Chapter 25 - My realm or yours?

Breaking away from the Level 5 possessed, Ethan and Adriana approached the portal, their expressions a mix of fascination and horror. Demons of various grotesque forms were emerging continuously, adding to the pandemonium.

"We have to close it, but how?" Adriana shouted, slicing through a demon that had gotten too close.

Ethan's mind raced for a solution when suddenly Lilith's voice echoed in his head. "[The only way to close the portal is from within. You must defeat the demon controlling it.]"

"Inside?" Ethan relayed the message to Adriana, his eyes fixed on the growing horde of lesser demons spilling out. "We need to get in there and take down the source."

Adriana turned to him, her expression a mix of shock and concern. "Are you sure? We have no idea what's on the other side. It could be a trap!"

Ethan met her gaze with a resolute look. "I know it's a risk. But every second we waste, more demons pour into our world. This might be our only chance to stop them at the source."

"But how can you be so certain that destroying the demon inside will close the portal?" Adriana pressed, the urgency of the situation etched on her face.

Ethan paused for a brief moment,looking at the portal and back to Adriana. "I guess there's only one way to find out."

Adriana nodded and they both turned to face the portal and that's when realization hit them like a thousand bricks. The entrance to the portal was a maelstrom of chaos, with lesser demons pouring out incessantly. 

"I guess we'll have to carve a path out for ourselves then if we are going in." Adriana said as she twirled her chain in the air, ready to attack.

Ethan readied his scythe, a determined glint in his eyes. "We'll cut through them, reach the source, and end this nightmare."

With a nod of agreement, Adriana lunged forward, her chain slicing through the air. Ethan followed suit, the deadly arc of his scythe cutting down demons in their path. The duo moved in tandem, each strike a dance of precision and power.

The lesser demons, though numerous, were no match for the seasoned demon hunters. Adriana's chain entangled, tripped, and sliced through the demonic horde, while Ethan's scythe cleaved a path with ruthless efficiency.

As they approached the swirling entrance of the portal, a more formidable demon emerged, its dark presence hinting at a higher level of malevolence.

[Name: Vor'Goth]

[Race: Shadow demon]

[Level: 5]

[Experience: ??/10]

[Strength: 9/10]

[Energy: 10/10]

[Agility: 7/10]

[Stamina: 9/10]

[Speed: 8/10]

Vor'Goth roared, the sound sending shivers through the air. It swung its massive, serrated claws, creating shockwaves that forced Ethan and Adriana to step back.

 Vor'Goth, a demon of unparalleled dread, caused the very air to shudder with its ominous presence. Vor'Goth's four eyes fixated on them, radiating a sinister intelligence that sent chills down their spines.

Droplets of corrosive saliva dripped from the twisted maw of the demon, sizzling upon contact with the ground. Its hands, elongated to an unnatural extent, hung like ominous claws, ready to unleash havoc. The malnourished, shriveled form only intensified the horror, a paradox of frailty and formidable darkness.

As the duo braced themselves, a suffocating atmosphere enveloped them, the weight of Vor'Goth's malevolence pressing upon their senses. 

"Looks like we've got company," Ethan remarked, his eyes narrowing in determination.

Adriana cracked her knuckles, her expression fierce. "Big or small, they all fall the same."

[This is not a battle you should take lightly. These aren't the regular demons you'd encounter!!] Lilith's voice echoed in Ethan's head, warning him of the risk of confrontation.

However, since he alone, Ethan, was the only one who could hear what Lilith had said to him, there was no way others around him could heed to the warning and as a direct consequence, Adriana had lunged towards Vor'Goth, the level 5 Shadow demon.

"No wait!!" Ethan called out but by that time, Adriana had committed to her movements.

She twirled her chains, looking to tie up the demon but in almost an instant, Vor'Goth had closed the distance between her and itself, grabbing the chain and lifting her by the throat. 

Then with a bone chilling look, Vor'Goth eyed Adriana from head to toe and stuck out its tongue, licking her cheeks in the process. 

