Innocent Devil’s Harem Ch. 66

November 28, 2021

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<< Chapter 65 | Ch 1 (Book1) | Ch 16 (Book 2) | Ch 31 (Book 3) | Ch 46 (Book 4) | Ch 61 (Book 5)

- CHAPTER 66: Visitors -

A sudden memory that felt like a dream. And yet it was real.

The girl with blonde hair and red eyes looked down at me sympathetically, her full pink lips almost forming a somber pout, sincere remorse in her youthful expression as if the sight before her truly burdened her soul with guilt. The room around us was splattered with blood, my crushed heart lying on the floor by her bare feet, a black cloak bunched up on her thighs to prevent it from becoming soaked in crimson, a bent metal door in my peripheral vision, my eyes remaining unfocused.

“Get ready to move,” an old voice grumbled. “It’s chased them into a corner.”

I understood the words he spoke, but realized they were not in a language I knew. Both of them spoke with foreign words.

Yet, my mind found comprehension.

Her voice was pained. “Was this really necessary?” the young girl whispered, tears filling her red eyes as she reached down to gently touch my face, balanced on the balls of her bare feet, the blood not touching them as if repelled by her presence. “They didn’t seem like bad people.”

“My only priority is keeping you alive, princess. This is life or death, and staying on the other side would have guaranteed our lives forfeited. The entity guarding this gate is obviously very powerful. I cannot risk your safety by involving you in a fight to the death. There were no other options.”

The blonde girl didn’t respond, visibly swallowing as her tears brimmed over and slid down her cheeks.

“Ready yourself, princess. This abomination would just as easily turn on us, if given the chance. We need to be quick, and I need you in front of me so I might remove all traces of our passage. Steel your nerves and follow my command. Do not cause me any more grief in fulfilling my duties.”

“Forgive me,” she whispered in response, though it didn’t sound like she was only speaking to him.

As she brushed some hair on my forehead…it sounded like she was speaking to me…

But…

But I wasn’t about to forgive her for causing me such pain.

I wasn’t about to forgive her for ripping my heart out.

I wasn’t about to forgive anyone for fucking killing me!

Sensing that all I cared about was about to be ended, sensing the panic coming from the one whom I’d died for -- the one whom I was clinging too, even now -- my rage boiled over and I immediately glared at the girl looking down at me sympathetically.

Because no one looked down on me!

NO ONE!

The blonde’s crimson eyes flew open in alarm and she shrieked in panic, vanishing from my sight.

She shrieked…

Sincere terror in her expression…

As she ran away…

Yet, I was now staring at those crimson eyes again, in the East Drawing Room this time, holding the short minx I’d died for in my arms, clinging to her beautiful soul even now, the two of us bonded far beyond the physical realm.

I was staring at those crimson eyes, the first thing I’d seen upon resurrecting from the dead, all my rage and anger identifying everything and everyone-- except for the soul I’d bonded to, and the imp I’d claimed -- as my enemy.

AS MY ENEMY.

“We mean you no harm,” the codger said in a deep aged voice. “We only wish to leave your domain, and are willing to offer our support in defending your realm of authority, if you permit us passage.”

My body exploded, erupting to seven feet, my horns sprouting from my forehead as a show of my power and authority, my gray shirt ripping as my muscles swelled, my body growing even taller, towering over my prey.

My shoulders reshaped, my massive wings -- far larger than ever before -- sprouted from my back, rising high in the air as they grew, causing both sets of crimson eyes, staring up at me, to widen in alarm.

Without thinking, I abruptly lowered my left wing and deposited the small redheaded woman into my large webbed grasp, only to drop her onto a white leather couch behind us, not wanting her to be in the way when I struck.

“Cazzo!” the codger cursed, abruptly dropping to one knee and holding up his thick muscular left arm, revealing an intricate pattern of black markings covering its entirety.

