LILITH
The blue beast was unsettling.
Sometimes it just stood there, like it was lost in thought. Other times it moved in slow, subtle motions—twisting, flexing, jiggling slightly—followed by what sounded like a soft... giggle?
Either way, I decided to act.
There was no point in just watching it. I needed to see how it would respond in a real fight.
Demons have strong control over fire, but only a few of us can wield Violet Flame—a dark fire said to burn not just the body, but the soul as well.
Any weak or casual strike would be a waste of mana.
So, I went all in from the start.
I summoned my strongest fire spell.
A violet bird, cloaked in flames, emerged from my form and soared toward the Blue Beast.
It devoured everything in its path.
The ground hissed with smoke...
But the beast didn't budge.
It stood still—like it had been waiting for me to begin.
Then, bizarrely, it looked down at itself again.
Almost like... it was still getting used to that form.
Then it spoke.
"I see."
Its voice was incredibly deep—like it was echoing from inside a canyon.
"That attack was graceful... and dangerous, judging by the destruction. However... I felt nothing from it. At all."
My heart sank.
Something happened that hadn't happened since I was a little girl—
My chest tightened, sweat broke out across my body.
Fear.
"Given your power and that reaction," it continued, the low rumble of its voice vibrating in my bones,
"it is clear you cannot defeat me. But... I shall give you an advantage."
An advantage...? What was it planning?
"For the next few moments, I will not retaliate. Strike me however you wish. I promise I will not move to defend or respond. This is your only real chance to hurt me."
Mockery.
This was pure mockery.
Its complete lack of aura or magical presence made it almost impossible to measure its power...
But after what it did to Ruben, any fool could tell:
The thing standing in front of me was dangerously powerful.
And despite what it claims, I fear it may never let me go.
But seriously—how brutal was that hit Ruben took? He still hasn't returned to help me.
...But... I hope he's alright. I hope he wasn't hurt—because of my weakness.
I have to own up to that. I have to take responsibility somehow, and go check on him.
He was blasted out of the planet's orbit... but I'll find a way to reach him.
Still, isn't this Blue Beast far too arrogant? Telling me I can attack however I want.
Despite being over-sheltered all my life, I am a high-class demon.
So fine—I'll give it everything I've got. Then I'll escape using the smoke as cover, and go find Ruben.
The plan was set. But it failed a few moments later.
I threw desensitized fireballs in rapid succession, from multiple angles, using my flight spell to stay mobile.
I used every technique I could recall—even some I'd never quite mastered—but somehow pulled off in the heat of danger.
When I upped the mana in my attacks, I did manage to push it back slightly. But that was all. It just staggered a bit.
It made me question if projectiles worked on it at all.
So I changed my approach.
I turned to close-range combat.
Sure, it meant getting dangerously close to the thing—but it promised not to retaliate. And I was running out of options.
If I could use my full strength to break through its shell, I could slip in condensed violet flame and scorch its soul.
The battlefield trembled under the force of every blow I struck.
Demons can tear through trees with bare hands—
But I was beyond that.
As I expected, my physical strikes had more effect than magic—they actually sent it flying.
Before it could touch the ground, I was already there, slamming it again.
And again.
And again.
The humans below had begun to scatter like ants, thinking it was an earthquake—not realizing it was our battle that shook the land.
Good.
Perhaps... just maybe, I can defeat it—
"Hm… Maybe you're under some kind of misunderstanding," it said as it crashed into a boulder from my kick.
"What kind of misunderstanding?" I asked, stepping closer.
"Your chances were better when you used high-output fire magic.
These... physical strikes. Do you have a grand strategy behind them, or are they just wild flailing?"
Mockery.
More mockery.
And now... my rage was beginning to stir.
I leapt into the sky again, hovering as I looked down at the Beast.
"Don't get too full of yourself, Blue Beast!" I snapped. "As per our agreement, you shall remain still, correct?"
"Agreement?" it murmured. "It was more of a command... But yes. I shall remain unmoving. Tell me, though—do you finally have something that might actually make me flinch?"
...This thing. Its pride is boundless.
It's fine. I don't believe I can kill it either—but if it wants to feel pain, then maybe I do have just the thing.
"It was a wonderful battle, my friend," I said, raising a hand to the sky, "But after this next move, even your very vessel will be reduced to nothing—scattered without a trace!"
Above me, the air began to stir. A warm breeze at first... then hotter, and hotter still—until the sky around my palm shimmered with violent heat.
This was the spell I had been preparing for the mass of human fleas below.
But perhaps... perhaps I'll just aim it at both the Blue Beast and those pesky humans.
A violet furnace, molten and alive, began to form in the air above—twenty feet wide and dense like liquified starfire.
I released it, hurling it down toward the Beast—and further down, toward the unsuspecting humans.
Like rivers of magma, the violet flames tore across the earth, melting stone and soil in their wake.
Perfect.
Now that the Blue Beast would be distracted, I could escape. I flew fast, slipping through the air and over the mountain ridge—
SMACK!
Without warning, something hit me. Something hard.
A crushing blow smashed into my side, and I heard my ribs crack. A blue silhouette had appeared in my path mid-flight—I didn't even have time to react.
Only fear.
The same strike had sent my all-powerful brother flying off into space... Could I even survive it?
I'm scared...!
I tumbled violently through the air, crashing into boulders and dirt until I hit the ground with enough force to crater it. Everything blurred—one moment I was airborne, the next I was shattered across the earth.
As I lay there, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes, one truth became clear:
Now I understood why Ruben hadn't come back.
That blow…
was terrifying.
"Was it just me," the Beast descended from the sky, voice calm as ever, "or were you trying to flee? Perhaps I imagined it... Shall we continue?"
Ah... That's when the thought hit me:
"I'm... going to die...?"
Death.
It had never truly occurred to me.
People die in battle... and I... I don't want to die yet.
I still want to see different places, taste more food, and... and...
Before I knew it, I had begun to weep—sobbing like the stupid, sheltered brat I was.
The Blue Beast paused, silently watching me cry.
"I'm useless..." I hiccupped between tears. "I couldn't even defeat humans. I'm completely useless!"
"..."
Still no response.
"Father, mother, Ruben... HICK! They all wanted me to just stay at the palace... HICK! Maybe they were right... I'm not meant for the battlefield!"
I sat up, trembling in the dirt, my tears refusing to stop.
"Go ahead..." I said bitterly. "Just kill me and get it over with. That's what happens to the weak, right?"
"...Sigh." It finally spoke. "And just when I was about to fight you without any defense..."
Huh?!
Then... something surreal began to happen.
The Blue Beast's form began to melt, slowly dissolving into a thick blue mist...
Its towering silhouette faded—vanished—and in its place...
"That curse was truly annoying," he muttered, his tone much more natural now. "But it looks like it's possible to resist it after all."
He smiled gently.
"I don't mind showing you this form. It's not like you can actually beat me now anyway. Hehehe."
A...
A baby?!
Unbelievable. Was I really defeated by a baby?!