An eerie grin stretched across Kaeliyus' face as he watched the nervous demon—standing in front of him though a couple distance away, to catch his every reaction.
"You see the feathers up there?" He asked the demon who seed too confused and nervous as to why he couldn't move, to pay attention to his surroundings.
Encircling him from above were glowing feathers, suspended mid-air. The sa ones Kaeliyus had used on Seiya during their fight in the cavern.
"It's a sealing barrier, and you cannot move from within the area it encircles," Kaeliyus explained.
"It ans many more things and is able to do a lot more but there is no need to explain all that to you, as you will be dying now," he added.
Wordlessly, Kaeliyus' clone materialized three glowing feathers, striking it against the demon's back before leaping out of the way. The feathers lted into the demon's skin like they were dissolving and in an instant, the demon's upper body, from his waist upward, detonated in a burst of searing embers, fragnts of flesh scattering like smoldering coals.
The demon's remains stood for a mont before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
"Last one down."
Kaeliyus slumped to the ground, sprawled out on his back as he breathed out in relief—chest heaving up and down. Even though all his wounds and bruises had healed, the fatigue accumulated still lingered, taking a toll on him.
Kaeliyus chose to rest instead of eting Seiya, unwilling to appear discourteous. The fact that Seiya had not summoned him signaled that his presence was not yet required. He had no desire to intrude, only to find Seiya still locked in combat while he himself had already vanquished his foes—a display that might seem boastful, as if he wished to flaunt his swifter victory.
Such arrogance was beneath him. To Kaeliyus, a re servant had no right to offer his assistance unbidden. He would wait, as was proper, for his young Lord's call.
Kaeliyus' clone walked over, his steps slow but steady. He halted beside Kaeliyus, gazing down on him silently.
Without sparing him a glance, Kaeliyus gave a dismissive wave, and the demon erupted into flas, vanishing without a trace.
Kaeliyus let out a long sigh, feeling the cool wind wash over him. "He'll be proud," he muttered.
*****
The demon's grip tightened around Seiya's neck every second, as if he wanted to take off Seiya head with his re hands.
He straightened up from his hunched posture, stepping down from Seiya's feet and moving back. By his neck, he raised Seiya up.
"The first thing I want," he began, his voice smooth yet edged with malice, "is that heart of yours—the one you snatched from using Denga's ability and sealed away with Kinu's ability."
He paused, his gaze narrowing. "The seal will break if the caster dies, but without destroying that heart, you cannot die. And if you don't die, how am I supposed to claim the heart? It might keep returning to you."
He tilted his head, feigning contemplation. "Should I just imprison you within my dinsions and claim the heart? Tempting, but I also desire the staff. And I doubt it will accept a new master while its first still lives."
A soft smile curled across his lips. "But killing you is out of the question. There's no way to do so without giving up on your heart, and that is sothing I will not do."
"That is why," his eyes glead with unsettling amusent as he concluded, "You'll tell how to claim that staff without having to kill you."
He slamd Seiya to the ground, burying his head into it. "But with soone like you, I can already tell you wouldn't let up without being broken first."
Without pause, he unleashed his fury. Punch after punch struck Seiya, the force reverberating through him as blood spilled from his lips. The demon's laughter rang through the air, each blow delivered with savage delight.
He slamd Seiya down, the impact cracking the ground. Again and again, he drove him into the shattered ground and veranda, whipping him through the air like a lifeless rag.
With a brutal swing, he flung Seiya aside, only to close the distance in an instant. Seiya's body skidded across the dirt, but the demon was relentless. He seized the mont, his kicks landing with rciless precision, driving Seiya further into the broken ground.
Blood soaked through Seiya's torn form, bruises blooming and gashes deepening. Every bone throbbed, fractures creeping through his limbs and bones. The agony gnawed at him, unrelenting.
Both of his hands hung uselessly by his side, twisted and broken. He had no way to adjust his dislocated limbs back in place—no ans to fight back or counter the demon's relentless attacks.
Every ti he lashed out with his legs in an attempt to counter, the demon was always faster. Every kick was intercepted, every attempt to resist t with brutal retaliation.
Then ca the final blow. With monstrous strength, the demon hurled Seiya skyward, his body arching helplessly through the air. Before Seiya could fall, the demon followed, surging upward like a vengeful storm, and his heel ca crashing down on Seiya in a devastating downward kick.
Seiya plumted. The ground gave way beneath the force of his impact, the earth cratering around him. Dust and debris billowed through the air as he lay embedded within the ruined ground, swallowed by the wreckage of his own defeat.
The demon landed gracefully beside Seiya, his long hair bouncing as he landed, and fluttering softly as he stepped closer to Seiya. He squatted beside Seiya, propped up his elbow on one knee, tilted his head to the side and rested his cheek against his hand for support as he gazed down on Seiya.
His gaze held an air of undeniable authority, as though he were regarding nothing more than an insignificant insect. The atmosphere around him was cold yet unnervingly serene—a reflection of his indifference. Unbothered, he watched Seiya, whose breaths ca in ragged, shallow gasps.
Seiya's face was barely recognizable beneath the brutal marks of his beating, swollen and bloodied beyond recognition. The demon's expression remained unreadable as he extended his hand, fingers reaching toward Seiya's blindfold.
"Why the wrap? Is it re fashion or are you actually blind?" He asked as he yanked off the blindfold, revealing Seiya's eyes. Seiya couldn't protest because he was far too weak to even move.
The area the blindfold had covered ca out pale, the normal color of Seiya's skin. Having been covered, it was left untouched by the bloody ss Seiya had been covered in.
Seiya's eyes, however, were shut tight. With his hand, the demon forced open Seiya's eye, tearing the delicate flesh around his eye. This of course sent a jolt of pain through Seiya but he neither budged nor protested.
Seiya's eyes had been pushed beyond their limits, strained to the point of ruin. So, instead of his usual white eyes, the demon found an eye clouded with thick, crimson blood.
Disgusted, he released his hold, allowing the blood to trickle down the corner of Seiya's face as he shut his eye once more.
"You must have damaged them during battle, since the wound still feels fresh," he remarked, voice laced with amusent.
"Then, should I just rip them out since they're useless?" He asked.
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