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.

Her gaze flicked to the small pouch at her side—the Orb of Reverence. She had taken it from the hooded figure with a promise to use it on the Ghost Force. It was too powerful, too ancient. But now?

She reached for it instinctively. Not yet. She would hold until her last breath. She sighed lightly and turned back to the demon.

The demon charged again. This time she fought harder. Her shadow magic rose to unnatural levels. Tendrils of darkness swirled around her. Her silhouette became blurry, elusive. She struck again and again, blades cutting deep, blood spraying across the ruined battlefield. Still, the demon endured.

It was no ordinary Delusional Demon. It was a high-ranked enforcer of darkness. Possibly bound by an ancient contract.

Coris panted heavily. Her limbs ached. One leg was bleeding profusely. She limped, but her eyes burned with defiance.

The demon grinned, taking pleasure in her suffering. It raised both hands and summoned an infernal storm. Black fire rained down.

Coris rolled behind a shattered pillar, shielding herself with a veil of darkness. The flames licked at her, but she survived.

She jumped from cover and sent a spiral of shadow spears toward the demon’s chest. It deflected most of them but was impaled by one. For the first time, it staggered.

Her body trembled. It was working—but not fast enough. Her magic reserves were draining.

"Why?" she asked aloud. "Why would he send you? I gave him everything!"

The demon paused a moment, and then—shockingly—it spoke back.

"Because you are no longer useful."

Its voice was like blades scraping over bone, dark and final. Coris’s heart twisted. So it was all true. The betrayals she had orchestrated had only led to her own betrayal.

Then came the worst blow.

The demon surged with energy and appeared behind her in an instant. A heavy punch landed in her back, sending her crashing forward. Her vision blurred. Her body screamed. Her shadow magic barely held together her broken frame.

She hit the ground, unmoving. The demon approached slowly, claw raised.

She reached into her pouch.

"Forgive me..." she whispered, and her fingers closed around the orb.

The Orb of Reverence glowed as she brought it close. It pulsed as if sensing her desperation, her need. Shadow swirled around her body. Her breath stopped. A wave of tendrils of energy circled around her.

And then—she crushed the orb against her chest.

Light and shadow exploded.

A shockwave expanded outward, hurling the demon backward. A pillar of dark radiance shot into the sky. For a moment, the world itself seemed to stop.

When the light faded, Coris stood tall.

Her wounds were gone. Her eyes glowed with pure black fire. Her skin shimmered with ethereal armor crafted from shadow. Her voice deepened slightly, unnatural.

"Now... we finish this."she smirked lightly.

The demon lunged at her again, screeching.

She raised a hand. Without touching it, the demon stopped mid-air.

Its body twisted—unnaturally. Bones snapped. Flesh tore. And then, with a flick of her finger, Coris crushed it.

The demon’s body collapsed in on itself. Crushed by invisible force, torn apart by shadow energy. Nothing remained but dust.

Coris exhaled violently. She could feel flames in her breasts.

The wind howled. The forest was silent.

She looked down at her hands, feeling the raw power surge through her. She was different now. No longer fully mortal. No longer fully herself.

She turned slowly and walked away.

She didn’t know where she would go yet—but she had to leave. She had to find solitude. She needed to think. To plan.

Because the war had changed. And now, she was in the storm. If she wasn’t careful, she might end up being killed but with this new found power, she would torment her enemies. The war was only changing phase.