CONTENT WARNING: Note, this chapter is rated mature due to physical violence and blood/gore.

Zheng Zixin

“Don’t disappoint our Master,” Tui said before disappearing with Sosuke in a flash.

My attention shifted to Cassiel and Belphegor, who continued to fight. They were evenly matched and being mates didn’t weaken their powerful strikes and parries. 

As if Jin could sense my trepidation, he explained, “Belphegor is Cassiel’s opposite. As temperance fuels Cassiel’s power, gluttony fuels Belphegor’s. However, it's easy to become consumed by gluttonous thoughts. Self-control is important.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“All you think about is tearing apart your opponent for the sake of heroism, an arbitrary status. Is there anything else you care about other than bloodshed?”

“I am a dragon, in case you have forgotten. It’s in my nature to love war.”

“Says who?”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. His question caught me off guard. No one ever questioned my motives. And yet there was some truth to his words. “Why do you care? You aren’t a dragon, you would never understand.”

“I suppose not. But just because you possess destructive powers doesn’t mean you have to be destruction itself.”

‘Damn you and your philosophical views,’ I cursed silently.

The ground shook as a vacuum of air pulled in the surrounding water, rising above the surface. Pink smoke from Jin’s pipe filled the empty pockets, seducing our enemies’ senses. Soon enough, a thick cloud of smog engulfed the battlefield, making it difficult for any normal being to see through the stealth it offered.

I had to rely on my sense of smell and hearing to detect the location of the pixies and I wasted no time in partially shifting so that my body was now covered in reddish gold scales and horns sprouting from my head. The sound of ancient chanting filled my ears, and I rushed towards the nearest pixie, who sought to dispel Jin’s enchantment. Black splattered along the rocks, but was quickly washed away by the rippling water.

“Sun Fang,” I beckoned the water dragon.

“Yes, Taizi?”

“You have about twenty years of cultivation, yes?”

“Twenty-five, Taizi.”

“It’ll have to do.” If what I was about to attempt was going to work, I needed Sun Fang to at least be on the same page as me. Either it would give us the strength to defeat our enemy or turn the battle in Belphegor’s favor. The thought of death didn’t scare me. It was all or nothing.

“My Lord?”

“Pull in as much water as you can and hit me with everything you got. Jin, can you generate your foxfire?” I murmured into the wind, knowing he could hear me.

“Yes, but it would weaken the smoke’s spell long enough for her to see through the illusion. You have thirty seconds at best,” he replied, his voice a soft whisper. Although he was a powerful being, the current spell was taking away enough energy to make him fatigued.

“That’s all I need.” I turned back to Sun Fang and said, “You’ll stay here with Jin, and if you hear an incantation from the enemy, interrupt them immediately. Don’t hesitate if you don’t want to die yet.”

Now, above the surface, the water crashed into the sides of the island violently with the change in the currents. Water swirled around us in a powerful whirlpool. Sun Fang wasted no time in shifting, as iridescent blue scales now covered his body.

He manipulated the water, using his powers as a water dragon, as the water became his sword. A bright blue light shot up into the sky, dispelling the smoke around us for a moment. The smell of burning flesh infiltrated my nostrils. Jin blasted Belphegor with everything he had, but she continued to fight, her skin healing instantaneously as it melted. Although she had impressive regenerative skills, what astounded me was how she could ignore the damage she took from his Celestial foxfire.

The next thing I knew, Sun Fang’s dragon breath hit me like a powerful geyser. My body was flooded with energy, one so electrifying it sent shivers through me. My chest became tight and my head was pounding as I struggled to assimilate water dragon qi into my essence. Thoughts flitted around my mind chaotically. Holding onto reality became more difficult by the second.

A familiar presence entered my mind, and all I wanted was to wrap myself around its warmth. Focusing on that single entity it gave me the strength to absorb the blast. When I opened my eyes, I was in my fully shifted form, gazing down at the battle below me. Everyone appeared like ants to my massive form.

“Taizi, your scales…” Sun Fang cried out, redirecting my attention to my changed form.

My scales were now a dark violet, like the blue from Sun Fang’s aura mixed with my own. Such a spectacle was unheard of, though no one ever attempted to combine their energy with someone else’s, let alone siphon it. Did I successfully take Sun Fang’s cultivation and add it to my power?

