The Group of Heroes started to huddle together. They had to formulate a plan against Lillian.

Jarred stared down the patient, Lillian, waiting for their next attack. "We need another plan of attack. Sylph, do you think you can slow her down?"

"Aside from the earth magic, I would have to get close to her to do that. But I think I can manage."

"Alright, then I'll be the distraction then!"

Ragnar charged forth without hesitation. Jarred, surprised, Followed behind. "Hey wait!"

Ranar switched his shield into an Ax, swinging it at Lillian. She blocks the attack with the back of her hands. Not far behind, Jarred attacks Lillian as well, forcing her to use her other hand to parry his attack.

Ragnar used the opportunity to reverse swing his ax, aiming for the torso. This was met by another block. Lillian felt a heft from this latest blow. Ragnar's eyes started to glow green.

Like a phantom, his ax passed right through her, leaving no traces of injury. Both Ragnar and his ax then started to glow red hot like hot magma. He was now posed and ready to strike.

"Ready yourself, Jarred," Ragnar said.

"Huh?" Lillian quickly came to a realization that Jarred was gone. She looked back to see Jarred's eyes glowing green, charging up an attack.

"I'm already a step ahead!"

Lillian could only smile. "Sneaky, sneaky."

Ragnar's ax scorched hot as Jarred’s sword became heavier and dense. They finally attempted a joint attack with all the power flowing through them.

A loud bang was heard as Lillian completely dodged the attacks in time. However, she then found Sylph dropping from above. This shocking move left Lillian befuddled as Sylph landed hard on her stomach where she stood. It looked as though this would break Lillian's back, but amazingly enough, she stood.

"What the hell?" Lillian blurted.

Sylph sat herself on Lillian’s stomach and hung on using her legs to hug Lillian's as she channeled some strange magic. Lillian then started to see her body glowing faintly red before Sylph aimed her palms at her head.

"Take this!"

A burst of flames came through seemingly searing Lillian's head. Sylph then let out a bigger burst feeling something off. Suddenly, Lillian’s eyes peered out from the flames.

“H-how is she- Aaaahhhhh!!!”

The flame was immediately stopped as Lillian crushed Sylph's hands with her own!

Sylph could only scream out in pain as both hands were crushed. She fell off Lillian hard, unable to clasp her hands.

Lillian didn't waste any time kicking Sylph back into the ice wall. a burst of wind magic dissipated from her face.

Ragnar rushed over to help a now distressed Sylph. Lillian scowled, watching them. Looking back at her hair, she became pissed seeing her hair now burnt and singed.

Lillian held out her hand to use some magic on Sylph but was suddenly sliced off by Jarred, whose sword was glowing red hot. Despite the effective attack, Lillian didn't flinch. She only gave an unamused glance at Jarred before using her other hand to counter him.

She proceeded to grab him by the throat picking him up where he stood. "This is still too easy. Let me give you three, another boost."

Lillian threw Jarred with his other companions; he slid on his back hard upon reaching Sylph and Ragnar, who were using the last of their vitality potions.

"Jarred, are you alright?" Ragnar hurried to give Jarred a vial of the green liquid. Their bodies suddenly glowed golden once more. They all looked to Lillian to find her, regrowing the hand she had just lost.

"Damn it. Just when I thought we made progress." Jarred’s frustration shone through as he continued to look at Lillian with contempt.

Sylph joined Ragnar and Jarred; her hands now healed thanks to the vitality potion. She whispered. "I don't think she's noticed yet… This could be our chance to turn to the tables."

Ragnar and Jarred agreed with this sentiment. "Your right, without that spell, it'd be a lot harder to cut through her," Jarred said, still gazing at Lillian.

"You're telling me. It was like cutting through a mountain with her." Ragnar posed with his ax. "Perhaps this time, I can cut all the way through."

Everyone was ready for battle once more. Sylph buffed her allies with spells and barriers before they again took off to battle Lillian.

Both men clashed with Lillian. She confidently parried and blocked each of the men's attacks. They could see they were much stronger and faster, yet they still couldn't get an opening on her.

Rocks and dirt flung through the air from Sylph's constant attempt to trap Lillian, a futile effort to slow her down. Each attempt ended in failure as the battlefield soon became entrenched with dust.

