Black Eagles Hideout - Underground Arena

Zoha’s boots pressed firmly against the floor, the rhythmic click echoing softly through the wide corridors of the underground hideout. Soon, she made her way to the newly created command room which was created under Mistress Sera's direction.

The chamber was busy, with red-hooded figures moving with practiced urgency. The central table was littered with maps, charts, and scrolls, all smeared with the grime of countless hands.

While Zoha was walking, a young man greeted her. He glanced up from the weathered parchment he was studying, fingers stained with ink and dirt. “Madam Zoha, just got the latest word from the recruiters. Numbers are up. Even got some keen ones from the capital makin’ their way in.”

Zoha inclined her head as she stepped closer to the central table. Her long fingers traced the paths marked on the maps, the glow of the arcane runes reflecting off her polished nails. “And what of their loyalty."

“No worries there, Madam,” another operative chimed in. He adjusted his hood, the red fabric casting shadows over his scarred face. “We made it real clear what happens if they try to run."

“Good, and what about preparations for the next phase?” Zoha asked out loud.

“Almost set, we’ve secured the supplies, and the lads are ready to move. Just waitin’ on your say-so.”

“Good, stay vigilant. We cannot afford any mistakes.”

The Black Eagle members nodded before returning to their tasks with renewed intensity. Zoha lingered for a moment longer, looking over the maps and plans before her. And soon, the soft rustle of parchment, the faint clink of glass vials, and the steady hum of conversation filled the chamber like a familiar melody. Doesn't look like there's anything out of order.

But then, a distant, muffled explosion reverberated through the walls. The sound was barely more than a vibration in the air, yet it carried a weight that stilled every movement.

The hum of activity died instantly, as if the breath of the room had been sucked out. What was that?

Zoha’s eyes narrowed into sharp slits, senses sharpening as she tilted her head slightly to listen with an intensity that set her skin tingling. The explosion hadn’t been close enough to cause immediate damage, but the tremor it sent out was unmistakable. That explosion came from deeper in the underground, not too far from here though.

Before she could form the words to issue an order, the doors at the far end of the room were flung open with extreme force. The sound of metal crashing against stone echoed sharply, filling the sudden silence like a death knell.

A Black Eagle member stumbled through the doorway, half-collapsing against the frame before he pushed himself forward. His face was now exposed streaked with blood, the red of his cloak torn and singed as if he had walked through a furnace. Smoke clung to him, curling in tendrils around his limbs as he swayed on unsteady feet.

“Madam… Zoha…There's a—"

Before he could say anything else, a blinding flash of red lightning split the air, the brilliance of it searing into the chamber with an unnatural ferocity. The energy struck the man with a precision that seemed almost deliberate, his body convulsing violently as the arcane power coursed through him.

He collapsed to the floor in a twisted heap, the smoke from his remains curling upwards, mingling with the stench of burnt flesh that quickly filled the chamber. Zoha had to take a step back as she tried to fathom what had just happened.

While the gang members scrambled for cover, Zoha stood frozen for a moment longer. I sense a presence… someone strong is nearby.

Zoha’s form coalesced from the swarm of flies, her cloak settling around her shoulders as she stood in a vast corridor supported by several large metallic pillars. She took in the scene quickly, looking from one fallen Black Eagle to the next, each one felled by the same brutal efficiency.

The woman responsible stood in the center of the destruction. Her blue hair shimmered like a veil of icy water, while her red eyes glowed with an unwavering intensity. Red lightning arced from her fingertips, cutting down the last of the unfortunate souls who had tried to challenge her.

Zoha recognized her immediately: Inquisitor Haziel. There were no unnecessary cruelties, only the cold calculation of a woman that transcended humanity.

Reaching beneath her cloak, Zoha’s fingers curled around the hilt of her dagger. With a swift, silent motion, she dissolved into a cloud of flies, the swarm surging forward in a dark wave that rippled through the air, reappearing behind Haziel in an instant.

Zoha moved to strike, aiming to drive her blade into the Inquisitor’s spine, but the Inquisitor spun with inhuman speed, hands snapping back. Red lightning exploded from her fingertips, and the demoness barely had time to register the attack before the searing energy slammed into her.

The force hurled her backward with terrifying velocity, smashing through a metal pillar with a deafening crash. She hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from her lungs. Zoha gasped, pain lancing through her ribs as she struggled to rise.

Through the ringing in her ears, Zoha heard the measured steps of Haziel approaching. There was no hurry in the Inquisitor’s stride, no trace of arrogance or malice. She moved like a predator that knew its prey was already caught. Arrogant bitch.

