This time, he kept himself in place by digging the heels of his bare feet into the dirt below, allowing his back to arch back from the elbow pressing against his nose. Slowly, Sora felt his arm be gripped onto by the hands of the pale demon who bore the appearance of a human.

"I was under the impression humans were social creatures. It seems that is not the case for all."

Using his own tremendous strength, Halphas contested the elbow pressed against his face, pushing it away as a fountain of black blood poured from his twisted nose.

"..."

No words came from Sora as he watched the demon behind his dragon-head helmet, feeling his arm be compromised by the vice-grip of Halphas.

Twisting his body around unnaturally, the man bathed in a silent rage flung himself around into a brutal kick that displaced the demon's jaw, allowing his arm to be released as he followed up with a deep slash against his torso.

As the abyssal blood of the count from hell sprayed from its newly cut-open wound, an emotion finally showed itself on Halphas' expression as he looked down at the twin cuts on his chest, running his thin, bony fingers along the mutilated section.

"...It's not healing. Why is it not healing?"

Rubbing his own blood between his fingers, the demon slowly turned his crimson gaze up to the man in black armor with a daunting expression.

"That blade...It negates regeneration, doesn't it?"

As expected, only silence was met in return of the question delivered, clearly to the frustration of the demon as its pale complexion suffered a slight tinge of angered scarlet.

To Sora's surprise, the demon began to break out into an unnatural fit of laughter, roaring out in joy as if it had never committed the same action before.

"You think you've cornered me, but you've failed to recognize what stands before you! I am one of the seventy-two; you're nothing to me, human!"

Following his maddened proclamation, Halphas suddenly jabbed four fingers from each hand into his chest. A sickening mixture of squelching and cracking filled the man's ears as he watched the gut-wrenching sight; Halphas began to tear open his own sternum, parting skin, flesh, and bone before finally completely revealing his chest cavity.

This thing...Just what the fuck is this unholy abomination up to now? Sora thought.

From the depths of its inhuman body came a mysterious figure drenched in the demon's black blood, crawling out from its chest and leaving the pale-skinned body behind as nothing more than a husk. As the sludge fell from the body of the newly-birthed entity, it revealed itself to be the same, bowl-cut, crimson-eyed demon.

"Good as new."

Halphas was now smiling in his fresh form, unveiling his abnormally long, almost serpentine tongue from his lips as he licked the abyssal blood from his fingers.

"It doesn't change a damn thing…"

"Oh, he speaks?"

"...All I have to do is continue tearing you apart until you return to whatever hole in hell you belong to."

"Go ahead and try--see how that works out for you."

With the challenge issued, Sora accepted it as he moved with a ferocious speed, inhabiting an animalistic nature to his form as he lowered himself temporarily, sending himself forward with his arm before spiraling into a spinning slash that was stopped by another force.

Looking up, his blade was halted by the existence of a black mirror that held no reflection. These small, hovering mirrors circled around the demon as he stood there with a hand on his hip as if he was untouchable; this only made the man angrier.

Use whatever tricks you want--it'll only make your end that much more painful once I get my hands on you.

"Should you really be so focused on just me?"

Asking this, Halphas bent over backward, tilted his head upside down to look directly at the man who attempted to get past the persistent mirror barriers by striking from behind, failing as he latched onto these words for a moment. It was then that he suddenly focused on the presence of the sable towers that had risen from the ground; they were too enormous to miss, yet in his blind rage, they fell from his focus.

"My twenty-six legions; show this world hell--show the mortal who dares strike me hell."

Following the hoarse words from the demon's throat, the towers began to rumble, the blaring sound of footsteps pattering and thundering down against metallic holds filled the entire town.

Sounds like the cavalry's here, he thought.

There were no windows inhabiting the smooth, obsidian of the ominous towers, only allowing sound to be the determining factor of the approaching malice from all sides.

"What will you do, I wonder? In this hopeless situation, surrounded by enemies on all sides...And a dear comrade left mortally wounded. Truly, I wonder what choice you will make."

The more Halphas spoke, the more twisted his deep, grating voice became as he held an inhuman smile that looked possible only by tearing away at one's own lips.

It was true; Sora knew there were many options and only one could be answered at a time. The rage continued to boil his blood, seething with such contempt that he ground his teeth almost to powder before finally making his call.

With a single movement, he propelled himself back towards the origin of this madness, finding his compromised comrade who lay unconscious in a pool of his own blood. Listening to the many, frantic footsteps continue from every direction, anxiety filled his heart and fueled his movements as he hoisted Lucas up, carrying him in one arm.

