There was no ground beneath his feet.

  There was no weight in his body.

  In fact… he was no longer even certain that he still had a body.

  Everything was silent. A deep, absolute silence, as if the entire world had chosen to pause for a moment.

  There was no wind. No pain. No screams. No battle.

  Nothing… there was nothing.

  Alexander tried to move, but he could not feel his arms. He tried to take a deep breath, yet he wasn’t even sure his lungs were moving.

  It was strange.

  Because he did not feel fear either.

  It was as if everything that had happened — the battle against the Lord Daimonas, the brutal blows he had endured, the pain that had torn through his body — had never happened at all.

  His mind became still.

  For an instant that might have been a second… or an eternity.

  And then he understood.

  His body was somewhere.

  Broken. Wounded. Perhaps dying.

  But his consciousness… was suspended in a place where time itself seemed unable to advance.

  And it felt good.

  For a moment, he allowed that stillness to embrace him.

  As if the world had stopped turning.

  Alexander opened his eyes.

  And everything was light.

  Not a light that hurt the eyes, but a gentle radiance — infinite, surrounding him from every direction. There was no sky, no ground, no horizon marking any boundary.

  Only light… endless light.

  Alexander blinked slowly, drowsy, trying to adjust to that brilliance that enveloped him completely. But even after opening and closing his eyes several times, nothing changed.

  It remained there, shining.

  And he remained there, suspended.

  Floating in the middle of that immense luminous expanse.

  Did I… die? he wondered. His voice echoed through the infinite light.

  Yes… that’s right… he repeated, and the words echoed again. I was far too injured… that fight took everything I had…

  So in the end, I wasn’t able to endure any longer… in the end it was useless that Valentina froze me… it saddens me to know that when I thaw… I will no longer be part of her world.

  Alexander, still drowsy, looked around, finding nothing but that absolute calm.

  In that world of eternal light there were no voices, no wind, no sound.

  There was nothing, only that light stretching endlessly into infinity.

  And despite how beautiful everything was, despite how comforting the silence felt and how that light filled him with peace… Alexander was sad. So sad that tears flowed from his eyes and fell into the infinite.

  Valentina, Christopher, Selestia… I don’t want to die now that my family has grown… it can’t be that I leave now that the most beautiful little girl in Gignit is under my wings… it can’t be that I leave now that my beloved son has begun taking his first steps toward his dreams and goals… it can’t be that I will never see my family again.

  Those sorrowful, salty tears vanished as they fell into the luminous void.

  Christopher… Selestia… Valentina… I want to be with you. I want to watch our children grow. I want to see them succeed, I want to see them become who they are meant to be, and I want to spend my entire life with my wife. I want to hold her again, kiss her again, make love to her… I want to be with you forever…

  Daddy… don’t go…

  At that moment Alexander’s eyes opened completely, ignoring the eternal glow surrounding him. He heard it—he heard one of the most important people in his life… in his world… in his entire existence speaking to him.

  And he was asking him not to leave.

  Christopher… my son! Where are you? I can’t see you.

  And once again that precious voice echoed through the infinite.

  Daddy, please come back… I don’t want you to go… please come back… we love you.

  Alexander’s face, invisible within the endless light, twisted into an expression of grief and near desperation. He tried to move, to turn, to do anything at all.

  But he couldn’t. His body only floated.

  Christopher, I want to be with you… I want to live with you… I want to watch you and Selestia grow and help you become good adults… I want to see you… I want to see you, son… please tell me where you are! Where are you, Christopher!?

  Don’t cry, Daddy… I’ll help you… I’ll bring you back… you’ll stay with us.

  And Alexander saw a light.

  But this light was different.

  It was brighter, purer, more mystical… more divine than the eternal light surrounding him.

  And that light—brighter than all the lights of Kosmos—approached him, taking the shape of a child… the most important child in his life.

  Take my hand, Daddy… I’ll take you home… you’re not going to die.

  Alexander saw that light. He saw his son, and he saw him reaching out his hand.

  And at last he could move.

  He didn’t just take his hand.

  He embraced him.

  His son. One of the most important people in his life.

  Crying, he couldn’t stop holding him. He couldn’t let him go, afraid that he might disappear.

  I want you to stay with us forever.

  Yes… Alexander said. Let’s go home, son…

  And when he opened his eyes, his gaze moved several meters beyond the light that was his son.

  And there he saw many—so many—lights just like his son.

  There were hundreds, thousands, and although none of them had a form, he could feel that they were like his son. They were the same as him, and they were watching him.

  And despite never having seen them in life, he felt that he knew the hundreds of thousands of lights that had come with his son.

  Now… let’s go home… Dad.

  And Alexander felt his entire existence begin to move forward, leaving that world of eternal light behind. Everything around him turned dark, like a tunnel.

  And at the end, a small point of light was growing larger.

  Like a light at the end of the tunnel.

  ? ? ?

  In Rachell’s arms, Christopher’s small body rocked back and forth, again and again. She moved him carefully, but every motion was accompanied by infinite desperation.

  Rachell was desperate, and the reason was more than obvious: Christopher, unconscious, seemed to writhe in pain.

  "Christopher, please wake up!" she pleaded, sitting behind a cluster of trees, hiding so that no one would see her… nor see what was happening with Christopher.

  The little Lord of Gignit glowed faintly, and his eyes—open yet asleep—shone with striking intensity.

  And once again he twisted in pain.

  "Please, my little brother… what’s happening to you? Wake up and tell me…"

  And as if someone had flipped a switch, Christopher stopped suffering. He became still; his shining eyes remained open, but asleep. Only his mouth moved.

  "I want you to stay with us… forever."

  "What?" Rachell asked, tears of anguish running down her face. "Yes! Of course I will, but please… wake up."

  And those words had not been directed at her.

  "Now… let’s go home… Dad."

  And all that glow that covered him like a divine protective mantle vanished. The surroundings fell back into darkness, leaving Rachell in a state of true confusion. But thanks to that, Christopher no longer writhed or suffered from pain.