Shocked by the unexpected sensation of impending doom, I focused on the elaborate tattoo, realizing it was beginning to glow pitch-black, like the literal opposite of normal white light, having an existence unto itself like the darkness beginning to leak out of the endless abyss.

“FUCK!” Miriam shrieked at the top of her lungs, suddenly right at my side again, her own black wings stretching out in front of me. “STOP! EVERYONE STOP! BASTA!”

The anti-light on his arm began to dim slightly, but he didn’t budge, his crimson gaze locked on mine.

Those familiar blue marks reappeared on Miriam’s tan skin then, spreading along all her wings and outstretched arms, though I wasn’t sure if it was intentional, or due to the army of monsters breaking through the second barrier.

Needless to say, the man’s red eyes finally darted to her, keeping his arm aimed at me, his gloved hand outstretched.

The succubus’ tone was full of power and authority.

“I, Miriam bas Methuselah, permit you and your companion passage through my domain. Leave now, and never return!”

The man didn’t even hesitate, not budging from his position, but speaking harshly to the blonde. “Go now!”

She did hesitate just briefly, seeming terrified, before abruptly twisting and darting out the door down the hall. The movement caused the black cloth covering the girl’s face to shift just enough to expose the side of her cheek…

Revealing that she had no cheek!

Her white teeth were visible right up to the back of her jaw!

What the fuck?!

The moment she was out of sight, the man abruptly rose and followed in one swift motion, both of them vanishing from the room.

And I was pissed.

I was pissed!

Was that chick the one who bit Gwen?!

Was that why half her face was missing?!

Fuck!

Yet, despite my anger, I didn’t follow, trusting in my instinct, knowing we had more pressing issues to deal with, and more importantly trusting in Miriam.

Still, I had to ask.

“Why did you let them leave?” I said in a deep even voice.

She didn’t respond, instead dropping down to one knee again, breathing heavily, still visibly worn out from her previous lightning storm spell, her ivory shirt completely soaked through and leaving her torso entirely visible.

I quickly reached down and scooped her up, already heading for the door, knowing our overall plans hadn’t changed.

“Hurry to the basement,” she said firmly, even though I was already entering the hallway. She then took a deep breath when we made the turn to go down the stairs. “That man -- no, that elite vampire -- wields one of the deadliest magics in all of existence. You would not have survived Absolutum Dissolutum, which basically means Absolute Disintegration. No one could survive it.”

“Fuck,” I hissed, unexpectedly finding myself irritated that there might actually be a power that could defeat even me. “How can something like that even exist?” I wondered, realizing my own Incinerate spell was pretty powerful too.

“It’s not without significant cost, but to a vampire, I’m sure it’s an acceptable one. And I know you’re angry, and I’m sorry,” she continued as I stomped down the stairs, still towering well over seven feet, my midnight horns just barely missing the ceiling. “But the attacking enemy has already broken through the second barrier, and will begin surrounding the walls protecting my mansion within minutes. I need to make you an owner, so you can fight them unhindered.”

“I understand,” I said simply, still pissed about the situation, but keeping my anger in check. Because while I wanted revenge for getting killed, those two vampires were not a threat right now, even if I considered them an enemy. It sounded like they didn’t want to cause trouble, but instead just wanted to leave this place, apparently having gotten caught within the mansion in some weird limbo of existing on Miriam’s property without being invited.

When I got to the bottom of the stairs, Miriam had me turn toward where Gwen had taken me previously, with me opening the door to reveal the concrete hallway, actively lighting up in a dim hue from the crystals in the ceiling. However, upon taking my first step, she had me stop, reaching for the wall.

The blue markings on her body glowed in response to her touching the concrete surface, only for the light to spread to the wall, creating the outline of a doorway, followed by the area within to begin to disintegrate.

“What in the hell?” I said in sincere surprise.

“There was never a wall right here,” she explained simply. “It’s a barrier that looks like a wall, much like the one keeping the dimensional gate closed.”

