Echoes from Within

Aristi Moraisa's declaration hung in the air like a death sentence.

The party moved immediately into formation. Alpha stepped forward, his sword drawn and ready. Kuria positioned herself behind him, her staff glowing with protective magic. Suzaku moved to the side, blue flames already dancing around her fingers as she prepared to unleash her most devastating spells.

Bolg remained where he stood, his spear lowered at his side. His red eyes stared at the floating figure of Aristi, watching the streams of data and threads of code swirl around her body. His jaw was tight, but his feet did not move.

Suzaku's gaze flicked toward him for a brief moment. She noticed his hesitation, saw the conflict written across his face.

Then she turned her attention back to Aristi, her flames burning brighter as she focused entirely on the Demon Lord floating before them.

Alpha raised his voice, cutting through the tension.

— Our priority is protecting Dave. Even if we cannot see him, we can see her. Watch where she moves, where she strikes. Her murderous intent will show us exactly where Dave is at all times. Use that. Position yourselves to intercept her path.

Both childhood friends nodded in agreement.

Kuria raised her staff, golden light pulsing from its crystal as she began channeling support magic.

— [swift_movement_8]! [mana_flow_enhancement_9]! [strength_blessing_7]!

The enchantments washed over Alpha and Suzaku, their movements becoming lighter and more fluid as their stats received temporary boosts.

Suzaku stepped forward, blue flames already forming around her hands. She started with intermediate level spells, testing Aristi's capabilities before committing to anything more devastating.

— [azure_bolt_5]! [flame_lance_6]!

The spells streaked through the air toward the floating Demon Lord. Aristi shifted gracefully, the streams of data around her body pulsing as she dodged each attack with minimal effort.

Suzaku's eyes narrowed as she watched the evasive movements.

If she is dodging them, then they are still a threat to her, Suzaku thought, already preparing her next spell.

— Alpha! Suzaku shouted. I need you to restrain her movement!

Alpha had been holding a defensive position, his sword ready to intercept any attack aimed at Dave's invisible form. But at Suzaku's command, he exploded forward into a full sprint.

Aristi raised her hand toward the charging warrior, and spells erupted from her palm in rapid succession.

— [ice_shard_9]! [lightning_bolt_9]! [wind_blade_9]!

The magical projectiles streaked toward Alpha, each one lethal on its own. But Alpha's enhanced agility from Kuria's buffs made his movements fluid and precise. He angled his shield to deflect the ice shards, twisted his body to let the lightning bolt pass harmlessly by, and ducked under the wind blade that would have decapitated him.

Aristi cast again, faster this time.

— [flame_wave_9]! [stone_spike_9]!

Alpha planted his shield and blocked the wave of fire, then pivoted around the stone spike that erupted from the sand. His feet barely touched the ground as he closed the distance between them, reading her casting patterns and anticipating where each spell would manifest before she completed the incantation.

Within seconds, he reached her floating form.

Alpha raised his sword and struck at Aristi with a series of rapid slashes. But before his blade could connect, she chanted in a calm voice.

— Gargoyle's stance.

Her skin hardened instantly, taking on a grey metallic sheen. Alpha's sword clanged against her body as if striking solid stone, each blow deflecting harmlessly off her transformed flesh.

The technique reminded Alpha immediately of Grimjaw's laughing gargoyle mask. Same concept. Same defensive principle.

But restraining her movements was the goal, not damage. If his sword could not accomplish that, then his magic would have to suffice.

Alpha stepped even closer and raised his free hand directly at her face.

— [silence_9]!

Aristi's hand shot up. A burst of wind magic exploded from her palm, catching Alpha squarely in the chest and launching him backward through the air. He tumbled across the sand, his spell failing to take hold.

Suzaku had been waiting for exactly this moment. The instant Alpha cleared her line of fire, she unleashed one of her more devastating attacks.

— [crimson_inferno_9]!

The massive sphere of blue and crimson flames streaked across the desert and engulfed Aristi completely. The heat distorted the air around the blast, and the force of the explosion kicked up a wall of sand.