  "This is something I need to talk about with Mom and Alexander… something is happening with Christopher, it seems that… that moment…"

  "No." She shook her head. "Now is not the time to drift off. I’ve fallen behind and I need to catch up with them at the portal area."

  Tired and deeply worried, Rachell moved forward again, carrying her little brother in her arms.

  ? ? ?

  Cold vapor rose from that sarcophagus of ice, whose structure now stood in what had recently been a tremendous battlefield.

  That block of ice was so cold that it froze a small portion of the ground around it.

  And inside that block—which almost resembled a coffin—there, resting and waiting for the moment to be free, lay Alexander’s body.

  Still alive… but had he truly endured the freezing?

  The answer would not be known until the moment came to thaw him.

  But that moment would come sooner than it seemed, and it would not be necessary to defeat the enemy for Alexander to rise again.

  Several magical beasts—Wood Monkeys, creatures whose existence was composed of branches and trunks. Their fur was made of living green leaves that moved with the wind, and their long tail was a dark-toned vine.

  One could say they were small trees shaped like monkeys. They clung to the branches of the trees lining both sides of the path.

  And those magical beasts stared at that sarcophagus, unable to look away, drawn toward the cold ice that was now beginning to be surrounded by a very strange mist.

  And it was not the usual cold vapor that anything made of ice would release; this was different. It felt different. And the way the Wood Monkeys behaved made it obvious: those magical beasts were restless, wanting to approach but pulling away after each attempt.

  That was not merely cold vapor; it was a kind of whitish aura… magical energy, so different that even in the midst of a tragedy like the very existence of the Lord Daimonas, the magical beasts were fascinated by it, even from a distance.

  Crack, crack, crick.

  The ice sarcophagus began to crack and break apart, small fragments falling to the ground. And as the cracks spread, the broken pieces grew larger and larger.

  At last, the fractures formed a vast web of ice that covered the entire block… and what had to happen finally happened.

  Craaaaassshhhhhh.

  It shattered almost like an explosion.

  And Alexander, unconscious, was released… and with his freedom, all his wounds were exposed, and with them the Daimonic miasma sought to consume him.

  And that miasma—so mephitic, so nauseating, so opposed to everything natural within the cycle of Kosmos, even opposed to that which, though harmful to Kosmos, is still accepted for being part of the world’s cycle…

  That miasma, which only consumes, destroys, and kills everything and everyone… was incapable of advancing any further. It became evident in the way the darkness of the miasma now behaved, as if it were fading, extinguishing itself and disappearing completely.

  Ceasing to inflict such harm upon Alexander’s body, which began to rise above the level of the ground.

  Five centimeters, then ten… thirty, one meter.

  His body hovered one meter above the ground, and despite being so wounded, covered in so many injuries, great and small… he looked more alive than ever, even more than at any moment in his life.

  And a light—brighter than that aura, brighter than magic itself—burst forth from Alexander’s chest. So intense that it pierced through his flesh and through every layer of skin, both internal and external.

  And that marvelous light illuminated his own body.

  Filling him with life, with strength, with new energy.

  And bringing him back into the world of consciousness.

  Alexander opened his eyes. He blinked only once… and a cloud of dust burst upward a meter below him, right on the ground. It was caused by the incredible speed with which Alexander launched himself once more toward the battlefield.

  ? ? ?

  And that was how it happened.

  PUUUUUNCH.

  The remaining eyes of the Lord Daimonas exploded at the same time. His horrifying face twisted into a grotesque distortion, becoming the most dreadful sight a human mind could endure.

  His mouth dislocated and split open in an unnatural way; all his deformed teeth and fangs fell to the ground, and his body was hurled into the darkness at blinding speed, rebounding violently against the ground several times.

  Leaving a trail of destruction behind him.

  Standing there, Valentina and Hermán, who were at the front of everyone, understood what had happened.

  It was not the light that had blasted him away.

  It was something else.

  And the one responsible was standing there, turning slowly as he looked at them.

  It was the leader of Gignit.

  "So you really were able to heal him!" Hermán sounded relieved, even somewhat euphoric. "If that’s the case… then he’ll be able to help us and we can—"

  But Valentina’s expression changed, and she looked truly incredulous.

  "No, I didn’t heal him… I froze him so the Daimonic miasma wouldn’t kill him…"

  "Then… why is he here? What happened?"

  "I don’t know… I swear I don’t know."

  The elf finished, looking at the body of that man—her husband;

  Alexander Hope.

  He was surrounded by such a powerful and mystical aura of white hues, radiating an infinite purity unlike anything else.

  And it was true that all his wounds were still there, visible, but… at the same time they seemed not to affect him in the slightest.

  And what should have harmed him the most, the miasma, had disappeared.

  "Alexander?" Valentina called. "You were supposed to be frozen… what happened? How were you able to come out? A-a-and… the miasma! The miasma is gone! It’s not consuming you anymore!"

  "Tell me! What did you do?"

  "Valentina…" Alexander called, and his wife felt relief in her heart upon hearing him again. But Alexander’s face was truly serious.

  "It’s time to end all of this once and for all…" he looked at the Daimonas who, step by step and without turning their backs, continued retreating. "Let’s free Gignit and Kosmos from this disease called Daimonas."

  "Grrrrrr."

  The rasping growls of the Daimonas summoned by the Lord Daimonas intensified. Somehow, they sensed the danger.

  The Lord of Gignit caused their dark instincts to awaken, and at the same time those same instincts—which always drove them to kill and devour everything—were now, in some way, urging them to move away.

  That man standing there represented a true danger to them… a primordial danger. And that aura made their vile and unnatural bodies tremble.

  The gaze of that single eye fixed upon their foul existences already hurt them.

  "Hermán, everyone! Listen to me!" Alexander called, looking beyond the Daimonas. "Take care of them!"

  With a movement of his hands, a powerful shockwave blasted the Daimonas backward, sending them spinning through the air before they began to fall.

