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Chapter 17: The Infernal Trial
The crater of the Ashes trembled.
Flames spiraled upward in towering columns, bathing the night sky in molten light. The air shimmered with heat and the heavy scent of burning stone. The world had become a furnace — and Kael Riven stood at its center.
His wings stretched wide, glowing crimson with threads of shadow crawling along their edges. His grip tightened around the scythe's shaft, its blackened blade dripping with molten embers that hissed as they touched the ashen ground.
From the fissures around him, figures emerged — not just demons, but sins given form. Each one massive, crowned in horns or cloaked in smoke, radiating the oppressive aura of ancient evil.
The first stepped forward — towering and grotesque, skin carved with runes that glowed sickly gold. Its voice was a chorus of whispers.
> "Punisher of blood and flame… the devil calls you to trial."
Kael's wings flared. "Then let him watch."
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Above, on the ledge overlooking the crater, Akiro, Sera, Lyra, and Ryn watched in disbelief.
"What are those things?" Lyra breathed, clutching her rifle.
Akiro's jaw clenched. "The Seven Sins. Manifestations of Hell's law — guardians of the balance Kael has shattered."
Ryn spat. "You're saying the demons are trying to keep balance now? After centuries of slaughter?"
Sera's voice was quiet, steady. "No… they're here to claim Kael. To see if he's worthy of being the Punisher."
Her crimson eyes followed Kael as he stepped forward, wings shimmering against the infernal glow. "And if he wins… he'll never come back."
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The first Sin attacked without warning. A massive hand swung down like a meteor, the impact shaking the valley. Kael dodged, his movement a blur of crimson light. The scythe sliced upward, splitting the creature's arm clean through. Black fire erupted from the wound, hissing like boiling blood.
Kael's voice cut through the chaos. "Wrath… you always were impatient."
The creature roared and struck again, faster this time, but Kael's eyes gleamed — two burning rubies — as he caught the blow with one hand. The impact cratered the ground around him, yet his body didn't move. Flames raced down his arm, engulfing the demon's limb until it disintegrated into ash.
Another presence appeared behind him — Sloth — a gray, amorphous being that seemed to melt into the shadows. It whispered in his ear, voice slow and haunting:
> "You don't need to fight… you don't need to resist. Just let it go… rest."
Kael's grip faltered. His scythe lowered slightly. For a moment, the weight of exhaustion — of guilt, of grief, of the endless blood — pressed against him like chains. He remembered his mother's smile, her touch, her voice calling his name.
Then he remembered her death.
His flames roared back to life. "Rest… comes after justice."
The scythe swung upward in a blinding arc. The shadowy form shrieked, cut apart by radiant fire, its body scattering like dust into the burning wind.
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On the ledge, Sera clutched the edge of the cliff. Her wings twitched, reacting to the overwhelming power Kael radiated. "He's fighting them… but not just physically. They're trying to pull him apart from the inside — to twist his mind."
Akiro nodded grimly. "Every Sin he kills, he absorbs. Their essence becomes his. If he defeats them all…"
Lyra's voice cracked. "Then he becomes them."
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The battle intensified. Kael moved like a living inferno, flames bursting from every strike, wings cutting through the darkness. One by one, the Sins fell — Gluttony, Pride, Envy — each reduced to cinders under the weight of his fury.
But the more he fought, the darker his fire burned. The red light of his wings began to dim, replaced by black streaks that spread like veins across his feathers. His breath grew heavier, and his eyes — once crimson with fire — now glowed faintly purple, the color of corrupted flame.
The last three Sins surrounded him — Lust, Greed, and Pride reborn. Their voices echoed like the heartbeat of Hell.
> "You claim to punish evil, yet you are its vessel."
"You wield our power and call it justice."
"You are no savior, Kael Riven — you are our successor."
Kael's laughter broke through the firestorm — hollow, bitter, defiant.
"Successor? You think I fight for you? I fight to end everything you stand for!"
He spun, wings flaring, the scythe a blur of molten arcs. The three demons lunged simultaneously. The ground shattered. The sky tore. And then — silence.
When the fire cleared, Kael stood alone. The Sins had fallen. The valley was still.
But the sigil on his chest — the devil's mark — now burned brighter than ever.
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Sera's heart clenched. "He won…"
Akiro's eyes narrowed. "No… not yet."
Below, Kael dropped to one knee. His body trembled violently, his wings flickering between red and black. The power he'd absorbed surged within him, a storm that refused to be contained.
In the reflection of the flames, his face twisted — pain, rage, despair — all colliding at once. His voice was a whisper of agony.
"Mother… I can't stop it…"
The ground beneath him cracked, glowing with infernal symbols. The voice that had whispered to him before — deep, ancient, and cruel — returned, echoing from the pit.
> "You've proven your worth, my Punisher. Now accept your throne."
Kael screamed as chains of black flame erupted from the ground, wrapping around his arms and wings. The scythe pulsed with life, feeding on his power.
Akiro shouted, "Now! Before it consumes him!"
He leaped from the cliff, Sera right behind him. The two streaked down through smoke and ash, landing just as the black chains began pulling Kael downward.
Sera reached for him, grabbing his wrist. "Kael! Look at me! You're not his! You never were!"
His eyes flickered — purple to red, red to human brown — the war within him raging across his expression. "Sera…"
For a heartbeat, the flames dimmed. The chains loosened. And then — a shockwave of raw energy exploded outward.
Sera was thrown back, her wings snapping open to shield Akiro. Kael's body floated above the crater, engulfed in both light and shadow.
> "If the devil wants a Punisher," he said, his voice layered with two tones — his and something far darker — "then he'll have to fight for him."
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The firestorm expanded, swallowing the entire valley.
Demons screamed as they disintegrated. The crater filled with blinding light. And when the smoke finally cleared, Kael was gone.
All that remained was his scythe, buried in the ground where he'd stood, still smoldering.
Sera staggered forward, reaching for it. Her hand hovered above the blade, trembling. "He's still out there… somewhere."
Akiro nodded grimly. "Yes. But the next time we find him… he might not be Kael anymore."
The red moon rose above them, bleeding light over the ruined landscape. The wind carried a whisper — faint, almost lost among the ashes:
> "I'll return… when the world is ready to burn again."
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TO BE CONTINUED