The sage panted heavily, using his staff to haul himself upright as stone dust slid from his robes. "Fucking bastard," he muttered through clenched teeth, glaring across the courtyard. "Why the fuck do you get random power-ups?"
Across the ruined courtyard, the Demon Knight stood against the succubus and vampire at once—and for the first time in a very long time, all three of the beings were genuinely struggling.
The succubus's expression was twisted with frustration and worry as she snapped her arm out, finally drawing the weapon she had clearly hoped not to use. A whip unfurled from her grip, made of some unnatural material—dark crimson threaded with veins of fiery orange that pulsed faintly. The crack of it echoed—
—and the Demon Knight was already gone.
He reappeared behind her in a blur, scythe sweeping in a lethal arc meant to cleave her cleanly in half.
Before metal could cut into flesh.
The vampire had appeared at the Demon Knight's side in the same instant, their expression narrowed into razor focus as they swung a long black blade that glowed with a vibrant blood-red light. Its ornate hilt bore sharp, wing-like guards, and at the crossguard sat a small, menacing eye motif. The strike landed with tremendous force, smashing into the Demon Knight and knocking him off-line just enough to spoil the kill.
The scythe still clipped the succubus.
Her wings were severed cleanly, collapsing into ragged stumps as she grunted in pain and staggered forward. She spun just in time to see the Demon Knight slam into the castle wall, stone exploding outward—only for him to step free of the rubble moments later as if nothing had happened.
"That hit felt really off," the vampire muttered, staring down at their blade.
The sage slammed the butt of his staff into the ground.
A crushing force manifested overhead and slammed straight down onto the Demon Knight, driving him through the stone floor and into the dungeons below in a violent cascade of debris.
"Hey, bird!" the sage shouted toward the succubus. "You gonna be fine with those mangled wings of yours!?"
She flexed her shoulders as leathery tissue already began knitting itself back together. "I'll be fine," she snapped, breath tight with pain. "But we need to figure out how to deal with him fast. Or none of us are going to be fine."
The vampire exhaled slowly. "It feels wrong," they said. "The sword should have done something. It didn't. Think there's a trick to it?"
Another impact shook the chamber.
From another breach in the stone, the Demon Lord leapt back into view, her black, sisterly robes dirtied and torn. She shook herself once and slid her mace away, then raised a hand as the three of them tensed to attack her.
"Don't bother," she said flatly, brushing dust from her sleeves. "I'm leaving."
They froze.
"You can exhaust yourselves fighting me and then get killed by the knight," she continued calmly, glancing down at her soiled clothes with visible distaste. "Or you let me walk. In exchange for not stopping me, I'll give you a tip on how to beat him."
"Your leaving?" the sage snapped. "The fuck do you mean you're leaving!?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. I am no longer going to be where I currently am," Zerakhea said, crossing her arms.
"I didn't ask for the definition of leaving!" the sage snapped. "I want to know why!"
Zerakhea looked at him, annoyance sharp in her eyes. "That is not something I am going to tell you. Now—do we have a deal or not?"
"And how exactly are we supposed to trust the tip you are going to give?" the succubus asked looking skeptical.
The Demon Lord let out a slow, tired sigh, then raised a hand and crossed it over her heart. "I vow that my advice will help you defeat the Demon Knight."
All three of them stiffened, eyes widening just slightly.
"Fine," the vampire said after a beat. "Tell us the advice."
They knew she had to be telling the truth. A literal vow meant exactly that—if she broke it, something would happen to her heart, and she would die.
Zerakhea breathed out, some tension finally leaving her shoulders. "Alright then. Listen well," she said. "This is how you defeat the Demon Knight…"
---
The Demon Knight shook his head as he pulled himself free of the rubble below, dust and broken stone sliding off his armor. "That sage… the amount of mana he exerts using these magics…" he muttered to himself.
He reached down, retrieved his scythe, then looked up at the hole torn through the ceiling. With a powerful leap, he launched himself upward, clearing the distance in a single motion and landing back in the courtyard.
The three beings were waiting for him.
They looked… at ease.
That alone set his instincts screaming. His grip tightened around the scythe.
"Well then, bastard," the sage said, forcing a grin through his exhaustion. "Looks like you lost. Your lord gave you up."
The Demon Knight froze. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice low.
The sage's grin widened, and he shouted a single word, harsh and alien. "𐌔ቹᕓቹ𐌐!"
Something snapped.
The Demon Knight staggered as the connection to the Knight Commander was severed in an instant, power ripping away from him as he was forcibly returned to his original state. He turned slowly toward the sage.
"You…" His gaze snapped back to the sage.
The sage huffed, swaying slightly. Blood spilled from his mouth as he clutched at his throat, breathing ragged. "That… you're using this for the first time. Lady Zerakhea… she told you how to—"
He did not finish.
The succubus cracked her whip and struck him square in the chest.
He screamed.
The pain was immediate and overwhelming, as if rose thorns had been driven directly into his veins, shredding them from the inside as they twisted and cut. His legs gave out, and he crashed to the ground.
"Yes," the succubus said coldly. "She told us how to say the word."
The vampire stepped forward, looking down at him. "Now," they added, "I think it is time we have a little chat."
The Demon Knight lay there, unable to rise, as the three of them stood over him, looking down with sadistic grins, even the sage despite his state.
Once again, they had repelled another demon invasion.
With a little help.