3rd Person POV
Orick's monstrous bear form, crackling with red energy, loomed like a nightmare against the darkened sky, yet Duke, half his size, matched his ferocity. What Duke lacked in raw power, he made up for in relentless speed.
Orick swiped, his claws tearing through the air with enough force to shatter boulders. Duke dodged, barely a shadow, his silver fur streaking across the battlefield. He was everywhere at once, snapping at Orick's limbs, tearing into exposed patches of flesh, never staying still long enough for Orick to land a direct hit. With David nearby, he applied light magic to help boost Duke's speed and strength, but even then, Orick was far superior compared to Duke.
Orick tried to aim for Leah and David, but the 2 phoenix nearby swooped in to move them out of the way as Duke intercepted him.
Orick roared, swinging his massive paw. Duke ducked low, teeth sinking into the bear's forearm. Orick flinched, but the blackened lightning flared, and Duke was forced to release, landing several meters away. He growled low, his hackles bristling, poised to attack again. The two titans met in another blinding rush. Orick's power was overwhelming, each swipe of his claws tearing gouges into the earth, but Duke was unrelenting. He darted in and out, biting at Orick's legs, forcing him to adjust his stance as Duke circled around like a silver blur.
And then, Orick roared in frustration, abandoning speed for brute force. He slammed both paws into the ground, sending a shockwave of lightning through the earth. Duke leaped clear, but the delay gave Orick enough time to refocus. His glowing red eyes zeroed in on Leah and David, who were catching their breath by the shattered boulder. A dark grin spread across Orick's monstrous face. He lunged toward them, the ground trembling under his bulk.
Before his massive paw could land, a calm voice rang out.
"What's up?" the voice greeted.
Orick froze mid-swipe. Calvin was there, standing effortlessly in the bear's path. With a single hand, he caught the descending paw, stopping the massive clawed limb like it was nothing. Dust and debris exploded around him from the impact, but Calvin stood firm, his fingers tightening against Orick's arm.
"I'm back, bitch." Calvin said as his comrades disappeared from the scene and he teleported them away.
The ground beneath them splintered under the pressure as Orick pulled back, yanking his arm free with a furious roar. He staggered back several steps, his form beginning to shift again, shrinking and condensing.
"You're the first to push me this far," Orick growled, lightning arced wildly as the monstrous bulk shrank, shifting into something more compact yet infinitely more dangerous.
In moments, he stood before Calvin: a walking, towering dragonoid figure, 7m tall. His body was still coated in gray scales, but now he was leaner, every muscle honed to perfection. Razor-sharp claws extended from each finger, with wings sprouting from his back, and his tail lashed behind him like a whip. His red lightning spiraled across his form, crawling like hungry serpents. His entire being radiated raw, deadly power.
"This is my true form," Orick hissed, his lips curling into a smile filled with fangs, "I saved it just for you."
"You do realize that a dragon's human form looks just like a regular human, right?" Calvin retorted as Orick charged at him.
Orick shot forward, the earth exploding beneath his feet as he blurred toward Calvin at terrifying speed. His clawed hand slashed out in a lethal arc, red lightning trailing like a comet. Calvin's blade intercepted the strike perfectly, meeting Orick's claw mid-air. Sparks erupted as the impact shook the ground, shockwaves rippling outward and tearing the earth apart. Orick's strength pushed down, the sheer force enough to flatten mountains, but Calvin didn't falter.
Calvin then used that momentum that Orick had and deflected it to slice up the demon's body. Calvin's blade carved a deep gash across his torso. Instead of blood, a glowing, searing plasma oozed from the wound. The thick, molten energy didn't splatter to the ground, it drifted through the air, pulled toward Calvin's sword like a magnet.
The cursed blade glowed faintly as it absorbed the plasma. The energy hissed and sizzled, trailing into the blade's core. Orick staggered back, clutching his wound, eyes blazing with disbelief.
"How many cursed swords have you collected?" the demon asked.
"Plenty. You were mistaken to fight us during the time." Calvin answered.
Orick roared in fury, his wings unfurling as black lightning crackled around his entire body. He shot forward like a thunderbolt, claw outstretched to tear Calvin apart.
The claw met the cursed blade, sparks flying. The ground cratered beneath them, rocks splitting apart and trees erupting into splinters from the sheer force. Orick lashed out again with his other hand, claws streaking toward Calvin's side.
