Celestial Hybrid

Chapter 14

A figure hurried into the scene, her body trembling as she dropped to her knees before the entity seated on a massive throne behind the darkness. Sweat streamed down her face, her breaths coming in sharp, uneven gasps as she kept her head bowed low, too afraid to meet the being's gaze.

"Lady Lucia," she gasped, her voice barely audible, yet trembling with fear and urgency. "Forgive my intrusion… but I bring news of grave importance.”

The entity on the throne gazed down at the figure kneeling before her, her piercing red eyes glowing with a menacing light, brimming with deadly intent that seemed to suffocate the air around them.

"No need to burden me with such useless information," she said, her voice sharp and dripping with disdain. The air around them thickened, almost suffocating, her anger saturating the space like a storm waiting to break.

"They failed to fulfill such a simple task?! How disappointing this is," she continued, her tone cutting like a blade. "To think she'd go as far as sacrificing her life to summon a demon."

The sound of her footsteps echoed as she descended from the throne, stepping into the faint glow of the light. Her figure was striking — her flawless, porcelain skin seemed to shimmer in the dim atmosphere, and her sharp, regal features held an otherworldly beauty that was both enchanting and terrifying.

Her crimson lips curled into a smirk as her fiery red eyes burned with contempt. Her gown clung to her body like liquid silk, the deep black fabric accentuated with glowing crimson patterns that seemed to pulse like veins of fire. A high slit revealed her long, sculpted legs, while the plunging neckline of the dress framed her delicate collarbone and hinted at the power she exuded.

She paused, her presence commanding, her beauty alluring yet dangerous. "Pathetic creatures," she muttered, her voice dripping with venom as she looked down at the trembling figure before her. "They sent you to report their folly to me, and you dare do such?" the woman sneered, her crimson eyes narrowing dangerously. "Do you even comprehend the price of failure?"

"I-I—" The kneeling figure stammered, her voice trembling, but she never got the chance to finish.

Without moving an inch from where she stood, the kneeling figure’s body was torn apart, slashed into a million fragments that dissolved into the air like dust caught in a violent gale.

"Pathetic insect," she murmured under her breath, her voice laced with terrifying calm. "I suppose I'll honor the will of our supreme leader and take matters into my own hands.”

~~~~~~

“So, you were the one interfering with our mission, huh?" her voice dripped with disdain as she glared down at the being before her, her crimson eyes narrowing dangerously.

Emriel rose to his feet, his movements slow but deliberate, his unwavering gaze meeting hers despite the suffocating aura she exuded. The faint glow of his restored energy shimmered across his form as his wounds mended seamlessly, leaving no trace of the battle he'd endured.

"Your pups were after people my host cared about," he said, his voice steady and resolute. "So I had to step in and stop them."

Her lips curled into a slight smirk, one that was equal parts amusement and menace. "How noble," she hissed, her tone dripping with mockery. "But tell me, do you think interfering with my mission was worth the price you'll soon pay?"

“You're brimming with hubris just because you caught me off guard last time," Emriel said, his voice sharp with defiance. The dark energy swirling around him thickened and coalesced, forming into two twin blades that radiated a menacing aura, now crackling with fiery red flames that danced along their edges. He raised them with a smirk. "Bring it on, bitch."

Lucia's grin widened, her crimson eyes gleaming with malevolence as her expression twisted into something both wicked and gleeful. Her aura flared, the oppressive power around her growing more suffocating with each passing second. "My pleasure," she purred, her voice dripping with venomous amusement, "but first… tell me your name. I like to know the names of my opponents before they die."

She giggled softly, the sound deceptively sweet, like the tinkling of bells, yet laced with an unmistakable promise of violence. "It makes their screams so much more personal."

“Your cockiness is amusing, I'll give you that," he said with a smirk, his voice dripping with cold confidence. "The name's Emriel. Dark side of the Trinity," he introduced, his tone laced with teasing arrogance.

He tilted his head slightly, his fiery blades crackling with energy as he stepped forward.

"Make my time here worthwhile, pretty girl."

Lucia's grin only widened at his taunt, her crimson energy flaring brighter, as if fed by her growing excitement. "Oh, don't worry," she purred, her voice low and dangerous. "You'll leave here with memories you won't forget... if you leave at all."

Lucia's giggle echoed like a haunting melody, her body suddenly cracking with crimson energy that surged and swirled around her. The air grew dense, vibrating with her malevolent power as fiery red scaly armor erupted onto her form, glowing like it held a life of its own.

With a sharp motion, she reached into the empty air with both hands, and two long swords materialized in her grasp, a testament to her immense strength. Their edges gleamed with the same fierce energy that burned within her. Her grin widened, her eyes alight with twisted delight.

She swung her weapons with effortless precision, the fiery blades humming with raw energy as she pointed them toward him. "Lucia Dragonborn," she declared, her voice steady and proud. "Regent of the Red Dragon Corps, and your executioner."

Her smirk remained unwavering, her crimson armor pulsing like a second heartbeat as the air around her seemed to ripple with heat. "Let's see who's good with swords, shall we?" she taunted, her eyes locked onto his with a fiery determination that promised no mercy.

She vanished in an instant, her presence dissolving into the air like smoke, only to reappear behind Emriel in a blur of unreadable speed. Her fiery blades gleamed with lethal intent as she aimed a clean cut at his neck, the strike swift and precise.

But Emriel was no ordinary entity. His black, shadowy wings unfurled with a sudden burst of power, intercepting her attack with a thunderous clash. The force of their collision sent shockwaves rippling outward, cracking the ground beneath him as his smirk returned, unshaken.

"Not bad," he muttered, his voice low and laced with amusement. "But you'll need more than speed to best me, regent."

He spun on his heel with practiced ease, as his massive wings snapped together with a thunderous clap. What came forth was a powerful gust of wind, the sheer pressure slamming into Lucia and propelling her several steps backward.

She dug her heels into the cracked ground, her fiery armor flaring as she skidded to a stop. Her twin swords crossed in front of her defensively, absorbing some of the impact, though the force left her hair whipping wildly as embers flickered in the air around her.

"Impressive," she admitted, her smirk returning as she steadied herself. "Using your wings to fight? That's a nice trick. But tricks won’t save you forever."

Emriel chuckled, his wings folding behind him as his blade lowered slightly. "Who said it was a trick?" he retorted, his voice a mixture of amusement and menace. "I'm just getting started."

Lucia lunged again, undeterred, her swords flashing like streaks of fire as she closed the distance between them.

~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Seran, who watched the battle with the others from within the building, had a wary look on his face. His eyes were fixed on the clashing figures outside, the flicker of flames and shadowy energy reflecting in his distant gaze.

“Seran, what's wrong?” Scylla asked softly, noticing the faraway expression etched across his face.

“I’m having a bad feeling about this,” he muttered, his voice tight with worry. “Emriel is clearly outmatched.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” David asked, his brow furrowed, perplexity evident in his voice. “He’s obviously keeping up with her.”

“That’s the problem,” Seran replied, his tone growing sharper. “The Lucia we all know doesn’t waste time on her enemies. She’s only testing his strength. And when she’s done…” He paused, his voice dropping low. “She’ll kill him.”

“What! We can't let that happen! Cynthia spoke, her voice heavy with fear. “We can't let my son die.”

“I know, but this is way beyond my control.” Seran sighed with defeat. “There's only one thing I can do.” He added, preparing to teleport them to War Realm. “No need for that, Seran.” A calm yet terrifying voice rang out in his head, eliciting a gasp from him.

