Sofia gasped in horror as the fiend's gaze landed on her. Despite her faith in Felix, she couldn't prevent her body from recoiling at the sight of this sinister being. She hugged the struggling little girl tighter, preventing her from rushing down the valley. Emil stood before them, spear at the ready, awaiting the unavoidable clash. Despite his calm demeanour, his knuckles whitened as he gripped the spear's shaft too tightly. He took a deep breath and focused all his senses on the beast.

The fiend looked at them indifferently as if their existence were irrelevant. Only Felix mattered in its mind. The black orb rotated endlessly, its surface smooth and peaceful. The beast stood below the hovering sphere, waiting for something to manifest. The trio stood silent; the tense atmosphere gnawed at their nerves until a hand emerged from the corrupted orb. The fiend recoiled, gaining distance, awaiting the incoming disaster.

The hand was black, but unlike the devil’s furry hand, this one was covered in scales. The fiend frowned; it felt something was wrong. Before it could ascertain the nature of this feeling, blood-coloured lines rose from the sphere's depths, imprinting themselves on its surface. The orb trembled under the strain of those lines; surges of corruption rose and fell like waves before crashing into each other, ripping the sphere apart. The black liquid flowed back to the ground, uncovering the figure hidden within.

A figure clad in black-scaled armour emerged from the flood. Twin blood-coloured horns sprouted from the side of his head, reaching for the sky. Deep red lines that formed an obscure pattern adorned the ebony shell. They glowed with an uncanny effervescence, pulsating as if a heartbeat, which filled the trio on the hill with a rising sense of dread. The fiend couldn't contain the shock it felt looking at those incandescent lines.

“How! What is your relationship with Lady Scarlett?!”

The armoured being turned to face the beast. Scales covered every part of his body but left his face bare. The fiend recognized the deep red eyes adorning his visage. Despite the stark contrast, this was the young man it had trapped in its prison.

"Felix!" Sofia exclaimed, relieved and shocked, while Mina watched the scene unfold, her mouth hung open. Felix didn't give them a glance, focusing solely on the beast in front of him.

"Oh," he said. "Only Azure and her thralls dare to call her by her name. Besides, why would you think you possess the right to know?”

“That's impossible! The Council forbade the Crimson Moon from converting acolytes! She wouldn't dare cross them!"

“Trust me, she dares to do anything," Felix scoffed. "You are sorely mistaken if you think I'm her acolyte."

The scales covering Felix's neck propagated upwards, engulfing his head within their sturdiness. All his remaining human features faded, replaced by draconian ones. A howl escaped his throat, showing the serrated teeth adorning his mouth while the sturdy talons of his feet dug into the ground, propelling him forward. With each powerful step he took, a wave of black ooze dispersed in all directions, uncovering the muddy ground below. The effulgent lines covering his body pulsed with vigour, empowering him with renewed strength.

On his path was the blade he cherished, hung upright, its point encased in soil. He reached for it, wrapping his scaly hand around the familiar handle, barely slowing down. His remaining front limb was stretched forward, palm open, while a black vortex whirled within.

The devil stood his ground, horn in hand, absorbing the prison's remnants back into his armour. The devil grew twice his previous size briefly before their clash while much of the ooze remained on the ground. The fiend raised his massive hand, meeting the incoming palm.

Felix rammed the titan with all his strength; his hand plunged into the outstretched limb while the vortex ripped the corruption from his flesh. Masses of black ooze flew into the air before disintegrating. Azure line pulsated on the devil's now bare skin, empowering him. The blue horn in his hand glowed, creating its own vortex, absorbing the remaining corruption even faster. The fiend grew even more massive as the last pools of black liquid left the ground to be absorbed by the corrupted sword.

The clash between the two was still ongoing, but the vortex within Felix's hand shrank by the second, overpowered by the devil's own, until the red lines on his armour converged on his hand. The black vortex took on a bloody hue while growing in strength. Suddenly, the fiend was the one on the losing end. Pressured by Felix's unrelenting assault, the fiend took a step back. Felix expected to see fear or resignation on the fiend's face, but all he saw was a devilish grin.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“I see," the fiend said. "I feared you would be the same as I am, yet we couldn't be more different. I am intrigued to know what Lady Scarlett has in store for you. Unfortunately, that will never come to pass, as you must die right here!"

The devil raised its corrupted sword. The pools of black water that littered the ground were now wholly absorbed by the menacing blade. A sinister aura emanated from the now completed macabre weapon, pressuring Felix. Despite all his efforts, the vortex within his hand flickered as if it was on the verge of crumbling. The corrupted blade came crashing down, drowning the world in its might. Felix had no choice but to disengage, barely avoiding the strike.

The blade grazed Felix's scaly armour, shattering a portion and creating a long, bloody gash on his chest. Pain assaulted him, breaking his concentration. The vortex within his hand trembled and shattered, scattering its remaining power. Contrary to the devil's expectation, Felix's gaze was still unyielding. The creature even seemed to discern a slight smile.