  "Yes, sir!"

  No one stopped to think about anything; they simply followed the logic: act. And quickly they were already preparing to fight.

  Hermán, the sword of light in his hands, attacked the Daimonas assigned to him the moment it struck the ground.

  DOS, furious and consumed by an intense thirst for vengeance, intercepted his Daimonas in midair, impaling it with the sword of light and slamming it violently against the ground. He immediately began dismembering it without mercy, cutting it, stabbing it, trying to tear through its horrible skin as if that sword were a saw.

  The others followed the example and acted, giving the Daimonas not even a miserable second to recover.

  Valentina, who watched her comrades fighting the Daimonas, turned her gaze back to Alexander, incredulous, because she had felt the power within her husband with that single movement of his arms.

  "Alexander… what happened to you? What does all this mean? You were wounded, that’s why I froze you…"

  "Valentina, please, follow me!" Alexander called. "I need you to finish this once and for all. I cannot defeat him alone. I truly need you."

  He turned around and began to run, heading to fight the Lord Daimonas. And Valentina, after blinking a couple of times, levitated and, without hesitation, followed her husband.

  To free Kosmos from another of its enemies.

  ? ? ?

  The body of the Lord Daimonas slammed violently against the hard ground, shoving earth to both sides, carving a path and hurling dirt in every direction.

  His body bore horrific wounds, all of them inflicted by the beautiful Lady of Gignit, and it had been light magic that wounded him; regeneration was not working.

  Valentina’s blows had been of such magnitude that she had torn away almost all of his arms, leaving him with only one, broken and useless.

  His legs bore open wounds, and regeneration had still not begun to act.

  His face—destroyed and ruined, with all his eyes burst and his mouth dislocated and broken—once again headed toward the ground. But this time a rock lay in his path, the two crashing together, shattering his broken jaw even further.

  Pieces of his unnatural and putrid skin were left behind as he began to slow.

  His blood darkened and ruined every path it touched, leaving them useless.

  And once he stopped moving, lying there for a moment like filthy trash—and he was—the Lord Daimonas, at full speed as his dark instincts compelled him and despite being utterly shattered, managed to rise to his feet, taking several steps backward in a clear sign that he was finally wounded.

  And when he raised his face, that face that insulted every face of Kosmos, the most lethal of his wounds could be seen.

  The blow Alexander had given him had not been normal. It had been powerful, but this went beyond mere power.

  It was different.

  And the Lord Daimonas now felt that difference, as a whitish and pure vapor seeped from his face, causing an absurdly unbearable pain for his anatomy.

  And that mist resembled the dark and malevolent miasma. And this “miasma” was not benevolent—it was harmful and completely incompatible with the existence of the Lord Daimonas.

  "RRROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR."

  He roared, trying to intimidate something that could no longer be intimidated.

  His mind, capable of learning, was once again driven into involution.

  And his face, which had been darkly perfecting itself, now showed clear signs of imperfections caused by that white purifying energy that little by little was consuming him.

  "Valentina, don’t let him wound you, or he could infect you with Daimonic miasma."

  "Yes, I know. Let’s just deal with this damned monster once and for all."

  The Lord Daimonas, blind but not deaf, heard those voices that had brought him so many problems. Furious and wasting no time, he prepared to attack in the direction from which those voices came.

  "Valentina, watch out!" Alexander warned. "He will use his Daimonic magic."

  Valentina spun in midair and then landed beside her husband. Without stopping, she managed to reach him while he ran.

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  "So this is what Daimonic magic looks like."

  Once again they evaded another of those attacks, then another, and another and another.

  The Lord Daimonas no longer stopped and, completely out of control, began attacking in every direction, trying to strike those two.

  "Valentina!" Alexander called again. "Stop his movements! Then I’ll deal with him."

  She only nodded, evading yet another of those attacks. She surrounded herself with the intense and radiant magical aura that revealed light magic, launching a magical attack.

  "Light Magic: Lights Descending From the Sky."

  From above descended an endless torrent of magical energy that completely engulfed the Lord Daimonas, halting his relentless assault and leaving him completely exposed for Alexander.

  And once it ceased, it was time to act.

  "Alexander, now!" Valentina exclaimed, but before she even finished saying it, Alexander was already in front of the Lord Daimonas, landing a tremendous right hook whose impact against the monster’s destroyed face echoed loudly.

  Alexander followed with right hooks, left hooks, uppercuts, and kicks, beating that incredibly difficult enemy with relentless blows… beginning to overcome him.

  The Lord Daimonas retreated; light magic had damaged him too severely, making it impossible for him to counterattack. And when he finally managed to steady himself, completely wounded, he tried.

  Alexander dodged and, taking several steps backward, called to his wife.

  "Valentina, do it again! Stop him with your light magic!"

  And Valentina did not hesitate for even the smallest fraction of a second.

  "Light Magic: Lights Descending From the Sky."

  The beating repeated itself, massacring the Lord Daimonas between physical blows and that torrent of light.

  But light magic was not the only thing harming him; every strike from Alexander saturated him with that energy utterly incompatible with his dark existence.

  That strange energy coming from Alexander… it harms him even more than my light magic, Valentina thought, unleashing her magical attack once more and, as it pinned him in place, watching her husband deliver blow after blow to the enemy—blows that clearly caused tremendous damage.

  The Lord Daimonas roared as he was forced backward. It was impossible for him to regain control or even attempt anything, because Alexander was pummeling him relentlessly, and whenever he finally managed to react, another attack from Valentina descended from the sky.

  He had not a single opening to attack. Everything was covered.

  The pair truly had excellent teamwork.

  And after Alexander delivered a right hook with tremendous force behind it, that last arm was torn away. It flew off to the side, lost forever, leaving the Lord Daimonas more defenseless than he had ever been.

  The predator of the world had become the most defenseless prey of all.

  "ALEXANDER, NOW, KILL HIM!" Valentina shouted with all her strength, launching another assault as well, doing everything she could to ensure nothing would fail.

