The king waved his hand, and Nadro lunged forward with a growl.
"Khaaaaaaar!"
But Karyan was quick, his body moved immediately with the grace of a serpent. "Sera!" he hissed, and she darted from his side, striking at the demon.
Nadro swiped at Sera, but the snake dodged, biting at the demon's arm. The demon howled, a sound that shook the walls, but it was not enough to stop him.
Karyan chanted under his breath, "Granx!" In an instant, the room filled with hissing as snakes of all sizes appeared, slithering towards the demon.
Nadro stomped and swatted, but for every snake he dispatched, two more took its place.
"Venom!" Karyan shouted, and the air shimmered as one massive anaconda materialized, its eyes immediately started glaring on Nadro.
With a thunderous roar, it wrapped itself around the demon, squeezing tightly. Nadro screeched, fighting back with dark energy that crackled through the air.
Meanwhile, Reverie was locked in her own battle.
Another demon, smaller than Nadro but just as fierce, had appeared.
She ducked under a clawed hand and rolled to the side, pulling daggers from her belt. Immediately, she slashed at the demon, her blades coated with a light that seemed to burn its flesh.
"Get away from her!" Reverie yelled, eyeing Nedeira's limp form.
She leaped high, aiming for the chains that held Nedeira suspended. Each strike of her dagger sent sparks flying, the metal began slowly giving way to her relentless attacks.
"Get away, you nasty things!" The king shouted commands, but the snakes obeyed only Karyan.
"You'll never win," the king spat, his hands made spells that sent bolts of dark magic towards Karyan.
But Karyan was ready, "such a strong sorcerer," he mocked the king.
As a bolt neared, he sidestepped, and a cobra leapt, intercepting the spell with its body.
The snake fell, but Karyan did not waver.
The room became a battlefield of light and shadow, each side was pushing against the other.
Karyan's snakes hissed and attacked, while Nadro and the king's magic fought back with relentless darkness.
"You can't protect yourself forever!" the king roared, aiming a deadly spell at Karyan.
Karyan glanced at Nedeira. "It's like you're telling the dead to stay dead! So useless."
As Reverie finally broke the chains, Nedeira fell into her arms, the dark fog disappeared.
With Nedeira safe, Reverie turned to help Karyan, throwing a knife that gleamed with the same light as her daggers.
"Aaaah!" It hit the king's shoulder, forcing a cry of pain from him.
The distraction was all Karyan needed. "Now, Sera!" he called.
The giant anaconda tightened its grip, and with a final, mighty squeeze, the demon Nadro dissolved into shadow, defeated.
The king, injured and with his demon gone, looked around, realizing his plans were crumbling. "No, this can't be!" he gasped.
The king's eyes were wild with desperation, descended from his throne, a sword in hand. He approached Karyan, who stood ready, though he knew the challenge of fighting with only his left hand.
"You may have your snakes, serpent master," the king taunted, swinging his sword in a wide arc, "but let's see how you fare in real combat!"
Karyan dodged the blade, feeling the whoosh of air as it narrowly missed him.
With his left hand, he parried a second strike, his movements were hindered but still precise.
"You're useless without your right hand!" the king mocked, lunging forward with a series of quick thrusts.
Karyan stumbled back, barely blocking each blow.
He could feel his strength waning, the disadvantage of his missing hand was becoming painfully clear.
'Damn it! I need my full powers!'
As the king raised his sword for another attack, there was a sudden blur of strike. Sin, having rested, was now standing beside Karyan, a makeshift staff in hand.
"I may be weakened," Sin panted, "but I can still fight!"
Together, Karyan and Sin faced the king. The king sneered, "Two cripples don't make a warrior."
But Karyan knew better. "And a dead body does?" he replied.
Sin swung his staff, catching the king off guard and knocking the sword from his grasp.
Karyan followed up with a punch, his left hand connected with the king's jaw.
The king staggered but quickly regained his composure. "You'll need more than that," he spat, summoning Nadro back with a dark incantation.
The demon reformed, towering over them. Karyan and Sin exchanged a glance, knowing the odds were against them.
"I will send you to the afterlife again!" The king laughed, certain of his victory.
Karyan racked his brain for a solution, his eyes settling on the candles that still flickered around the room.
An idea sparked within him.
"Sin, the candles!" he shouted, nodding towards them.
Sin understood, swinging his staff and sending a gust of wind that snuffed out a row of candles.
The room darkened, and Karyan's snakes reacted to the change, their hissing grew louder.
"Anksu…" Karyan whispered an ancient word, it was a command that only his snakes understood.
The serpents lunged at Nadro, their bites now infused with a mystical venom that weakened the demon with every strike.
"How dare you?!" The king, realizing his control was slipping, charged at Karyan, unarmed but furious.
Karyan met him head-on, dodging a wild punch and delivering a blow to the king's stomach.
"You can't win!" the king bellowed, swinging with blind rage.
But Karyan was already moving, drawing upon the serpent energy within him. "I don't need to win," Karyan replied calmly, "I just need to outlast."
Sin continued to battle Nadro, growing more confident as the demon faltered, "what happened to you?" He asked.
And Karyan, focused on the king, waited for the perfect moment.
As the king lunged again, Karyan sidestepped and pushed him towards the mass of snakes.
The king stumbled, his feet entangled by the serpents' bodies.
Nadro, now weakened by the mystic venom, roared, "khaaaaaar!"
But it didn't take long for Sin to understand the whole situation.
Back when he was captured by them, Nadro showed the most of his presence and powers just to torture Sin.
But now, it seemed weakened, like his powers were transferred to someone…someone who could…?
"Karyan, Reverie!" Sin shouted from above, "release Nedeira, now!" He commanded, shouting so loud that probably people five miles away could hear him scream.
"What? Why?" Reverie looked at him, "I just saved her!"
"Nadro is transferring himself to Nedeira's body, it's not her anymore!"
"What a smart demon," the king interrupted.
Nedeira's body glowed with a brilliant light, warming her up.
"At last."