Free Web NovelChapter 369: Mirrored Retribution
[Music recommendation: Ivan Torrent - ONYRIA - "Stronghold" (feat. Lara Ausensi)]
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It was not just the audience whose attention shifted towards the crash; Evelyn, too, moved her golden gaze away from the crumbling Selene beneath her towards the source of the pained cry that had escaped one of the men.
As the debris settled, it revealed a striking sight. Just like Selene, Ivan had his sword, Incendium, driven through Azrath’s shoulder, where one of his arms was already missing.
Azrath’s hand was wrapped tightly around the blade, as if trying to wrench it out, but his flesh sizzled under the burn of Ivan’s divine fire.
A cold, faint smile touched Eve’s lips at the satisfying sight as her eyes met Ivan’s. She gave him a small, approving nod before turning her attention back to Selene, whose face was stricken with shock at the sight of her lord in such a state.
"Fret not about him, you vile creature... worry about yourself, because the worst is yet to come," Eve said in a cold, emotionless voice, her gaze fixed on Selene, sending a shiver through her.
It was as if those standing on the field were staring at mirrored images of the same brutal justice. They watched as Eve and Ivan simultaneously wrenched their swords from their opponents before raising them to sever the remaining hands of both Azrath and Selene in a single, clean strike.
Their agonised cries rang across the battlefield, yet the onlookers could not help but feel a surge of awe at the unbelievable sight. Excitement coursed through their veins as they realised that Eve and Ivan now held the upper hand against two overwhelmingly powerful enemies.
Azrath attempted to regenerate his severed limbs, but to his dismay, the blade that had cut them was a heavenly sword that once belonged to the God of Fire. Its divine flames prevented the demon prince from restoring what he had lost.
On the other side of the field, Eve grabbed hold of Selene’s severed arm, which was still frozen in the form of a sword.
She leaned in and whispered, "This is for spewing your heinous crimes from that filthy mouth of yours."
With those words, Eve shoved the blade-shaped limb into Selene’s newly mended mouth with a brutal crunch. The strike muffled Selene’s own cries as thick, black blood spilled over her lips.
The scene was not for the faint-hearted, but for those who had long burned for retribution, it was deeply satisfying to witness.
Azrath, however, was far too powerful to endure everything Ivan was unleashing upon him. With a sudden burst of force, he drove his leg forward and landed a brutal kick to Ivan’s stomach, sending him staggering back.
Seizing the moment, Azrath spread his large, bat-like wings and attempted to take flight.
But Ivan recovered just as quickly.
Before Azrath could rise, Ivan launched himself forward, grabbing hold of both wings mid-air. With sheer brute strength, he tore them clean off Azrath’s body.
A piercing scream tore from the demon prince as he crashed face-first onto the ground. ƒrēewebnovel.com
But Ivan did not give him a moment to recover.
He stepped down hard onto Azrath’s back, pinning him in place, before grabbing hold of his writhing tentacles. His voice dropped into a low, dangerous murmur.
"These were the ones you dared to impale my beloved with."
And with that, just as he had done to the wings, Ivan ripped the tentacles from Azrath’s body. Flames spiralled from his arms as he reduced them to ash, burning them to a crisp.
With extreme pain shooting from his back, Azrath unleashed a massive black shockwave from his body. It was powerful enough to have decimated anyone in the vicinity, but Evelyn acted instantly.
Raising her hands, she formed a massive, shimmering dome around the four of them, creating a barrier to ensure the impact would not harm their loved ones.
Ivan was thrown back by the force of the blast, but his momentum stopped as he hit the interior of Eve’s barrier, preventing him from being hurled across the battlefield.
Blood spilled from Ivan’s mouth.
But before he could rise on his own, Eve appeared before him in a flash, taking his hands to help him back to his feet.
They stared into each other’s eyes as she asked, "Are you alright?"
Ivan wiped the blood from his lip and gave her a firm nod.
His gaze then shifted to the maimed demoness. Selene was choking on her own blood, the blade still wedged so deeply into her mouth that it had practically pinned her head to the floor beneath her.
Ivan asked in a low voice, "Having trouble ending that one?"
Eve’s sharp golden eyes shifted back to Selene. "No trouble," she replied. "However..."
She trailed off as her gaze landed on Azrath. The demon was generating new tentacles to haul himself upright since he still lacked hands. Then, her eyes shifted to the two long horns on either side of his forehead.
"I need those from him," she added.
Ivan followed her line of sight. A small, amused smile curved his lips, as if he had instantly caught on to his beloved’s wicked train of thought.
"Your wish is my command," he replied, meeting her eyes meaningfully once again.
In a flash, he disappeared. He reappeared instantly in front of Azrath, who was still struggling to steady himself on his newly grown tentacles.
Others wondered just what Ivan and Eve were up to with their private conversation, but they did not have to wait long for an answer. The next moment, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads when Ivan headbutted Azrath straight in the face, making the demon stumble back.
But Ivan was not done.
Taking full advantage of that single, disoriented moment, he grabbed hold of Azrath’s horns and, with ruthless strength, tore them straight from his forehead.
"Ughhhh, what the f*ck!!!" Azrath shrieked, now significantly less dignified than a demon prince ought to be.
Alex and Caleb, who had just joined Damien’s group, witnessed everything, causing Alex to stumble slightly as he choked out in disbelief, "D-did I just witness His Highness headbutt the demon prince of Hell?"
Damien, on the other hand, looked positively delighted.
"Oh, he absolutely did," he said, a grin spreading across his face as though this were the most entertaining thing he had seen all day. Then his gaze flicked towards Eve, who had calmly taken her place behind Ivan.
"...though I must admit," he continued, almost thoughtfully, "I am far more curious about what dear Evelyn intends to do with those... horns."
The same question lingered in everyone’s mind as they watched Ivan hand the horns over to Eve. Their attention followed her with keen interest as she walked, completely unbothered, towards Selene, who was still choking on her own hand.
At the same time, Ivan delivered another powerful kick straight into Azrath’s core, now darkened, the very place where Eve’s blood was stored within him, sending him crashing far into the distance.
All eyes returned to Eve.
They watched as she circled the demoness, coming to a stop right behind her head, tilting her own slightly as if admiring a piece of work she had yet to finish.
A chill ran down Caleb’s spine as he let out a quiet, horrified breath, "Oh dear God..."
Cece, Ruth, and Edward stood frozen, their mouths slightly open in disbelief as Evelyn bent down, bringing herself face to face with Selene, her golden eyes locking onto the demoness’s slit ones.
"Since you have proven you did not use those eyes for any good," Eve said softly, almost thoughtfully, "I thought I might put them to better use."
Selene’s eyes widened in terror as she noticed the two dark, pointed horns in Evelyn’s hands. She began to shake her head weakly, despite being unable to move, her skull pinned firmly against the ground.
Eve smiled in a disturbingly gentle way.
"You are sharp, aren’t you," she murmured, almost fondly, "to understand exactly what I intend to do."
She leaned in just a little closer.
"Here... be useful for once, and hold these for your master."
With that, to everyone’s horror, Eve raised both her hands and drove Azrath’s horns straight into Selene’s eyes. The resulting scream was so animalistic that Ruth instantly covered her eyes and ears. The others felt their breathing hitch, and cold sweat trickled down their foreheads at the sight of Evelyn committing such an extreme act of violence.
Iskara, who had been consumed by fury after hearing Selene’s confession, felt his own rage begin to settle. Watching Evelyn inflict every bit of the brutality he had wanted to deal out himself brought a grim sense of peace to his heart.
