CHAPTER ELEVEN: TGE BATTLE OF THE AGES

**Chapter 11: The Battle of the Ages**

The air curdled with the stench of burning feathers and sulfur, the sky a bruised tapestry of smoke and lightning. Marverick's wings, now jagged and frayed from the Stone's unstable power, shuddered as he faced the tide of demons surging across the scorched earth. Ava stood at his side, her dagger dripping ichor, her green eyes narrowed to slits. Dave Riggs lurked behind them, his cane's crimson gem pulsing like a diseased heart.

Then the ground *split*.

Elijah emerged first, his hybrid form grotesquely magnified—scales glistening like oil, one wing a mangled fusion of bone and shadow. But it was the figure beside him that froze Marverick's blood. **Azazel** towered over the horde, his true form unveiled: obsidian horns spiraling into the storm, eyes like smelted iron, and wings that blotted out the sun. His laugh was a landslide, crushing hope beneath its weight.

"**You carry the stink of failure, little hinge,**" Azazel boomed, talons flexing. "**Your bloodline ends here.**"

Marverick tightened his grip on the sword—a relic forged from the Elysium Stone's last shard. "Funny. Your son said the same thing. Right before he *burned*."

The battle erupted. Demons swarmed, a tidal wave of claws and teeth. Ava became a blur, her blade carving arcs through the fray, each strike punctuated by a snarl. Dave's cane unleashed crimson tendrils, eviscerating foes, but his smirk never reached his eyes. *He's waiting*, Marverick realized. *For the right moment to betray us.*

Above, the sky *screamed*. Angels descended—Raphael at their helm, his sword a comet of celestial fire. Beside him flew Gabriel, the rogue's once-sneering face now etched with grim resolve. "**Finish this, Daveson!**" Gabriel roared, cleaving a demon general in two.

Azazel's roar shook the earth. "**Traitors!**" He lunged, his talons meeting Marverick's sword in a shower of sparks. The impact drove Marverick to his knees, the Stone's power surging erratically through his veins.

"**You're a leaky vessel,**" Azazel mocked, pressing closer. "**The Stone's too much for your mongrel blood.**"

A gunshot rang out. Azazel staggered, black blood weeping from a wound in his shoulder. Cassandra Riggs stepped from the smoke, a revolver in hand, her smirk razor-sharp. "**Daddy says hello.**"

Before Marverick could react, she fired again—this time at Dave. The shot grazed his temple, and he hissed, his human facade flickering to reveal scales beneath. "**Bitch!**"

"**Family reunion!**" Cassandra laughed, tossing Marverick a vial of liquid light. "**Chug that and *end him*.**"

The vial burned like hellfire down his throat. Power detonated in his chest—the Stone's resonance, amplified. His wings reignited, not gold now, but white-hot and screaming. Azazel recoiled, his obsidian flesh blistering.

"**NOW!**" Raphael thundered.

Marverick struck. The sword pierced Azazel's chest, the blade fracturing as it channeled the Stone's full wrath. The demon king howled, his form unraveling into ash and static. "**This…is not…**"

The explosion hurled Marverick backward. He landed in a crater, ears ringing, vision swimming. "Ava…?" he croaked.

She lay motionless nearby, her chest still.

"**No.**" He crawled to her, ignoring the burns searing his hands. "**No, no, NO—**"

Dave materialized above him, cane raised. "**Sentiment's a fatal flaw, vessel.**"

A gun cocked. Cassandra pressed her revolver to Dave's temple. "**And greed's yours.**"

The standoff held—until the sky *ripped*.

A woman descended, her presence bending reality. Hair like liquid night, eyes voids that devoured light, she floated on a throne of writhing shadows. The surviving demons *prostrated*. Even Raphael knelt, his wings trembling.

"**Marverick Daveson,**" the woman intoned, her voice a chorus of graves. "**You've danced well. But the finale belongs to Death.**"

Her hand lifted.

The world went black.