The silence that followed was heavy.
Dark mana seeped from the shadows, winding through the cracks in the floor like living smoke.
The demons watched the confrontation with twisted smiles, waiting for the moment one of the two would fall.
Laurence took a step.
Then another.
On the third, he drew his sword.
He charged at Tomás.
The blade came down with tremendous force.
But Tomás reacted in time.
He deflected the sword with a precise twist, and the two blades collided with a thunderous clang that echoed throughout the hall.
Laurence frowned.
Something had changed.
The aura surrounding Tomás was not normal.
His mana was denser. Darker.
And, above all, it did not seem to belong entirely to him.
"So you sold your soul..."
Tomás smiled.
"Not all of us are born with power, Laurence."
He leaped backward.
"Some of us have to tear it from the world."
He extended one hand.
The air froze.
Dozens of ice spikes appeared around him.
"Die."
The projectiles shot forward.
Laurence advanced instead of retreating.
His sword moved once.
Then again.
And again.
Each strike destroyed a projectile before it could reach him.
Fragments of ice crashed onto the floor and scattered across the hall like broken glass.
Tomás gritted his teeth.
Laurence continued advancing.
He did not need powerful spells.
Mana flowed through his body and concentrated in his sword with absolute precision.
Every movement was direct.
He wasted no energy.
And he gave Tomás no opportunity to regain his distance.
Tomás retreated and cast another spell.
Laurence dodged it.
Another.
He blocked it.
Another one.
He cut it apart before it could finish forming.
But Tomás never stopped attacking.
The battle became a succession of sword strikes, explosions, and spells.
While the two fought, the Douglas knights battled the demons guarding the hall.
Little by little, however, the situation began to change.
There were too many demons.
And some of them were far more powerful than expected.
Laurence blocked another attack from Tomás.
Then he felt something.
A presence.
Something far more powerful than any of the demons he had faced until that moment.
The ground trembled.
The flames of the torches went out for an instant.
The demons stopped fighting.
Every one of them turned toward the entrance of the hall.
A massive figure appeared through the smoke.
It was a gigantic demon.
Its body was covered in a thick layer of dark mana, and its eyes glowed with supernatural intensity.
Every step made the ground tremble.
A Douglas knight tried to attack it.
The demon did not even look at him.
It raised one hand.
Black flames engulfed the knight.
His body disappeared within seconds.
Only ashes remained, floating through the air.
The soldiers stepped back.
Laurence tightened his grip on his sword.
That creature was different from the others.
The demon walked forward until it stood before Gargranelt.
The two stared at each other.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Even the other demons seemed to hold their breath.
Then Irgold broke the silence.
"Stop acting like an idiot and let's finish this."
Gargranelt raised an eyebrow.
"Relax."
His tone remained calm.
"These humans can't do anything to us."
Irgold clenched his fist.
"They can't do anything to us?"
His voice echoed throughout the hall.
"Three great armies are surrounding this city."
He pointed toward the windows.
"The Douglas have already entered Vayllencity. The Armett have blocked the escape routes, and the other armies are closing the net."
His gaze became colder.
"And you're still here playing around with them."
Gargranelt smiled.
"You worry too much."
"You don't understand anything!"
Irgold disappeared.
An instant later, his fist slammed into Gargranelt's face.
BOOOOM!
The impact shook the entire hall.
Gargranelt was sent flying and crashed through one of the walls.
The soldiers and demons froze.
"This isn't the Lower World, you idiot!" Irgold roared. "There's a lunatic riding a magical beast capable of sending us straight to the abyss. And if we fail Astarot, they'll execute us. Don't think you're untouchable."
Gargranelt slowly got back to his feet. The mark of the punch still crossed his cheek, and his eyes burned with a red glow.
"Damn it!" he roared. "We're Demon Dukes! Nothing in this world can stand against us!"
Irgold looked at him with contempt.
"Do whatever you want, fool. I'm withdrawing with the others. We have a mission to complete."
Tomás's face went pale.
The protection the demons had promised him was beginning to crumble before his very eyes.
He had sacrificed his family, his territory, and his honor for an alliance that could now abandon him at any moment.
"Wait!" he shouted, gripping the edge of the table. "You promised to protect my territory!"