"...I've got you, buddy."

"Sora?..."

Lucas' voice came out in more of a weak gasp of air, slightly parting his heavy-seeming eyelids as he looked up at the man who held him, dressed in his sable armor.

"Don't speak. Save your strength--I'm getting you out of here."

"I can see him...calling me…"

"Huh?"

Attempting to retreat with his companion in his hold, held close to his chest, he watched for a moment as Lucas weakly reached towards the sky, speaking softly with a small smile. His attention was contested as he avoided the rumbling towers, hearing the footsteps draw closer and closer to the ground level as the soil beneath his boots began to vibrate from the rampant marching.

"Sebastian...He's waiting for me…"

"No!...Don't give in to that crap! You're right here, damn it! Right here with me, still alive and kicking, you hear?!"

He couldn't even tell if his words were reaching the ears of his comrade, looking at the boy's fair face as he continued to softly smile, looking up at the crimson skies as if seeing some hidden beauty kept tucked away within it.

Allowing his helmet to disappear, Sora revealed to Lucas his face once more, caressing the boy's cheek as he watched his consciousness flee before his eyes.

"You're strong! You're an Outlander! Don't you dare fucking give up!"

Tears fled Sora's sky-like irises as he felt helpless holding the young mage in his arm, running without any sense of direction.

"Sora...It's okay...He's waiting. He's there."

This time, Lucas turned his glistening emeralds to the man who held him, slowly raising his shaky hand before running it through the sorrow-driven Outlander's locks of vermilion and black, continuing to smile softly.

"I…"

He couldn't find the words to contest this wish from his companion; the look on his face was far too peaceful as if accepting this fate. Sora wanted so badly to reject these words, knowing full well it was simply a haze--but he couldn't bring himself to force his will onto him anymore.

Falling to his knees, he clutched Lucas close to his chest, listening to the boy's breathing become more rugged, weaker, and with more pauses in between.

Completely dissolving his armor, his only desire in that moment was to hold his friend one last time, and follow through with that wish in the reverse; to allow his dear friend to experience the warmth of another in these final moments.

Running his fingers through the fluffy, hazel locks belonging to the boy, Sora no longer listened to the constant rumbling around him, only to the shallow breathing of Lucas.

"You did good. I'd say...a rest is well-deserved for you, my friend. You're right...Sebastian is waiting up there."

Looking up at the harrowing faces of the unnatural clouds and the blood-red sky, Sora could only smile vicariously through his held friend. Slowly, he felt his own hand be held--looking down to see Lucas holding his weak smile as he gently grasped the much larger hand of Sora's.

"So big...You were always so reliable, Sora…Like the big brother I never had..."

"Yeah."

Sniffling up from these words, he forced a shaky smile onto his face as he looked down at his comrade, his own tears falling down onto the cheek of the emerald-eyed boy, who didn't seem to mind.

"...It's raining today."

"Yeah."

I can't. I can't fight anymore. I don't have it in me. All of that rage...It's gone just looking at your gentle smile.

Tightly holding Lucas' hand in his own, Sora looked up to the dreadful skies in search of some sign to keep him going, feeling the slender fingers he held so fervently begin to grow cold.

It's okay if I stop, right? After all of this, it's fine if I give up now, right?...Isn't it?

"Sora…"

"Yeah?"

There was nothing more he wanted to do than listen to the words coming from the mouth of his comrade who teetered on death's door. He had never listened so fervently, holding so tightly the hand that meant everything to him in that moment.

"I failed...I wasn't able to save... anyone. I tried--I did...but, I was too weak…I wanted to try...try being like him. I'm not a hero...I never was...but still, I wanted to try to see why it made him smile so much."

The absent expression shifted to sadness as tears strolled down his pale cheeks, locking his verdant gaze onto the man looking down at him.

"...You didn't fail anybody, you hear me? Sebastian...He'll be damn proud when you see him."

Reassuring his friend, whose warmth fleeted in his very arms, Sora struggled more than anything to hold his smile as it trembled beneath his waterworks.

"Idiot…"

"Huh?"

"I'm the one leaving...not you. Fight...That's what you're best at. Protecting everyone."

With those last words, he could feel the other hand holding his become limp, the emerald eyes that glistened with vigor losing their shine as they stared off into the beyond. Feeling what little warmth resided in the boy's body fall to a cold, he wanted so badly to deny what he knew deep inside, with all of his being.