The Great Villain! Saved by an Old Friend...?

"Sanguine Dark Barrage!" Lucian growled, his finger slicing open once more, blood spilling freely as dark tendrils—crimson and shadow—whipped toward both Reid and the Hero, each strike designed to corrupt, to drain, to weaken.

The barrage wasn't just an assault on the body but on the spirit, as the Dominion of Cruelty worked its malevolent magic.

Lucian knew he couldn't sustain it for long—each passing second drained him just as much as his enemies.

The Hero weaved through the oncoming blood-soaked tendrils with unnerving grace, his movements fluid and sure. He could feel it, the fading desperation in Lucian's strikes, the telltale signs of a villain whose power was beginning to falter.

"Guess that sword's just for show!" The Hero called out, his tone mocking, but with an undercurrent of ruthless confidence. He was closing in. Lucian couldn't keep up the fight forever.

Meanwhile, Lucian was trapped in a relentless battle of his own as Reid's Dominion spread throughout the city. Walls came alive, bricks and floors shifting into traps, while Lucian cleaved through them with his cursed blade, Damnarex, tearing into the architecture with ferocity.

 But the longer the battle stretched on, the more Lucian could feel his strength waning, his body weakening with every swing.

"He isn't gonna last long," Reid shouted, his eyes gleaming with a calculating light as he manipulated the very city beneath their feet. He hurled projectiles with surgical precision—rubble, debris, vendor stalls—all aimed to tire Lucian out, to chip away at his resolve. 

"In terms of raw power, he might be a match for us. But in terms of attrition?" Reid chuckled darkly. "He's already far behind."

Lucian's eyes narrowed as he cut through another thick wall of stone, sweat beading on his pale skin. His blood loss was becoming too much to bear, the crimson fog of his Dominion beginning to flicker and fade. 

But even in his weakening state, he fought with an intensity that had yet to be extinguished.

The street was chaos—stone cracked beneath the weight of battle, debris scattered in every direction. Citizens huddled behind walls, their faces pale with fear.

Adventurers and guards watched from a distance, frozen in place. Even their weapons felt heavy, the overwhelming presence of Lucian's Dominion squeezing at their minds, threatening to turn them into puppets of terror.

No one dared move, as though the very act of stepping forward would be their undoing. Lucian, for all his weakened state, commanded that much fear.

Another gust of crimson flew from his blade, but Lucian's strength was dwindling. His skin had taken on a sickly pallor, the life fading from his face as the blood loss took its toll.

But then, something shifted—his violet eyes brightened, their once-dominant cruelty now receding. The control of the Dominion of Cruelty loosened its grip on him, allowing Lucian to regain control of his mind, his very self.

Lucian's lips curled into a faint smile, despite his weakening body. 

"Guess even having cruelty cloud my thoughts couldn't help me win this fight," he said with a low laugh, his personality slowly returning, though it felt like a distant memory in his now-frail body.

The Hero, still pressing forward with relentless determination, laughed in response, his eyes gleaming with victory as he drew closer. 

"Did you think cruelty could ever beat the overwhelming power of good?" he boomed, his voice dripping with that all-too-familiar heroic tone, the one filled with righteous certainty.

Lucian's pale form staggered slightly, but his smile never wavered. "It seems... I might have underestimated the power of heroes." His voice, though strained, held a hint of mockery, as if to defy the fate that was quickly closing in on him.

Just as the Hero closed in, his greatsword gleaming with righteous fury, and Reid's Dominion began to overwhelm Lucian, a sudden crash split the air. A figure barreled across the cobblestones, landing with an earth-shattering thud.

A tall, striking man emerged from the dust—his skin a deep, fiery red, sharp horns protruding from his forehead, and armor forged from the very essence of hell itself.

"Master!" he cried, his voice dramatic, though tears betrayed the intensity of his words.

Lucian's eyes widened in disbelief, his lips curling into a grin as he burst into a fit of laughter. "Vael! My man! Looks like I had one ally left after all!" His voice was weak, strained from blood loss, but his amusement was undeniable as he dropped to one knee, spitting out a mix of blood and laughter.

"Get 'em, you bugger!" Lucian shouted, his tone gleeful despite the chaos around him.

Vael's smile grew at the sight of his old master, so joyous to see him even in such dire straits. "Very well, Master Draeven!" he replied, his voice thick with emotion.

The Hero halted in his tracks, his eyes narrowing in confusion and disbelief. "What!?" he shouted, pausing mid-strike as he processed the bizarre scene—a demon, calling a common villain his master?

Reid Perval's jaw clenched in surprise, his golden light in his throat flickering with uncertainty. "A demon!?" he exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief. "Why would such a high-level hellspawn appear here?"

Lucian's grin widened, despite his fading strength, as Vael's power surged. The demon brandished a sword wreathed in hellfire, and with a single command, he opened infernal portals.

From the swirling vortexes, imps, snarling and writhing, flew toward Reid and the Hero, screeching as they descended on their targets with frantic speed.

Vael's eyes glinted with resolve as he turned back to Lucian. "Let's get out of here, master!"

With a powerful beat of his demonic wings, Vael scooped Lucian into his arms, lifting him effortlessly from the battlefield. As they soared into the sky, the ground below faded into the distance—the city slipping away as Vael flew them to safety.

"How did you track me, Vael?" Lucian chuckled weakly, supported by Vael, who had a strong grip around him as they soared through the air.

Vael's laugh echoed through the night, though tears still glistened in his eyes. "Your soul, Master... it's unmistakable. You might be weaker now, but you're still the former Dark Lord!" He grinned, his voice filled with warmth.

"And besides," Vael added with a sly smirk, "I knew someone like that hero couldn't beat you."

With one last laugh, they soared past the city walls, descending into the dense forest below, leaving the chaos behind as they sought refuge for the night.