That single word slammed down upon their bodies like a raging downpour. Tucker held onto his lumenite sword while barely forcing himself to stand as his boots hit the stone floor. He fixed his gaze on Serevoth, refusing to yield. Ray had already fallen to his knees, forcing himself to stand only to be brought further to the ground. His palms slammed into the stone bricks, scraping against the rigid surface. Not even a word could escape Ray's lips.

Alex remained fixed in place, sword in hand as he tried to drive his blade downwards to sever the demon in half. No matter how much he struggled. The blade only wiggled in place with black ichor slowly seeping out of the wound.

Serevoth grinned, revealing its pale, moonlight teeth that slowly blackened like the night. "Thou truly art impressive. I never expected mere mortals to withstand my Pneuma Pulse."

It held its left hand in the air, bringing a middle finger and thumb together before a sharp crack split the air. The sound was akin to a bone snapping in half. One that felt wrong and crawled across their skin. Tucker glared at Serevoth before the sheer force behind the snap blew him, Alex, and Ray all back at the same time.

He watched as Ray's body slammed into a nearby bookshelf, knocking over the wooden structure. The impact rattled the frame as hundreds of books fell one after another. Spines scraped against the pages, fanning the air as they rained down on the ground. There wasn't any time to check on his comrades' condition. The only two who could fight were him and Alex.

If they wanted any chance of winning, they needed to act. Keep the pressure on the fiend before it could devise its next move. No hesitation. No remorse.

Tucker glanced to his right, meeting the veteran's gaze. "Got any ideas?"

"None so far," Alex replied, tilting his head to the side as a small crack echoed through the chamber.

Tucker chuckled. "Then, I guess it's back to the same old… we'll hit 'em hard, and hit 'em fast."

Alex gave a firm nod. Both of them charged forth while drawing the obsidian daggers strapped to their waists. If they wanted to win, they needed to restrain Serevoth's movements before it could start its next methodical attack. His emerald aura wrapped tightly around his body, reinforcing the black iron armor's defensive properties.

Yet, the demon didn't seem concerned. It pulled the blade wedged free from its heart and locked eyes with Tucker before shifting its gaze to Alex. "Thou always seem to be in a rush. Why?" Serevoth tossed the sword aside before stretching out one hand and immediately tightened it into a fist. "We have plenty of days to get acquainted."

"Like hell we would want to get to know you, fiend." Tucker gathered mana beneath the soles of his boots and sped up, narrowly dodging the black ooze that rushed to surround him. The droplets of liquid splattered on the ground as they slammed against each other just a few paces behind him.

Meanwhile, Alex had leapt onto the top of the bookshelves with the lingering green aura surrounding his body. Any fatigue he had experienced was gone, and his body felt nimbler than before. The veteran scanned the terrain, noticing the golden chandelier above the demon's head. It was a gamble. But one that might work.

He held the dagger's handle, resting the bottom on the center of his palm. His index and middle fingers kept it in place, while his thumb rested to the side. Alex pulled his arm back before swinging forward, releasing the aura-clad projectile as he pressed down with his index finger to stop the rotation.

A burst of crimson flew through the air, catching Serevoth's attention, but before the fiend could move—Tucker was seconds away from tearing through the demon's throat. It thought about retreating, but against mortals? No, its pride wouldn't allow it.

"Thou spirit contractors always have the most amusing tactics." Serevoth leaned back just in time to avoid the flash of emerald slicing where its throat used to be. Then it sent a barrage of quick jabs towards Tucker, each getting skillfully countered with the impacts tearing through the air.

Tucker gritted his teeth, barely parrying the fists that came his way. Each one was enough to rattle his bones, and for some reason, the burning sensation within his aura stars only grew fiercer with each exchange. As if they were begging for something. Something Tucker couldn't understand.

"What the hell is it that you want?" Tucker asked, taking a step back as the crimson dagger cut through the chains holding the chandelier. The metallic bang of the golden chandelier crashing upon Serevoth sent tremors through the ground.

Once the smoke cleared, Serevoth remained unscathed with one hand over its head, holding the gigantic object that would require ten men to support with one hand. "What I want?" Serevoth giggled. "A mortal like thou hast drawn my curiosity. For instance… why do I smell my kind's scent on you three?"

Tucker narrowed his eyes, pulling closer as the demon's teal eye fixated itself on him. He struck, thrusting his dagger at its eye, only for Serevoth's arm to surge out, wrapping around the blade in the man's left hand. The crimson sleeve with golden embroidery entangled against the black iron armor, drawing closer to the watchman.

"Ah… yes… I see, thou art the one who severed the threads of life from the Fragment of Stygian. Before it could manifest… before it could fully grow."

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Every word that came out of Serevoth threw Tucker's thoughts into disarray. None of them lined up. They kept slipping and scattering like glass shattering from the roar of cannons. He forced himself to move, fighting back the invisible restraints that held him back with every move.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Three quick jabs landed against Serevoth's chest, each strike powerful enough to tear down walls. Yet it simply grinned in amusement, watching the desperate struggle of a man who had too much to give.

Pain jolted up Tucker's knuckles, through his gauntlets as another flurry of blows was driven into the demon's chest. His wrists buckled in pain. It felt like he was striking a slab of cold iron, and the awkward hold on his other arm heavily restricted his movements. But this wasn't enough to stop him. He gritted his teeth and threw another.

Krak.