Without respite, Felix pounced again, a new vortex whirling within his palm. The devil frowned at his foolishness, unaware of how this would change anything. With barely any time to think, the fiend simply repeated what he had done before. The blade fell once again, but it met Felix's vortex this time. The two forces clashed. The devil expected Felix to crumble under his blade but was soon stunned.

Felix held his ground. Both feet dug deeply into the soft soil, burying him up to his knee, yet he stood upright under the powerful weight of the corrupted blade. His vortex whirled unsteadily, flickering quickly between black and red. A mass of blood was expelled from his mouth, staining his teeth red, while a strong scent of iron assaulted his nose. The devil sneered at his foolish resistance, but Felix held fast under the crushing weight.

The devil's sneer soon turned to astonishment, then fear, when he observed his blade slowly shrinking, the corrupted mass of its edge disappearing into the air like dust in the wind. Although almost imperceptible, the blade became lighter with each passing moment while the vortex spun with renewed strength. The open wound on Felix's chest healed at such an astonishing speed that soon, no trace of it could be found.

The devil tugged on the blade, wishing to disengage, but Felix wouldn't let him. He wrapped his hand against the deadly edge, clenching his fist until the blade dug into his bones. The devil felt his strength leave him through the blade, so he panicked. He flailed his hand up and down, trying to dislodge his weapon, but Felix was unyielding. Corrupted black tendrils dug into the open wound of Felix's hand but were soon dissolved by the vortex. The red lines on Felix’s body grew thicker, glowing with a stronger light. Another mass of blood was expelled from his mouth.

The fight became a clash of wills. Would Felix reach his limit first, or would the devil lose all his power? At first, seeing Felix's state, the devil was willing to gamble, but as time went on and more of his strength was lost, he grew hesitant. Even if he were to win against this man, how would that matter if the strength the Azure had granted him was now gone? Assaulted by doubts and unwillingness, the fiend was the first to break the stalemate.

The devil released his hold over the corrupted blade, allowing it to be consumed within the bloody vortex. The blade rang, displaying its fury at this betrayal, but could not fight its impending fate. The blade soon disappeared within the dark torrent while its ringing died alongside its demise. The devil stood a short distance away, an ugly expression on his face. Losing this blade was painful; he was sure Azure would punish him for it, but bringing her this man who was obviously connected to Crimson might alleviate his punishment.

A cloud of dark particles left his armour before materializing into black lances once again. They flew in complex patterns in all directions, all aiming toward Felix. This time, Felix didn't evade but simply swung his sword. Powerful energy emanated from the blade, peeling away at its dark surface, revealing the blinding white blade beneath. A searing light emerged from the sword, scorching the incoming dark lances until nothing remained. The world was drowned in light.

The trio on the hill squinted, trying to see the aftermath, but all they could glean was light and heat as if a star had been born in the middle of the valley. The surrounding vegetation rustled in the wind before igniting from the fiery incandescence. Emil stood before the girls, spear pointing toward the incoming glow. He swung his spear upwards, cutting a path within the light. The barrier he had maintained flickered with great intensity, deflecting the torrential heat. The light sprung upwards, forming a pillar, dispersing its light and heat toward the heavens, securing its surroundings from certain annihilation from its deadly blaze.

Once the star faded, no trace of corruption remained, only Felix kneeling on the ground, panting while blood dripped down his chin. He stood in the nude; the scaly armour that once covered his body was now gone. His cloth evaporated within the supernova. The red lines were still present, glowing, scorching his skin. Unlike at the start of the fight, they seemed to have grown thicker, now covering over sixty percent of his body.

All around him, only the dazzling red crystals remained; all traces of vegetation in the valley had vanished. The corrupted essence spring was no longer as if evaporated by the blinding light. Only the mangled remains of the devil stood propped up against a stone. All around him, molten rock flowed before solidifying into grotesque shapes, their heat scattering in the air.

Felix stood with difficulty, making his way toward the fiend. To his surprise, despite his state, the fiend was still alive but was nearing its end. Its limbs were gone, and half of his torso had melted off. A good portion of his head was also missing. Felix stood unsteadily before the beast, waiting for it to breathe its last.

“You won this time," the fiend sneered despite his injuries. "You know just as well as I do your time is nearing its end. Struggle all you want; nothing can change your impending fate. The Witch of the Crimson Moon isn’t someone mortals can face. I’ll be waiting for you in hell.”

Every last flicker of life finally left him. Felix stood over his mangled corpse in silence, impassive, as if his last words were the rambling of a drunken man. He raised his head slowly, watching the trio descending the burning hill in a hurry. Emil's expression was complicated, while Mina's was a mix of relief and tears. He briefly locked eyes with Sofia. As she rushed down the hill, her frantic expression brought a smile to his lips. He then looked towards the sky. The leafy canopy obscuring the forest was now gone, burned away by the blast; only the clear sky remained.

“My fate is my own,” Felix said softly as the trio reached him before collapsing, unconscious, into Sofia’s outstretched arms.