Page 284 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

All around us, the mayhem continues as merciless fires consume the buildings. Screams permeate the air, and people with all types of degrees of burns run around in search for shelter.

My gaze immediately seeks out Mine, needing to ensure he’s fine. He’s a distance away, trying to help two kids get out from under a mass of rubble.

My attention must have lingered too much on him because as I glance back at the demon, the ice has already melted and her line of sight is set on…him. A smile curls up her lips and with blinding speed, she sets out for him.

Alarmed, I chase after her, pushing myself way past my limits to ensure I make it to his side before she does. Mine seems to notice it too because he shields the children with his body and looks back toward us.

She’s almost there when I flash myself in front of him.

Her tentacles swing out, and before I can protect myself, one of them penetrates the exposed skin at the top of my neck.

A croaked sound escapes me as I choke on my own blood. Pain erupts everywhere as the tentacle continues to dig inside of me, pushing forward and moving from side to side to create as much damage and decapitate me.

“Minnie!” Mine’s voice rings out.

He pushes the children behind him as he reaches out for me, his fingers brushing lightly against my own.

My eyes turn a vivid blue as a burst of energy explodes through me. Focusing on my neck, I build up particles of eternal ice that explode from within me, from every cell in my body. The ice claims the tip of the tentacle, but this time, I change my strategy.

Having learned from the last time this happened, I quickly swing my sword at her in an attempt to distract her so she doesn’t realize what the eternal ice is doing.

Cutting just over the part where the eternal ice is slowly eating into her tissue, I wrench myself free of her tentacle. With my free hand, I grab the broken piece and pull it out of my throat, then fling it to the side.

More blood spills down my armor and onto the ground, but without the tentacle, my wound is swiftly healing.

The demon’s nostrils flare.

“Master did not mention you would be so hard to kill,” she mutters under her breath as she takes a step back.

“Master? What are you talking about?”

She lets out a dry laugh. “Wouldn’t you want to know?” She snickers. “The end is near. The gods will die. And in the end, we will reign over everyone.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Who iswe?”

She doesn’t answer. Her lips spread into a sinister smile as she presses her hands together again to build an energy blast. Luckily for me, while she’s gathering her energy to put into that blow, she doesn’t realize the eternal ice particles slowly make their way toward her body.

Just a little more.

Rather than using the ice to obliterateallof her tissue, I imbued it with more energy than usual in an attempt to control the trajectory of the damage and focus only on the core of the tissue. By making it die from within while still maintaining an outer healthy appearance, the demon might not notice it immediately like before and sever the tentacle again.

This is not something I’ve tried before, and it might not fully work.

But as she continues to work on her energy blast, not minding the poison heading her way, I’d say the odds are in my favor.

I smack my own palms together, rubbing them to create a wave of energy—I should at least create the illusion that I’m still fighting and not that I am waiting for something to happen.

Just as she thrusts forward a small ball of gray energy, I also send a wave of my own ice energy.

They meet in the middle, and as they clash, they start fighting for dominance. It all happens in the span of a few seconds. The demon’s energy releases a dark mist that at first covers my energy, seeking to put it out.

I don’t think she’s fought other ice deities in the past, or at least none with my lineage because she would have known that technique is futile.

Just as the two energies seemingly become one—the gray one—an explosion erupts in the air. It’s so powerful, it sends all of us flying.

Eyes wide with worry, I create a shield to protect Mine and those children, using a big part of my energy to move them to safety—telekinesis always takes a toll on me. Mine urges the children to run toward the river before turning his attention to me, giving me a sharp nod of acknowledgment.

The demon uses her powers to stabilize herself some yards away, turning her arms into lances once more and pressing them into the ground to stop being shoved backward by the blast.

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