Goodbye, Friend…
With the air thick with the scent of charred remnants, Karyan faced the demon, the light of the golden flames was reflecting in his hardened gaze.
"Granx," he called with a voice like a thunderous command that shook the already unsettled ground beneath them.
As the serpents of flame danced around him, Karyan's one remaining hand clenched into a fist.
The old loss of his other limb was not a hindrance but a fuel to his burning mood.
A surge of energy filled him, his blood singing with the power of a phoenix reborn from the ashes of its own demise.
With a primal yell, he lunged at the demon, the raw energy coursed through him turning his movements into a blur.
The demon stumbled backward, caught off guard by the ferocious assault.
Karyan was relentless, each hit was like a burst of light in the dimness of their surroundings.
"Black mamba," he whispered, his voice cut through the fight.
From the inferno, a massive serpent arose, its body was made only of burning flames.
"Wh-what? How?"
The demon's eyes widened in fear as the fiery snake opened its jaws wide, ready to consume its prey.
The king's cries also managed to reach Karyan's ears, "He's dying! Save me!"
But Karyan's focus was on the demon alone; his purpose was clear, to kill what he needed to kill.
The demon that was a symbol of darkness, now seemed nothing more than a frail nut in the fire.
Its frantic attempts to escape were helpless against the overwhelming tide of Karyan's wrath.
"I'm a demon! How dare you!"
"So what?"
In the middle of everything, a soft plea reached Karyan. "Please… save me from myself…" It was Nedeira, her voice came out from within the demon's form
"You're still alive?" His heart ached.
He promised Nedeira her freedom…how he wanted to conquer everything, he hoped that Nedeira at least would die while being freed from this bullshit.
But if not scientists, the manager or the sorcerer, there was something else that took her body over, completely…
This demon.
But Karyan understood that the demon was dumb. Every black magic is borrowed and does not come naturally like the wielder's does.
He understood that within one body, the demon can only control one power, which now was under Nedeira.
So if she dies…"I'm sorry… let's meet in the next life," he whispered, making a silent vow to the once-kind soul he knew.
Sera, the serpent, reacted to Karyan's silent command, its fangs sank deep into the demon's neck.
"Aaah! Aaahhh! A snake?!!!"
The demon wailed, an agonizing scream that faded into a calm silence as the venom took hold.
"Sera is a special Lanta's pet, you will not escape her…" Karyan spoke loudly.
The once dark, lifeless eyes faded to white, like a struggle ending in a moment of eerie peace.
"Your reign of terror ends now," Karyan declared.
"With the wielder's power that summoned naturally, I'm taking your sources away."
The demon who was now limp, fell to the ground as the golden fire consumed it, leaving behind no trace of the malevolence that once stood before them.
The king, witnessing the fall of his last hope for salvation, wept openly.
His kingdom was in ruins, his power usurped by the very forces he sought to control.
Karyan turned to Reverie, who stood by his side, her eyes mirrored the fire that had raged moments before.
"Nedeira…is she…?"
"I'm afraid, yes…"
A golden butterfly landed on Reverie's shoulder, "I didn't know you well enough, but it hurts! It hurts me so much!" Water filled her eyes as her mouth trembled with her lips.
"I'm sorry, Nedeira…We're sorry…" she added.
The night was still, the only sounds were the crackling embers and the distant cries of those who had fled.
"What a mess we made here…"
"She was on our side, a powerful wielder…" Reverie continued.
"I know, and we'll miss her," Karyan replied while looking at the cracking fire.
"Nedeira, we'll do this for you…" Reverie pulled the black bug from her sleeve and threw it away.
"Why did you do that?" Karyan asked her.
"So the king will not be able to flee," she looked back where the bug landed to see the sorcerer's who once was a king praying on the cold grass.
"Ashes…it's what I will turn you into…" Karyan declared, slowly walking closer to the king.
He squatted down to the same level as the king was now, "long time no see, friend…"
"Pl-please! I had nothing to do with your execution! Please!"
"I sense the spirit is no longer surrounding you, and a coward like you cannot give me the answers I need…"
"I-I will tell you everything! I promise! Everything!"
"And dark magic is still surrounding you, so the demon you made a pact with can return…"
"Sin, I know you're alive, come here!"
"Ah, Karyan, you have no time to even mourn your friend…" Sin made a comment out of blue.
"Just land, I have some questions to ask you."
"Yes, Karyan…"
"After how long can a master summon its demon when the demon was defeated?"
"Well, it takes about 3 minutes for the demon to claim its master's soul, so you technically have 3 min-"
"No. The demon is not defeated, I sense the dark magic coming from this bastard."
"How could this be…?" Sin furrowed his eyebrows.
"So how long?"
"In that case, about one day…?"
"Great! Let's go, your grace…" Karyan placed his hands around the king's neck and dragged it back to the entertainment house, where everything started.
"I will show you how much I missed you."
***
Author Here:
I'm afraid this is the last free chapter for you all; the next ones will be locked. I apologise for taking a break, I was going through some serious medical problems.
I want to inform you that the next scenes I've planned in this arc will be gory and cruel, so sensitive readers should avoid reading them. I want to thank you for your support, and I hope you will stay with me until the end of this novel. I don't plan to drag it out and make it unnecessarily long, but it will take at least 4-5 months to finish. Once again, thank you, and I hope you are looking forward to the upcoming chapters. (I don't recommend sensitive individuals to read it as it will be explicit.)