Reyes watched Ami disappear.
One moment she was there, her blade raised, her eyes blazing. The next, the shadows swallowed her whole. The ancient demon was gone too, its form dissolving into darkness.
Reyes was alone.
Well, not entirely alone. Corrin and Kael were still there, their weapons raised, their eyes scanning the crumbling hall. The fortress was groaning around them, its structure failing, its walls cracking.
"We need to move!" Corrin shouted. "The Demon King is still—"
A wave of demonic soldiers poured through the shattered gates.
They were different from the others. These were disciplined, organized, their movements precise. They carried shields and spears, their armor gleaming with dark energy. They moved in formation, a wall of steel and shadow.
Reyes raised her blade.
"Corrin! Kael! On me!"
They formed up around her, their weapons ready. The demon soldiers advanced, their spears lowered, their shields interlocking.
"Push through!" Reyes shouted. "We need to reach the throne room!"
They charged.
The impact was brutal. The demon soldiers met them head-on, their shields absorbing the force of their strikes. Spears thrust forward, forcing them back. Reyes cut down one, then another, but more took their place.
Corrin was beside her, his spear finding gaps in their formation. Kael's pistols hummed with energy, each shot dropping a demon. They fought with everything they had.
But there were too many.
A wave of soldiers pushed between them, separating Reyes from Corrin and Kael. She saw them dragged away, their weapons flashing, their voices shouting.
"REYES!"
"COMMANDER!"
She tried to follow. A spear thrust toward her chest—she deflected, barely. Another came from her left. She blocked, stumbled, recovered.
The demon soldiers closed in.
Reyes retreated.
She ran through the crumbling halls, her boots pounding against the stone. The demons followed, their shields raised, their spears ready. They moved with mechanical precision, their footsteps echoing in the darkness.
She rounded a corner, ducked into a narrow passage. The walls were tight, oppressive, barely wide enough for her shoulders. The demons couldn't follow in formation here.
She kept moving.
The passage opened into a small chamber.
Reyes collapsed against the wall, her chest heaving, her body screaming. The Aegis's power was gone, drained from her veins. Her armor was cracked, her wounds still bleeding. She had nothing left.
She needed to hide.
She pressed herself into the shadows, her blade still raised, her eyes fixed on the entrance. The demon soldiers would find her eventually. She just needed time.
Time to breathe.
Time to think.
Time to—
The demons found her.
They poured into the chamber, their shields raised, their spears ready. They moved with mechanical precision, their formation unbroken.
Reyes rose to meet them.
"I've been fighting for years," she said, her voice steady despite the exhaustion. "I've faced worse than you."
The demons didn't answer.
They attacked.
The battle was brutal.
Reyes fought with everything she had, her blade finding gaps in their shields, her strikes precise and deadly. She cut down one demon, then another, then a third. Their bodies crumbled to dust.
But they kept coming.
Their shields blocked her strikes. Their spears found her guard. She was driven back, step by step, her boots scraping against the stone. Blood poured from a dozen wounds.
She killed another demon. Then another.
But she was losing.
Her arms were trembling. Her vision was swimming. Her body was screaming at her to stop.
She didn't stop.
She couldn't stop.
Because stopping meant everyone died.
She drove her blade through a demon's throat. It crumbled. She spun, cutting down another. Her blade found a third demon's heart.
But there were too many.
A spear found her side.
She gasped, stumbling. The blade was sharp, the wound deep. She felt it pierce her armor, her flesh, her lung.
She didn't fall.
She raised her blade.
"IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT?"
The demons attacked again.
Reyes was on the ground.
Her blade was still in her hand, but she couldn't raise it. Her body was broken, her strength spent. The demons surrounded her, their shields raised, their spears ready.
She was going to die here.
She had known it was a possibility. Had accepted it, even. But now that the moment was here, she found herself fighting for another breath, another heartbeat.
She wouldn't go quietly.
Her hand tightened on her blade.
And then—
The ceiling collapsed.
Stone rained down, crushing the demons, burying them beneath tons of rubble. Dust filled the air, thick and choking. Reyes coughed, tried to rise, failed.
