Keep the anomaly contained. Hunt down the two apostles. The mission was simple, and Zagreus was determined to see it through. It would end in success or in his death.

"You are quite the cheeky one," he heard the woman say, standing there with hundreds of small dark tendrils piercing through her, emerging from thin air.

Emma couldn't believe she had been harmed by something so cheap. But the moment those tendrils touched the aether within her, they began to burn away.

Her injuries healed at an astonishing pace, and she stood ready for another battle.

Zagreus tilted his head. "Aren't you quite petty? Instead of checking on your lover, you're here protecting another man."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Was that supposed to enrage me?" Her gaze sharpened as a smirk formed. "The fact that you chose to isolate him before showing your ugly face here already answers whether he needs protection or not."

Zagreus hummed. "A nice way to comfort yourself. But are you sure he can handle a General on his own?"

For a brief moment, her composure faltered. A General-ranked opponent? That couldn't be... could it?

Zagreus continued, "I had nothing to lose here and everything to gain. Of course, I went all out and used my one chance to summon a Devil Sink."

Emma took a slow breath. He was lying. No one in this realm could consciously summon a Sink, especially not one of that rank.

"You're lying," she said quietly, without a trace of doubt. She tightened her grip on the spear of light, her wings unfurling once more as she prepared to clash again.

Zagreus smirked. He had succeeded.

Emma lunged forward, her body flickering through space as if she had teleported.

Zagreus twisted aside, barely avoiding the burning strike, and reached for her hair. Pain shot through him as her wings spread wide, piercing his hand.

His arm began to turn to ash. Without hesitation, he severed it. Before it could completely disintegrate, a new arm grew in its place.

"You're an annoying pigeon. I'll have to remove those wings first." His fingers extended into sharp claws, Nyx dripping from their tips.

The monster stared at Emma, who hovered high above, still positioned between Zagreus and Kevin in case he made a move.

But Zagreus had already stopped thinking about Kevin.

Emma was his target now.

A moment of silence passed before Zagreus shot upward, leaving a web-like trail behind him.

Emma reacted instantly, her instincts taking over as a claw appeared right before her face.

"Begone," she muttered, thrusting her spear of light upward into the hand.

The moment it connected, something felt wrong.

The hand had no body attached.

DHAK

Pain exploded through her as a burning grip clamped around her throat, the force instantly cutting off her air.

Her gaze snapped downward.

Zagreus was there, clutching her neck, a grin stretching so wide it nearly split his face.

"Living up to your compliment of being cheeky," he muttered, tightening his hold as he prepared to snap her neck.

Emma clenched her teeth and slashed just past his wrist.

In the next instant, foul blood burst out.

The grip loosened as Zagreus lost another hand.

But he didn't falter.

Still mid-air, face to face with her, he puffed his cheeks. Before Emma could react,

SHBOOM

Dark flames blasted from his mouth, engulfing her face completely. They burned into her skin with a heat she had never endured before.

"Aahhhhh..." she screamed, pain consuming her as she desperately tried to wipe the flames away.

Her inexperience with this form was evident. Had she been more composed, she would have stayed alert, knowing her divinity would handle the burn.

The flames vanished, her face healing instantly, but those few seconds were lost. Seconds she should have used to track Zagreus.

"Peek-a-boo," he whispered from right behind her.

Emma flared her wings again, aiming to impale him.

"Ah!" she cried as his grip caught the base of her wings.

She poured aether into them. They were divine manifestations. Just being near them should have scorched him, yet...

"Gah... tch! What the hell are you?!" Emma snapped, frustration rising as he tugged harshly at her right wing.

"I'm taking these away," Zagreus said, his voice laced with intent. "They're irritating to look at."

The monster's grip tightened, his resolve unyielding.

He was actually trying to tear her wing apart.

Emma gritted her teeth, and in the next instant, her wings vanished into thin air.

Zagreus paused, caught off guard, as Emma dropped to the ground, rolled, and pushed herself back onto her feet.

A smirk spread across his face. "So you chose surrender over a little pain? How pathetic."

Emma rolled her eyes. "You think I'm surrendering? Against someone like you?"

She had simply released her divine form before something irreversible could happen.

But the real question lingered. Could her body withstand another awakening? That state placed immense strain on her. Healing injuries was one thing, but restoring mental fatigue was something else entirely.

Without that form, Emma wasn't even sure she could last a minute against him.

Yet, her calculations became irrelevant.

The barrier surrounding Kevin suddenly dissolved, as if absorbed from within.

The figure that had been lying there rose to his feet.

His body still looked fragile, almost soft, but the presence he radiated now was nothing like before.

Zagreus grinned. "Nice. I've already achieved half of what I came for." He licked the blood on his hand which belonged to Emma, then pointed a claw at Kevin. "The second half... I'll extract it from you."

A surge of Genesis erupted from Kevin.

The force slammed into Zagreus, driving him back as his flesh began to burn and warp, twisting under the pressure.

It felt as if he had been thrown into waves of acid.

Kevin stepped forward, his voice low, unable to fully contain the agitation beneath it. "I made you a promise."

He raised his hand, a golden sword forming within his grasp.

"I'm going to fulfill it now."

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Someone said the story has lost its spark 🥲.

Won't drag the battle for long, don't worry.