Zoha pushed herself up, one hand pressed against the cold stone floor for support. Haziel’s figure loomed closer, her red eyes devoid of emotion as she regarded Zoha with the same indifference she might show to a broken tool. "I always suspected you were demon scum."

“And you shouldn’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong,” Zoha growled.

Haziel’s expression did not change. There was no anger, no amusement: only a chilling detachment. “I'll do as I please."

Zoha braced herself, tensing as Haziel’s words lingered in the air like a chilling wind. The Inquisitor moved without hesitation, the red lightning in her hand snapping into the shape of a long, crackling sword.

Then, Haziel lunged forward. Zoha barely had time to react, her instincts taking over as she dissolved into a swarm of flies. The sword cut through the space she had occupied a split second before, the crackle of energy singing through the air.

The demoness reformed behind one of the towering metal pillars, breathing sharp and quick. There was no room for error, no chance to catch her breath. I have to keep moving, can't let her get to me.

Stolen novel; please report.

Haziel advanced, red eyes locked onto Zoha as she slashed her lightning blade through the pillar. The metal groaned under the force of the attack, tearing apart as the blade cleaved through it effortlessly.

Zoha flitted to the side, shifting into flies once more to avoid the deadly strike. She reappeared a few feet away, dagger clenched tightly in her hand as she tried to find an opening, but Haziel gave her none.

The Inquisitor was already upon her, the sword slicing through the air with unerring accuracy. Zoha ducked and weaved, using the pillars as cover, but Haziel’s attacks were relentless. Each swing of the sword sent sparks flying as it struck stone and metal alike.

Zoha retaliated when she could, sending her swarm of flies to distract Haziel. But the Inquisitor’s lightning was too fast. She swatted the insects away with bursts of red energy, her movements never faltering as she pressed her attack.

In one moment, Zoha slashed with her dagger and aimed for Haziel’s side, but the blade met only empty air as the Inquisitor sidestepped the strike with ease. Haziel pivoted, her sword flashing in a deadly arc. Zoha twisted her body to avoid the blow, but the tip of the blade caught her shoulder, the searing heat of the lightning burning through her cloak and into her exoskeleton.

Immediately, She ducked behind another pillar, breath coming in ragged gasps as she tried to assess her situation. Haziel is much faster and stronger than me. I'll have to play this smart.

The corridor seemed to shrink around her, the walls closing in as Haziel drove her back with every swing of her sword. Zoha’s back hit one of the pillars, and she knew she was running out of room to maneuver.

But before she could act, Haziel’s sword flashed again, the blade slamming into the pillar just inches from Zoha’s head. The force of the impact sent a shockwave through the stone, cracks spiderwebbing out from the point of contact. Zoha’s eyes widened as the pillar began to crumble, the heavy metal and stone toppling toward her.

She shifted into her swarm form just in time, the flies dispersing into the air as the pillar crashed to the ground. Zoha reappeared on the other side of the corridor, her body shaking with the effort of maintaining her form. She barely had a moment to catch her breath before Haziel was on her again, the Inquisitor’s sword crackling with red lightning as she slashed at Zoha again and again.

Zoha ducked and rolled, dagger flashing as she tried to strike back, but Haziel was too fast. The Inquisitor parried every attack, her movements fluid and controlled, never giving Zoha an inch.

Then, with a final, devastating swing, Haziel struck. The red lightning exploded from her sword, slamming into Zoha’s chest with the force of a battering ram. Zoha’s body was hurled through the air, crashing through yet another pillar with a bone-jarring impact. She hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from her lungs as she skidded to a stop against the cold floor.

Haziel walked forward with the same measured steps. “I expected more from a demon."

Zoha lay on the ground, pain radiating through every fiber of her being. But she refused to stay down. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up and forced her body to obey. Purple blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, but she wiped it away with the back of her hand.

“I was just getting started."

Zoha straightened, her body protesting every movement, but the defiance in her eyes never wavered. She reached into the folds of her cloak and drew out a sewing needle, its length gleaming faintly in the dim light of the corridor.

Haziel’s gaze was fixed on Zoha, unblinking. The air around the Inquisior thrummed with barely restrained power, the tension coiling tighter with every passing second. Slowly, she lifted her hand, the skin of her palm tingled as arcs of red lightning crackled at her fingertips, flickering and dancing like a serpent poised to strike.

Zoha responded with a measured calm that was almost unsettling. She took a slow step forward while her fingers curled loosely around the slender needle she held, the cool metal pressing lightly against her palm. It seemed so small, so insignificant in the face of the power crackling between them, yet the demoness wielded it with the confidence of someone who knew its deadly potential.