Irgold did not even turn around.
"That is none of my concern."
His eyes gleamed coldly.
"My only concern is Astarot."
Without saying anything else, Irgold leaped through one of the windows.
A gust of wind and darkness surrounded him as he disappeared into the distance.
Tomás remained motionless.
"No..."
Gargranelt glanced at him.
Then he turned his attention back to Laurence.
"Don't worry, human."
His smile returned.
"I'm not that much of a coward. I'll kill these insects, and we'll leave when this is all over."
Laurence tightened his grip on his sword.
He did not need to answer.
Gargranelt disappeared from his field of vision.
An instant later, the demon's fist slammed into his chest.
BOOOOM!
Laurence was sent flying.
He crashed through a wall and disappeared beneath the rubble.
Gargranelt walked toward him.
"It's over."
He raised his arm.
Then a sharp pain shot through his body.
Gargranelt stopped.
He looked at his right arm.
It was gone.
A clean cut had severed the limb from his body.
The demon slowly turned his head.
Sofía had entered the hall.
Thunder advanced beneath her, surrounded by electricity. Larryet ran at her side, while ten riders brought up the rear.
Sofía raised her spear.
"Over here!"
The riders charged.
Gargranelt stepped back as the magical beasts stormed into the hall.
Thunder was the first to reach the demon.
Sofía brought her spear down on him.
Gargranelt blocked the attack with a barrier of dark mana, but electricity coursed through the defense and forced him backward.
"Damn human!"
Sofía drove her spear forward with the force of lightning.
She pulled out a magical tool and quickly traced several runes in the air.
"Purification."
The talisman exploded.
A beam of light shot across the hall and struck Gargranelt head-on.
The demon staggered several steps backward.
The purifying light continued to burn his body, while electricity coursed through his muscles in violent discharges. Even so, Gargranelt gritted his teeth and raised his remaining arm.
"Damn human!"
He gathered dark mana in his palm.
But before he could cast the spell, a shadow appeared behind him.
Larryet.
The seal engraved on his forehead began to glow.
Then the light intensified.
FWOOSH.
Energy spread throughout Larryet's entire body.
His muscles tensed.
The ground beneath his paws cracked.
Gargranelt turned his head.
His eyes widened.
"What...?"
In the next instant, his claws tore through the demon's chest.
CRAAASH!
The impact was so brutal that Gargranelt lost his balance and was lifted off the ground.
Larryet slammed him into the marble floor.
BOOOOM!
Cracks spread in every direction.
Gargranelt tried to get back up.
He couldn't.
Larryet pressed down with even greater force.
The seal on his forehead shone even brighter.
One final roar shook the hall.
CRACK!
The Demon Duke's body split apart beneath the impact.
The dark mana surrounding him exploded outward and began to dissipate like smoke.
Sofía looked at the lion.
"Larryet, you fell behind again."
The lion let out a low growl.
Laurence got back to his feet and brushed the dust off his clothes.
"Thanks for the help."
Sofía looked him up and down.
"If you want to visit Caleb, you just have to keep going."
Laurence frowned.
"I'll take care of this. Return to the camp."
Sofía let out a small laugh.
"Survive first."
She turned around.
A group of demons appeared in the corridor.
Larryet moved forward beside her.
Within seconds, the creatures were lying motionless on the floor.
Sofía did not even stop.
Laurence turned his gaze toward the interior of the building.
The heart of the Denisse territory was getting closer.
"Tomás..."
He tightened his grip on his sword.
"This time, you won't escape."
Laurence advanced toward Tomás.
The mage cast spell after spell, but Laurence deflected them without stopping.
When he was within range, his sword moved.
One slash.
Tomás lost a leg.
"AAAH!"
He tried to retreat, but another strike severed the other one.
He fell to the floor.
He could not understand it.
No... I didn't think it would end like this.
Laurence approached him.
Tomás tried to raise his sword, but he could barely hold it.
The duke raised his own.
Another slash.
His right arm fell to the floor.
Then the left.
Tomás lay motionless on the marble, breathing heavily.
Laurence watched him in silence.
There was no anger on his face.
Only a decision that had already been made.
"This is for my son."
His sword descended.