I nodded as the interior hallway was revealed, leading directly into a dark room that only had one source of light within. A large crystal on a pedestal, glowing the exact same shade of blue as the markings on Miriam’s body.

“Hurry,” she urged, when I only stepped in hesitantly. “We need to cut…Fuck, I forgot the knife!”

“Cut what?” I asked seriously.

“Both of us. The crystal needs your blood to identify you, and mine to make any changes.”

“It’s fine,” I replied, setting her down on her feet. “My claws are sharp.”

She looked up at me in surprise, before grabbing my large hand, her fingers now so small compared to mine, and looking at my midnight claws briefly, only to grab my index finger and press her other palm into the tip, wincing as she stabbed herself. Miriam then hurried over to the crystal and placed her bleeding hand on the surface.

“What is mine, is mine, and only mine.” She paused as her blood audibly sizzled beneath her hand, taking a slow deep breath. “Now I share all that is mine with one other.” She gestured with her free hand for me to come over. “Hurry. Cut your hand and place it next to mine.”

I quickly complied, knowing I would heal quickly, so intentionally stabbing my claw deep into my palm, ensuring plenty of blood began to pool, before quickly putting it on the crystal. The difference in our hand size was really significant now that I saw them spread out so close together, but I didn’t focus on that for long as I heard and felt my blood sizzle, a warmth beginning to creep up my arm.

Miriam continued. “All that is mine is now his, and all that is his is now mine. By my authority, Miriam bas Methuselah presently permits another’s dwelling within this domain as an equal.”

My eyes flew open in shock as a heat raced up my arm and into my chest, grasping my entire body in its hold like a physical presence locking me in place, a brilliant blue light beginning to crack through my gray skin, my awareness of everything around us expanding dramatically as I began to feel the barriers erected to protect this location.

More than that, I began to fully understand what was meant by domain.

The fabric of space surrounding Miriam’s property wasn’t normal. It literally existed as an isolated area that was somehow blended in seamlessly with its surroundings, while being distinctly separate from the world I knew.

And it was here that Miriam was practically a god, able to control so much, including the weather.

Where she could literally generate a storm out of nowhere and call forth lightning to strike her enemies. An ability that would normally be more than capable of dealing with the average foe, as I’d already witnessed firsthand for myself.

However, the problem was a combination of her body’s limitations, combined with just the fact that using up too much stored magic would weaken the barriers. And truly, the spell she’d cast earlier required a ridiculous amount of magic, far more than I currently wielded.

In fact, experiencing the stored power residing within her domain made me realize just how small I was in comparison, feeling like a grain of sand on a tiny island that was the actual physical land, residing within an ocean of magical energy creating three spheres of ridiculously powerful barriers, a globe within a globe, within a globe, with a condensed barrier sealing shut a dimensional gate at the center.

Truly, as Miriam said before, this was no normal attack.

For this was no ordinary dwelling.

At the very least, I had no doubt that I would fail to breech even one of these barriers, if I were ever uninvited, and that was saying something. Which meant, someone very powerful was behind this organized attack.

For someone to break through these powerful walls of magic?

Clearly, by stealing Natalie, we’d obviously gotten on someone else’s radar. Someone far bigger than the little shit who had been controlling her, a true puppet master manipulating all the strings, since I strongly doubted that bastard just happened to have powerful friends.

Hard to imagine someone like him even had friends, and not because he looked like a nerd.

No, it was because he was a self-entitled jackass who wouldn’t be able to function in a normal group, being far too selfish to think about anyone other than himself and his own wants. Impossible to actually be friends with someone like that.

The glowing blue hue of markings continued to painlessly pierce my skin until it had covered my entire body, including my face, the azure light bleeding directly through my torn gray shirt, even managing to pierce my black gym shorts, the only article of clothing still intact, but stretched to its limits.

However, I quickly became confused as I focused on the sensation of the barriers, realizing they all felt intact, not a single one breached. It made me wonder if the individual making a hole in the invisible wall was forced to enter with the rest of the attacking monsters, since I couldn’t imagine someone would be capable of doing this from a distance.

