The Demon King of the Desert

Chapter 12

The magical recreation of the cobra widened its maw as the sharp fangs dug into Demiurge's shoulder. The devil flinched at the impact but didn't back down. His felsteed responded in kind, the fire hooves knocking Jaldabaoth's mask, to which caused the demon to growl at the impact. Much to your surprise, it didn't even cause the mask to crack.

The traitorous brother used his elongated Claws of the Devil to slash at the felsteed, causing the demon horse to cut open with such ease, it reminded you of a knife to paper. The blood crept from the beast's deep injury, making it disappear from sight before it could even hit the ground.

Demiurge, furious by this, grabbed the back of the snake's head and used what power he had to overwhelm the spell in kind. You could see the wound left by the spell was bleeding, but the Demon King was unfazed by it.

The deathly sound of metal scraping against a scabbard resonated about the air as Demiurge elongated his claws to begin fighting with his brother hand-to-hand. The noise their claws made when connecting was reminiscent of those learning the sword in your village. It sent shivers down your spine as you watched the two best you were able. Odd to say, they were moving so quickly it was a challenge to keep up with their fight.

In a split second, everything seemed to halt as Jaldabaoth hitched in breath when Demiurge's Claws of the Devil managed to dig into his brother's side.

Noticing Jaldabaoth on the losing end, the king scoffed as his eyes slowly opened. "Weak as ever," he insulted, pinning his twin to the sandy ground beneath them. The wound that was created continued to bleed out as Jaldabaoth struggled against this lethal blow dealt to him. "My mate will never join you, brother. None of my women will!"

Jaldabaoth struggled to breathe but in the stillness of the dry, desert air, you could hear him attempting to laugh. "Th-Then why do you...hesitate to kill me so often?"

Demiurge recoiled at his words, the growl rumbling in his throat only getting louder.

"You could... You could rip off this mask of mine, destroy it, and watch as I crumble into myself for all these... sins I've acted against you," Jaldabaoth reminded his elder sibling. He could see Demiurge losing his composure when he offered such a thing. "But-But you won't..." Jaldabaoth hacked and coughed as the blood bubbled in his mouth. "One sin out of many that you won't commit..." The red eyes glowed angrily upon the mask. "Don't blame me for your weaknesses..."

Having such a thing spoken to him wounded the arrogant pride Demiurge had. He was about to grab for the mask to do such a thing, but it was there the poisonous, spiked ends of Jaldabaoth's tail struck Demiurge's side.

The sound of agony he made wasn't one you heard from him as of yet and, all the same, it was jarring as it repeated endlessly in your mind.

"Demiurge!" you screamed, as he fell from the strike.

It wasn't enough to make the devil quit, even if the poison was far stronger than any venomous creature living in the world. Desperate to keep you safe, Demiurge lunged at his brother the moment Jaldabaoth took to his feet. His grip furiously clasped the Traitor's Mask, making Jaldabaoth tense at the very thought his brother would actually follow through with his continuous threats. However, with what energy Jaldabaoth had to spare, the fellow devil retreated.

Jaldabaoth knew if he stayed far much longer, he would not live another second, as Demiurge would take him down in his last breath if he could.

Holding Nyala close, you ran towards the wounded king. His breathing quivered as you stood at his side. The sight of blood on him was unnerving. It was the very thing you hoped to never witness. There was indeed someone a bit stronger if not as strong as Demiurge in this part of the world.