Chapter 50: Betrayal against a Betrayer
The demon’s claws scraped against the earth as it rose again, unfazed by the series of blows Coris had landed. Its snarling lips peeled back over rows of jagged teeth, and its eyes glowed a deep crimson, filled with murderous intent.
Coris stood across from it, her breath shallow, her hair messy and matted with blood and dust. Her armor had cracked, and several wounds opened across her body, but her gaze remained cold, focused.
The fight had raged for what felt like hours. Neither she nor the demon had held back. Spells had shattered the air, and the ground was littered with the rubble of their destruction. Forest trees nearby had been burned to ash or split in two by waves of dark energy. The sky overhead had darkened, not from storm clouds, but from the sheer saturation of malevolent magic around them.
Coris summoned a wall of spikes from the earth shadows, her fingers twitching in quick, practiced motion. The demon roared and charged through them, the spikes gouging deep into its hide but not stopping its relentless momentum. It leapt high into the air and slammed down toward her.
She rolled away at the last second, avoiding a devastating blow. The ground beneath where she’d stood split open, a crater left in its wake. Her lips trembled. She was strong, but the demon was stronger—and tireless.
As she landed on her feet, she cast a shadow veil to blur her position, then conjured twin daggers laced with corrosive energy. She lunged forward, ducking under the demon’s sweeping arm, and slashed across its side. Flesh burned and sizzled.
The demon shrieked, spinning and grabbing her by the leg. In a sickening arc, it slammed her into a nearby boulder, cracking it and leaving her gasping. She coughed blood, but forced her body to rise.
"You were sent to kill me by him, weren’t you?" she growled.
The demon snarled in answer, swiping at her with a dark tendril that erupted from its arm. She dodged, barely. Her eyes narrowed. So it was true. The hooded figure had turned on her.
She couldn’t believe it. After everything. She had served the cause. She had betrayed her home, her people. All for that cause. And now?
They wanted her dead. Then her mind shifted lightly. The orb.