Which meant, now was my only chance to try to defeat the main enemy here.

I, of course, had to kill all the other monsters, but all would be lost if this powerful individual got away, since there was no doubt they would just return better prepared at a later date. But then again, we also couldn’t afford even a single casualty on our end, so killing the army was still a major priority. And as my hearing began to clear up, I was beginning to suspect they might already be practically at our doorstep, residing just beyond the final barrier, low growls and twigs crunching beginning to fill my ears.

Knowing the process of transferring part-ownership was complete once the invisible energy released its hold on me, I quickly pulled back my hand, verifying that the wound was already healed.

“Get to safety,” I urged, reaching in my pocket to grab my phone and hand it to her. “I think we’re out of time.”

“Yes,” she agreed, accepting the phone in both hands. “Go, Kai. Gwen is an amazing shot. We’ll try to support you from the tower above the library. If it’s werewolves, then even one silver bullet will be enough to put each out of commission.”

I nodded, knowing there wasn’t even time for a hug, or any other gestures of goodbye.

Turning around, I ran back out of the room and into the concrete hallway, reflexively ducking to avoid hitting my horns against the doorframe, only to skid to a halt to dash up the stairs. It was as I began running through the grand foyer that I distinctly heard a scream outside, sounding like a young woman.

But I could also hear everything else now too, knowing from the sensation of Natalie’s elevated location that she, Gwen, Serenity, and Gabriella were all on the east side of the building now, sounding like they were hauling heavy objects as they climbed a set of stairs to get to the top of what I assumed must be the roof to the library.

Which meant, the scream wasn’t someone I cared about.

Still, I knew it was possible my own life could be on the line here, overwhelmed by sheer numbers, and that being arrogant could be the end of me. At the very least, I felt a bit more reassured knowing that the badass maid would be behind a rifle, watching my back while I was in the throes of fighting to defend everything that mattered to me.

Rushing through the massive front door and down the concrete steps, I zoomed around the edge of the still-gurgling fountain, just in time to see familiar blonde hair at the entrance to the open metal gate, her back against an invisible wall preventing her from retreating further.

Miriam’s words echoed in my head at the sight.

‘Leave now, and never return!’

Focusing on the dark path and trees just beyond, I saw the muscular old man poised with a short sword in his right hand, a decapitated figure at his feet, surrounded on all sides by seemingly dozens of glowing yellow eyes.

Glowing eyes that now focused on me as I rushed forward.

Part of me wanted to jump in headfirst and fight, but I knew it would be wise to give Gwen time to get into position, being well aware that Serenity also knew her way around a gun, not to mention that I’d like to at least get an idea of what we were up against, so that I might decide how to best kill the enemy, whether that be slashing my claws through its throat, or otherwise.

“Retreat!” I demanded, reaching the girl just as she abruptly started falling backwards, having been granted the permission to enter the barrier. Grabbing her roughly by the back of the neck, she screamed as I both kept her upright and semi-tossed her backward out of harm’s way, while I continued to bolt straight ahead.

Apparently, the monsters sensed an opportunity caused by the distraction, because three of them lunged forward at once, aiming for the old man. And they were nothing like I was anticipating, the sight almost enough to give me pause.

For one, the biggest alarming aspect was that they all looked like they were grinning with enormous mouths full of daggers for teeth, their heads stretched out to the sides, including their yellow eyes being further apart, while their noses were warped outward like someone had attached the world’s most powerful vacuum to their faces at the same time that a truck drove over the top of their skulls, overall elongating the lower half of their faces while flattening everything out.

Definitely didn’t look like a wolf’s head, instead being much more like a hideous deformed human from the worst of nightmares, their stretched arms appearing long enough to go past their knees if they stood up, like the victims of a torture device, their legs likewise long and awkwardly bent to allow them to move on four grisly deformed hands.

