Spero brushes off the dust and debris, feeling the hairs on his arm stand up.
The mysterious man drives his blade into the ground with a sharp clang. “You’re still alive, very impressive.” his voice dripping with a hint of amusement.
In a flash, the man appears in front of Spero, his hand strikes with his fingers forward like a knife. Spero narrowly dodges, feeling a slight graze of the man's fingernails against the side of his neck. Spero strikes his sword down, only for it to shatter upon impact as the man deflects the blow with his forearm. Shards of metal scatter through the air as Spero makes a run for the cave exit. As he dashes through the study the light from outside gets brighter, SMACK, Spero is knocked back. The man stands in his way as he intercepts his attempted escape.
I didn’t see him move!
The man locks eyes with Spero. “What a surprise that you’d be here?”, he muses, flicking off a stray piece of stone from his shoulder. “When I sensed an alarm was set off, I just knew I had to see it for myself.” Advancing slowly towards Spero, the man scans the room with a knowing smile, “Ah you’ve done some reading, how nice?”
Spero's patience wanes, “What do you want?”
The man halts abruptly and slowly turns his head to him, “What all the gods want.”
Spero leaps back as the man’s sword slashes up at him.
“You’re more notable than I’ve been told” he congratulates.
Without hesitation Spero activates one of his abilities, Victory Calls. A rush of gold energy covers his body like a layer of armor.
“Angelic magic, you truly are the son of Verethragna” The man states.
He rushes at him and kicks him with a foot covered in red flames. It sends Spero flying back.
“It seems my magic still has some effect on you, Divinian.”
Spero contemplates,
What the hell was that fire, it was magic, but why did it hurt so much? Is this what Astral was warning me about?
Spero activates his Chaos eyes and his Sword of Madness. A grim smile crosses the man's face. Spero uses his mirage of shadows and sends some shadow slices towards the enemy. With a single stroke of his sword, the man effortlessly disperses the mirages. They rush at each other. Spero's Chaos eyes analyze the potential moves, though the foe's tactics prove challenging to anticipate. The man swings his sword, Spero blocks, but the man’s sword goes through his Madness blade and Spero cuts his shoulder.
“Well, well, well, that’s a nice blade you have. Made of pure darkness, tangible yet intangible at your command.” The enemy acknowledges.
Spero tries to anticipate the next move, but a surge of red energy propels from the man's fist, striking Spero with a force that cracks his golden armor. The impact sends him tumbling to the ground, fortunately, he manages to catch himself. A foot slams down and Spero spins himself out of the way. He kicks the man in his ankle, then punches the back of his knee to halt his advancements. Creating distance between them, Spero observes in astonishment as the cut on the man's shoulder heals before his eyes.
Great… that makes things easier. That last attack wasn’t Mana…that was pure Vita energy. The strength on him is insane. My eyes are barely able to read him. His speed is similar to my fathers.
Their blades clash and Spero aims a powerful left hook at the man's kidney, only to discover that his adversary's body seems impenetrably hardened, absorbing the blow with little effect. The man retaliates by head-butting Spero, blurring his vision for a second. Spero wraps his arms around his body and grips his hands together. He pushes his right knee in-between his legs and spins around bringing his enemy to the ground. Spero gets above him, he smashes a couple of punches, most are either blocked or dodged, but manages to land only two. He tries to strike his sword down, but the man pushes his foot into Spero’s hip, bumping him off.
Regaining his footing, the man rises to his feet and casually cracks his neck. “That was a good one. Maybe you should join us?”
Spero stands baffled. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You know far better than anyone that the daevas have an interest in you.”
“How would you know?”
The man's smile fades. He rushes at Spero again and sends a fiery punch. Spero deflects the fiery blow with his Blade of Sorrow. It scarcely slows down his enemy.
“I know what it must feel like.” The man speaks as their blades clash, “Not knowing what you are, being abandoned by everyone around you.”
A sharp slash meets Spero's thigh. Spero redirects his blade towards the man's forearm, drawing blood and momentarily halting the next strike.
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“They label you a monster and leave you for dead.” his voice tinged with bitterness.
Spero approaches a cabinet full of potions and topples it down on the man. The enemy blasts through it all with a burst of flames. “Both taken by gods, criticized for being different.”
Spero stops. “Taken by gods?”
He mentioned angelic magic, his fire is deadly, strength high, and my powers seem to barely affect him.
“You’re a Nephilim?!”
Hearty chuckles escape the man’s lips, “You are quite the surprise indeed.”
Unleashing the power of Pit of Despair, Spero envelopes himself in a swirling vortex of blue energy, leaving the Nephilim momentarily dazed, thinking,
This is peculiar. Why do I sense the feeling of dread, my lust for violence depleting. This power feels… relaxing.
Spero sprints towards the cave's exit, BOOM, SMACK, he is abruptly hurled back by a powerful force, crashing to the ground again.
The man advances. “This conversation is far from over.”
