Chapter 49: Nilgai last ditch fight
So, when Diana dragged it over, intending to kill him, Nilgai slipped away.
Beneath the crumbling bandstand, a hanging movie screen displayed silent films from the 1920s. The hall surrounding it had been destroyed, yet the screen somehow remained intact.
Nilgai bolted toward the screen and dove into it as though plunging into a pool. Diana chased after him but stopped cautiously as she approached the screen. She stirred its surface with her Vulcan sword, but it felt like slicing through empty air.
Just then, Dane landed beside her. "What's going on?" he asked.
"The demon is hiding in there," Diana replied.
Dane reached out, pressing his fingers to the screen before withdrawing them.
"There's a strong negative energy inside," he said, frowning. "You were right not to charge in. It contains a small pocket dimension."
He glanced at the screen again. "I don't know how the demon got its hands on something like this. With Nilgai's strength alone, it shouldn't be possible."
"So, what do we do now?" Diana asked in irritation.
For a warrior-like Amazon, nothing was more aggravating than dealing with someone who preferred tricks over a direct fight. Diana just wanted a good fight—was that really too much to ask?
"Let me handle this," Dane said.
He raised his hand, and scepter materialized in his grip. Holding it steady, he plunged the scepter's tip deep into the screen's surface, testing cautiously. Then, he began chanting a spell he'd been eager to try:
"Holy Light Expulsion!"
The scepter emitted a blinding white light. Inside the screen's pocket dimension, black mists recoiled violently from the radiance. Sensing resistance, Dane poured more energy into the spell, intensifying the brilliance until the scepter shone.
Even Diana had to shield her eyes. The sheer intensity of the light was almost unbearable.
"Stop—!!!"
Diana's face twisted in shock as she registered the source of the cries. There weren't just a few voices—there were hundreds, maybe even thousands.
Her battle instincts kicked in. If she charged into that realm now, even with her strength, she'd be walking into a trap. Victory might come, but not without a steep cost.
"These aren't just ordinary demons," Dane muttered. "They're devils—true inhabitants of the dark world. Unlike demons that devour anything, devils feast solely on human souls. The more despair-ridden and corrupted, the better. This place is their lair, their feeding ground."
This pocket dimension wasn't just a hiding spot—it was a repository of the evil scripts in existence. Anyone who ventured inside would face horrors worse than death.
But Dane wasn't going to let that happen. he yanked the scepter from the screen, unleashing a massive wave of demons into the hall. Shadows writhed and twisted, spreading in every direction as far as the eye could see.
Dane slammed his scepter to the ground. A radiant sphere of white light, twenty feet in diameter, forming an impenetrable shield around him and Diana. The demons, screeching in fury, crashed against the barrier.
"Kill him!" one of the devils roared.
Hordes of devils hurled themselves at the holy shield, their impact producing sharp, grating noises.
But Dane only smirked. "You think you can run wild in my domain? Think again."
With a slow, deliberate motion, Dane ran his palm along the scepter. A powerful suction force erupted from the shield, dragging the writhing devils toward its surface.
These demons were disembodied spirits, creatures whose very essence was vulnerable to death and holy light. And Dane's connection to the Aztec pantheon of death gods made him uniquely equipped for this moment.
What were the Aztec gods best known for? Sacrifices.
The demons realized the true horror of what was happening. Their spectral forms were being pulled apart by the intense gravitational force, compressed into thin, grotesque fragments, and plastered onto the barrier like macabre abstract art.
But the suffering didn't end there. Their fragmented forms were exposed to the Holy Light's full power, burning with agonizing intensity. It was like comparing a thick stack of cardboard to a single tissue paper: one resisted flames, the other ignited instantly.
The demons, now reduced to fragile, flattened remnants, as they disintegrated under the relentless light. This was no ordinary cleansing—this was retribution.
"No! Leave us alone! Please, let us go!"
Dane didn't even respond to the devils' pleas. To him, devils were no different from cockroaches—he killed them on sight without a second thought.
He intensified the pull of death's power, crushing them; they were nothing more than sacrifices for the god of death.
As the devils were obliterated, Dane offerings rejuvenated his godhead, which had been weakened, and it began to grow stronger once more.
"I curse you! You cruel freak!" one of the devils screamed.
Dane heard the insult, but With a sadistic grin, he pinned the screeching devil to the wall of holy light, rubbing it against the glowing barrier as if grinding its face into asphalt. The devil let out a piercing scream, but Dane didn't stop.
When it was on the brink of death, Dane sacrifice devils provided immense offerings to the godhead, which seemed to revel in the torment.
Even Diana, standing nearby, feel uneasy. She wasn't one to pity devils, but Dane's methods bordered on excessive cruelty. Yet, she held her tongue—devils didn't deserve mercy.
Still, she worried about Dane's mental state. This level of brutality didn't seem like the actions from hero.
After what felt like an eternity, the last devil—the one that had cursed Dane—. Its was utterly destroyed, and the ordeal came to an end.
With the devils vanquished, the magic sustaining the pocket dimension began to unravel. Finally, Nilgai, left with no escape, leapt out of the screen.
Diana didn't hesitate. She swung her Vulcan sword, stopping just a hair's breadth from Nilgai's neck. The sheer force of the swing alone could have cut him in two.
"Wait! Wait! girl's soul is still inside me!" Nilgai shouted in desperation.
Diana froze, knowing the girl, Tracy, was indeed trapped in the demon's body. She glanced at Dane, unsure of what to do.
Sensing his chance, Nilgai prepared to self-destruct, intending to take Tracy with him.
But Dane with Mercury's speed, he moved so quickly that Nilgai's actions seemed frozen in time.
In this suspended moment, Dane pressed his hand against Nilgai's chest. With a firm push, his arm sank into the demon's ribcage.
Carefully, he felt around and grasped Nilgai's heart. It was a simple motion—He pulled out heart and held it aloft.
Even in its final moments, Nilgai stared at the heart in shock. It weakly reached out, as if trying to reclaim it, but it was too late.
Diana seized the moment and decapitated the demon with a swift slash of her blade.