Lenen was barely standing, his sword buried into the ground, the steel serving as a crutch to keep him upright. Blood streamed down the side of his face, matting his hair, and his left eye was swollen shut, a grotesque bruise sealing it closed. His breaths came slow and ragged, each inhale rattling against broken ribs, his torso a map of punctures and bruises.
Before him stood Valefor of the Ars Goetia, tall and unyielding, his grin twisted with sadistic delight. In his hand gleamed a white lance, beautiful in craftsmanship yet dripping with menace.
"You still remain standing, Lenen," Valefor taunted, his voice smooth but cruel.
"I will not stop here… not defeated by you," Lenen rasped, his voice cracking under strain.
Valefor chuckled, the sound echoing like mockery across the ruined battlefield. "You are defeated! Can you not see it? This city is lost. Lord Lucifer will fulfill his objective. You cannot stop this. You cannot stop him." His tone hardened, each word a hammer blow.
Lenen pulled his blade free from the earth, his grip trembling but his eyes burning with defiance. "To you, Lucifer may be untouchable. He may seem inevitable. But I cannot allow him to win over me. That would wound my pride." His voice steadied, determination etched across his battered face.
Valefor's grin widened. "You would have made the finest Goetia." He raised his lance, its tip gleaming ominously.
"And you're a dead man!" a voice roared from behind.
Valefor turned sharply, his grin faltering as he saw Jeremiah and Ukobathan approaching, both battered, bloodied, yet unbroken.
"So both brothers are traitors. Sallos would be disappointed," Valefor muttered, his tone disheartened but edged with venom.
Jeremiah stepped forward, lightning sparking faintly across his arms. "Look around you, demon. It is over. Your princes are all that remain, and even they falter. Leave Tarth."
Valefor's gaze swept the battlefield. What he saw was chaos — demons falling, their bodies cut down by defenders who fought with reckless courage. The city's defense was on its last legs, but the humans fought like cornered beasts, fearless against the horde.
Valefor's grin returned, twisted and cruel. "Why should I care for those demons? I am an Ars Goetia. I have enough power to crush you, then slaughter whoever remains. Do not bother surrendering. You have earned the death I will deliver."
Jeremiah wasted no time. His fist, wreathed in lightning, smashed into Valefor's face. The demon staggered but retaliated instantly, his kick slamming into Jeremiah's chest and sending him flying.
Ukobathan lunged, his body projection flickering as he appeared above Valefor's thrust. His hook connected with brutal precision, cracking against Valefor's jaw. The demon stumbled, disoriented.
Steel flashed. Lenen's blade carved across Valefor's lower back, opening flesh. The demon roared, swinging his lance wildly, but Ukobathan's crushing blow to his face sent him tumbling back.
"Good cover, brother," Ukobathan said, standing beside Lenen.
Lenen placed a trembling hand on his shoulder, his swollen eye twitching. "Nice to have you beside me, brother." His voice was weak but warm. Ukobathan managed a faint smile.
Jeremiah stepped forward, his grin sharp despite the blood on his lips. "Nice reunion, brothers. Now let's kill this bastard and end this."
Valefor's aura erupted, sinister and twisted. His body contorted, bones cracking, his voice distorted into a guttural scream. "You bastards think you can kill me?! I won't allow it!"
Lenen's eyes widened. "Shit. He's entering his impetus form. We cannot allow him to complete it. I'll use my mental ability to subjugate him. The first window you see — kill." He raised his blade, his voice trembling but resolute.
"Understood," Jeremiah replied, fire and lightning igniting around his arms.
Ukobathan's body warped, monstrous demonic energy surging through him. His voice was guttural. "I can only maintain this for less than a minute. We end this now."
The three charged. Valefor's distorted scream tore through the air. Ukobathan collided with him, locking into a brutal contest of strength. The ground cracked beneath them, unstable power surging outward. Jeremiah and Lenen were forced back by the shockwave.
Lenen's eyes locked onto Valefor's. "Mind Control Magic: Pride's Total Domination!" His voice echoed with strain as psychic energy surged. Both demons screamed, their minds locked in a tug-of-war, each clawing for dominance.
"Now, Jeremiah! Kill him!" Ukobathan roared, his voice breaking under the strain.
Jeremiah launched forward, fire and lightning propelling him like a comet. His fist burned, flames condensed to a searing point. He focused not on size, but on temperature — five thousand degrees of pure destruction.
The punch connected with Valefor's chest. Flesh collapsed, bone shattered, and a violent explosion followed.
Smoke and ash filled the air. When it cleared, Jeremiah and Ukobathan lay broken in a crater, their bodies mangled, breaths shallow. Jeremiah's arm was charred and twisted, Ukobathan's chest and neck blackened, his arms scorched.
Lenen stumbled forward, his vision blurred, tears of blood streaming from his eyes. "Brother! Brother!" His voice cracked as he fell into the crater, clutching Ukobathan's burned body.
Above them, the battlefield erupted. "The exorcist boy and the traitor demons defeated the Goetia!" a soldier shouted.
The defenders roared, their cries savage, their blades cutting deeper into the remaining demons.
"Someone tend those men! Get them to safety!" a captain bellowed, his sword cleaving through a demon's neck. "Once we vanquish the rest, we push on! We reclaim the exorcist and Commander Hamza!"
The cries of battle rose, mingling with the stench of blood and ash. The night was far from over, but for the first time, the defenders of Tarth felt the tide shift.