Chapter Twenty-Four: The Life Star

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* This is the final chapter!  Had a lot of fun with the last bit of the battle, and the ending line.  ;D  There's still an epilogue, and some extra little tidbits for me to write, but the story is officially finished, if people aren't interested in anything that comes after.  Hope everything is going well for all of you guys, and thanks for sticking with me for this long!

Note: This chapter is unedited.


"So that's why the Demon Lords were so easy to destroy," Caleb muttered to them.

To say it was disappointing news would have been an understatement. But Rima supposed that considering the size of the current Demon Lord, it should have been much more suspicious why the Demon Lords they had killed had been so weak.

"I suggest that you humans flee while you have the chance," Ak'Am continued. "Do so, and I may be kind enough to have you serve me and praise me instead of being wiped from existence."

One particularly brave— and stupid— soldier spoke up nearby. "I cannot believe in a god who enslaves his own followers and continues to be praised all the time."

The Demon Lord glanced at the humans nearby, who all nodded in agreement or tightened their grips on their weapons. He narrowed his eyes.

"So be it. There will come the day when you all regret this decision. Come forth from the chasms of the deep, Ak'Kordün, and assist me in destroying these pathetic humans." Ak'Am spread his arms wide.

The earth shook violently, and demons made of black liquid, earth, and fire rose from the cracks, and the battle continued once again. Angels clad in silvery armor promptly swooped down upon the Demon Lord and began to assault him.

Some of the new demons looked as if they were made of fire and were forced into humanoid forms. Black and red flames surrounded at their golden-orange bodies. Glowing ropes bound the fiery demons to enormous black cauldrons. They were filled with boiling brown liquid; Rima inhaled and caught the vague scent of oil.

Comprehension dawned on her face. "Stop them!" she screamed, pointing at the demons. Alistair turned to look at her after cutting down an enemy, his brows furrowed.

Rima sprinted towards the demons, preparing to draw the energy from her necklace. Suddenly, the glowing ropes around the demons disappeared, and the cauldrons magically tipped, pouring the oil onto the demons. The demons' flames flared around them and they let out distorted shrieks. They streaked across the battlefield, burning and setting fire to everything in their way.

The cries and yells of agony could have made her ears bleed. The smell of burning flesh and fur, blood, and oily heat permeated the air.

One of the flaming demons was close enough for her to engage: she summoned some water and drenched it, but steam rose up from around the demon and its fire swelled with a roar. The demon turned to her and shrieked, advancing towards her.

Freezing the demon also did nothing since it merely melted the ice. In the distance, Rima saw an angel shoot an arrow of light and destroy one of the flaming demons. Drawing upon her light magic instead, she drew her hand back and released a pulse of light in its direction, promptly destroying the demon in a shower of embers and black liquid.

The four-headed Thu'ban was challenging one of Wyth's dragons, and seemed to be winning: it did, after all, have more fanged fire-breathing heads. But then a serpentine dragon joined the fight against the Thu'ban. The roars and growls were deafening, the earth constantly shaking under the dragons' thrashing. Blood trickled down their scaly necks and bodies. And then...

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