Incubus Ascension

The ground trembled beneath Liam’s boots as Valdora charged straight at him, a monstrous blur of muscle and malice that ignored the girls entirely. Heart hammering against his ribs, Liam barely had time to think before the devil lunged, massive claws slicing the air where his throat had been a heartbeat earlier.

"Move!" Liam shouted, twisting desperately. His foot slipped on the cracked stone at the last second, and instinct took over. A shimmering portal snapped open beneath him. He dropped through it, reappearing ten paces away, gasping for air.

Valdora skidded to a halt, head snapping toward the sound of Liam’s ragged breathing. The devil’s eyes were milky and ruined, but his other senses were razor sharp. "Clever little trick," he growled, voice like grinding boulders.

The girls—Laila, the others—nodded sharply at Liam’s frantic gesture. They melted into silent movement, feet whispering over the ruined floor of the ancient chamber. No one dared speak. Liam’s chest burned with the effort of controlling his own breath. ’Stay quiet. Stay alive. I can’t lose them too.’

Valdora tilted his head, listening. A slow, rumbling chuckle escaped him. "Oh boy... you’ve grown so much stronger. If I had your body and all those delicious skills, unsealing myself would have been child’s play."

Liam’s blood ran cold. Before he could warn the others, Valdora vanished—then reappeared inches from his face. A fist the size of a shield whistled toward him.

Liam leaped backward, boots scraping stone. The attack missed by a hair, but the shockwave still slammed into his ribs. That was when it clicked. ’The breathing. He’s tracking the sound of my breathing.’

He opened his mouth to shout the warning, but Valdora was already on him again. Liam spun and ran, boots pounding. Behind him, the girls realized the pattern at once. They poured every spell and strike they could into Valdora’s back while the devil stayed fixated on Liam.

Steel and magic flashed. Valdora’s health bar—visible only to Liam through the system—dropped by a full quarter. The beast snarled but didn’t slow.

"Damn it, why won’t you just stay on someone else!" Liam cursed under his breath, lungs burning. ’Think, Liam. Think of a plan. You’re not dying here. Not after everything.’

A familiar presence stirred in his mind—Madusa’s calm, ancient voice. ’You called?’

’Isn’t eighty percent enough to fight him?’ Liam thought back desperately.

’I can help you,’ she replied, ’but only once. Ninety-nine percent of my power is still holding his seal in place.’

’Alright. Prepare a spear of light. We launch it when the moment’s right.’

Madusa’s acknowledgment flowed through their link like cool water. Liam knew he had to buy her time. He poured every ounce of speed into evasion, portals flickering open and closed in micro-bursts to keep the devil guessing.

Then Valdora caught him.

Claws closed around Liam’s torso like iron vices. The world blurred as he was slammed into the ground. Pain exploded through his chest. He tasted blood, hot and metallic. Valdora didn’t stop. Fist after fist rained down, pinning him, crushing ribs, collapsing lungs. Each impact sent fresh agony screaming through Liam’s body.

The girls didn’t hesitate. The moment Liam hit the ground they unleashed everything they had. Spells and blades hammered Valdora’s back. His health bar plummeted to half.

Valdora threw his head back and laughed, a sound that shook dust from the ceiling. "You really are a unique group. No humans have pushed me this far since the golden age heroes." His grin widened, revealing rows of jagged teeth. "I shouldn’t keep playing with my food."

He plunged a hand into his own chest, tore out his beating heart, and devoured it in one grotesque bite. Power surged through him. His health bar refilled even as the system chimed in Liam’s vision: Valdora’s level spiked to 900.

Liam’s eyes widened in horror. "Run!" he screamed at the girls. "Don’t let him do that again!"

Laila and the others bolted, but Valdora was already moving. Only Liam and Laila were fast enough to intercept. They opened portals in frantic tandem, buying precious seconds. Liam’s mind raced. ’This isn’t sustainable. Think, damn it. I need a real solution.’

In a flash of inspiration, he wove a tiny portal of dark energy and yanked Valdora’s freshly regrown heart straight into his own hand. The organ pulsed wetly against his palm.

Valdora’s head whipped around. "Give that back, boy!" He charged, a storm of fury.

Liam dodged by the narrowest margin, heart—both literal and figurative—pounding in his throat. He sprinted, using every twist and portal to stay alive while the girls poured damage into the distracted Valdora. The devil’s health bar sank lower and lower, dropping below a quarter under their coordinated assault.

Panting, Liam glanced at the heart still clutched in his bloody fingers. ’What happens if I inspect this thing?’ Curiosity and desperation won out. He focused.

**Seal of the True Devil**

**Rank: EX**

His stomach dropped. ’He’s been eating it... to unseal himself bit by bit.’

"Madusa!" he shouted mentally. "Is the holy spear ready?"

’Already prepared,’ she answered.

Liam veered sharply, positioning himself so Valdora’s back was perfectly exposed. "Now!"

A blazing lance of pure light erupted from Madusa’s power and slammed into the devil’s spine. Valdora screamed—an ear-splitting howl of agony that echoed through the chamber. His health bar flickered, hanging by the thinnest thread.

Liam lunged forward, heart still in hand, ready to crush it. But the moment his fingers tightened, a system alert blared in his mind:

**DANGER: Parasitic element attempting forced integration via the vessel.**

Valdora smiled through the pain, eyes gleaming with triumph. "Boy, did you think I was an idiot? Chasing you around like this for no reason?" He pointed a claw at the heart. "Read it again."

Liam did. The description had changed.

**Parasitic Element of the True Devil**

Valdora’s laugh was pure venom. "You have a system, yes? Last time you caught me off guard and stole this vessel. But exposure let me crack its divine code. You walked right into my trap."

The world tilted. Liam’s limbs grew heavy. His vision blurred at the edges as unnatural drowsiness dragged him down. Valdora’s voice slithered into his skull. "Now, boy... it rests on you. Will you have enough power and will to resist my possession? Or will you break like every other human before you?"

Liam’s knees buckled. Darkness swallowed everything.

He stood—somewhere—alone in an endless void. Shouts and screams hammered at the edges of his mind, trying to claw their way in. Madness pressed against his thoughts like a living thing. Liam grabbed his head, teeth clenched so hard he tasted blood.

’No. Not like this. I won’t let them die because of me. I won’t lose everything again.’

Pain tore through him, but he pushed back harder, shoving the invading presence with every ounce of stubborn will he possessed. Memories flashed—his friends’ faces, the girls fighting for him, the life he refused to let end here. A spark of defiance ignited into a roar.

The darkness cracked.

**System Firewall Restored.**

**True Devil Mental Possession Expelled.**

Liam’s eyes snapped open, chest heaving, the taste of victory and terror sharp on his tongue. The fight wasn’t over. But for the first time since Valdora appeared, he felt something stronger than fear: resolve. He still had people to protect. And he wasn’t done yet.