Chapter 225: Judgement Of Fire And Light
[Music recommendation: Halsey, Amy Lee - Hand That Feeds (ROCK VERSION)]
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Solan was left stumped once again by the ironclad truth Zevran laid before him. He had spent all this time clinging to denial about the daughter he had abandoned long ago, and now, with Zevran stating it so plainly, the reality felt like a bitter pill he could scarcely swallow.
And he wasn’t the only one shocked into silence. Everyone present was utterly gobsmacked by the revelation. Damien, Cece, and Edward, though already suspecting that the bond between Ivan and Evelyn was far from ordinary, still found themselves stunned, caught in a quiet awe at the enormity of the truth unveiled.
While the others struggled to wrap their heads around it, they had little time to remain dazed. Another deafening screech from the creature now known as the Nocthrax snapped their attention back to the present, to the battle still raging around them.
"How in the goddess’s name did a creature from hell manage to get here?" Septimus demanded.
Zevran replied in a tight, controlled tone, "That woman, Viva, summoned him by taking control of her own son’s body."
A ripple of shocked gasps spread through the group at yet another horrifying revelation.
"What kind of mother would do something like this to her own child?!" Professor Seira snapped.
"The kind that bathes in the blood of young women and then turns them into dolls for her collection," Dante replied in a decidedly unamused tone.
"What?!" Councilwoman Amara snapped, whipping around to face him. "She bathes in their blood?"
Dante tilted his head slightly, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Ah....I see you missed the bathtub layered in dried blood in that chamber."
"H-How do you know that?" Amara stammered, still reeling from yet another revelation.
Dante merely shrugged. "Let’s just say a very trusted source informed us." He had no intention of telling them about Cece’s abilities, both because it wasn’t his place and because, sadist or not, he felt protective over his students.
Amara exchanged a look with Lucian, who wore an equally grim expression, before they both turned their eyes back to the battle about to unfold below between good and evil.
Back with Evelyn and Ivan, the two stood hand in hand, staring unflinchingly at Valen, who was now transformed into a Nocthrax, alongside his mother, who wore a sickening grin and madness-filled eyes.
As the wind picked up, heralding the battle to come, Ivan gently squeezed Evelyn’s hand, prompting her to tear her gaze away from the monstrosities before them and look at the love of her life. Wordlessly, they exchanged a small nod.
Then Ivan murmured, barely above a whisper, "Don’t get hurt anymore....or you’ll be punished harder."
The word punished sent a rush of memories flooding through her mind, and a soft blush warmed her cheeks. She pressed her lips together, though her eyes gleamed with unmistakable desire.
Noticing her beautiful blush and the quickening rhythm of her heartbeat, Ivan’s lips curved into the faintest smirk. He tightened his hold on her hand before turning his attention back to Valen, just as the demon unleashed another guttural screech and finally charged at them with full force, snake-like tentacles sharpening at the ends, all aimed directly at the two of them.
Eve and Ivan, already anticipating his attack, released each other’s hands and darted to opposite sides, effortlessly evading the strike. But Valen was only getting started. He lashed at them with his tentacles in rapid, relentless succession, forcing them to dodge again and again as they moved farther apart across the battlefield.
With her son keeping them occupied, Viva began another summoning spell. The ground split open, and hellhounds, along with more dead soldiers, clawed their way out, rushing straight towards Eve and Ivan in an attempt to overwhelm them with sheer numbers. But just as the creatures closed in, Eve and Ivan simultaneously raised their hands and unleashed wide beams, one of pure golden light, the other of roaring divine flame. The blast tore through the advancing horde, wiping out half of their numbers in an instant and leaving the rest stumbling back.
Those watching could only stare in awe at the sheer scope and devastating potency of their divine power.
In the process of disintegrating the hounds and soldiers, they ended up burning the tentacle that had been attacking them, enraging Valen further and driving him to strike even more aggressively. As they continued to dodge, Eve felt frustration rising within her. Like Ivan, she had no intention of ending him quickly, not after everything she and Ivan had suffered because of him and his mother.
