Man and beast stared at each other under a heavy silence. Both pairs of red eyes glowed under the dim light. Sofia could feel the fiend's oppressive aura from her hill in the distance. She felt herself ready to crumble under its overbearing tyranny. She felt so cold, even under the forest's warmth; she started trembling. At her side, Mina wasn't faring any better. The girl's gaze was riveted on the devil while her body shook uncontrollably. Sofia hugged her from behind, trying to find peace in each other's warmth.
With an inquisitive gaze, Emil leaned on a tree, watching the spectacle below. Unlike the two ladies, he seemed relaxed even with the beast so close. The spear in his hands rang when its sharp edge met the fiend's aura, forming a small bubble encompassing the trio, shielding them from the harsh atmosphere. The girls' trembling slowly subsided, yet their nervousness remained.
Felix stood before the beast, scrutinizing his opponent while it did the same until its gaze landed on Felix’s blade. It frowned before raising an arm, pointing one of its long serrated nails towards Felix’s forehead. The sea of black ooze under their feet spun into a vortex before bubbles emerged from its surface, rising into the air. Countless black spears materialized from the spheres and hovered around the fiend. They were long and thin but sharp, resembling barbed black crystals.
With a wave of its hand, the spears sprung forth, aiming at Felix's core. The spears revolved on their axis, ripping through the air at an insane speed, creating wind vortexes in their wake. Felix spun his body, evading most spears, but some were impossible to dodge. With a flick of his wrist, his blade danced in the air, meeting every remaining black lance with its edge. The blade slid through the robust crystals unimpeded before the spears disintegrated into dust. No trace of the ooze contained within remained. The fiend frowned further at the sight; its oppressive aura grew denser each moment.
“Mortal! How dare you resist your fate!" the fiend growled. Its voice was deep and grating. Every word exuded a pressure that threatened to crush every living thing, sending them to oblivion. Its voice was powerful, even reaching the trio standing on the hill. The sound collided with the barrier surrounding them, making it flicker. A primal fear arose within their hearts, making them break out in cold sweat. Unable to withstand the assault, the girls fell to their knees, not daring to even look at the fiend, while Emil merely frowned.
Felix bore the full brunt of the fiend's tyrannical tone but withstood it effortlessly as if it were a gentle breeze. A sneer graced his lips before his laughter broke the oppressive atmosphere. The beast stood stupefied momentarily before its fury mounted at this derision.
“You dare!” it said.
“Of course I do," Felix replied. "Cease with the theatrics. Nobody's buying it."
The fiend froze, looking deeply into Felix's eyes before finally sighing. It retracted its oppressive hold over the forest, returning it to its serene grace before finally smiling. Its laughter broke the silence that reigned between the two.
“I expect nothing less from you,” it said. This time, its voice was still deep but calm; the harsh oppression contained within was gone.
“Your cult’s methods are still as disgusting as ever,” Felix said.
"You are a difficult man to get a hold-off. They were but a necessary expense if it meant retrieving what you stole from us.”
“So you chose to decimate an entire tribe for it,” Felix scoffed. “You are more desperate than I thought.”
“Why should demons matter when they chose to stand against our lord, as you did. Now, return what you stole, and I shall give you a quick death!"
“That’s why I hate fanatics,” Felix said as he sighed. “They are much too delusional.”
As the words left his lips, Felix pounced forward, sword ready to strike. The fiend was prepared to receive him. Its long, sharp nails met the white edge of Felix's blade. Sparks flew from the friction of the two deadly instruments. The clash intensified as the two struck and parried in succession, leaving no gap in their defence. The disparity between their respective weapons soon became apparent. While Felix's blade retained its sharp edge, minor nicks and tears accumulated on the devil's nails until one finally gave out, breaking at its root.
The beast howled in pain as it fell into the dark sludge at their feet. Felix's assault intensified, making the beast retreat slightly. Although Felix seemed to have the advantage, sweat soaked his clothes, and heavy panting escaped his mouth as he sought breath. The exaggerated motion threatened to tear at his muscles, yet Felix wouldn't stop. This was his best chance to slay the fiend.
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He knew full well that the beast would learn to harness his newfound power as time passed. Once it did, killing it would become impossible in his current state. And so, despite the excruciating pain, despite his muscles screaming to stop, Felix accelerated further. His blade danced gracefully in the air, striking at the beast with every blow.
The devil's long nails were now gone, destroyed under the blade's edge. Only his thick hide remained as protection against the deadly sword. Despite its now vulnerable state, Felix bid his time in spite of the pain, seeking a single killing blow. Countless insignificant wounds appeared on the fiend’s skin as it retreated from Felix’s assault, trying to find respite from the onslaught. Black blood flowed from the wounds before joining the dark puddles on the ground. The minor cuts littering his hide healed almost instantly as Felix created even more.
The beast retreated while Felix chased until the fiend's back finally met a wall. In its frantic retreat, it had cornered itself against a crimson pillar, just as Felix had predicted. With no escape, the fiend flailed its mangled arms, trying to force Felix to disengage. Contrary to its expectations, Felix dove forward at an even greater speed, nestling himself within the creature's chest. His chance had finally come.