Calvin teleported.
He vanished just as the claws swept through empty air, reappearing a heartbeat later behind Orick. The sword slashed, cutting into Orick's back. Plasma erupted from the wound, once again pulled into the blade as the demon howled in pain. Orick spun and struck with a backhand swipe. Calvin blinked away, vanishing, and appearing on Orick's flank. He slashed again.
Orick bellowed, rage boiling over. His tail lashed out like a whip, smashing into the ground where Calvin stood. Another teleport and Calvin reappeared mid-air above the demon, sword raised high.
Orick raised his arm to block, claws sparking against steel as the cursed blade bit deep into his forearm. The ground erupted with the impact, dust, and debris shooting skyward. Orick screamed, his clawed feet stomping the earth as he shoved Calvin back with brute strength. The shockwave cracked nearby cliffs and flattened the remaining trees.
"You're starting to piss me off!" Orick roared.
Orick charged, his speed blinding. Calvin met him head-on. Claw and sword collided again and again, each strike shaking the terrain. Calvin ducked and weaved, every movement fluid as he countered Orick's relentless assault. The demon's claws tore massive gouges into the earth, shattering boulders and sending rubble flying with each miss.
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Calvin's blade danced, slashing and carving precise wounds in Orick's defenses. Each cut drained more plasma, the cursed sword feeding off the demon's energy.
"I'm pretty sure that my sword has anti-healing abilities, it should stop regeneration or at least slow down any healing magic...he's not casting any...but he's healing pretty quickly." Calvin thought in his head, "Based on the fact that there's no ghost nearby, he must have absorbed them...so healing would come at a cost, the ghosts...he should get weaker and weaker the longer this fight goes on, I should have this if this goes well."
Orick roared, wings flaring as he shot into the sky. His claws crackled with red lightning as he hurled twin bolts down at Calvin. The ground exploded on impact, shockwaves shaking the earth. Calvin teleported through the blasts, appearing mid-air behind Orick.
The demon spun, faster this time. Claw met blade in mid-air, sparks cascading like a fiery rain.
The two plummeted to the ground in a violent clash. Calvin teleported just before impact, reappearing a dozen meters away as Orick crashed into the earth like a meteor, leaving a smoking crater behind.
Orick shot up instantly, his body a blur. He charged through the dust cloud, claws outstretched, tearing through stone as he lunged.
Calvin blinked out of sight, reappearing just out of range.
"Running again?" Orick spat, black lightning swirling violently around his body and exploded, catching Calvin off guard as he then teleported far away.
Orick's face twisted with fury as he saw that Calvin got away with minimal damage. He leaped forward, his claws streaking through the air, striking faster now, faster than before. Calvin met every attack, his cursed blade intercepting each swipe with pinpoint precision. Sparks erupted, shockwaves booming with every clash. One of Orick's strikes slipped past Calvin's defense, his claws grazing Calvin's shoulder. The force sent Calvin sliding back.
"Got you." Orick smirked.
But Calvin vanished. He reappeared behind Orick in an instant, blade already swinging. The cursed blade cut deep into Orick's leg, and the demon howled as more plasma burst forth. The sword devoured the energy eagerly, its edge glowing brighter now due to the high quality of plasma. The demon tried to use his tail to whip at Calvin, but Calvin teleported again, reappearing and carving another gash into the demon's ribs.
Orick's rage hit its peak. Red lightning exploded from his body, surging outward in a storm of energy. Calvin teleported away, landing on a shattered ridge nearby as the earth was torn apart by the blast. Orick stood in the middle of the destruction, panting, his scales scorched and bleeding glowing plasma. His red eyes locked onto Calvin, seething with hatred as his lightning now turned black in color.
Orick roared as he charged, his massive form tearing through the shattered landscape, claws crackling with black lightning. Calvin didn't move, he simply lifted his free hand. Around him, the air shimmered unnaturally as large, swirling blobs of pure spatial distortion began to form. They hovered, writhing in and out of existence, pulsing abnormally.
Orick's claws shot forward, aiming to rip Calvin apart, but...
Voooom!
The nearest blob shifted instantly, homing in like a predator. Orick's claw met the distortion and vanished. Erased from existence in an instant, as if it had never been there.
