The Large school fields and gardens were now a nightmare of fire and shadows. The air reeked of burnt flesh, the acrid scent mingling with the metallic stench of blood. The ruined remains of Paradise High trembled under the weight of the calamity unfolding.
Ava, gasping for breath, forced herself to her feet. Her golden hair was damp with sweat, her limbs shaking from exhaustion. Her wounds burned, but she had no time for pain. She clenched her fists, and in an instant, her entire form ignited in a roaring inferno.
"Lamia, you bastard!" she screamed. "Burn!"
A tidal wave of scorching fire surged toward Lamia, the heat so intense that the very ground sizzled beneath it. The flames coiled, twisting like living serpents, seeking to consume the monstrous figure standing before them.
Lamia's grin widened.
Then, with an effortless breath, he exhaled.
A gust of cold, cursed wind left his lips, sweeping across the battlefield like a deathly whisper. The fire, so powerful, so radiant, flickered. Then it vanished.
Snuffed out like a candle in the darkness.
Ava's heart dropped.
Before she could react, dark roots erupted from the ground, twisting like serpents, curling around her arms and legs.
The tendrils slithered up her body, coiling tighter, digging into her skin. The thorns—razor-sharp and pulsating with dark magic—sank into her flesh, piercing deep, drawing blood.
Ava let out a piercing scream as the pain shot through her body.
Lamia chuckled.
His eyes gleamed with amusement as he watched her struggle, her fiery spirit now caught in his grasp. He stepped closer, his movements unhurried, savoring the sight of her suffering.
"Useless being; as powerful as you may seem don't forget who you're dealing with and the fact that you haven't mastered your powers you fool," he whispered, his voice laced with cruelty.
Ava's vision blurred from the agony. Her once-powerful flames refused to answer her call. She was trapped. Helpless.
Jeremy, standing nearby, felt his breath hitch.
His wide eyes darted between Ava's bound form and Asher's pale, trembling body. His friend lay on the ground, his severed arm beside him, a growing pool of crimson staining the earth.
His body was cold. Drained. Dying.
Jeremy clenched his fists.
And then—
A light.
A searing, golden glow burst forth from his chest, illuminating the battlefield. The warmth spread through his veins, pushing away the fear, the exhaustion.
Something ancient stirred inside him.
Then, before him, a golden sword materialized, its radiance blinding, its very presence humming with power.
Jeremy stared at the magnificent weapon, its hilt adorned with celestial engravings. The blade pulsed, as though alive.
A voice—deep, resonant, and ethereal—echoed in his mind.
"Use it to destroy the enemies. The Guardian Angel Michael Sword is a gift. Wield it wisely."
Jeremy's breath hitched.
The sword called to him.
He turned to Rose, his voice steady despite the storm raging inside him.
"Take care of Asher," he whispered. "I'm going to kill this bastard."
Rose's eyes widened in fear.
"Jeremy, you're not trained for this! You'll die!"
But Jeremy was already moving.
His fingers wrapped around the sword's hilt. A rush of power exploded through his veins. His body glowed, his once-wounded limbs now surging with newfound strength.
He screamed, the sheer force of the energy nearly overwhelming him.
Then—he charged.
Lamia, unfazed, lifted his hand.
The earth itself cracked and trembled.
A deadly earthquake surged forward, chasing after Jeremy, the very ground splitting apart, threatening to consume him.
Jeremy leapt, dodging the ruptures beneath his feet.
Then, suddenly—
A beam of golden light shot down from the heavens, striking him.
The impact should have crushed him, incinerated him—but it didn't.
The sword absorbed it all.
Jeremy exhaled sharply. His fingers tightened around the hilt.
And then—he lunged.
His blade, gleaming with divine light, descended upon Lamia's form—only for the bastard to conjure something horrifying.
The ground behind him split open, and from its depths crawled an abomination.
Two scorpions the size of trucks emerged, their massive pincers snapping, their venomous stingers dripping with black poison.
Lamia's voice slithered through the air.
"Kill him."
The beasts attacked.
Eight monstrous creatures, each towering over Jeremy, lunged at him with unrelenting fury.
Jeremy fought valiantly, his sword slicing through their hardened exoskeletons.
Golden light clashed against dark, twisted flesh.
Limbs flew. Black blood splattered across the battlefield.
But the beasts—they wouldn't die.
They reformed.
Jeremy's breathing grew ragged. His hands trembled.
"Surprised?" Lamia chuckled, his voice dripping with amusement.
Jeremy barely had time to react before—
A stinger plunged into his shoulder.
A sharp, searing pain exploded through him.
Then another.
And another.
The scorpions ripped into him mercilessly, their claws tearing through his flesh like paper.
Blood gushed from his wounds.
One beast sank its pincers into his leg, snapping the bone like a twig.
Jeremy screamed.
Another stinger pierced his abdomen, twisting cruelly inside him.
Flesh tore.
Veins snapped.
Pain. White-hot, unbearable pain.
Jeremy collapsed, his body barely recognizable, his screams turning into weak gasps.
And then—his sword flew from his hands.
Lamia grinned.
The battle was over.
Or so he thought.
"No…"
A voice—weak, but filled with rage.
Asher.
He staggered up, his body screaming in protest.
Rose sobbed. "Asher, no! You'll die!"
But Asher's gaze was locked on Jeremy.
His friend.
The guy that held his heart even though he crushed it.
Being ripped apart.
His fingers trembled, his breath ragged. Then—white strings appeared around his wrists.
They twisted.
They moved.
A blinding light erupted.
A hurricane—not of wind, but of pure divine energy—burst forth from Asher's hands.
The battlefield shook.
The sky split open.
He fired.
A colossal beam of light, brighter than the sun itself, exploded toward Lamia.
Lamia barely had time to react before it slammed into him.
BOOM.
The force was catastrophic.
The entire battlefield shattered.
Lamia's body was hurled into the air, the impact so great that it tore through the ground, creating a bottomless chasm.
The earth itself split open, swallowing him whole.
Silence fell.
The dust settled.
And where Lamia once stood—there was only an endless, dark abyss.