Page 110 of Hell-Bound

It was his turn to glare.

“A real male knows how to improvise.”

Azur teleported, appearing in front of the first guard, a female Lesser with blue skin. Before the female could react, Azur spun her around and snapped her neck while half a dozen others rushed him.

Ren took this as her cue to unsheathe her dagger and pounce. She landed on the back of the guard closest to her and pulled it quickly across his neck. She tried not to flinch as the blood spurted over the gorgeous painting on the wall.

Before Ren could tackle her next target, Azur had already made his way through three more, several having been dismembered.

No finesse, this male.

Despite her mental grumbles, Ren couldn’t deny that she’d enjoyed seeing Azur in his element. Muscles flexing, showing the perfect image of the god of wrath.

Having taken out all the guards in the hall, they heard running boots from the next.

The two sprinted toward Xarek’s study and encountered four more guards. One, a High Devil with tanned skin and massive horns.

“Ladies first,” Azur said with an ironic bow.

Ren dashed towards the largest, spinning out of the wayof his longsword and jamming her dagger into his side. He screamed in agony, falling to one knee, the dagger having less of a paralyzing effect on this High Devil. Ren pulled the blade out, watching the wound bubble before stabbing once more into the side of his neck.

“Good, girl,” Azur said, walking cooly past her, already having dispatched his own targets.

The pair narrowed in on the doorway, having encountered no other guards. Ren supposed that after seeing the wake of bodies, the rest had decided to keep their distance.

Cowards.

Ren’s bloodlust had yet to be sated.

“May I?” he asked politely before the double doors.

Ren gave a formal and perhaps slightly playful head tilt of approval before Azur kicked the door open, blasting it from its hinges.

Inside were ten guards, all standing to defend Xarek, who was cowering with his violin behind the large stone desk. The guards didn’t have a chance to charge before Azur lifted two hands, wings springing from his back. Each guard seized up, black blood spurting from each orifice before falling limp to the ground.

“What happened to conserve your power?” Ren murmured.

“Sacrifices have to be made for showmanship,” he said with a flourish.

Xarek’s hands were shaking. It seemed like he was trying to squeak out notes on his instrument but was unable to settle himself.

Azur teleported in front of the Devil and ripped his violin from his hands, tossing it to Ren.

“Y-you can’t-can’t hurt me without c-cause! I’m Im–Immortal” Xarek sputtered.

Azur’s hand darted out, lifting Xarek off his feet by his throat. The Devil made a choking sound, struggling for air. Azur lowered his face within a whisper of Xarek’s.

“Oh, but IcanXarek. You touched Ren. You touched what’smine.”

His voice had lowered several octaves and sounded more monster than Devil.

“I would crush your windpipe right now, but I promised averyspecial little Elf that we would do this together. So please relax, Xarek. It will all be over soon.”

He threw Xarek across the room, his body landing with a crunch beside Ren’s feet.

He wailed in pain, one arm bent at an unnatural angle. Ren then slammed her booted foot across his other arm, relishing the loudsnap!

“I’ve always wanted my own set of Devil horns. They’d suit me, wouldn’t you say, Azur?”