Orick howled, stumbling back as the stump of his arm bled plasma.
"What is this?!" he exclaimed as it healed back.
Calvin didn't answer. He stepped forward, his cursed blade humming, while the spatial blobs began to drift and circle him faster. Two of the spatial blobs shot forward, homing onto Orick as if alive. The demon tried to dodge it, but one skimmed his side and exploded into a small sphere, causing a circular chunk of his torso to disappear, erased with a low hiss as the other tried to home back at him. It hit him, and had the same effect, causing him to stagger and try to get some distance.
Orick roared in frustration, summoning all his remaining strength. He lunged, claws surging with enough force to crack the earth beneath him. he flew in between the blobs that were sent forward and got in front of Calvin, but Calvin and the blob switched places, he couldn't slow down in time, did try to weave through it, but lost both his whole arms before he landed, which he healed back.
In an instant, Calvin teleported in front of the demon, sword striking out. Orick roared, bringing up his claws, but they collided with the spatial blobs, losing his arms once more as the blobs cut both his shoulders off.
"Damn you!" Orick bellowed at Calvin.
His regeneration kicked in again, but this time it was slower, weaker. The energy he burned to heal left him drained, his black lightning flickering erratically as it turned back to red.
Calvin pressed forward, relentless. More blobs formed, weaving around him like serpents. Each step forward sent another distortion after Orick, carving away at his body piece by piece. Orick roared in defiance, lunging wildly at Calvin, only for another blob to graze his leg, erasing it at the knee.
He crumbled to one knee, gasping, sweat dripping down his grey-scaled face. Calvin stopped a few paces away, the blobs now orbiting him in perfect, silent motion.
Throughout history, spatial exorcists have been rare and feared. Most possessed a single ability: teleportation. A dangerous skill on its own, it was used to devastating effect during wars. Armies would suddenly appear behind enemy lines, dropping onto unsuspecting enimies. Fortresses crumbled not from sieges, but from soldiers teleported directly into their hearts. Against humans, spatial magic was a weapon of chaos, reshaping battles in seconds.
But teleportation was only the surface of spatial magic's potential. Hidden within it was a far darker power, the ability to erase. Few dared explore that offensive side, for it was as cruel as it was absolute. Spatial distortions could unravel matter, swallowing anything they touched and leaving behind nothing. It's why spatial exorcists are sought after, the potential for that kind of ability is something that anyone would be willing to buy.
Calvin continued the assault. Orick tried everything, whether he was being on defensive or offensive, nothing mattered as Calvin overpowered him.
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Orick POV
The world trembled around me, just one footstep alone caused the earth to shake, but despite my power, nothing terrified me more than the man standing before me.
Calvin Silver.
I gasped for breath, my claws torn and broken, my once mighty form now shriveled and weak. My body had reverted to its original demon shape as the ghosts were used up to regenerate my form. He didn't say a word. Didn't look angry. Didn't look pleased. He was simply...resolute. That's what made it worse.
"W-Wait!" My voice cracked as I stumbled back, limbs shaking, "Please! I-this wasn't my fight! I was following orders!"
Calvin stepped forward, his cursed blade glowing with power, the very air bending around it. The blobs of spatial magic drifted closer, ominous and unstoppable. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to flee, to survive. I turned on my heel, bolting, my heart pounding so loud I couldn't hear myself think.
Please, someone! Anyone! My Lord!
I screamed in my head, calling out to the one I'd served without question. The one who promised salvation and power.
Help me! Save me! Please! I have served you for 5 decades!
For a moment, I heard it, the voice of my god. A soft, echoing murmur, like velvet laced with poison. It had always been my lifeline, my savior in the dark. He helped me make friends and helped introduce me to those who made me strong. I clung to that hope, tears streaking my face as I sprinted, clawing at the ground like a beast.
"You have done well, Orick." he said.
He's going to save me.
"Thank you for helping me gauge his strength. You have served your purpose." he said, "I no longer need you."
I froze mid-step, horror sinking in like ice in my chest. No…
"No!" I screamed aloud this time, my legs refusing to move, despair rooting me in place.
My master...my savior...my god had abandoned me.
Calvin's magic swallowed me before I could draw another breath.
The world disappeared in a haze of spiraling energy, my body torn apart, consumed entirely.
And then…nothing.
Not even silence.