BaoBao recalled Vlad's first tip to Vanora. Hmm... There is one other more efficient way. Vlad also mentioned wrath-related emotions in you.

Indeed. I want to try leveraging on this. It would make it less dependent on external sources which means a more reliable source of power.

Wouldn't this call for a precise control over your emotions?

It seems so.

But what sort of emotions fall under wrath? I wish I could be of more help but...

BaoBao, isn't that why you're learning now? This way, at least you'll be of help one day.

BaoBao felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in him. Yes! I'll do my best!

Now... I think emotions like vengeance, anger, hate, and hostility should be relevant for me...

BaoBao imagined Vanora as some angry evil women but just could not form the image in his head. Erm... I can't seem to picture you that way...

Vanora laughed a little at how simple and straightforward BaoBao thought. I'm pretty sure there are more than one way to experience such emotions. I'll find my way around it. Now, about the fight I had with Vlad... Besides the hellfire, there was something else going on at the time I got desperate.

You mean when your eyes started glowing golden and you punched the ground not long after that?

Yes. It felt like something told me clearly to punch the ground at a specific spot. It did get me out of the pinch I thought I was in. However, Vlad was just too strong. Even so, it was not impossible for me to bring him down. It was simply against my goal of surviving.

Mutual destruction?

Yes.

This sounds like some sixth sense or instinct thing that you've developed. Are you able to use that ability anytime?

Not now at least.

Perhaps you need a sense of danger for it to activate. Like some conditional ability.

Maybe I'll consult Vlad about this. But I'll likely need to gain some battle experience to hone this ability. As for my hellfire...

She pointed her index finger towards the sky, visualised the hellfire as her spiritual energy as usual, except this time it was leaving her body through only her finger. The fire flared around her finger haphazardly and she had difficulty controlling the strength of the fire. Cultivation and use of spiritual energy had always been an all or none phenomenon. Therefore, precise control of it now was something new she had to learn.

I'll keep working on this whenever I can.

She got out of the hot spring and dried herself up with the towel hanging on the rack. She walked through the bathroom and back into the area before the bathroom where the shelves were at.

While she was drying her hair, she caught sight of herself in a full length mirror beside the bathroom entrance.

Now that she has a proper mirror that she could use, she took the time to properly assess the condition of her body. She may be slightly malnourished but the original soul had really did a good job surviving and staying fit. Although skinny, she was not only skin and bones but had a decent amount of muscles.

Ah! Cover your-

Before BaoBao could finish his sentence and before Vanora could react in time, the wooden door was slid open roughly and a worried and anxious looking Vlad stood in the doorway. His expression quickly turned to surprise though and he froze at the sight he was greeted with. 

Vanora had turned halfway around in reaction to him bursting through the doorway. She still had the towel hanging around her neck which covered her small underdeveloped breasts nicely but everything else was exposed for him to see.

His expression suddenly turned serious and his eyes darkened a little as he began to advance towards her. Her expression was unreadable while she calmly grabbed the new hair clip that he had brought in earlier and threw it at him. It flew as fast as a bullet but Vlad caught it easily between his fingers. If he had not caught it, it would have shot straight through his brain.

Her move made him stop in his tracks. He had barely taken a step closer to Vanora.

"Out." Vanora ordered him calmly but sternly as if she was training a dog.

Vlad closed his eyes then sighed deeply. He turned around to face his back towards her then stubbornly sat down on the floor where he was. "You took too long. I got worried."

Vanora did not need to see his face to know that he was sulking. She could clearly hear the blame in his voice.

"I was enjoying the bath. What did you think could happen?" She said nonchalantly while touching the set of clothes he had brought in for her. It was a slightly skimpy black pajamas that felt silky smooth. It had to be made from high quality materials.

"I don't know. Maybe you fainted out of exhaustion? It was so nice that you decided to foolishly take a nap only to drown inside? Someone broke in and kidnapped you? Anything could happen."

Vanora sighed. "What's with your paranoia? Are you secretly some old dying grandpa?"

"I can't help it... My mind just gets filled with the different ways you could die..." Now he sounded really sad.

Vanora felt bad. Before his lustful side took over, she knew that he was being sincere. He had been truly anxious and worried for her. "Hey. I'm fine, aren't I? You saw me in all my glory, didn't you? Enough proof?"

"... Yeah..." He said softly.

Vanora was done dressing by the time he replied. She walked past him without a care, heading towards the low mahogany table that was placed near the window. Vlad's eyes feasted on her exposed back, shoulders, and legs. Damn. I thought that I bought a something decent. How does she still look so enticing? 

He quickly got up on his feet and faithfully bounded after her.

"That cup of tea is for you." Vlad offered her the cup after she got comfortable.

She found that the tea actually smelled good so took it to have a sip. She was surprised by how good it tasted.

"You like it?" He asked with anticipation. When Vanora nodded, he smiled brightly.

"Is this some premium quality tea or something?"

"Well... You could say that." 

"Why didn't you make a cup for yourself?"

