"How impressive that you've pushed me this far, little demon hunter. Or whatever you are." The demon cut to the chase, simplistic in nature. Bie's cruel smile seemed polite from a distance, but it was unable to contain the murderous killing intent that his body began to naturally produce. It seemed fake, frozen upon his face, or so genuine that the chill could not come from anything but the underworld.
Pan's Butcher looked around, before reaching towards the crushed deer skull and infusing it with his aura. The cracks caused by Ekulech mended, pissing off Silkie that stood by its master's side. Bie chided the creature, running his hands through its grey mane of hair as he watched the demon don it once more.
"Alright…it's just you and me. This is the final I have, so accept my gift and die."
"How funny. Your sense of humor is much better than I would think from a lazy demon like you?"
"Oh, I won't be lazy any longer. This is the culmination of my everything…"
"Did you think saying that would make your attack stronger? Cheap words. Cut the bullshit and come here, fuckhead~"
"How stingy…Writhing Blade."
Pan's Butcher embedded his hand into his chest, the set of fives dissipating as only his wrist stuck out. Inside his body, two petal like organs released a deep green shimmer as a pommeled hilt made out of prehnite was pulled out, suffusing an apple green radiance that enveloped the demon's entire hand and spread across its body.
The guard was horizontal with a ruby red crest spanning vertically. A moment later, at first the blade looked red and metallic, as if he was drawing a simple saber. But as it was pulled out further and further, the blade was evidently composed out of writing animal limbs and organs, and cries leaked from it as it emerged. The blade was seventy centimeters, and the sharp red contrasted greatly with the apple green aura within the maroon flare he already was cloaked inside of.
In turn, the face in the sky continued to produce the purplish rain, almost refining it as
the latent demonic energy intensified into full blown tainted rain. It strengthened not only the demon, but Bie as well, as he opened his mouth and caught some of the drops inside.
He felt a mellow, savory taste dance along his tongue, and the cruelty within his bearing intensified. Yet there was a supreme tint to it, as if he was looking down towards food on his plate with top grade cutlery in hand. The imprint of the smile behind him seemed to lap up the lavender blood that began to form a shadow pool, though instead of angelic disgust, it felt like something else entirely. Bie's blackened blood wriggled in response, and he felt even stronger.
"Oh, so you're ready to beat me down too? Good, good! Let's dance, you devilish boy…"
"You sound so creepy, bastard. I'll snatch your Remnant before your soul can even escape." Bie gave a well mannered smile as purple hued breath hung around him, the effects of Maenad almost activating but suppressed willingly because he wanted to understand the grasps of what he could do on his own.
Grabbing the floating Ekulech and sending a mental message towards Silkie to get back inside his Inner World, his hair danced and settled back into its normal shape. His teeth shone as he started to rise, not due to lightening his weight but due to Demon Voyage finally activating.
Without expending much energy, he began to be able to step on the shallow liquid without any give holding him back. Silkie was a bit concerned, but felt its master's will and complied with his orders.
Like that, the two were alone once again. Each donning a smile, they darted forward as their bodies blurred in over the blood pool, the liquid struggling to reflect their movements!
The demon began whistling, since his flute was still preoccupied. Arrays were forming in an attempt to refine the demonic energy around him and weaken the Cruel Thesis. Pan's Butcher was using his technique, the Brithee Whistle, to effectively play two songs at once!
But Bie wasn't as effected as the demon would've hoped, instead basking in the taint of Gant and coveting it as nutrients. The veil formed from his wing ears shivered in delight as mustard yellow light emerged from the same colored feathers and even the hair strands of the same color.
'I won't spare the flesh or the bones. I've been so wasteful, tsk…'
Bie received the swing of the Writhing Blade, sliding it past the shoulder he brought forth in order to minimize the wound. Ekulech's bearded axe blade glimmered with black particles as it cleaved towards the swing, the two weapons colliding with great difficulty as the two imbued themselves in falling blood.
Although the hand axe was a bit weaker, especially due to the shattering and repeatedly repairing handle, Bie made up for it by supplementing it with the weight of Mountain's Step. Soon, the Writhing Blade was parried, the demon controlling it to whirl around and smash into Bie's free hand as the boy aimed a solid kick towards his sternum.
A crushing noise resounded as Bie's bones broke under the hewing blade, but the Guide slid on the liquid and flashed with golden light that left behind a heatless flame afterimage as he repositioned himself. Soon, the blade was batted downwards with a slicing downward kick, and Ekulech was buried deep into the demon's chest, right where his core was.
The Cassius Eyes at this point, after bearing all the enhancements Bie was receiving, could pierce through the truth long enough to know the demon's weak points. That's why as the battle wore on, Pan's Butcher felt like no matter where it went a blade light would follow, or maybe it was a fist, or a leg?
Bie couldn't help but release what would be a charming giggle if it wasn't made in a bloody bout. The ever pleasant and enrapturing voice Bie had was like a direct affront to the sheer savagery the boy could display, and it even served to make the demon afraid.
The bleak light of Morris filled the Violet House more and more as pieces of the lay sky flaked off, revealing a dome like shape. The pieces brought down large torrents of violet blood, making it hard for even the demon to stand. But Bie effortlessly stepped on the liquid's surface, even seemingly absorbing some to keep it in check as he surged forward again and again.
"Fine. I admit it…I've lost." The demon suddenly said, the writhing limbs now kicking out randomly and battering against Bie's aura that formed a shield around his advancing form. Grasping Ekulech firmly, he saw that the demon was offering him his neck, but the Cassius Eyes could tell that there was a sense of triumph in his movements…
Slice. The bearded blade had no remorse as it separated the demon's head, and Bie retrieved the corpse and stuck it into his Inner World.
An orb appeared where the demon died, the outline of it mixing with a core that quickly dissipated into nothingness. Or so it tried. Bie allowed his suppressive force to form a net in a three meter radius, and his suctioning force kept it in check.
"I told you what I'd do, and yet you still try to escape?" Bie grasped the flickering orb, noticing that it lost all of its taint and could be absorbed by him. So he placed it in his Inner World without much effort, confronting the wispy image of the dead demon floating in the sky.
"How amazing…I wasn't your opponent. However, you cannot mess with souls. The Great Tapestry does not allow soul termination, and you won't be able to hold me for long…"
"Threaten me if you want. I'm…somehow aware that I can't exactly absorb you. But you can suffer endlessly in these last seconds I have."
"And?"
Bie's smile deepened, and Pan's Butcher's soul shivered. If that wasn't enough, the blue particles within Bie's Inner World emerged and formed ghostly apparitions—his subjects—that unleashed spiritually infused ghostly wails.
"Fine! Take my advice then…this was simply stalling. We have absorbed the power of the Red Angels, so a lot of those bastards in the capital or whatever can't do anything. But you can. Take those dead weights and hurry back!"
With that said, it promptly dissipated and turned into a stream that exited both the Violet House and Morris. Clicking his tongue, Bie hurriedly went to retrieve his companions and slung them along his back, taking some woven cloth in his Inner World and forming an odd, breathable sack.
With that said, he ran outwards and emerged from the shattering door of the Violet House, making his way at great speeds towards the far off Morris Capitol!