The air crackled with tension as Darius stood poised, every muscle primed for battle. Across from him, Darko, the vampire lord, curled his lips into a sinister grin, his eyes gleaming with intrigue.
"Hmm… this energy," Darko mused, tilting his head. "It feels like a fragment of an elder exorcist I once fought. Interesting… this might actually be fun."
And then the battle ignited.
Darius moved first, a blur of motion—his sword igniting with blinding holy energy. He slashed with incredible precision, but Darko was quicker, evading with inhuman speed. The air shuddered as Darius' blade sliced through empty space, cutting through the air where Darko had been a split second ago.
The vampire countered. With a swift, clawed swipe, Darko aimed for Darius' throat, but the exorcist parried, twisting mid-air to avoid the deadly strike. Darius' sword collided with the vampire's claws, the sound of metal against claw ringing through the room.
Darko's eyes gleamed with anticipation. With a sudden surge of energy, he released dark tendrils from his fingertips. The tendrils snaked through the air, warping the space around them, tearing at the fabric of reality. The tendrils lashed out like vipers, seeking to entangle Darius.
Darius' expression darkened as he parried each strike with expert precision. Each tendril collided with his blade, sending shockwaves of force through the room. The ground beneath them cracked as the battle escalated.
Darko grinned, his fangs gleaming. "You can't keep up forever."
Darius narrowed his eyes, summoning every ounce of his training. He lunged forward in a blur, his blade cutting a path through the tendrils, each swing a deadly arc of light.
The battle raged—Darius attacking with controlled fury, Darko evading with supernatural grace. But then, a flash of movement—a split-second opening. Darius saw it. He surged forward, his blade driving deep into Darko's chest.
But—
The strike passed right through him.
Darius' eyes widened in confusion. The sword cut through nothing but air. Darko's form flickered, revealing a faint distortion around his body.
Darko's smirk widened as his hand shot out, grabbing Darius by the chest. A wave of dark energy coursed through Darko's fingers, slamming Darius into the cold concrete wall with bone-crushing force.
The impact sent a shockwave, the entire club trembling under the force.
Darius groaned, his breath knocked from him. He crashed through a brick wall, skidding to a halt on the debris-filled floor. The force of the attack left him dazed, but there was no time to recover.
Vampires surged forward, obeying Darko's command. "Keep him busy!"
But Darius was no ordinary exorcist. His body snapped back into motion, his sword flashing like a streak of light. The first vampire lunged with fangs bared—but Darius was faster. With a single swing, he cleaved the vampire in half, its blood splattering across the floor.
Another vampire struck from behind. Darius twisted in the air, his blade crashing through its skull in one clean, brutal strike. The head exploded into a shower of gore, and the vampire collapsed in a heap at his feet.
One after another, the vampires fell, their bodies disintegrating in the wake of Darius' holy blade.
Darko watched, his amusement turning to frustration. "Not bad for a human," he mocked. "But you're not invincible. This is just the beginning."
Darius' eyes locked onto him, burning with determination. "I'll show you the end."
The air around them grew heavy, charged with power.
Darius closed his eyes, summoning every last drop of his strength.
The world around him seemed to freeze as his aura exploded, warping the very fabric of the room. The air rippled, the temperature dropping as an ancient, forbidden power surged to life within him.
Darko's eyes widened in realization. "What are you—"
Without warning, Darius raised his hand, his palm glowing with a brilliant, almost blinding light. A cube of pure exorcist energy began to form above him, crackling with raw power.
The ground shook as the cube expanded, growing larger and brighter by the second.
Darko's expression twisted from amusement to sheer panic as the cube encased him. The energy around him warped, trapping him in an unbreakable prison.
Darko slammed his fists against the walls of the cube, his claws scraping uselessly against the surface. **His voice turned into a howl of fury. "No! You—!"
Darius' breath was ragged, his strength nearly spent. His voice, cold and unwavering, cut through Darko's rage. "No. You will not escape."
The cube's energy surged, sealing Darko inside. The vampire lord's struggles were futile—his dark power drained away in an instant.
Darius staggered back, his body trembling. The cost of the technique was immense. He knew it. For a year, he would not be able to use exorcist energy again. But it was worth it.
Darko was sealed.
The room fell silent. The air grew still.
Darius' body shook, his exhaustion catching up to him. He turned toward Rayna, Chi, and Damon, who were bruised but alive. His voice was rough, but firm. "Report everything. The mission is complete."
But inside, Darius knew—this was only the beginning.
The war had just begun.
To Be Continued…