9 Purify

Clutching my shield, my eyes met the demons in a locked stare. The area was littered with Hellfire and charred bodies of both factions. The troops had since fallen back to simply observe the ending to our gargantuan brawl.

"I will end you right here, right now reaper. I'll devour your delicious soul then end the lives of these two nations. Itaru spouted off.

"We'll just have to see about that." I retorted

He yelled another incantation, this time it was much different than the Hellfire. "Hell's Champion."

The enormous blade he was carrying shifted, and turned into molten energy. It began shaping itself around him, searing and blazing his flesh and fur. It turned into a set of dark red, almost burgundy armor. It covered his chest and enveloped his arms reaching his wrists and covering the tops of his hands. The energy cloaked his head as well, folding and turning around his horns, cladding them in the Hellfire metal. Completing the armor, demonic runes were glowing and pulsing with the power he was ready to unleash.

Letting out a bellow, he swung his arms outward and from the armor cams two blades. They were long, about half the size of a man. Saying these blades were sharp would be an understatement, they were sharp and dense enough to cleave apart several horses at once. There he stood, panting from the intense pain of the armor fitting to his body, the steam rising off of him.

"We'll have to go all out to beat this. There is only allowed one Hell's champion at a time and he's right in front of us." The mysterious voice said to me.

Understanding, I shouted a new incantation. A creation of my own, one that the voice had not taught me. "Aegis Break!"

My shield shattered, the shards fell all around me. The energy the shield possessed, enveloped me. This surge of power was incredible, comparing it to the onslaught from the waltz was an understatement. It would be like comparing an ant to a man.

The shattered remains of the shield began to glow and rise. They swirled around me, instead of being my defense, they were my offense. I changed from an unmovable object to an unstoppable force.

"Are you nuts? There's no way we can beat him without having our defenses up!" The voice warned.

"This is the only way we can hurt him with that armor on."

In a fit of rage, Itaru roared and began charging me. Understanding this, I charged him as well. He lunged forward with his blade, putting his full weight and power into this one strike. I dodged it with ease to his right and stopping behind him and preparing myself to strike. I pulled all of the swirling shards around my fist as I reached back, and twisted my hips. Hitting his armor with my energized fist, I felt the armor give as well as his ribs shattering into pieces. The pieces went into my fist as well as his exposed rib cage.

In immense pain he bounced back with much haste. He had his side gripped while he began throwing up blood from the blow.

Looking at my hand, I could tell it was broken but this didn't bother me. The pain I suffered was insignificant in the grand view of things. This wasn't a fight for my survival, it was a fight for two nations as well.

He stopped throwing up and almost vanished in an instant. Surprised, I started looking around. I was unable to find him or track his movement.

"Behind you!" The voice told me.

Turning around, the demon was there. Before I could react, his blade pierced my stomach. He began cackling, and laughing as he held me there. Twisting the blade, I gritted my teeth from the pain.

"What's wrong reaper? I guess you were too much of a human to begin with. Too weak. Hurry up and die now so I can began my massacre." He gloated.

"It was quite painful to get you to come to me. Since I have you here, I'll finish you." I said with a smirk on my face.

In a fit of rage, he pulled his blade back and his arm cocking it for another attack. Before he could land his last attack, aimed at my head he was defeated. I said the incantation and opened my hand towards the shards I had left in his body. This incantation is the most important for dealing with demons, I had learned.

"Purify."

Light erupted from his body and he screamed as the spell took effect on his body. His body changed from the demons to a mans. He was different this time though, unlike when he was pretending to be the general. He was tall about 6'3" and had brown hair. His eyes were blue and gentle, skin pale and fair. It's like he wasn't a man though, something was different. He had become a soul.

"Thank you for setting me free of those bonds I had created for myself. Hopefully in my next life, I can be a better person and not become a demon." The soul said with tears in his eyes.