Lailah had no idea what to make of this monstrosity.
It was as Yuri had described it.
A living shadow.
Or that's what her mind conceptualized it as. In truth, she had no idea what she was looking at. Every part of it was a violation of her senses. A true abhorrence that could not be put into words. The world around it seemed to revile and reject its existence. Yet, even the world's resistance against it was futile.
The shadowy wisp looked up at her. In place of eyes, there were only two pits of violet light glowing eerily at what she could only describe to be its face.
Its stare unnerved her completely. She had been privy to battle. The Great War was the most tragic period in her life, after all. Yet, even that could not compare to the amount of anxiety she felt staring at this thing.
And then it happened.
The shadow smiled.
An almost crippling chill snaked its way down her spine. Her body reacted almost subconsciously.
Her eyes were wide in fear. Blood trickled down her cheek as she narrowly avoided its outstretched tendril.
In an instant, its arm had crossed the distance between them. It had almost skewered her if not for her enhanced senses.
This thing was dangerous. She needed to eliminate it immediately. Black and red light gathered within her hands. "Oh Lord, Oh Heaven, grant me the power to deliver justice upon this demon." The black and red light came to a crescendo above and she threw her arm down.
A dark pillar of light representing Heaven's judgement slammed down on the shadow.
All physical matter was obliterated in an instant and the town square was leveled in a single attack. The ground shook violently and the shockwaves damaged every building in town as it traveled out.
"...!?" her eyes widened in shock when the entity stood there unscathed. Its unnatural mocking smile remained on its face.
"What are you? A Devil? Some sort of local monster?" she wondered. This was Slavic Territory and since the current leader of her pantheon and the God of the Nav were close, she was more than familiar with the creatures of Slavic Myth. But she had never seen anything remotely close to this.
"Lailah!"
Her eyes widened when she heard Noah's voice. "N- Noah!? What are you doing here!? Get back to her!" she yelled.
"She's safe. I cast Divine Armor around the Church." Particles of golden light gathered around Noah's hand. "I won't let you fight this thing alone."
Lailah bit the bottom of her lip. She looked down at the shadow entity below her and clenched her jaw.
"I used Leliel on that thing and it's still alive," she said.
"Well, I guess we just have to hit it even harder." Noah said before reciting a Bible verse. "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the Earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword."
He made a movement across the air, similar to drawing a sword from its sheath. A sword of pure light manifested in his hand, giving off particles of light that resembled something similar to Hebrew Text. The air around it crackled with untold divinity as if Noah had pulled a piece of Heaven down to Earth and shaped it into a blade.
The entity turned its gaze to Noah. It tilted its head slightly before its arm instantly stretched out to shred him.
Noah moved out of the way, slicing through the entity's shadow tendrils.
Its eyes widened when it felt its shadows disperse momentarily.
"Lailah!" Noah yelled as he darted at surprising speed toward the entity.
"Right! Oh Lord… Oh Heaven…" Lightning and hail began to gather around her. Flames flickered in between her hands. She threw her hands forward, throwing a barrage of lightning, ice, and fire at the entity.
Noah swung his Sword of the Gospel, unleashing a powerful wave of light.
The two attacks hit their mark. A thunderous explosion destroyed what remained of the town square. The fleeing residents, who had made it out of the village, turned back to their town to see a large mushroom cloud, filled with lightning, fire, and golden light.
Noah jumped back, scanning the smoke cloud for any sign of it.
Lailah hovered in the air next to him. Her body was tense and filled with trepidation. She gathered divine power in her hands, forming several black spears of light.
"Noah, I-"
Her words were cut off as a tendril made of black void-like matter pierced Noah's stomach.
Noah stumbled forward a little, blood spurting out of his mouth and wound. It took all of his strength for him to raise his arm. The pain was absolutely horrendous and made him want to give into the sweet embrace of death, yet he needed to make sure they were safe. With a painful motion, he took a step forward, spilling blood onto the pristine snow.
"N- Noah!" Lailah screamed.
"Get back!" he yelled, grabbing the tendril.
He looked back toward the billowing smoke and saw the shadow walk out. It had an extremely malevolent grin on its face. The violet pits it had for eyes stared back at them mockingly. It was enjoying this. It derived some sort of sick twisted pleasure from their pain and despair.
His body was in complete agony. This thing had struck a lethal area. However, he needed to buy her time. It was all he could do in this moment.
"Lailah, go," Noah urged. He coughed up blood, sending it onto the thing's tendril and the snow below.
"N- No! I won't leave-" Her choked sobs were interrupted by Noah's words.
"Go! Go to our daughter! Go run!" Noah said as he tightened his grip around the tendril. He raised the Sword with his other hand and managed to slice through it. He jumped back, gripping his bleeding gut.
"No, Noah, please… don't leave me…," Lailah begged. Tears streamed down her face as her lover stood before her, barring the path of this unknowable being of shadow.
"Lailah, live. For our daughter. For me." Noah looked over his shoulder and gave his wife a bloody smile. "Now go!"
Noah swiped his arm, erecting a massive dome of light that encapsulated him and the shadow entity. Lailah slammed her fist against the light to no avail. She clenched her fists tightly until blood leaked from her palms.
She took one last look at her lover before spreading her wings and flying off in the direction of the church.