Chapter 80 #2
“Every fucking detail.” All right, this changed things considerably. I put my bow away, slung myself off Titan’s back so he didn’t get injured, and drew my sword. “Any chance I can convince you to just go back?”
“Nope.”
“Figured. I’ll convince you the hard way. Just like I did last time, remember?”
His lips curled back over his teeth. It might’ve been Victor’s face, but it was all too easy to see the demon underneath. “I refuse to dwell on the past. I’ve no interest in reflecting on myself. It’s my new motto for this year: Live, Laugh, Lose Interest.”
“Sounds like you.” I mentally readied the spell I’d memorized. Hopefully memorized well enough to use while fighting him. I gave only one command to Titan: “Guard.”
My steed turned, guarding my back as he was trained to do. He would have fun trampling anyone stupid enough to ambush me. Titan’s favorite game on the battlefield was tag and squish.
My remaining troops caught up with me and pandemonium hit. The new mages went straight for the ward, doing their level best to fix the issues so they could get it operational once more. Everything depended on them.
I let the priests and soldiers deal with the possessed people still remaining and the thrice-damned mage who had cracked the seal.
I had to leave it to them. The Demon King was the only thing I could focus on from this point forward.
I heard Titan take out someone, the snort and stamp and scream of a person, but I ignored that too. I trusted my horse to guard my back.
I didn’t give Zag’druren any more time to assimilate to Victor’s body.
The less time he had, the better. I struck, not surprised when he deflected my sword with a sharp slap of his own.
His sword was pure black, a wavery red energy coming off the blade.
The Demon King’s sword was never truly away from him, bound to his very soul.
Our swords caught on the hilts, leaving us eye to eye. A wild, feral grin stretched over his face.
“What is this mess, James? You’ve got people running all over!”
“Unlike last time,” I gritted out—shit, he was strong, even in Victor’s body—“I know how to combat you.”
He parried my blade, throwing me off for a second, then engaged all over again. I was hard-pressed to keep up with him and wishing all over again it was Rowan fighting this bastard, as he was a far better swordsman.
Zag’druren took two steps sideways and threw his head back in a laugh. “I think you have a poor opinion of me since I killed you last time.”
“That does tend to happen.” I normally wouldn’t banter with him, but it was buying my priests and mages time. Time we desperately needed. Although how to find the breath to use the spell?
“Aren’t you worried about this body’s owner? He’s your brother, isn’t he?”
He darted in to swing at my side, and I deflected, somehow managing to push him back. I think he expected having Victor’s face would somehow throw me off, but that wasn’t the case.
The second I could regain my footing, I tried to throw it back at him. “Victor’s death is to humanity’s benefit, as I’m sure you know. I must ask, did he go to hell the first time he died?”
“He did, in fact. Spent the whole time crying in a corner about how unfair it all was. Completely annoying. I don’t suppose his death this time can be used as a martyr for good, since I possessed him?”
“Why are you asking me? I’m not in charge of that. I doubt it, though.”
Zag’druren’s eyes narrowed slightly, sweeping over my face. “You’re…calmer. Chattier for sure. Is Edwin not dead?”
“Ha, no, he’s very much not.”
“Hmmm, interesting.” Turning his head, he yelled toward Valentina, “Azzanuul! Didn’t you kill that pest this time?”
She snarled something obscene back at him. “No, I was thrown out of the palace before I could!”
“I took precautions this time.” My temper unraveled in a sharp snap. I slammed against him, our swords catching at the hilts once more, and tested the grip he had on his sword, pushing him back a little, feeling immediate resistance. “Tell me. Did you order Edwin killed yourself?”
“But of course. Your pain was delicious to behold, I must admit—icing on the cake. But we knew his Task. He had to fall in order to weaken you.”
This plot had layers like a freaking parfait made entirely of dog shit in different stages of decomposition, and it just kept getting worse.
Zag’druren leaned in, trying to push me back, and I could tell it frustrated him that he couldn’t. Victor’s body was wasted from years of alcohol and drug abuse. Even a demon’s powers could only augment it so much.
Frustrated, he snapped, “Fuck me, but killing that man is an essential ingredient. You’re too powerful with Edwin at your side!”
I was curious enough to ask, “How?”
“He doesn’t let anyone near you, that’s how! Not without checking every single thing about them. Even when you were married to Azzanuul in the previous life, he wouldn’t let her anywhere near you most of the time! He’s worse than a guard dog!”
“Pity you didn’t manage it this time, then. Pity, too, you’re in a body too weak to combat me effectively.”
This did upset him, like a personal insult. “It was your body I was supposed to have this time!”
Wait. “Did you really think she could seduce me when I’m still in love with Edwin and I hated her enough to kill her in the first life?”
“We didn’t know you remembered everything!”
“Tsk, tsk, Demon King. How stupid of you. Your plan was all arse and no forehead.”
He screamed at me in some demonic sounding language, all clicks and hisses, but didn’t engage. He was trying to find an opening in my guard.
I gave him none.
My ears reported the sounds of multiple spells and prayers, most being yelled at the top of their lungs.
My soldiers were all locked into combat, so no one was free to come at me anytime soon.
Even Valentina was in combat with three temple knights and couldn’t yell at anyone anymore, looking more cornered than a rat in a dead-end alley.
Seemed my time to truly retaliate and win this fight.
I lashed out and kicked Zag’druren’s knee out from under him. The Demon King rolled with the blow, coming back up spryly to his feet, and while he smiled mockingly, his eyes shone with pure greed.
“Perhaps I can have your body yet.”
“Wishful thinking.” I rotated my sword, all while planning out the best way to get him pinned to the ground. I’d have much better luck saying the spell if I wasn’t trying to stay alive at the same time.
Zag’druren said in a sickly sweet way, “Why’s that, dear?”
“Turns out there’s many advantages to marrying a bookworm. Want to hear one?”
I locked eyes with him as I started the spell.
“Hear me, Zag’druren, King of Demons—”
With the utterance of his name, all his cocky attitude washed away, pure fear taking its place.
This time, bastard, the battle won’t go in your favor.