Prophecy

Chapter 75: Fight

Xavia's POV

The infernal realm roared with darkness.

The Devil towered over the molten landscape of the cracked dome; his form wreathed in a wicked halo of Hell flames. I knew what was coming; I could feel his sheer anticipation and malevolent energy. His smirk grew in size as he prepared to unleash his true form. Before becoming Nephalem, I could never hold my own against this daunting form of his...

In my soul, I know I can now.

For hundreds of meters, the ground and surrounding area trembled beneath us. Deep cracks from his feet, and the air grew heavier with the stench of sulfur. His body began to convulse, twisting unnaturally. His legs, which were once muscular and humanoid, elongated and bent backward, morphing grotesquely into a single, massive serpentine tail. It coiled and writhed with an unnatural fluidity, shimmering with a dark, oily sheen. The twisted length seemed endless and looked to be covered in scales that glinted like rusted, blackened steel.

A pair of gargoyle-like wings erupted from his back, each as wide as a tower's spire. They literally tore through his flesh with a sickening crunch, their leathery membranes stretching taut against the bones, veins throbbing with dark blood. The wings beat the air with a force that sent a deafening roar across Hell. Each flap scattered tiny embers and ash into a violent storm around us, clouding the area.

As I stared, a new horror unfolded.

The once worm entity in his chest was no more. Instead, as it bulged and split open, and a second demonic face emerged, grotesque and twisted. Its eyes glowed a sickly, malevolent yellow, and its mouth stretched into a vast, horrifying grin, revealing silky, razor-sharp teeth. It was as if the worm-like Archdemon had a second form from the depth of itself, their combined darkness emerging with my father, taking form.

I could feel the void, thirsting to devour everything in its wake.

Two long, decaying horns sprouted from his forehead, curling upward in a sinister arc toward the blood-darkened skies. They were crumbling, yet they emanated a primal power that spoke of ancient chaos. His fingers elongated into talons, each tipped with a claw that could rend flesh and soul alike, their edges glinting in the Hellfire. He was a monstrous colossus of evil, a twisted parody of life, standing before me in all his unholy glory.

"Now, your turn, dear child," he growled, his voice dripping with disdain.

I took a breath.

I knew once he witnessed my new, proper form... my father would be absolutely livid.

But I couldn't care less.

I felt my own power surge in response.

I let it swell, allowing it to wash over me, an electrifying wave that consumed every fiber of my being. My Nephalem form broke free, and I could feel my wings tear through the fabric of reality around us, feathered yet edged with celestial fire. Following those appendages came everything else: my tail, multiple long horns, and my muscular dragon and werewolf-like limbs.

Light and dark intertwined, dancing along the edges of my entire form as my eyes ignited with a white-hot intensity; no longer were they black. I could feel it... feel Grace's God-like divine power surging through me. My body, my very essence, brimming with the combined power of Heaven and Hell.

The divine and the damned converged in a perfect, seamless harmony that defied the world's natural order.

His reaction was immediate... a flash of rage contorted his demonic visage.

"Nephalem," he spat, his voice a venomous hiss. "You sick, fucking cunt. You really mated and spread your legs open for that freak of nature chained up over there?" His eyes flicked to Grace, bound and watching with desperate intensity. "She's powerless; she's watching you fail. She will watch you lose to me, and I will consume her soul."

Anger flared in me, hot and unforgiving.

"She's more than you'll ever be," I shot back, my voice steady and defiant.

His eyes narrowed, and he roared with fury... my father's sudden attacks came at me with an intensity I wasn't expecting.

Fireballs formed in his hands, and he hurled them toward me, one after the other. As they drew near, they burst apart mid-air, shattering like bombs filled with searing nails. The Hellfire shrapnel tore through the space around me, a flurry of jagged, flaming fragments that exploded in all directions. Each tiny shard embedded itself in my skin, burning with a pain that seared my nerves. Distracted by the sudden assault, I raised my arms instinctively, blocking my face from the barrage.

In that split second, he slithered forward, his massive form moving with a speed that misrepresented his size. His fist connected with my face, a crushing blow that sent me sliding back, my heels digging into the broken earth beneath me. Stars burst in my vision, but I forced myself to stay upright, shaking off the dizziness. Through the haze, I caught sight of him, his chest-face grinning with demonic glee as he advanced.

I squared my stance and steadied myself, my breath coming in ragged gasps, but I refused to back down. His next attack came swift and brutal, a series of jabs and swipes with those terrible claws. I blocked, parried, and dodged, trading blows in a furious melee attack. The rhythm of our combat was relentless; the sound of flesh hitting flesh, bone striking bone, reverberated like a war drum.

My muscles burned with every movement, each impact reverberating through my bones, but I fought on, calling upon the strength of my mother's legacy. Her brawler weapons, heavy gauntlets that glowed with a fierce, unyielding light, materialized around my hands, and with every strike... I could feel my power grow. Each punch landed with a force that cracked the air, a devastating fury that sent the Devil reeling.

The battle raged on, feeling like hours as we danced in a brutal symphony of violence. Sweat and blood slicked my skin, but I pushed through, knowing I had to prevail. A glance below me told me that the sounds of the battle between my allies and his forces were dwindling. Anxiety clawed at my insides as I couldn't quite hear them. Nor could I focus my attention on finding out.

Are they okay?

Are they holding their ground?

I took a breath, pushing away the fear. Deep in my soul, I knew my answer. They were still fighting and hadn't fallen... not yet. But as I turned my focus back to the Devil, I realized too late that he had something planned. He suddenly launched high into the air, his monstrous wings outstretched, blotting out the burning sky.

I could see it now... the swirling magical energies, fire, and even his own pawns, the lesser demons, being sucked toward him as he devoured their very souls. I squinted, realizing that wasn't the only thing happening. Using my enhanced sight to pierce through the chaos, I saw more. His high-ranking demons were attacking him, throwing everything they had at him... all of their most powerful attacks as he absorbed their energy.

"Xavia!" I heard Grace cutting through, reaching my mind. "What is he doing? I can't really see... I can sense his power growing immensely. It's not a safe level."

Realization dawned on me.

A cold dread settled in my stomach as I understood his true intent.

Just then, he spoke, his voice booming across the battlefield, "I have you to thank for this new attack of mine, dear daughter. To think you kept such power from me. Well, it doesn't matter. Now, DIE!!"

The air around him convulsed as a massive concentration of magical energy collided within itself, forming a deadly vortex at its core. The atmosphere seemed to warp and twist under the pressure of the forces at play. The bomb that resembled my power was forming in my father's grasp. Its unstable energy fluctuated wildly as it threatened to explode at any given moment.

The magnitude of it was incomprehensible... a cataclysm that would obliterate everything in its wake, and... my father didn't care... To kill me, to kill Grace, he would surely kill himself, too. I wasn't naive; his upcoming attack wouldn't actually harm him.

I knew he had another plan in the works.

As I realized the danger, my heart sank, and my breath froze in my lungs. A little bit of fear clawed at me while I stared at the impending doom.

Will anything survive this?

Will anyone?