She couldn't move.
Her body was broken. Her armor was shattered. Her blade was still in her hand, but it was useless now.
She looked at the rubble.
The demons were dead. Buried. Gone.
She was alive.
But barely.
Her vision swam. The darkness crept in at the edges of her consciousness. She tried to hold on, to stay awake, to keep fighting.
Reyes's eyes closed.
The darkness was warm, inviting. She could feel herself slipping, the pain fading, the exhaustion finally winning. She had fought so hard. She had given everything. And now—
A screech cut through the silence.
Her eyes snapped open.
Flying demons were pouring through the hole in the ceiling, their leathery wings blotting out the stars. Their eyes burned with hunger. Their claws gleamed in the dim light.
They had seen her.
They were coming for her.
Reyes tried to rise. Her body screamed. Her legs wouldn't hold her. She collapsed back onto the rubble, her blade still clutched in her hand.
The first demon dove.
She rolled—barely. Its claws raked across the stone where she had been. She came up on one knee, her blade raised, her vision swimming.
The second demon came from her left. She swung, her blade catching its wing. It screeched, spiraling into the rubble. She didn't have time to watch it fall.
The third demon lunged at her back.
She felt the impact—the claws tearing through her already damaged armor, digging into her flesh. Pain exploded through her. She screamed, twisted, drove her blade into its chest.
It crumbled.
But more were coming.
She couldn't keep this up. She was too weak, too wounded, too exhausted. But she had to. She had to survive. She had to find Corrin and Kael. She had to finish this.
She pushed herself to her feet.
The flying demons circled above her, their screeches filling the air. There were dozens of them. Maybe more. They were waiting, watching, toying with her.
"Come on," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I don't have all day."
They dove.
She met them head-on.
The battle was a blur of pain and fury.
Reyes fought with everything she had, her blade finding throats and wings and hearts. The demons fell around her, their bodies crumbling to dust. But more took their place.
She killed one. Then another. Then another.
A claw raked across her arm. She gasped, stumbled, recovered. Her blade found the demon's throat. It fell.
Another lunged at her back. She spun, driving her blade through its chest. It crumbled.
She was losing.
Blood poured from a dozen wounds. Her vision was swimming. Her arms were trembling. The darkness was creeping in at the edges of her consciousness again.
She forced herself to stay awake.
She had to survive.
She had to—
A flying demon slammed into her from above.
She hit the ground hard, her blade skittering across the rubble. The demon was on top of her, its claws digging into her shoulders, its jaws open wide.
She grabbed its throat.
Her hands closed around its neck, squeezing with everything she had. The demon thrashed, its claws tearing at her armor, her flesh. She didn't let go.
She squeezed harder.
The demon's struggles grew weaker. Its eyes dimmed. Its body went limp.
She threw it off her and scrambled for her blade.
Her fingers closed around the hilt.
She rose to her feet.
The flying demons circled above her, their screeches angry, frustrated. She had killed so many of them. But there were still more.
They dove again.
She raised her blade.
The battle continued.
Reyes killed them one by one, her movements growing slower, her strikes growing weaker. The demons kept coming, relentless and hungry.
She was going to die here.
She had known it was a possibility. Had accepted it, even. But now that the moment was here, she found herself fighting for another breath, another heartbeat.
She wouldn't go quietly.
A demon lunged at her. She drove her blade through its chest. It crumbled.
Another came from her left. She spun, cutting it down.
Another came from above. She raised her blade—
Too slow.
The demon's claws raked across her face. She stumbled, fell, hit the ground hard. Her blade clattered across the rubble.
She couldn't rise.
Her body was broken. Her strength was gone. The demons were descending on her, their claws extended, their jaws open.
She closed her eyes.
And then—
A volley of mana bolts tore through the sky.
The demons screeched, scattering, their bodies riddled with energy. More bolts followed, carving through the swarm, cutting them down.
Reyes opened her eyes.
Soldiers were pouring through the breach, their weapons blazing, their voices raised. The flying demons were retreating, their numbers broken.
She was alive.