Finally realizing her own futility, Sylph changed plans, conjuring fireballs right above everyone. With a swift motion of her arm, it rained fire upon the battlefield and fireballs showing complete disregard for her companions.

Luckily enough they were able to avoid the Fireballs in time. "Damn it Sylph! Give us a warning next time." Jarred yelled.

"There won't be a next time unless we defeat her!" she retorted.

Clouds of smoke dissipated from the firefly field of stone, showing Lillian fine, aside from the few scorches on her body. She smiled with content and raised her hand to show her bleeding index finger.

"If this is all your three got…"

A drop of blood dripped from Lillian's fingers. Upon contacting the floor, a wave of disorientation hit the three Heroes. They looked around to find themselves somewhere else entirely.

"That's much better," Lillian said.

A pinging sound was heard. Once again, they moved to a different location. They all stood in different stances as if preparing to launch an attack. Fatigue instantly overcame the three.

They looked around for Lillian to find her battered. They watched as she was healed of her wounds, regenerating from her wounds and scratches.

"You three may not know this, but demons like me-"

PING

"Are able to use a sixth kind of magic aside from the fire, earth, water, wind and holy." They all switched places again.

PING

This time, they all surrounded Lillian again, posed to do something, but they didn't remember what that was.

"They call this ‘Blood Magic’. Hmmm…. although if memory serves me correctly… the more direct human translation would be-"

PING

"Demon Magic…" Lillian disappeared from their line of sight.

The three turned around to find Lillian to be sitting on a broken-off piece of rock from the terrain.

She pinched her finger to get some blood to come out.

"There are apparently many variations to this magic. But mine, in particular, allows me to manipulate the mind to an extent." Blood drips on the floor.

They all now lay in separate locations on the battlefield. Ragnar was cratered into the rocky ground, Sylph lay back onto the ice wall, and Jarred was bleeding on the ground. They were each battered, bruised, and burned. And by some miracles, they were all alive.

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"It allows me to erase a person's more recent memories. At most, I can usually erase a year." Lillian bent down to meet Jarred’s hazy eyes. "But I can probably do more than that now."

Their vision started to blur and become fuzzy. The heart slowed down. The Light in their eyes started to dim.

"Oh, yeah. You all have one last chance." Lillian snapped

her fingers.

her fingers for all of them to start healing. All three of the Heroes were enveloped by a warm embrace of Lillian's healing magic. Slowly, the wounds started to heal, and the fatigue left their bodies. This power once again served as a reminder to them that the Demon Queen before them was, in fact, also the Saintess.

Feeling more energized, they got up, only to find themselves glowing gold once more. "This will be your tenth boost, so make good use of it." Everyone was stunned by Lillian's statement.

"T-tenth?" Sylph asked questionably. She was shocked by this strange revelation.

"Oh, yeah. I did erase your memories of most of the battle, didn't I?" Lillian started to chuckle to herself.

Jarred looked at his sword and found that it chipped throughout the blade. Ragnar's shield was also quite battered and close to falling apart.

They all looked at Lillian to find that she was starting to breathe visibly. Not only that, but some of her wounds were not healing. They could finally see that their fight was not in vain.

Jarred posed himself ready to battle once more. "Ragnar!! Sylph!!!" Their attention immediately turned to Jarred.

"Let's go all out! And whatever you do, don't stop attacking!" Understanding Jarred completely, they all became Serious.

They had to bring out all the stops to defeat the Demon Queen.

In a last-ditch attempt, Ragnar and Jarred charged forth to once again try to overwhelm Lillian with numbers. She retaliates by scorching the rocky terrain around her with fire. Fortunately for both Ragnar and Jarred, Sylph joined in blowing away the fire with her wind magic to snuff out the fire.

The two men attacked simultaneously with great heft, using both their skills to break through; Ragnar with his transmuted Magma skin and Jarred with his Elemental fire slash attack. Lillian, with a show of great power, catches both of the attacks just barely in time.

"Amazing! It looks like you three remember unconsciously what happened earlier even if your memories are erased."

Sylph came from behind with a water magic encasing her head.

