Crimson and gold light split the sky in two.
Lucifer and Vladimir stood locked in the centre of the cratered street, their auras clashing in rippling waves that cracked the asphalt beneath their feet. Vladimir's claws dug into Lucifer's ribs, blackened blood dripping onto the torn pavement. Lucifer's spear of blood-shadow trembled against Vladimir's chest, its tip pressed deep into burning bone.
For a moment, silence swallowed the ruined street.
Then Lucifer's eyes burned brighter, molten red and demon-gold swirling together in a silent storm. He snarled, twisting the spear deeper into Vladimir's chest until it burst out the other side in a spray of sizzling black blood.
Vladimir roared. His wings flared out violently, creating a shockwave that blew shattered cars and debris away in a circle. But his roar broke into a laugh, gurgling with blood.