Alpha pushed himself to his feet, expecting to see the Demon Lord consumed by fire.

Instead, Aristi's voice echoed through the flames.

— Phoenix stance.

The fire surrounding her body began to spiral inward, flowing into her skin like water being absorbed by parched earth. The blue and crimson flames flickered and died, leaving her completely unharmed. The grey metallic sheen of her gargoyle form had vanished, replaced by a faint golden glow.

Alpha stared in disbelief.

— How did that not work?

Dave floated closer to him, his translucent form tense with worry.

— Most end game bosses are immune to status effects. I coded them that way to prevent cheesing fights with cheap tactics. If she's operating on those same rules, then your debuff spells won't do anything to her.

Alpha gripped his sword tighter, his mind racing through their options.

— And she is using stances, not masks. The strategy we used against Grimjaw will not work here. We cannot scramble her abilities if they are part of her own body rather than external equipment.

Bolg watched Aristi shift between defensive forms with practiced ease. His spear remained lowered at his side, but his red eyes tracked every movement she made.

— Why did you create Grimjaw if you were able to use this power in the first place? he called out, his voice cutting through the sound of combat.

Aristi glanced toward him, still floating above the desert sand.

— Every soldier who participates in the enhancement process is a volunteer, she replied calmly. They are all eager to obtain enough power to exact revenge on the humans who wronged us. I simply provide them with the means to achieve that goal.

Bolg's grip tightened on his spear, but his expression showed confusion rather than anger.

Aristi noted his lack of understanding and continued.

— This power was originally mine. The stances, the abilities, the capacity to shift between them at will. But other demons cannot withstand this kind of ability without proper preparation. The enhancement process through the Horizon Canvas is necessary to create bodies capable of bearing such transformations. Grimjaw was my attempt to share this strength with others, to give them the tools they need to fight back.

Bolg raised his spear, finally moving into a combat stance. His voice carried across the desert with newfound conviction.

— You are just using their anger to fuel your own ambitions. You take volunteers desperate for power and turn them into weapons for your personal war.

Aristi's expression twisted with rage.

— How dare you twist my intentions! she shouted, her voice cracking with fury. I am doing everything to fulfill my husband's wishes! You should understand this better than anyone because you carry fragments of him within your very soul!

Bolg shook his head slowly.

— No. I do not.

His head suddenly exploded with pain. A sharp ringing filled his ears, drowning out everything else. The world tilted sideways as something inside him began to shift and writhe.

The remnants. The dormant souls that slept within him. They were waking up.

Hatred crashed over him like a wave. Pure, blinding rage toward humans. Images he had never seen flashed through his mind—battles, betrayals, massacres. Emotions that were not his own flooded his consciousness, threatening to drown out his sense of self.

His principles. His convictions. Everything he believed about restraint and mercy began to slip away beneath the tide of accumulated anger.

Bolg's knees buckled. His spear fell from his grasp. He was going to lose himself to this storm of hatred.

Then clarity cut through the chaos.

A single voice rose above the others. Calm. Familiar. Filled with profound sadness.

— Please, the voice said. Free her from this torment.

Bolg recognized it instantly. The first demon lord. Aion Moraisa.

— I never intended for her to burden herself with my wishes, the voice continued. I wanted peace, yes. But not like this. Not through her suffering. Not through the sacrifice of our people.

The ringing in Bolg's head began to subside as the voice spoke.

— Her ways are wrong. I see that now, even from within you. Please, Bolg Nir. Stop her. Do not let her continue to abuse her power over our own people. Do not let her destroy herself pursuing a dream that was never meant to cause such pain.

The hatred receded. The rage pulled back. Bolg found himself kneeling in the sand, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

He reached out and grabbed his spear.

Bolg rose to his feet, planting the weapon firmly in the sand beside him. His red eyes locked onto Aristi with unwavering determination.

— I will stop you, he declared, his voice steady and clear. And I will help Dave build a better future. One where our people are not sacrificed for impossible dreams. One where peace can be achieved without endless cycles of death and rebirth.

Alpha's voice rang out across the desert.

— Let us do this!