"Get...your...fowl mouth..away from me!!" Adriana said, grabbing the demon's head and nailing it with a heavy knee to the face. 

Vor'Goth was momentarily stunned but was quick to recover and in what appeared to be an act born directly from frustration, Vor'Goth pummeled Adriana straight to the ground, driving her to the ground like a screw. 

Adriana's body bounced off the hard ground before laying still. 

Vor'Goth however was not done yet as it crouched to Adriana's body on the floor. 

"Hands off the merchandise!!" Ethan's voice cut through at that moment as he came crashing down on Vor'Goth with a swift slash of his scythe. 

Vor'Goth had been too distracted by the alluring Adriana to notice there was even another hunter within the premises and before it knew what happened, a sharp curved blade had gone past its neck, sending its head to the floor in an unceremonious manner with a resounding thud.

Vor'Goth, the Shadow Demon, lay defeated at Ethan's feet, its grotesque form twisted and lifeless. As Ethan turned towards the swirling void, he took a moment to assess the situation.

Before him, the void stretched like a desolate cityscape frozen in eternal twilight. Buildings, shattered and distorted, loomed like decaying monuments to an otherworldly chaos. The air hung heavy with an oppressive silence, occasionally broken by distant, eerie echoes.

The ground beneath Ethan's boots felt uneven, remnants of a cityscape that no longer adhered to the laws of physics. The void was a realm unto itself, a twisted reflection of a world that once existed.

As Ethan ventured deeper, the stench of death intensified. The shattered remnants of buildings appeared to whisper tales of a bygone civilization, now lost to the void's embrace. Shadows danced across the ashen ground, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Amidst the ruins, one structure stood out—a three-story building that seemed untouched by the chaos surrounding it. However, the pulsating energy emanating from within signaled a hidden danger.

Ethan approached cautiously, scythe at the ready. Lilith's voice echoed in his mind once more, warning of the imminent challenges.

[Cancel your NetBlix subscription if you have one. This is not a show you want to watch]

Ethan's brow furrowed in confusion, but he pressed on, his senses alert to the peculiarities of the void.

"What am I up against? What are the odds?" Ethan inquired, his eyes scanning the eerie surroundings.

[Two to five on a scale of ten, that's if you don't end up folding] Lilith replied cryptically, leaving the specifics shrouded in uncertainty.

"Folding to what?" Ethan questioned, the weight of uncertainty hanging in the air.

[Folding to that,] Lilith disclosed, revealing another demonic presence.

[Name: Lysandra]

[Race: Shadow Mistress]

[Level: 7]

[Experience: ??/10]

[Strength: 8/10]

[Energy: 9/10]

[Agility: 9/10]

**[Stamina: 7/10]**

**[Speed: 8/10]**

Lysandra, the Shadow Mistress, emerged from the shadows with an ethereal grace. Her form was twisted, a dark allure emanating from her every movement. Long tendrils of shadow trailed behind her, and her eyes glowed with an unsettling intensity.

"Hmmm..you've got balls to step into my realm. Let's see how big they are," Lysandra's voice, a chilling blend of seduction and malevolence, slithered through the void. Her words dripped with ethereal allure, each syllable wrapping around the air like a haunting melody. There was undeniable power in her tone, a promise of both danger and an unknown allure.

Emerging from the mysterious three-story building, her movements were a ballet of shadows, effortless and graceful. The shadows clung to her form, accentuating the twisted elegance of her presence. With every step, she traversed the void as if dancing on the edge of reality itself, a wraith-like figure defying the laws of the surreal realm.

Her eyes, glowing with unsettling intensity, remained fixed on Ethan. Lysandra's approach was a bewitching display of both beauty and danger, a calculated seduction with an undercurrent of lethal intent. The air itself seemed to shiver as she moved, leaving an indelible impression of her unearthly charm and the imminent peril that accompanied it.

"Well damn," ...