Chapter 21: The Battle of Flames and Shadows
The ruined temple trembled under the weight of clashing power. Bai Jiu charged at the demon, his blade igniting into divine fire. Steel met shadow, creating explosions of energy that shattered stone columns around them.
Ying Yue stood in the center of the chaos, whispering incantations long buried in the depths of her soul. Symbols lit the air, ancient and bright. Each word summoned echoes of her former divinity.
"You cannot win!" the demon spat, forcing Bai Jiu back. "She is incomplete!"
"Even incomplete," Bai Jiu growled, "she is stronger than you."
The demon hurled a spear of darkness toward Ying Yue. Time seemed to freeze. She raised her arms, light bursting outward in a radiant shield. The attack dissolved in a cascade of silver sparks.
Bai Jiu stared in awe. "Fu Sheng… you've returned."
"No," she said. "I am Ying Yue… and I choose to fight as both."
Together, they moved in unison—blade and spell, flame and seal. The temple glowed with divine light as the two lovers reclaimed their power, not just from memory, but from love and purpose.
The demon screamed in fury. "This isn't over!"
But the seal reawakened beneath their feet, its lotus bloom pulsing with power.
Ying Yue chanted one final verse.
"By light reborn, by love unbroken… return to the void."
A beam of light engulfed the demon, and with one last roar, he vanished—sealed once more.
The silence that followed was not empty. It was peace.