Satou stood alone on the battlefield, surrounded by death and destruction, his crimson Berserk aura still blazing.
Through his enhanced perception, he could sense the remaining human forces—scattered groups across the settlement, maybe one thousand total still alive out of the original seven thousand two hundred.
But they were broken. Scattered. Leaderless. His rampage through four sectors had shattered any cohesion they might have maintained.
The settlement defenders could handle what remained.
Then Lyra's voice came through the mental network, carrying urgency that cut through his combat focus:
"Satou! I think Seraphina's in trouble. She went to fight Archbishop Valentine over an hour ago, and I haven't been able to hear from her since. The mental link is... wrong. Like something's interfering."
Satou's flame-like eyes narrowed. Valentine. The Archbishop leading this invasion. The one powerful enough to require a full demon lord to engage.