Lillian glanced back slightly as she thought to herself. "Heh. She's too far for me to reach her with my tail, but…"

A wave of wind magic swirled fiercely around Lillian, expanding quickly and pushing everyone else away. This canceled Sylph earlier Magic.

"And now." Lillian looks up to find a big exploding fireball above her. It started coming down on her at a steady pace. The heroes, understanding the implications, clustered together, and Ragnar used his ability to help cloak them with his Phantom Skin.

Seeing the big attack, Lillian simply pointed a finger into the sky with a little yellow Fireball at its end and launched it. It soon reached the huge one exploding upon contact. This tiny burst of fire caused Sylph’s ultimate attack to explode prematurely.

The explosion enveloped the entire sky. The heat of the magic attack could be felt for miles on end. Even residents from a small village could feel it.

"H-hold on! That's my magic," Sylph yelled.

Lillian gave a smile. "After a while of fighting you all, your attacks have gotten a little more predictable. I think this is your third time using this strange combination magic." Lillian conjured forth another yellow ball of fire in the palm of her hands tauntingly.

She launched it straight past the heroes, allowing it to explode behind them. “But very powerful too.”

Sylph can only grit her teeth in frustration since that exploding fireball was her magnum opus of her study of magic.

"I never would've thought that earth magic with just a little bit of fire could give such an interesting result. I commend you. Sylph."

Sylph starts to become more exhausted. "H-hey Sylph are you alright!?" Jarred was worried. "I put almost everything I had into that one attack."

"Sylph, how could you be so reckless? Can you walk?" Jarred questioned.

Sylph could only shake her head.

“I’m at my limit too,” Ragnar added.

Jarred paused. As he stood, Lillian started to grow another explosive fireball in the palm of her hands with a gaze that revealed her growing impatience.

"Sylph!”

“Ragnar!"

Jarred's call brought his companions attention to him.

"Please! Lend me your power!" Jarred lifted his head to reveal his eyes glowing yellow. “So that we might defeat her!”

Without hesitation, his two companions placed their hands on his shoulder, their eyes glowing yellow. A swirl of power came forth into Jarred's sword; it started to be enveloped by the midst of the colors that collided together into a brilliant gold.

"Alright, Demon Queen. You better be ready!"

Lillian could only look on in surprise. Shockingly enough, even Lillian's eyes started to glow yellow. Lillian's face then contorted to that of Awe, followed by shock and into a maniacal Laugh. Her eyes soon returned to their normal red.

Although taken aback by this, Jarred didn't Let Lillian's sudden madness stop him from charging forth with his newfound powers. Amid this charge, Lillian launched the explosive fireball at him, which had very little effect on him.

Lillian looked upon Jarred charging at her as the other two stood back, holding out their hands as if bestowing power. "So, this is the true power of the blessings you bestowed upon us. All for the sake of maintaining your own balance… well…"

Lillian gazed upon the sky before closing her eyes. Jarred swung his now golden blade down at her, leaving a trail of gold mist.

“You want me to die here… But…”

"I REFUSE!"

Lillian caught the blade with her two hands. Once more, it became a game of strength between two opposing forces. The sheer power from the sword was starting to cut and shred off pieces of Lillian and her clothes.

As Jarred continued to focus his power on this one last attack, he couldn't help but glance up at Lillian. He couldn't help but to be stunned as he saw Lillian's face suddenly looking so kind and gentle.

"I’m Sorry… that it had to end this way…"

Lillian's statement left Jarred befuddled as the power he once had quickly left him. "W-what the-"

Lillian quickly grabbed his sword with one hand and used the other to burn a hole right through his stomach with immense fire magic. Jarred fell to his knees and collapsed onto his arms. He could only hunch over, reeling from the newfound pain.

Lilian dropped his platinum sword right beside him. She then gave a long sigh. "That's unfortunate. It looks like you're the only one left…" Lillian stated.

Blood was whipped past Jarred, splattering on the ground before him.

Confused, Jarred looked back the best he could to find his companions on the floor bloodied. And between the two of them was a blue demon decked in heavy gray-looking armor and a purple cape. He recognized the demon despite the differently shaped horns.

Jarred froze from fear. "N-no way."

"So, you're the one that dispersed my Barrier. I said that I wanted to deal with them myself, Lucius."

