The black-tainted, purple sky warped and expanded around the raging beast in front of Azazel. The wind picked up; the wildlife was nowhere to be seen. Even the earth seemed to shrink in fear of caging the monster's attention.
But not Azazel.
He didn't cower—didn't even waver. His spiraling eyes flashed not at death's mighty teeth, but with the confidence of a man who believed he could conquer it himself.
Azazel: "Come on!"
Azazel tore off the top of his clothes, revealing toned muscles and tattoos sprawling over his body. However, only five of them held his sigils.
The now-deranged Erica flexed her body. She had grown to an impressive size—almost four times Azazel's height. Her legs deformed into a dog-like shape, ending in feet that more resembled talons. Her clothes had torn during her transformation, revealing violet skin consuming what was once white flesh.
Her face was the closest thing to her normal form, though she now bore two enlarged horns. Her eyes were closed, yet black ink seemed to bleed from them.
She faced Azazel and began.
Trees were hurled at Azazel, which he slipped past like a snake dodging blows. He closed the distance and began chanting. But the beast grabbed his head and hoisted him into the air. As his vision blurred, he felt the wrath of an inferno beneath him and knew a blast was coming.
He placed sigils on a watch beside him and threw it at the beast, which shot out a ball of pure energy. The orb froze mid-air, then zoomed back toward the monster.
A massive explosion created a crater where the nearby lake had been. Azazel stood at its edge, sweating with delight as he wondered if the monster had survived.
Deep below, amidst grazed wood, scorched earth, and evaporating water, the creature's left arm was already regenerating. It let out a monstrous roar and bolted toward its attacker, gathering heat in its breath for another blast.
Azazel (yawning): "Again? At least think outside the box."
He pulled out another clock and prepared to throw it. The monster grinned and condensed its attack—shrinking a giant fireball into a pea-sized beam that ripped through Azazel's torso, cutting him in two.
The beast let out an inhuman cackle—then bled black ink. It turned in shock as Azazel, completely unharmed, stood behind him.
The monster glanced at the bisected body it had just created, only for it to vanish.
Azazel: "Wow! You're even intelligent. You're the second one to kill me."
The monster looked toward the sky, a vortex of air twisting around it. Wing sigils fluttered into existence, and white-feathered wings sprouted from its back as it took flight.
Azazel: "Uh-uh-uh. No escaping."
Azazel grew wings of his own and pursued. The monster's mouth glowed with flames. Not taking chances, Azazel summoned four sigils onto his fingerless gloves and clapped. The beast found itself back on the ground, where it unleashed its beam of destruction. Trees that once provided shade now lay burning on the ignited earth.
Azazel appeared behind it and drove a dagger into the beast's skin. It cried in pain and swung its horns, but only grazed his shadow. Slowly and deliberately, Azazel began surgically cutting the monster apart—first its two legs, then its remaining arm.
Finally, he stood over it as it writhed on the ground, dagger in hand.
Azazel: "Doesn't this take you back?"
The beast opened its one eye, sending Azazel flying with pure psychic malice—nearly into the newly created crater. Then, his body seem to fall to the ground like grains of sand.
Azazel: "Killed twice in one day, huh? So that's why she was so curious about you."
Azazel reappeared meters away from where his body had turned to dust. He checked his remaining sigils.
Two.
He had to subdue this beast with just two. Crazy odds—but the kind that excited him.
Azazel chanted. As he did, the beast began to morph further. Its body grew more grotesque—two extra horns dug out of its skull, its wings crushed its spine, making it hunch. Its severed limbs slowly regenerated.
Its one eye remained open, burning with crimson rage. Symbols and sigils now carved themselves into its ebony skin. A scaled tail, lined with dagger-like spikes, whipped the ground. It huffed, gathering energy around itself.
Azazel (thinking):"But finish this."
Azazel: "Let the stasis now rewind..."
The beast locked its bloodied eye on him.
Azazel: "The pendulum of fate holds no mercy..."
It began summoning another blast. If the last one had created a lake-sized crater, he knew what this one would do.
Azazel: "Flow to where you became..."
The beast opened its maw.
Azazel: "Nothingnes—"
"NEIL!!!!"
The beast collapsed. Azazel halted, his two sigils nearly fading.
Azazel (thinking):"If I don't continue now..."
"Neil!!!"
A voice—distant yet near—cried in agony. The monster's wings shed, its skin cracking to reveal pale flesh beneath.
"I wanted to see you again. I wanted you again, but..."
Her voice was hoarse, desperate. Though he couldn't see her face, Azazel could hear the tears in it.
"I'm scared that if I do this... I'll never be with you again."
Her horns shrank, leaving only two tiny nubs.
Azazel stood there. His sigils had vanished, and he dropped to the ground, sweat pouring from his exhausted face.
Azazel (thinking):"She's still conscious? What resolve."
A smile crept onto his mischievous lips, and he began clapping. He got to his feet and approached Erica. She didn't even meet his gaze.
Azazel: "To think after all this, you're still worried about him. Guess you didn't kill or kidnap him. Interesting..."
Erica: "..."
Azazel walked past her.
Azazel: "Get some sleep, you crazed lover. I'll let you keep the Luni—just in case—so I can see what you do next."
He paused.
Azazel: "Oh, and your pursuers? I'll take care of them."
He grabbed his top, covering his toned muscles. Before leaving, he took one last look at Erica—then vanished.
***
A knock interrupted King Gaia Terra Rue. He barked for the intruder to enter. It was his royal messenger.
Gaia: "Oh, so soon? Guess the witch wasn't so hard to catch."
The messenger shook, sweat dripping from their brow.
Messenger: "N-No, it's not that."
Gaia slammed his desk.
Gaia: "I told you to only interrupt me when it's about the witch!"
The floor beneath the messenger began to warp.
Gaia: "You have ten seconds."
Messenger: "M-My liege, it is about her."
Gaia: "Then speak!"
Messenger: "H-How do I say this...?"
Gaia stood, his imposing physique towering over the cowering man. Each step vibrated the air itself. His hand seized the messenger's face.
Gaia: "You have five seconds now."
The messenger began to cry.
Messenger: "Y-Your scouts—all one hundred of your top fighters—died in one night!"
Gaia froze, releasing the messenger, who scrambled toward the door.
Gaia: "Tell my family to return from their duties immediately."
The messenger nodded, face pale, and fled.
Outside the castle, the messenger whispered a prayer:
"This witch messed with the wrong person."