Yes, hands, as if they were part-monkey on top of everything.

And truly, they moved on four limbs, rather than running on two.

Without a doubt, we were being attacked by werewolves, and yet these hairless deformed permanently grinning monsters were nothing like I’d ever seen before, or would have even imagined in the worst of nightmares.

Ugly, grotesque, and obviously highly lethal, if their mouths full of needle-like teeth and razor claws were any indication.

With me leaping into the air toward the one coming on the old man’s left, I watched in disbelief in the corner of my eye as the muscular codger moved at the speed of light, everything feeling like it was happening in slow motion as he dodged to his side, in order to stay outside of the nearest creature’s grasp, while leaping upward with a wild spin, slashing his short sword downward.

As if there was no resistance, his blade sliced through the first monster’s neck like butter.

However, it was obvious that the friction of the blade cutting through the beast had both slowed his spin while also thrusting him further upward in the air, with him already using his leg to push off the still-airborne corpse while swinging up now into the arm of the ensuing beast.

No, he aimed for the elbow, again slicing right through like butter, the creature not even having time to react to its severed arm, as his momentum began to slow and he thrust downward at its neck.

Just like that, both monsters were decapitated, the two bodies and vampire still airborne, and I was only now colliding with the third, aiming my black claws for its neck.

However, the werewolf was just as fast, its own nasty razor-like claws trying to dig into my shoulders as mine sank into its throat, with it lunging its grinning snout forward directly for my face. Shocked to suddenly have a massive mouth full of needle teeth closing around my head, even despite my fingers burying deep enough to hit its spine, my instincts kicked in and I did the only thing I could think of.

I opened my mouth, suddenly enraged, and called forth my azure flames of hell.

“DIE!” I demanded as my words cut off into a rushing stream of unquenchable white and blue heat, the blast thrusting the monster’s disfigured head back with such force that it’s neck audibly snapped, with it still struggling to hold onto my shoulders, as it’s skin and muscle was eaten away, followed by its white skull rapidly blackening and beginning to disintegrate into ash.

We all landed at roughly the same time, two decapitated heads and their bodies, a graceful vampire with the body of a champion boxer, and me with a headless corpse that was still clinging onto my shoulders.

The old codger didn’t pay me any mind though, even as my fire continued, again focused on the enemy as all the others seemed to finally join the fight, an uncountable number of hideous creatures either leaping into the air or beginning to rush head-on, coming from every direction, far too many to handle all at once.

But I was still breathing fire, and not about to stop.

Jerking my arms outward to force the clinging corpse to disengage, I dramatically increased the blue and white flames spewing from my throat, forcing the codger to jump backward as my onslaught widened, many of the airborne beasts colliding into burning heaps on the ground at my sides, while some of the others on foot halted in enough time to try to run away. Yet, my flames continued to spread like a ghost of death through the thick trees, flowing as if it were a heavy mist rather than normal fire. A mist of heat and death that rolled after my enemies…

And then I ran out of disposable magic.

Fuck!

Jumping backward toward the gate, I was shocked to see three more monstrosities leaping through the air, two of them with flames eating up their skin, all three aimed directly for me. And I wasn’t sure I was going to get behind the invisible wall in time before they slammed into me.

The sound of a gunshot filled my ears.

CRACK!

A bullet exploded the leftmost disfigured head, continuing through the chest on the next, and through the gut of the third, all three hitting me now as limp bodies.

Holy fuck, was that a shot from Gwen?!

I used my wings to shove them away while leaping backward the last couple of feet through the open metal gate, seemingly another twenty monsters rushing at me, slamming into the invisible wall headfirst like massive insects pelting an impenetrable windshield.

“Fuck,” I hissed, only to reflexively jerk when another gunshot filled my ears.

CRACK!

I could hear Gwen cocking the bolt action mechanism as she ejected the shell and loaded another shot.

CRACK!

Each bullet was a headshot on the first, and it usually at least fatally wounded one other.

