ROOOOAAARRRR!!!!!

The demon's voice cracked the air like a thunderclap. It shook the ancient stonework of the pyramid. It bellowed with a strange mixture of rage and joy. Its chest heaving as it inhaled the corrupted mana surrounding it. A haze of red mist swirled around its colossal, jagged frame, an armor of flesh and rot that shimmered with infernal energy.

Then it exhaled.

A cloud of dark fog rushed from its maw reeking of sulfur, charred bone and something far fouler. The very air warped under the pressure of its presence and its four glowing eyes narrowed with happiness.

"So this… is freedom," it said in a voice that shook everything. "The sweet scent of despair… how long I have hungered for this."

It turned its gaze to the humans below.

Kneeling.

Shaking.

Whimpering.

Both cultists and students alike had fallen to their knees, some from awe, others from overwhelming dread. The sheer pressure radiating from the demon's being forced even the stronger students to collapse, clutching their heads as madness threatened to take hold.

"Hahahahaha!" the demon laughed. The sound of its laughter was like something splitting the bones.

"Is this all humanity has to offer? How utterly pitiful"

From the altar, a hooded figure stepped forward. The figure's robes were blood red and his eyes were gleaming with lunacy.

The cult leader came forward.

"O...Great One..." he cried in a voice reverent and shaking. "We have summoned you with the blood of the impure and the souls of the damned! This sacred place, this altar, it's all yours…."

He spread his arms wide, gesturing to the corpses scattered across the pyramid floor.

"All this death, all this agony. It is for you! Take us under your wing, majesty. Let your wrath reshape this unworthy world!!!!"

The demon cocked its head. It's eyes glinting.

"You prepared this… for me?"

"Yes, my Lord of Despair! These offerings are yours. We live to serve you. Our bodies, our minds, our souls. They are all yours!!!"

The demon's lips curled into a jagged smile.

"Then you won't mind if I start with your flock."

Before the cult leader could even blink, the demon's claw lashed out,

SCHLLAAK!!!!

A dozen cultists were ripped apart in a heartbeat. Blood splattered across the stone. One tried to run.

Crack!!!!

The demon stomped him into pulp.

"No…..My Lord! Why?!"

"Because," the demon said as it licked the blood from its fingers, "your faith is delicious."

More screams. More blood. It began tearing through cultists and students without discrimination. One student tried to crawl away.

Fwump!!!

A tail lashed out, splitting him in two.

The scene became a massacre.

And the cult leader?

He laughed.

He laughed like a mad, shrieking, delirious man.

"YES! THIS IS ITm THE BEGINNING OF A NEW WORLD!!!"

But amidst the slaughter,

"RAAAHHH"

A war cry cut through the chaos. Arthur charged towards the demon with his sword in hand, black aura blazing. His blade glowed in violet black as he closed the distance in a flash and slashed at the demon's leg.

Clang!!!!

His sword barely cut through the thick hide. The demon barely flinched.

Still, Arthur didn't stop. He pivoted, his feet a blur, swinging again and again, trying to find a weak point. The demon backhanded him

Crack!!!

It sent him skidding across the floor. His armor fractured. Blood dripped from his mouth.

But, he stood again.

Whoosh!!!!

Flames shot across the battlefield. Lia joined the fight, her palms glowing crimson. Streams of fire erupted in twin arcs as she danced around the demon's side, hurling concentrated fireballs at its joints.

"Go for the eyes" she shouted.

Boom!!!

Explosions lit up the demon's back. Scorching its skin. It turned towards Lia, annoyed by her presence.

From above, Lucas descended like a thunderbolt. His weapon glowed silver and light gathered around the tip. He aimed directly for the neck.

SHHHNK!!!!!

The blow struck true. The demon grunted, stumbling back as black ichor spilled from a shallow wound.

But even then, it grinned.

With a roar, the demon flung its arm upward.

Wham!!

Lucas was launched skyward, crashing into a stone pillar. Rubble fell.

Arthur caught his breath and dove back in. "We can't stop…."

He charged.

Again.

His blade dug deeper this time but it still wasn't enough. The demon slammed him into the ground. The impact made his bones crack.

Still, he stood up.

And charged again,

And again,

And again

Again,

Again,

He screamed, slashed, bled.

And fell.

But rose.

