Lilith

A few dozen meters away, a figure plummeted from the sky. Lilith, with her light armor burning under the crimson flames, collapsed to the ground. Her black wings disintegrated, her body twisted in pain as the flames devoured her flesh. The Crimson Flame was not any hotter and could heal, but it was also present in the user's blood. And Lilith, with Luna's blood on her body, was vulnerable, even if she fled, she could still burn her with a simple thought.

*Aaaaaghhh*

Lilith's screams were drowned out by the roar of the flames, helpless against this devouring burn.

Luna, though wounded, advanced with a slow but determined step, each drop of blood leaving a flaming trail in her wake.

Her eyes fixed on Lilith, she savored every moment. She stopped a few meters away from Lilith, contemplating the burning silhouette that could not retaliate.

"And one..." Luna murmured, a sadistic smile forming on her lips despite the pain that engulfed her. Then she took flight.

But as she left this flaming city, her fiery silhouette merging with the clouds, a figure emerged from the shadows.

Linfer appeared before the flaming Lilith, watching the scene with a mix of amusement and interest.

"She's very dangerous, more than I thought..."

He calmly observed Luna's departure, his mind already calculating the next moves.

'Hmmm... The heat is unbearable.' Linfer thought, seeing his flesh burn, regenerating constantly, even though it was not in contact with the flame.

...

POV: Lilith

The pain was unbearable, an infernal cycle of flames that burned me, then regenerated me, over and over, without respite. I thought it was the intrinsic ability of the Tenshi Mode, but it only made things worse. It was the sadism of this mortal; she did not want me to die quickly but rather to suffer eternally before my consciousness was destroyed.

I was but a shadow of myself, kneeling, hands pressed against the ground, unable to move. Each breath was a torture. Every second, an eternity. The crimson flame gave me no respite, consuming me in an endless agony. I had lost all sense of time, lost in this boundless suffering.

And then, he appeared.

Through the haze of pain and flames, I saw him. A young man, of strange and disconcerting beauty. His skin was an almost unreal pallor, his long black hair floating gently, as if carried by a breeze that did not exist in this apocalyptic landscape. He crouched before me, serene, unshakable, an oasis of tranquility amidst the hell that surrounded me.

I stared at him, pleading. "Whoever you are... please... kill me..." My voice was broken, a desperate whimper. The pain paralyzed me, the flame devoured me endlessly, and I could not bear another second.

He gently reached out to me, plunging his hand into the flames that consumed me and touched my face, slowly descending to my neck. I saw his flesh burn, but he showed no pain. Not even a quiver of his perfect features. His calm struck me.

'Who is he? How could he remain so imperturbable? What is he doing here?'

"How could I kill such a beautiful woman?" he murmured in a soft, almost melodic voice.

I wanted to answer him, but before I could say anything, he placed his finger, now reduced to a bone, on my trembling lips.

"Shhh..." he admonished me, his soft and reassuring voice. "Just... forget everything around you, look into my eyes."

And I did. I raised my eyes to him, gazing into his. It was as if, in an instant, the entire world had stopped turning. The pain, the suffering, the flames... all had disappeared. There was only his eyes, and the absolute calm they offered me. It was as if he had taken all this pain into himself, offering me a moment of peace amidst this hell.

He brought his face close to mine, with a tenderness I had never known. His lips touched my forehead in a kiss so delicate that I barely felt it, but its warmth engulfed me. He then whispered into my ear, in a soft voice, almost like a secret that only I could hear: "Sleep..."

His breath against my skin soothed me. I was no longer afraid. I felt strangely safe, the pain seemed to slowly fade. My eyelids closed on their own, and all that remained was his soothing presence. In that instant, I surrendered to this stranger...

End of POV.

"One thing done..." Linfer murmured, leaning back, his impassive gaze fixed on Lilith.

As she burned, he discreetly used his blood manipulation to take a portion of her blood, without her noticing. Through his *Devour* ability, he temporarily copied Lilith's illusion power. With her mind disordered by pain, she was an easy prey to be hypnotized. What made Linfer formidable was his instant mastery of the abilities he copied, sometimes even understanding their potential better than the original user. He knew that the more blood he absorbed, the more he could permanently appropriate a power, although this idea still needed to be fully tested.

'For now, I am still weak,' Linfer thought, observing the apocalyptic scene around him. 'I must remain in the shadows and strengthen myself. Lilith will be an excellent pawn.'

He rose slowly, looking at the flames devouring Lilith. "First, I must extinguish these flames."

He smiled slightly, noticing Luna's blood, scattered across the battlefield. He inhaled the blood from the ground and transformed it into smoke, breathing it in deeply. The omega symbol on his forehead shimmered briefly, and his heart seemed to beat for a second. But almost immediately, his necklace emitted a faint gleam, returning his heart to its silent state.

Through his blood magic, Linfer was still alive despite his inert heart. This explained his cadaverous appearance, his pale skin, almost ghostly.

Once calm, he made a nonchalant gesture with his hand, extinguishing the flames that consumed Lilith. However, he made sure to leave the deep burns, preventing her flesh from regenerating immediately. He let the city burn, reducing the immortal army to ashes, while ensuring he did not attract Luna Crimson's attention.

Then, with absolute calm, Linfer lifted the burned but still living body of Lilith. Without a word, he took flight, carrying his new prey through the night sky, his silhouette merging into the darkness.