78 That Fire Breathing Venom

Reverie's back was against the wall, her breaths started coming in quick gasps as she faced the onslaught.

People that were fueled by pain and anger, had forced their way into the entertainment house, with weapons drawn and eyes wild. 

They shouted curses, "fuck! My head!" 

"Make this stop; please!!!" 

"Aaaah!" 

She was outnumbered and cornered, "what do I do?" 

With fast thinking, she parried and dodged, her own curses started mixing with theirs. "Damn it!" she spat as she narrowly avoided a blade. "Come on, is that all you've got?" She then smirked.

As if in response to her challenge, the air shifted, and the temperature rose. 

Another threat showed up. 

Demons, weak creatures of shadow and flame, appeared, their presence annoyed her even more. 

"Where did you all come from, you fuckers?"

Reverie gritted her teeth, anger surged through her. 

The damned demon had brought this upon them, and she blamed herself for not being prepared. She would not go down without a fight.

Suddenly, the room filled with a different energy. Karyan's eyes snapped open, glowing like molten gold. He took in the scene—the humans, the demons, and Reverie, standing defiant against impossible odds.

Without a word, Karyan stood up, "I see…"

He took a deep breath, and with a powerful exhalation, a stream of fire erupted from his mouth. 

The flames spread quickly, engulfing the attackers in a blazing inferno.

"My eyes!" 

"Noo!!!!" 

"This pain!"

The humans and demons alike screamed in terror as the golden fire consumed them. Reverie shielded her face from the heat, her eyes widened in shock at the sudden awakening of Karyan.

"Granx!" Karyan shouted, his voice boomed over the roar of the flames. 

In response, serpents, coated in the same golden fire that he wielded, materialised and slithered rapidly towards the enemy. 

They struck with precision and the room became a battlefield of fire. 

Reverie, seizing the opportunity, launched herself into the fray. 

"Pulling her knife, slashing the throats of the dark shadows.

She fought alongside the flame-covered serpents, her attacks and moves were like fluid and deadly.

"Karyan!" she called out, ducking under a demon's swipe. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Karyan, focused on the shadows, replied between breaths, "It's a long story! Right now, we need to end this!"

Together, they pushed back the attackers, the humans started slowly retreating in fear, the demons vanishing in smoke and ash. 

The golden fire did not harm Reverie, recognizing her as an ally, while it continued to ravage the rest.

Just as Karyan and Reverie caught their breath, the sound of shuffling feet filled the air. 

Like a scene from a nightmare, people with soulless eyes and torn clothes stumbled into the room. 

They moaned, a chorus of the damned, as they moved toward them, arms outstretched and faces void of any human emotion.

"What the fuck is even that, really?" Reverie groaned, her exhaustion in her voice was obvious. "What's next?"

Karyan frowned, "We clear them out, just like the rest." Raising his hands, he summoned another horde of serpents. "Granx!"

The serpents burst forth, their golden flames illuminated the darkened room. 

They slithered and struck while the fire consumed the attackers, leaving only ash in their wake.

With the room cleared once more, Karyan and Reverie made their way outside, the night air a welcomed relief from the stifling heat of battle. 

But the relief was short-lived. Before them, in the moonlight of the remaining fires, they found the king on his knees, his proud form reduced to a figure of desperation.

"Please," they heard the king beg, his voice cracked with sobering. "I'll give you anything."

Karyan and Reverie exchanged a look of confusion, then turned their attention to the figure the king was pleading with. 

It looked like Nedeira, or at least, it had been. The creature before them bore only a superficial resemblance to the charming woman with a kind smile they once knew.

Her skin was marred with dark veins, scars like shadows under her eyes, and lips as black as the night itself. And there she stood, completely naked, her body showed the corruption that had taken hold.

"What have you done to her?" Karyan asked slowly.

The demon wearing Nedeira's form turned to face them. 

With eyes cold and empty. "She is mine now," the creature hissed, its voice twisted like an echo of Nedeira's. "Her body, her power, all of it."

Reverie stepped forward, her fists clenched. "You…I will kill you myself," she spat.

The king, still on his knees, looked up at Karyan. "You can't," he whimpered. "But save me, at least."

Karyan's gaze shifted between the king and the demon. "Your life is already in ruins," he said. "And it was over the moment you agreed to my execution."

The king bowed his head, tears fell onto the scorched earth. Karyan turned to Reverie, nodding. "I'll finish this."