"Is it wrong for a King to worry for his Queen? Besides, it seems you've exhausted yourself using your blood magic. You need to be more careful with that."

Lucius approached Lillian. putting his hands on her shoulder. He leaned in, whispering in her ear, "I can take it from here if I want."

"No… I'll Finish it." she quickly retorted.

"Are you sure?" Lucius started to sound a little worried. "Yes, think of this as my ultimate show of loyalty if you wish."

"You've already done so time and time again.” Lucius sighed. “But if you insist, so be it."

Lucius trotted off before stopping once more. "Oh, and what about your sister?"

"I'll carry her home if you don't mind." Lillian looked back at Lucius with a smile.

Jarred didn't understand, as Kalika had turned into nothing not too long ago. He looked up to find a bare Kalika lying on the ground, slumbering. Her hands and feet were regenerating as if she were not human.

It wasn't long before Lucius tore off his cape and covered Kalika with it. He went on his way soon after.

"H-how is she alive?" Jarred questioned. He was almost frightened.

"You see... Eighteen years ago, the very same day I was falsely executed… and the very same day I became a demon… was when we discovered that she was immortal."

Lillian sat in front of Jarred, crossing her legs as if to unwind. "I was so happy to find out her Immortality. You have no idea, the joy and relief I felt..."

Lillian sighed then looked up at the sky above them, her smile becoming more bitter. "To be honest, When I found that I became a demon. I was so scared. In just a moment I killed those I cherished just purely on instinct. Instinct I couldn't control or understand... And when I finally killed my sister, my thoughts turned to killing the Demon King and then..."

Lillian stopped herself, looking back at Jarred, whose breathing was starting to slow and become heavier. "But that didn't happen… Instead, she came back to life. During that time, I thought it might have been a blessing from God Cassell. But..."

Lillian grabbed Both of Jarred's hands, clasping them together. "Do you have anyone you love so much that you'd do anything for them? Even if it means they would have to endure a lot of pain."

Jarred looked up. He was trying to stay conscious. "I can't say that I do."

"Well, I can say that I do. My sister, in fact... She's the only reason I'm still around fighting for the Demon King's dream."

"D-dream?"

"Yes."

Jarred couldn't help but chuckle a little. "I didn't know demons could dream."

"Yes. Well… We all have dreams. It's just the matter that some are snuffed out faster than others. while others thrive."

Lillian finally started to get up, walking to her sister as Jarred took his final breaths.

Suddenly, grabbed her tail, his grip slipping fast. Lillian glanced back, curious.

“If you loved… Your sister… Why do you still torment her?” Jarred wheezed, trying to stay conscious.

“Because… I still haven’t forgiven her…”

Lillian proceeded to pick Kalika up in her arms before turning back one last time to Jarred who was struggling to hold himself up.

"But don’t worry, I’ve long since abandoned tormenting her…” Lillian opened her mouth to say something. But then she realized that Jarred had already passed. She bit her lips, turning from the scene. “Until next we meet… Hero."

Kalika woke up, finding herself being cradled in Lillian's arms. She saw that Lillian was bloodied and bruised; she then looked around very confused.

"What? Where's the-"

"Don't look back, Kalika." Lillian stated.

Kalika really wanted to look back but then heard an audible thud. She quickly changed her mind upon realizing that whatever lies behind them would only serve to send her into further despair.

"There's nothing left for us to go back to anyways…"

She clutched her hands in frustration. The very thought of their deaths started to weigh heavy. But even more so, she felt completely exhausted and overwhelmed. After all, it only felt like three days to Kalika despite almost ten years already passing by.

With a defeated tone, Kalika speaks up. "Lily…" Lillian turned her attention back to her sister.

"I get it. Okay… I get it. " Lillian looked back up, staying silent.

"I promise. I won't do it again. I won't try to escape again. If that's what you want… I… I "

Kalika stopped. feeling overwhelmed by guilt, she thought bitterly to her, “I couldn’t even do a thing… What am I so weak?”

Kalika, understanding that Lillian wouldn't respond, stayed quiet as they traveled back to the demon castle. Her thoughts filled with what ifs and further self-doubts. The very thoughts that she was now powerless to refute.

However, unknown to either of these sisters, an unavoidable chain of events would now unfold that could spell disaster for their world.