"It's my turn to bathe now." Vlad shrugged as he replied. 

While waiting for him to return, Vanora played with her hellfire again. She stuck out her index finger and tried manipulating the flames to form a slightly spherical shape above the tip of her finger. It took her awhile to get it slightly stable. It now looked like a quivering small fire ball just short of exploding. While keeping her index finger aflame, she moved on to "light up" her middle finger, followed by her ring finger. 

Suddenly, she lost control of the flames in the midst of forming another sphere and her entire hand light up with her hellfire. The sudden flare burnt the table, causing it to catch fire. The flames would have grown and consumed the table if not for Vanora's fast reaction in retracting back the flames. 

She stared at the singed table top. I hope he doesn't have to pay for damages.

"Don't worry about that." Vanora jumped slightly in surprise when she heard his voice come from directly behind her.

Sorry, I didn't dare to disturb your focus to inform you that he was back. BaoBao sounded very apologetic.

No. You did the right thing, the flare may have been worse if I had been interrupted. I guess it's really dangerous to play with fire indoors.

While Vlad made his way to the cushion across from her, she observed that his hair was still barely dried and there was still water dripping off the ends of his black hair. 

He rushed back here, didn't he?

Yup he did.

While he was drying his hair with the towel, she noted how his black pajamas was considerably decent as compared to hers because his arms and legs were covered up, except that the buttoned shirt was a deep V-neck that dipped halfway down his abs. His exposed chest stood out even more as his fair skin was a stark contrast against the black of his pajamas.

"Does your offer still stand?" She asked out of the blue. 

"What?" He paused in his motion.

"To bring me to places where I can fight and become stronger."

"Of course! Just tell me when and where you want to go!"

"As for that, I'd like to see if you have any recommendations. I was reviewing our fight while I was in the bath earlier and-"

"Do you never rest?" Vlad frowned and his shoulders sagged. 

"... Believe it or not, I'm resting plenty ever since I met you. Now I'm really raring to start training to become stronger." Vanora said with the tip of her eyebrow beginning to twitch in annoyance. Perhaps it's less efficient than I thought to have someone like him as my mentor. 

Vlad noticed her aura turning vermilion. He lowered his head apologetically. "Sorry, I was just worried you weren't getting enough rest. Earlier, it was only I that napped in the end, right?"

"... I'm fine." Her voice sounded much softer than before.

"Is this about something else you noticed happen during the fight besides the appearance of your hellfire?"

Vanora looked pleasantly surprised. She did not have to go into lengthy details after all. "Yes."

"Let me guess, it felt as if you just magically knew what to do during desperate moments?"

"Yes. How do you know?"

He raised his head to look at her again and pointed to his eye. "When I use my power from the sin of sloth, I can see people's powers and predict what they'd probably do. This is part of the reason why I said before that I know all. Now do you get an idea of how many powers could possibly exist? It may take forever before you know every single power there is to know of."

"I see... But the powers of different sins do share some base characteristics?"

"Yes, they do. Powers of lust centers around the manipulation of the mind or emotions. Powers of greed centers around hoarding and stealing of something. Powers of envy centers around jinxes, hexes, and curses. Powers of gluttony centers around devouring of something. Powers of wrath centers around the enhancement of physical abilities and battle prowess. Powers of pride centers around obedience and placing oneself above others. Powers of sloth would include anything that helps to make life simpler or easier for the user. For example, the innkeeper here has the power to see the wants of others."

Vanora went deep in thought. "Doesn't seem like there is a lot of value in learning all the powers there is to know."

"There isn't. It's better if you simply perfected your powers such that no one else could defeat you and be very adaptable." He propped his elbow on the table then rested his chin on his fist to gaze at her charmingly. "Which you are very capable of accomplishing."

Vanora was no longer fazed by his straightforward and bizarre nature so continued to converse naturally. "In that case... Wouldn't fighting the angels be more helpful? I would learn more about their powers and help the war."

Vlad thought seriously for awhile before responding. "If you still want my recommendation, I'd suggest you start with fighting the lesser demons."

"Why? Won't that reduce the resources or personnel that would otherwise be used for the war?"

"It's fine. Their strength won't amount up to much in the war anyway. The angels would finish them off easily."

"Well, if you say so..."

"Also, you don't need to fight the angels to know their powers. I can tell you about it. Angels have powers of the sun and light. It is employed either through prayers or through their weapons. Those that bear weapons are warrior angels, they tend to be a little more ruthless and decisive in their attacks. All angels receive divine protection against some of our powers, usually its against any powers that would influence or devour them."

"I see... About my other awakened power, is there anything you know about it?"

"You could understand it as an enhanced gut instinct. Your brain processes far more information than you are consciously aware of, you're only aware of the result. The more you hone this ability the less you have to depend on the situation for it to appear. For example, if you master the skill, you could even judge when I'd probably make a move on you or where in the room would put you in a safe place from me." He grinned mischievously. 

"Now, wouldn't that be useful." Vanora smiled back coldly.