Page 97 of The Road to Hell

He thrust his hand forward, and the very air between us fractured. A line of disintegration cut through the battlefield like a blade. I ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding a patch of ground that simply ceased to exist.

But the attack wasn’t over.

Gremory’s hand clenched into a fist, and something behind me exploded.

The shockwave sent me flying, my side colliding with an outcrop of stone. The force knocked the breath from my lungs, and pain tore through my ribs as I crashed into the dirt. My sword almost slipped from my grasp.

I forced myself to my feet just as Gremory advanced. His wings beat once, closing the distance in an instant.

He feinted left—then slammed his fist into my side.

Agony erupted within me. My ribs cracked beneath the impact, a splintering pain that nearly dropped me to my knees. The moment my footing faltered, his blade flashed downward, aiming for my exposed shoulder.

I moved on instinct and dodged his downward strike. His wings flared wide, sending a gust of force through the battlefield, stirring up ash and embers. The disintegration still rippled through the space behind me, consuming whatever it touched—stone, dust, air.

Fuck, he was strong. Stronger than I remembered.

Then his magic changed. It became suffocating, a weight pressing down on my bones, seeping into my skin, like something ancient and hungry.

His hand glowed, black veins of energy crackling across his fingers. Realization dawned at the sight of those spindly veins. That was Lucifer’s power. He must have infused Gremory with his own magic.

Fuck.

A pulse of magic exploded from Gremory’s palm, aimed directly at me. I twisted, wings straining to lift me away, but it was faster. The force struck me square in the chest, ripping the air from my lungs as it threw me backward.

I slammed into the ground, my back skidding over the cracked stone as Gremory advanced, closing the distance between us in an instant.

I forced myself up just in time to block his next strike.

Steel met steel, but the impact sent a shockwave through my arm, rattling down to my bones. My blade slid against his, forcing his weapon just enough to the side to give me an opening. I drove my elbow into his ribs.

Gremory let out a grunt, but before I could press the advantage, his free hand came up.

I saw it too late.

A tendril of dark energy lashed out from his palm and coiled around my wrist like a living thing.

Then another.

And another.

I snarled, jerking back, but his magic wound tighter, locking me in place. It wasn’t just restraining me—it was suffocating me. I could feel it, like tar seeping into my skin, making it impossible to move. The more I struggled, the stronger the hold became.

“You always fought like a soldier,” Gremory mused, his grip tightening. “Like there were rules. There aren’t, Rathiel. Not anymore.” He lifted his hand and summoned his magic, blackness encompassing his entire hand.

“Like the new me?” he asked. “Lucifer chose to imbuemewith his might. With his power. And now…now I’m unstoppable.”

With a flick of his wrist, the tendrils yanked me forward. His knee drove into my gut, hard enough that pain erupted through my injured ribs.

Then he threw me.

I crashed to the ground, my wings crumpling beneath me, pain lighting up every nerve in my body. I struggled to push myself up, but Gremory was already there.

He drove a boot against my chest, pinning me in place.

“Stay down,” he sneered, his wings spreading behind him, casting him in shadow.

His hand glowed again.

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