~~~~~~

“You're not bad yourself, Emriel," Lucia praised, her tone dripping with mockery as her fiery blades gleamed in her hands. "But you won't last long."

Emriel stood a distance away, his body battered with cuts and bruises, yet his confidence remained unshaken. The dark energy swirling around him pulsed, knitting his wounds closed as he raised one of his blades and pointed it toward her. "I'm just getting started," he declared, his smirk as sharp as the edge of his sword.

Lucia's grin twisted into something darker, almost feral, as the void around her began to tremble and ripple under her power. "It's been fun," she whispered, her voice low and menacing.

"Fangs of the Dragon," she murmured, and in an instant, thousands of blazing replicas of her swords materialized in the air, encompassing the whole od Eralis, their fiery edges gleaming as they aimed themselves toward Emriel. The sheer heat and pressure of her attack made the ground beneath them c***k even further.

But Emriel narrowed his eyes, his instincts flaring. He could feel it — the palpable shift in her energy. He knew she was up to no good.

“W-What are you trying to do?

Lucia giggled, her fiery eyes glinting as she took in Emriel's visage with sadistic glee. "You guessed right," she purred. "You have two options, darling. Either you surrender who I came here for, or…" Her voice dropped, venom dripping from every word. "I'll raze this entire village to the ground and leave nothing but ashes in its place."

She raised her hand, her fiery blades hovering ominously in the air above them, their heat causing the very air to shimmer. "You have five seconds to decide, Emriel," she taunted, her grin widening.

But then, suddenly, she paused. Her expression darkened, and her grin twisted into a scowl. "Screw it!" she snarled.

With a snap of her fingers, the thousands of blazing blades rained down like a fiery storm, leaving no room for escape. The villagers inside the building screamed, bracing for the inevitable destruction.

Yet, before the blades could pierce the earth or touch the village, they withered away into harmless embers, fading into the void as if extinguished by some unseen force.

Lucia’s eyes narrowed in confusion and fury, her power recoiling as though something or someone had intervened. "What is this?!" she demanded, her voice echoing in the suddenly still air.

Emriel gasped sharply, his chest tightening as he felt it — the same overwhelming pressure he’d once experienced while inside Remiel’s body. But this time, it was heavier, suffocating, an oppressive force that made his knees tremble and weaken with each passing second.

A voice, deep and laced with disdain, echoed through the air. "That chauvinistic woman is still hell-bent on getting my kids, huh."

The sound of deliberate footsteps followed, each one reverberating like thunder against the cracked ground. The air seemed to fold in on itself, growing heavier with every step the approaching figure took.

Lucia, who moments ago had been the embodiment of power and confidence, felt the crushing weight of the pressure slam into her. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground, her bones screaming in protest.

Her fiery aura flickered and waned as she shivered uncontrollably, her bravado utterly shattered. Wide-eyed and trembling, her gaze locked onto the figure approaching, an unmistakable fear etched across her face.