She silently wished she had a sword; it would have made dealing with these attacks far easier.
Alex, watching his prince and princess focus more on evasion than on delivering a killing blow, understood Ivan’s intent.
Caleb, observing the battle beside him, asked, "Why aren’t they attacking?"
Alex already knew why his prince was holding back, but as he studied his princess, he realised she seemed to share the same sentiment. His lips twitched at the thought that even their princess wished to prolong Valen’s suffering.
Without answering Caleb’s question, Alex gave a firm command: "Caleb, quickly fetch me a sword befitting the princess."
Caleb shot him a confused look before vanishing to carry out his commander’s order. He reappeared moments later, handing Alex a sword crafted with a design more suitable for a female warrior.
Alex gripped the weapon and called out, "Princess Evelyn! I hope this comes in handy!"
Eve looked up just in time to see the blade strike the ground a short distance from her. Startled and delighted that she had been given exactly what she’d been wishing for, she glanced back up at Alex. He offered her a warm smile before bowing respectfully.
A small smile touched her lips as she mouthed, Thank you, then reached for the sword embedded in the ground
Pulling it free, her powers instantly surged through the blade, and in a flash of golden light, she launched forward, cutting down everyone and everything in her path with effortless accuracy. She moved with such grace and ferocity that belonged to a true warrior....one who had clearly fought like this countless times before.
From a distance, Ivan watched her with a smirk, his molten-orange eyes gleaming in satisfaction as he saw her fight like that again after centuries.
Valen assumed Ivan was distracted, so he hurled four tentacles at him at once. But he could not have been more mistaken. Even as Ivan watched Evelyn with love and reverence, softening his molten gaze, his senses remained sharply attuned to every enemy around him.
Just as the pointed tentacles neared him, Ivan’s hands shot out, catching all four in a firm grip. With a swift turn of his body, he used their momentum to his advantage, yanking Valen’s massive, grotesque form off balance and hurling him with such force that he nearly crashed into Viva, who had been standing behind him as cover.
She shrieked and leapt aside just in time, narrowly avoiding being crushed beneath her son’s weight. Valen roared in pain but quickly hauled himself back to his feet, this time charging straight for Ivan alone.
Ivan met his advance with cold, unflinching eyes. As Valen closed in, Ivan lifted his hands, sending ropes of fire snapping outwards. They coiled around Valen’s massive body, seizing all four limbs in a burning grip. Valen thrashed violently, trying to break free, but Ivan gave him no chance.
He launched himself into the air, closing the distance in a heartbeat before slamming into Valen’s chest with such brutal force that a shockwave rippled through the air. An animalistic screech tore from Valen as cracks began to spread across his slimy black skin.
Viva stared in horror as the truth settled in her eyes; she realised they might actually lose this battle. "No," she whispered, stepping back in panic before turning to flee outright in a desperate attempt to save her own life.
But even with Ivan fully occupied, torturing Valen by burning the dark blood in his veins and tearing his tentacles and limbs apart one by one with his bare hands, Evelyn still caught sight of Viva retreating.
She transformed into pure light and, in an instant, crossed the short distance, appearing directly in front of Viva and forcing her to halt mid-step. Eve shot her leg forward and kicked Viva hard in the stomach, sending her crashing back to the ground with a pained groan. But Eve was far from finished.
For everything this woman had caused, for every torment inflicted on the love of her life, Eve’s eyes burned with righteous fury. She glared down at Viva with the gaze of a goddess poised to deliver judgment upon a wicked witch. With deliberate, slow steps, she advanced on Viva, who struggled to gather her bearings.
Eve’s golden aura flared brighter with each step she took. In a desperate attempt to hold her off, Viva hurled dark spells at her, but Eve merely lifted her glowing sword and sliced through each one as if it were nothing at all. Viva attacked again and again, but Eve effortlessly repeated the motion, cutting through her spells gracefully.
She even summoned dead soldiers and hellhounds to swarm Evelyn, but with her exceptional sword skills, Eve cut them down one after another as though they were mere shadows in her path, making it clear that nothing was going to stop her now.
