CHAPTER 59: EX 59. SACRIFICE

High above the chaos-stained forest, the battle between Rebecca Skyfall and the true demon still raged with thunderous fury. But the balance had shifted.

Since the backlash from Leon’s "miraculous" recovery, the demon had been on the back foot—and Rebecca, ever the predator, had wasted no time in pressing the advantage.

Bolts of lightning rained down, carving through clouds and tearing at the demon’s charred form as she hunted it like prey.

Rebecca hurled another spear of lightning, her eyes sharp and her body surrounded by a storm of raw power.

"Why won’t you just die?" she muttered under her breath, voice laced with frustration.

The demon, panting mid-air, twisted away—barely—from the descending bolt. It dodged to the side, letting the lightning singe its already mutilated back.

Internally, Rebecca snarled.

"It’s like chasing a rat through a hurricane..."

In truth, this wasn’t the first—or fifth—time she had nearly ended the battle. But each time, the demon would somehow twist, jerk, or sacrifice a non-vital organ to escape instant death.

It had already lost two hearts, four kidneys, and a liver—and yet still it flew. Still it fought. Still it burned with that stubborn demonic will.

The demon’s mind, on the other hand, was a storm of its own.

"HOW IS HE NOT DEAD!?!"

It barely dodged a wind cyclone Rebecca hurled next, her storm aura expanding like a living tempest.

"The plan was perfect... flawless... all I had to do was kill him slowly. Preserve the soul. Extract it and the vessel would be ready..."

"So how... HOW IS HE STILL BREATHING?!"

Its yellow, slitted eyes widened with panic.

A sudden boom rocked the skies as Rebecca’s lightning-coated fist slammed forward. The demon just barely turned, flaring its wings in front of its face as a makeshift shield.

The impact seared the flesh clean through its scorched skin and bones, sending it hurtling like a meteor into the ground below, carving a long crater through the earth.

But even as its body skidded across dirt and stone, the demon refused to fall still.

It groaned, flared its nose, and looked skyward.

Rebecca hovered in the storm, the clouds behind her flickering like a world on the brink of collapse. More lightning began to form in a sphere behind her, ready to strike.

And for the first time, the demon stopped moving.

It breathed slowly.

It’s mind Calm.

It’s eyes narrowing.

"The boy’s vessel is important... yes... but it won’t matter if I die to this crazy woman..."

It flexed what remained of its wings. The pain was unbearable—but the instinct to survive was stronger.

Rebecca raised her hand to unleash the final blow.

But the demon disappeared in a blink.

The lightning thundered into the spot where it had stood—but the demon was already diving into the forest, its scorched form crashing through trees, dirt, and bark, weaving through branches like a shadow in retreat.

Rebecca’s expression twisted into fury.

"NO!" she roared, her voice echoed by the storm.

With lightning trailing her like a divine spear, she raced after the fleeing demon, the storm above moving with her—as if the sky itself refused to let this monster escape.

The demon had only one thought racing through its shattered, burning mind:

"Find a sacrifice."

Its rage over Leon’s survival still simmered deep within, a hate so raw it could tear through worlds. But even that rage couldn’t override the most primal of instincts—survival.

The plan had failed. The vessel had resisted. The soul was lost—for now. But the demon knew how to adapt. How to survive. How to hunt again.

Its slitted eyes scanned the thick trees blurring past it, feeling the presence of life just ahead.

"Cadets," the demon whispered, lips curling into a wicked grin.

"So many fresh souls. And that woman... she’s bound to protect them."

It was genius. If it couldn’t face Rebecca Skyfall head-on, it could force her hand another way—by using her duty against her.

It would slaughter the cadets if it had to, but more importantly, it would devour their essence to begin regenerating.

Their soul fragments, though weak, would be enough to restore its organs... enough to buy time... enough to escape.

Its speed doubled. Trees snapped like twigs in its wake as it blurred through the forest like a living nightmare, eyes glowing with ravenous intent.

Behind it, high in the storm-ridden skies, Rebecca clicked her tongue in frustration.

"Don’t be a coward! Face me, demon scum!"

Her voice cracked like thunder as she hurled a lightning bolt toward the fleeing creature, but the demon twisted mid-air, dodging it with unnerving ease—its wings flapping wildly, leaving a trail of scorched wind in its path.

Rebecca clenched her jaw, then coated herself in lightning, her entire body turning into a living thunderbolt. She surged forward, a blazing white streak in the sky.

But there was a catch—this speed came at a cost.

Her movement was linear. She could only move in short bursts, zipping forward like a railgun shot before adjusting her direction again.

The demon, on the other hand, twisted through the forest with erratic, wild movements, bouncing between trees, using terrain and chaos to its advantage.

Then they both sensed it.

A cluster of cadets—just one kilometer away.

The demon’s grin widened into a feral, deranged snarl. "There you are." It surged forward, wings folding in tightly to slice through the air faster.

Rebecca’s eyes widened in horror as her storm-wreathed body tore forward with all its might.

"NO!" she bellowed. "FACE ME!"

But the demon didn’t even look back.

It had found its prey. And Rebecca, whether she liked it or not, would be forced to choose between her enemy... or her duty.

And that was exactly what the demon wanted.

****

Since the start of the Selection, Eden Feran had been relentless.

While others hesitated, rested, or played it safe, Eden threw himself into the grind like a man possessed. Every second was a chance to kill, to score, to climb. Demonic beasts, cadets, anything with a pulse and a point value—none were safe from him.

He’d finished his first trial in record-breaking time, something even the overseers had taken note of. Confidence burned in his veins. Top three? He was certain he’d crush it. But reality was far different than expectations.

...

Mass release if we get 100 golden tickets or 300 power stones before Saturday