THE GENERAL'S DISGRACED HEIR

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The heat wave erupted outward, a dome of pure thermal energy that shattered Salomonis's remaining spells. Yue was thrown backward, her small form skidding across the floor, vials shattering around her.

The avatar wasted no time. A sphere of concentrated fire formed before its maw, growing rapidly to the size of a human torso. It aimed directly at Yue's vulnerable form.

"No!" Salomonis abandoned his spell matrix, racing toward his fallen comrade. Golden energy gathered in his hands as he slid to position between Yue and the demon. "[Glacial Sanctuary]!"

A dome of ice and magic formed around them just as the fireball struck. The impact was catastrophic. The dome held for a fraction of a second before shattering, the residual force throwing both mages against the far wall with bone-breaking force.

Silence fell across the chamber, broken only by the demon avatar's triumphant growl as it surveyed the fallen warriors.

Then the rubble at the chamber's edge shifted.

Luna emerged, her body covered in dust and blood. Her golden eyes fixed on the scene before her—Litty sprawled lifelessly, Kairos and Aria unconscious, and now Yue and Salomonis broken against the wall.

Something changed in her stance. The careful restraint she always maintained—the perfect servant's posture—vanished. Her back straightened, shoulders rolling with predatory intent.

"You dare..." her voice carried a resonance that hadn't been present before, ancient and terrible.

The avatar turned, seeming almost amused. "The servant of weaklings still stands?" Its voice grated like metal on stone.

"You disappoint me, Hróðvitnir. Associating with such frail creatures."

Luna moved with blinding speed, her form blurring as she delivered a series of devastating strikes that actually pushed the avatar backward. Each blow carried the weight of her fury, shadows coalescing around her claws as she tore into the demon's form.

But the avatar was powerful, its connection to the main body providing it with seemingly endless energy. It weathered Luna's assault, then countered with a strike that sent her sliding backward across the floor.

Blood trickled from Luna's mouth, but she didn't fall. Her breathing came in ragged gasps, body trembling with both exhaustion and barely contained rage.

"Is that all?" the demon taunted. "How far you've fallen."

Luna's eyes narrowed, the golden irises shifting to something colder, more ancient. The temperature in the chamber plummeted suddenly, darkness forming on the stone floor around her.

Her voice, when she spoke, carried the weight of countless terrors:

"[PARADE OF A THOUSAND WOLVES]."

The shadows in the chamber responded instantly. Dark tendrils stretched from every corner, coalescing into canine forms that materialized around Luna in a growing circle. Each spectral wolf took shape with terrifying precision—gleaming fangs, sleek bodies of living shadow, and eyes that burned with the same golden fire as Luna's.

One wolf. Ten. Fifty. Soon a hundred spectral predators circled her, their movements perfectly synchronized as if they shared a single mind. The air vibrated with their silent howls, a pressure that pushed against the skin like the moment before a thunderstorm breaks.

The demon avatar paused, its confident demeanor faltering for the first time. "This power... you shouldn't be able to—"

The wolves attacked.

The horde surged forward in perfect formation, splitting into coordinated hunting parties that assaulted the avatar from all directions. Their spectral fangs tore through the demon's defenses, shadowy bodies weaving between counterattacks with predatory intelligence.

Luna directed the assault with subtle hand movements, her eyes tracking every opportunity. The wolves responded instantly to her unspoken commands, adapting their strategy with fluid precision.

For a moment, it seemed victory was possible. The avatar fell back under the relentless assault, portions of its form dissolving under the wolves' fangs.@@novelbin@@

But Luna's body began to betray her. Blood trickled from her nose, then her eyes. Her form trembled not just with exertion but with the fundamental incompatibility between her current vessel and the power she channeled.

[System Alert]

Warning: Aetenus Body Integrity Compromised

Power Compatibility: Critically Low

Status: Soul Failure Imminent

The demon saw its opportunity. Gathering its remaining strength, it unleashed a spherical blast of pure hellfire that caught several wolves in its radius. The spectral forms howled as they dissipated, creating gaps in Luna's defense.

"Your current form can't contain what you truly are," the demon observed, pressing its advantage. "How pathetic."

Luna's attacks grew desperate as her wolves decreased in number. Each new creation drained more of her failing strength. The avatar weathered her final assault, then struck with devastating force.

Its clawed hand caught her by the throat, lifting her from the ground. The remaining wolves faded like mist in morning sun, the power sustaining them no longer sufficient.

"I expected more from the Destroyer of Worlds," the demon said, tightening its grip. Luna's struggles grew weaker, blood flowing freely from her eyes and nose as her body approached total failure.

The demon raised her higher, victory in its grasp. "Perhaps I should consume you now, take what power remains."

Luna's consciousness began to fade, her golden eyes dimming. With her remaining strength, she reached toward the ceiling, toward a presence she alone could sense.

Something far above them shifted. A tremor ran through the tower, subtle at first, then growing in intensity until the entire chamber shook.

The demon paused, glancing upward. "What is—"

A hairline crack appeared in the ceiling, then another. Light—brilliant and searing—leaked through the fractures like molten gold seeking escape.

Despite her pain, despite her failing body, Luna's lips curved into a smile. "He's... here..."

The ceiling exploded inward with apocalyptic force. Stone and ancient metal vaporized instantly as a comet of pure radiance tore through, trailing solar flames that scorched the very air. At its center, a figure descended—no, plummeted—directly toward the demon.

[System Alert]

Skill Emulation Active: [Sun's Doom]

Status: Maximum Output

Target: Locked

The demon barely had time to release Luna before the impact struck. David crashed into the avatar with the force of a collapsing star, driving it into the floor with such violence that the entire chamber's foundation fractured. A crater formed instantly, reality itself seeming to bend under the pressure as waves of golden-white flames erupted outward.

When the blinding light subsided, David stood at the crater's center, one foot planted firmly on the demon's crushed form. Silver threads danced in his eyes as he surveyed the chamber, his gaze finally settling on Luna's weakened form.

The demon beneath him twitched, attempting to regenerate, but David merely pressed his foot down harder. The gesture was casual, almost an afterthought, yet it contained enough power to make the avatar's body crack like glass.

"You're late," Luna managed, blood still streaming from her eyes.

David's lips curved into a dangerous smile. "I had to make an entrance."