The Inquisitor's expression remained cold as she flicked her wrist. Red lightning shot forth, surging with blinding speed. The corridor lit up with a harsh, crimson light, the heat from the lightning singeing the very air around it.

But in the instant before the lightning struck, Zoha's body dissolved into a swirling cloud of black flies. The transformation was instantaneous, the insects dispersing in all directions with a frenzied buzz.

Haziel’s lightning bolt shot through the space where Zoha had stood, the energy slamming into the ground with a sizzling crack. The stone beneath it blackened and cracked, tendrils of smoke curling up from the point of impact.

For a moment, everything fell almost completely silent. Haziel stood perfectly still, muscles coiled and ready to strike again. Her sword remained poised, the blade humming with residual energy.

Then, without warning, Haziel’s hand jerked to the side. Her movements were always precise, controlled, but this time there was a split-second of hesitation, an almost imperceptible falter. A sharp, stinging pain shot through her finger. The Inquisitor's eyes widened slightly, the first crack in her otherwise stoic facade.

She glanced down at her hand, and what she saw made her breath catch: a clean, bloodied stump where her finger had been. Zoha reappeared behind one of the towering metal pillars, the needle in her hand now trailing a thin, almost invisible thread that shimmered in the faint light. The thread was taut, leading back to where Haziel’s severed finger lay on the ground.

Zoha pulled the thread with a flick of her wrist. The needle moved like a dancer in her hand, weaving through the air with a grace that belied its lethal intent.

Haziel's eyes flicked up just in time to see the thread flash past her, slicing through the air with lethal precision. She twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the razor-sharp line as it whipped by, the force of it so intense that it whistled through the air, slicing clean through one of the towering metal pillars behind her.

The pillar groaned as it started to collapse. The Inquisitor's eyes widened slightly as she realized what was happening, her cold composure cracking ever so slightly as the massive structure tilted and fell.

Zoha's lips curled into a smile, a dark satisfaction glinting in her eyes. She had never intended to strike Haziel directly; the pillar was her target all along.

She watched as the colossal metal structure teetered, then crashed down with a deafening roar, the ground trembling under the force of the impact. Dust and debris filled the air, the corridor shaking as the pillar slammed into the stone floor, trapping Haziel beneath its immense weight. A clean hit.

For a moment, silence reigned. Dust swirled in the air, obscuring everything in a thick, suffocating cloud. Zoha stood still, her needle poised, her eyes fixed on the wreckage where Haziel had been. She's still alive.

Then, with a blinding flash of red lightning, the pillar exploded. Chunks of metal and stone were sent flying in every direction, the force of the blast knocking Zoha back. She shielded her face with her arm as the debris rained down around her.

When the dust finally began to settle, Haziel emerged from the wreckage, her form illuminated by the crackling arcs of red lightning that danced around her. She was battered, but she was very much intact.

Without hesitation, she dashed toward Zoha once again. The demoness reacted instantly, as she flicked the needle through the air. The almost invisible threads she controlled sprang to life, spreading out like a spider's web, weaving through the corridor. The threads caught Haziel mid-air, ensnaring her in a deadly embrace before she could reach.

Haziel’s momentum halted abruptly, her body jerking to a stop as the threads tightened around her. She struggled, the red lightning that surrounded her flaring with intensity as she tried to break free, but the threads were too many, too strong. They dug into her skin, slicing through her clothes, binding her like a fly caught in a web. The more she struggled, the tighter the threads became, pulling her limbs taut, suspending her in the air.

Zoha’s eyes gleamed with a cold satisfaction as she watched the Inquisitor struggle. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured more needles that quickly materialized in her grasp.

Then, she hurled them at Haziel, the needles embedding themselves into the Inquisitor’s neck with sickening precision. The threads that connected to the needles pulled tighter, forcing Haziel's head back as the sharp tips dug into her flesh.

The Inquisitor gasped as pain radiated through her body. But her eyes remained fixed on Zoha, the fury within them intensifying, growing into something dangerous. The red lightning that crackled around her began to build, the arcs growing thicker, more violent, until they were almost blinding in their brilliance. The air around her hummed with energy, the pressure building as the power within her threatened to explode outward.

Zoha could feel the change, the shift in the air as Haziel’s power grew. The threads that held her began to vibrate, the force of the lightning straining against them, pushing them to their limits.

The demoness's smile faltered slightly as she realized that Haziel was on the verge of breaking free. Oh shit.