Spero faces the relentless strikes of the Nephilim, overwhelmed by the onslaught. Despite his efforts to defend himself with both his madness and sorrow weapons, they prove ineffective. As Spero attempts to use his technique of Randomize but realizes his energy levels are too depleted. With each blow landing on him - an uppercut to the gut, a sharp elbow to his jaw, and countless slashes across his body - Spero senses his strength waning. The cuts on his skin sting with every movement. His body, getting heavier and more numb. His chest burns with each laborious breath, his nostrils failing him as he struggles to draw air through his mouth. Sweat envelopes his skin, his muscles scream in agony as he fights to lift his sword, the weight feeling like a burden of a hundred kilograms. As Spero's vision blurs and the sounds around him fade into a distant hum, his legs tremble to maintain his stance, his mind is consumed by one resolute thought...
Survive.
Struggling to defend himself as he is mercilessly tossed and pushed around.
The Nephilim’s face lowers, “This is beginning to bore me.”
As the half demon stands still, Spero catches his breath, unluckily his leg gives out, and he falls to one knee. A burst of hot air brushes his face, and a bright orange glow reflects in his eyes as the Nephilim conjures a large ball of flame. Spero’s jaw drops in awe,
That’s not magic… that’s spirit energy… that’s…
“Hellfire!” the half demon shoots a powerful spiral of flames. Spero plunges his sword into the ground and pushes his body away. The scorching heat sears his right side, as if 10,000 needles pierce his flesh and melt his skin. Rolling on the ground in agony, Spero fights to extinguish the fire that threatens to consume him. As he looks up, his breath rags and his body trembles, a wave of nausea washes over him. Struggling to hold back the urge to vomit, Spero's body teeters on the brink of collapse,
Survive, Survive, SURVIVE!
In the heat of the moment, a sliver of crackling energy surges through Spero's veins, empowering his fingertips as he takes aim at the imposing Nephilim. With a defiant gesture, a brilliant streak of green energy is unleashed from the ring on his hand, transforming into a piercing laser that shoots through the half-demon's thigh with unyielding force. Spero's mind echoes with the words of Astral's warning,
“If you happen to encounter a Daeva… do not hesitate to use that ring…”
Frantically rummaging through his pouch, Spero's heart races as he clutches the ring tightly. Another searing blast engulfs Spero, but the fire dissipates immediately leaving him momentarily frozen, his eyes glazed over in an otherworldly trance. As the Nephilim advances cautiously towards him, curiosity mingles with trepidation in his stare. Suddenly, a sinister sensation surges forth from Spero's being, shrouding him in swirling black infernos tinged with vivid blood-red hues. The unknowable transformation causes his Chaos eyes to swirl erratically, embodying a pure darkness that seems to give life to a threatening shadow that looms around him. The Nephilim falters, consumed by a potent brew of fear and impending doom as the very essence of Spero shifts before his eyes.
image [https://img.wattpad.com/b11939bdfa8e3ce0224f81a401d78584ecc6afb5/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f562d3752394b63577a54594a33673d3d2d313439353337393331352e313830373239646634366362373061613138313739393538303831302e706e67]
Spero extends his hand with a mesmerizing grace, his lips parting slightly as he utters. “Sword of Descru…”
The half demon activates his demonic blood sword, its surface pulsating with hellfire and vivid red energy. He drives the blade deep into Speros' left side, the impact hurls him towards the cave entrance, causing it to crumble. As Speros succumbs to unconsciousness, the Nephilim gathers himself and strides towards his fallen foe.
“You didn’t kill him, did you?” a voice interrupts the scene.
The half demon turns, “Of course not master.”
A tall and bulky stature, the demon god emerges, his sinister grin forms across his face, “Excellent work my apprentice, he will be most pleased.”
image [https://img.wattpad.com/92c7fa4a2ad867e6df9a8f3081bf60451e4c057d/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f305332565849465372646d6635773d3d2d313439353337393331352e313830373239656136346339653131373837303631393733323632312e706e67]
Drawing closer to their incapacitated target, the demon god employs his spiked club to move Speros' body, revealing a glinting object on his finger that emits a faint blue glow. Confused, both lean in to inspect the mysterious object, they take a large leap back.
“What the hell? How is that possible?!” The Nephilim spouts.
“Damn it, don’t touch him!” the demon god commands.
“Now what?”
“Let’s cleanup Asto Vidatu’s mess and collect as much as we can.”
Before departing, the duo hastily gathers valuable scrolls and books and set ablaze the remnants of the cave.
Time slips by when a group of Persian soldiers’ maneuver through some bushes.
A cry pierces the air, "There! I found him!"
Cyrus dashes past the soldier and presses his ear against Spero's chest. “He’s still alive!”
Nefarious emerges from behind and casts a healing spell. “This will keep his wounds closed temporarily.”
Cyrus faces the sorcerer. “Thank you. What could have done this?”
Nefarious looks at Cyrus and at the damaged cave. “Daevas…” he whispers.
As Darius rushes to join them, his usual eloquence abandons him in the face of such devastation, “How?...I’ve never…” he stutters.
A collective gasp of shock reverberates through the group of soldiers as they take in Spero's battered condition. It was a sight unprecedented in decades, Spero of the Red Sand, renowned for his strength and resilience, now in a state of turmoil.
Nefarious addresses Darius, “Go into the cave and see if you can salvage anything.”
Darius, torn between concern and skepticism, nods, “Yes sir.”
Cyrus gently lifts Spero's limp form and places him on a makeshift cart. He and the others gather what remnants they could salvage before embarking on the journey back to Anshan.