Chapter 84:Anaxor

Third person's POV

As the wolves continued to howl, Aleria slept peacefully. Despite the unusual feelings she had been experiencing lately, making it difficult for her to sleep, she had managed to finally doze off thanks to a sleep herb from a healer. While the moon continued its majestic movement, Aleria's body began to sweat and her eyes rapidly moved beneath her lids.

It was clear she was having a nightmare, and with each passing second, the disturbing sensation persisted.

Eventually, Aleria woke up gasping for breath, clutching her heart as she tried to calm down. Fortunately, she realized it was only a nightmare, and that realization brought relief. However, the unsettling feeling persisted, and her heart continued to race. Perplexed, Aleria stepped outside to get some fresh air.

Even as the cold breeze hit her face, her heart continued to race, and she remained sweaty. After a few minutes, when Aleria felt an excruciating pain, she finally understood what was happening to her. She bit her lip hard and looked around anxiously. It wasn't the pain but the fear that caused her to collapse.

"Ethan..."

The sensation felt familiar to her, and filled with fear, she wanted to hide somewhere, but this time she didn't. In fact, the impulse to hide disgusted her momentarily, and she shook her trembling legs to stand up. Taking a deep breath, she unfurled her wings. As magnificent wings appeared on her back, she swiftly moved to a place devoid of trees.

"I can't lose someone I love again. Not this time!" Aleria declared as she ran.

Normally, she wouldn't reveal her wings, as Phoenixes were critically endangered. Anyone slightly powerful in the continent would try to capture Aleria for her Phoenix status, disregarding moral codes. That's why Aleria had always concealed her Phoenix nature, but not this time. After all, nothing else mattered anymore, with the most important person in her life and her beloved in danger.

Aleria soared swiftly with her fiery wings, ignoring the burning flowers she had cherished for years as she increased her speed. Once she reached a sufficient height, she began flying eastward. She had heard the route of the Alpshar army many times before, so she estimated where the battle would take place. However, there was a crucial problem—distance. Aurendale City was far from where the battle would be, so even if Aleria flew non-stop, it would take her at least a day to reach there. Biting her lip in worry, Aleria continued to fly rapidly.

-----

Ethan's POV

"Now, how about making deal?"

"..." I couldn't answer and just stared silently at the devil's face.

"If you willingly give me your body, I'll ensure you get your revenge and that your loved ones live good lives. I can do these things with ease because I was once feared even by dragons. "

I listened to his words but couldn't trust him. After all, why should I trust someone who wants to take control of my body and kill me? 'Wait a second,' I wondered why he still persistently wanted my body. After all, if he was so powerful, why would he need my permission to possess me?

"I refuse," I said.

"You know you don't have that option right now, don't you? Don't test my patience, boy"

"Thank you for healing me, but I refuse. It's quite strange for a powerful devil like you to want my body so desperately... Clearly, you won't possess me unless I allow it. Am I right?"

As I spoke those words, the devil remained expressionless, looking at me without changing his demeanor. After several seconds of uncomfortable silence, he began to speak.

"Even if what you say is true, what difference does it make? Right now, you're already dying, and I'm offering you a chance for revenge before you perish. It's true I just healed you, but now I can still crush you like a bug. " he said.

"But if you kill me, you'll be trapped here and imprisoned once again by your own sword" I said directly to the devil's face.

"If die like you say, I will return to my sword, but you are missing one detail, child. Alpshar wants you dead himself, so he will probably send a search party here to make sure you die. When they get here, one of them will see my sword on your corpse and take it as a war trophy. You already know what will happen after that, don't you? I'll kill every one of your loved ones and tear your proud kingdom to pieces. If you don't want that to happen, you better accept my offer." He said these words with an evil smile.

I wanted to kill him right there, but I couldn't. Although he had healed my body, my Mana was still gone, and it was clear he was physically stronger than me. Despite having far above average physique, I felt like a child next to this demon. Moreover, I was in an unfamiliar area, and recalling the enemy soldiers he had killed before, I realized this strange area with black walls was the demon's playground.

But I couldn't give up here. It wasn't so easy to let go when there was a place I belonged to. One detail I noticed about the demon in front of me was his arrogance. Perhaps I could use that arrogance to my advantage and survive this. But I had to be careful with my words. If I annoyed the demon, he could kill me right then and there, and that would be the end for me.

"I have an offer too"

The demon looked indifferent but smirked slightly. "I'm listening, child" he said.

"Let's fight each other on equal terms. Let's decide who lives and who dies in the most primitive game, Violence'' I said.

This was an option I thought the demon might accept. After all, his arrogance was too great to back down from any kind of fight, especially if such an offer came from someone as weak as me. I thought the demon was momentarily angered, but he was just smiling. No, it wasn't a normal smile; it was more of a mockery.

"HAHAHAHA! Do you think you're the main character ? Look, kid, I was the strongest among all demons, once the general of all demons. Even those poor souls who called themselves gods trembled before my sword."

"But in the end, you lost and ended up trapped in your own sword, didn't you?"

When I said these words, I saw the demon getting angry for the first time. His red eyes started to gleam, and he grabbed me harshly by the neck. With one hand, he lifted me up and looked at me with an angry expression. I futilely used my hands to try to get away from him.

"Do you think I lost in a battle? I didn't lose in battle! I was trapped in the sword after being betrayed!"

After saying these words, he dropped me to the ground. As I started to breathe again, my heart continued to race.

"I accept your offer. We will fight on equal terms. But there's no chance you can defeat me in a physical fight. So, we will fight with our souls," said the demon with no expression on his face.

"How?" I asked.

"I will try to possess your soul, and you will try to possess mine."

I was about to accept when suddenly the demon disappeared, and I felt a terrible sensation inside me. When I realized that the fight against the demon began with a painful experience, the fight had already begun.

___

Anaxor " Devil" photo in the comments