I heard blood splatter against the payment then, glancing back to see that the old man had just flung his sword toward the ground, ridding it of most of the cursed blood, only to focus on me, even as a few more werewolves tried to smash through the barrier with their heads.

“Amicus meus, inimicus inimici mei,” he said evenly in an aged voice. “Or as you say it, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’”

“Yeah, I guess,” I grumbled, glancing at the blonde who was clasping the black veil over her lower face now, only to focus forward on the ever-increasing numbers of monsters appearing. Fuck, and I was out of disposable magic too, even after gathering so much. How had I gone through all of it so fast? Was I just inefficient in using it?

Never mind the fact that I was beginning to feel pinging sensations on other parts of the inner barrier, as werewolves attempted to jump the stone fence in different locations, only to hit an impenetrable wall.

An impenetrable wall, that they’d somehow already penetrated twice.

“Someone is controlling this army,” the codger continued, as if he’d read my mind. “We take him out and the rest become an unorganized mass of teeth.”

CRACK!

Gwen took out three more, only for a machine gun to begin unloading into the crowd, possibly wielded by Serenity, attempting to disperse the gathering horde.

Fuck, where they ever going to stop coming?!

Just how many of these fuckers were there?!

“And how will we know which one is controlling them?” I asked seriously.

“You can fly, yes?”

I looked back at him in surprise, seeing him pull up his robe sleeve, sword still in hand in a reverse grip, to reveal the black markings on his left arm.

“Give me height. I will locate and take out the Apex.”

Apex?

Apex what? Apex werewolf?

Fuck, was that what was controlling all these? And could such a creature even be that powerful? Powerful enough to break through these impenetrable barriers that even I couldn’t get through? Or was slipping through wards and barriers truly a skill these monsters had?

“Fuck, whatever,” I hissed, not thrilled about carrying around a passenger on my back like a horse. “Let’s just get this done.”

He nodded, sheathing his sword. “Permit my charge to shelter inside.”

I focused on her, giving her a look up and down, noting from her thin body hidden beneath the dark cloak that she truly was useless and entirely just a liability. Of course, I also realized this man was fighting to keep her alive, and needed to not be distracted while eliminating the enemy.

An enemy that I also needed to be defeated.

And if she died, he’d have no reason to keep fighting.

“Go inside and hide,” I demanded.

“Go,” the codger added, as if anticipating her hesitation.

Her crimson eyes were pained, but she spun around and made a run for it, her blonde hair flowing in the air, her hand still clasped tightly over the veil hiding her disfigured mouth.

“Okay, let’s get this done,” I snapped. “Get on.”

He shook his head. “My attack is dangerous. Better to carry, and keep my arm in front of you.”

I looked at him in confusion briefly, only for him to turn slightly and raise his right arm. Realizing what he was implying, I quickly moved closer, being potently reminded just how tall I was right now, towering two heads above him, only to duck my head down so he could get his arm over my horns and around my neck.

I then stood up straight, wrapping one arm around his waist as his muscular side hit against mine, his feet barely reaching my knees as I spread my wings and leapt into the sky. However, despite his obvious shortness compared to my larger form, his sheer bulk of muscle was more noticeable now, definitely being much larger than the average man, both in terms of height and girth.

Pounding at the air, I was a little surprised by how inconsequential his weight was to my ascension, realizing his sharp red eyes were already scanning the breaks in the trees for any sign of the leader. I began looking around as well, climbing even higher, to the point that we breached the first invisible dome residing above the mansion, realizing that I could finally see Gwen’s gun now, aimed out of a window above what I assumed must be the library.

CRACK!

She fired again, taking out another couple enemies.

Continuing to look around, I didn’t see anything noticeable in the visible mass at the gate, beginning to wonder if they were just the distraction while the real enemy breached through the wall somewhere else.

Circling around toward the east side of the building, more toward where Gwen was firing, my ears were unexpectedly filled with another stream of machine gun fire, just as I felt a twinge of pain combined with the blue symbols on my body lighting up.

