The ruins convulsed as Samael's laughter broke into fury. His burning wings unfurled, stretching across the night like curtains of flame. The ground split open beneath Maxwell's feet, rivers of molten fire searing through the broken stones.
"You dare defy me, boy?" Samael's voice thundered, each word shaking the air. "You spit on my hand, and in return I will show you what it means to be the enemy of the Morning Star!"
Maxwell braced himself as the heat slammed against him like a wall. His storm-gray eyes blazed silver, his veins flickering with crimson light. He raised his sword, its runes burning brighter, though his hand trembled beneath its weight.
Gabby leapt forward, wings igniting, her golden sword cutting a line of light through the shadows. She stood before Maxwell, her voice sharp. "You will not have him, Samael. If you want him, you'll go through me."
Samael's shadowed grin widened, his voice dripping mockery. "Ah, the faithful seraph. Still playing guardian to what is not yours. Do you truly think your feeble light can withstand me?"
With a flick of his hand, a storm of fire and ash erupted. Gabby's wings snapped wide, her shield of light barely holding against the onslaught. Sparks rained down, searing the earth black.
Anthony stumbled backward, clutching the Codex as the ground buckled beneath him. He shouted prayers desperately, Latin spilling from his lips as the holy words formed a fragile barrier against the heat. "Dominus! Miserere nobis!"
Maxwell's heart pounded. The whispers surged again, Samael's voice coiling inside his skull like a blade. You cannot win. Take my hand, and the fire will be yours to command. Resist me, and you will burn.
His sword quivered. His blood screamed. For an instant, his vision blurred, and he saw himself wielding crimson fire, Samael at his side, the world kneeling before them. The temptation was intoxicating.
But then Gabby's voice cut through the storm. "Maxwell! Look at me!"
He tore his gaze from Samael and locked eyes with her — golden, steady, unbroken. Her face was fierce, but her voice carried something else: trust.
"You are not him," she said. "You are not me. You are you. And that is enough."
Maxwell's grip tightened, the crimson glow in his veins dimming as silver surged stronger. He roared, lifting his blade high. "Then I'll fight him as me!"
He charged.
The clash shook the ruins. Maxwell's sword struck Samael's shadowy hand, light against fire. Sparks and ash exploded outward, the shockwave hurling Anthony to the ground. Samael's form recoiled, but his laughter rose again, savage and terrible.
"Good!" Samael roared, his burning eyes blazing brighter. "Fight me! Burn yourself against me! Every strike only brings you closer to the truth of what you are!"
Their blades — one of silver storm, the other of living fire — clashed again and again. Each blow cracked stone, split air, and sent shockwaves rippling into the city beyond. The night sky glowed red, as though Jerusalem itself was aflame.
Gabby joined the fight, her golden sword weaving with Maxwell's strikes. Together they pressed Samael back, their light carving into his vast shadow. For a moment, it seemed possible — that even Samael could falter.
But the Archdemon's laughter grew louder. He struck with one mighty sweep of his wing, a tidal wave of fire that shattered the earth. Gabby was hurled back into the ruins, her sword clattering from her grasp. Maxwell fell to one knee, his sword embedded in the scorched ground, his chest heaving.
Samael loomed over him, a towering inferno of wrath. "You cannot kill me, child. But you can join me. This is your last chance. Take my hand, or I will tear your soul apart and wear your body as my own."
Maxwell spat blood, lifted his head, and glared up at him, storm-gray eyes burning. "Over my dead body."
Samael's smile sharpened. "So be it."
And with a roar, he unleashed his full fury upon the earth.