I was right.
The domain shattered like glass, fragments of Curse Energy dissipating into the air. Five figures tumbled out, but only two of them were on their feet, and neither looked particularly good.
George's normal eye was gone. Half of his face was covered in blood, his shirt was missing, and several half-healed wounds lined his body. Gina, Shelim, and Nathan were behind him, all physically worse off. George crossed his index and middle fingers slowly, forming the hand signs for a Domain Expansion, but no outpouring of curse energy followed.
George was uncertain, which was deeply concerning. That meant Sebastian Blood was stronger than four Special Grade Sorcerers, even after I cut the Tether linking him to Raven and his blood pool. That didn't bode well for Raven or me.
"I am truly grateful to you and your unusual…coven," Sebastian Blood dragged his words out, savoring them. He was hunched over and visibly healing. Half of his ribcage, face, and one arm were missing, but if he was bothered by it, he didn't show it.
"Such unique magic," he mused. "I will enjoy adding them to my collection after…"
Sebastian trailed off when he noticed Raven. We briefly locked eyes before I attacked, unleashing the full might of Psi-Clarity.
I fired dozens of Dismantles at him, pulled out four daggers from my inventory, substituting each one with a team member with a series of sharp claps, while activating Flowing Red Scales and Red Riot, massively boosting my physical prowess.
Sebastian Blood raised a palm, and a massive rotating black shield appeared around him, tanking the avalanche of strikes. In a blink, he was nearly in my guard, his black shield transforming into a buzzing saw.
I had to clap, switching him for an old spear in the forest somewhere to avoid the slash.
Raven stepped back, heart thundering in her chest. "W-what just happened?"
"Blood just happened," George answered with a grunt as positive energy pooled out of him and healed his body. A new eye grew out of an empty socket and his wounds sealed quickly. He wiped his face as his posture straightened. His reserves took a hit from the healing, but he still had more than enough Curse Energy to throw around red and blues. Maybe even a hollow Purple.
"What else should I be expecting?" I asked George as he rotated his shoulder and worked out a kink.
"A shit ton of demon magic, telekinesis, regeneration, and…all of their Cursed techniques."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"The kid can steal curse techniques too." George spat. "Gina found out the hard way. Took a bite out of her bicep was all it took. Then he used her technique to crush her legs. We reacted too slowly. After he caught Nathan, it was just a matter of time…"
His eyes snapped to me. "He's coming."
"I know."
Clap.
I switched Sebastian for yet another energy-soaked object at the ruin, buying us more time. George turned to his sister and Shelim. He still carried his usual anger with him, but it was different now, less restrained. And for once, it wasn't pointed in my general direction.
"Help me kill him?" I asked.
"Gladly," he answered without looking at me.
"Who are you, people?" Raven asked numbly.
"The good guys. I thought that was fairly obvious." I clapped again, resetting Sebastian, much to his frustration. I actually heard him scream this time. He won't be falling for that again. Producing several bone spears, I started chucking them into the horizon. The air split with each fling, and drew increasingly confused and fearful looks from Raven.
I turned to her when I was done. "You're welcome to join us. Devil knows we're going to need a hard counter for whatever bullshit powers he copied off you."
Raven opened her mouth to speak, but she looked unsure. George, meanwhile, crouched, touching Shelim, Nathan, and his sister.
"I'm getting them out of here."
I offered no opinion, and he took that as an answer enough, vanishing with a twist of space.
George appeared a heartbeat later, and I clapped, switching Sebastian for a spear at the very edge of my range.
"She fighting?" George asked, offhandedly, and I shook my head. He moved to grab her, and Raven finally had enough. She lit up, drawing on her demonic powers.
"No!" her voice doubled, and a shockwave of demonic energy ripped through the crater, raising a curtain of dust. George and I weathered through it, unphased.
"I won't let somebody control my fate! Not again! Who the hell are you people! What's going on? And where even are we?" She looked around, darkness trailing out from her sclera. "This crater used to be a town, didn't it? Oh my god, those people. What happened to all those people?" Panic crept into her voice with every word.
"What do you think?" George snorted.
"You killed them?" She demanded, sounding almost confused in her outrage.
Clap. The switch was harder this time, costing me nearly twice as much as before. Luckily, I had a wicked Curse Energy regeneration rate and a newly expanded reserve. It'd take hours to drain me dry, but that didn't mean Sebastian would continue to let me do this to him.
"Technically, I killed them," I said carefully, coming to George's defense. "They were—"
"Demon-summoning, human-sacrificing scum," George cut me off. "And we don't have time for your little meltdown. That Charles Manson wannabe is seconds out. So, Princess, what will it be? Revenge or safety?"
Raven shot him a glare harsh enough to melt stone. She looked ready to do the same to him when she caught herself. The darkness silhouetting her body thickened, elongating into a cloak that covered her hair and draped over her shoulder. Her eyes lost their darkness, and her presence contracted—almost as if her cloak were restraining her.
She hovered inches from the ground, floating about eye-level for Shelim and me.
"I'll help you beat Sebastian," she said. Her voice was normal again. "It's time I stopped running."
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