The Deacon's Parting Gift #237

I calmly slapped Nightshade's hand away, stopping the heroine in her track. "I didn't want to say this earlier because I didn't want to break your bubble. However..." I said, sighing as I trailed at the end of my sentence.

"The truth is, your brother is probably dead," I calmly said, to which Nightshade immediately froze. "If the Incubus has the power to possess his body for so long, then it's not far-fetched to assume he could destroy your brother's soul," I added, crossing my arms.

"I don't think rescuing your brother was ever possible. The best you could hope to achieve is avenge him and put his body to rest," I said, shaking my head, to which Nightshade's expression began sinking further and further.

"You asshole...!" Nightshade said with a quivering tone as she clenched her fists. "You just love giving people hope only to crush it immediately, don't you...?" She said, her voice growing faint as she began sobbing, to which I could only wince.

"I'm sorry," I said with a grimace. "But this story was never meant to have a happy ending," I added, shaking my head as I sighed, keeping my distance from the heroine.

"I never intended for it to go this way, but I have no choice," I said after a brief pause. "You said it yourself. Every time you came here, the Incubus would always be waiting," I added, my tone turning solemn.

"But now that we've come prepared, he's nowhere to be seen," I added as I paused again to choose my words. "I don't know how or why, but the Incubus saw us coming, and he's no doubt plotting something," I continued, to which Nightshade began gritting her teeth in frustration.

"If we continue running blindly, we're just risking our lives and walking into the demon's trap," I concluded, bitterly shaking my head as I finished my sentence.

The Incubus was a high-ranking demon. He would still be a threat to me and everyone else here, no matter how much we've prepared. I was already pushing it by coming here and picking a fight with him, but now that I knew he was hiding and plotting something, I'd be stupid to walk into it.

I wouldn't hesitate If we weren't up against someone of this caliber of strength. Clever schemes and cunning plots were all fine and dandy, but they only worked if you had the power to capitalize on them.

Imagine me from a couple of months ago, for example. I could easily manipulate someone as powerful as Wonder Woman and lure her into a trap thanks to my comic book knowledge, but what then?

What the fuck could I even do to someone like her who could take tank shells and shrug them off like they were nothing. Knowledge and brains can be a form of strength, but mistake them for true power, and you're jumping head first into an early grave.

As a wise woman once said, power is power.

Unlike the example I gave you, the Incubus was more than capable and powerful enough to capitalize on any minuscule advantages he gave himself. I'm not about to risk my life and that of everyone to save some corpse when I could do it later much more safely.

"Fine, let's just get this over with..." Nightshade said through gritted teeth after a brief silence as Poison Ivy watched the conversation unfold with barely hidden amusement while Virgil alternated his gaze between us awkwardly.

"Let's head to the temple, then," I said as I turned away from Nightshade, nodding my head. "If the Incubus doesn't show up, you two go back to earth," I added as I started walking.

"I'll help Virgil and contact you to organize another rescue attempt when I'm back home," I concluded, to which Nightshade could silently nod and follow me.

However, she didn't bother to hide her frustration as she glared knives into my back.

...

"Was that really necessary...?" Virgil said, his expression uncomfortable as he watched mer behead the last succubus guarding the temple before emptying my rifle's chamber into her body.

"Couldn't we have knocked them out or something?" He said as he looked away from the countless eviscerated demon corpses slowly dissipating on the ground.

"These things might look humanoid, but they're not human," I said as I reloaded the rifle and put it into my inventory. "They're demons. Each of them probably killed more humans than you've met your entire life," I added, shrugging my shoulders.

"We don't have time to coddle them," I concluded as I turned the temple, raising an eyebrow. It looked like one large monastery with bell towers and exquisitely decorated pillars supporting its structure.

However, it was entirely black with no other color.

"Let's check inside before we get to work," I said after a brief pause and headed for the temple's main entrance. Once inside, I halted my steps as I spotted a golden-purple portal between a large door frame at the end of the main hall.

I didn't pause and quickly moved on to inspect the rest of the temple. It was empty, and we didn't need to waste any more time, so I exited and called everyone outside.

"I already explained the plan to everyone, so there's no point wasting any more time," I said as I gestured for everyone to step back, and they obliged without hesitation.

I took a deep breath as I reached into my inventory and retrieved Deacon Blackfire's alter, and it immediately appeared in front of me, still cracked and glowing in a sinister black hue.

The cracks immediately grew vaster, and the light became more intense and sinister as the alter radiated a ridiculous amount of energy that gave me chills and honestly gave me the urge to put it back in my inventory at once.

Luckily I didn't need to keep playing this game of chicken as a portal appeared in the sky, and a man in a weird blue shirt appeared, crossing his arms as he looked down at us.

I sighed in relief at the sight of the portal and instantly put the alter back in my inventory before turning to the man to get a better look at him, and I barely resisted the urge to chuckle.

He had handsome features, but in the worst way possible, what with his chiseled jawline, masculine features, and the bowl haircut that made him look like Lord Farqud from Shrek.

If I had to describe him, I would say he was cartoonishly handsome, and his appearance was made even funnier by his attire, especially the short blue skirt and knee-high boots.

Apparently, Virgil was not nearly as polite as he immediately burst into laughter, only for a glare from Nightshade to promptly shut him up as he awkwardly scratched his head.

"I thought I would take my time and rally my father's army to deal with you lot to be sure..." The Incubus said with the most condescending tone imaginable, crossing his arms as he looked down at us, briefly turning to me.

"Congratulations, you forced my hand and hastened your demise," He said, scowling as countless magic circles appeared around the temple, spewing demons of all shapes and sizes.

"Surrender the daughter of Maureen Eden, and I shall spare your pathetic lives," The Incubus said, scanning everyone before his cold gaze settled on me, and I couldn't help but finally lose it and let out a chuckle.

I quickly gathered my bearings and cleared my throat. "How about you give back Nightshade's brother, and I don't murder you instead?" I asked, still struggling to keep a straight expression as I looked the demon in the eye.

"So you refuse to see reason and choose to spit at my benevolence and kindness?" The Incubus said, and with every word he said, I had to struggle harder to stop myself from laughing.

"So be it, mortal. Kill the mortals and bring me the daughter of Maureen Eden!" He concluded, grandly gesturing towards us with his left hand as he rested his right on his hips.

I just shook my head in exasperation as I summoned every machine in my inventory and set them loose on the demons before jumping into the air, Leviathan Axe in hand.

"I'll take care of Lord Farqud here. Keep the small fry off my back," I said, taking a deep breath to calm myself as I charged the Incubus and swung at his midsection.

I quickly closed the distance, and the blade of my axe was an inch away from his stomach when a thin, transparent black barrier appeared, stopping my attack.

"I am the rightful owner and ruler of these lands. The laws of existence bend to my every whim here," The Incubus said, causally waving his hand, which sent me flying back as I felt something hit me in the chest.

"I am a god here, mortal. You could not even hope to defeat me."

...

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