Fuck!

The first machine gun was quickly doubled with a second weapon unloading nonstop, only for a third to begin repeatedly shooting, like aiming suddenly didn’t matter. Because it didn’t matter.

Urgently looking for where they were firing at, sensing the unexpected opening in the barrier, I realized all three barrels were shooting out another window facing over the roof, aiming for behind the mansion.

Shit!

They’d really gotten through!

Disfigured beasts were beginning to flood through the rear gate, the stream of hideous monsters dramatically increasing as more joined from the dark trees to break through the bottleneck.

“There!” the codger exclaimed, pointed with his gloved left hand. “The man! He’s in human form.”

The man?!

Focusing in the direction he was pointing, I finally caught sight of the individual, partially hidden behind a tree trunk, appearing to be holding a short knife that looked anything but normal, a weird invisible distortion around the midnight blade, causing me to wonder if that item was how he was breaching through the barriers.

However, what was most striking about his overall appearance was that he looked uncomfortably similar to the bastard who had kidnapped Natalie, while being very different in so many ways.

Having the same greasy looking black hair, pasty skin, and a similar facial structure, he was anything but nerdy looking.

Tall, built, and composed, there was definitely a relation between the two, but this guy looked much more like the badass older brother, or possibly even the battle-hardened father, giving me a pretty good idea of why this attack was happening in the first place.

Even if I hadn’t messed with this guy directly, it was obvious that I’d messed with his relative, prompting his apex werewolf instinct to crave crushing his enemy with the truly significant forces he wielded.

Or maybe this was just fun to him, to get to participate in a real war, to try to defeat a formidable enemy with the powerful army he’d amassed. And my stealing of one of his indirect puppets was simply just me presenting to him a challenge he couldn’t pass up.

Or possibly, that act alone was perceived as a huge threat to their hierarchy.

Either way, it was clear he was overall enjoying himself, even if there was no indication of a smile. And yet I got the distinct impression that he was content to sit back and watch his puppets die, his primary goal simply bloodshed of any kind. It was also possible he was waiting to capture his enemies to finally get more involved himself, so he could actually torture and kill with his own hands.

But it didn’t matter, since there was no way in hell I was letting him win.

However, I was really thankful for the eavesdropping spell now, because it didn’t look like he saw or heard us coming until it was too late, with the old codger asking me to stop moving my wings and just glide, as the cloak covering his arm began to disintegrate in the midnight light that was beginning to appear all over his skin.

Skin that was beginning to disintegrate as well, patches of his bulging muscle beginning to appear, his glove eaten away to reveal a hand that was already beginning to show white bone.

Fuck.

Unexpectedly, a howl filled the air, so high pitched that it was nearly ear shattering, prompting the man to immediately focus up at us as if he’d been tipped off to our exact location. His beady black eyes then widened as he seemed to focus on the glowing abyssal nonlight brightening in the sky, sincere fear finally crossing his previously hardened expression.

Clearly, he understood the significance of what he saw.

All at once, as if existing as one mind, every single monstrosity shifted their trajectory and began flooding right back out of the invisible opening, even more rushing out of the forest, while others ran along from other parts of the rocky fence, all of them bolting as fast as they could for one location.

His location.

The old codger’s voice boomed from his throat as his entire arm became nothing but bone and ligament.

“ABSOLUTUM DISSOLUTUM!”

A wide beam of pure darkness exploded from his body, following the trajectory of his bones, and instantly erupted into the mass of clustered bodies like a missile shot from a jet.

Yet, there was absolutely no sound as the entire army exploded into black dust, instantly vaporized into fine particles in the blink of an eye. Literally, there was a horde of flesh and bone one millisecond, and a thick cloud of black dust the next.

It hadn’t killed all of them though, a few half-bodies dragging themselves across the ground, while some even managed to escape entirely, beginning to disperse into the trees. Still, possibly more than a hundred enemies wiped out just like that.