He swung the blade upwards in a grand sweeping motion, intending to cleave the creature in half, from waist to opposite shoulder. The fiend jumped sideways, hoping to avoid the deadly strike, but came too late. However, just as the blade was to reach the creature’s chest, it deviated slightly from its original path, striking the beast’s right arm clean off instead.
Felix knelt on the ground, clutching his chest while vomiting a mass of blood. His muscles tore under the strain while his bones threatened to shatter. Felix struggled to catch his breath to no avail. He stood rooted on the ground, gasping for air as pain assaulted him.
The beast fared no better, writhing on the ground from the pain of its missing limb while its black blood spilt onto the tainted soil in a torrent of corruption. The difference between man and fiend was stark, however. The beast soon rose, shrugging the pain away while a small stump grew from the open wound. The mass of flesh deformed and elongated, becoming a rough estimate of the missing limb. Less than a minute later, the limb recovered; no trace of wounds could be glanced on the devil's hide. Everything that Felix struggled for was for naught.
Still on the ground, struggling for breath, Felix propped himself up using his blade while his muscles trembled under the strain. The pain assaulted him once again, but not a sound escaped his lips. He looked at the beast before him and frowned in disgust at the fiend's repulsive smirk.
“You missed your only chance," the devil said, barely hiding his glee. "This is but a fraction of our lord's strength, which you refused to accept. Now die under its dark embrace!"
The flood of dark water covering the valley's soil converged back toward its origin, revealing the once-buried ground. The blood crystals that once littered the floor were nowhere to be seen, while the thriving flora was now in decay. The dark ooze spun around the fiend, climbing its legs before crystallizing in a dark armour around its chest. An imposing and sinister aura emanated from the protective shell, pressuring Felix. Despite the pain, Felix stood his ground, refusing to yield to this monstrosity.
The fiend reached for the blade in Felix's hand. The black sword rang with renewed vigour the closer the hand neared the hilt. Once it finally made contact, a chilling heat spread from its surface, burning the devilish limb to cinder. The fiend recoiled in fright from the blade’s murderous intent. Once it was far enough away, the ringing stopped as if it had expanded all its energy in its earlier blast.
The fiend cautiously stood a short distance away while the single horn on its head glowed a sinister dark blue. The devil reached for it, wrapping its deformed hand firmly around it before pulling in one swift motion. The horn ripped and tore from its forehead, leaving a gaping hole in its skull that regenerated soon after. Dark blood swirled around the horn, forming a blade.
The beast aimed the pointed end of the blade toward Felix while wearing a devilish grin. The blade extended, piercing the weakened Felix in the core of his chest. Black tendrils sprung from the corrupted weapon, burrowing into his skin and ravaging his blood vessels with their filth. Thankfully, Felix's body was so damaged already that he barely felt the pain of the invading force. He tried to struggle, but the corruption took hold of his nervous system, taking control of all his senses. He stood rooted in place like a puppet with cut strings, unable to see, feel, move, or fight.
The only thing Felix could still sense was the fiend’s dark laughter slowly approaching. His sense of hearing remained, enabling the beast to gloat.
“Rumours about you have travelled far and wide, yet it seems they differ much from reality,” the devil said.
“Indeed," Felix replied. "I am much more handsome than they portray me."
A sharp pain erupted from his core. He could feel the black tendrils burrowing through his blood vessels, chewing through his nerves. Despite a superhuman effort to endure, the pain was unbearable, and a scream escaped his mouth. Fortunately, the pain lasted but a moment. Felix lay strung up in midair, hanging by the corrupted blade's tendrils, panting from the aftermath. He gritted his teeth, expecting a second round of torture, but the beast spoke instead.
“You should have expected this ending when you stole the holy relic from us.”
“Ha!” Felix replied with difficulty. “It was never yours. I seem to recall the Emperor gifting it to me for the favour I did for him.”
“Indeed. A gift that was stolen from us by that woman. She has already paid the price for this affront; now it's your turn. Worry not, for I am a generous being. Swear a geas and accept our lord's blessing so that you might serve him once more."
“And become a thrall like you are? I refuse. I will be the one to decide how I live and die.”
“Then I will deny you that choice,” the beast said with a sinister grin.
As the fiend's hand landed on Felix's forehead, a shock ran through his body. A bolt of energy swam through his veins, making his body convulse. The fiend's dark armour liquefied once again before travelling the length of the blade toward Felix's core, from where it plunged into his body. A lake's worth of corruption filled his core to the brim. Bloated, the excess flew from every orifice, covering every inch of his body. A flood of black liquid spewed from his mouth, forming a sphere around his vessel before hardening into a black prison.
On the hill in the distance, Emil watched the scene unfold with a frown while Mina struggled within Sofia's embrace. She wished she could rush to his side to offer whatever meagre aid she could, but Sofia's hold was absolute. Sofia's gaze was fixed on the sinister sphere hovering in the air, and indecision mounted in her heart.
"He'll be alright," she muttered. "He promised me he'll be fine."