The dungeon reeked of damp stone, old blood, and ash. Forneus's spell stabbed into Levi's mind like a thousand knives, twisting her memories into torment. Images of her burning kingdom, her people's screams, her own failure—each flash dug deeper, tearing her resolve apart.
Levi roared, thrashing against the chains. The enchanted steel dug into her wrists and ankles, glowing as runes flared to keep her down. Her black hair lifted like smoke, streaking crimson. Gold bled into scarlet in her eyes. Her horns pulsed with molten cracks of light.
Forneus smirked, pressing harder, her hands weaving cruel patterns in the air.
"Break, Queen of Demons. Show us how hollow you've become."
Something snapped. Not in Levi—but in the chains. They sizzled as black fire bled through them, fire that did not burn flesh but unmade the very magic holding her. With a deafening crack, one link shattered. Then another. Then all of them.
Levi rose, her wings unfurling with a storm of ash and flame, half-damaged but vast, shadowing the chamber. Shadows coiled beneath her feet like living serpents.
Forneus stumbled back, choking on blood. "No—impossible!"
A low chuckle rumbled from the shadows. Shax stepped forward, violet eyes gleaming, his blade humming with runes.
"At last," he said, voice rich with hunger. "The Queen awakens."
Levi's voice carried the weight of a thousand war drums, layered with demonic echoes.
"Where is she? What have you done to Jane?"
Shax smirked and dragged his blade across the stone, sparks scattering.
"Alive. Broken, but alive. You'll see her—when I'm finished with you."
Fury erupted inside Levi. Her flames surged, the ground cracking beneath her. She lunged, claws of shadow forming around her hands. Shax met her charge with his sword, steel clashing against black fire in a thunderous explosion.
The duel began.
Levi's strikes were wild, fueled by rage, each blow shaking the chamber. Shadows lashed like whips, the air thick with burning energy. Shax countered with dragon-honed precision, his sword cutting through her flames, his movements sharp and merciless.
"Pathetic," Shax snarled, slicing across her side. Black blood spilled, sizzling against the floor. "Even unbound, you are nothing but a remnant."
Levi staggered, but instead of falling, she planted her feet. Her wings flared wide, shielding her. Runes of fire and shadow spun into existence, forming a blazing barrier of black and red. The dungeon trembled under the pressure.
Her voice shook the chamber:
"I will not fail again. I will protect the ones I care for—no matter the cost!"
The shield flared bright, catching Shax's next strike. Sparks and fire exploded outward, forcing him back a step, his violet eyes narrowing. Guards and even Forneus shielded their faces from the infernal blast.
Levi seized the moment. Her shield shattered outward, turning into a storm of abyssal energy that lashed at Shax. He roared, barely raising his blade in time as the explosion hurled him across the dungeon. He slammed into the far wall, stone shattering around him.
Levi was already upon him, shadows spearing the ground around his body, her talons gripping his sword arm. With a snarl, she ripped him free of the wall and hurled him across the chamber again.
Shax hit the ground hard, coughing purple blood. For the first time, his grin faltered.
Levi advanced, eyes blazing, her voice thunder.
"This ends with me standing—not you."
She unleashed a final blast of black fire. The dungeon shook, the stone floor cracking open beneath Shax. The dragon general fell to one knee, his sword nearly torn from his grip, his body scorched and bloodied.
Forneus gasped. The guards whispered in disbelief. The impossible had happened: General Shax, the last dragon, had been defeated.
Levi stood over him, her wings stretched wide, her horns blazing like a crown of fire. The Demon Queen reborn.
And still, Shax laughed. His voice was hoarse, his body trembling, but his smirk returned.
"Impressive. At last… the Queen I longed to face. But tell me, Leviathan…" He spat blood, his violet eyes gleaming with malice. "…do you truly believe you can protect them? Your witch? Your friends? The next time we meet, your cost will be everything."
Before Levi could finish him, Forneus's magic surged, weaving shadows that swallowed Shax whole. His laughter echoed as he vanished into the depths of the dungeon, leaving only silence and smoke behind.
Levi swayed, her body drained, her wings trembling. But in her eyes burned defiance—and the unbroken vow she had spoken.
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