  "Light Magic: Lights Descending From the Sky."

  And Alexander knew it: this was the best and perhaps the only chance they had to finally end everything once and for all.

  Alexander spread his legs, pulling his right fist back as magical energy gathered within it.

  "Magic Fusion…"

  But the halo crowning the Lord Daimonas expanded again, absorbing the magical attack of light, and he managed to reactivate his regeneration.

  His head split in two, and from within a new one emerged, its eighty eyes filled with fury and blood staring at them both, while four new arms—already gripping vertebrae swords—lashed out to split them in half.

  That did not happen.

  The Lord Daimonas began to feel something utterly alien to his dark and vile existence. A sensation… emotions so present in everyone within Kosmos.

  Rage and frustration.

  Watching those two evade every one of his attacks filled him with unfathomable anger, unspeakable rage, and a frustration that gnawed through his disgusting soul.

  "Ρυπαρα τεκνα του φωτο?, πω? τολματε να παρεμβαινετε ει? τα σχεδια του Κακου; Δεχθητε το πεπρωμενον σα? και αφανισθητε εν τη κακια του! Πεθανετε αμεσω?!"

  And when he swung those four vertebrae swords toward the pair, he thought he had killed them… but it did not happen.

  His eighty red eyes filled with black veins when once again those two evaded him. And in less than a second, ten eyes were cut.

  A sword of light cut them again.

  "Κατηραμενοι!"

  "Light Magic: Light Sword."

  Without wasting time, Valentina created three more swords of light, handing two of them to Alexander.

  "LET’S DO IT!" Alexander exclaimed, a sword of light in each hand, and together they attacked the Lord Daimonas.

  Twenty, thirty, forty… half of the Lord Daimonas’s eyes were lost. Half of his windows to the world were closed.

  Each cut was one window less; each lost window was one step closer to darkness.

  The pair did not stop for even a moment. They continued attacking him, cutting him, inflicting as much pain as possible, forcing him farther and farther back, drawing closer to the borders of Gignit’s territory.

  Beyond that point stretched only the abyss of darkness.

  "ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR."

  The Lord Daimonas roared again, furious and enraged, trying to land a blow on one of them—but he couldn’t. He couldn’t kill them!

  No matter what he did, he could not land a single strike on them, while he received every one of theirs, and every one of them was devastating.

  Four swords of light cut into him relentlessly, tearing him apart without mercy.

  Once again the Lord Daimonas attacked. He tried to kill them once and for all, to split them in half and then devour them gladly… but once again, that did not happen.

  Those two—the human and the elf—evaded him again.

  The vertebrae sword passed close to their heads; both ducked at the same time and counterattacked in the same instant.

  And this time, the Lord Daimonas’s eyes no longer reflected that unfathomable fury.

  They no longer reflected rage.

  They no longer reflected anger.

  They no longer reflected frustration.

  They reflected no emotion related to anger at all.

  This time, that horrible face—truly horrifying, something that could only exist in the deepest pits of hell—reflected another emotion.

  One that belongs to every living being in Kosmos, to every race, to every species.

  And it was an emotion utterly foreign to the Lord Daimonas, one he did not know and perhaps never would have known if he had not dared to invade Gignit.

  That emotion was one of the most primordial of all emotions. The emotion that was born when the first living being was born.

  Fear.

  Fear because he could no longer strike them.

  Fear because he could not kill them.

  Fear because those two kept advancing.

  Fear because he was truly wounded and hurt.

  Fear that those two would kill him.

  And it was that fear that drove him to attack in desperation, without even knowing or understanding what desperation was.

  "Alexander, something is happening," Valentina said, leaning her body backward to avoid having her stomach opened. "His attacks are very predictable. It’s like he’s an apprentice swordsman."

  "I see it," Alexander replied, dodging alongside his wife. "He’s not fighting the same way he fought at the beginning. It’s as if he has forgotten everything he learned."

  "That means we can finally kill him!"

  And upon hearing that, the remaining eyes of the Lord Daimonas opened wide at once, just as a person would when hearing something utterly terrifying. Tightening his grip on his vertebrae swords, the monster increased the speed of every slash he launched.

  This time Alexander and Valentina could no longer simply dodge; they had to defend themselves and clash their swords of light against the vertebrae swords, producing a harsh and unpleasant sound—but none of the three retreated.

  "He’s still difficult to kill," Alexander said, pushing forward while Valentina did the same, forcing the Lord Daimonas back. "It’s true that something is happening to him and that he’s now fighting like a novice, but he’s still a Lord Daimonas. It won’t be easy to kill him."

  The aura surrounding him continued to emanate from his body, giving his presence an almost mystical quality. And the calm way in which he spoke only heightened that sensation.

  The three once again fell into close combat, blades clashing, even punches and kicks exchanged—but none of those blows landed on the elf or the human. It was the Lord Daimonas who received them all.

  With a spin and a slashing strike, Valentina cut through more of those eyes that no longer studied her, but instead glared at her with murderous hatred.

  Alexander drove one of his swords of light into him, piercing through his torso and emerging out the other side.

  "Alexander, his eyes—destroy them!" Valentina exclaimed, and it was not even necessary for her to explain why.

  Alexander simply did it, and while Valentina created some distance, Alexander leapt forward and positioned himself directly in front of the Lord Daimonas’s face, swinging his sword countless times, cutting and destroying all the remaining eyes of the Lord Daimonas.

  Once again he was left blind, unable to know what was happening around him.

  "Now!" Alexander shouted.

  Without wasting a second, Valentina surrounded herself with the characteristic aura that signaled the use of reinforcement magic, casting it upon herself.

  "Reinforcement Magic: Total Strengthening, One Hundred Percent."

  Reinforcing her body to one hundred percent.

  "Move aside," ordered the Lady of Gignit, and Alexander simply leapt to the side.

