"Omnipotentis Dea potestatem invoco. Dea te ut."

As the High Priestess recited the exorcism spells for separating Ravin from the Vampire King, her silver hair flew in all directions as the wind picked up their speed, creating a mini-tornado surrounding her.

The Archdemon of Lust watched how the High Priestess transform as her power intensified, her long silver hair glowing pink and purple.

Poisonous flowers such as mandrakes and belladonnas have grown in her shiny tresses lengthening until it reached the ground.

Magic runes glimmered all over her skin: imprinting and marking her as the vessel of Goddess Hecate's spell work.

Red cheeks flushing with vibrancy, her brow bones were highlighted with gold and blue glitters, her lips were painted with seductive violet and her large eyes stood out from its kohl-rimmed edges.

She was holding the Death Scythe in one hand and a torch of blazing blue flames glowed in the other.

The Archdemon of Lust was certain that the High Priestess had prayed for Hecate, the Goddess of the Underworld for assistance because she wouldn't be able to do this without the Goddess' help.

Hecate was the Goddess of the Underworld.

She was the Goddess of crossroads, entrance-ways, night, light, magic, witchcraft, ghosts, necromancy, and sorcery.

She was equally powerful in heaven and in hell.

Hecate was associated with borders, boundaries, crossroads, realms outside or beyond the world of the living, the spirit world, the in-between, and what went beyond the veil.

Hecate was the holder of the keys that can unlock the gates between realms and other dimensions.

By extension of this powerful goddess, the High Priestess can unlock the gates of death.

When she had accidentally accessed the Hell's Portal, Luxen didn't tell the High Priestess that she had the special ability to open and close portals by herself with the aid of the Goddess Hecate instead of asking for his assistance.

The naive High Priestess didn't know what she was capable of and he had tried to trick her.

Unfortunately, Luxen had fallen into his own trap now.

The Archdemon of Lust had the disadvantage to be sent back to Hell along with his brother.

He had renounced her control over her Domina the moment he had cared for her--the moment he saved her from Ravin because his possessive nature had perceived that his mate was in danger.

Well, Luxen was under the control of his new master for now.

She had acquired his true name.

They had exchanged blood.

The High Priestess' entire form faded before a brilliant flash of pure white illuminated the entire Arctic region.

Now, Luna's emerald eyes radiated silver as if it was lighting the entire space.

Luxen threw the first bolt towards Luna before she could realize that he had broken from her control and moved.

Luxen drew back a hand and she saw the red fire in it.

If it touched her, she'd die between one heartbeat and the next.

The energy bolts he had conjured bounced off and boomeranged back to the Archdemon's chest, throwing him against the barrier's walls.

Good.

The next few instants went at inhuman speed as Luxen, once again, gathered his energy and launched himself upwards.

When the barriers didn't budge he gathered more of his energy to create fire bolts that would attack the protective shields in all directions—checking the weakest spot and focusing there so that he could get out.

Archdemon of Lust howled in rage as he fired bolts of pure energy to destroy the Devil's Trap.

Luna threw back pure holy fire and Luxen had gone down, hitting him in his wings.

Another blue and red fire was exchanged and some of Luna's fire missed the target, forming huge holes in the wall and dust floating to the Vampire Realm in serene quiet.

As they fought, Luna watched the Archdemon of Gluttony as he changed, tried to see the monster within emerge--but the Vampire King looked as he always had.

Luna focused on repelling Luxen's blows on the Devil's Trap and attacking him with her own.

A passing fireball singed Luxen's wings every time he assaulted her defenses.

Shrugging off the shrieking nerve endings, the Archdemon of Lust returned fire and it bounced back again, catching the tip of the Archdemon's left-wing.

Luxen never learned.

If he just quit attacking the barriers then he wouldn't be hurt like this.

He kept on resisting when it wasn't him who was the current casualty of the exorcism.

Luna screamed as she released her blue flames."I will send you to the Depths of Hell."

There was a sound of a loud crack.

The Archdemon of Lust tipped to the side, faltering, and Luna saw the tear at the bottom of his wing. She struck out at the vulnerable spot and hit, causing considerable damage.

Luxen dropped for the last instant, and the wave of fire hit the wall where he had been moments ago.

Luxen had slammed into Ravin.

A scream shattered the air.

Now that Luxen had stopped attacking, the exorcism spell had taken effect on the Archdemon of Gluttony.

The Vampire King had awakened from his slumber.

The blood exchange with his brother Archdemon and her blood sacrifice had made him stronger.

That was the draw, the temptation, the insanity.

After the sacrifice ritual took hold, the blood had increased an Archdemon's power to the nth degree.

Luna was worried but she knew that she had the Goddess of the Underworld behind her back, supporting her.

She would continue to guide her and she wouldn't leave her alone.

Luna wouldn't allow herself to be cornered.

She had to do the right thing and that is to deliver these Archdemons back to their rightful place—to Hell.

Luna knew that this was what the Goddess wanted because she had been giving her instructions, a gentle whispering in her ear as she chanted the most complex spells.

Luna had just repeated obediently what Hecate had uttered, just in case she made a mistake.

Luna couldn't afford to make a mistake.

Or they would go back to square one.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis legio, omnis incursion, infernalis adversarii. Ergo, draco maledicte, adiuramus te…cessa decipere creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare…Vade, daemonium, .…Humiliare sub potenti manu Dea Hecate."

Ravin.

The Vampire King was missing a heart.

There was a glowing red fireball where the organ should have been.

Not stopping to think, The Vampire King thrust in a hand covered with a blue fire the same as hers and pulled out the red, throwing it at the walls of the Devil's Trap and dissipating its destructive force.

The Vampire King's new heart was now a beating, pulsing reality in his ravaged chest.

His blue eyes were open, filled with a kind of horror he'd never expected to see.

The Vampire King began to regenerate in front of her eyes.

He was too old, had experienced too much, to know true fear.

Teeth bared, The Vampire King howled and the Blood Beast emerged from his body, gold inferno in his eyes, fangs lengthening past his lips . . . and a dervish of flame in his hands.

"He's almost out of my body," The Vampire King said when he met Luna's eyes --referring to the Blood Beast.

Bubbles of blood started to foam out of his mouth.