I almost shrieked in fear—I’d never seen Mr. Julius look so terrifying before. I knew he came to save me, but he was a far cry from a prince riding a white horse. He resembled a Demon Lord riding his trusty black dragon. As I sat on the sand, there was still quite a bit of distance between us, but I was sure that I had locked eyes with Mr. Julius and Helios.
Helios’s golden eyes glittered brighter than the stars in the sky. “GRAAAR!” he roared, letting out a powerful battle cry that shook the earth.
I’d never heard such a vicious roar come from him before. His voice was filled with ferocity and rage as he made his descent like a bolt of dark lightning, aiming straight for the cloud of dust. In the middle of the dust cloud, created by Ms. Natalia’s item, was Mephisto. Mr. Julius and Helios shot into the dust, and I saw a dark shadow pop out.
As the dust started to settle and my vision became clear, I found Samael pitifully lying on the sand, likely thrown off by Mr. Julius. The dark shadow that I’d seen was Mephisto. His body, badly injured by Ms. Natalia, was beginning to regenerate right before my eyes. He flapped his three wings and switched directions, extending his arm toward Helios, who was pursuing him. The dragon was faster than the demon as Mephisto transformed his arm into a sharp blade.
The demon kicked the air and parried Mr. Julius’s dark blade.
“Your movements are clumsy, winged insect,” Mr. Julius growled. “Your regeneration isn’t keeping up, I take it?”
“It’s truly a pity that you’re here already,” Mephisto replied. “I wanted to go all-out and greet you with a full-course meal. The main dish was going to be a chunk of Chloe, garnished on a plate.” Honestly, I had no idea who was the villain here anymore as the demon laughed at Mr. Julius’s provoking remarks. “But killing her in front of you isn’t a bad show either,” Mephisto continued. “I want to see you despair. If I take Chloe and your dragon away from you, you’ll no longer have a reason to fight. Humans are emotional creatures. They despair, spite, and hate. I guarantee that a future where you destroy the world will arrive.”
The demon continued to speak in his creepy tone as the two men crossed blades. His voice was filled with such certainty that I scowled. The words that just came out of his mouth infuriated me unlike anything else. What is he even talking about? Mr. Julius isn’t that kind of person.
“Me? Destroy the world?” Mr. Julius replied quietly. “I don’t care about you or the world. I’m not bored enough to hate and destroy things that I care nothing about. Only young children will meaninglessly kick a pebble on the side of the road. And yet, you act as though you understand emotions. How foolish.”
I had no time to respond. His tone was calm and icy—I thought that my hands would freeze from merely touching those words.
Mr. Julius easily parried Mephisto’s attack, blowing him back. Before the demon could regain his posture, Helios whirled in the air and flew behind him. Mr. Julius grabbed the demon’s wings.
“Three left,” Mr. Julius said as there was a flash of cold steel.
His dark sword hadn’t been enchanted with anti-evil spells, and while his blade sank deeply into Mephisto’s wing, it didn’t sever it. Mephisto continued to struggle as Mr. Julius violently placed his foot on the demon’s back and used brute strength to push his blade into the base of the wing. Like a bird caught in a trap, the remaining two wings flapped wildly. Several dark feathers fluttered in the air and fell upon the golden sand. I could only gulp before Mr. Julius’s overwhelming power.
He showed no hesitation in destroying his foes as he mercilessly cut them down. This was the form of the Black Prince, Julius Craft. I felt tears start to form in the corner of my eyes. I’d almost forgotten to breathe as I felt suffocated and gasped for air.
“When my blade doesn’t cut well, your suffering will only prolong,” Mr. Julius remarked. “You should rejoice. You lot love suffering, don’t you?”
Mephisto could only offer a muffled groan in response. I gathered what little magic I had and pointed my staff at Mr. Julius’s blade to cast my anti-evil spell on it.
“Just sit back and watch, Chloe,” he said. “Your magic will be wasted on an insect like him.”
There was a grotesque snap and squelch as a dark wing was ripped from the demon’s body. The severed wing fell to the ground with a thud before disappearing into dark particles of light. Now with only two wings, Mephisto staggered to the ground.
He went on his knees beside a fallen Samael, using both arms to hug his body and press down on his back. Samael was still conscious as he glanced at Mephisto. Magical energy spilled out from the latter, perhaps because he’d lost a wing. Black sludge that resembled blood dripped out from where his wing had been ripped out.
“Salim!” Minne cried, freed from her prison.
I guessed that Mephisto no longer had the energy to maintain her cage as she ran out and rushed to Samael, who was in the form of Salim. She clutched his body, her delicate shoulders trembling.
My chest grew tight upon hearing her quiet sobs. Helios had quietly descended by my side, worry written all over his face as he gently nuzzled my cheek with his snout. I petted his face, assuring him that I was fine. His golden eyes, which had been ablaze with fury just moments ago, were now wavering anxiously. I wanted to stand up and hug him with all my might, but my legs wouldn’t listen to me.
I’m pathetic. I’m always being saved. Mother, Father, and Ms. Natalia are always rescuing me. Without them, I would’ve never been able to reunite with Mr. Julius. I was positive that I’d be long dead. As I touched Helios’s cold face, relief washed over me as the tears rolled down my cheeks. I knew that now wasn’t the time to cry, but my body finally processed the situation and started to tremble.
Helios continued to nuzzle me with his snout in reassurance. Mr. Julius gracefully jumped off his dragon and walked by me, gently placing his hand on my head as he went. His large and powerful hand gave me a sense of comfort, snapping the tension that had gripped my body. He said not a word and stood in front of Ms. Natalia and me, his sword raised toward Mephisto.
The demon faced the ground, gritting his teeth to bear the pain. Minne, who was still clinging to Samael’s motionless body, gazed up and shook her head desperately. With every shake, tears spilled out of her eyes like jewels. Even during a time like this, the princess was breathtakingly beautiful.