  Valentina lunged toward the Lord Daimonas, lifting her left knee to waist height while twisting her torso in the opposite direction. Then, with all the new strength granted by reinforcement magic, she unleashed an incredibly powerful kick, striking the Lord Daimonas squarely in the torso.

  The kick was undeniably powerful, as it forced the Lord Daimonas to stagger several steps backward.

  "Alexander!" this time she was the one calling him, and he was already charging toward the Lord Daimonas, preparing a powerful punch. Once he threw it, it would crash into the Lord Daimonas’s entire torso.

  But something happened.

  The Lord Daimonas seemed able to see even while blind, and he even seemed to sense Alexander approaching him. Or at least that was how it looked, because the moment Alexander leapt toward his enemy, the Lord Daimonas propelled himself violently backward, so much so that when he landed he rolled across the ground before rising to his feet again.

  Something made him want to avoid receiving a blow from Alexander, and the Lord of Gignit looked at him with confusion.

  "Did you see that?" Valentina asked. "Every time I land a hit on him, he either takes it or strikes back, but you… every time you try, the Lord Daimonas flees in terror, as if he’s afraid of you."

  The necessary connections clicked in both their minds.

  "Alexander, the Lord Daimonas is afraid of you. It must be because of that strange aura surrounding you." Valentina focused her gaze on the magical aura dancing around Alexander. "Your aura… it gives me a strange but very pleasant feeling… it feels benevolent. That’s why the Lord Daimonas fears you!"

  "Do you think this magical energy surrounding me harms him?" Alexander looked at his right hand, observing how it emitted that calm magical energy. "We must confirm it, because if that’s the case we might be able to defeat him once and for all."

  "And do you know what that aura is? How did you obtain it?"

  "I don’t know," he replied. "I simply woke up outside the block of ice and this magical energy was already surrounding me… then I was already in front of the Lord Daimonas."

  "I understand, we’ll see about that later… for now." Valentina threw her sword of light aside, and it vanished before striking the ground. "Let’s confirm whether he truly flees from you. I’ll create an opening, and when you see it, attack him with everything you have. Whether you hit him or not doesn’t matter—the important thing is what he does."

  "Perfect." Alexander nodded. "I’ll wait for that opening, but please be careful. Remember that monster is a Lord Daimonas; if he touches you, he could infect you with his miasma."

  "Don’t worry, I have no intention of being infected with that disgusting Daimonic miasma."

  "Reinforcement Magic: Total Strengthening, One Hundred One Percent."

  Taking advantage of the fact that the Lord Daimonas had not yet regenerated his eyes, Valentina cast the useful reinforcement magic upon herself again. But this time she pushed it to the absolute limit her body could endure.

  "I don’t want to lose you," Alexander pleaded.

  "You won’t," Valentina replied, and shot forward at full speed, charging straight toward the Lord Daimonas.

  The Lord Daimonas roared and, to Valentina’s surprise, the monster’s head exploded. From the hole where his neck should have been emerged four tubes—more like intestines—covered in mouths, each with a massive eye at its summit.

  Those eyes focused on Valentina who, once she overcame the horror of seeing that new form, continued her charge.

  The Lord Daimonas extended his four arms toward her, trying to stop her advance with his new vertebrae swords, which were even sharper than before. He attacked Valentina immediately.

  Valentina jumped, passing over the Lord Daimonas.

  It seems my assumption was correct. He has no problem fighting me, but with Alexander it’s different. He’s afraid of him.

  She landed and aimed her hands at her enemy.

  "Light Magic: Light Arrows."

  A barrage of magical arrows of light struck the Lord Daimonas mercilessly while he still had his back turned. Feeling the pain, he roared toward the sky.

  "Συ δεν εισαι τιποτε εμπροσθεν μου."

  Hearing what he says no longer terrifies me… that must also be because of Alexander’s aura.

  The Lord Daimonas advanced and Valentina retreated, but she continued attacking him with her light magic, injuring him—but not enough.

  The Lord Daimonas tried to reach her, but the beautiful elf of Gignit proved far too agile for his now sluggish body. It was already difficult for him to move with all those wounds that refused to heal.

  "Light Magic: Light Grenade."

  The magical attack struck the Lord Daimonas, forcing him backward, and that was when Valentina saw the opportunity to attack again.

  "Light Magic: Light Great Hammer."

  Valentina struck the Lord Daimonas, who was stunned, staggering several steps backward.

  THUM.

  She slammed him into the ground, the blow so powerful that it drove him slightly into the earth and cracks spread around the point of impact.

  "ALEXANDER, NOW!"

  Valentina shouted almost in desperation, knowing it was only a matter of seconds before their hated enemy would complicate everything again.

  Alexander ran toward the Lord Daimonas lying on the ground, leapt, and dropped to his knees as his fist crashed into that dark abdomen.

  THUUUUUUUUM.

  The body of the Lord Daimonas sank several more centimeters into the ground.

  "ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRR."

  More than a roar, it was a plea. The Lord Daimonas writhed in pain, feeling that punch continue pushing deeper while that whitish aura consumed his malice.

  "ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR."

  His agonized roars scattered to the four winds, and he was unable to remove that fist. Simply touching it already hurt him.

  "ALEXANDER, IT’S TRUE!" Valentina shouted. "YOU CAN HARM HIM! YOU MUST KILL HIM NOW!"

  And just as had happened before, the Lord Daimonas’s weapons ignited again upon hearing that his death was near. Those black intestines holding his eyes stretched at least ten meters and, once they anchored into the ground, they pulled the body with them, protecting it.

  "ALEXANDER, DON’T LET HIM RECOVER! WE WON’T HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE!"

  Alexander chased the Lord Daimonas, doing everything possible to strike him—and he did. But those blows were not powerful enough to destroy him completely. The Lord Daimonas suffered, writhed, and feared Alexander’s power, but little by little he was able to evade one or two of those blows.

  Alexander’s eyes suddenly widened.