The blow sent tremors up Tucker's arm. His bones were screaming with every impact, but he couldn't give up here. It seemed hopeless in this chamber that was slowly being eaten away by the darkness. But hope was meaningless before Tucker. What mattered was his actions and what he did to bring them closer to victory.

Tucker shifted his stance, gathering a small sphere of mana behind his right arm. His boots scraped against the bricks as the energy propelled his aura-covered fist forward, hammering a right hook into Serevoth's ribs. The demon spat out a mouthful of ichor. A shockwave rattled through his body as the skin across Tucker's knuckles tore open.

Hot blood mixed with the fiend's crimson robe. Yet, the foe before him still didn't budge, just as his fist rebounded off its body. The attack was effective, but it barely made a dent. There had to be a way to win. A reason why the fiend didn't completely decimate him like how it did with Ray and his companion.

That was when it clicked. He saw Alex's figure emerge from the shadows, out of Serevoth's line of sight, and quickly released the dagger in his left hand. Before the blade could hit the ground, he grabbed onto the fiend's arm, digging into its crimson robe with his fingertips, and stomped on its foot, locking it in place.

"Use spirit essence!" Tucker shouted, grabbing onto the demon's other arm with his right hand.

Alex didn't question it and immediately poured essence into his sword. The blade swirled with flames as he drew closer. One step, two steps, and finally, on the third, the veteran stood right before the demon. His sword sliced through the air, through Serevoth's neck and arm. Both watchmen leapt back as a long, blazing diagonal slash appeared on the demon's torso.

Yet the hair on the back of their necks stood on end. Something was wrong. Not a single scream escaped the demon's lips. Not a cry of torment or even a reaction. Just silence.

How do we even beat it?

Tucker asked himself. He was certain that was the reason Serevoth took out Ray and Rover in one hit. It had to be. However, as the pale flesh bubbled in large flesh-like clusters, Tucker knew that wasn't the answer. The two halves of the demon hit the floor with a wet splat as its body slid in opposite directions. Dark ichor smeared the tiles across the ground, and for a heartbeat, if it weren't for their previous experiences.

Alex and Tucker would have believed it was over. But they knew better. The flesh began to move at a speed they couldn't comprehend, with the golden chandelier crashing down on its body. A low, sickening gurgle rose from the demon's exposed flesh. Before their eyes was nothing but a hollow space within Serevoth's body. Not a single organ existed as the torn muscles twitched.

The old man's hand shot upwards and to the demon as he brought his two fingers together. With a sharp snap, he gathered his spirit essence as a lone thread flew towards the golden cage. A second later, flames ignited along the path and set the entire structure ablaze. Tucker, having worked with Alex for so long, did the same, fueling the inferno with an abundance of wind essence to strengthen the scorching intensity.

"Hm… I see why thy curiosity was drawn to thee." Serevoth's voice entered their ears. "Thou art strong, but not nearly as strong as the spirit contractors of old. Yet… I can not fathom it, no matter how much I ponder..."

Serevoth's lower half stood in the flames as the tendrils pulled the two halves together with a visceral slurp. The crimson strands of muscle crawled over themselves, knitting together in pulsating layers. Every fiber squirmed like worms burrowing into the mud.

Snap. Crack. Click.

The vertebrae fell back into alignment. Drowned out only by the crackle of fire. Each part of the demon's body quivered and searched for its other half, latching onto the flesh once it was found like parasites refusing to leave their host. They quivered and searched, fusing onto the pale skin that dripped onto the flesh like wax. Not even a scar remained. Just a faint seam that faded beneath the fabric of the crimson robes.

Serevoth slowly inhaled, feeling the air hiss through his hollow body. And with a single jerk of its body, it stood whole again, dispersing the flames that engulfed it with ease.

"How is it… that your kind has grown so weak in less than a century?" Serevoth asked. "Tis not like what thy brethren hath spoken of. If so… we would have descended upon your plane long ago. Even if those… pests had followed."

The demon tapped its chin with an index finger that had been ripped off a dissected corpse, thinking about the possibilities. Finally, it dawned upon it. "Unless… thou art merely testing me to deem if I am worthy enough to face Spirit Reflex."

Tucker swallowed his saliva. He had no clue what Serevoth was talking about. It was the first time he had heard of Spirit Reflux, and judging by Alex's silent, stone-cold expression. He didn't have an inkling of a clue either. They were running out of options, and the demon didn't have any intention of letting them go.

Sweat trickled down the side of his face. The heat from the flames lingering in the area made it all the more difficult to breathe. But that was when a sudden realization struck him. All around them, the fire continued to burn even though there wasn't any fuel.

It wasn't just burning; it was growing stronger and fiercer by the second. Tucker watched in disbelief as the flames rose higher and higher. Even Serevoth revealed a puzzled gaze at the current predicament.

"Ah… yes… this is what I wanted," Serevoth said.

The demon stood there, calmly observing in amazement as the flames danced towards the fallen bookshelf. Each moment was filled with wonder. The spirit essence in the air was beyond abundant and perhaps just enough to spark a welcoming source of entertainment.

A geyser of crimson and orange flames shot towards the ceiling, engulfing everything around where Ray fell. From within the spiraling inferno rose a single silhouette. The splintering oak and fallen tomes were incinerated instantly, swirling upwards as burning embers. Ray staggered to his feet, the searing crimson light shielding his figure.

This was what Serevoth desired.

A battle between souls and spirits.

One that stirred the emotions buried deep within its empty heart.

The awakening of a flame contractor and its Ignition Reflux.

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