London was quiet after the battle. Too quiet.
Sophia Carter stood alone in the ruins of Westminster, her golden aura flickering faintly around her. The streets were scarred, Big Ben cracked, and the Thames still glowed with embers from the demon's fire.
The people had survived. But Sophia's strength was waning.
She sat against a broken wall, hand pressed to her chest, aura dim. "Not yet," she whispered to herself. "They still need me."
---
Flashback – Childhood
Sophia had never been strong.
As a child, her body was fragile, bones brittle, lungs weak. Doctors whispered that she wouldn't live past sixteen. She spent her days in bed, staring through hospital windows at the faint glow of the sun.
One evening, when her fever was at its worst, she begged silently, "Just let me see the sun once more."
And the sun answered.
Light poured into her room, brighter than it should have been, filling her body with warmth. She awoke not weaker, but stronger. Her aura ignited that night, golden and radiant, burning away the sickness.
The doctors called it a miracle. Sophia called it her second chance.
From that day, she swore: her light would never be just for her. It would be for everyone who lived in darkness.
---
Present – The Second Assault
The rift above London pulsed again. Shadows spilled from it, darker and hungrier than before.
Three new demons emerged from the smoke:
Grimth, the Plague Bat (Low-Rank). Its wings spread disease with every flap.
Skill: Pestilent Screech — shriek that infected aura with decay.
Vorla, the Bone Dancer (Low-Rank). A skeletal figure, wielding jagged blades of ribs.
Skill: Marrow Storm — scattering bone shards in a deadly flurry.
Erythus, the Crimson Viscount (Mid-Rank). Tall, cloaked, eyes burning red.
Skill: Blood Eclipse — draining aura from the battlefield to empower himself.
The city shuddered. Civilians screamed, fleeing across bridges as shadows closed in.
Sophia pushed herself to her feet. Her body trembled, but her aura surged brighter. She raised her hand, a golden glow flaring into the night.
"London will not fall. Not while my light remains."
---
Clash in Westminster
Grimth shrieked, "Pestilent Screech!" A wave of disease-laced sound rushed forward, windows shattering.
Sophia raised her palm.
"Radiant Ward!"
Light flared, forming a golden dome. The sound struck and dissolved harmlessly, civilians safe within its glow.
Vorla leapt, blades spinning. "Marrow Storm!" Bone shards tore through the streets.
Sophia's aura surged.
"Solar Arrows!"
Dozens of lances of light rained down, piercing through Vorla's body. The Bone Dancer collapsed, shattering into ash.
But Erythus stepped forward, cloak flowing.
"Blood Eclipse."
The air grew heavy. Light dimmed, lamps extinguished, and Sophia felt her aura draining, pulled toward him.
Her knees buckled. "No… I won't… fade."
---
The Final Dawn
Sophia gritted her teeth. She thought of her childhood, the hospital bed, the window filled with sunlight. That warmth had saved her. She couldn't let it end here, in shadow.
Her aura blazed brighter.
"Solar Ascension!"
Light exploded from her body, brighter than any lamp, brighter than the moon. The streets lit up as if dawn had come early.
Erythus hissed, shadows writhing against the brilliance.
"You cannot blind the eclipse!"
He lunged, claws tearing at her aura. Sophia's light flared in answer. She raised both arms, voice ringing clear across the city.
"I was born weak. I was given light to protect others. If this is my end… then let my dawn be eternal!"
Her aura peaked, consuming her entire body in radiance.
"Final Judgment!"
A colossal beam of light descended, engulfing Erythus and Grimth both. The demons screamed, dissolving into ash under the brilliance.
When the light faded, London stood silent once more.
---
Sophia's End
Civilians looked up, blinking in the afterglow. The streets were safe. The rift above dimmed, its hunger slowed.
But at the center of it all, Sophia knelt on the cracked pavement, her body trembling. Her aura flickered faintly, then dimmed completely.
She smiled softly, tears glistening in her eyes. "The sun… will rise tomorrow. Even if I don't."
Her body dissolved into faint golden sparks, scattering like sunlight across the Thames.
---
Aftermath
In Geneva, the Council chamber fell silent again as the signal cut.
Ishita covered her mouth with trembling hands. Rehan's fists clenched, his jaw shaking with rage he refused to show. Akira lowered his head in silence.
Li Wei spoke softly.
"Her light endures. But her body is gone."
Arashi's voice was grave.
"That makes two. The tide is shifting faster than we feared."
The rift above London pulsed darker, as if mocking her sacrifice.
Far beyond, in the sealed abyss, the Upper Demons stirred once more.