  "IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN!" he shouted furiously. Now he was the one filled with that primordial feeling: fear. "VALENTINA! THE LORD DAIMONAS IS EVOLVING AGAIN! THAT’S HOW HE MANAGED TO DEFEAT ME!"

  "WHAT?!" Valentina shouted back, staring at the Lord Daimonas as he retreated again… and his head exploded once more.

  His entire torso exploded, and from the remaining flesh an indescribable amalgam began to form, taking on a humanoid shape.

  Its arms were much larger now, even muscular. Its back was wide, covered with small spike-like protrusions. Its abdomen was smooth and hard in appearance, and its head was smaller compared to what it had been before.

  And this time it had only one eye that occupied its entire face.

  And it was still evolving.

  PUUUM.

  Alexander would not stand still. The moment he saw what the Lord Daimonas had become, he leapt toward it and delivered a tremendous right hook with all his strength. The massive eye distorted and burned under the impact, but this time it did not burst.

  "VALENTINA! YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! THIS AURA HURTS HIM A LOT! BUT NOW HE’S TRYING TO ADAPT AGAIN! IF HE SUCCEEDS, NOTHING WILL BE ABLE TO HARM HIM AND WE’LL BE FINISHED! AND THERE TRULY WON’T BE ANYTHING WE CAN DO!"

  "THEN WHAT CAN WE DO?!" Valentina shouted, in a state of true desperation.

  "WE ONLY HAVE ONE OPTION LEFT!" he struck him again, driving him deeper into the ground. "FREEZE HIM! YOU MUST FREEZE HIM! THAT WAY I CAN USE EVERYTHING I HAVE LEFT IN ONE FINAL ATTACK AND I SWEAR I’LL ERASE HIM FROM KOSMOS!"

  He shouted what, according to his own words, was the last resource available. Once again he continued to rain blows upon the monster, sending it closer and closer to that abyss of infinite darkness that marked the end of Gignit’s territories.

  "Ρυπαρε ανθρωπε."

  The Lord Daimonas spoke.

  "Πω? τολμα?, τεκνον του φωτο?; Υμει? ουδεν εστε εμπροσθεν τη? τελειοτητο? τη? ατελου? ευλογια? μου. Ο Κακο? με εξελεξεν να πραξω το θελημα του, και οι θανατοι σα? ειναι το θελημα του. Ουδεν εισαι, συ… συ εισαι μονον ρυπαρο? ανθρωπο?, και ω? ρυπαρο? ανθρωπο? θα πεθανει? εν ται? χερσιν μου."

  "Shut your filthy mouth. You are a loathsome being."

  Alexander looked at Valentina again.

  "VALENTINA, DO IT QUICKLY! HE’S PROBABLY EVOLVING!"

  "He’ll break free instantly! Ice elemental magic won’t be enough to stop him!"

  "THEN USE LIGHT MAGIC!" Alexander delivered one last punch to the Lord Daimonas to silence him, driving him even deeper into the ground. "FREEZE HIM WITH LIGHT!"

  "Freeze him with light…" her mind made the necessary connections, a certain spell coming to her thoughts. "I’ll do it! And you prepare yourself to exterminate him once and for all."

  "ROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR."

  The Lord Daimonas roared from the ground, trying to strike Alexander even while trapped in that disadvantageous position. The Lord of Gignit was forced to leap backward to avoid being infected by the miasma again.

  "I AM YOUR OPPONENT!" Valentina descended from the sky with both boots aimed at the Lord Daimonas, crashing down onto that face that now held only the enormous eye, already deformed.

  She didn’t remain there for even half a second. She leapt away again, distancing herself from the deadly enemy, raised her hands toward the sky, and cast a magical light attack.

  "Light Magic: Lights Descending From the Sky."

  The light was about to strike the Daimonas when, once again, the halo expanded, completely consuming the attack of light.

  But the sly smile on Valentina’s face revealed that she had already expected that.

  "Do you think you are the only being capable of evolving?" Valentina said, watching how the endless torrent forced the Lord Daimonas to remain in place while his halo acted. "It’s true that your ability to evolve is terrifying, something beyond this world. But even so, no matter how unnatural it may be, that ability of yours does not compare to our ability to overcome obstacles that would seem impossible… like you."

  "You are one of the worst obstacles we have ever faced, that much I can confirm. But you are nothing more than that: a difficult—very difficult—obstacle that Gignit must overcome. And even though many have fallen trying to surpass you, we will do it in their name."

  Well said, Alexander thought as he concentrated magical energy within himself.

  "This will be your end! You will fall for threatening Gignit!"

  Valentina surrounded herself with intense magical energy, but this time it was different. Two concepts clashed and fused within that aura. It was a combination of multiple types of magic.

  Light magic and elemental magic.

  "Magic Fusion: Sarcophagus of Frozen Light."

  Buuuuum.

  The ground sank, cracked, and then exploded as a structure of ice emerged from the depths.

  Half of a gigantic icy torso rose upward—naked, with a beautiful face whose eyes were closed. A delicate nose, long pointed ears, and bluish hair that, despite being made of ice, danced within a mist.

  The structure resembled a beautiful elven maiden.

  Then her frozen hands emerged from the ground as well, quickly joining together as if beginning a prayer directed to the heavens. The Lord Daimonas was trapped within the clasped hands of that frozen elven maiden.

  And even from the outside, it was possible to clearly see the monster suffering an agonizing and indescribable pain.

  That was not simple ice magic.

  That was frozen light.

  That was an attack truly capable of inflicting profound damage upon the Lord Daimonas. The expression of suffering on his face made that unmistakably clear.

  "Alexander!" Valentina called, and when she looked toward her husband, he was already preparing his most powerful magical attack.

  The one into which he would pour everything he had.

  His aura resembled the one Valentina had just invoked. Several types of magic blended together within that aura, shining with different colors.

  He looked at the frozen elf that served as a prison for the Lord Daimonas and watched as that frozen light began to tremble and crack.

  "Quickly! He could break free at any moment!" Valentina warned, worry evident as she began to rise toward the sky.

