Chronicles Of A Fallen Angel

Chapter 76 76: Demon Fight

It started as a chuckle and built to full laughter that echoed through the hall. "Oh, I like you. The sheer audacity of walking into my domain and announcing your intention to rob me – that's brilliant, and yet suicidal."

"Not for me."

"Oh." He circled us slowly, like a predator assessing prey. "So. You want something from my vault. And rather than trying to sneak in like thieves, you've come to negotiate. That suggests confidence. Or stupidity. Which is it?"

"Confidence. We can pay for access, we can trade for it, or we can take it by force. Your choice."

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. Demons around us tensed, hands moving to weapons, magic crackling in the air.

Asmodeus raised a hand, and everyone froze.

"By force," he repeated. "You think you could take something from me by force. In my own domain. Surrounded by my people." He moved closer, until we were almost nose to nose. "You're just a fallen. What makes you think you could challenge me?"

I let my power show. Just a fraction, just enough that everyone in the room could feel it.

Golden light erupted around me, divine energy that made several demons step back involuntarily. Not enough to attack, just enough to demonstrate capability.

"Because I'm not asking," I said quietly. "I'm informing you. We're retrieving that book. Either you make this easy, or we make it difficult. But either way, we're leaving with what we came for."

Asmodeus stared at me. Then he smiled – genuine, delighted.

"You know what? I'm bored. I've been bored for months, maybe years. Nothing interesting happens anymore, everyone's too scared to challenge me, and ruling this little kingdom has become tedious." He stepped back. "So let's make a deal."

"I'm listening."

"Fight in my arena. You win, you get access to the vault. You lose, you belong to me. All three of you."

Sarah tensed beside me. Viktor just grinned.

"What kind of fight?" I asked.

"My champion against yours. One on one, no outside interference. First blood, first submission, or death. Winner takes all."

"Who's your champion?"

Asmodeus gestured, and a demon emerged from the crowd. Massive, easily eight feet tall, all muscle and malice. His skin was dark red, covered in scars that suggested centuries of combat experience.

"Balthazar. He's been my champion for sixty years. Undefeated in over three hundred fights." Asmodeus looked at me. "Think you can beat him?"

I studied Balthazar. He was powerful, experienced, and fighting in his home territory. At 2%, this would have been impossible.

At 12%?

"I'll fight," I said.

"Excellent!" Asmodeus clapped his hands. "Clear the arena! We have entertainment!"

The crowd surged toward a section of the hall that opened up – another spatial expansion, revealing a fighting pit that was absolutely massive. Stone floor, walls rising thirty feet, no weapons, no cover. Just raw space for violence.

Sarah grabbed my arm. "Are you sure about this?"

"No. But we need that book."

"If things go bad – "

"They won't."

Viktor just nodded. "Give him hell."

I stepped into the arena, and Balthazar followed. The crowd pressed against the walls above, demons and humans alike, all eager to watch the show.

Asmodeus appeared on a viewing platform, raising his hands for silence.

"The rules are simple! Fight until one submits, is incapacitated, or dies! No interference from outside parties! And..." He smiled at me. "Just to make things interesting – no flight. Keep your feet on the ground, warrior."

The restriction didn't matter. I'd barely learned to use my wings again anyway.

Balthazar cracked his knuckles, his grin revealing rows of sharp teeth. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you, little angel."

"Try."

Asmodeus dropped his hand, and the fight began.

Balthazar moved first, closing the distance with surprising speed for his size. His fist came at my head like a wrecking ball.

I didn't dodge. Didn't need to.

I caught his fist in my hand.

The impact sent shockwaves through the arena floor, but I held firm. Balthazar's eyes widened in surprise.

"My turn," I said.

I channeled divine energy through my fist and punched him in the chest.

The demon flew backward, smashing into the arena wall hard enough to crack stone. He fell, gasped, then stood up, shock written across his face.

"What the fuck – "

I was already moving.

Speed. Raw speed that made me blur.

I hit him three times before he could react – ribs, jaw, kidney. Each strike backed by divine power, each one designed to hurt.

Balthazar roared and swung wildly. I ducked under his arm, came up inside his guard, and drove my palm into his solar plexus.

He staggered.

I swept his legs, putting him on his back, and my fist came down toward his face –

He rolled. Fast. Combat experience overriding pain.

His tail – I hadn't noticed he had a tail – whipped around and caught me in the side. The spikes along it tore through my shirt and drew blood.

I stumbled back. First blood. Technically his.

But I was smiling.

Because the wound was already healing.

"That all you got?" I asked.

Balthazar's expression shifted from confidence to concern. "You're not normal. Even for a fallen. What are you?"

"The Executioner."

I blurred forward again, faster than before. This time, I wasn't holding back.

My fists became weapons – divine energy coating them, turning each strike into a miniature explosion. I hit Balthazar everywhere – head, chest, arms, legs, targeting every major joint and nerve cluster.

He tried to fight back. Managed to land a few hits. But for every one he landed, I delivered five.

The crowd's cheers turned to shocked murmurs.

Balthazar, undefeated champion of the arena, was losing. Badly.

I caught him with an uppercut that lifted him off his feet. While he was airborne, I jumped, bringing both fists down on his chest in a hammer blow that drove him into the stone floor with enough force to crater it.

He didn't get up.

I stood over him, breathing hard but not exhausted. "Submit?"

He coughed blood. "Fuck... you..."

"Wrong answer."

I channeled more energy, my fist glowing golden, raised for a killing blow –

"I submit!" Balthazar's voice came out broken. "I submit. You win."

I lowered my fist slowly, letting the energy dissipate.

The arena was silent.

Then Asmodeus started clapping. Slow, measured applause that echoed through the space.

"Magnificent," he said, standing. "Simply magnificent. I haven't seen Balthazar beaten that thoroughly in decades." He looked at me with something like respect. "You've earned your prize, Executioner. The vault is yours."