The Destructive Adventures of the Lovers-Chapter 42: The End of the Demon Queen

Carl's boots crunched against the shattered stone of the castle courtyard, the wind whipping through his torn, blood-streaked cloak as he faced Matt. The air between them crackled, the remnants of the storm still flickering in the blackened sky.

Matt's eyes narrowed, his fists clenched, flames licking at his fingertips. His chest heaved with every breath, his hair wild and tangled, eyes alight with unrestrained fury.

"You betrayed me," Matt growled, his voice low and dangerous. "You left me to die. You turned everyone against me."

Carl sneered, blood trickling from a cut above his eyebrow. He tightened his grip on his blade, the metal gleaming dully in the dying light. "You brought this on yourself, Matt. You destroyed everything. You have no one to blame but yourself."

Matt's lips curled back in a snarl, and he took a step forward, the ground beneath his feet blackening as the heat radiated from his body. "I was your brother! I trusted you!"

Carl swung his blade, the metal slicing through the smoky air, but Matt ducked, his body twisting like a serpent as he launched a fiery fist into Carl's chest. The impact sent Carl staggering back, his armor hissing as the flames seared his flesh.

"You're nothing but a coward," Matt spat, his voice a venomous hiss. "A snake hiding behind a false crown."

Carl staggered, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he struggled to regain his footing. He raised his blade, his eyes wild, but Matt was faster. He slammed his palm into Carl's chest, a burst of fire exploding outward, engulfing the knight in a searing wave of heat.

Carl's scream echoed through the courtyard, his armor melting into his flesh, his skin blackening as the fire consumed him. He crumpled to the ground, his body a smoking, twisted heap of molten metal and charred bone.

Matt stood over him, his chest heaving, his fists still crackling with residual flames. He spat on the smoking corpse, his eyes cold and unfeeling. "Traitor."

At that moment, Gabriel stumbled into the courtyard, his blade already drawn, blood dripping from a fresh cut on his brow. His eyes locked on Matt, the two men standing in the smoke-choked air, their breath coming in short, ragged gasps.

"You..." Gabriel's voice was hoarse, his grip on his blade tightening. "You did this."

Matt's head snapped toward him, his eyes narrowing. "Don't waste your breath, Gabriel. We have more important things to deal with."

Before Gabriel could respond, a scream cut through the air, sharp and gut-wrenching. They both turned, their eyes widening as they saw Queen Hanna standing on the shattered steps of the castle, her white hair whipping in the wind, her eyes wide with terror as Sally loomed over her, purple flames licking at her shoulders, her violet hair a living crown of fire.

"No!" Gabriel shouted, his heart clenching as he stumbled forward, but it was too late.

Sally's arm shot out, her fingers tightening around Queen Hanna's throat, lifting her off the ground. The old queen choked, her fingers clawing at Sally's unyielding grip, her eyes rolling back as her feet dangled in the air.

"Take care of Margo," she gasped, her eyes locking with Gabriel's. "And... the blade I gave her..."

Sally's grip tightened, the bones in Hanna's neck cracking audibly, her body going limp as her head lolled back, her final breath escaping in a soft, broken gasp.

With a twisted grin, Sally hurled the queen's body aside, her head snapping toward Gabriel, her eyes blazing with fury. She raised her hand, the core in her palm twisting, and the ground beneath their feet shuddered violently. Cracks spidered out from the castle walls, chunks of stone crashing to the ground as the entire structure began to crumble.

"No!" Gabriel roared, surging forward, his blade flashing as he swung it at Sally, but she stepped back, her form flickering like a mirage.

Suddenly, the air behind him crackled, and Matt appeared, his fists blazing, his eyes narrowed with cold fury.

"Let's end this," Matt snarled, his voice a guttural growl.

Before Sally could react, a dark shadow loomed over them. The ground beneath their feet trembled, and golden threads burst from the cracks, snaking through the air like the roots of a living tree. King Vesh stepped forward, his blade glowing with a fierce, holy light, his eyes cold and unyielding.

He drove his blade into the ground, and the threads of golden light surged upward, coiling around Sally's limbs, tightening like the grasp of an ancient god. She screamed, her body arching, the core slipping from her grasp as the threads tightened around her throat, her wrists, her ankles.

Gabriel lunged forward, his fingers closing around the core, its heat searing his flesh, but he held on, his teeth gritted as he wrenched it free from Sally's grasp.

Matt stepped forward, his fists blazing, his eyes filled with unrelenting rage. He thrust his arms forward, and a wave of fire surged out, engulfing Sally's trapped form. She screamed, her voice rising to a high, keening wail as the flames consumed her, her flesh blackening, her bones cracking as the heat intensified.

The golden threads snapped, and Sally's body exploded, a shockwave blasting outward, scattering shards of bone and scraps of burning flesh across the courtyard. The air rang with the echoes of her final, desperate scream as her ashes scattered into the wind.

The storm above them cleared, the clouds pulling back like a drawn curtain, the sun breaking through the gloom, its warm, golden light bathing the blood-soaked stones of the castle.

The Holy Land warriors, their eyes clearing as the enchantment faded, looked around in confusion, their weapons dropping from their hands as they staggered, blinking in the sudden light.

The flames in the forest died, the blackened trees hissing as the fire consumed its last breath. The shield surrounding the House of Gabriel's Parents flickered, cracked, and shattered, the floodwaters surging forward, crashing into the crumbling walls, the entire structure collapsing into the raging current.

Stark, his face pale and streaked with blood, staggered forward, his hand clutching his side. He turned to Gabriel, his voice a hoarse whisper. "Margo... she's in the Holy City. They... they took her there."

Gabriel's heart clenched, his breath catching in his throat. Without another word, he turned and sprinted toward the woods, his feet pounding against the cracked stone, the trees whipping past him as he ran toward the Holy City, the final echoes of the battle still ringing in his ears.

It was over.

But at what cost?