"It seems he really can't be separated from his master," Rylan muttered after seeing Ripper leap out just before the door shut. "Nim, come on!"
"No," Nimora argued. "We've already lost Eira. We can't just abandon them now."
"And what do you want instead? For us to die along with that demon? Sorry, but she's way too strong. For now, we need to get out of here. We'll settle this one day."
Nimora couldn't find a rebuttal. As much as she hated to admit it, Rylan was right. Aethonia's strength was on a completely different level—they couldn't even compare. Even Arthur, known as the toughest warrior of all, was barely holding his ground against her.
They took an old lift that descended into the underground levels. With a creak, the doors shut, and the lift began its slow, steady descent without interruption.
In the silence, their minds raced, each of them wondering what kind of dangers waited below. Only three of them remained now. Eira was gone. Arthur had stayed behind in the lab to slow Aethonia down.
•••
Arthur staggered, pierced by a staff crackling with magical electricity. Aethonia stood right before him.
Ripper lunged from the side, forcing Aethonia to yank the staff free. Arthur coughed blood as he dropped to his knees, clutching his badly wounded stomach, his sword clattering to the ground.
But Ripper—loyal to the very end—stood tall in front of his master, growling at Aethonia, ready to protect him no matter what.
Aethonia lowered her staff and whispered, "Electro Blade."
The weapon sparked violently, arcs of purple lightning crawling along its length until it transformed into a full-blown sword.
"This is bad… Ripper, go!" Arthur commanded.
Ripper howled louder as Aethonia approached. In the blink of an eye, she was already upon him. With one swift slash, Ripper had no time to react. His body was split into pieces in seconds.
Arthur froze. He couldn't comprehend it—his partner, his closest companion—slain right in front of him. And now Aethonia loomed before him.
"And now… your turn!" the demon woman snarled, swinging the blade toward his neck.
The sword was only inches away when she sensed something from the side. She cut her strike short and teleported back just as a powerful blow slammed into the ground where she had stood.
The impact shook the earth, splitting it open with cracks as dust and debris shot into the air.
"Damn it… it was fast!" Aethonia hissed.
As the dust began to fall, a faint silhouette appeared. And then, when the haze cleared, she was revealed: a brown-haired woman, golden energy radiating from her hands, standing firmly in front of Arthur, glaring at Aethonia with burning hatred.
"Speed boost," the woman whispered, vanishing in an instant only to reappear right in front of Aethonia. "Energy punch!"
Aethonia barely dodged the devastating strike, irritation flashing in her eyes at this uninvited guest.
"Who the hell are you? Why suddenly appear just to protect that man?" Aethonia demanded.
"Trust me—if you knew who I was, you'd be after me. And one more thing: I'm not here to protect him. I'm here for my sister," the woman declared, clenching her fist.
"Ahh… one of the Seven Siblings, aren't you?" Aethonia smirked. "Interesting. No need to waste effort chasing that healer girl anymore. Your power is far more tempting."
Zaraea struck without warning, but once again Aethonia leapt back, avoiding her assault.
"Glacio : Glacial Blast!" Aethonia incanted mid-leap.
Shards of razor-sharp ice materialized and shot through the air toward Zaraea.
But Zaraea raised her hand, summoning an Energy Shield that absorbed the storm of ice.
"My turn, damn you. Ki Blast!" Zaraea threw a punch from afar, a blazing golden burst of energy tearing through the air toward Aethonia.
The battle grew fiercer, each attack shaking the very lab around them. For once, Aethonia found herself on the defensive.
Arthur, gravely wounded, could only watch. But he refused to remain idle. With gritted teeth, he snatched his sword and forced himself to his feet, using torn cloth to bind his wound. Yet the moment he took a single step, agony surged through him, locking his body in place.
Unlike before, Aethonia was relying more on her ice element than electro—for reasons unknown.
The lab groaned under the strain, debris raining down as their clash shook the building apart.
"I won't let you go after my sister—not after what you've done to me!" Zaraea shouted. Energy swirled wildly around her. "Energy Waves!"
"ULTIMATE: Fist of Fury!"
She leapt straight at Aethonia, unleashing her full power.
The explosion rocked the entire facility. Not only did the interior collapse, but glass shattered throughout the building, and even the structure itself threatened to come down. The shockwaves were so powerful that Nimora, Rylan, and Rowan felt them from deep below in the lift shaft.
Arthur could only stare, stunned by the overwhelming force Zaraea unleashed. Now he understood why Kali wanted the Seven Siblings so badly.
This time, Zaraea struck true. Aethonia lay broken on the ground, her body revealed as nothing more than a machine beneath the flesh.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" Aethonia croaked.
"Are you seriously asking me that?" Zaraea shot back. "You're with Kali—you even went after Nimora just because she crossed your path."
"I'm not with her anymore," Aethonia replied weakly.
Zaraea narrowed her eyes. She didn't buy it. Demons were manipulators by nature.
"Then why? Why are you attack my sister and her friends?"
"Because you'd have done the same if it were you," Aethonia whispered.
Zaraea stepped closer. "Explain yourself!"
"One of your sister's friends killed my little sister, Vespera. I stopped her from attacking your sister… I even had to wound her myself. But your sister's friend took the chance to finish her—and injured me so I couldn't revive her." Aethonia's voice cracked with grief.
Zaraea stiffened, momentarily taken aback. Part of her pitied the woman, yet she couldn't let her guard down.
"So what, you expect me to feel sorry for you? To stop protecting my sister?"
"No… take the staff in my hand."
Zaraea hesitated, suspecting a trap.
"It's not a trap. Go. Catch up with your sister in Shadowfell. You'll meet my eldest sister there—Lilith Morwen. She's the strongest of the three of us. That staff holds enough power to stand against her. Tell her I failed… failed as a sister, because I couldn't protect Vespera."
Aethonia's last words were followed by tears. Then, with a final breath, she went still.