But as she savored her victory, another power suddenly surged, disrupting the atmosphere. Linfer, still hidden, immediately felt the change. An unknown mana enveloped the air, and in an instant, the entire environment metamorphosed. Everywhere around them, walls erupted from the ground, forming a complex labyrinth. It was no longer the city in flames they had just seen; in a few seconds, it had been transformed into a stone maze.
An army then appeared, emerging from the shadows as if it had been summoned by this mysterious force. Soldiers in black armor, their faces hidden behind metallic helmets adorned with unknown symbols, poured into the labyrinth. Their weaponry was strange and intimidating: long lances adorned with runes, swords that seemed to vibrate with a violet energy. Their piercing violet eyes were the only visible parts beneath their helmets. Their footsteps resonated heavily, and a noxious aura filled the area.
'Belzebuth? No, even if it resembles his aura, he would have noticed me.'
And there, atop one of the walls, Lilith made her appearance, her eyes shining with insidious malice. Her long black hair was blown by the wind. She carried a dagger, while her light armor molded her body. Luna slowly turned her head in her direction, her piercing gaze seeking to understand this new threat.
But before she had time to react, Lilith disappeared, blending into the landscape like a mirage.
"Stop hiding, you filthy demon!" she shouted, her voice resonating through the labyrinth.
Lilith's voice rose from everywhere, mocking Luna.
"You're quite arrogant for a mortal..."
Luna didn't respond, her eyes igniting with a dangerous glow. Without hesitation, she leaped into the air, her body surrounded by an intense crimson flame. Her auburn hair seemed to merge with this burning aura.
She landed at the heart of the army, and the soldiers didn't even have time to raise their weapons. She struck the ground, and an incandescent shockwave engulfed everything around her.
She continued to advance, her silhouette surrounded by devouring flames. Each blow she delivered was an explosion of heat, each gesture reducing scores of enemies to nothingness.
'Minimum Origin 6! How did she reach this level?' Linfer, still hidden, studied every move.
Lilith, still concealed somewhere in the labyrinth, observed Luna with attention. She knew Luna's destructive power, but she had her own plan. Each wall that rose around the fiery warrior seemed to shrink the space, trapping Luna in a cage.
The army was mostly composed of undead and liches launching necrotic charges. It became denser with the use of necromancy. In Linfer's opinion, even if Belzebuth wasn't present, it was undoubtedly his formidable army of immortals. And on top of that, Lilith manipulated the landscape and perception with her realistic illusions.
Yet, nothing seemed to stop her. She leaped from wall to wall, pulverizing everything in her path, her mocking laughter filling the air. "You're still hiding, Lilith? So that's all the demons are capable of?"
She raised her hands to the sky, and an immense column of crimson flames rose around her, devouring everything in its path. The screams of the soldiers, engulfed by the fire, were swept away by the roar of the flames.
The skeletons, with their empty orbits and gaunt limbs, rushed towards her, weapons raised.
With a swift movement, she plunged into the melee. Her first blow sliced through the flaming air, pulverizing a skeleton's skull with the force of an incandescent explosion. She pivoted, her legs executing a deadly sweep that dispersed a score of undead, their bones flying in shards. The flames danced around her, devouring the dried-out bodies. The undead overwhelmed her, their rusted blades and bare claws tearing at her flesh. Her entire body was covered in blood, but her wounds immediately closed, healing themselves.
She delivered a punch to the chest of an undead, propelling it into the air before it disintegrated in an explosion that destroyed a hundred other undead in its path.
But as she fought relentlessly, tearing and burning the undead, something changed. Lilith appeared in her blind spot, a dagger in hand.
With an instinctive gesture, Luna turned abruptly, kicking her foot towards Lilith to strike her full force. But it was only an illusion. The true Lilith emerged before her, her movements as swift as lightning. Before Luna could dodge, Lilith brought down her dagger, slicing Luna's throat with deadly precision. Blood gushed like a geyser, splashing Lilith's silhouette, who wore a triumphant smile.
But Luna, even with her throat slashed, also had a smile charged with uncontrollable madness. Her raspy, almost broken voice was heard.
"Found you..." she murmured, her red eyes shining, the symbol of the red flame on her forehead intensifying.
Lilith furrowed her brows, perplexed. She knew Luna should have been dead; it was a dagger charged with Belzebuth's very flame, but yet, she still stood. Then, in a surge of instinct, Lilith activated her Tenshi Mode, her black wings spreading across her back.
She maximized her speed, moving at such a velocity that reality itself seemed slow in comparison.
And yet, she managed to escape. But Luna staggered, bringing her hand to her gaping throat, blood continuing to flow.
"Why... why isn't it healing...?" she murmured, her face contorted in pain. She searched for Lilith with her gaze, but the latter had disappeared.
That's when...
Fifty meters away, a silhouette fell from the sky. Lilith, with her light armor burning under the crimson flames, collapsed to the ground. Her black wings disintegrated, her body twisted in pain as the flames devoured her flesh. The Crimson Flame was not hotter and could heal. But it was also present in the user's blood. And Lilith, with Luna's blood on her body, was vulnerable, even if she fled, she could still burn her with a simple thought.
*Aaaaaghhh*
Lilith's screams were muffled by the roar of the flames, powerless against this devouring burn.
Luna, although in bad shape, advanced with a slow but determined step, each drop of blood leaving a fiery trail on her path.