The chamber cracked with pressure as Levi stepped forward, her crimson hair flowing like fire, horns glinting under the flashing alarms. Her gaze locked with the dragon general's violet eyes, a silent war of centuries reigniting in an instant.
General Shax lifted his massive blade, its edge humming with energy. "Eighteen hundred years, Levi. And still you crawl back from the grave, never thought that you're still alive. Leviathan."
Levi's wings tore free from her back with a sickening snap. Black feathers unfurled into vast, shadowed wings that stretched across the chamber, blotting out the emergency lights. The air reeked of ozone and ash.
"Crawl?" Her voice dripped venom. "I rise."
Then she struck.
The floor shattered beneath her as she lunged, claws wreathed in black fire. Shax met her with his blade, the collision shaking the entire wing of the lab. Metal buckled, sparks rained from broken lights, and the sound of their clash was thunder contained inside steel walls.
A shifter too slow to flee was ripped apart in the shockwave.
Levi's claws raked against the blade, leaving trails of burning black energy that hissed against Shax's aura. He retaliated with a sweeping strike, violet flames slashing through the air. Levi twisted, her wings snapping closed to shield her body. The strike tore into the wall instead, carving molten scars into the steel.
Jane, half-conscious on the floor, shielded her eyes from the blinding light. Her blood slicked the console. Every heartbeat was a battle. She blinked weakly, catching glimpses of red and violet colliding in a storm.
Levi's voice carried over the roar. "You want me, Dragon? Then come take me."
Shax snarled, thrusting forward. His blade pierced the floor where Levi had stood an instant before. She reappeared above him, wings beating once, twice, propelling her into the air. Her claws slashed downward, forcing Shax back with another explosion of force.
But then—her gaze flicked sideways.
Jane.
The little witch lay broken and bleeding, her stump pressed against her chest, eyes barely open. The sight cracked something in Levi's chest, hotter than rage, sharper than fury.
Shax noticed the flicker in her attention. He grinned, savage. "Ah. A weakness."
He surged forward.
Levi's hair flared crimson, her eyes glowing like twin suns. In a blur, she was at Jane's side, wings wrapping around them both as Shax's blade came crashing down. Steel met feathers—and the blade rebounded, sparks flying.
"Not her," Levi hissed.
With a single sweep of her wings, the black feathers turned into a storm of blades, driving Shax and his shifters back. The chamber groaned, its walls fracturing under the force.
Levi crouched, scooping Jane gently into her arms. Jane gasped faintly at the sudden movement, her head falling against Levi's shoulder.
"Stay awake, little witch," Levi murmured, her voice softer now, though it carried a deadly edge. "Guide me."
Jane's lips trembled, words weak but determined. "B–base… east tunnels… I can… show…"
Levi pressed her forehead briefly against Jane's, then looked back at Shax. The dragon raised his blade again, his aura a storm of violet flame.
But Levi didn't strike. Not now. Not with Jane's blood soaking her arm.
Her wings snapped open wide. With a single beat, the chamber erupted into chaos—papers, debris, ash spiraling in a hurricane as she blasted upward through the collapsing ceiling.
By the time Shax steadied himself, the Demon Queen and the witch were gone, swallowed by the night sky.
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