Page 62 of Eternal Mate

I held my ground, refusing to be cowed by his arrogance. "This isn’t a game—you’ve taken things too far for too long. We’re done playing into your schemes.”

Lucifer's eyes narrowed, a cruel smile playing upon his lips. "Ah, such noble intentions," he taunted. "But what do you truly believe you can do here? I’m the Devil and this is Hell, you silly little girl. I’ve been alive longer than you could even comprehend. I have an army of demons at my disposal.”

I pursed my lips, swallowing down the anxiety as the burden of my purpose pressed down on me.

I had to do this. There was not only no one else who could, but if we lost here, he would wipe the board completely just to keep it from happening again.

My angel was a burning sensation in my chest, slowly filling my body as he stood from his throne.

I could do this. I had to do this. Sariel was yanking on the bond desperately, clinging to me as if he could help from a world away, and part of me wished I hadn’t left him behind.

"I may not possess your power, but I have something you lack," I retorted. "I have a family. One that I love, and loves me—and you’re hurting them. I’m done letting you."

His face shuttered for a moment, apparently speechless.

“And you’re cut off from your demons right now, anyway.”

Without hesitation, I charged forward before he could fully grasp how I could know that, slicing through the air with deadly precision as my angel surged to the forefront. Lucifer met my attack with supernatural speed and power, blocking my strike effortlessly. The clash sent shockwaves through the realm, the sheer force of our blows shattering the ground beneath us.

If I had been in my right mind, it might have shocked me to see I was actually holding my own.

Apparently, everyone was right about hybrid powers being formidable—especially when they were backed by the mate bond.

As the battle raged on, Lucifer—distracted but not defeated—unleashed his dark magic in a desperate attempt to turn the tide in his favor. Shadows twisted and coalesced, taking the form of grotesque, shadowy beasts that lunged at my allies, their snarls and growls reverberating through the chaotic battlefield. The ground trembled beneath their weight as they bounded forward, their claws slashing through the air with deadly precision.

Reacting swiftly, I adjusted my focus, momentarily diverting my attention from Lucifer to protect my allies from the encroaching danger. With each fluid movement, I intercepted the shadow beasts, parrying their vicious attacks with my celestial sword forged of angelic power.

The clash of metal against shadow echoed through the realm, sparks of celestial light flaring against the darkness.

I leaped and spun, my body a blur of motion as I engaged multiple adversaries simultaneously. With each strike, I aimed to weaken the shadow beasts, striking at their vital spots and exploiting their vulnerabilities. The agility and skill I had honed through countless battles allowed me to evade their swipes and counter with swift and precise blows.

However, the shadow beasts were relentless, their movements fueled by Lucifer's dark magic. Their amorphous forms shifted and twisted, making them difficult to predict and strike effectively. Their growls and snarls echoed with an eerie chorus, sending shivers down my spine.

I refused to succumb to fear.

Neo, ever the sarcastic one, rolled his eyes and taunted the shadowy creatures as he deftly dodged their attacks. "Is that the best you've got? I've seen scarier creatures at a children's tea party."

His words seemed to infuriate the shadow beasts even more, their forms contorting with anger as they swiped at him with razor-sharp claws. Neo just danced through the air with grace, avoiding their strikes while retaliating with bursts of celestial light.

The battle became a dance of light and darkness, a symphony of clashes and roars.

Together, we fought with unwavering resolve, our movements synchronized as if we were an extension of one another. Each strike weakened the shadow beasts, their forms flickering and wavering under the onslaught of our combined strength.

Meanwhile, Mikey's anger fueled his determination. With a ferocious snarl, he tapped into his darker powers, his eyes glowing with an ominous red hue. Tendrils of shadow erupted from his fingertips, snaking through the air like vipers. He directed the tendrils towards Lucifer, aiming to entangle his legs and hinder his movements. It was something I hadn’t seen before—obviously a new trick he’d picked up since he died.

It made sense, since he was a freshly-transformed Archdemon, if a free one.

The shadow beasts sensed Mikey's anger and sought to overwhelm him. They lunged and snapped at him, their haunting growls filling the air.

Mikey fought back with unrelenting fury, his shadow tendrils wrapping around the beasts, constricting them and reducing their power.

Meanwhile, Kiran’s hands crackled with arcane power as he unleashed bolts of celestial and infernal energy, obliterating the shadow beasts that dared to approach him.

"Hey, over here!" Kiran shouted, his voice filled with laughter.

I made the mistake of glancing over, not realizing he wasn’t talking to me, and his entire body morphed. Standing in his place was the beast I had seen only a handful of times while he was alive—but… changed. His body seemed almost like it was rotten, rather than the blur of shadows it had been before.

Sensing Kiran's power, the shadow beasts hesitated for a moment, their forms wavering with uncertainty. His snarl taunted them into action, his relentless barrage decimating their ranks as he barrelled through them.

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