Chapter 14
"I lost…"
Sorial's grip on his blade tightened until his knuckles went white. His face was pale.
He was not strong enough.
He had known it. Deep down, he always had. He told himself that if he went all out, if he pushed past his limits, maybe he could stand a chance.
But reality crushed that hope.
The devil was simply too powerful. Too skilled.
A disappointed scoff echoed from above.
It reached Sorial's ears like judgment.
He looked up.
The devil gazed down at him, disappointment etched clearly across his handsome face.
"You have grown weaker, little Sorial," he said calmly. "Extremely so."
His red eyes narrowed slightly.
"It seems having a family has made you relaxed these past years. You stopped focusing on your growth."
He shook his head, voice filled with disdain.
"This is why you humans are pathetic. Wasting time building bonds that only weaken you."
His lips curled.
"Do not worry. I will rid you of all that soon."
His red eyes glowed faintly.
"I will cleanse this world of you all. Very soon."
Sorial's grip tightened further.
He glanced back at his family.
Their frightened, worried expressions cut deeper than any blade. Hurt more than any wound burning through his body.
If nothing else…
He wanted them to live.
Sorial looked back to the sky.
The devil hovered there once more, calm and serene, three dreadful daggers circling his body like omens of death.
Sorial spoke, his voice loud and steady despite everything.
"Let my family go," he said. "This is between you and me."
His eyes hardened.
"There is no need to involve the innocent. Keep the damage between us."
The devil stared at him in silence for a long moment.
Then his gaze shifted.
Not directly to their faces.
But to their hair.
White.
Almost all of them.
Only the younger boy, no more than six, had strands of black mixed in.
That meant only one thing.
Pure Trystan blood.
The devil shook his head slowly, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Why settle for one trophy," he said softly, "when I can have five?"
Sorial's face dropped.
His teeth clenched so hard they ached.
He cursed the day he ever met this devil.
This monster wearing human skin.
His goal had been clear for a very long time.
The devil was not after him because he was strong.
Not because he was once a Gold Shural.
Not because he wielded a powerful Azura.
Not even because of their past.
No.
It was because of the Trystan bloodline.
He wanted it.
Sorial did not know what he intended to use it for.
But whatever it was…
It was something terrible.
Something unforgivable.
Sorial raised his odachi and pressed it against his chest.
Then he cut.
The mark was deep. Brutal.
Blood spilled freely.
He closed his eyes, channeling his light essence. When it fully surged, he did something he had not done in a very long time.
He activated his domain.
His eyes snapped open.
A torrent of violent tornadoes erupted around them, forming instantly. They roared as they expanded, surrounding the devil completely.
Hexagonal ripples spread from each tornado, weaving together into an energy barrier that sealed him inside.
Sorial was not foolish enough to believe it would hold him for long.
If his domain had been fully awakened, maybe there would have been a chance.
But now…
He could only bind him for a few seconds.
And that was enough.
For what he was about to do.
The white core gleaming deep within his chest pulsed violently as Sorial burned his essence.
Brighter.
Hotter.
His blue eyes blazed as power flooded his body. He felt stronger, faster, closer to the edge than ever before.
He would go all out.
Sacrifice anything. Everything.
As long as they were safe.
This mess was his doing.
And he would be the one to clean it up.
Now.
Sorial surged forward, his speed doubling, no, surpassing what it had ever been. Space warped around him as he clashed with the devil once more.
The storm surrounding them shook violently.
Tornadoes screamed as cracks spread across the barrier containing them. It trembled on the verge of collapse, threatening to unleash the full force of the sky's fury onto the already ruined city below.
Gazel, Jarren, Karren, and their mother watched with terror and fragile hope tangled together.
Even the demons stared.
Their eyes shone with reverence.
It was not every day they witnessed their lord fight. Not just standing before them, but unleashing his might in battle.
It was… beautiful.
The clash raged on.
Sorial fought with everything he had, burning his essence recklessly. It was dangerous. Suicidal even.
But he did not care.
If he could wound the devil.
If he could buy them time.
That was enough.
Yet he knew the truth.
If this continued, he would lose.
The devil had not even revealed his true form. He fought calmly, aloof, as if raging steel and monstrous power meant nothing to him.
As if order itself bent to his will.
As if his might was absolute.
"Do you think dad is winning?" Jarren asked softly, his gaze locked on the colossal battle far away.
No one answered.
Because none of them knew.
Their mother did.
Worry flickered through her eyes.
She plucked several strings of her guqin. Her essence poured out as she played the final note.
A massive wave of sound exploded outward.
It plunged into the demons' ears, sharp and violent, shredding their senses in an instant.
"Go," she said firmly, looking at Karren. "Leave this city now."
"Protect them."
Karren's eyes burned with worry. "What about you and dad?"
"We will make it out," their mother replied. "I will make sure of that."
With those words, she rose into the air and joined the colossal battle.
Karren closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe.
Calm.
Then she turned to her brothers.
Three of them.
Trent was still asleep in Gazel's arms.
"What are you waiting for?" she snapped. "Run."
They moved.
Leaving the battlefield behind.
Leaving their parents to face the devil and his pawns.
They sprinted through the ruined streets of Bladyso City, desperate to break into the open.
Then it happened.
A subtle sensation brushed across Karren's face.
Her expression hardened instantly.
She leaped.
Her black whip snapped through the air, slicing cleanly through two demon heads before they could react.
She landed and scanned their surroundings.
Demons.
Everywhere.
Dozens. Maybe hundreds.
Karren tightened her grip on the whip, eyes cold.
"Get the hell out of our way," she said, her voice sharp with threat.
The demons did not move.
They lunged.
Her blue eyes glowed faintly.
She turned to Jarren and Gazel.
"You two follow me. I will cleanse the path."
Energy surged into her whip.
She struck.
TO BE CONTINUED.....
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