Again.

Again.

Each time he charged, the demon swatted him aside like a fly. But he kept getting up. His legs trembled. His eyes were bloodshot. His hands shook with pain. Yet he pressed on.

Until,

"Why?" the demon asked, amused by Arthur's mentality now. "Why rise when you know you will fall?"

Arthur, breathing raggedly. He stared up at him.

"Because if I don't… everyone dies."

His eyes were blazing. "Because we are Espers. Because I have a duty."

He stood tall.

"Because my conviction is everything to me. And I won't let you take that from me"

The demon leaned closer, grinning.

"Then allow me to rip that conviction from your broken body. I am Belaros, From the Sin Clan of Wrath. Remember that name. Your final moments… will be agony."

And he struck.

Arthur met him head on.

A storm of claws and steel erupted between them. Arthur dodged what he could, parried with everything he had. But Belaros was overwhelming.

Crack!!!

Another rib broke.

Squelch!!!

His leg was pierced.

Bam!!!

He hit the ground again.

Still, he reached for his sword.

Bloodied. Broken. Unbending.

Lia, panting and scorched, rose up again.

"Don't stop…." she shouted. "We are Espers! This is what we were made for. This is why we exist. To stand when no one else can!"

She turned to the students.

"IF WE DON'T PROTECT THE WORLD….WHO WILL?!"

Some heard her.

Some rose.

They were wounded. Trembling. Many still cried. But a few stood.

A dozen.

Then more.

And they charged.

Their blades sang.

Their magic flared.

Their hearts burned.

But it wasn't enough.

Belaros swept his arms and bodies fell like flies.

Dozens fell in seconds. Limbs torn. Chests crushed. Screams turned to silence.

Lucas watched it all.

He saw the students fall one by one.

He saw the cult leader float high above, his arms stretched in twisted joy.

And something inside him broke.

His hands shook.

His mind frayed.

He dropped his spear.

"No… no, no, no…"

Tears streamed down his cheeks.

"I can't…"

And still….Ryker watched.

From the shadows.

Unmoving.

Golden light shimmered faintly around him as he remained at the edge, surveying every death, every breath, every plea.

The system buzzed in front of his eyes.

[Lucas Lockhart is nearing complete psychological collapse]

[Quest Failure Imminent.]

His fingers twitched.

Not yet.

When Arthur's body hit the ground again, unmoving.

When Lia screamed.

When Lucas began to sob.

That was when the demon lifted his claw to strike Arthur's final blow.

The boy didn't resist.

He closed his eyes.

He simply accepted it.

And then,

SHIIIIINNNGGG!!!

A golden dome snapped into existence.

The demon's claw struck the barrier and stopped cold.

A light erupted.

Soft.

Radiant.

Warm.

Footsteps echoed through the battlefield.

Ryker emerged, Walking slowly towards the demon. Unburned. Unshaken. Unchanged.

The students stared.

The cult leader froze.

The demon narrowed its eyes.

"And what are you supposed to be?"

Ryker's voice cut through the silence.

"Sacrificial Restoration"

Golden energy surged outward, sweeping across the fallen students. Broken bones began to heal. Bleeding slowed. Some blinked in disbelief.

"Radiant Mend"

Torn flesh knit itself back together. Lia gasped as warmth returned to her limbs.

"Luminous Barrier"

The world dimmed except for the dome of light surrounding the wounded, keeping them safe from the demon's oppressive aura.

"Sanctuary Veil"

A soft wavering light descended from above. It replaced the panic with calmness, fear replaced with clarity.

Ryker walked through the carnage like a divine being.

Golden radiance wrapped around his form, his black hair flowing like liquid light. His black robe shined and every step he took left glowing footprints behind.

He looked less like a human.

And more like an angel.

The demon watched him, completely baffled and enraged.

"You mock us," Ryker said quietly. "You call us weak. Fragile. Lost."

He looked toward Arthur's body.

Then Lia.

Then Lucas.

Then the demon.

"But you misunderstand what makes us strong."

His voice rose.

"It's not power. Not blood. Not lineage."

He stood before Belaros now.

"It's the will to rise. Again. And again. And again."

Golden wings came to life and behind him it expanded with a majestic, unreal, a beacon in the darkness.

"And now… I will show you the light of humanity."

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