However, as Miriam said, it wasn’t without cost.

What remained of the old man’s hand abruptly fell off his body and plummeted to the ground far below, followed by the rest of his arm from the elbow down, only leaving what remained of his upper arm.

“Cazzo!” the codger unexpectedly exclaimed, gesturing with his bony protrusion. “He still lives!”

I urgently focused on the trees, seeing a large black mass dash full speed through the breaks in the canopy.

Fuck!

We couldn’t let him escape! He’d just come back with more enemies next time!

“Drop me!” the old man ordered, lifting his right arm off my neck.

I wasn’t about to second guess his decision, no matter how high up we were, because keeping this man alive was not my priority. He was still an enemy, as far as I was concerned, and right now the more pressing threat was actively getting away.

I let go without hesitation, and let him plummet straight down to the ground below.

I heard him crash into a paved section with a sickening crunch, not about to look back to verify if he’d survived or not, instead trying to catch sight of my prey a second time.

But he was fucking gone!

Fuck!

Knowing he was partially trapped by the barrier, and would have to breech the second one again on his way out, I began pounding my wings in the general direction he’d been running, coming within a few hundred feet of the barrier when I finally felt a surge of pain erupt through my body as those blue symbols reappeared, alerting me to the location where he’d broken through.

He was more south, to my left, prompting me to quickly pound my wings harder as I aimed in that direction, knowing I had to find him before he broke through the final barrier and escaped.

Dammit!

Unexpectedly catching sight of a black mass moving through the thick brush, I saw the furry beast barreling straight for the last barrier, quickly catching up so that I was right over him, shocked when I realized the knife he’d been wielding was pierced through his massive left clawed hand, straight through the palm, seeming unhindered as he ran on all fours.

And the moment he reached the barrier, appearing to anticipate its location, he thrust his arm forward, slicing at the invisible wall with the blade, sending another wave of pain to rush through my body as he barreled through.

Fuck!

It was now or never!

Folding my wings as I exited the final invisible wall, I aimed for him as I barreled headfirst for the massive midnight mass of fur, not fully realizing just how large my target was until just before I smashed into its back.

Instantly, we were tumbling and rolling as claws and teeth met in kind, both of us thrashing at each other with everything we had, my enemy equally as large as I was, except clearly more experienced at fighting.

Before I knew it, his claws had sliced through my neck, cutting off my air entirely, as blood filled my mouth, his needle teeth attempting to close on my face, instead piercing right through my hand and trying to tear it off my body.

The unexpected damage sent me over the edge, my mind going blank as all thoughts were replaced with one emotion.

PRIDE.

My hand abruptly closed down on his lower jaw, even as his teeth sank deeper through my palm, my body strengthening the bond between my bones as it rapidly regenerated the muscle and ligaments, my wings sweeping around and stabbing into the monster’s sides, my fingers of my free hand thrusting into my enemy’s gut like a knife.

‘NO,’ I thought coldly, the world around me beginning to glow white, those yellow eyes going from certain, of their win, to fearful as my throat closed up.

I gripped underneath his ribcage as he began trying to pull away now, holding him tighter as I opened my mouth to speak, a flood of energy beginning to bubble inside of me, threatening to rupture out of my body.

My tone was cold and full of authority.

“I WILL LIVE, AND YOU WILL DIE,” I demanded. “Cease to exist and become ash. Incinerate.”

A blinding white light exploded around me, a brilliant blue flame consuming all before me.

And then, I was alone…

Covered in the ashes of my enemy.

NOTE: Be sure to check out Combat Healer (formerly My Girlfriend's an Oni Demon). It's 65,000 words of goodness to read so far.

FEEDBACK: How was this chapter? Action scenes, with actually fighting and such, is not one of my strengths.

I struggled to write this chapter. And the whole thing might have played out longer if I was better at fight scenes.

Chapter 67 >>