  The dark halo and the body of the Lord Daimonas itself began to release that nauseating, revolting Daimonic miasma.

  Fragments of frozen light began to fall in increasing amounts. Most were small, but among them larger pieces were already visible.

  Alexander frowned, feeling the magical energy within him swirl in tremendous quantities, but his troubled mind whispered a harsh truth.

  This is not enough.

  He tormented himself internally.

  Even though I’ve gathered everything I have left—every bit of energy and strength—along with this strange magical aura… it’s not enough… it’s still too weak…

  He looked ahead, seeing the miasma already shattering the head of the frozen elven maiden. And after so long, after having stood so far above the enemy, that feeling of fear returned once more.

  I could use reinforcement magic at one hundred twenty percent, but… what if he survives it? The first time I was defeated, I threw everything at him… I did everything I could… and he endured it all… if I use reinforcement at that level and he withstands it… I can’t even imagine what will happen.

  Frustration drew out hidden and dormant strength, and when he looked at his own hand, all that remained was frustration.

  It’s not enough… I need more… I need overwhelming, crushing power—something capable of destroying him completely. It can’t be that I’m this weak…

  "DAMN IT!" Alexander shouted in frustration.

  "Alexander! What the hell is happening? Attack him already before he breaks free!" Valentina demanded, the concern on her face more than evident. "That monster is about to escape. Kill him once and for all."

  "MY ENERGY IS NOT ENOUGH!" Alexander nearly stomped the ground where he stood. "WITH JUST THIS I CAN’T DEFEAT HIM! EVEN IF I PUSH MY REINFORCEMENT BEYOND WHAT MY BODY CAN ENDURE! THE LORD DAIMONAS WILL PROBABLY SURVIVE THE ATTACK!"

  "NOTHING IS GOING RIGHT!" Valentina clenched her fists in frustration. "DOES GIGNIT REALLY HAVE TO DISAPPEAR…?!"

  And as if those words had summoned misfortune, one side of the hands of what remained of the frozen maiden collapsed, disintegrating before it even reached the ground.

  The Lord Daimonas could move again.

  And his face showed extreme fury.

  "IT DOESN’T MATTER, I HAVE TO TRY!" Alexander bent his knees. "VALENTINA, IF I CAN’T KILL HIM, YOU’LL HAVE TO FINISH HIM! MAKE SURE YOU DESTROY HIM!"

  "Magic Fusion…"

  Don’t do it… you won’t defeat him with that.

  ? ? ?

  Alexander’s eyes widened the moment he heard that voice, and with it the entire world came to a halt.

  Not even he could move, yet that voice spoke to him again.

  That increase of strength you are planning will not be enough to defeat the being you call a Lord Daimonas.

  "Who are you…? No, that doesn’t matter. Please, tell me something… do you know how to defeat it? If you do, tell me—I beg you. I must kill that thing right now. I don’t know what else to do anymore. This is my last gamble. If I fail… my village, my family… my people… everything will disappear… and I with them."

  Yes… and I will show you. I know a way for you to become stronger and defeat it… you are far too important to me.

  "Then show me quickly. The Lord Daimonas could move again at any moment and kill us all."

  Now, look into my memories. There I will show you a type of magic that will be more than useful for finally killing it. Please… defeat him.

  Alexander saw his world change, and now in the distance he observed a person… a man about to fight a terrifying Daimonas. And there he saw a form of magic he knew, yet had never been able to use.

  Alexander Hope, eliminate the being that seeks to destroy your home.

  ? ? ?

  And Alexander blinked a couple of times, watching as the last remnants of the frozen maiden began to give way, which meant the Lord Daimonas would soon be free again.

  He looked to the side and saw his wife, who returned his gaze with a tear forming in her beautiful eyes.

  Alexander let out a deep breath and then shouted toward the heavens.

  "HAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."

  The aura surrounding him surged once more. Then it fused with the unmistakable aura that signaled the use of seal magic.

  "Seal Magic: Limit Breaker."

  Valentina’s eyes widened the moment she heard the name of that spell. It was powerful—one of the most powerful spells in seal magic and, at the same time, one of the most difficult to learn.

  But more than that fact, what shocked her most was that Alexander was using it.

  "WHAT?! WHEN DID HE LEARN THAT?!"

  Alexander’s muscles did not swell. His body did not feel crushing pressure, his veins did not bulge, and his eyes did not burst with blood. Yet it still granted him an indescribable strength and energy.

  The magical auras surrounding him expanded until they reached nearly ten meters in height, unleashing powerful winds generated by the sheer pressure of his presence.

  And when the final fragment of that frozen light began to fall, Alexander took a step—and in less than the blink of an eye he was standing before the Lord Daimonas, drawing his entire left arm back, fully prepared to unleash a devastating blow.

  The Lord Daimonas’s single eye tried to copy him, tried to learn something… but it was impossible. Alexander had become far too superior to his dark existence, and the monster could no longer keep up with him.

  And Alexander unleashed the magical technique with which he had begun the battle.

  "Three Delayed Strikes."

  PUUUM.

  Alexander moved so fast that Valentina only realized the attack had begun when the sound of the impact reached her ears. She turned her head—and the sound of the second blow followed.

  PUUUUUM.

  The second impact drove the Lord Daimonas several meters backward, pushing him dangerously close to the dark abyss, where only an endless and infinite darkness stretched like a sea of black waters.

  PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM.

  The shockwave was so powerful that the surrounding trees bent under its force. Even Valentina had to raise her arm to shield her face.

  And the Lord Daimonas, who had tried to endure such overwhelming punishment, was launched at tremendous speed into the infinite darkness, disappearing into the shadows.

  "I WILL NOT ALLOW SO MANY SACRIFICES TO BE IN VAIN!"

  Alexander sprinted toward the abyss and leapt into the void.

  "Air Elemental Magic: Flight."

  Chasing the Lord Daimonas through that sea of eternal darkness.

  ? ? ?

