges glowed with renewed light as the heart of Heaven absorbed power from the battle of two dukes.

"This is it!" she shouted, quite aware that it was still awfully close to the battle.

"Those things on the floor?" Anko asked. "How do we get in?"

"Should be an entrance nearby," Malz said, looking around. She saw a section of floor that was bent upward, yellow light underneath. "How about there?" she pointed.

Anko wasted no time dashing for the hole, sliding in and holding Malz’s head down as they fell one story to the interior.

The yellow light pulsed like a warning. Absent in places where millennia without mana or maintenance had allowed them to succumb to time.

"That way," Malz pointed, once she had her bearings.

It wasn’t long until they came to a door. In ancient words, Malz read "Evacuation Zone."

"What’s that mean?" Anko asked.

Malz’s heart was beating fast. If the escape pods were as detailed on her stolen tablet, it would quickly become obvious what she intended. If it came to that, she knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against Anko.

And if an escape pod didn’t take her to Heaven... she might need someone like Anko, just to survive.

Hoping she wasn’t about to make the biggest mistake of her life, she took a leap of faith.

"Anko... remember when I asked what you would do if you could get out of here?"

"What? Yeah. What about it?" Anko asked, letting Malz down as she tested the seam of the massive double doors.

Malz had already spotted the control panel by its glow. Walking over, she reached up and pulled the lever she found there.

The doors groaned and creaked, and then split open, one door sliding away while the other shuddered but remained in place.

"Anko... this place can help us escape."

Beyond them, pale lights illuminated squat, circular vehicles of a sort Malz had seen only in diagrams.

Anko looked from the nearest of the craft back to Malz.

"You lied to me."

"Yes," Malz said. "This place isn’t a shelter. I didn’t see it on the tablet Maledict showed me. I learned about it from another tablet. A tablet I stole from you."

Anko surged forward, grabbing Malz by the wrist.

"I’m taking you back to the city," she turned, starting to drag Malz, who was too weak to resist.

Still, Malz tried, pulling back. "Anko... I didn’t tell you because... I thought you might tell Maledict. But you’ve seen what he’s really like."

"He cares about people. He’s trying to do something great, getting Heaven off of everyone’s backs."

"He’ll never let you leave!" Malz shouted.

Anko paused.

"Don’t you see it? This place runs on mana. He’s putting demons in prison because that’s what he needs to just... to put it into the fucking ground!" She panted from her exertions for a few moments as she gathered her words. "And it’s too big. Too big for a few thousand or even a few hundred thousand demons to charge! And he probably doesn’t even know what for!"

"He’ll find a way," Anko said, but her voice wavered. "Maledict always has a plan."

"Just like he had a plan for that other demon showing up? He could die up there from what I saw. Do you want to risk going back, only to find out you have a new owner?"

Anko turned, regarding Malz as if seeing her for the first time. It was time for the final push.

"We can escape together. I’ll find a way to get you to Ayther... to that boy you like. I’ll swear an oath if I have to."

Anko’s hazel eyes searched her face for a long moment.

"Blood," she said, shoving Malz as she let her go, before reaching into her pouch and extracting a knife Malz recognized as one of her own. "Swear on blood."

Malz swallowed. "Is that a demon thing?" she asked. Demons might have been more known for using contracts, but blood rituals were also a common staple in fiction.

"It’s a street thing. Spit for fun. Blood for bonds." She plucked the sheath off the blade with one hand and cut her upper left with it in one fluid motion, before flipping it and holding it by the blade out for Malz.

Malz took it by the handle and regarded her left hand for a long moment before pressing the point against her palm. She didn’t know how much control she would have but she forced herself to press until she felt a prick of pain, before cutting a long but shallow gash down her palm.

"Now shake," Anko said, offering her bloodied hand.

Through the stinging pain, Malz shook, hoping nothing unsanitary would result.

"Is that it?" Malz asked, almost reluctant as she gave the knife back.

"That’s it," Anko said. "You and me have blood between us now. If you look after me, I’ll look after you." She gestured at the door. "Now get us out of here."

Even with the pain in her hand, Malz smiled as she nodded resolutely.

Crouching through the doorway, they approached the nearest pod, but a panel nearby showed red. It was the same with the next, and the next.

"Something’s got to work in here!" Malz huffed in frustration as they came to the sixth non-functional pod.

Anko suddenly pointed behind them. "What about that one?"

Malz turned to find a panel lit up in yellow.

Blessed, hopeful yellow.