Noir
Chapter 41

As the fireball flew through the air, I snarled, "You know nothing."

Throwing the ball of fire was a mistake. The demon easily batted the it aside, its claws leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

"You're nothing but a pathetic insect," it growled, advancing on me. "I could end you with a single breath."

I scrambled backwards, my heart pounding in my chest.

The demon lunged forward, its claws outstretched, but I managed to dodge out of the way at the last moment.

As it circled around me, I took a deep breath and concentrated. I summoned all my strength, all my magic, and channeled it into another fireball.

"You think that'll stop me?" it mocked, its breath hot against my cheek. "I've seen stronger spells than that."

I narrowed my eyes, focusing all my energy on the fireball in my hand. This time, when I threw it, I aimed for the demon's heart. It dodged again, its movements impossibly fast, but the fireball still managed to singe its chest. The demon let out a furious roar, and I could see the pain in its eyes. It lunged at me, claws outstretched, but I was ready. As it neared, I ducked under its arm and threw myself into a roll, narrowly avoiding its razor-sharp claws.

The demon stumbled backward, its eyes widening in surprise. It was finally starting to feel the pressure. I stood up, my heart pounding in my chest, and summoned another fireball. The demon raised its claws, preparing to defend itself, but this time I didn't throw the fireball. I flamed up and hurled myself at it instead. As I slammed into the demon, the force of my impact sent us both flying through the air.

We landed hard on the ground, the demon growling in pain. I scrambled to my feet, my body aching from the impact. The demon struggled to get up, its movements growing more sluggish with each passing moment. It glared at me, its eyes filled with hatred.

"You will pay for this," it snarled. "I will make sure you suffer."

I didn't respond. I didn't have the strength to argue. All I could do was concentrate on staying alive. The demon let out another bellowing roar, and I felt a surge of energy course through my body. Its eyes glowed red, and its claws shimmered with dark magic. It was about to attack me again, but before it could, a sword appeared in my hand.

I didn't know where it came from, but I was grateful for it. With renewed courage, I parried the demon's claws and managed to force it back. We circled each other, each blow more powerful than the last. The air around us crackled with energy, and the ground shook with the force of our attacks.

"You will not defeat me!" the demon roared, its eyes burning with hatred.

It lunged at me again, claws outstretched, but I managed to dodge out of the way and slash at its side. My sword connected with flesh, and the demon cried out in pain. It stumbled backward, clawing at its wound. "You're wrong," I panted.

The demon let out a harsh laugh. "We'll see about that."

It charged at me once more, its claws outstretched. I ducked and rolled beneath its massive form, coming up behind it. I placed my free hand on its shoulder and pushed with all my might, sending it stumbling forward. As it fell to the ground, I planted my sword in its back, feeling the rush of energy as its essence was drained from it. The demon let out a gurgling scream, and its body went limp beneath me.

I collapsed to my knees, panting heavily, as the adrenaline began to fade. The demon's body lay still, its chest rising and falling slowly. I wondered if it would come back to life, like the other demons I had faced before.

"You know nothing," I hissed, throwing the fireball at the demon. It was a mistake. The demon easily batted the fireball aside, its claws leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

If you're loving the book, nel5s.org is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience-all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you!

"You're nothing but a pathetic insect," it growled, advancing on me. "I could end you with a single breath."

I scrambled backwards, my heart pounding in my chest. The demon lunged forward, its claws outstretched, but I managed to dodge out of the way at the last moment. As it circled around me, I took a deep breath and concentrated. I summoned all my strength, all my magic, and channeled it into another fireball.

"You think that'll stop me?" it mocked, its breath hot against my cheek. "I've seen stronger spells than that."

I narrowed my eyes, focusing all my energy on the fireball in my hand. This time, when I threw it, I aimed for the demon's heart. It dodged again, its movements impossibly fast, but the fireball still managed to singe its chest. The demon let out a furious roar, and I could see the pain in its eyes. It lunged at me, claws outstretched, but I was ready. As it neared, I ducked under its arm and threw myself into a roll, narrowly avoiding its razor-sharp claws.

The demon stumbled backward, its eyes widening in surprise. It was finally starting to feel the pressure. I stood up, my heart pounding in my chest, and summoned another fireball. The demon raised its claws, preparing to defend itself, but this time I didn't throw the fireball. I flamed up and hurled myself at it instead. As I slammed into the demon, the force of my impact sent us both flying through the air.

We landed hard on the ground, the demon growling in pain. I scrambled to my feet, my body aching from the impact. The demon struggled to get up, its movements growing more sluggish with each passing moment. It glared at me, its eyes filled with hatred.

"You will pay for this," it snarled. "I will make sure you suffer."

I didn't respond. I didn't have the strength to argue. All I could do was concentrate on staying alive. The demon let out another bellowing roar, and I felt a surge of energy course through my body. Its eyes glowed red, and its claws shimmered with dark magic. It was about to attack me again, but before it could, a sword appeared in my hand.

I didn't know where it came from, but I was grateful for it. With renewed courage, I parried the demon's claws and managed to force it back. We circled each other, each blow more powerful than the last. The air around us crackled with energy, and the ground shook with the force of our attacks.

"You will not defeat me!" the demon roared, its eyes burning with hatred.

If you're loving the book, nel5s.org is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you!

It lunged at me again, claws outstretched, but I managed to dodge out of the way and slash at its side. My sword connected with flesh, and the demon cried out in pain. It stumbled backward, clawing at its wound. "You're wrong," I panted.

The demon let out a harsh laugh. "We'll see about that."

It charged at me once more, its claws outstretched. I ducked and rolled beneath its massive form, coming up behind it. I placed my free hand on its shoulder and pushed with all my might, sending it stumbling forward. As it fell to the ground, I planted my sword in its back, feeling the rush of energy as its essence was drained from it. The demon let out a gurgling scream, and its body went limp beneath me.

I collapsed to my knees, panting heavily, as the adrenaline began to fade. The demon's body lay still, its chest rising and falling slowly. I wondered if it would come back to life, like the other demons I had faced before.

Slowly, I stood up, my legs shaking under me. My sword felt heavy in my hand, and I wondered if I had really defeated the demon or if it had just been playing with me. I didn't have time to dwell on it, as I heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Are you okay?" Sterling asked as he jogged over in my direction.

"Where the hell did you go? I asked, frowning at him. "I could've used a little help, ya know?"

Sterling shrugged. "I got lost. I was following you, but then I just...lost track of you. I didn't mean to abandon you, though. I'm sorry."

I sighed, sheathing my sword. "It's fine. I understand. Let's just get out of here. I'm not in the mood for any more surprises."

We made our way back through the city, retracing our steps until we reached the entrance to the agency. The wind had died down, and the rain had stopped, leaving everything damp and eerily quiet. Weary from the battle I couldn't shake the sudden sense of dread encompassing me.