  Alexander focused his gaze further ahead, watching as the Lord Daimonas fell uncontrollably into the void, swallowed by the darkness.

  "YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE!" he shouted with all his strength, feeling an unbreakable conviction seize his mind. "YOU WILL PERISH BEFORE A NEW DAY BEGINS!"

  The Lord Daimonas raised his face, which burned from being saturated with that benevolent magical aura. His entire body emanated with that magic as it consumed him, resembling the way his victims once perished under the fetid Daimonic miasma that devoured them.

  And for the first time, the Lord seemed to use something like lungs. He hyperventilated as he watched Alexander closing in on his dark existence. Hearing that voice drawing nearer filled him with terror.

  As he fell, he twisted desperately, searching for Alexander, but all he could see was endless darkness.

  "You cursed monster… you feel fear, don’t you?"

  The Lord Daimonas looked left and right.

  "This is what every person you’ve ever killed felt. That despair… that humiliation… that terror of seeing you approach them, only to be murdered by your filthy hands, stained with so much blood."

  Fear and desperation were written plainly on the Lord Daimonas, and he had never learned how to hide them.

  "YOU WILL BURN IN HELL! THAT IS THE PLACE THAT AWAITS YOU AFTER CAUSING SO MUCH PAIN IN KOSMOS! YOU DAIMONAS ARE THE WORST THINGS THAT EXIST IN THIS WORLD! AND FOR THAT REASON, YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO LIVE!"

  The moon, which had been hidden behind clouds, finally dared to reveal itself beyond those formations of celestial cotton, eager to witness how the world would claim justice through Alexander’s hands as the instrument to judge the Lord Daimonas.

  The skies cleared, gifting the world the most beautiful sight the night could offer: a star-filled sky, with billions of stars shining at once.

  And the moon could not resist bathing the night in its gentle, comforting glow. It was that pale yet radiant light that finally illuminated that endless sea of darkness.

  It drove away the shadows, shattered the gloom, and revealed the most breathtaking sight in the world.

  Far below, at the end of their descent, the surface of the true Kosmos was finally revealed.

  And behind Alexander, who was rapidly closing the distance with the Lord Daimonas, the place where Gignit had been built—where it had been founded, where it now stood as his territory—came into view.

  Suspended between sky and earth, one of the many floating islands of Kosmos.

  The village of Gignit rested upon that island.

  Alexander was now only meters away from the hated enemy. He drew his right arm back, and with it the magical aura bursting with countless colors exploded outward, spreading in every direction and engulfing even the Lord Daimonas.

  "Not only will Gignit and the souls of all those you murdered finally rest in peace," that immense magical aura concentrated into his extended right arm, "but Kosmos will have one less of your kind to bring suffering and mourning to its people."

  "At last, the day of your death has arrived… Lord Daimonas."

  Alexander unleashed his right fist, containing an incredible concentration of magical energy—so immense it was monstrous.

  And it was about to crash directly into that blasphemous being.

  The fist had not even touched him yet, and the Lord Daimonas was already feeling a pain greater than anything he had ever experienced.

  Fear intensified and completely consumed him.

  That human terrified him.

  "Εισαι καταραμενο? ανθρωπο?!"

  "For my family, for my friends, for Gignit…! For Kosmos!"

  His furious gaze met that of the Lord Daimonas.

  "DIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

  "ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAR."

  Alexander roared as he finally unleashed the most powerful magical attack in his arsenal.

  "Magic Fusion: Four Elements Cannon."

  A massive explosion illuminated the night sky, and then a torrent of immense magical energy burst forth from that explosion, plunging rapidly toward Kosmos.

  From afar it appeared as a thin line connected to a small sphere that was falling—one that would, without a doubt, crash into the surface of the world.

  And that was what Rachell saw.

  She had finally passed through the portal that connected the floating island with the surface. The moment she crossed the stone arch that served as the gateway, she lifted her gaze and witnessed that spectacle in the night sky.

  The Lord Daimonas was being incinerated as he descended toward the surface of Kosmos.

  Losing his limbs.

  Losing pieces of his body.

  Losing everything his dark existence had achieved through so many evolutions.

  But there was something he had not lost.

  Rather, something he had gained.

  It was a new feeling.

  Greater than frustration.

  Greater than anger.

  Greater than fury.

  Greater than anything he had felt throughout that long battle.

  And there was a certain irony to it, because that new feeling did exactly what the Lord Daimonas himself had done throughout the battle:

  It evolved.

  That new feeling—one of the worst a living being can experience—was an evolution of fear.

  It was worse than fear.

  It was the very same feeling all his victims had felt before dying in his dark hands.

  Before being torn apart.

  Before being mutilated.

  Before being dismembered.

  Before being devoured.

  And it was that feeling that now took hold of the Lord Daimonas, embracing him and slowly dragging his dark existence toward the realm of death.

  And the Lord Daimonas felt it.

  That feeling.

  That dark feeling.

  He felt it before he died.

  "Κυριε μου, συγχωρησον με."

  "ROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR."

  He roared, pretending not to be dominated by that horrible emotion.

  Terror.

  The Lord Daimonas died feeling what all others had felt when they perished.

  KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.

  The surface of Kosmos was struck by an immense explosion, accompanied by a violent tremor. A dome of energy—blending red, orange, gold, blue, and other colors—rose toward the heavens and spread outward in every direction.

  Destroying everything that stood in its path.

  And it was there, in the midst of that inferno still expanding, that the new day arrived.

  The horizon—the line that separates sky and earth—began to tint itself with the colors of dawn.

  And that horizon, stretching for thousands of kilometers, resembled a smile.

  It was as if Kosmos itself were smiling, happy that at last another of those malignant beings had left this world. Happy that the battle had finally ended.

  Because after so much pain, so much effort, so much sacrifice—

  After fighting so hard, and losing so much—

  Gignit, its people, had won that cruel battle.

  Kosmos. Your comments and reactions mean a lot to me and motivate me to keep writing.