Once all three were inside, the gates swung shut behind them. Crimson flames began to light the tower, illuminating the floor and ceilings with their reddish glow. Blood flowed beneath their feet and above on the ceiling. Portraits, all painted in blood, hung from walls of ruby and moonstone—each a grim reminder of an ancient war waged within this realm. The hallway was a spectacular gallery of massacre made flesh. Skulls, torn bodies, and sundered parts of griffins, krakens, phoenixes, vampires, and a thousand other entities floated above their heads. At the end of the hallway, stairs made of skulls spiraled upward into the tower’s shadowy echelons, their white bone fading into darkness.

  Fojima’s ears twitched. Before his mind could process, his body moved in a blur, crouching low with both hands braced against the ground. Sarah and Flame Lord glanced at the dark-purple kamas that had torn through the obsidian gates, their edges dripping with a devilish aura.

  O’viles: Ahh… I hate that his words are always true…

  The figure sitting on the stairs was clad in light chain armor, his skin the color of twilight. Forbidden magic dripped between his fingers. White hair fell to his shoulders, framing pointed ears and teeth like the fangs of a hungry beast. He glanced up, a grin wide enough to split his face carved beneath eyes that burned with the force of a sun.

  He raised his free hand to scratch his head,the other still spinning the second kamas idly at his side.

  O’viles: Welcome, little heroes… Guess your journey ends here…

  Fojima’s head snapped toward the grinning figure on the skull stairs. His eyes widened in panic and recognition.

  Sarah took a half-step back to steady her posture.

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  “Half Twilight Elf…Half Vampire…” she murmured.

  Fojima: Not a normal hybrid…

  Flame Lord stepped forward, hands blazing with hellfire.

  “Sixth General of the Abyss…O’viles the Reaper…”

  “Yeah, yeah… Let’s just…” O’viles raised his arm, causing the kamas to retreat to his hands. “Get this over with…”

  Fojima: Nice place you chose for a battle.

  O’viles: Moony expected you to come here for the Blood King’s revival. He knows Lionye too well…

  Flame Lord: And these flames know elven flesh too well…

  He stepped forward, flames erupting around him as his demonic wings spread wide. His face was a mask of rage and thrilling anticipation.

  O’viles: Ooh!!? A one-on-one?

  Sarah: Flame Lord! We’ll do this together!

  Fojima placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “Let him go.We’ll help if anything goes wrong. And if it doesn’t… we simply finish the ritual.”

  Flame Lord smirked. Sarah hesitated, then nodded, her eyes steady as she stepped back to give him space.

  O’viles: Well… was expecting a three-on-one… but who cares…

  He spun his weapons once. The sound of black iron clashing echoed through the hall, sparks falling where they met.

  “Let us feast upon each other’s blood…Flame Lord…”

  Flame Lord: Confident, are we…?

  The walls seemed to vibrate. He raised his hands in a taunting gesture. His demonic wings now fully spread, two eyes on each wing snapping open to stare at O’viles.

  “Third Eye,open. Eternal Hellfire…”

  His forehead tore apart. His skull opened as a meteorite-like orb crawled out, its pupil rolling as if analyzing the surroundings before locking onto O’viles. Flames erupted from the ground, swirling around his body. The sheer aura of his power forced Fojima and Sarah to their knees. His body now floated in the air, all his eyes fixed on O’viles, his voice echoing from every part of the tower.

  “Let us begin…General of the Abyss…”

  Sarah flinched at the sight of Flame Lord’s true form—four wings, multiple horns crowning his forehead, his burning aura saturating the air. Fojima’s fist clenched at his side, his face a stark contrast of fury and grim annoyance.

  Sarah: Fojima…

  Fojima turned to her, a faint smile breaking through the anger.

  “Stand ready for battle…This won’t end simple…”

  O’viles: Oh, it won’t, little rabbit… Third Eye, open. Natural Hunger.

  His forehead tore apart. A dark-blue eye crawled from his brow, two white dots inside connected by a thin line of purple. Two vampiric wings spread from his shoulders, his face growing more bloodthirsty than any elf’s. His body expanded slightly, his pupils shifting to the color of twilight as blood spilled from his mouth. His hair, now swept back like a horse’s mane, grew longer, its ends tinged with violet.

  O’viles: This… will end… in a bloodbath…