Belphegor gazed up at me in awe before quickly casting her spells to disable me. Using my wings, I dodged every ball of dark energy, and binding vines of dough meant to entrap me.

“I’ll pay you back twice the cultivation you’ve given me, Sun Fang,” I promised.

The destructive power of my dragon’s breath was unrestricted and wild, capable of destroying everything in sight if I wasn’t careful enough. I had to be mindful of where I released it or else it would take any other magical creatures in the vicinity.

This power was unique and required concentration if I were to take out my foe. My dragon seemed to take notice of this. His excitement grew. It had been a long time since he had such a challenging opponent. Our claws ached, wanting nothing more than to dip them in the blood of our enemy.

With a wave of my tail, I swept the ground to catch Belphegor off guard. She jumped into the air, relying on her wings to take flight. Her hands hovered over her chest for a moment before releasing a pillar of miasmic pizza from her palms. I felt a gentle sting within my wings where she successfully made contact with.

A bead of sweat dripped down Belphegor’s forehead. She was struggling to parry my fiery blast. The attack sent shockwaves through the area, knocking her back into the cave wall with a resounding crackle. Her wings crumpled inwards, one of them was broken from the impact. But she was far from defeated. “You gain nothing from winning this battle. Your mate is injured. Who knows when he’ll wake up. If he isn’t already dead, he will die at the hands of the Serpent.”

I reached out and grabbed her while she was still pinned, wrapping my claws around her. An unfathomable hunger overtook me. My dragon planned to eat the little moth. Something I avoided doing because whether I followed through with his decision would distinguish me from a man and a beast. Before I could get my bearings, something in me snapped.

My vision blurred as her black hair merged with other colors, becoming one large blob dominated by darkness. The only thing I could focus on was this hunger, this emptiness in the pit of my stomach. My dragon grew restless, but I fought to maintain control.

“Do it,” she said. “A beast for a beast. What a fated connection.”

“Don’t, Zixin. If you do this, you’re setting yourself on a dark path. Remember why we’re here. We need to summon the second trumpet. We can’t do that if Belphegor is dead,” Jin said, his hands applying some pressure on my arm to keep me from crushing Belphegor’s neck. “Sosuke will be cursed until her next incarnation appears.”

I shut my eyes tightly, letting out a huff of frustration. I didn’t think I could bear seeing Sosuke’s disappointment if I saw him again, only to tell him I ruined his only chance at freedom.

Why? Why did he make me feel so guilty? Was it all part of his plan to keep me his indentured servant? I hated what I was turning into, what I was becoming. If someone raised their weapon, I would jump in front of whatever rock, arrow, spear, or bullet came his way. If someone insulted him, I would be there to deliver punishment on those who dared raise their voice against him.

I hated being bound to someone, to be at the mercy of anyone. But I also loved being so connected to my mate.

I loosened my grip on Belphegor’s neck, and a coy smile appeared on her face. She thought she was going to get the chance to escape. She thought wrong.

Without another moment of hesitation, I drove my hand through her chest to get to her heart. She spasmed around my arm, blood spilling from her mouth. When I pulled back, there was a sickening crunch, and she collapsed in the sand, gasping for air as I held her beating heart in my hands. She was just seconds away from dying.

I turned to Cassiel, who had already carved his own heart out. He had a gray pallor, his body glowing a bright gold as he handed me his heart. Unlike Belphegor’s heart, it was white, with gold blood flowing through its veins.

“W-When you leave this place, find the next Sin. Don’t waste your time hunting down their earthly tethers. By then, it’ll be too late,” Cassiel said, stuttering.

“And if they reincarnate?” I asked.

“A new savior will appear to free Naestrirea from their evil influence. The Hierophant has shown me.” Tears streamed down his face. “We must win the battle now to allow our future to win the war.”

Knowing Cassiel had resigned himself to death since the beginning, I merged his heart with Belphegor’s and destroyed it with my dragon’s breath. The heart turned to ash, fading in the wind.

Cassiel and Belphegor’s bodies transformed into orbs of energy before dissipating. All that remained was a golden trumpet, beckoning me to blow it.

“If we do this, we’d be unleashing Hell,” Sun Fang said, back in his human form.

I glanced at the Inari Defensive Forces, who defeated Luvart. “We’re already in Hell,” I replied before taking a deep breath as I lifted the trumpet. My lips touched the cool metal, and I blew into it, unlocking the second seal of the Hierophant and Sosuke’s curse.